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Monday, September 10, 2018
What's Up? Topic #26; entries 9/18 - 3/19
Anything can be posted here! We'll talk about politics, sports (football, basketball, figure skating, & tennis), Movies, & TV! Posts framed w/ "***" are from other contributors! ;-)
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***I'm beginning to wonder if firing Mueller/impeding the invest. would make a diff. @ this pt.***
ReplyDeleteTrump can try & derail the whole shebang in DC, I have faith the SDNY & NY will have enough to prosecute the whole crooked family thru Cohen! Trump s/b twisted up in knots b/c he's getting it from all sides! Hopefully Collins & Murkowski'll see the error of their ways & put a halt to this whole nom. farce!
***Mark Judge’s memoir about Brett Kavanaugh’s portrays a culture of aggression & excessive drinking.***
This nom. is toast after more accusers have come out of the woodwork! If McConnell's stupid enough to rush this vote thru Thurs., mods like Collins, Flake, Sasse, Murkowski, & Corker but to go thumbs down! I think it's pretty much a done deal another background chk'll disqualify this drunken perv.!
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...I call it KARMA since I heard Kavanaugh worked for Star during the Clinton investigations & had a lot to do w/ the ??'s & the resulting "Star Report" so it's come full circle on this sleazebag! Anyone who thinks they can ignore Ford's claims w/ so much backing it up is deluding themselves! This nom. is on life-support & the plug will prob. be pulled before that woman comes to DC to put the final nail in this ridiculous exercise! Reps are willing to risk being in the wilderness for a few yrs by getting this guy on the SC so it proves to me how malevolent & insidious these people are & continue t/b @ the cost of our Dem. institutions!
***What's backing it up? Be specific.***
So you believe everything supporting her claim is "a huge made up conspiratorial LIE?" It's not just some claim out of the blue; therapy notes, lie detector test, other person in the room who's running away!" He knows if he lies to the FBI he's going t/b just as "toasted!" Anyone backing this guy when his rep. precedes him are going down as well! I'd back away if I were you b/c this is going to explode all over Reps! They w/b so assoc. to favoring pervs, sex offenders, & child molesters! Moore down in AL barely lost w/ all the circumstantial evidence vs him!
***Kavanaugh & wife appeared on FOX last night saying that all allegs were untrue/never happened & that he was a virgin until well after college.***
What else can they do or say? I'd have more sympathy for her if this sleazebag wasn't such a hypocrite! Kavanaugh goes back to the Clinton investigations working for Ken Star & pushed all the conspiracies vs the Clinton, finally penning the Star Report! I call that KARMA since he worked so hard trying to undermine that president, but's thought t/b totally backing anything Trump's been doing!
***Kavanaugh's embarrassing himself.***
I learned a long X ago, people like this have "no shame!" The ends justifies the means; & to get ROE vs WADE these people are willing to risk it all! The real shame is women support these clowns until their rights are in jeopardy instead of protecting them from the start! Cons still speak of women like they irrational, emotional, & hysterical beings that can't be trusted to take care of business & women perpetuate it when they don't support one another un< it gets dramatic like it is now! After '92, '18's supposed t/b "the yr. of the woman" again! We'll see how long this one lasts!
***Lawyer Michael Avenatti told the Senate Judiciary Comm. late Sun. that he has X witnesses who can say Kavanaugh participated in gang rapes of drunken women during HS.
- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-brett-kavanaugh-gang-rape-avenatti-20180923-story.html -***
I'd have sympathy for Kavanaugh's family if he wasn't one of the conspiracy nuts who went after Clinton & anyone he knew! That Star Report was one of the most disgusting legal documents produced & it was all Kavanaugh! It's poetic justice & Karma that his life is being turned upside down over accusations from yrs before! "How ya like that Brett?"
ReplyDelete***So what you are saying is that's the reason Dems created this entire phony story?***
If it's so fk'n phony, you have nothing to worry about! Kavanaugh s/b able to hold his own w/ the spoon-fed ??'s Reps will throw his way! We'll see how he fairs w/ the cross-exam. of the Dems who have a lot of ammunition! The witnesses & accusers are coming out of the woodwork! You gonna stick w/ "they're all liars" or "being used by the Dems?" Please feel free to go down in flames w/ this nomination!
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Kavanaugh w/b a fool to = show up tmrw for this hearing! Logic should tell the WW this nom. s/b pulled ASAP, take their lumps, & move on! Dems have lit'l to nothing to do w/ this ridiculous exercise since more than likely Kavanaugh's rep was well known! They just wanted this sleazebag in a position of power for 30-40 yrs! He's gone; TOAST!
***The topic is the sleazy porn lawyer and his fables, is it not?
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Actually no; the topic is more info coming on another Kavanaugh accuser. Avanetti just happens to be the messenger.***
I wish I could say he's just the =alent of a FNC cons. hack, but Avanetti's a lot smarter & backs up his bluster w/ facts, the truth, & results! Trump has attacked everyone else but this guys who goes right @ him! MA's detractors can't say that since they were also sure Trump w/b exonerated by now in the Mueller investigations/probes!
***I’m fine w/ Kavanaugh being treated the same as Clinton.***
Reps & cons. always find religion when a special prosecutor's on their ass! The hypocrisy's mind-numbing, but we have to expect it! For Trump & McConnell to = mouth the word "obstruction" concerning Dems due to their lack of accomplishments is eye-popping! They just have no shame & the people who accept these lies are = more pathetic!
***...I can picture Rosenstein digging in his heels when he heard about "his resignation." He's one tough cookie.***
Trump's just losin' it b/c the people he hires are actually doing their jobs instead of acting in his best interests! It kills me how he rails about some "blue state" inside the WW, but he brought them in! They are cons. who've probably worked for past admin. w/o incident! He's determined to "burn it all down" to save himself & his retched family!
***There comes a X when what mhb classified as a big ego is more accurately classified as dementia.***
The rest of the world will prob. just wait Trump out & try to not take him seriously when he makes an ass of himself @ everyone's expense! So far we're surviving the insanity, but only X will tell if there aren't repercussions of this lack of world leadership! Funny how Obama was supposed t/b such a disaster w/ the whole planet vs us, but the facts show it's happening now w/ Trump giving every benefit of the doubt to tyrants & thugs! Elections have consequences so everyone s/b shaking their heads by now!
***Kavanaugh posted his sexual exploits in his yearbk & other writings, but then he appears on FNC w/ his wife claiming he was a virgin back then- both stories can't be true.***
ReplyDeleteI think this nom's toast! I'm watching the hearing now & the bullying prosecutor isn't helping the situation! It's not an interrogation to find truth; more an exercise to try & trip up this very soft-spoken & gentle woman! ...We know Reps have no shame, but Collins & Murkowski have a lot to lose if they accept this nom.! Flake & Corker won't do Trump any favors!
Watching FNC & = those commentators have said Ford's a credible witness & the prosecutor "didn't lay a glove on her!" ... Chris, Shannon, Brett, Martha, & Judge Nap. are shaking their heads concerning this going forward!
***Fiero, this is just a charade on the Reps part. They simply don't care what kind of person he is. They're going to confirm him.
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Most all stocks tanked yesterday when the Fed announced a rate increase- but Nike's back up to $85 today.***
I still SMH over the insidiousness of a president & a segment of supporters that look for a co. to tank! It's > a lit'l pathetic! The list is growing: Nike, The NFL, Amazon, ind. sports personalities, etc.! If any cross cons., the Devil enters these hatin' degenerates & they just can't help themselves cheering for failure! Only in America!
***Fiero, many of us don't care if companies who attack our flag & Nat'l Anthem prosper or fail. We simply want to insure that no one accuses us of using their products. We simply & quietly remove them as possible vendors.
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1/2 of Americans support Kaepernick & 1/2 don't- there's no clear consensus...***
The 1/2 that don't were influenced by an asshole making his "political statement" akin to disloyalty & being un-American rather than what Kaepernick was trying to say about "Blacks being shot by COPS!"
***In Hillary's case, if the Reps could've found a crime- she whb charged.***
You can't reason w/ these people! When the leadership of the Rep. party is still perpetuating mythical crimes on the Clintons, it's no wonder people out there still believe it! According to loudmouth psychos like Gowdy, Nunes, & Issa who are going out anyway, it'll never be enough! They continue to embarrass themselves acting as if there's some cover-up going on when they're the one's in charge!
===
***Cosbys as guilty as a preacher on Easter Sunday & it makes me sick. I was a huge fan.***
So was I going back to the 60's as the only Blk. actor w/ a hit network show in "I Spy!" ...The next influence was him hosting the "Tonight Show" when Carson went on vacation! The movies w/ Harry Belafonte & Sidney Poitier were being produced! By the 80's I was actually getting sick of him; not that I wasn't still a fan, but the PR con of him being "America's Dad" was nauseating! He was busy making bad movies like "Leonard Part VI," promoting Jazz festivals, book tours, hosting comedy shows, then "The Cosby Show" took off in the mid 80's! ...I was already aware of his rep.! It was obvious he was deflecting from his own misdeeds! Only his immense celebrity has held off this moment of justice!
***I watched Conners' "era" come to an end. I watched Borg's "era" come to an abrupt end b/c he had a hissy fit.***
ReplyDeleteSimple; besides the en nui of dealing w/ the same top player for over 20 yrs, I know I'm looking for a change! I'm a huge fan of Navratilova, but after 20 yrs, the new guard was coming along & making her look bad! Connors just had that love of the game, but he well extended his stay to the detriment of his rec. going yrs w/o = making a final! Does anyone really want to see Roger LIMP out of the sport? If he had retired after Wimbl. in '12 it whb classic, but he hung on for 5 yrs before finally winning 3 more majors so it's been worth it so far! ...It's been shameful that the "next gen." players have all kinds of wild talent & it's done them so lit'l good! It's one thing not to win the big one @ a young age, but they haven't = been able to accomplish many upsets of top players! There's a reason Fedalovic have owned the tour for well over a decade; the next gen. has sucked to high heaven & I'm looking past them to the next in Shapovalov, Tsitsipas, Rublev, Chung, & Tiafoe!
***I shed a few tears watching Agassi. Have done so w/ sev. others over the yrs. Ferrer's last match tore my heart strings. Will do the same w/ Fedal.***
...I prefer grand exits like Martina in '94 making that last Wimbl. final dropping it in 3 to C. Martinez! BJK tried to leave poetically by winning Wimbl. in '75 eviscerating Goolagong love & 1, but she couldn't help herself & for the love of the game came back to make 3 or 4 major SF's before limping out again in '83! Sampras did it right; had struggled for over 2 yrs w/ winning ANYTHING from Wimbl. 2000 to making that last USO final in '02 defeating his main rival in 4 glorious sets! Wilander's slide was so precipitous, I wasn't = aware he was still playing in the 90's! I've seen them all come & go from '73 on; each is diff., but we have expectations of Fed that'll be hard to meet if he continues!
***If Fed can't remain comp. I'd like to see him retire. I remember Conners playing "Joe's Inv'l" matches yrs after he should've retired w/ 8 people in attendance, no I don't want Fed to go out that way but, there's a huge gap btw where Fed is now & Conners was then. He won the AO this yr, but hasn't looked great since & TBH I think it's more mental w/ him than physical. ...a top 25 Fed should retire.
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What you say about the current fans m/b true, but the game has changed so much that @ some pt. it's obvious that every new ATG will write his own story, regard< of what those before him did.***
Well for the foreseeable future, these losers' pens w/b running out of ink long before they = approach the recs being set today by Fedalovic! To have Nole come out of nowhere to win the 2 biggest events of the season was the height of things unexpected! He actually went into the USO as the fave; HOW? They were right, but it made no sense! Where was Sasha, Grigor, Dominic, Milos, Kei, & all the rest to take advantage of this lull w/ Fed coming back to Earth, Rafa & Murray brking down, & Nole a non-factor until QUEENS!
***What's the reason for having The Laver Cup?***
I haven't paid much attn. to the motivations! I think I heard Fed just wanted to give a homage to Laver; I say it's Roger's farewell tour thru '19! Both feats are accomplished & charity funds are raised I'd hope!
***I know Roger reveres Laver, but it's >er to hold this tourn. @ the beginning of the season when players really need match practice. It c/b held in Aus. before the AO which w/b fitting since Laver is from "down under."***
It would interfere w/ the Aussie swing of the tour; Brisbane & "The Hopman Cup!" That's not going to happen so close to AO!
***It must hurt Rafa fans that their man has never had his own era. Roger & Djoker are way superior on everything except clay, so that's about 70% of the sched.***
ReplyDeleteRafa couldn't sustain it for any real length of X & when he had the chance to back up his '10, Nole was in the way @ every turn stopping him 6 str. X's; = on clay! Rafa had a good '13, but after Nole won Wimbl. in '14, he broke down again for an extended period; actually dropping out of 1 FO & being unceremoniously bounced by Nole in the other! It's hard to have an era if you can't stay on the court more than 14-16 months! I taped every match back in '11 when both Nole & Rafa were @ the height of their powers & guess who "owned it?!"
***It’s curious that Fed fans only want to count yrs '16/17 in a rivalry that goes back to '04 for a total span of 15 yrs. So only 2 out of 15 yrs matter now? Holy Selective reasoning, Batman...***
I'm over the Fedal MYTH! I was sucked in making it seem like Rafa was only winning over Roger on clay! I've been immersed in tennis history since '73, but = I was believing it! Finally after '11 when Roger stopped Nole's unbeaten winning streak, I figured this was his chance & he went down like a poisoned dog yet again to Rafa! Where was that superb serving from the SF? Where was all that attack that overwhelmed Nole who had t/b mentally fried playing perfect tennis from AO thru the FO SF! I've been the last person giving Roger a break when it comes to his 2 best rivals who literally own him! For some reason, Rafa's had a lit'l trouble of late, but I wouldn't bet on Roger continuing this roll!
***Djoker owns early to mid-30's Fed. It'd be kind of pathetic if the geriatric was getting the >er of Nole all these yrs just as it was pathetic that Rafa got molested by the old man last yr. It helps being 5 & 6 yrs younger when you're talking athletes in their 30's.
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For Fed to have become the undisputed GOAT he would've had to beat Nadal @ the FO @ least once. He is 0-5 vs him there while Nadal beat him at Wimbl. in only his 3rd try in the greatest match in history... THAT match decided who the GOAT is, dear monfraud.
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That ain't worth 3 extra slams & a far superior non-slam resume. Your boy has no extended era of dominance & just has shown t/b an opportunistic sniper off clay. I'm still waiting for him to defend a church tournament off clay.
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Fiero isn't a Federer fan, I don't see any of us discounting any part of the rivalry. I take '17 as the obvious confirmation that Fed failed miserably in dealing w/ Nadal off clay for over 10 yrs. As I've said before, the '08 Wimbl. & '09 AO finals in particular get more pathetic every yr., & they were weak enough to begin w/. Roger also lost to Nadal @ Dubai, Cincy & YEC. All debacles on paper...& otherwise.
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You take '17 as "obvious confirmation" that Roger failed miserably v. Nadal. Same as you've always claimed that Roger's losing to Nadal in '08 W. as proof that he didn't play well. What arrogant twaddle. Given the H2H, it would make more logical sense to say that '17 proves that Nadal wasn't playing as well as in the past.***
...a total aberration except Fed's roll continued into '18! WTF? Been trying to get Roger to bow out, but The Next Gen won't help to push him out, then Nadal started losing to the old guy! Thank Gawd Nole's back; been Roger's MASTER this decade w/ few losses!
***The loser GEN needs to step up & send all "The Big 3" guys packing. The same 3 people dominating the sport since 15 yrs is frankly embarrassing as Hell. Fedal are likely done anyway except m/b on their fave surfaces, but Djokovic looks like he has got a good 2 yrs left.***
***I honestly don't expect anything from Nole nowadays, but he makes me smile w/ his wins.***
ReplyDeleteToo true = to this day! I thought Nole would wind up being the perennial #3 of all X due to such a lackluster effort in '17! People were talking about him retiring = w/ "moments" of his skills resurfacing!
***Djokovic will always be below Fedal. ...@ least your guy will always be >er than Murray.***
...By stealing another USO, Nole's put himself back in the running for GOAT! ...I think he'll surpass Nadal @ least so Fed may keep that moniker = w/ deficiencies; 1 FO & owned by 2 rivals!
***I always thought those who declared Nole definitely finished after '17 was actually more projecting their wishful thinking & agendas. I’m not one of those who thinks he needs to get 20 Majors t/b Goat. He could get 6 or more YE # 1, complete a 2nd Nole-Slam, & say win 2 more FO's. Sev. of those things c/b done winning say 18 Majors.
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A Tomic-Fognini final is one of the weirdest possible match-ups in tennis. Having said that, also one of the greatest combos of raw talent there c/b -- combined w/ the least possible productive attitudes.***
I guess you're giving "hope" to us all that Kyrgios will come around! His skills are superior to many, but if he has a goldfish swimming around in his head, all that talent means nothing! In my day the biggest "waste" had t/b Ilie Nastase! He had every shot in the book & playfully won while having a good X w/ the fans! He obviously had demons which would take him over allowing "no names" to defeat him @ X's, but I have a lot of regard for his game! He got to #1 in the early yrs of the ATP computer, won sev. majors & YEC's, had 2 classic losses in Wimbl. finals, & competed against some of the best from Laver/Rosewall to Borg/Connors! I've written extensively that Safin fits into this category; wicked talent, but screwed up in the head! He was a "Nastase" w/ power & could blow out players like Sampras in a USO final & outlast a Fed in AO! Kygrios hasn't won a major yet to fit him w/ these other past stars, but I think he'll steal 2 = if helium's keeping his head inflated instead of a brain! Being part of that "Next Gen," after the "Big 3" exit, everything w/b up for grabs; majors, Masters, & YE #1!
***Your conclusion's gen. right, but the fun thing is that I'm prob. the only guy in this forum who does not think Kyrgios is particularly talented.
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Ryder Cup on now, night owls delight.***
Americans on the ropes again! They haven't won on foreign soil in yrs! The US has all the talent, tons of past & present #1 golfers, & it does them lit'l good in these team events! They've been dropping these things to senior retirees like Seve, Ian, & Colin; it's getting embarrassing now! Woods should just stop = trying! As renowned as commentators love to describe his skills, the Ryder Cup has exposed him; esp. in "match play!"
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I was a huge fan of Gruden, but his ego had t/b out of control to believe he could get away w/ coming back to the NFL & making bad decisions like giving up on Khalil Mack! I apprec. it living it Chgo, him giving up a franchise player for a bag of footballs! He's proved his worth to us from DAY ONE! Idiotic decision by Chucky!
***As I said, he won the SB w/ Dungy's team that DUNGY built.***
***Personally I think there’s a lot of good things clicking for Cleve. Browns, could develop into a good solid team. That tie w/ the Steelers still grates, could would shoulda....***
ReplyDeleteI was a huge fan of Cleveland going back to the "Cardiac Kids" of the 80's! Brian Sipe was the man & an MVP IIRC! They just never could catch a brk; winning games in the last moments until a fumble, missed FG, or improbable field-long drive vs them to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! I still remember in horror when in a playoff vs the Steelers, they were up & winning when the QB had a defenseman/former teammate thrashing around his legs & wrecked his knee again! The frustration of the player upset about what he had done only helped the Steelers win the game! They tried to bring the 49'r mentality to the front office when the new Cleveland team was created, but somehow they're still floundering w/ glimpses of getting out of their eternal rut! Cleveland & Cincy were perennial winning playoff teams decades ago; now in the wilderness they're barely able to get there!
***Mahomes is a superstar in the making. He's got some moves. He plays a lot like Favre back there. Not many like that. Well, aside from Favre. He throws the ball very similarly.***
He's mesmerizing the officials who didn't catch the clock ran out late on one of those long plays converted to keep the ball in KC's hands! I couldn't be happier w/ how things are going for KC; love Andy, been a fan of the Chiefs since the days of Stram, & now they have this QB impressing us all! Throwing that ball in the left hand was def. Favresque I hate to say!
***Browns prob. are going nowhere this yr. Long-term depends on if Mayfield is good or not. Bears look legit this yr. That defense is elite w/ Mack & they have decent enough talent on offense t/b a good team. Green Bay has @Detroit & San Fran @ home before the bye. After the bye it gets real tough. If GB loses to the Lions they'll have a hard X = making the playoffs.***
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Kerrigan's probably "more common" than we think; playing the "Ice Princess" melted when she was caught on a "hot mic" undermining her Disney app.! I was never = a fan seeing as some of us think of her as a "home-wrecker!" ENUF said on that I guess! I loved that Oksana won = if from another nation! The self-entitlement of Nancy was so off-putting; "WHYYYYYYY?" Everything happens to her! It was a horrible event in skating history, but she's milked it to death = if unintentional! Baiul prob. shouldn't have won; esp. 2-footing her 3Lutz every single X! That +ed 3Toe @ the end of her Broadway LP salvaged hope she could outscore Kerrigan & she did; though maybe a corrupt result!
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***...You keep this up & your Cubs will have more bad Karma like today.***
Like I care! I'm a White Sox fan; cap, uniform, & free tickets I got for having perfect attendance in HS for 3 yrs!
***I learned early NEVER confuse a WS fan w/ a Cub fan. As my Chi WS fan buddy told me when I asked him if he was excited about the Cubs finally winning it all "Uh no...let them go another 100 yrs of drought...”***
***Djoker had losing rec. vs Fed until gramps Fed was in his mid 30s.***
ReplyDeletePlease don't pull that age BS w/ me! I expect fans to make excuses for him; HELL I was one of them 10 yrs ago! The facts are Fed has always been owned by Nadal & Nole took over their rivalry back in '10; Roger unable to beat either when it really counted for the most part! If age's his issue m/b he should take his old ass out of the game!
***He didn't turn it around until '11. Age isn't an excuse, it's a fact. And anyone arguing that a 36 yo s/b on a level playing field as a 30 yo is off their rocker. Are you one of the idiots who argue that Roger is as good today as he was in his mid 20's?***
ALL I will say is "don't play then;" PERIOD, end of story! Nothing's more pathetic than using a crutch of injury (Nadal) or "Father X" to explain a series of losses! I'll give you 2, but X losses on X surface; you are just owned & need to get over it!
***So b/c Roger's no longer as good as he used t/b, he should retire. Or is it that he's no longer the best player in the world. If he retired when he was past his prime he'd hbg by '10 @ the latest & w/ 16 slams he'd have been passed up & looking weaker by the day career-wise. His age's a fact buddy & yes @ his age he s/b losing every fucking X to guys 5-6 yrs younger than him. ...And God knows how much it's helped Djokovic & Nadal that everything slowed down esp. @ that shitty joke they call Wimbl. Roger wouldn't have been easy for them to beat on an actual grass court.***
The reason your argument falls apart is b/c Murray's part of the Big 4 & no matter how old he gets, he still owned Murray; grass, HC, wherever! You don't have t/b a Fed 'hatah' to suggest he bow out before embarrassing himself! It's getting there! True enough, it was worth hanging out until this season taking #20 "down under," but it took 5 yrs! He was dropping every major match against Nole & Rafa and it wasn't = close as X went on! Not many can or will do what Fed's done again; winning X majors & re-taking #1 ranking! I blame it on the "Next Gen" being gut< & Djokovic/Murray out for significant periods in the last seasons!
***Before embarrassing himself? Last I chk'd he won more Majors in the past 2 yrs than Djokovic. And I'm pretty sure it's not only b/c all of the other players in men's tennis suck.
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...Some reason Fed should retire to protect his legacy & H2H. I guess that’s the solution: all “aging” players in any sport should hang it up. ...Every athlete ages, that’s a fact. It’s also a fact that Fed’s best Major winning yrs were '03-09, & that both Rafa & Nole have won more majors since for the last 9 yrs. It’s also a fact that Fed won 4 of his Majors ('03-04) when both Rafa & Nole were very young & inexperienced ...(ages 18 & 17).
News flash: those victories for Fed count = when he beats older players such as “aging Agassi” so it’s beyond BS to want only those to count in his favor. It’s also a fact that Rafa beat per Fed fans “peak Fed” era in matches. It’s also a fact that Fed hasn’t beaten Nole in a Major grasscout or HC tourn. in virtually a decade.
...Another fact: currently the 4 top ranked ATP players are all 30 & older; 7 of the top 10 are all 30 & older. It’s also a fact that some just count his victories & discount/excuse his losses. Nole is having a relatively late career resurgence, WTH cares whether he's as as good as “peak“ Djokovic of '14/15. The pt. is he’s winning NOW.***
Thank you! Never thought I'd have an argument/debate like this w/ knowledgeable, exp. players & fans! I guess "fanatic" is right when their reasoning goes out the window trying to protect one player's legacy!
The tour's more brutal than it ever has been w/ the # of events & endorsements! All you have to do is look @ the best seasons of Nole to see what I mean! Too much success breeds physical & mental fatigue! ...I wasn't too surprised when Nole's play fell off; had t/b physically & mentally draining by '16 USO F. This is why I give Nole the edge = though well behind Roger in majors! He really made his mark = w/ Fedal looming throughout his career!
ReplyDelete***Nah. Agassi played from '86 til '06: 20 yrs. 20 yrs to win 4 tourns. 80 chances. Yep! Awesome.***
Not to defend this guy, but back then all those chances meant nothing since so many players skipped AO MOST of the X & only marginally gave the FO the X of the day; esp. Americans! Back then it was all about Wimbl. & The USO! The FO more important to Europeans & So. Americans! AO fave of only Aussies; sorry!
***OK, not too disagree too much, but "Back then"? I think you might have your X-lines misplaced. M/b in the 70s, but not later 1980s.
'87+ AO winners: Edberg, Wilander, Lendl, Becker, Courier, Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Korda. Not an Aussie in the bunch.
'86+ FO winners: Lendl, Wilander, Chang, Gomez, Courier, Bruguera, Muster, Kefelnikov, Kuerten, Moya, Agassi.
(I see 3 Americans in the group, w/ the Euros & So. Americans. By the late 80s-early 90s all 4 slams were pretty much Int'l.)***
I'm quite aware of all you posted; the mentality of the events is what I was talking about! I well remember how Lendl, Wilander, & Edberg went "down under," but for the most part the real stars of the game didn't! You can count on 1 hand how many X's Connors or McEnroe bothered to go & those were the real "stars" = if Lendl owned them both by then! Same w/ the FO! ALL the majors were Int'l, but it was never like it is today where players just don't skip = one of the events much < 2 of them every season!
***...And for all the hype & buzz about how great Martina was they both won 18 majors & Evert's overall major #'s are >er.***
...By '84 Martina was toying w/ Chris on all the surfaces! The resentment was deep = though Navratilova had only won her 1st USO in '83 w/ 14 str. wins over her closest rival thru that per. up to '84 USO!
***Rankings translate across era. The #1 player in '72 was the best in the world, same as today. We don't have ATP rankings before '73, but we do have writers rankings & other sites w/ formulas. ...I'd offer 2 lists:
-All-X
1. Laver
2. Federer
3. Tilden
4. Nadal
5. Djokovic
6. Sampras
7. Gonzales
8. Rosewall
9. Borg
10. Wilding
I'm really not sure about the top 3 - I think there's an argument for all of them. Tilden's particularly historically underrated. I give Laver the edge over Roger both to over-compensate for my own bias, but also b/c I think Laver had a longer "peak dom." than Roger. Laver was the best player in the sport for almost 10 yrs & was only surpassed when he was 32ish, whereas Roger was the best in the sport for about 4 yrs & was surpassed when he was 26-27 ('08 Wimbl. being the passing of the baton).
Open Era only
1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Djokovic
4. Sampras
5. Borg
6. Lendl
7. McEnroe
8. Connors
9. Laver
10. Agassi***
I can't handle Connors on any top 10 list = w/ his majors & the men's rec. for singles titles! He had too many weakness & too many players that eventually owned him! He never played a FO final, made 1 SF, actually dropping it to Vitas G. of all players; someone he'd beaten @ least 16 str. X's! Those final yrs were so sad w/ him actually getting to a final of a small tourney, but dropped it to player barely ranked in the top 100 like Christo Van Rensberg of So. Africa!
I can't handle Connors on any top 10 list = w/ his majors & the men's rec. for singles titles; 109! ...Those final yrs were so sad w/ him actually getting to a final, but dropping it to player barely ranked in the top 100 like Christo Van Rensberg of So. Africa!
ReplyDelete***I hear you, which is why I rank him lower than most - below Mac & Lendl. I still rank him above Agassi, though, as he had a sustained per. of dom. that Agassi didn't have.***
***In the era of the Big 3/4, they may-c/b seen as underachievers, but Berdych & Tsonga did something many players never achieve. They both beat Fed, Nadal, Djokovic, & Murray in Slams.***
I knock players like Berdych, Ferrer, & Tsonga for what's been described as underachieving! They had enough talent to win just about anything, but proved gut< vs the Big 3/4, unable to back up any upset they actually accomplished! I keep using the term "gut<" due to them being in a position to win @ X's, but unable to finish the deal! ...Ferrer must feel like he's been banging his head on the way unable to = compete vs the Big 4; often being embarrassed! You'd think he'd try something extra like attacking the net, but he could only grind it out from the baseline! What an idiot!
***...The Laver Cup was 2 wks ago! You're telling me that 21-37 yo men can't recover from 2 tennis matches w/i 2 or 3 wks! ...Those guys shd like Fed & Djokovic, and waited for the Shanghai to compete! Nobody made them play in these ATP 500 events! Quit chasing the $$ & pace yourself w/ a good calendar.***
That's the problem; it's never enough! They're all chasing the $$ & pts; no one more manic doing it than Murray in '16 to overtake Nole for #1 @ the YEC! It cost him & he's been needing a wheelchair & sling since!
***The China draw's now out for the 1st step to reclaiming the heavywt. title from Nadal. ...This wk. c/b a blockbuster.***
That's saying a lot for either Roger or Nole to make the final; Fed who's been on the decline since this summer & Nole on the "come up" w/ so much success since Queens! I'd think Nole would've loss concentration by now! We have every reason to believe this roll will continue & I can't wait for the coming wks to unfold!
***Fed enjoys conditions in Shanghai & Djokovic has the YE #1 in sight, so both will feel extra MO here IMO. IDK what to make of Del Po who looked quite subdued in the Beijing final; Zverev lost early also. For me, I see @ Fed v Djokovic final as the most likely outcome here, not a lock by any means, but certainly the most likely IMO. - I'd be really excited for a Fedovic final in Shanghai. It w/b nice to gage how Fed's level's after USO w/ some writing him off. The faster conditions in Shanghai m/b similar to the new, faster AO.
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That's a very valid pt. The fast conditions in Shanghai & now @ the AO are quite similar in many ways, & w/ Djokovic's return to form, all eyes are on a potential battle btw Fed & Djokovic in Melbourne.
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Tbh this yr. wouldn't feel too disappointing as he's not really accomplished a huge amount outside the majors. '16 def. felt much more disheartening given the huge lead he had in the race after winning RG & that he also won 4 Masters & was R-up @ the WTF.***
Wrapping up the GOLDEN Masters by winning Cincy whb enough after such a list< yr. and 1/2! Winning that USO was gravy & it put him back in the running to m/b overtake Roger if the Next Gen cooperates being as gut< as they have been for yrs! It's really unprecedented to have 3 players owning their era so completely w/ nary any interference; sans Stan, Andy, & Marin!
If Reps would stop trying to insinuate themselves into every woman's uterus there w/b no conflict! The problem has always been cons. who've resented Roe v Wade & has been railing vs it for well over 40 yrs! The only thing more divisive is RACE & = that has been tested w/ the ignorance of the leadership we put in charge! They're all gut< turds that for some reason think it's worth while being pawns of their donors while trying to placate constituents they couldn't give a shit about; FLAKE included!
ReplyDelete***When cons. senators, = those who oppose Trump, indicate that they'll neverthe< vote for Kavanaugh, they ARE the enemy. They are the enemy of impartiality in judges & justices.***
Well if women lose their right to choose, they can blame each other for their plight! IDK why I'd care when women don't seem to; voting for a misogynist scum-bags like Trump!
***So it's really women who are to blame for oppo. to Roe v Wade. Got it!***
Yep! Women fk'd up & it w/b their own fault when their rights are curtailed! Women kvetch so much about a lack of representation when they have the voting majority! They're doing it to themselves!
***Seeing that only 41% of women voted for Trump, Fiero, I'm not sure how you can reasonably say that "they can blame each other.***
If he = got 10%, something's wrong w/ women to pick him over one of their own who was more qualified! It was WHITE women that Trump won over 50%!
***We are SO LUCKY to have men to explain things to us!***
Well some of you do need guidance! Just look @ the women who are suckin' up to Trump & Kavanaugh, while dismissing credible accusations of a drunken assault on one of their own! I personally don't give AF anymore b/c I'm a senior male, but if it doesn't bother you, I'll move on & say "fk it" too!
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Talk about being in complete denial! This Ford woman w/ X doctorates has all her ducks in a row & it still doesn't satisfy people; = other women! It's so sad that we still live in a country where the Thomas/Hill debacle hasn't taught these old fks in Congress anything! They're so ridiculous in so many ways; esp. Graham & Grassley! As far as I'm concerned, if women allow this shit to go unpunished, they deserve anything that happens to their civil rights! Us men will still rule it all while women are left in the dust thru their own apathetic behavior!
***Kavanaugh was intemperate. He was disrespectful. He was an angry bully.***
The Dems have already said this isn't the end of the investigations if they take back Congress! There's a good chance Kavanaugh w/b impeached from his current pos. after looking so intemperate Thurs.! A judge shouldn't act like a hysterical mess; crying, screaming @ Dems, & throwing out conspiracy theories like the ones he was putting on during the Star invests.! His guilt was exposed when he invoked the Clinton name out of the blue!
***There's no pattern of behavior w/ Kavanaugh. There's only a pattern of increasingly ludicrous accusations.***
Don't forget the ridiculous denials! He should've just admitted to some of that shit & said "I was young & stupid!" No, he decided to go "choir boy" making up a life he knew he should've led, but didn't! He's a pathetic liar & s/b disqualified from = going back to the appellate courts! He's a hysterically messy joke!
***The fact is that victims are expected t/b timid & that the wrongly accused are supposed to fight back.***
ReplyDeleteBut only Kavanaugh c/b busted for obvious distortions & outright lies! His defining notes from his cal. was ridiculous; esp. the yearbk. entry of "Renate Alumnius!" That's disgusting & he should've just fessed up instead of making up that outrageous lie about how he felt about her! Ralphing & the drinking game explanation should've embarrassed his own wife!
***Kavanaugh's not telling the truth?***
More & more is coming out! The media is ferreting out the latest b/c the FBI isn't really being serious about finding anything! Kavanaugh may not be brought up on perjury or witness tampering charges, but he's definitely being busted for it in the court of public opinion! The Dems will not let him get away w/ being so obviously partisan & more than a lit'l disingenuous! He's toast; = as an Appellate judge if there's any justice! If Flake, flakes out & votes yes after all this, the Rep. party will pay for it w/ a "BLUE WAY" that'll be unprecedented! That w/b like taking on Judge Moore from Ala. = after so much circumstantial evidence was available!
***No one would've suggested Kennedy was approp. for the SCOTUS.***
...and no one ever has IIRC! If you want to blame anyone for Kennedy ending up being highly regarded & called "A lion," my finger points @ those liberal loons in Mass.! I've never been able to figure out the state; burns books, wasn't selling alcohol on Sunday until recently, overturned a school bus as late as the 70's, & knowingly overlooked this massive indiscretion before Kennedy's career in politics = took off! I'd have him only for his vote in Congress, but never cared for the man! He was a hypocrite, liar, perv, & a drunk! His whole fk'n family rep's built on BS; & that's saying something coming from a flaming lib like me! He proved what a lowlife he had t/b by running vs a sitting Dem. president! He caused that, just like Buchannan & Perot cost Bush 41! Hillary was thrown by 2 detractors as well; Sanders & Stein! If not for them we wouldn't be in this predicament!
***To me it's more like they find it convenient to justify their xenophobic policy. I also find that they're using the law against same-sex couples in a spiteful manner.***
Nothing new! They always overplay their hands which made 'Same Sex Marriage' legal ahead of it's X! I lived out in Cal. in the 90's when Hawaii had already done so! People were going there for vacations & to get hitched! The continental US worked feverishly to avoid having to accept it themselves! Their Jihad on Gay marriage in the '04 election worked for the most part, but it cost them & the rest is history! "Thanks Karl Rove; you asshole!"
***Hundreds of migrant children are being moved to a tent camp on the Texas boarder w/ no access to schools & limited access to legal representation.***
That's the gov't the people voted for! It wasn't like Trump was hiding what he was going to do & continues to do! If it's heinous enough; you'd think there w/b more outrage, but there isn't! There's a segment of our pop. w/ no conscience, heart, or soul! If this shit was pulled on someone they knew, it would of course be a diff. "hypocritical" thing!
***Not really. The people didn't vote for it, but the electors did.***
This shouldn't have been = close! This couldn't be more a disgusting result after 2000! It's like they have this formula to win = though Reps lose the pop vote! I'm not ready to change the system to accommodate Dems, but people's minds have to open up! They can't keep going this route of polarization; nothing will ever get done! Cons. should reflect when backing pervs, child molesters, & other hypocrites of family values that they'd rather have as their rep. over a Dem/Lib!
Brett Baier tries t/b an honest broker, but he gives a wink to the producers while on air! He can barely contain himself going on the Networks trying to defend their edit. license!
ReplyDeleteI'm so disappointed by Prof. Turley today; so classically knowledgeable, but @ X's he seems to go over to the dark side! Making a comment about the ??ing of the Dems; he actually invoked the term "perjury trap" to defend Kavanaugh! Why is it a trap if you knowingly lie about something that's so easily proven? ...It's so sad it takes a threat of losing pending elections for these people to act right!
***I watched a part of Trump's speech in MI in which he mocked Dr. Ford & the crowd cheered. ...Yesterday I watched CNN- I think it was Don Lemon interviewing Jeff Toobin & a young Rep. woman. She was very upset that Kavanaugh was not yet confirmed.***
...As for those "jackals" laughing @ Trump undermining her pain, my mouth just dropped open in absolute shock; esp. w/ the women doing the biggest cheering! After selecting Trump over Hillary I was done & won't go out of my way t/b an advocate if women are willing to fk over each other like this!
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Sen. Collins is going on & on & on about Kavanaugh nom. trying to explain away all his faults & justify his rulings believed in opposition of precedent! She's doing a great job! All this BS just so she can say "yes" to Cloture to his elevation; "go ahead girl! You're toast!" After all this, can she possibly say "NO?!"
***My daughter & all her friends male & female can't wait to vote against her if she votes 'yes' for the pos on SC.***
YEP! Reps have fk'd up so much, I wouldn't vote them in t/b dog catcher! They own it all & still treat the rest of the country as if we're serfs to respect & accept all their BS! This thing w/ those kids being separated from their moms who crossed the border illegally will live on in my soul/heart as one of the most disgusting things of late being done by our gov't while they're in charge!
***I don't usually listen to political speeches. ARE THEY ALWAYS THIS FK'N LONG? FK!***
A pol usually has these exhaustingly long speeches to justify something they know is going to PO people! Collins thinks she's giving herself cover, but she >er get ready for the fight of her life! The commercials to oust her old, trembling ass w/b coming & she'll wish she just sucked it up & done the unexpected than the expedient thing which was to "roll over!" These wishy-washy Rep. acting as if they have more of a moral compass than everyone else are just fooling themselves w/ their "Hamlet act!"
***Dr. Ford was doxxed by the WaPo, or someone in Feinstein's office. - Prove it.***
A total waste of X; proof is only what Reps/Cons will accept! Cold hard facts w/ video c/b made into FAKE EVIDENCE j/b they say so!
***They actually got off easy on this one...there were some very cons. candidates that would make them wish Kav was the man. They are lucky.***
Oh I'm sure there are scummier cons. judges out there; it's just that this one is being rewarded after what he put this country thru w/ all his conspiracy theories trying to nail Bill Clinton! He was the author of that disgusting Star Report & after all his sleaze, he gets a lifeX appt.! You guys are such suckers!
***The real hero is Ford's longX friend who would not perjure herself by claiming to remember something that did not happen.***
They'll all have to live w/ this coverup! I don't give a shit about his past as a kid really, but for him to sit up there X X's lying about it totally disqualifies him! Everyone knew he was lying, but w/ Reps in charge, lying qualifies you for the position! Sessions still hasn't been prosecuted for his perjury either!
***...How you going to stop deranged people from voting for Trump? Pills won't do it. - I'll agree there are deranged people on both sides...however, IMO, WAY more vs Trump than for him.***
ReplyDeleteDems/Libs are only acting out as much as the other side when Obama was PRESIDENT! He was disrespected & undermined @ every turn! They found fault with everything including dragging his family into their BS! The Republican leadership actually made an issue of the kids getting SS protection when being taken to school! A lowlife southern hick went so much as to scream "You LIE" during his SOTU! So please spare me the tears and violins! You should never be able to even joke about how Trump's been disrespected after all Obama went thru! The "Birther" nonsense was heralded and rewarded by their fearless and pathetic leader who's now undermining all our institutions!
***LOL my goodness your violins & tears for Obama are pathetic. How quickly you forget or ignore how the lib leftie media worshiped him & you continue the worship.***
You're as wrong as always! I was no Obama fan & only supported him b/c of the alt.! It wasn't his fault this country still has problems w/ race & 1/2 the pop hated his guts no matter what he did! He actually sent more illegals back to Mex.! He was still dragged around in all their speeches about how permissive he is w/ the border! That was total BS, but as I said, some losers in this country buy the LIES b/c they want to! They're aggrieved, pathetic people who can't see beyond their own biases! I've voted in the past for good Reps; most Reps can't say the say in reverse! Just look @ all the circum. evid. of inapprop. behavior vs Moore down in Ala.! The fool was unhinged & forced out of his judgeship twice & they still wanted him over a Dem. as senator! That's so very sad to see!
***Sat.’s roll call marked the tightest successful Supreme Court confirmation vote in over 100 yrs; closer than = that of Clarence Thomas who similarly faced sexual misconduct allegations.***
It's obvious, the "family values" party likes their liars & pervs! They reward it @ every op. & @ the same X hypocritically passing judgment on others! What else c/b said & done if we have 1/2 the pop's so single-mindedly having an objective for 40+ yrs! It's a real sickness; esp. since most of these losers weren't = born when Roe v Wade was decided! To me it's like Millennials objecting to the passage of the ERA amendment! It was just as controversial believe it or not! Reps still fighting that as well; just not so overtly! Just look @ that "right wing" Judiciary Senate Comm.! They had to go out & fk'n hire someone from the outside to ?? FORD last month! I guess it worked; "BRAVO! Live w/ your victory!"
***You called liberalism a "disorder." Such radical, fringe, borderline eliminationist rhetoric has no place in civilized civic discourse & furthermore constitutes trolling.***
Reps & cons. have been labeling people for as long as I can remember! IIRC Reagan used "LIBERAL" like it was a curse word! A-hole! He couldn't get elected today w/ how radical Reps have gotten; he'd be too mod. for them = though his name is invoked every day! Idiots!
***Every woman is moving to Collin’s state to vote against her? Won’t Maine tip over? Are the dead democRAT women voting her out too?***
ReplyDeleteI'll never understand the women that betray others defending PIGS like Kavanaugh & Trump! They're really screwing themselves & allowing the bad behavior to be perpetuated & rewarded! "Thanks Collins, H-Sanderson, & Conway! To you, = though you've had the same exp., these women accusing your guys are confused!" Typical; idiots! Hopefully they'll all pay = though I'm slowly losing my patience trying t/b an advocate of women when they do these things! If you won't help yourselves, what else c/b done?
***Of the Dems gain power, they should bring back the filibuster. - Do you mean the 2/3 & then 3/5 vote for Cloture? I looked it up yesterday--got curious. It was simple majority vote in Congress until 1917, when filibusters started t/b used to the detriment of getting anything done. To me, the 2/3 or 3/5 rule is a GOOD one and we should have stuck to it, despite how hard it is to get agreement sometimes.***
The real abuse didn't occur until Obama! The Senate had to have 60 votes just to agree on lunch! McConnell will burn in HELL for the way he's turned the most "deliberative" & respected body of the Senate into "mob rule!" Not sure how it can recover = w/ good management & leadership! The Senate is no better than the HOUSE now; just waiting for them to start banging their desks w/ shoes & standing on chairs screaming t/b acknowledged & heard!
***I don't guess you know it was Harry Reid that did away w/ the 60 vote rule on Federal Judges? Or, that the 60 vote thing never applied to SC Justices?***
McConnell forced Reid to go there; actually filibustering any & everything! Obama wouldn't have gotten ANY judges thru if Reid didn't relent & go for a simple majority; keeping SC w/ need of 60 votes! McConnell felt empowered to change the rule again when he became leader & just blame it on the Dems! FK 'em! Hopefully they'll pay for this eventually, but they got what they wanted for a gen.; a cons. court for the next 30-40 yrs!
***...Japanese & Chinese do not see eye to eye, = on a personal level. The same is true for Japanese and Koreans. Having lived briefly in Japan, I noticed that Chinese & Koreans, like other foreigners, face discrimination in Japan. The reverse is also true in Korea & China.***
People don't realize how diff. the country's are over there w/ longstanding animus towards one another going back decades in the Orient; esp. w/ Korea & Japan! What's interesting is they're probably more racist than any hillbilly living here in the States! They're very educated people in Japan, but some of the actions purported to go on is shocking! Supposedly if not Japanese, you can own a company there, but can't sit on the Board! It's been yrs, but the last I heard there were only 3 honorary citizenships in Japan; no one else need apply! The attacks/sexual assaults of Japanese soldiers during their occupation will always have daggers going back & forth between them and Korea! Mixed Japanese people are shunned & pretty much treated like Black people here in the USA; a true lack of overall respect! It's made worse most have to agree that they're a lot more intelligent, but hold onto some traits of ignorance & bigotry!
***I get all of that, & I know that the Japanese c/b specifically racist & exclusionary, but there's also such a thing as rallying for region. There are very few Asian tennis superstars. Li Na has apparently set off a craze for tennis is China. And Kei is the 3rd highest paid player in men's tennis. ...old animosities die hard. But sports do tend to bring people together.***
***Still hating the NFL & it’s unclear rule sets. The QBs & WRs are so protected you can’t touch them.***
ReplyDeleteSome players are smart enough to observe the new rule w/o a detriment to their success! Khalil Mack here in Chgo's tearing it up & he hasn't been flagged once! The rule is simple concerning QB's; don't lead w/ the crown of the helmet & don't pick them up to pile drive them into the ground w/ all of their wt.! SIMPLE!
***Watched tonight’s MNF game w/ Broncos/Chiefs @ Mile High where KC pulled it off despite trailing by 10 in the 4th... gotta say that young QB Mahomes; I’m impressed.***
Mahomes' a superstar in the making &'s got some moves! He plays a lot like Favre back there. ...I couldn't be happier w/ how things are going for KC; love Andy, been a fan of the Chiefs since the days of Stram, & now they have this QB impressing us all! Throwing that ball in the left hand was definitely Favresque I hate to say!
***He has been very impressive, throwing the ball off balance & w/ all these fancy moves. Let's see how he continues, but so far so good. Their defense is not very good though. What's the mood in Chgo right now w/ the Bears?***
I hadn't = thought about watching them much this season though I live here, but bringing in Mack has brought my interest back! Looks as if they have a very good chance of winning the div. @ least; = w/ that loss to GB! ...I go back to the "SB Shuffle Bears" where having a bye & homefield has traditionally meant nothing except in '85; = vs avg. teams! The coach can make all the diff. & I haven't watched enough t/b more specific about anything = though I drive by Soldier's Field all the X & my stepfather's responsible for the "space ship" luxury boxes built well over a decade ago!
***Packers find new ways to lose to crap teams on the road. Crosby s/b looking for a new home after missing 5 kicks. Rodgers had 2 awful & care< fumbles, Adams dropped a TD that would've put them right back in it, & they got hosed again by the zebras on the 1st fumble which clearly never touched the Packer on the punt.***
Commentators have said Rodgers s/b "set down" for a month so he can heal up & recover from past beatings this season! ...he prob. feels obligated to play = if hobbled!
***It's a 16 game season. If this was the NBA you can sit your franchise on the bench for a month & still make the playoffs. Not the case in the NFL. I'm not sure the Packers would beat San Fran @ home w/o Rodgers. GB's def. a bttm 3 team in the league w/o him. 9-6-1 might make the playoffs this yr. & that's likely the best case scenario. X to get McFatty out of this state once & for all. It's sickening that the whole state is now rallying behind boring ass baseball to salvage a sports yr. Even the college football team looks bad this season.***
Well you have to expect the college team/system to go to HELL due to electing that ass-Gov. Walker! He's cut a lot of funding & few will want t/b bothered w/ that backwards state so you won't have the pick of the litter w/ great HS prospects! It's a cumul. effect when there's cons. leadership; will happen w/ the country after all's said and done by electing Trump! Money doesn't flow & colleges have to rely > on patronage & Alumni to come thru for them! Wisc. prob. not high on anyone's list = though I still have a lot of affection for Barry Alvarez! He was a good guy when I paid more attention to college football last decade! I was more a fan of Miami going back to the Jimmy Johnson days! I still remember fondly him sending ND's coach Faust packing w/ a humiliating 58-7 loss to finish his career there! Obnoxious & rude; maybe, but who doesn't hate ND sans the alumni?
***I don't think Walker has anything to do w/ the football teams being underwhelming this yr. But I mostly hate that jackass for almost costing this city the Milw. Bucks.***
I just feel tons of guilt back just 15 yrs ago anointing Sampras as the GOAT; sans FO finals! He led the way w/ 14 Majors @ the X, surpassing Emo by 2 titles & we were glad to fudge the rec. to feel "we were there when" concerning the player we thought would hold the top spot for quite a while! Now there are 3 players that have "zoomed" by him so soon! I think of Fed as the GOAT officially, but again we have to squint & not see that he's been owned of late by 2 other players who are quickly catching up to him! I'm hoping Roger can hold them off b/c of his overall skill & not needing the homogenized courts to achieve his great rec.!
ReplyDelete***If we don't pick & choose #'s, Fed's 51-59 vs Big 4 to Djokovic's 77-58. But then you want to pick & choose.
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The only items to pick & choose are 20 > 14.***
For most of the common enthusiast m/b, but the more knowledgeable tennis fan always goes more in depth to look @ all the #'s! People were ready to anoint Sampras the GOAT back in '02, totally ignoring Laver who'd won 2 CYGS; 1 as an AM. in '62 & once as a PRO in '69! We were all set thinking that 14 would hold up for yrs! It barely survived a decade w/ the play of Fedal; now +ing Nole! Give it another 2 decades & Sampras may go the way of EMO; totally overlooked! Roger would & s/b all alone @ the top, but unfortunately he has 2 players on his ass who've literally owned him; Rafa from the beginning & Nole later in '11! We tout that 20, but smarter people will put a mental asterisk behind his name for obvious reasons!
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So Nole's officially #2 in the world since Roger lost his pts from last season's Shanghai win! W/ Nadal out, not sure how he's going to stop the succession since Nole's about 1200 pts behind! Rafa's never done well @ the end of the season @ the YEC; lucky to have made 2 finals losing to both Fedovic!
***Well I’m certainly not going to argue it’s Rafa’s fave surface, but OTOH he could make another good run. He c/b fresh for the last 2 tourn. left to play since everyone seems t/b on fumes by then. Having said that, Nole certainly seems in the driver’s seat to finish # 1.
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Wow...Roger wags the finger after the win over Medvedev. He must have really taken this one seriously. Finger wag is only reserved for special occasions IIRC. - He m/b very proud of beating a player who played 9 matches in last 10 days.***
Oh, I've always hated the finger wag; so beneath him really, but it goes back yrs when he felt fortunate to have a win over Rafa or Nole! Now he's doing it vs players not in his class! Very tacky; glad I missed it! It's not a good look IIRC!
***Sascha's a much easier SF than Delpo & Nole's only playing one of the other 2. Neither QF opp. is anything special. Anyways, they could both play C- tennis & make the finals.***
Upsets occur! I wouldn't be that def. thinking either will make the final; esp. Roger! Who thought he'd drop a match to Millman of Aust. @ the USO? Roger looked genuinely "gassed" due to a lack of circulation, heat, & humidity @ that HELL hole we call a major! Something always seems to go wrong going back to the 70's when a shot rang thru Forest Hills! It's such an embarrassment w/ the scheduling, weather, a problem w/ noise (airplanes among other things), shady dealings w/ the draw; I could go on!
***The H2H recs of the players who are likely considered the Top 10 of the Fed-Rafa-Novak era. Assuming my stats & math are accurate:
Djokovic: 173-82 (67.8%)
Nadal: 152-74 (67.4%)
Federer: 156-88 (63.9%)
Murray: 87-81 (51.8%)
DelPotro: 43-69 (38.4%)
Wawrinka: 47-89 (34.6%)
Ferrer: 50-85 (34.5%)
Tsonga: 33-70 (32%)
Berdych: 45-104 (30.2%)
Hewitt: 20-46 (30%)***
***Nadal's >er level on HC's was in '13, only yr. he won Cincy, Montreal, & the USO. Djokovic was also @ his peak in '13, but clearly Nadal had a >er peak.***
ReplyDeleteDjokovic was good enough to squelch Rafa's only really chance @ some significant X @ #1; thru '11! It wound up being Nole's 2nd best season after '15, but hurt Rafa by a lot! Nadal had finished '10 winning his 1st USO! Nole won the 1st 4 Masters he played defeating Rafa in all 4 finals; 2 clay events in str.! If not for Nole in '11, Nadal might've had a 2 yr. run unmatched by any player in history! That was Rafa's chance to have his own Rafa-Slam! Waiting for Nadal's injury WD @ the FO? Please! During that per., Nole owned his ass & won 7 str. matches for the 2nd X!
***...It's always tough to accept such a loss to tennis specially for people like me who've been watching Fed since pretty much the Sampras match in Wimbl.***
I had the same favoritism of Martina N., but after 20 yrs it was X for her to step down! She saw the decline & left after Wimbl. final she made in '94 losing to Conchita M.! If Fed still has the passion to play, he can hang around until he's 40 like Connors, but it won't be pretty! The speed of the game is light yrs ahead of what it was back then!
***I hear you. In a way I feel we shouldn't have any fave b/c there's always an end date to it & when it ends it's painful so why bother when we fans don't make any $$ or don't get any benefits if our fave's win other than momentary joy?
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Fed has looked his age this wk., but he only just lost his #2 ranking & slipped to #3. He won a Major this yr., & was ranked #1 for a X. That doesn't sound like he's got one foot out to pasture, & the Big 3 are still the best. It's hard not t/b down @ the moment, I'm sure, but I think there's still great tennis in him.***
...SomeX's "it X;" go on to Olympics, but the losses will start to look rather ugly! - The rest of the tour doesn't suck--Djokovic is just playing on a diff. level than the rest right now. That could certainly change, but he seems extremely dialed in & to have regained his mojo. His win in Shanghai was rather routine defeating Coric in the final; Fed upset in the SF.***
All the poorer for Rafa who's just never been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of X! I keep looking @ the recordbks & he's woefully behind everyone nearing the top rung! Right now he doesn't reg. in the category of cons. wks @ #1 &'s about t/b cut off again @ total of 194 wks! The mantle should change by next month, maybe before; depending on what happens in Paris! Nole's not defending any pts! It needs to happen now so that "dead period" btw Dec. & Feb. will have Djokovic @ the top as #1!
***I think Rafa is guaranteed to get to @ least 196-197 as Paris is in 2 more wks & he should get a wk for the 15th, 22nd, & 29th. But yeah, he'll prob. lose #1 on Nov 5 after Paris, & I wouldn't be surprised if that's it for him. He has a ton of pts to defend in the 1st 1/2 of next yr., while Novak has very lit'l. And then Rafa sucks in the 2nd 1/2 while Novak's strong. So it c/b smooth sailing for Novak, w/ a relatively easy 60+ wks @ #1 ahead of him; barring surprises. He has a very good chance of passing Connors (268) & Lendl (270), & should also be able to pass Sampras (286) & = Roger (310) if he's able to maintain his dom. into 2020.***
***Well you can't possibly separate the Big 4.***
ReplyDeleteSure you can! Even w/ his wins, the comp. was just too tough & he only wound up being a marginally more significant #4; sorta like a classier Gerulaitis who had to contend w/ Borg, Connor, & McEnroe! The "Big 3" have lapped Murray twice w/ his only advantage @ The Olympics!
***Nole was magnificent in all the matches in Shanghai. I watched all of them. Seems Nole has found a way how to beat opponents quickly w/o losing too much energy & spending too much X on court. He looks unbeatable now. I'm not sure Nole'll play Vienna or Basel before Paris. Perhaps Vienna would suit him >er b/c both his coaches live around there.***
I doubt he'll play anything more than Paris & YEC! He doesn't need to overwork himself like Murray did 2 yrs ago! He just has to avoid getting upset early & the #1 ranking will fall into his lap for the foreseeable future!
***I'm under impression Nole's winning effortlessly, so I don't think he may overplay. However, considering that Nadal has never won Paris or YEC, he should just play those like you said.***
Being a champion doesn't always translate into good coaching! Connors supposedly has the most heart, but twice he was dismissed by top players; Roddick & Sharapova IIRC! It's usually better to have someone in the trenches who knows what's what, but won't impose their past emotional reactions to things! The best coach I can recall for a player in my day was probably Tony Roche who got Lendl to the next level! Ivan needed someone to help w/ his biggest rivals; 2 lefties! It was a very successful collaboration! Lendl obviously worked it w/ Murray, but he's the exception!
***Becker worked for Djokovic as well! You can ?? his usefullness in Novak's player box all you want, but there is no denying that he served as a strong psychological factor for Novak as they won 6 majors together!***
===
The only game I'm 1/2way interested in is the Jag's! It w/b nice to see The Boys" go down again on Nat'l TV! I can watch, then listen to the analysis of their losses wk. after wk.; yr. after yr.! How the mighty have fallen! I watched Jimmy Johnson create a MONSTER that couldn't be stopped almost 30 yrs ago & thru ego, the franchise has been turned into a colossal joke on par w/ the Raiders when Al Davis was meddling too much! They're still America's Team w/ that stadium, the sale of jersey, & the puffery of it's owner, but a team that can't = make the playoffs shouldn't be so lauded shamelessly by delusional fans & a soft media! If it were any other team, they wouldn't be getting such exposure! Since they want t/b seen; might as well be as gut< losers w/ wasted talent yr. after yr.!
***I can apprec. anyone's hatred for the Cowboys! The only thing I disagree w/ is Jimbo Johnson turning it around. That was all the doing of Minn. & that heinous Herschel Walker trade.***
Jimmy still drafted HOF players that couldn't be stopped; regard< of the trade! That was smart; the fault should go to Minn. for being such suckers! Dallas only took advantage of their stupidity; Johnson still the best assessor of talent I've ever seen! That 90's team should've ruled the league for the foreseeable future & it was blown up overnite! I thank Jones for doing it b/c it would've deprived the world of X winners of SB since he's such an egomaniac! Coincidentally S.A. Smith had Gary Myers 'on' talking Cowboys! He's promoting his latest book brk'n it all down w/ Dallas from Jimmy Johnson & his brilliance thru today, the team dynamics, & Jones' skull!
***Imagine Nole winning one more RG & one more Cinci. What would his rec. look like = if he doesn't win anything else?***
ReplyDeleteI've said in the past, winning those 2 events once again will round out his career more than any other player in the history of the game! At this moment I believe him to have the most balanced results = over Fedal! They both have limitations which is why Fed is still trying so hard approaching 40! He has a rec. neither will touch!
***There's no diff. in the grass composition from '02-18 that's for sure. J/b Fed hasn't won it 10 X's doesn't make it so.***
Heaven knows it's not the grass that has limited Federer's success @ Wimbl. over the last decade! He's just gotten his ass kicked!
***Fed lost those matches b/c in part he choked & the major part being Faker was sublime. Fed has always been a choking clown & Faker is a ridiculous returner so when the 1st serves stand landing @ Fred's feet he loses his shit & starts choking left n right. I don't fault the grass for Fed's repeated failures @ Wimbl. (it was mostly due to drop in form & Faker coming into his own), but I certainly do blame Fed's failures @ USO due to the ridiculous slowdown there which the USO organisers came out publicly this yr.***
Roger's best chance to win OG was just a couple wks later on the Wimbl. grass in '12 after he had just won the MAJOR event! He = had his fave pigeon in the final; what happened there? Yrs later he still owned Murray on all surfaces; esp. fast HC & grass! So disappointing!
***I strongly believe Fed lost that OG final b/c DelPo tired him out in the SF. Fed was running on an empty tank in the final although overall Fed's form was shit in the tournament which is a pity b/c he wouldn't have got a >er chance to win OG.
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There was a lot of talk @ the X that old man Fed was tired out by the SF. But he wasn't too tired to w/stand a 5-setter w/ Nadal, after a 5-setter v. Wawrinka farther down the road. Just another excuse from the fanbase that doesn't think it makes excuses. Personally, I think it was in Britain, & Murray took that previous loss to heart & kicked it up a notch w/ crowd support & just won it. Give him his due.***
That just ticks me off more when I think back to Fed playing out of his mind to beat Nole @ '11 FO SF when Djokovic was on a 43 match winning streak, then went down like a poisoned dog to Rafa again in the final! You would've thought if he was that great, he would've taken one of those damn matches vs his top rival!
***Oh, get over that one. That's a huge "what if." Someone was going to stop that streak, and it was either going t/b Roger in the SF or Rafa in the final. Roger couldn't beat Rafa @ RG. Basically no one could.
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Djokovic just reached 1000 matches milestone by winning Zverev in Shanghai. It was his 827th win. Nadal had 822. Fed had 814.***
If you look @ the recordbk as much as I do, you'd find Fedalovic all over it; dom. in just about every category w/ their dom. of the last 10+ yrs! Nole's leading Fedal in many of the records; esp. sustained dom. of his rivals, wins over Top 10's, & consistency over all surfaces!
***If Nole can end the yr. #1, he can really pile on the wks until the grass season comes along. A strong lead could make him very difficult to topple for the lions share in '19 then. That will increase the gap btw him & Nadal, & decrease it w/ & Fed.
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Given all of Fedalovicray has played 13+ yrs each on tour, w/b cool to see win/loss records of each of their 'best consecutive' 416 wks (=8yrs), & 520 wks (=10yrs). This allows each to skip a 3-5yrs+ bad patch, i.e. early/late (or combo) career hiccups.
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Finals vs Big 4:
Djokovic 38-24
Nadal 25-27
Federer 21-34
Djokovic is the best & he had the toughest comp.***
***I just wish Novak could win another RG title, thats all! If he misses an op. next season, then its prob. too late! A lot is @ stake in '19 for Novak IMHO! Double CS achievement, another NCYGS, that can upgrade into Surface Slam further, followed by full CYGS, 15th GS to surpass Sampras, an all-X breaking 7th AO major, Tying with Borg for 5th Wimbl. & thus becoming only one of the 4 players in history to have won 5 titles on 2 diff. GS events (w/ other 3 being Fed, Sampras & Borg!), another USO title on top of that, that can potentially level him w/ Fed for an all-X rec. 11 JC GS each! Sev. ATP Masters recs as well, like an all-X rec. 6th IW, 7th Miami, 5th Shanghai, potentially Double Career Masters by winning another Cinci & regaining overall leaderships @ Masters 1000 tally from Nadal! Ranking recs as well are his for the taking, like sweeping past Connors & Lendl & getting up close w/ Sampras for cum. total as #1, tying him also for YE #1 @ 6 each, an all-X rec. 7th YEC title! 2019 c/b a HUUUGE season for Novak & = THAT prob. w/b an understatement! THAT season alone could skyrocket his legacy status into stratopshere &'ll force everyone to prob. accept Djokovic @ beating Fed as an all-X GOAT @ that pt.
ReplyDelete---
Well from the ATGs, only Connors, Lendl, McEnroe, Edberg, Agassi, Federer, Nadal & Djokovic reached 1000 match mark.
1st 1000 matches:
1. Connors -- 864-136 -- 86.4% -- 7 Slams -- 30 yo ('82)
2. Lendl -- 857-145 -- 85.5% -- 8 Slams -- 29 yo ('90)
3. McEnroe -- 832-170 -- 83.0% -- 7 Slams -- 32 yo ('91)
4. Djokovic -- 827-173 -- 82.7% -- 14 Slams -- 31 yo ('18)
5. Nadal -- 822-178 -- 82.2% -- 14 Slams -- 30 yo ('17)
6. Federer -- 814-186 -- 81.4% -- 16 Slams -- 30 yo ('12)
7. Agassi -- 768-232 -- 76.8% -- 8 Slams -- 33 yo ('03)
8. Edberg -- 758-244 -- 75.6% -- 6 Slams -- 29 yo ('95)***
Regard< of future predicted wins, after Nole got back on the board w/ winning these last 2 Majors, he's back on sched. to possibly break nearly all of Fedal's recs! He's already surpassed both in most of the biggies! In the last decade alone he has more Majors, Masters, & wins over the top 10 (31 in '15 alone) OTTH! His MAJOR wins made more diff. by only getting 3 pigeons in the finals; Tsonga @ '08 AO, Anderson '18 Wimbl., & Del Po last months @ the USO! It's in his hands if he overtakes Nadal for #1 in the next wk. or so; Shanghai & YEC the determinant for the season's highest rank!
***...In the WTF the players are elite (top 8 by ranking).***
The YEC has lost a bit of luster due to it going BO3 IMO!
***If Djokovic continues w/ the form he showed from Wimbl. onwards this yr., it really is difficult to see who's gonna stop him. ...I don't really see Fed challenging him on any court; or Nadal for that matter barring the FO. This only really leaves the likes of Cilic, Murray & Wawrinka. Murray though appears finished. Wawrinka has shown he has the tools, but has done nothing this season. Barring injury, I expect Djokovic to win a min. of 2 slams, but more likely 3.
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I'm sure other players have been more lucky, i.e. Fed @ AO: 6 titles beating only one top-3, Ferrero.***
Nole almost never got brks like that; esp. in Major finals! Lately he's lucked up w/ Anderson, Del Po, & Tsonga back in '08! Other than that he's had to win over the likes of the other "Big 4" or 5 +ing Wawrinka! He's had it a lot tougher which is why I favor him eventually being "THE GOAT!"
***It's absolutely ridiculous why some Djoker fans completely ignore the age aspect. J/b Fed's able to beat the next gen & lost gen, which in gen. has been the worst for sev. decades, they absolutely disregard Fed's age. He's 37 yrs & 3 months. He's a full gen. older to Djokovic.***
No one's disregarding his age; just not caring! Who cares how old he is; ranked #3 taking care of business enough to remain amongst "The Big 4!"
Federer has to depend on Nadal & Djokovic coming nowhere near his MAJOR count! He already has a demerit vs him w/ them both having winning recs over him! He would no doubt be flying high as the >est tennis player if not for Nadal stopping him in Paris 4 or 5 X's! What would his #'s be if not for that alone? His rec. is already fantastic, but it whb = more unbelievable if he had managed to take just 1 or 2 of those FO over his closest rival! I have this feeling Roger m/b one of those players who was very good, but wound up being more a notable R-up to >ness like Ken Rosewall or Lew Hoad! I guess ya can never know since Hoad did beat Laver like a redheaded stepchild most of the X!
ReplyDelete***Navr.'s almost always considered the >er player than Evert. More casual fans have heard of Martina compared to Evert.***
Outside this country m/b! Martina never got much play w/ advertisers or fans when she was @ the top of the game! In fact, she didn't get a Nat'l comm. hawking RV's until she was long gone from the game! We'll never know if it was some form of bigotry due to a preference for the tennis queen Evert for all kinds of reasons! It's so hypocritical of Americans to now laud strength, athleticism, & power when Martina was put down for it! She was barely a 1/2 size over Evert, but you would've thought she was some kind of ogre muscling the ball around the court! It was obscene & disgusting since now the players are twice her size! The emotional rollercoaster she mhb on just trying to make a life here; regard< of her supposed $$ & affluence!
***...you should remember that Chris Evert was a darling of American tennis in her day & very high-profile for a lot of yrs. Martina, aside from her defection, was played as a villain, & also excluded from endorsements for many yrs, b/c she was an out-lesbian. Now they are both commentators. What makes one more visible/memorable than the other? I agree with @herios, who says they are linked & dead-even.***
You are understating Navr.'s prowess in dubs; able to play w/ anyone & win majors! She was = able to drag that tired, old carcass of BJK's over the finish line to her 20th Wimbl. title! Martina was just as dom. in MxD's w/ various partners, finishing up her career @ the '06 USO winning the MxD's w/ Bob Bryan! She actually completed her "Box Set" a few yrs earlier by winning AO MxD w/ L. Paes IIRC! She ended up w/ more dubs titles than singles; 177 over 167 Singles! This is why I think MN is incomparable; more like the female John McEnroe! They were "artists;" this coming from someone that HATES JM's guts!
***Oh, I should've figured that someone was going to complain about my pt. about doubles. I don't mean to demean it, & I'm actually a great admirer of what she did in doubles in the later iteration of her career; as I am of McEnroe. It's just that we were talking about singles, & about what casual fans'll remember, &, I'm sorry, but doubles in late career is only mostly for us mega-fans. - She & Mac were the same, best dubs team was them & anyone else their whole careers.***
I'm still confused about WTH you're talking about; "later iteration?" She was winning dubs from the jump taking Evert to major titles very early before Chris nixed the partnership b/c Martina threatened her supremacy! She admitted it in that same ESPN "30 - 30" program!
***Indians are cricket fans. LOL***
Tennis is usually way down the list of fave sports in most countries! Soccer is "The World Sport" where people are ready to go to jail celebrating the comp.! The USA is the only country that's balked; = w/ the World Cup hosted here! It just hasn't caught on w/ 4 major sports created here for the most part; sans basketball IIRC! Horse racing is king in a lot of places including England of all places hosting the premiere event in Wimbl.! How can that be? It's strange thinking around the world!
***So, what 'evidence tilted you towards the opinion that Kavanaugh was guilty?***
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't have t/b guilty of anything from yrs ago; he's a fk'n liar &'ll eventually get busted on perjury! Quite a few other judges have filed suit! Don't you TRUMP-clones read?
***I guess the carnage is not over yet...the DOW is down 500. Earlier in the day, it was almost down YTD...in mid Oct.***
Is this the beginning of the end? Trump's doing all he can to sabotage the economy; typical de-regs, inflating the deficit w/ that ridiculous tax cut, & in his attempt to elim. Obama's footprints is turning est. policies on its head! The really sad thing is this FOOL still has tons of support!
***#MeToo movement spurs #HimToo backlash: 'People don’t want to believe’
The problem w/ false accusations by women, I almost never hear any repercussions = if they confess! It hurts legit. claims so it's quite easy to blame women for their own plight! Voting for morally bankrupt assholes like Trump doesn't help their cause either! I could go on, but it's just not worth exercising myself over it!
***Yes, women do get preferential treatment under the law. And those committing or accepting rape or false claims thereof are serious components of problems that few seem interested in actually resolving save thru acts of vengeance & proud martyrdom. This and related issues w/b w/ us for a very long X
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...destruction is all Dem. FIENDS ever achieve!***
Reps are already doing such a great job of fk'n it all up! When will they take responsibility for it? They own it all from coast to coast! HITF can cons. A-holes continue pointing the finger @ anyone else?
***Well Sen Eliz. Warren as now, ”caved” to the right wing insanity mob & taken a DNA linage test & low & behold what did it show? That white people, rightist might've trouble w/ this, white people can actually look white & NOT portray any of the other gen. features of lineage, like being Native American. The Hełl you say! Let’s all laught @ the idíot in the WH & all his fake Pocahontas disciples!***
We truly live in a sick fk'n world when a simple accusation needs t/b proved to decide the truthfulness of a statement! The real joke is that this BS always seems to start w/ a pathological & sociopathic LIAR! Reps are being led by the most dishonest A-hole in the history of man & they cheer him on! What does that say about them; esp. when pointing fingers at others like this? Truly pathetic & sad IMO, but what else c/b expected from a nation that actually accepts it?
***Exactly. But Fiero, one thing, goofy capt is going to come by and read your post and insert a meaningless “lol” b/c he can't refute facts anymore. So preempt him & throw one in yourself.***
***The Dems were stupid enough to lose the last election.***
ReplyDeleteTrue enough, but what does that say about the loons who made their choice in this slimeball? Do they want the country to go under? That's what Reps do actually; trash the economy & try to bankrupt the treasury so they can starve the beast of all our social programs they HATE! They want to privatize everything including Soc. Sec., Medicare & = the PO!
***Cons. A-holes still kvetch about suffering under Obama.
The day Obama took office, the Dow closed at 7,949 pts. 8 yrs later, the Dow had almost tripled.
GM & Chrysler were on the brink of bankruptcy, w/ Ford not far behind, & their failure, along w/ their supply chains, would've meant the loss of millions of jobs. Obama pushed thru a controversial, $8o B bailout to save the car industry. The U.S. car industry survived, started making $$ again, & the entire $80 B was paid back w/ interest.
While we remain vulnerable to lone-wolf attacks, no foreign terrorist org. has successfully executed a mass attack here since 9/11. Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
He drew down the # of troops from 180,000 in Iraq & Afghanistan to just 15,000, & increased funding for the Dept. of Vet Af's. He launched a program called Opening Doors which, since '10, has led to a 47% decline in the # of home< vets.
He set a rec. 73 str. months of private-sector job growth.
Due to Obama’s regulatory policies, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 12%, production of renewable energy more than doubled, & our dependence on foreign oil was cut in 1/2.
His Omnibus Public Lands Mngt. Act designated more than 2 M acres as wilderness, creating 1000's of miles of trails & protecting over 1,000 miles of rivers.
He reduced the Fed deficit from 9.8% of GDP in '09 to 3.2% in '16.
For all the inadequacies of the Affordable Care Act, we seem to have forgotten that, before the ACA, you c/b denied coverage for a pre-existing condition & kids could't stay on their parents’ policies up to age 26.
All this, = as our own Mitch McConnell famously asserted that his singular mission w/b to block anything President Obama tried to do.
He expanded funding for embryonic stem cell research, supporting ground-brking advancement in areas like spinal injury treatment & cancer.
...Welfare spending is down: for every 100 poor families, just 24 receive $$ assistance, compared w/ 64 in '96.
Obama comforted families & communities following more than a dozen mass shootings. After Sandy Hook, he said, “The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful lit'l kids btw the ages of 5 & 10 yo.”
He was the 1st president since Eisenhower to serve 2 terms w/o personal or political scandal.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Obama wasn't perfect, as no man & no president is, & you can certainly disagree w/ his political ideologies, but to say we suffered? If that’s the argument, if this is how we suffered for 8 yrs under Barack Obama, I have one wish: may we be so fortunate as to suffer 8 more.***
@Bellelettres - No good deed goes unpunished! Obama did the best he could for the country & the world! His reward was being followed by a buffoon relent<ly trying to undermine all those accomplishments! I always thought it quite a huge joke that "W" was probably blamed us having Obama; now instead of Hillary, we get Trump! Nothing c/b more antithetical to the path we were on; NOW DESTROYED for yrs to come! Heaven help the fk'n world!
***I still haven't heard what the plan is to take care of all these state< babies. No place to deport them to.***
ReplyDeleteWhen has Trump or the Reps in gen. thought anything thru before doing it? It was promised that they would come up w/ something more eff. & cheaper than Obamacare & all we really saw was them fail to repeal it! It was the same w/ that huge tax cut for the rich! They bitched about deficits & The Nat'l Debt while Clinton & Obama were President, but they're the ones who've increased both the most in the history of the country w/ "W" & now Trump! ANYONE who believes anything these lyin' sacks of shit say s/b certified & receive all the pain they're putting us all thru 1st! Women are @ the top of the list since they couldn't = vote for one of their own after yrs of ineffective campaigning! When Reps take away all their fk'n civil rights I'll LMFAO! I'm done being an advocate after that, their continued support of Trump, & his actions! Fk 'em!
***IDK what you mean by saying women couldn't vote for one of their own Fiero. 54% of women voted for Clinton & only 42% voted for Trump.***
Who are those fools in the 42 %tile? This election came down to 75,000 votes over 3 states in the MW! Hard to believe any state in the NORTH is gullible enough, but Trump proved there were plenty! I blame women who could vote for this misogynist creep after all he said about them, the handicapped, immigrants, Muslims, & Black people! ...The self-hate m/b real when we find so many women, Mexicans, & other minorities casting their vote for someone that hates their GUTS! Yep, mass insanity in '16 was quite evident! Now look at what's happening; the world can't stand us, they're ignoring Trump, & all will wait for another Admin. they can actually have meaningful talks w/! That's not being the leader of the free world; more like 2nd banana stuff! "Thanks all you disturbed people out there!"
***Hey, quit blaming women. Men voted for Trump too, why do they get a pass?***
Well explain to me how ANY women vote Rep. when they have no respect for them! They try to close clinics used to test for cancer giving the electorate some BS about abortion factories! Positions of power aren't given to them; heaven knows Sen. Grassley said the reason there were no Rep. women on the Judiciary Comm. was due to the work being too hard for them! I could go on, but you should know all this shit already! Why do women of all people vote against their own fk'n interest? I guess true enough, they c/b just as much assholes as men!
***So, Trump is respectful to men? Come on Fiero, why do men vote against their own self interests? Are women supposed to band together j/b they're women? Save men from themselves? Ridiculous.***
Like was said, "men are fk'n idiots" & they've been acting like Archie Bunker types for as long as I can remember! As for women, due to not banding together, you're getting nowhere fast! You have Obama & Clinton who did all they could to put women in positions of authority, while "W" & Trump give them jobs dealing w/ traffic & educ.! There are fewer female senators in Congress when women are in the majority to vote! That tells me women don't give a fk about one another & do vote like idiots! I keep asking, but few have an answer; "why do women hate other women so much?"
***M/b the ?? S/B, "Why does Fiero hate women so much?"***
**Raises hand in agreement** I can't stand women! People are accepting of their BS; I'm not! I'm a misogynist pig in some respects, but I always advocated for them; NO MORE! I'm done after choosing Trump over Hillary! You have t/b a special kind of disturbed to do that after all he's said & done to women! If you have no respect for yourselves, I say fk it; I'm DONE!
***...And then there's the lit'l conundrum of why Fiero hates the 58% who didn't vote for Trump….***
ReplyDeleteOh it's no conundrum; the others are fk'n idiots as well since they're conned into change when it isn't necess.! Clinton balanced the budget & actually succeeded in creating a sur+; w/ the Nat'l debt sched. t/b paid off in 10 yrs! It was not meant t/b w/ this country! We decided we needed a dumb, good ol' boy to take over who starts 2 wars, does the same as Trump w/ a tax cut no one asked for, & then deregs things so the economy gets trashed again! W/ Obama & the successful passing of legis. for Nat'l HC, I thought we'd be on our way again; NOT! The rest is disastrous history!
***You're ignoring the fact that both W & Trump "won" w/ fewer votes than their opps got Fiero. Women have gotten together to fight sexism & misogyny. Suffragettes, PPP, Women's Liberation Movement of the 60s & 70s (remember "Sisterhood is Powerful"), #Metoo. Patriarchy is a hard nut to crack.
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But Fiero, doesn't that mean that men are = bigger fk'n idiots? After all, a lot more of them voted for Trump. And aren't you included in that group?***
All true, but men have always been fk'n idiots! They're the reason things are so fk'd up; AGREED! I'm an idiot for not "running" when I had the chance, but I just couldn't see myself living in Europe or Australia w/ ops I passed on! I was disgusted by how the country allowed all that BS w/ Bill Clinton when everything was flying high w/ the economy, stock market, low unemployment, & the Nat'l debt going down! We weren't satisfied & decided to trash it all w/ "W!" After how disrespectful & bigoted Reps behaved toward Obama, I was done, but unfortunately too old to do anything about it! They say they aren't prejudiced, but I beg to differ w/ plenty of anecdotes showing just how low Reps have sunk! We're destined to go under w/ their leadership & the country has allowed it to happen; esp. the men!
***So you just come here to spew anger & hate @ everyone? Got it.***
That m/b it! Disappointing that all you can see is the animus, but have nothing to say about the content & truth w/ what I have to express!
***Some of it's true; some of its absolute nonsense.***
So anyone who agrees w/ me is disillusioned & FOS! Typical! I can back up my shit up w/ facts, history, & recs; doubt you can do the same!
***Sure I can. Blaming 100% of a group for the actions of < that 1/2 of them is downright idiotic.***
Again, you go w/ my conscientious opinion rather going to the provable facts! So fk'n typical! What about our standing in the world? What about the Nat'l Debt & deficits created by Reps? What about Reps promising to replace & repeal Obamacare? Ya got nothing or you'd be trying to change opinion on those provable facts & LIES!
***As I said, you got some things right.***
Seems to me those "right things" are a HELL of a lot more important to the wellbeing of the country than my rant over what women have done to themselves!
***...We should have more info about whether people are now ready for feminism after Tues.***
ReplyDeleteWomen "aren't ready" to tell you the truth! All you have to do is know women control the vote w/ a distinct majority, but there are fewer women in power now than during the Clinton yrs! They actually had one of their own just a heartbeat from the Presidency & they decided to go w/ the misogynist pig instead! Someone said here, it's the patriarch system that's hard to overcome telling us women don't want the responsibility & hate to give it to other women!
***A majority of women voted for Hillary, Fiero. In 2000, the last yr. of the Clinton admin., there were 68 women in the House & 9 in the Senate. In '18, there are 84 women in the House & 23 in the Senate. I think you're living in the 50s, Fiero.***
I am old! You keep saying the majority of women voted for Hillary! So what? A ton of these broads went w/ a sleazebag! HOW? WHY? How did he = get 10%? Don't you understand that?
***I don't understand Fiero's hostility, but so be it. Yes, not all women want a role shift, whatever role they believe they have.
- Yes, there are predominant gender diff. beyond genital geometry. (I've tried (& failed) to start meaningful threads on such.)
- Yes, folks don't always vote w/ their gender identity as the deciding factor.
- Yes, if all female voters were the same (& so voted), they could/would rule every election.***
I couldn't care < about the so called differences or that I'm saying women should vote for there own! I'm talking about a significant chunk of women who thought it was perfectly fine to go w/ some a-hole that undermined, demeaned, & cheated on women like they were property! He was found to have raw-dogged w/ a porn star & they still supported the guy! That's fk'd up in so many ways & it's hard to have sympathy for their plight which will get worse as X goes on if they keep this shit up! Reps have been after Planned Parenthood where more cancer screenings s/b going on, but have been labeled abortion factories! If you can vote a lying sack of shit like that, they deserve to lose some of their civil rights! They're giving them away as we speak & I'm likely to cease caring if they don't!
***So the women that voted for Trump should've voted otherwise in expressing their feminine loyalty, but the men that voted for him get a pass on supporting their masculine loyalty? Do you feel loyal to "men?" Do you vote that way?***
Are you DAFT? I'm talking about "common sense!" You see how fk'd up things are under his so called leadership! No one's been as divisive as this troll & couldn't = respect the people of Phili concerning the latest massacre; needing to show up & then lie about how accepted he was! He was literally boo'd from the street! He has to always make it about him; = when deaths are involved! He's a total A-Hole!
***Indeed! But you say you're upset w/ "a significant chunk of women" for voting for Trump, leading me to ask "why just women?" And if you're not singling out women, you're making quite distracting error in your argument construction.***
B/c women are the determining forces these days! There are more of them & IMO they need to take more responsibility for the plight of the country! Men have always been idiots; women don't have to follow suit just to please them!
***...There was a X when any right that women possessed was held in the hands of white men. And those white men somehow, eventually, managed to see beyond their own interests. They managed to recognize that the rights of women, & men of color, were actually the rights of other human beings. We should think about that now. Any X we place the burden of the election on the shoulders of suburban women, we should ask ourselves why we’re not also remembering the men.***
***President Trump has made 6,420 false or misleading claims over 649 days - Considering he's been on vacation more than 25% of the X, his "lies/day" rec. is much >er than 5 a day; prob. closer to 7. (Like he says though, he'd like to tell the truth, but lying's just so much more convenient.)***
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious Trump's a very disturbed individual! I say don't blame the crazy person, look @ the support staff & the people who don't think it's a problem in the electorate! They're the ones who're really fk'd up; the voters who just wave it off!
***As w/ everything political, people usually vote along party lines or based on priorities. I'd have to ?? voting for a party which places its own interests ahead of the interests of the nation; or who places the interests of non-Americans over the interests of its citizens.***
For once, AMEN & HALLELUJAH to that! Reps have been playing games w/ the country's economy, morals, & actually the democratic process for yrs! They're the one's who have trashed things = when it's all moving in the right direction! Now we see they're hindering the people's right to vote; putting up roadblocks, proactively taking people off voter rolls, closing down polling places, & moving them giving out incorrect addresses! Why are we allowing this but for the loyalty to their party? It's a sick, fk'n mess & I've been disgusted for yrs only to see it getting worse every election cycle!
***Networks & Facebook refuse to run Trump ad - Imagine that! An ad so scurrilous that = FNC refused to run it. NBC, Fox & FB Stop Running Trump Caravan Ad
NBC, Fox News & FB have pulled the controversial Trump campaign ad that CNN had previously refused to run after deeming it “racist.” NBC had aired the ad, which focuses on immigration, in the middle of a highly anticipated “Sun. Nite FB” broadcast, but said on Monday that it would stop running it. ...***
M/b the country's turning around & about to go back on a "moral" track! I doubt it! We'll > likely go back to being sleazebags after the outrage is over! It's not like this is the 1st X this pig has been so inflammatory!
***At this rate, the gov't of the US may get classified as a right-wing terrorist group.***
Sounds about right! The Trump Admin. lauds dictators, royal terrorists from Saudi Arabia, & oligarch from all over the world! Trump has = mused about the Chinese system of electing a President for life! The man & his fk'n supporters are about as sick as they come!
***I don't want networks deciding what message campaigns can express in their advertising.
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So you're fine w/ racist advertising? As a Gop supporter I knew you were fine w/ outright lies in ads, but I thought you @ least would have some standards when it came to racism.***
Decency? What country are you living in? Seeing our representatives putting babies in dog cages didn't do it! The shooting of innocent people every other week doesn't seem to slow it down! Do I really need to go on? We're in an era where there's "no shame" & I've given up looking for it!
***...Djoker losing the FO twice in a yr. when he won the others. This is only close to the CYGS "in retrospect." Getting close to the CYGS is winning them all in order. Some Novak fans tried to argue that Djokovic was closer than Serena since he'd made the final @ the FO & won the other 3, but that doesn't @ all take into acct. the pressure."***
ReplyDeleteOnly a truly delusional person would try to undermine the accomp. of winning 3 majors in a season twice! Seek serious fk'n help babe!
***I've never hesitated to state the level of Djoker has always been very high as compared to the field since '14. I just am not fascinated w/ his game, but there's no denying he's leaps & bounds beyond other players @ this X. You can't have 20 & 30 match win streaks just like that.***
They mentioned today something about Nole winning 30 sets in a row.
***He has been phenomenal. I so wish he had opps who could give a good fight = if they lose @ the end. However it's sad that none other than Fed has been able to win X matches vs Novak for a long X.
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Beyond his level of play that was excellent this wk. in Paris, the most + thing to me was the fact that Fed seemed extremely disappointed & bitter after his defeat yesterday to Nole. That's a very + sign.***
He s/b disappointed! He had opps & was playing very well; served out of his mind & never broken! It's hard to lose a match like that & not feel it later! I'm sure it's happened before, but OTTH the only other person I can recall that happening to in a meaningful match was Edberg back @ Wimbl. in '91! He & Becker owned the tournament & were on course to meet for the 4th str. yr. but for Michael Stich who's another great server! Stefan never lost his serve, but still lost in 4 sets dropping 3 TB's to his opp.! Stich went on to beat Boris the next day in strs.!
***I wonder what those same critics would say about Nole's comments on Fed's 'lucky' shots in this Paris match. Some of them WERE lucky. I guess it's only a bad comment if it comes from the one who lost.***
That's about it; the loser can't say that! It sounds like sour grapes, but as "lucky" as Nole's been, he's still beaten Fed in just about every major match since except '11 FO & '12 Wombl.! Fed's gotten crumbs from then on & has dumped all the important matches to Nole; = though the critics want to kvetch about his age (like the recordbks GAF)! I've been saying if he's too fk'n old, retire like other past greats! He obviously has had enough in him to win 3 more majors & some Masters events the last 2 seasons! People need to STFU & just let tennis history evolve; be a fan, & leave the -vity out of it! We're watching real history being made w/ recs that won't be =ed or surpassed anyX soon!
***Fed's an exception. And there lays the problem. At his age (33-37+), he shouldn't = BE in a position to challenge the world's best in his prime, but he does. He's too good. And @ his age, he shouln't be expected to win vs the world's best, but people are shocked when he doesn't win. Again, he's too good. And being the 2nd-3rd best since '14, there's no real justification to retire, esp. when Fed still loves it so. It's to Fed's credit that he's still that good @ an old age, but old is still old. People just need to stop 'expecting' a 33yo+ to beat a prime/peak ATG world #1, esp. not all the X. I mean = peak Rafa/Nole loses, yet people are shocked when post-prime Fed loses to prime/peak ATGs.***
***Bercy's such a diff. tourney. Actually, except for Novak (defended it twice), not a single player has defended their title @ Bercy in the entire history of the tourney.***
ReplyDeleteI've said before that Paris Masters is just one of those tourneys that can't be predicted! Odd winners have come out of there for decades! Nole's the only one who's actually had the stamina & mental strength to do well year after year and as you said "defend this title" twice! Even Fed's come up short all but one X! Nadal shouldn't = bother putting it on his sched.! Btw his weakening body @ this X of the yr. & the speed of the court, it's a true waste of his X to = show up!
***There's a reason that Bercy would like to move. Too many players bail @ the end of the yr. And yes, Fed & Novak do well @ the end of the yr., which is partly why Rafa does poorly. Same reason Roger & Novak haven't had as much success in the clay season. Great players playing in the same era. But X waits for no man, & Roger's < imposing in the indoor part of the yr., & so will Novak be. He ran out of gas today. He won't keep owning the late part of the yr. forever, either.
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Interesting to note that all the GS winners & finalists qualified for the WTF (= though JMDP had to WD).***
The finalists for a change of pace backed up their upsets to get to those final MAJORS! Anderson, Cilic, & Thiem have been quite impressive outside of the MAJORS! Sascha's the only one disappointing us all; probably = Lendl who's trying to help this headcase! I think he has to build his mind & body; not sure physically he's able to stand up vs the big boys! He's so very lanky & thin! Nole's rail thin as well, but he's an older guy & we know he has the power & stamina to go toe to toe w/ Nadal; Zverev isn't there yet!
***This short set format for the Next Gen YEC always seems weird.***
I had this feeling that this was a tester event to see about making ATP events go this route to shorten matches! Wouldn't bother me!
***Heresy! I thought you were old school! Not bad as an experiment, but don't like the idea that this would ever translate over to the main tour events.***
I am old school, but I'm also old period! I can't & won't watch matches that last 4-6 hrs anymore! I'm still trying to recover from AO's 5:53 w/ Nole & Rafa! ...The match probably wiped Djokovic out for the rest of the season allowing Nadal to have a bit of a resurgence thru '13!
***I highly doubt that'll ever happen. That w/b like shortening a baseball game to 6 innings...it just flies in the face of too much hallowed tradition. If they want to shorten matches, there are other ways: speed up @ least some courts, enforce the serve clock, & lit'l things here & there (like limit the # butt picks & other OCD ticks.***
That sounds good on paper, but the same thing was said about football to shorten them; continuing clock = if someone runs out of bounds, etc.! The games are still lasting well over 3 hrs; some almost going to 4 hrs! It's a joke since most people or teams work the system to slow down things to a crawl to save themselves! Rafa's still abusing the clock = dragging out 2 towels! He has to shift his junk & tug on his underwear ever so often & relentlessly bounce the ball before serving! They all do it to some extent & the judges do lit'l to nothing; 'cept maybe Carlos who Rafa hates!
***...For Instance Evert & Navratilova were going to have hard times cracking 20 majors b/c of each other. The Big 3 have obviously impacted each other's overall achievements as well. Thats where things like wks @ #1, H2H's career win/loss recs come into play.
ReplyDelete---
Navratilova won 6 MAJORS in a row, but it still didn't include a Grand Slam. GS > Whatever Djokovic having 4 in a row is called.***
I was wondering when someone would invoke Martina's name! She was the reason they started attributing a GS to players again b/c she won so many majors in a row; got a bonus of some sort, & IMO is the GOAT! She has more of a resume than anyone in the OPEN era; just 5 majors behind Court who had lit'l to no comp. when winning 11 AO's in the Am. Era! NO ONE else'll come close to winning 59 Majors ever again since her prowess spanned all the disciplines & could win w/ any partner; male or female! I doubt Roger w/b able to hang on; = in dubs until he's 50 like she did winning her last major @ the '06 USO w/ Bob Bryan in MxD!
***If Djokovic wins '18 ATP Tour Final, is this season > Fed's '09?***
I have to give it to Nole b/c he came out of nowhere w/ a lost '17 barely registering in the rankings! He won the 2 biggest events & 3 Masters! He had all kinds of comp. where Nadal was on the shelf in '09 after his FO loss to Soderling! Fed barely squeaked to his Wimbl. win & admitted Andy choking that volley in the 2nd set TB saved his ass! There just wasn't much in his way thru his 2 big wins & then lost that USO to Del Po when up in the final! Since the summer, Nole's been almost unbeatable; Fed couldn't say the same for his '09 campaign!
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Not that I care too much, but we hear about players like Nole & Rafa taking credit for wins over "old man" Fed! Why isn't it ever brought up Fed may have taken advantage of them when they were rather YOUNG? Those 2 Wimbl. titles he got over Nadal w/b part of that list! W/o those, Rafa would really make him look like his pigeon! Nole was = a yr. younger before taking over their rivalry in '11 or so!
***I agree Nadal Wimbl. '06 wasn't exactly peak, but I think many Nadal fans on here would rank his '07 run highly, m/b 2nd best. Tbh, w/ regard to Novak, both he & Fed have won the matches they should've against each other w/ 2 exceptions. The problem w/ H2H is more of their matches have been played w/ Novak having the age advantage.
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Rank the following in order of importance in achieving >ness in pro tennis:
GS tourneys won
GS finals reached
YE Chps won
# of pro tourneys won in career
Career win-loss %
Career win-loss % vs. top 10 players
Wks @ #1
# of YE #1
# of yrs in the YE top 10
Elo
Winning a CYGS
Winning a CGS
Winning 4, 5, or 6 GS's in a row***
Last nite during "The Ten," most thought Sampras' YE #1's for 6 str. yrs was more of an achievement; "you only get one chance!" It helped that the top players were aging along w/ him! Edberg was gone, Becker on the rails, Lendl was about done, & Agassi was his bitch so what Fedalovic have done w/ the YE #1's is more impressive going against one another for over a decade!
***lol, wut? Comp. in '09 >>> comp. in '18.
- Nadal, Delpo, Roddick, Soderling, Djokovic, Murray, Davydenko, Verdasco ... Federer also went something like 31-1 from Madrid to USO SF that yr.***
Oh stop; Nole wasn't Nole yet & the rest of those JOKERS were no comp. to Fed! Nadal owned his ass; = on grass & he was lucky he wasn't around for a lot of '09! Remember Nadal brought Fed to tears after beating him yet again @ '09 AO! Roddick was Fed's bitch so he needs t/b totally discounted!
***...I don't really see a reason Slams are valued so much >er than Masters. Sure, you can argue the BO3 vs. BO5 thing, but a lot of male players actually think the slams s/b switched to BO3.***
ReplyDeleteIt w/b a travesty to devalue MAJORS = thinking about going BO3! The USO had the players doing BO3 in early Rds when on clay @ Forest Hills, then once or twice on HC @ Flushing! They almost lost Borg in the 2nd Rd. in '76 when Fillol almost took him out in a BO3 in '76; Borg needing to come back from the dead down a brk. or 2 in the 3rd set to win a TB of all things!
***Kei was almost double bageled by Anderson in their RR match @ The YEC.***
And this was after Kei beat Fed who's situational & plays to the level of his comp.!
***Actually he'd have preferred Kei winning today. If that had happened, then Roger winning the next 2 would auto. qualify him for the SF. Now it's possible 2 wins won't = get it done if Kei beats Thiem.***
Fed should've skipped the YEC this season like Nadal, but his ego just won't allow it! His # of appearances is just as important as winning unfort.!
***It's really hard to imagine that you used t/b a Fed fan. What happened?***
Just hanging on & interfering w/ the next-gen was enough to really make me jump off his bandwagon! It becomes nauseating, all the "love" he garners & craves when he had "his X!" He just won't leave the stage!
***What can he do if the next gen's a joke? Djokovic & Nadal are also beneficiaries of this state of affairs. - He doesn't have to walk out so that the next-gen'rs can rake home the trophies. If the NG'rs want to win, they should go out, beat the crap out of old man & bring home the trophies.***
But that's the problem w/ the last 2 groups of "Next-Gen'r!" They have tons more ability than past eras, but something's holding them back & they fold like a deck of cards vs Fedalovic! They have owned players who really are quite good, but it does them lit'l good only snatching a couple victories out of 20! It's sad to see happen for such an extended period of X! ...It was so boring over 10 yrs ago watching Fed win everything & hear the commentators laud him as if he was that extraordinary when most players just were mentally deficient & collapsed again & again!
As good as A-Rod was supposed t/b, he truly was wasting his X & never got a handle on playing Fed; = if he had a huge op. like that Wimbl. final in '09! I was hoping Fed would take it b/c I saw Roddick as a bit of a fraud; big serve & not much else! He was lucky to take that one USO & it didn't really help him! The confidence that comes w/ a big win never materialized & he was just going thru the motions! The same thing is happening w/ the ladies now; Serena coming back when she feels like it & sucking the oxygen out of the tour! Thank GAWD Osaka actually came thru & dismissed her twice!
***I apprec. your candor in answering my ??. I think we've all decided that the "Lost Gen" are a bunch of manila folders. I've been bored to death by hearing the commies laud Fed too, but it's not like he hasn't earned a certain amt. of it; Nadal & Djokovic too. They're just frankly >er than most of what's on offer. The clock is ticking, though.***
I can take it back to Connors (only eclipsed by Rosewall) who was the forerunner of hanging on! He wasn't = winning anything, but the crowds loved him allowing him to snatch a big match here & there like his run @ the USO in '91! It really was a mental thing & by sheer will, Connors overcame players w/ more energy, skill, & youth! He got past Krickstein in 5, then in the QF Paul Haarhuis obliged him! It took Courier to end him in the SF mercifully to my psyche!
***I almost forgot Murray's part of that "NG'r" group that has had such a X w/ Fedalovic; Nole being the most vulnerable to him! Even today, Andy would have trouble w/ Fed & it can't be explained! Roger absolutely embarrasses him X & X again; his lone big win being on a Wimbl. redux in the Olympics of '12! He lost the real match 2 wks before & took the exhib. they reward w/ a GOLD medal!
ReplyDelete***Everyone has kind of forgotten Murray for the moment. ...As can Murray's win in London, OG '12. Fed fans say that Roger was gassed, but I think there was a lot t/b said for the British public embracing him finally, & him getting in under the painful British press radar too to win that Gold.
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...I'd rather see my fave player have Djoker's '18 results. This WTF title is huge. W/ all of that being said, I believe that Fed had much tougher comp. during his run in '09. But as I have said before, this can't be proven & I don't dock players for being the best in the world @ an event. I'm taking Djokovic's '18 season as the best.***
People go to that Paris match btw Nole/Fed in '11 every X I mention Nole took over their rivalry! It's there 'go to' post & it's so tiring! Then it's all b/c Fed's so much older! Nole fans can never win w/ these people! Roger's their fk'n GAWD & he can do no wrong! No one can touch him! Even I've said he's the GOAT & has all the records to prove it, but Rafa has his & Nole has some that neither have or will get! SO? We all need to fk'n relax & let history decide since they're all still playing!
***I personally believe the WTF s/b worth a lot more pts. It's like qualifying for the playoff in American baseball or football. As it sits now, if Djoker goes 5-0 to raise the trophy, he'll walk away with $2.7M & 1500 pts in the rankings. I'd love to see both of those #'s double. There are no cakewalk draws for this event. And qualifying for it is quite an accomplishment.***
I also believe the WTF s/b worth >, but they have to balance it out w/ a Masters' event b/c only 8 players qualify! It just wouldn't be fair to award too much since it's an exclusive club that only the top participants can play!
***You have a good pt. Tennis is far diff. in that the WTF matches carry over into the rankings pts for the following yr. This isn't the case for the other sports that I mentioned earlier. But I'd still like to see this worth as much as a major. If a bottom-rung player stinks, then he won't pk. up many pts anyway. I'd like to see this event worth 2500 points to make things more interesting.***
Then they need to give more pts for the MAJORS since that's where most historians tend to rate players! I thought it absolutely ridiculous that Nole was burned out by '16, won 2 MAJORS (completed Nole-Slam), was a finalist in another 1 (USO), took 4 Masters events, but dropping the final of the YEC to Andy, he still fell to #2 in the WORLD! WTF? That was total BS & Murray scrounged for any pts he could find @ the end of the season to overtake him! It cost him though &'s on the shelf for the foreseeable future playing that ridiculous defensive game allowing any & everyone to extend him to the limit! To me it was his ineptitude going 5 sets early @ the FO that cost him the title! He was gassed by the X he got to the final; played out of his mind to win the 1st set, but was done after that!
***Fiero, I love your passion, but think you are being willfully obtuse. A couple things:
ReplyDelete1) Fed, Nadal, & Djokovic have thoroughly dom. the field. Considering how long they've done it, it has < to do w/ weak comp. & more to do w/ their >ness.
2) This is augmented by a very weak "Lost Gen" - players born '89 into the 90s - which has allowed the Big 4 to maintain their dom. longer than they might have w/ a stronger, younger gen.
3) "NextGen" (born mid-90s, but esp. '96 & later) is much stronger. This isn't hypothetical, it is factual. Not only has NextGen won 4 big titles (3 from Zverev, 1 from Khachanov), surpassing NextGen's total of 3 (2 from Dimitrov, 1 from Sock).
4) NextGen is still young. The class of '96--Khachanov, Coric, Medvedev, Chung--only just turned 22 this yr. - the age Roger turned right after he won his 1st Slam. Zverev, Rublev & Fritz turned 21; Tsitsipas & Tiafoe are 20; Shapovalov & de Minaur are 19, w/ other promising players = younger. In fact, I think you could argue that NextGen has already =ed if not surpassed the Lost Gen. And the best is yet to come.
So patience! This isn't 5 yrs ago when the Lost Gen shb taking over, but was flailing. I personally think that the old guys will maintain their reign for one more yr., but by 2020 the NextGen will have taken over - meaning, dom. the rankings.***
How many X's do I have to say today's players are a lot >er in skill, physical fitness, & work ethic? The problem is btw the ears obviously since these good players can't seem to finish no matter the lead when it really counts! Fedalovic have t/b way off like Sunday when Roger couldn't find the court or Rafa couldn't find his way to London! Nole had lit'l to no problem w/ the biggest server on the tour! It's just amazing to see how effort< it was for him to str. set Isner! I'll try t/b patient, but I'm old & won't be around forever! I need to see someone @ the top who's name IDK backwards & forwards! It's been many a yr. since it hasn't been Fedalovic or Murray for a few mins!
***...You have a lot of choice words for Fedal. Why don't you slag off Dimitrov, who, if you ask me, is the poster child for Lost Gen & wasted talent? At least Nishikori & Raonic have some excuse with injury, & a certain vanilla-ness. Don't blame the really talented guys for taking the ops on offer. Blame Kyrgios, as another option. Or Tomic, for example. Remember him?***
I've ragged on all those players & more! How many X's have I invoked the description of "gut<?" That's the problem, all of them have excuses & it's just frustrating! I do have a soft spot for Nole since he's had to overcome so much in comparison to Fedal who had more support & accommodation! I'm sure they didn't have to skip over landmines, worry about their next meal, or have to think about their parents being killed in the street! Djokovic also had to deal w/ the obvious impediments of Fedal who almost made him a perpetual 3rd placer until he came into his own in '11! ...I'd be more disappointed if he were to drop this YEC he needs to overtake Fed!
***It's true that you have called much of the otherwise tennis world "gut<," but I do think you should remember where the blame lies. I do understand your falling in w/ Novak's story; it's compelling. He's overcome a lot, not least of things just to shoehorn himself in a tennis world already divided btw Roger & Rafa. And you do champion the youngsters when they win. I still think it's misplaced of you to slag off Roger & Rafa so much, but it's your right, & you are Fiero, after all. It w/b weird, I guess, if your outrage level weren't always @ an 11, along w/ the emoticons.***
***...I've always said how well Soderling played v. Nadal in that match in Paris.***
ReplyDelete...and @ the YEC later that yr. in '09's RR! I still say Roger should buy him something nice; maybe a house back in Sweden! He helped Fed so much by besting Nadal who owned him @ RG!
***Beating Nadal on indoor HC's isn't really the same as beating him @ RG though is it?***
Maybe true, but he did anyway! Not many have beaten Nadal anywhere which is why it's a big deal regard< if it's on HC or grass for that matter! I'm no fan, so I'm not lauding the guy, but his fans can't have it both ways saying he's unbeatable, but @ the same X making excuses for him when he does drop a match!
***...As a tennis fan, you know that Fed's the greatest/most talented player to ever play the game. I think he can win majors @ 40 yrs of age. He's still #3 as we speak & he's in the SF's of the WTF @ the age of 37. Find me a tennis player past or present that has a flair for tennis like Fed.***
I've been hearing it was Connors since the 80's! He's been lauded as the most comp. "competitor" in the history of sports for decades! I never cared for his showmanship, preferring the genteel nature & class of players like Borg, Edberg, & Laver, who were just as successful if not more!
***The only similarity Fed has to Connors is longevity & age. They're completely diff. players in very diff. contexts. JC was a hold-out from a bygone era, lingering on far younger players were @ the top of their game. His last top 10 yr. was '88 when he turned 36 late in the yr. & finished #7. ...He had that dead cat bounce 2 yrs later when he reached the SF of the USO in '91 just B4 turning 39. His last big title was in '84 & his last Slam was in '83. Roger, OTOH is still winning - at least 10 months ago, when he won the AO, & he's going to finish the year #3.***
Who you tellin'? You forget I lived it! I thought Connors terribly overrated most of that per., but it didn't stop the fans from cheering him on wildly until the last! The "lost gen" is what I kvetch about the most w/ so few of today's gen. that can keep it together no matter the lead or infirmity due to age or/& injury of Fedalovic! Like the women w/ Serena, they're allowing these "old goats" to live on & actually lead the tour! It's still nauseating & I can't wait for someone else to finally brk. the hold of "The Big 3" = though very apprec. of Nole doing his thing @ this X!
***Well, I agree w/ you. I may never like a player again like I do Roger, but I'm ready for a sea change & it's coming. One more thing about Roger: his style of play, which's the ability to do anything in any part of the court has allowed him to adapt in a way that McEnroe couldn't. The fact that Jimmy was able to hold on as long as he did is testament to his grit, but I think also he was largely a player of an earlier era. Perhaps you could say more about his style vis-a-vis the newer players of the late 80s?
...The pt. being, there are natural cycles & weak gens tend t/b weaker if they are before or after a strong one. The Ashe & Trabert gens were partially weak b/c they bookended prob. the greatest gen. in tennis history.
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I'm not obsessed about Nole's GS total to not be as high as Roger or Nadal, but I want him to have 2 GS of each @ the minimum, so he has a diff. rec. than them. So you got it, I hope he wins a 2nd RG before he retires.***
Novak already has a rec. unmatched by either Fedal! He owns all 14 major events of the ATP cal.! Add on his winning rec. H2H, he far & away has something neither will get in the future w/ his NOLE-Slam! All he needs is one more Cincy & FO title t/b immortalized regard< of how far he's away from Roger's Major #'s!
***It's silly to blame the Three for being as good as they are & sticking around. It isn't like Roger's doing a Hewitt or, worse yet, 90s version Wilander. He's still #3 @ age 37; as a trio they're still 1-3, & all were #1 @ one pt. this yr. The real disappointment, as you say, is Lost Gen. And I agree that Dimitrov's the poster child, b/c he's the most talented player (IMO) born btw '89-94, bookended by Cilic/del Potro in '88 & Kyrgios in '95.
ReplyDeleteI think Thiem'll win @ least 1 RG. We'll see Rafa & Novak there the next yr. or 2, m/b 3, but then Thiem'll still have some good yrs in him to go vs Zverev & whoever comes up next as good on clay. Anyhow, I think there's a chance 1 of these young gents sneaks in a Slam next yr. I hope! If not '19, then I'd think '20 @ the latest.***
---
When Del Po's healthy & on, he's the best player in the world! He's humiliated many players including Rafa @ the height of his powers, destroying him 2, 2, & 2 @ the USO SF in '09 IIRC! Nole's the only player that seems to have his # for the most part, but the losses have hurt; 2 Olympic performances!
***I think it's an exag. to say that Del Potro was ever really the best player in the world, though he was @ the USO that he won. But he's surely spoiled a lot of players' big moments, including Novak's. Most of us don't think he'll get back to full world-beating strength, but as long as he's playing & healthy, he'll be dangerous.***
History & winners of majors & Masters' events whb totally diff. if not for Fedalovic who owned them all for the most part! It's unfortunate for very good players like Del Po, Tsonga, Berdych, Ferrer, & many others denied glory but for those 3 players!
***ITA w/ you that basically all of them would've won a Major if they hadn't played in the X of Fedalovic. They all made the final of a Major. Del Potro has one, but I'd say Murray would've won sev. more if he'd played in those fallow yrs that El Dude demarcates. Bad luck for them, but good luck for us, b/c it has been some really top-drawer tennis, w/ such excellent players playing @ the same X. But all things must come to an end, & we're approaching the end of it. We'll see how far Djokovic rides the last tailwind.
---
I'd say the player most neg. impacted (in terms of resume) by each of the great 3 are:
Federer: Roddick...would've had @ least 5 majors.
Nadal: Fed...would've had 5 more Slams? A few more RGs? He could've possibly had a quad. Slam! Ferrer's a candidate too w/ 4 losses @ RG Rd. QF or later & others. Ferrer chb the "Count of Clay" if not for Rafa.
Djokovic: Andy Murray...poor, poor Andy.
---
...Again w/ the age crap & no mention of injuries. Injuries play a major role in tennis outcomes. They cost Fed a shot @ Wimbl. & the USO this yr. They cost him in '10, '13, & '16. For Djokovic, he was injured post-RG of '16. If not for those injuries, he may have won the CS & continued winning slams all the way up until today. Of course, we have no way of knowing, but he was looking virtually invincible. ...***
But the problem is historians don't care about injuries, MONO, personal issues w/ family, or anything else but "who won the sucker!" We know a bit more than they'll ever know b/c we listen to the BS! Athletes like Fedal should keep that shit to themselves; no one cares! Borg had a thumb injury on his right hand, unable to hold onto his racket during the serve smashing it to the ground in the final vs Connors in '78! No one put an asterisk on Connors' win saying Borg was hurt!
***Mute pt. I'm firmly of the belief that players of this calibre, ATGs don't really have that much say in who wins. For me, it's way more about the conditions. If we look historically @ the court-pace index & where these 3 have had the most success/been the most dom. over the yrs.
ReplyDeletePeak Fed v Peak DJok @ Shanghai/Wimby goes to Fed for me most of the X. At IW? I go w/ Djok. It's not everyX, Djok got Fed @ Wimby twice, Fed got '11 FO Djoker.
Peak Rafa @ FO is a no-brainer- its the most complete & dominant of the 3.
Peak Djok on med./slow HC? AO's, US's, WTF in London, etc. He's supreme on a lit'l slower & a lit'l < bounce.
I don't see Fed winning AO '17 or '18 w/o the speed. It's really out of the players control to an extent.***
Speaking of MUTE; the courts have been so homogenized, it isn't the factor it was "way back when!" RG was so slow, only a handful of players could = get to the semi's; hence multi-winners like Borg, Lendl, Wilander, & Kuerten! On Grass Edberg, McEnroe, Becker, & Sampras owned it after Borg left the scene! Things have slowed so much where it's only a handful of places where the speed of the court matters! Cincy's one of them; Nole not winning one until this season after so many tries!
***Rafa was vulnerable @ the USO. Khachanov & Thiem just didn't have the guts to finish him off.***
That has been the moniker I've put on the last 2 "Next Gens" for a decade; a true inability to finish off the "Big 3" when they've had serious chances to win! Plenty of players have the ability, talent, & physicality to beat any of them, but when it comes to the elites, they can have a MP & find a way to give it all up, losing in the most miserable of fashions! Nole's been the most vulnerable dropping finals to Murray & Wawrinka in majors; lately to KK & AS in the last 2 Masters, but has still held up his end for the most part!
***Federer = Jordan
Nadal = LeBron
Djokovic = Curry/Durant
Sampras/Lendl = Duncan/Kawhi
Borg = Jabbar
McEnroe & Connors = Magic & Bird
Laver & Rosewall = Wilt & Bill
Agassi = Kobe
Becker = Shaq
Edberg = Olajuwon
Murray = Chris Paul
Any surface specialist = Kyle Korver/JR Smith
---
-1. Djokovic will win 2 slams in '19
2. Rafa will win the FO
3. Fed makes 1 slam final & 1 slam SF, but can't brk thru. He manages 1 Masters title
4. 90's NG still can't take any slams & 80's win the Masters 6-3
5. Final Top 10: 1. Djokovic, 2. Zverev, 3. Nadal, 4. Del Potro, 5. Anderson, 6. Federer, 7. Cilic, 8. Thiem, 9. Tsitsipas, 10. Nishikori
6. My guess is that Del Potro or Anderson takes the 4th Slam
7. 90's player wins ATP Finals for the 3rd cons. yr. I think it c/b Tsitsipas who'll def. qualify @ 9.
8. De Minaur & Shapovalov make a Masters 1000 final & brk into top 15
9. Murray does almost nothing, but Wawrinka starts climbing & finishes 17-23
10. There's a super surprise Masters winner @ some pt. as well as many surprise slam QF's & prob. SF's.
11. Outside of the clay season, Nadal struggles consistently = more than this yr.
12. Shapovalov continues to stay around 30 in the rankings
13. Ferrer wins @ least 3 matches in his final tourn. in Barcelona.
14. Fed retires after winning 10th Basel title w/o telling anyone. His final victory is his 103rd title over Del Potro.***
Nice!
***The 'right' no longer welcomes people who are willing to embrace truth & compassion -- science & our shared humanity.***
ReplyDeleteMost people are locked in unfort.! Even I'm entrenched & can't be moved to vote for a Rep. if the Dem was a serial killer! They've alienated me so much I can't = listen to their BS any longer! In FLA you have the gov. acting like an ass, talking about the election being stolen from him when Reps run the fk'n show! ...Most if not all Rep. admin. are disgusting & vile IMO! The way they talk about immigrants, women, minorities, & Muslims have set me vs them all & I'll disown anyone who would support such people!
***It really confuses me that Trump still enjoys such blind loyalty. Last wk. I had a conversation w/ very close friends who just returned from 2 wks @ their daughter's in AZ. Their take-away "Trump is very good for the country - he just needs to keep his mouth shut." What?***
I'm more than confused! ...intelligence has lit'l or nothing to do w/ support of Trump by many of these people! It seems after Obama, these people broke out & are showing their true faces! Shame!
***It's policy. Immigration, ICE, taxes, abortion, SC Justices, etc. A lot of those things are prob. due more to Mitch McConnell, but Trump being the figure head gets the credit.
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That people agree w/ these policies is MUCH sadder to me than the whole "Trump is great if he shuts his mouth" b.s. The only thing worse are those who love & celebrate the garbage that comes out of his mouth. - Is there a Rep. Pride Parade in your town?***
Hardly! In Chgo they w/b throwing rocks! When a Rep. campaigns in our area, they go way out west w/ the other bigots & rednecks in suburbs so far away they won't be messed w/!
***I do understand political choices based on issues. One of my SILs grew up in rural Wyoming in a very poor, interesting family that believes in all kinds of conspiracy theories. He's 2nd Amend. all the way & teases me by telling his kids I am their "socialist Nana." My husband's sister & her family are military & they're fierce Reps. My other SIL comes from a wealthy Jewish family who own a very large business & hate Obama for what it cost them in medical expenses for employees. They're not small minded or bigoted & I just don't quite get how they can't see Trump for what he truly is.***
I'm not going to say all Trump supporters are evil, but there def. is a bit of narrowmindedness when they accept anything Trump says & does while hating "liberals" on cue from Rep. leadership! Those same liberals freed the slaves, gave women the right to vote, stopped segregation, & created our social safety net (Soc. Sec., Med., etc.)! Dems may not be saints, but they don't go out of their way to hurt society like Reps! They're trying to set us back to the 50's w/ infringing on voting rights, immigration, abortion which is legal, & legalization of POT now!
***...Cons are very good @ trying to pin their moral values on society. They're not happy to let people live & let live as long as they don't harm others. It comes down legislating against LGBTIQ rights, health care for everyone, immigration, discrimination, & abortion. ...People complain about the left imposing their pts of view on others, but from what I see it's not damaging in the same way that the issues above do.***
You don't have to look that far back! Reps were dead set vs Obamacare, trying to sabotage it every op.! Since it's been in place, people have come to depend on it = though under Trump they actually tried to repeal the law! How sick are these people? Look further back, they're still after Soc. Sec. & want to make it go private; same w/ the postal system! I've no X to deal w/ such a-holes & resent cons. who'd rather we go back to the 50's to make them happy! They're truly stuck in the past!
***The thing is I get this. I get that someone is morally against X or Y. What I can't really get my head around are the voters who aren't against gay rights, abortion, & DACA, but support Trump anyway b/c...well, b/c seemingly Dems just cost them $$.***
ReplyDeleteSomeone's got to pay for services rendered! The problem is almost everyone would rather have it free & cheat @ every turn! People like Trump who brag about being so wealthy are the 1st to corrupt the system! If people paid their fair share, the country wouldn't have to raise taxes; constantly needing to compensate for the A-holes who think it's ok to deprive the < fortunate! We demand roads & infrastructure t/b taken care of, but don't want to pay for it! That's why things are crumbling around us w/ bridges & power grids that are over 100 yrs old!
***...I fear there are limits to how far Trump will go to protect himself & suppress the opposition.***
Limits? Trump tests the so called limits of the law, reg., & protocols of all our institutions! He's been sued & lost so badly, judges he installed have gone vs him! He has no limits & has t/b told officially he can't do something; his aids @ a loss how to keep him on an = keel!
***- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-23/donald-trump-issues-threat-to-close-us-mexico-border/10547058 -
I won't be surprised if Trump'll have blood on his hands from this. If there is none I w/b very surprised.***
The problem is how long would we care? It's hard to call us truly sympathetic w/ the short attn. span of the populous! Every X you think Trump has gone too far, we're off to the latest outrage! How soon we forget kids being snatched out of the arms of women, put in cages, w/ no rec. taken to ever reunite them! Some of the babies sent cross country to other states; again w/ no real rec. to locate them! ..Usually something as ridiculous as Trump not attending any commemorative event for Vets either in Paris or here @ Arlington! That's more important than the possibility this imbecile has hinted @ shooting immigrants getting too close to a border station!
***And Trump's apparently too stupid to comprehend that you don't pick a fight w/ the Chief Justice of the SC. Yes, they are independent as Roberts pointed out, but they're human, too. Although, it would appear that Trump stopped fighting halfway. (I only see Trump's tweets when someone retweets them, but I read that he never tweeted the 2nd part of his response).***
Trump prob. thinks he can TWEET & intimidate the SC like he does w/ other institutions! He's already in a JIAH w/ the CIA, FBI, MSM, & the Justice Dept.! Like was said, they're all human & are more & more paying attention & reacting to the political climate; = the cons. who're so intent on sticking to the letter of the law of the Constitution!
***Now how can Roberts ever preside over Trump's impeachment trial fairly after his critique recently? He’s now a very powerful "never-Trumper." So that’s why it’s possible he’s running for president in '20 &'ll resign soon.***
I hadn't thought of that, but I don't think it'll ever get that far! McConnell would never = go there & = if they did, Reps like criminals in power! Heaven knows there are enough of them who are Govs, Senators, & Representatives who've been indicted, fined, & in some cases jailed to come back to run again! Child molestation means nothing as evidenced by Moore last yr. in AL.! He only lost by 1.5 pts.! Gov. Scott in FLA was found t/b culpable for fraud of some sort w/ his business & was fined a Bil. $$'s; still won 2 terms as Gov. & is now their Senator! IDK how they do it w/ more Dems registered, but I guess that means lit'l to nothing if they don't get out there to make a diff.!
***...I think he's a challenge @ the French for another 4 seasons. Novak's a threat @ all 4 Slams, barring injury for the next 3 seasons. So 12 chances for him.***
ReplyDeleteFed's gotten credit for a resurgence, but Nadal & Djokovic are supposed t/b sent packing sooner I guess! IMO Nole will have a lot more staying power w/ conditioning & a yr. on Nadal! He got back on schedule w/ 2 surprise wins this past season; 3 w/ the Cincy Master! He's on the latest "come up!" Fed had his, then Rafa to close out '17; now Nole ….until!
***...I agree about Murray being a kind of exception esp. given his 2 OG's. It's clear that w/o Fedalovic, he w/b @ least a 10 slam guy. Just hard on him being in the era of the last 10 yrs.***
I say we were saved from Murray being more significant in the history of the game! IMO it was just a hideous way to play & like Rafa, allows anyone to take them to the limit; regard< if just a WC, qualifier, or "never-were!" Murray cost himself the FO in '16 by allowing b2b 5 set marathons w/ 2 low rankers early on; 1 a doubles specialist! By the X he got to Nole, he had one good set in him & he finally ran out of gas! That's why we apprec. Fed's effort<ness when playing! Nole's game of defense, which can become offensive is a lot more entertaining & he did his job keeping Nadal from reaching immortality X & X again! Nadal would've been well over 20 majors if not for Nole alone! Murray made a ripple vs Fedalovic! Roger should send Nole something nice one of these days; & to Soderling for his help @ FO in '09!
***...Djokovic not only stopped Nadal in many Slams, he also stopped Fed from winning Wimbl. '14 & '15, USO '15 & AO '16 among others Slams. Fedal also stopped Djokovic from winning more Majors. Djokovic w/b sitting right now in 26 Majors if not for them.***
True, but it didn't bother me as much since they were late in Fed's career! It was Nole's X & he deserved those wins after being abused by Fedal early on!
***I created a chart of the YE top 20 players from '68 & '18. Players age 23 & younger are in green, players age 30 & older are shades of pink, & players age 24-29 are gray. I'm not sure how this'll show up. The top 20 has gotten older over the last decade or so &'s mirroring the early yrs of the Open Era when the tour was = older. So it started pretty old, got younger starting in the '70s as 30-something players like Rosewall, Laver, Gimeno, Emerson, & Gonzales faded out & were replaced by young guys like Connors & Borg. Then the tour was much younger during the 80s & 90s & pretty much until Rafa's gen. (born '84-88) started entering their late 20s in '10 or so, & wasn't replaced by 'Lost Gen.'
...Only 2 yrs ago there were no players in their 30s in the top 20: '94-95. The tour was really quite young thru the 00s w/ the main exception being Agassi. You see a series of singular old guys hanging in: Connors in the late 80s, Lendl in the early 90s, Agassi in the early 00s.
The weakest pt. for young players was prob. a few yrs ago, in the '13-15 range when you only had one or 2 players age 23 or younger in the top 20. '18's a big step forward w/ 6 players age 23 & younger in the top 20. Right now you have a nice mix of players in the top 20, from 37 yo Fed to 20 yo Tsitsipas. This is similar to the early yrs of the Open Era when the range was quite wide.***
***Nadal's HC game has evolved & changed over the yrs, but I'd say '10-13 were his best, & he's er.
ReplyDelete---
I agree that Rafa was as good in '11 as he was in '10. It was that Novak had learned to play Rafa; was "out-Rafaing" him, then he got in his head. He was the >er in a lot of those matches, but Rafa lost a few of the later finals that yr.
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It's unwise to say any rec. will never be broken. Both of those look like Mount Olympus, though.***
I think we can sincerely assume the recs set by all of Fedalovic won't be broken anyX soon! They're an anomaly that comes once in a lifeX! They own it like no other in the past!
***Well, at least you finally admit that. I know you like to moan over the fact that no one has the guts to take them on, but it's not like it's been easy.***
And glad that you & others are including Nole "in the mix" since he's inextricably linked to Fedal now! The RB is awash w/ them!
***My list of ATG's OTOH:
Tilden, Lacoste, Crocket, Perry, Budge, Vines, Riggs, Kramer, Gonzalez, Hoad, Rosewall, Laver, Newcombe, Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Wilander, Agassi, Sampras, Federer, Nadal & Djokovic.***
...Some are stronger than others, but you've covered it all & it's an impressive list! I started watching Newcombe after he was #1, seeing him near the end of it all! The biggest match I saw him play was one of those TV challenge exh. "winner take all" contests vs Connors; the 2nd after Laver & before Nastase! What a joke! Newcombe beat Connors "down under" in '75 after his great season of winning 3 majors over an = older Rosewall! Connors didn't defend any of his majors dropping Wimbl. to Ashe & The USO on clay to Orantes! It gives me all kinds of reservations when players stay a lit'l too long & in the case of Rosewall, "a lot too long!" Can't stand Agassi, but it's hard to bypass a CGS = though gifts donated @ every turn! He still was pretty much owned by his chief rival in Sampras! I won't go there w/ Roger who's below .500 w/ Nadovic since he has so many recs that'll never be broken IMO, but his longevity has been rewarded w/ 3 more majors & Masters titles! Connors still has the most tournament wins in the Open era, but the top 3 are def. represented in Fedalovic who own the recordbks, lock stock, & barrel!
***I'm not super familiar w/ the 20's-40's although I've read a bit - enough I'd say. All those guys were among the very best of their era's & won plenty of major titles + spent @ least a 2 yrs @ #1. Very diff. era, but def. ATG's IMO.***
"Back then" it was all about "Big Bill" Tilden! From all indications he was "truly" unbeatable & only limited by his outside interests of tennis! He really owned his era like no other as much as we like to put Gawd-like status on Fed! Roger still had his limitations in the game w/ 2 ATG rivals thwarting him from that status he believes he deserves, regard< of what he says in public! For the OPEN era Fed's KING &'ll continue t/b such = if Nadal or Djokovic get close or = take over w/ 21 majors! Roger has the more impressive career & owns a lot of the rec. bk! It's the same reason I give Navratilova the edge over all the rest! She owns the RB in singles & doubles, owing her era like no other in the history of the game! ...She had to overcome a bunch of ATG's of her own from Goolagong/Evert/BJK to A.Sanchez-V./Graf/Seles & a host of other HOF's inBTW!
***Excluding all the winning streaks/recs, but focus only on "career achievements," then I'd have...:
ReplyDeleteFederer:
20 slams
99 single titles
310 wks @ #1, 5 YE #1
Nadal:
17 slams
80 single titles
196 wks @ #1, 4 YE #1
Nole:
14 slams
72 single titles
232 wks @ #1, 5 YE #1
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Fed:
1st man to win 8 Wimby titles
1st man to win 20 major titles
1st man to spend over 300 wks @ #1
Nadal:
1st man to win 11 FO titles
1st man to win 3 cons. slams across 3 diff. surfaces in the same CY
1st man to spend over 280 wks @ #2 in the world
Djokovic:
1st man to win the Novak-Slam
1st man to complete the Masters set
1st man to acquire 16000+ pts on the ATP cal.
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Fed:
339 match wins in slam tourneys. At 7 wins per tourney 4 X's a yr., that's 12 entire yrs worth of wins.
won 2 slam titles on diff. surfaces w/o dropping a set('07 AO, '17 Wimbl.)
rec. 34 cons. sets won @ Wimbl.(2 separate X's; has 3 of the top 4 streaks)
rec. 30 cons. sets won @ AO
Nadal:
incredible 81 match winning streak on clay- Wow!
86-2 rec. at RG.--insane. Borg's 49-2 rec. seemed unbreakable, yet needed to go 37-0 just to tie Nadal's stint
16 wins in slam SF's. This is unreal.
10 str. yrs of winning a slam title
Djokovic:
NCYGS
Started out season 43-0
16950 pts in '15
reached 3 cons. finals @ all 4 slam events
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Fed really is an anomaly, getting great results playing terribly... & the current weak tour doesn't hurt either. He played w/ basically no FH from WB to WTF, yet his results have been:
WB-QF (w/ a MP)
Cinci-F (OMG no FH/2ndROS!)
USO-4R (OMG just came from the pool)
Shanghai-SF (beats in-form Medvedev/Nishi)
Basel-W
Bercy-SF (took surging Djokovic to the brink, should've won)
WTF-SF (after horrid 1RR)
So in his last 7 tournaments to end the yr., Fed missed the QF once, & the SF twice, all while playing avg-at-best(by his standards) tennis.
'19? He'll be fine.***
***Much has been said about Jason's "reaching his potential." Is it possible that m/b he already has reached his potential? Jason's a wonderfully artistic skater & has done some fantastic programs in the past. He's one of the best men spinners we've ever seen. If "reaching his potential" means getting enough jump content to compete for a World or Olympic podium, that may simply never be in the cards for Jason.***
ReplyDeleteSome fans think skaters can hang on forever like Kwan or Eldridge and still be comp. to the end! Those kinds of skaters are rare & far between! Some may hang around longer than they should, but last season's result from Minor @ Nat'ls only got him an honorable mention! He couldn't be trusted to do it again & Rippon was sent in his place @ the Olympics! As much as people love Brown, those glory days are behind him & there's really no other place to go but down! He can keep his style & grace, but the jumps just won't be there for him unfortunately! Check him out at SOI one of these days if they still exist then!
***Yes, but it's also possible he hasn't reached his full potential & that's why he decided to take a chance & make the move to Toronto. My impression is Jason strongly desires to have another op. to make an Olympic team. IMO that's a worthy enough goal to continue/strive to improve in the next few yrs.***
I'm just going by what I've been seeing the last 2 yrs! The artistic side of Brown's skating will keep him in the top 10, but he needs to do a lot more than he's able on the tech. side! He won't = get a sniff of the podium w/o a reliable QUAD & he has lit'l hope of developing one @ this late stage in his career!
***I agree JB jumps big. My impression is that rotational speed is more of an issue, but I haven’t actually spent a lot of X watching him.***
Few really skate fast enough as far as I'm concerned; some slower than others! I just can't see Jason turning back the clock & learning to jump >er! M/b if he had had this epiphany 2 yrs ago well then m/b! Not all are meant to skate @ a high level well into their 20's! Anything's possible I guess, but I'm not seeing it so far! The look is >er w/ the haircut, but that won't score him bonus pts!
***His team is saying he's working on starting the rotation sooner, not on jumping higher or turning faster. So I assume that's the issue.
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Njinski was Plushenko's best LP, IMO. So happy to see Yuzuru skating his LP as a tribute to Plushenko. I loved his skate. I didn't care if he made a few tech mistakes on his jumps. Nobody can beat his artistry. His 4t 3A combination was insanely difficult. In Yuzuru's skating we don't just count how many quads he landed. He's on a whole nother level when compared to other skaters.***
Either Njinsky or Petersberg 300 are worth listening & watching again & again!
***I have officially burned out of Tara & Johnny commentating.***
Well you better get used to them! They m/b around for as long as Peggy & Dick; 40 yrs or more!
***No one w/b around for 40 yrs in any job for any reason. Those things just won't happen anymore, unless your name is Joe Buck. - I think Johnny does a good job, but Tara +s nothing except giggling & talking about her skating career.***
It's t/b expected! She was so young when she exploded onto the scene & swiped Michelle's thunder & Olympic GOLD! All she heard was how great she was & actually had a BIO penned into a book @ 16! Did she ever really grow up? When I saw a pic of her w/ a man, I was wondering if it was a case of child molestation! Being a child is all I can see her as & m/b in her head she still hasn't grown up!
Anyone keeping up w/ the BS going on w/ Golden State? Unbelievable that winning doesn't quell the super-egos of pro athletes! I was never a big fan of Durant; now I have more reason to think of him as a mercenary! His contract is about up & he hasn't made up his mind if he's staying or not! Green is just as PO'd about the situation & called him a "bitch" the other day for playing w/ the team's chemistry! The team suspended Green for a game w/o pay to deal w/ the situation, but in the end Durant will probably bolt for the Lakers to play w/ the other mercenary a-hole, LB James!
ReplyDelete***I didn't see the play in ??, but it sounds like Draymond had a JR moment & lazily dribbled into a TO instead of passing to KD @ the end of reg. in a tied game. Green didn't like getting criticized & went nuts. It had to have been pretty bad for them to suspend him a game, but maybe they did to cater to KD so that he isn't more sure to leave after this season. He isn't going to play w/ LeBron, I guarantee that. Also why all the LBJ hate?***
Like w/ Rafa, there's something about the guy that rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning! It was all the accolades & hero worship when he hadn't played yet in the pro game, giving him so much credit for his maturity & intelligence when he hadn't even finished HS! It was just too much! When he started jumping around the league, it really showed it was warranted criticism! His behavior & sense of entitlement is what really PO'd me; him and his hood-rat posse!
***He was undoubtedly hyped to the max & it bothered me quite a bit as well. But ultimately it wasn't his fault he was hyped like that or @ the very least that shouldn't be something held against him. ...But how he left forming a super team is what pissed a lot of people off. It was crappy. ...I'd say the disaster he left in Cleveland the 2nd X has a lot to do w/ him. He was the GM & he's a very, very lousy GM.***
Green cost GS a chp. w/ his flailing & kicking of people in their junk! That loss was all on him; getting run out of 1 game, suspended for another, & allowing Cleveland to have hope which turned the whole chp. contest around!
***Lol! They aren't releasing Draymond. He's way too important for them; a great utility player & the emotional leader = when he's out of line. - It was wrong for KD to publicly berate Draymond, that shb in the locker room. It was wrong for Draymond to go off on KD & bring up free agency.
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Did he publicly berate Draymond though? ...Draymond apparently felt that KD was talking to him like he's a scrub & he reminded Durant that the team was pretty damn good before he joined them.
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...This is all to do w/ KD's personal insecurities. ...Just imagine it, he could potentially win his 4th title there. He'll regret it later.***
Michael Jordon was the same way; clapping his hand for the ball! Even if Pippin ignored him, took a long 3 & made it, Jordon would still berate him! Most DIVAs are certifiable a-hole which is why I have so lit'l respect for them = when they only show a humble side! They didn't get where they are by being nice! All have their demons & it's exposed when all concerned least expect it!
***I think it's KD's insecurities that'll push him to play somewhere else after this yr. Regard< of who's >er btw KD & Curry, the Warriors are Steph's team & Durant'll try to get it done somewhere else where he's more clearly the top dog. He won't join LeBron due to insecurities. So I do wonder where he'd land?***
***I do think Plushenko's more naturally balletic than Yagudin. He has >er posture, arm movements, extensions, flow, & positions. Yagudin was never known for line or stretch. However Yags just had much >er choreography & programs for the most part & he skates w/ more genuine connection to his music most X's. Too bad Plushenko had no other choreographer than Mishin.***
ReplyDeleteAll 3 have something about their skating that sets them apart from others in their eras; If Evgeny hadn't been around, Alexei whb able to scale back his programs which contributed to the entropy of his hip(s)! Plushenko's my fave, but if @ their peak, Yags would win easily due to the passionate nature of his well choreographed programs! Obviously Hanyu would toast them both w/ programs off the charts in originality, grace, & power! Those OG programs of AY's were something; "Winter" & "The Man In The Iron Mask" were great!
===
***LeBron's played on some really good teams over the yrs so it's not like he was on an island by himself. In Miami, he had Wade, Bosh & Allen while in Cleveland he had Irving, Love, & some good role players. The best player MJ ever played w/ was Pippen, who's career honestly looks a lot >er due to the presence of MJ. ...Also + to the fact that the Eastern Conf. has been garbage for the longest of X's, esp. compared to the '80's & = the 90's.***
The East overall IMO has always been a travesty! They might wind up w/ winning clubs who take Chps, but for the most part, The West has inflated their recs thru stomping The East in interconference play! I can still remotely recall the 1st month of a season yrs ago when only 2 teams had a winning rec.; the rest barely floating below .500 & had actually put forth 2 teams into the playoffs in that condition!
***Oh yeah, for sure. I remember a few yrs ago, the Phoenix Suns won 48 games & still didn't come all that close to making the playoffs in the West. Meanwhile, in the East, the Toronto Raptors also won 48 games & finished as the 3rd seed in the East.
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...Who leaves after winning a chp. & misses out on the once in a gen. oppo. to win 4 in a row? That can't make any sense surely by KD of GS?***
An oversensitive a-hole!! KD's all about himself & needs t/b stroked @ all X's! He can't take criticism as evidenced by him allowing a fan in the front row to get under his skin resulting in a $25,000 fine this past wk.! He's a spoiled, self-entitled jerk which belies that humble outward persona! Plenty of other players in all the sports have done the same; bolting to another team for the $$ most of the X! I can still hark back to '86 after the World Series! IIRC, Ray Knight was the catcher, won the MVP, & ended up on another team the following season! His contract was up & felt he deserved over a $1M, was offered $750,000, & ended up on another bad team making $450,000 so he lost all the way around! There are plenty of examples of idiot players of sports who jump ship for a $$ grab & never get another sniff @ a chp.! Winning means lit'l to nothing in the end w/ these guys; many scrappin' @ the end of their careers for a chp. like Barkley & Malone whoring themselves out in their waning yrs on other teams like the Rockets & Lakers respectively!
***KD is very sensitive & "legacy-driven." Obviously joining the Warriors was taking the easy path to titles. I think = before this blowup w/ Green he was going to brk. off on his own next yr., esp. if they win the title. Also due to the insecurities there's no way he joins LeBron in LA. I'd be absolutely shocked. Sadly I think he comes East next yr., but I hope not.***
***I do think it's relevant that Roger was 29 & then 30 @ the end of '10 & '11. He's 37 now, w/b 38 @ the end of '19. Do you really think he'll be able to come back in '20 at 38, after 2 yrs of down-turn?***
ReplyDeleteI think '09 has Fed being terribly overrated; just like '17-18! It started w/ him dropping AO to Nadal, then Rafa knocked out of FO & Wimbl., & Fed having patsies in the finals he won! I would've changed my mind if he had completed the deal @ the USO, but he lost in 5 to Del Po! The last 2 yrs had absences of Djokovic & Murray to help him out! I'm still trying to figure out his dom. of Nadal the last 2 yrs!
***Sounding more and more like a typical Djoker fan by including Murray as a potential road block for Fed. Yeah, a red hot Federer really needs to fear Murray! And last I checked Djoker played the 1st 3 majors in '17. He did a good job dodging Roger, waiting until Fed sucks to start meeting him again. As for '09 I always thought that if Roger had managed to lose Wimbledon in shame< fashion to Roddick he'd have been more hungry for USO. Fed was too satisfied, understandably so.
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Please stop saying that Fed should've beaten Del Potro @ the '09 USO as if it's such a horrible loss. They had a rematch there last yr. & DP again won, & Fed in '17 was on fire. Give credit to Del Po & get over it. He has beaten Fed 7 X's.***
Nope, Andy wasn't a road block, but made life difficult @ X's for Roger; esp. early on btw '05-10! After Fed won the 1st match they played, Murray dom. the 1st 1/2 of the rivalry, winning 8 of their 1st 13 matches. The 2nd half of the rivalry has been dom. by Fed, who since won 9 of their last 12 matches from '10. Murray defeated Fed in str. sets to win OG @ '12 Olympics as well! In '13 Murray beat Federer for the 1st X in a Major in the SF of the AO, prevailing in 5 sets! So we can't say Murray was Fed's pigeon the entire length of their rivalry! I just wasn't that impressed w/ what Fed accomp. in '09 after owning the tour so thoroughly just 2 seasons before! It was a significant drop off as far as I was concerned!
***...Fed fans have been the most critical of his performances. He's the only player in tennis history you can describe as stratospheric. Therefore we are not flattered by giving him credit for keeping his '17 dom. of Rafa thru '18 @ all.***
Oh please! The excuses have been varied & extensive; usually going w/ the "age" thing! I had to battle that BS all of '18!
***...There was no way DP was coming back from 0-2 sets down in that USO in '09.***
Same w/ Fed's Wimbl. win if Roddick had finished that 2nd set TB being up 4 set pts! It was a choke & Fed benefitted from it!
***ITA. Roddick donated that match & Fed's #15. So Karma got him in the USO.
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There are a lot of ironies in the Borg/McEnroe saga; not the least was Mac bemoaning Borg retiring early @ 25 & depriving them of future matches/motivation, & yet Mac himself never won a Major past the age of 25. ...***
Thanks! People need to know this is why Borg retired early! Besides being just plain burned out after so many yrs of winning, the ATP were being real a-holes & wouldn't grant him much needed X off! He would've likely won sev. more FO's alone! He was the un??'ed King of clay; only 1 person having the game to defeat him on his home court @ RG, Adriano Panatta!
***This President needs to Resign!***
ReplyDeleteOnly an honorable man would do such a thing! Trump's the furthest you can get from that! He prob. thinks being President protects him & he can't be indicted! He's wrong; just hasn't been done! He's going to fight all the way to the end, maybe hoping he'll croak before they actually get him & his family! All are culpable IMO! I'm not blaming the crazy person that he is, but the enablers who supported the insanity! These people aren't dumb so they knew exactly what they were doing & should pay a serious price for turning not just the country, but the world upside down! The evil can't be measured!
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Cons. are losing their shit over the latest w/ Trump & the conspiracy w/ the Russians! The MSM's swarming like BEES dealing w/ Cohen admitting he lied to Congress about his work for "candidate" Trump in '16 who's wanted to erect a hotel in Russia for over 30 yrs! He said he has no projects in Russia & have no future projects; BIG LIE! FNC is totally bored & ignoring it acting as if there isn't anything new & nothing implicates Trump! Laura Ingraham m/b on drugs to poo-poo this news as another flunky for Trump is going down &'ll probably be sentenced to jail next month! No matter what goes down, these losers act as if it's nothing! When Trump is finally impeached, they'll say it's "just an exercise in futility!" Idiots!
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It's amazing how all Reps have gone from being warry of Russia & Putin to now making excuses for their president that he isn't in bed w/ him now! I actually saw some a-holes "down South" w/ T-Shirts saying they'd "rather be Russian than Dems!" That's > a lit'l pathetic & treasonous IMO! What happened to you people?
***Doesn't the House create the legis.?***
When I think of the HOUSE, I instantly go to them "being in charge of the purse strings!" Trump'll prob. think he can get away w/ closing down gov't again so he can blame Pelosi, but that never works in the end! The Dems c/b taken advantage of, but they won't allow it to get out of hand just to keep things moving! I can see the incompetence of Trump fooling around w/ pending talks on a "Cont. Res." & Nat'l Debts limits needing t/b raised! If I didn't know any >er, I'd swear he's going out of his way to sabotage our economy!
***...But I don't see electric cars being any sort of solution. A battery is not an energy source, but just storage. Where's all that energy going to come from?***
It's just not viable @ the moment = though being pushed relentlessly by environmentalists! I went out into the suburbs 2 wks ago & a parking lot had a charger for battery operated cars. It's the 1st X I've seen that anywhere! Now the stock market is going down again, losing all its gains from this wk! I wouldn't invest anything in this country if I were a foreign company! Eventually it'll all straighten out, but not while Trump's in charge! Those tariffs are only going to hurt us in the end = though FBC said something about $7B taken in so far! The stock market's still cratering!
***I think a lot farmers aren't willing t/b truthful when saying how much they depend on undocumented workers. ...the Dairy ind. a '15 Texas A&M study stated 50% of dairy farms rely on undocumented workers. In Wisc. the # appears t/b >.
- https://doorcountypulse.com/commentary-dairy-farms-rely-on-immigrant-labor/ -
One person was quoted to say 90% of workers @ a particular farm are undocumented.***
The hypocritical thing is Congress knows the delicate balance we've been going thru for decades over this issue, but the rhetoric has been escalated w/ Trump! I think it'll finally hit the fan & we're going to suffer sooner rather than later! Produce will blow up 1st & we'll wonder "WTF?!"
After being very cooperative; early & often, Mueller's letting Michael Flynn off SCOTT-free! That was the recommendation filed w/i the last 1/2 hr. or so! I think it's a scandal regard< of his openness! He was a military intel officer who was out of control, conspiring w/ Russia & Saudi Arabia, & was implicated in the kidnapping of a foreign dissident residing here in the States for a fee t/b paid on delivery!
ReplyDelete***'Substantial Assistance' indeed. This should get interesting.***
I heard 19 interviews, spilling his guts! His son was in jeopardy of being charged so Flynn couldn't do enough to avoid that!
***And not that I think Flynn cares, but his Dep. Nat'l Sec. Advisor MacFarland lied her ass off too to federal investigators.***
She s/b indicted as well!
***The amazing Gen. Michael Thomas Flynn that we all love & respect!***
He deserves nothing; not = respect! He's a fk'n criminal that should go to jail for a few yrs IMO!
***Mueller seeks no prison X for former Nat'l Sec. Adviser Michael Flynn, citing his ‘substantial assistance’
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I see the implication that Flynn will testify against Trump & Kushner. I think Mueller needs more than info from Flynn in order to keep him out of jail. I think he needs help making his case to a jury.
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They've given the media very lit'l. Mueller's team has played it very close to the vest. We'll see when the report comes out - & it'll come out = if Trump's puppet AG tries to suppress it or ignore it.***
Mueller's and his team of attorneys are true professionals; totally anathema of Ken Starr's team who leaked like a sieves!
***Most Dems Say Reps are ‘Racist, Sexist, Bigoted’***
Reps bring it onto themselves when we see them overwhelmingly voting for a MS Sen. that said she'd "be in the front row" of a lynching! NUFF said! They also like voting for child predators as in Ala. Senate race last year! We can do this all day since it appears they'll vote for anyone as long as there's an "R" behind their name! Disgusting!
***As if the Dems didn't have a history of racism - The KKK was all Dems***
That's some argument; HISTORY? Reps used t/b liberal & freed the slaves! SO? It doesn't change they're all quite disgusting now, following a misogynist pig into HELL making sport of women, blacks, gays, immigrants, & = the disabled! Reps are the ones wearing the "sheets" w/o a hood & they're proud of it! Get over yourself SHERA! You have no credibility from what lit'l I've seen & no one cares what you have to say!
***...The artical doesn't pretend t/b a eulogy for Bush, it sets out to make comparisons btw Trump & GHW Bush.***
It'll always feel like Trump's being criticized, marginalized, & made to feel like shit b/c he brings it on himself by being a very small person who attacks before he thinks, makes stupid comments on an Int'l stage, & embarrasses his country & supporters at every turn! Any one like my "ex-bf" who says he voted for Trump & wears his t-shirt w/ pride will have to think about it & m/b have tons of regrets after all's said & done!
***Mueller Exposes the Culture of Lying That Surrounds Trump - It's the ratio btw lies vs truths that's way out of whack in the Trump admin., & that's most obvious from the boss himself.***
ReplyDeleteTrump's been so bad for truth & honesty that anyone who works for him w/b tainted & won't be able to find a job after they leave his service! To get along w/ this boss, they have to go out into the public & lie thru their teeth & it's a fk'n shame how some have accepted it; using terms like "a mulligan!" They're all truly disgusting while they undermine all our institutions trying to save Trump's old ass!
***Low level employees may become liars & criminals unwillingly, but @ the level we're talking about, everyone who becomes a liar & criminal did so willingly. Only the best people, I guess.
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Do you recognize anything @ all that is truly + that Trump has accomplished for the country?***
Not = by accident! The entire exercise has been a sham; from him running his admin. thru a Twitter feed to his silly wife supposedly "advocating against cyber bullying!" Ironic she can = invoke those words w/ a str. face while her husband vilifies his enemies; alive or dead!
It's been "banana republic" X since day 1 as he lied about the size of his Inaugural crowd to demanding the prosecution & imprisoning of his opp. in his election; Hillary Clinton! Then there's his promising that Mex. would pay for his fk'n wall; since then demanding Congress cough up $5B to finance it after all's said & done! How people can forget his treatment of immigrants, separating them from their children & putting them in dog cages is beyond me!
He's embarrassed & humiliated our allies, torn up viable treaties only to reinstall virtually the same agreement w/ his fingerprints on it! ...By electing him thru his deceptions & conspiracies w/ his Russian buddies, he's tarnished our history for all X; a legacy I wouldn't have recognized 2 yrs ago!
If Obama or Clinton had done a 1/10 of this, you'd be calling for impeachment, but it appears you think he has redeeming values undermining our institutions daily! Where? What can you name?
***Even if there were one "truly + thing" or 10, or 20, how can that negate the facts that Fiero brings up? It can't unless you are truly Machiavellian.
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I believe most of us can recognize the + achievement of the 'orange' moron of opening our eyes to the fact that, as a society, we must do more to fight ignorance, gullibility, low-education & plain stupidity in order to avoid future disasters like this admin.
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Michael Cohen gets 3 year sentence from SDNY.***
As an attorney, he deserved to have the book thrown @ him! To use excuse of being led into darkness by Trump is ridiculous! He was out there daily vilifying others who had the nerve to contradict him or Trump! I have lit'l to no sympathy for him or his family! Big X fraud was going on & he's quite fortunate to only get 3 yrs!
***...The Watergate Tapes were the subject of a subpoena by a special prosecutor, not by Congress. My reference to US v. Nixon had to do w/ the speed w/ which the court system can resolve an issue if it so chooses. The Pentagon Papers Case w/b another ex. ...-- who would hold that the President was immune to investigation by Congress. Such a belief would run contrary to the Constitution's express authorization of Congress to impeach, try, & remove the President.***
Nixon may have lost it near the end, but he had enough character to not destroy those tapes; turned them over! Trump would probably burn them on the SC steps & dare them to do something about it!
***...Collude how exactly? By practicing his freedom of speech? Good God you cons really are pathetic.***
ReplyDeleteYou say pathetic, I say insane! I was just watching FNB & Victoria Tensing & Gregg Jarrett, who I used to respect to express facts & logic are just as insane talking about Hillary & her dealings w/ Uranium One! All this in an attempt to deflect Trump's collusion & illegal acts before & after being elected! They both sound like raving loons spouting this nonsense! It seems like all Trump supporters w/b eating crow, shit, & a bunch of other inedible materials after all's said & done! It's like they all drank the Kool-Aid & can't stop embarrassing themselves!
***...You never admit the good Trump has done.***
It's been 2 yrs in office for Trump, what GOOD has he done for the country? I can hear him complaining about the budget & Nat'l Debt where he's increased it by a $1T w/ that huge tax cut for rich folks @ the end of last yr! He's nom. a liar & sexual predator to the SC! He made it a Mantra that Mex. w/b paying for his fk'n border wall, but's now demanding Congress give him $5B to erect the thing! Now he's threatening to shut the gov't down to get his way! He's a pathological liar & inveterate scumbag! He raw-dogged a porn star, but's still kvetchin' & pting a finger @ Clinton 20 yrs later!
***I didn't particularly like the way Trump incited the crowd to get rid of hecklers @ rallies. It was encouraging mob violence vs ind. rights of expression & free speech. The mitigating fact is that once you spend all that $$ on a rally, you do have a right to prevent it from being hijacked, but there has t/b a >er way.***
Trump was fortunate only a handful of people were injured & not killed by one of those violent animals @ one of those rallies! That's been Trump's MO; incite & divide! That's how he won! Now he's looking for support from the same people he vilified over the yrs! The Senate are the only people that can help his ass when he's finally impeached for a host of reasons! How Cruz & Rubio of all people can support him after making more than just fun of them is beyond me! Cruz's wife & father were humiliated & undermined! He's as gutless & self-serving as Trump! They deserve one another!
***...How many investigations were there during the campaign that were going t/b the thing to disqualify him? And they were by reputable people & pubs.***
You're assuming it would've made a difference! Hillary's been pummeled by the "right" for well over 20 yrs! HELL, The FNC came into existence to beat up on the Clintons! W/ Trump collusions from Russia, social media manipulations, & the obvious moral decline of the country, what else was to happen but to elect such a creature over the most qualified? It had been done before w/ "W" so why surprised a reality TV presidency is more to our liking? Doing a good job means lit'l to nothing w/ a Rep. Congress ignoring all his transgressions to support his rants and raves!
***Okay, IMO:
- 1. Trump has brought forth the ethnic, occupational, political, racial, religious,& sexual bigots & bullies, the congressional cowards, the crooked politicians, the environmental plunderers, the high level thieves, the confirmed science deniers, the "alternative facts" presenters, the "true believer salesmen" & all manner of other detestables into the daylight where we can see them for what they are & revile them for what they've done.
- 2. ...We need to provide more support for viable futures for those rural folks.
- 3.The very existence of President Trump highlights some serious failings in our society, in our schooling & in our attitudes concerning our tribes. ...And Trump has helped show us such a reality.***
***...And car makers are wasting billions on autonomous vehicles that don't work & no one wants.***
ReplyDeleteI hope it's just what we call "growing pains!" Obamacare was vilified by Reps, caused Dems to lose badly in '10, but it turned around & now people can't live w/o it! ...The thing w/ the battery & auto-drivers is it just has to take hold & for everyone to jump on board for it t/b viable! I'm old & don't really care anymore, but hopefully the masses will come to their senses & see = if it isn't cost eff. @ the moment, we need to go in that direction!
***...Nancy deserves an award for not calling Trump a moron. And Chuck just looked shell shocked that he = had to listen to that word salad. So, so, so embarrassing. He doesn't listen. He keeps repeating the same lies over & over. They can + today to the Bottom< Pinocchios. He needs mental health help NOW. I seriously said "OMG" out loud about 5 X's. And the VP of smirk just sat there. OMG!
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After the press conference, Pelosi actually reported to the press that she asked the media to leave the room b/c she didn't want to "tell him he didn't know what he was talking about" in front of witnesses.***
I'd be in trouble b/c I'd correct him right then & there! I'd invoke his mantra that "Mexico will pay for the wall" & ask WTF do you need w/ $5 B when you haven't spent the $1+ B given in the last budget? He would have to stutter & act = more confused & hate my guts!
***...The Senate has lit'l to nothing to do w/ the budget process. The House is responsible for all funding.***
People forget "The HOUSE" controls the purse-strings! Why do you think they're ranting & raving about Pelosi? She's got them by the shorthairs & will make their lives a living HELL when she leads the charge in investigating all the corruption in the WH! Congress has been asleep @ the switch; not doing the people's work! Pelosi's been known to pass 200+ pieces of legis. when Ryan has gotten lit'l to nothing done during his tenure as Speaker! She'll show how it's done in Jan.! I can't wait!
***Dems want to investigate the death of the 7 yo Guatemalan migrant girl who died from dehydration. I remember reading that border agents poured out water that some kind people had left for the refugees.***
The way the border patrols have been acting, spilling water to encourage this happening is shame< & disgusting! I wouldn't doubt others have died, but we've only heard about this one!
***If it’s going to become law to provide water to all migrants you might as well pass a law giving visas. B/c the water bill will encourage more migrants. All danger is elim.'d.***
What water bill? Jugs of water were being strategically placed for these poor people trying to carry kids! Water's terribly heavy & conscientious folks were trying to prevent tragedies as this from occurring! Trump has had these oases gutted & we've seen it on TV! After these people are taken into custody, we're responsible for their wellbeing & to allow dehydration of a child being held in captivity like this is just appalling! How soon we forget many kids, actual babies being held in dog cages! Is that the America we want to live in?
***I favor eliminating all dangerous migration; not making dangerous routes a lit'l safer! The jugs m/b killing people who take the dangerous routes, but don’t find them & then get sick or maybe die.***
Some are running for their lives! They're going to try that trek across the desert regard< of the danger! We just don't know all that's going on w/ so many lies & distortions coming out of DC! If they were so fk'n concerned, why is it they've been unable to actually pass some legis.? They allowed Obama his Executive Orders since they were too gut< to do anything themselves!
***We have NO idea what Mueller has. The one thing he has done is keep things close to the vest. No leaks have come out. Whatever Mueller does present, I will accept; whether it implicates Trump or not.***
ReplyDeleteThe man was lauded t/b above reproach until he was assigned this invest. & The Reps lost their fk'n minds trying to undermine the man & ?? his integrity! ...Mueller's rec. in & outside the military has been exemplary & all concerned s/b ashamed of themselves! How Trump can ?? anyone's voracity or integrity is beyond the pale & makes no fk'n sense!
***I doubt you'll see another Rep. President for the next 60 yrs after Trump.***
You're assuming we learned out lesson & have common sense! Everything was great after Clinton, but that didn't stop us from killing it off & taking on "W" who cut taxes twice, started 2 wars, & divided the country like no other until Trump came along! We just aren't as smart as we like to think! This is happening worldwide w/ wayward thinking all over the place revolting against gov't & common sense! This Brexit thing along w/ Nazi rise in Germany & France turned upside down! It's just a worldwide epidemic of mass insanity, reaffirmed w/ Trump! Not sure we're going to survive this X; inflated Nat'l Debt, deep divisions btw Libs & CONS that's getting more & more contentious everyday thanks to him, & the whole world "giving us 'the hand'" since he's alienating them thru tariffs & ripping up treaties! Tweeting & insulting other leaders isn't going to encourage them t/b on our side in anything!
***...What's that got to do w/ Trump's financial sucking on the American taxpayer? - How is Trump renting out rooms @ his hotel @ inflated prices to wealthy donors any diff. than the Clintons giving a 45 min. speech for $500,000? How does either equate to the financial sucking of the American taxpayer?***
Yes, we know; the Clintons are the devil incarnate! Clinton isn't the fk'n President though & can do wtf he likes! What will you pathetic people do when they're dead & gone; dig up their bodies? It's truly pathetic projection & passing the buck to explain the graft, fraud, & overall corruption of this admin.! It just never seems t/b enough for these greedy bastards!
***Like most rich folks, they think they're above the law. And let's not mince words here: most of them are.***
Well they did get Martha Stewart & Bernie Madoff!
***...Everybody wants respect. The ?? really is "what do you want respect FOR?". I'd be interested in hearing someone making a case for Trump supporters here, b/c I have my own idea of what they want respect for, & it's nothing that I consider respectworthy.***
Respect's the last thing a Trump supporter's getting from me! My college roommate & BF of 40 yrs was silly enough to tell me he "wears his Trump t-shirt w/ pride!" Need< to say we haven't spoken civilly in 2 yrs! He's a Mensa member so intelligence or a lack thereof isn't in ??, but common sense must have seeped out of his empty head! I feel badly for all of them to accept the fraud, sociopathic lying, & overall corruption! What will they do when it all blows up w/ end< investigations pending around the corner? Saying "fake news" can't go very far when there are so many guilty pleas & sentencing going on under their noses! How long can they live w/ there heads in the sand?
***...Having failed at making your case w/ this diversion about Clinton, do you mind answering the ?? about the FBI that I asked you?***
You'll be waiting a while! Truth is something obscure & anathema to these people! They only respond to ridiculous lies & fairytales like "Mexico will pay for the wall!"
***I can still remember a X when elected officials in the House or Senate could actually work w/ the other party. And I can still remember a X when the political climate wasn't so deathly poisonous as it is today. We actually had people in Congress who put the interests of the country over the benefits of immediate personal political gain. We do NOT have that right now in our Congress. We are truly entering a dangerous period. This is not a normal Chief Exec. This is not a normal presidential situation. We're in dangerous, uncharted waters. I also guarantee a recession is just around the corner. Then things are going to get = worse.***
ReplyDeleteThose days are long gone! Who knows when it started, but the abject HATE seemed to start w/ Clinton by Reps! Maybe they didn't think him worthy of being President, but he couldn't breath or eat what he wanted w/o them making snide comments! The investigations started day one, but after all their efforts, they only ended up looking foolish & spent over $40 M to prove he got a "hummer" from some girl! They reached new heights of "hating" w/ Obama; deciding right after the election that nothing would get thru them; shutting down gov't & threatening our credit rating! Now w/ all the criminality of the Trumps they say w/ no hesitation, "I don't care!" Compromise is a dirty word in the Rep. party & they punish anyone who bends just a lit'l making them more radical each election cycle! It's a wonder so many lost this past term, but the supposedly senior & most reliable have turned into mush & just accept all that's going on in the West Wing! How they can criticize any Dem after allowing this much corruption w/b a feat unmatched by them; no doubt about it! The hypocrisy w/b as rich as Trump calling someone else a liar!
***I have been publicly against the very notion of "judicial activism" in gen. for many yrs, & I never switched sides based on tribal affiliation of the ox in ??.***
We have more & more "judicial activism" b/c pols have been gut< turds unwilling to pass the simplest of legis.! Reps & cons have been kvetchin' about Obamacare for almost 10 yrs, but haven't = attempted to pass some kind of replacement! The closest they got to actually doing something was when they came w/i a VOTE (McCain) of overturning the entire law! The reason it failed w/ a handful of Reps was b/c there was NO REPLACEMENT = put down on paper much < passable in Congress! All across the country the same thing is going on almost forcing JUDGES to make up the country's mind for them since the pols are so weak! The SC is @ the top of this being as activist as any judicial body, but again, that's b/c Congress won't do their jobs concerning legis. on healthcare, immigration, etc.!
***Obamacare went to the SC twice & survived both X's.***
Reps don't care how many X's they're slapped down by the courts on an issue! They just keep coming hoping it'll change their opinions or try fooling new Justices of the SC w/ the same arguments! Abortion's been their HOT BUTTON issue for well over 40 yrs & they won't stop until Planned Parenthood is shut down along w/ clinics that have the nerve to = mention birth control! Why women go along w/ this shit is mind-numbing! It's the yr. of the woman supposedly, but let's see how much support they get after being in office for a while!
***Why did Obamacare require a set of inclusions instead of allowing a high deductible catastrophic plan for the young? B/c it needed the young to subsidize the care of the old.***
Just like Soc. Sec. & Medicare? Sounds like socialism to me! Funny how Reps love pting out Argentina & other places where it doesn't work; totally ignoring where it does work! We've been sorta SOCIALIST since FDR w/ Soc. Sec. & later w/ Johnson in Medicare/Medicaid legis.! Idiots really need to stay awake in school!
***...I think that if a president can't be indicted then the statute of limitations s/b put on hold while he is in office.***
ReplyDeleteHypocrisy & the old "double standard" prevail w/ Reps & cons! I think Mueller & the SDNY will file charges to avoid the statute of limitations problem BTW, but wait to prosecute!
***I'm pretty sure there's no statute of limit. on Fed crimes like this, & I don't believe the clock starts ticking when prosecution's forced t/b deferred by presidential immunity to prosecution.
- However, I also am very skeptical that there were any crimes. ...
- The claim of crimes vs Hillary are just as stupid. Benghazi was in Libya, a foreign country we aren't = supposed to have any troops in @ all, much < sending in some rapid deployment force. Nor is there anything to the email server, since no one is ever going to commit what they really want to say to public rec.
---
There's a lot that hints @ collusion. 87+ meetings btw Trump campaign people & Russians that the Trumpians have lied about is enough to hint @ collusion. It continued after the election w/ Flynn & others talking w/ the Russians.***
The GOP (Grand Ostrich Party) won't see what is there w/ their heads buried deep in the sand & up Trump's ass! They've proved character, truth, & integrity mean nothing to them! Even Sen. Hatch said "I don't care" when charges have been qualified, verified, & adjudicated!
***...Except the Eric Trump Foundation funneled $$'s intended for St.Jude's into his own bank account. Their criminal behavior knows no limits, = stealing $$ intended to help children w/ cancer.***
The kids have been looking for approval from DADDY since birth & stealing from charities' one of their attempts to gain his affection! Trump's been doing it for yrs; saw on the news 2 yrs ago he used $20 of one of his charities to pay Boy Scout mem. for Barron! These cheap bastards shk when under invest. all this shit's going to come out, but it doesn't stop them from behaving like grifters!
***What is Trump afraid of? - Everything; his whole life!***
He has t/b scared to death since everything is being investigated connected to him including the KIDS! Even Melania m/b in trouble concerning overcharges for the Inaugural Party! Don Jr. m/b in the most vulnerable position since everyone knows he lied about the Russian meeting @ Trump Tower!
***Criminal families eventually fall! If dumber would've stayed out of the bright lights he would've never been exposed t/b as shady as he truly seems to be.
---
I believe Cohen was coerced into admitting to campaign finance fraud. First of all they had him on X counts of tax evasion which has nothing to do w/ Trump un< Trump did his taxes. ...Then there's the treatment of Flynn where we'll find out Tues. if the FBI is guilty of entrapment. So we have coercion & entrapment; let's wait & see.***
Oh please; what else is new? Criminals are coerced all the X to confess! They might "look into your wife to see if she had anything to do w/ this!" As for Flynn; an intel. officer needs t/b told "not to lie to the FEDS?" Please! He s/b sentenced to jail just for coming up w/ that BS about entrapment! If truthful, no one has to worry about entrapment! The problem is anyone assoc. w/ Trump takes his lead & lies! The cover-up is usually worse than the crime, but not in this case! I think the whole LOT of them s/b put in front of a firing squad for treason vs their own country!
*** I think they had him on many counts, of which "Campaign Finance Fraud" was among or = @ the <er of the charges. His reward for cooperating was their dropping of all the other charges.***
***What is your problem w/ Clinton's speaking fees?***
ReplyDeleteInnuendo, projection, & "passing the buck" is all they have! Invoking Clinton & John Edwards makes them feel like what Trump's done isn't so bad which is sick AF! ...The old double standard w/ cons. is not doing them much good; the evidence overwhelming so much, his own supporters are saying "let Mueller finish his work!"
***In theory, good HC should pay for itself by preventing the need for unnec. treatments.***
It's a wonder Obamacare's working as well as it does w/ all the sabotage going on around the country undermining it @ every turn! McConnell's the biggest fraud there is when lambasting the ACA, but utilizes it to the fullest back in KY & calling it "Ky-Nect!" Reps s/b ashamed of themselves trying their level best to elim. the LAW!
***In Wis., during the campaign Scott Walker indicated he was FOR protections for preexisting conditions. He said they w/b there as long as he was GOV. I guess we're experiencing neg. karma for voting his ass out. ...Wisc. was a participant in the law suit that could elim. those protections. Thanks Scotty, you lying POS!
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I'm not sure how offering someone a benefit for telling the truth actually counts as "coercion." - - Trump did collude w/ Russia, but it was due to inexperience not criminal intent. We should absolve him!***
It w/b diff. if Trump actually reformed & started acting like an adult, but that isn't the case! He went on a 10 Tweet rant yesterday reviving his greatest hits about "a hoax, a witch hunt, & fake news!" His base is barely holding together w/ 62% on polls saying he's lying about the Russian collusion! He's a petulant child that thinks he can wait it out & it'll all be forgotten like all his other past transgressions! He's a fool & should just go ahead & fess up so the country can move on, but that isn't about to happen!
***...So you think that the objective of the Mueller investigation is to trip up Trump on a campaign finance violation.***
They believe Trump's being undermined, ridiculed, & made fun of just t/b mean instead of trying to express a truthful sentiment! He's not the only one acting like that; so besieged by the MSM & 'snow flakes' on the "LEFT!" Look @ Flynn who was getting a sweetheart deal for his coop., then @ the last min. decides to play the "victim card" talking about being "tricked into lying!" The judge is raising Holy HELL now @ his sentencing since he's telling his supporters this BS @ the midnight hr.! He may end up getting "some" X since he appears not t/b taking full responsible for his treasonous acts! Flynn was getting a pass on his collusion w/ Turkey, but he couldn't keep his STUPID mouth shut!
***Trump promised he'd run the country like his businesses. I guess that's one promise he's going to keep. ***
It's just another reason to laugh in the faces of his supporters! They all shk he was born into wealth & did his level best to lose it all; 4-6 X's! What a loser until = bigger losers elected a leader of such disrepute!
***Did anybody see Stephen Miller's spray on hair piece? I was one of those who was like "who cares? His policies s/b the focus as horrific as they are." But then I actually saw a pic of it & was like..."well, we can talk about both things."***
I usually turn the channel immediately! It's just hard to believe such a character m/b an advisor to Trump & possibly in charge of something in the WW! No responsible adult would want t/b bothered w/ that 3 RING Circus! Kelly couldn't wait to GTFO of there! The indictments will come fast & furious sooner or later; more than likely sooner!
It's easy for some to say, "keep it in their pants," but these are still men & in the case of Trump, a really stupid one! Control is just a word; esp. if accustomed to getting their way! ...Hillary made her choice & people should respect it unlike hypocrites trying to tell her how to run her marriage when those detractors have been down the aisles 2 or 3 X's & counting!
ReplyDelete***...Bad behavior of one President doesn't excuse that of another.***
When it comes to people like Trump, it's not so simple! There's bad or stupid intent, then there's EVIL!
***...Dems became more polarized & partisan as well. Politics really changed in the 90s.***
You say "polarized," I say "standing up for issues" & common sense! Cons. have taken over the Rep. Party along w/ the cheerleading of FNC! It went "left" or wrong in so many ways back in the 90's; true enough! Lit'l issues became >er; now these same cons. hypocrites have lit'l to nothing to say about what's going on in the WH which is about to blow up! Dems aren't obstructionists, threatening our credit rating, & shutting down gov't on whims! Pls don't include Dems in this fk'n nonsense! I've no great love for them either, but they're not CRAZY! Reps & cons. can't say the same when it appears Coulter & Limbaugh are running things from the airwaves!
***I did not just really see someone on Fox News argue that gingerbread men have a gender did I?***
They're talking about anything to avoid talking & disseminating the Breaking News Of The Day! They look ridiculous; esp. calling themselves a "NEWS NETWORK!" It takes someone like Shep Smith to actually bring up how Trump's looking while Hannity & Ingraham take the night off strategically! They'd rather rehash "Uranium One" & Benghazi or how Bill made so much $$ for speeches while Hillary was Sec. Of State! It's > a lit'l embarrassing to watch grown ass people acting like an arm of the Russian Gov't! ...Now the Rep. Party is working HnH w/ Putin, his Oligarchs, w/ cabinet members that are willing to lie for Trump!
***Trump making Putin very happy today by pulling US out of Syria. He apparently did this w/o consulting anyone, including his own military. Rep. Senators are livid. US Military is scrambling. America’s Allies have been abandoned, & Trump's refusing to take ??'s from anyone.***
IDK why anyone s/b surprised! This is a "huge ego" walking around thinking everything and everyone should bend to his will! Anything he does has t/b good & beneficial while detractors are just "haters," jealous, or worst of all a mental case ??ing the sanity of someone else!
***I too think things began to change around '93-95 w/ Clinton. Compromise became a dirty word shortly after; esp. Obama. ...But now, not a chance. Too much polarization.
---
The US should never have had troops in Syria in the 1st place.***
Even if a cons. view, so much of our presence has exacerbated situations in the Middle East! Every X we get involved, going back to installing the Shah of Iran on the throne! Let's not forget systematic support, then condemnation of Saddam Hussein! ...IDK who we blame for this wayward thinking of dealing w/ other parts of the world! The philosophies of ME negs have been front & center since the days of Golda Muir who was Israel's PM & Iran taking US Embassy hostages after The Shah is overthrown! Cutting Iran out the way we have w/ no backchannels to discuss things w/ leadership have been a chronic problem thru many admin. ever since! Heaven knows what'll happen now w/ Trump @ the HELM!
***Wawrinka's All-X Ranking? - Oh yes, Hewitt is >er than Stan outside majors, but majors are the most important criteria.***
ReplyDeleteStan was Fed's bitch & never got close to the #1 ranking! It's a huge accomplishment to win those 3 majors, but outside that he's a serious underachiever! He had much too much talent to win a major taking out Djokovic in a final, but then drop a 1st Rd. match in the next 500 level event played! That's ridiculous! Hewitt got the most out of his abilities w/o a real weapon except his court speed! He accomplished a lot & reigned as #1 for well over a yr! Stan's not = close!
***Well Wawrinka's a great player no matter which way you slice it, but when compared to players who have won a great deal, but are just behind him in major count it's hard to put him above them. - ...Slams are the best criteria.***
But not the only one! We've almost made Nole = to Fedal b/c he's done so much outside of winning the most slams! He has his own Nole-Slam & now the Golden Masters taking 9 of 9 Masters events! Like Fedal, he has a lot of recs that'll be hard to match or overcome!
***Novak's #3 in GOAT & Slam list sadly.***
Nole came up so quickly after his '11 season, he was actually elevated to GOAT status here & elsewhere; esp. after owning Nadal for 2 streaks of 7 wins H2H on all surfaces! After his drop in '17 that talk died, but since taking Wimbl. & USO recently, it appears he's back on track! Fedal can't play forever & the Next-Gen's still trying to find themselves though 2 have asserted themselves recently over Nole in Paris & the YEC!
***...Stan prob. needs 1 more slam to cement himself as >er than Hewitt.***
That still won't do it! Both will make the HOF, but Stan's rec. outside of his major wins is abysmal! I can't think of another player w/ so much talent that underachieved as much!
***The following guys are ahead pretty comfortably in my POLL:
Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Sampras, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, Connors, Becker, Edberg, Wilander, Agassi making 12.
This is why the highest option is Top 15, so let's look at 3 guys who c/b viewed ahead of Stan under the above:
Vilas, Kodes, Nastase, Courier, Murray, Hewitt, Kuerten all have merit for being either #1 or having same Slams or above w/ more consistency. I have to give the career edges to Kodes & Murray while I think Courier does enough in his short but illustrious run so that bumps Stan outside the Top 15. ...Kuerten was very limited in his Slam performances outside of his 3 runs, those were the only ones he ever got past the QF's & although his YE #1 is nice it came in quite possibly the weakest yr. of the OE. Ultimately that's just 4 more guys & I don't think the likes of Stan Smith or Roddick warrant any serious discussion above Wawrinka so he's Top 20 & rather clearly for me.***
For the YEC I prefer to go back to the "Stone Age" of pro tennis when the event moved around the world & was competed on diff. surfaces! I can still see Vilas going 5 sets in Melbourne on grass to defeat the "real Master" in 5 sets in '74! Back then Ilie Nastase owned it winning 4 of 5 yrs IIRC; = when he'd lose a RR match! There was no TB in the 3rd set & the SF was played BO5! You had to work to win it back then! Now it's a mere shell of itself BO3 throughout! It was bad enough the 1000 events went soft; now the final's a bit of a joke & lit'l more than an exhib. IMO! It normally doesn't determine anything = though significant $$ & pts given to win Rds that some players in the past would WD from w/ mysterious injuries or illnesses!
***...Why would we still consider a player aged 23, 24, or 25 still 'next-gen?' They've been around for many yrs by then. And they fully qualify for current gen.***
ReplyDeleteThe so called Next-Gen from the past weren't this good overall! We had an isolated great player or 2 like w/ Borg & Vilas! A decade or so later, they started coming a lit'l more fast & furious w/ Agassi, Courier, Chang, & Sampras! Today, they're exploding all over the place, but have a serious problem dealing w/ the elites! Fedalovic still rule the tour over a decade later! Nole lost to 2 of them @ the end of the yr. though!
***Big Titles Won (Big 3 vs the field) the Last 15 yrs
This illustrates just how dom. Fedalovic have been. ...I apprec. just what Fed, Rafa & Novak have accomplished, individually & collectively.
Yr-by-yr stats are below, but some quick figures:
•The Big 3 have won 50 "slams" over the last 15 yrs: 50/60 = 83%
•The Big 3 have won 151 Big Titles out of 210 played = 72% - Big Titles (BTs) are the 14 (4 slams, plus 9 M1000s, + ATP Finals) played each yr.
•During no yr. in the last 15 did "The Field" (everyone else on tour, including Murray, who has 18 Big Titles) win more Big Titles than The Big 3.
•And in no yr., did The Field win more than 1/2 of the 4 slams; they won 2 apiece in ther best yrs, '14 & '16.
•** = in '04, when it was just Fed, he won 7 Big Titles vs The Field's 7.
•** I didn't ct. the Olympics (one more BT for Rafa, & Fed had won 3 BTs prior to 2004.)
'04: Fed 7 ................. The Field 7
'05: Fed 6, Rafa 5.......... The Field 3
'06: Fed 8, Rafa 3 ......... The Field 3
'07: Fed 6, Rafa 4, Novak 2, The Field 2
'08: Fed 1, Rafa 5, Novak 4, The Field 4
'09: Fed 4, Rafa 4, Novak 1, The Field 5
'10: Fed 3, Rafa 6, Novak 0, The Field 5
'11: Fed 2, Rafa 2, Novak 8, The Field 2
'12: Fed 4, Rafa 3, Novak 5, The Field 2
'13: Fed 0, Rafa 7, Novak 5, The Field 2
'14: Fed 2, Rafa 2, Novak 6, The Field 4
'15: Fed 1, Rafa 0, Novak 10, The Field 3
'16: Fed 0, Rafa 1, Novak 6, The Field 7
'17: Fed 5, Rafa 4, Novak 0, The Field 5
'18: Fed 1, Rafa 4, Novak 4, The Field 5
TOTALS - '04-18: FED 50, RAFA 50, NOVAK 51, (COLLECTIVELY 151); THE FIELD 59
- (Total Big Titles for Career: Fed 53, Rafa 51 w/OG, Novak 51)
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...since the start of '07, the Big Title count is...
Fed 29, Rafa 42 (43 w/ OG), Novak 51. Oh, the Field has 46.***
Nole owned 2010's w/ '15 the best season taking 10 of the 14 BT's!
***Matches played vs Big 3:
- Djokovic 100 out of 1.011 (9.89%)
- Nadal 90 out of 1.107 (8.13%)
- Federer 86 out of 1.440 (5.97%)
Matches played vs Big 4:
- Djokovic 136 out of 1.011 (13.45%)
- Nadal 115 out of 1.107 (10.39%)
- Federer 111 out of 1.440 (7.71%)
Matches played vs Big 4 + Agassi/Sampras:
- Djokovic 136 out of 1.011 (13.45%)
- Nadal 117 out of 1.107 (10.57%)
- Federer 123 out of 1.440 (8.54%)***
***...Djokovic was a walking retirement back in '08, a choke artist; a real joke. Even Fed himself said the same thing during the '09 AO. I still remember all the internet jokes around about the Djokovic "Career Retirement Slam" in the USO '09 & '10.***
ReplyDeleteWho's the walking retirement now? This yr. we had Nadal retiring twice in the middle of his beatings; AO to Cilic & @ the USO to Del Po! He was worn out trying to stave off NG'rs; esp. @ the USO going 4 or 5 long sets unnec.! If it happens @ the FO we'll all know he's done b/c that's the only tourn. he really seems to care about! As for Fed, Karma caught up w/ him w/ those unfathomable USO SF losses to Nole in '10 & '11 serving w/ MP's! Djokovic's dom. continued beating Fed's old, self-entitled ass @ Wimbl. twice in finals; '14 & '15, followed up by USO win in the '15 Final!
***Nole's most impressive achievement:
-Wins over top-10'rs
- '11-16 Djokovic 140
- '04-09 Federer 91
- '08-13 Nadal 83
- '92-97 Sampras 76***
This is the main reason I give more PROPS to Nole since he's had a tougher rode to hoe seeing as he had to overcome Fedal & others to win what he has on his resume! In '15 alone he had to defeat 31 top 10'rs! No one's come close to breaking that rec. I'm sure!
***Winning the Golden Masters probably is one of the highlights for Nole; not only of '18, but of his whole career.***
It'll be doubly an achievement if he takes Cincy again to have a min. of 2 titles @ every Masters 1000 event! He's so reminiscent of Lendl; 3rd or 4th banana & treated as such b/c the stars were more beloved in Borg, Connors, & McEnroe! It's a real shame fans c/b so unfair & partisan! I'm no fan of Nadal, but I @ least acknowledge his accomplishments!
***Sir Andy's hip's still a lit'l bit painful...not good news. I guess he c/b done for tennis like Nalby & Kuerten were after a hip surgery.***
I'm not surprised in the least! It was asinine to go to that style of just being a retriever when he had a more offensive game early on! For the last few yrs while getting older, he allowed no names & never-weres to run his ass ragged! The epitome of what I'm talking about happened in his only chance to win the FO in '16! He was taken to the limit again & again, needing to come back from 2 sets to love in the 1st Rd. vs a double's specialist; Stepanek! I predicted he would eventually need hip replacements & prob. wind up in a wheelchair! By the X he got to the final, he was playing well enough to blow Nole off the court in the 1st set, but was literally "done" after that w/ no energy left to finish losing in 4!
***It's X for new blood!
- 1. Zverev
- 2. Djokovic
- 3. Nadal
- 4. Coric
- 5. Thiem
- 6. Anderson
- 7. Tsitsipas
- 8. De Minaur
- 9. Goffin
10. Khachanov
Can't really see Djokovic & Nadal vanishing just yet. They'll give Zverev some serious comp. But it really just seems a matter of X before Zed brks the Slam barrier. He also can dom. @ the M1000 level already. Coric's a bit of a WC. Right now he seems just a giant killer, not yet a top contender. I'm hopeful. I really hope Shapovalov & Chung can brk. thru after all their struggles this yr. Tennis needs players like them.***
I agree w/ most of this, but Zag "dominating" M1000 events? OCO! J/b he owns a couple & took the YEC? Please! I hope he gets to this mythical level though! We def. need a change @ the top = though I'm on board for Nole to eventually become the reigning GOAT!
***Rika Kihira's very good & may very well win Worlds, but I was a bit dissapointed in her free skate music.***
ReplyDeleteWatching GP Final now w/ the Ladies' SP! Zagitova so mirrors Tara Lipinski meteoric rise just in X to snatch MK's thunder w/ GPF & Worlds Golds before Olympic glory the following season! Kihira to maybe steal AZ's thunder! Anyway, I can't remember such dom. overall with the Russians! As an American we always seemed to represent, but the pickin's have been thin for a while on the Ladies' side of things! The MEN more dom. w/ plenty of talent pushing the elites! The Ladies just can't compete very well on the Int'l stage! I haven't kept up as much so Zagitova coming out of the blue was a bit of a culture shock since US women's only real claim to fame now is Nagasu's 3-axil completion in the team event of the Olympics! Am I wrong? Tennell got a Bronze on the GP, but more shock is she held off Medvedeva!
***Zagitova's much >er skater than Lipinski was, but the comparison is similar. This has tended to happen Olympic yr. The fave ladies skater not winning seems the norm. I wonder who's waiting to take the gold at next Olympics. I don't see shock in Tennell beating Medvedeva in this rebuilding, new coach, injuries, new style yr. for Medvedeva. I'd see shock if Tennell beat Zagitova this season.***
I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone! Maybe I'm looking at the wrong yr. b/c I don't understand all this love & a willingness to overlook Zenya's overall performanceat Natls! Mon Dieu it was absolutely awful!
***Well, see, there's this thing where fans like a performer, & are loyal to her, then stick w/ her thru ups & downs. You should try it someX. It's kind of nice.***
Done it plenty of X's, but I don't act like I'm deaf, dumb, & blind! Sorry! It's just so weird!
***It's called a "rebuilding yr."***
I guess I'm just spoiled! Normally a top skater gets >er when they switch coaches; Yagudin, Cohen, Weir, & a host of others! I've never seen anything like this & I've been a serious disseminator of FS for decades!
***The technique of Eteri & Orser are utterly diff. Of your list, I only thought Yagudin got >er w/ the switch to Tarasova. Weir was way better under Hill & Galina. Cohen switched too much in gen. & the result was hit & miss.***
Those & others haven't had this kind of collapse = w/ an injury! I never thought of Tarasova as Weir's coach; maybe a choreographer! I can only see Hill & Galina Zmievskaia as coaches of the guy! I could be way wrong!
***Which Eteri Olympic medalist hasn't collapsed after the Olympics? Tarasova was Weir's choreographer while he was coached by Hill. Weir also did visiting sessions w/ Tarasova. Tarasova made Weir an honorary Russian on comp. ice.***
I never paid that much attn. to Russian skaters & coaches outside of the top tier who won medals! I guess if I think about it, the ones that come & go c/b victims of Eteri as some of you guys think!
***I think Eteri's just newish coach & her students will get more staying power as X goes on.***
The FK-ups continue w/ taking troops out of Syria which was opposed by Def. Secr. Mattis who just resigned in protest w/ a scathing rebuke to Trump! The stock market's crashing & DC is about to be shut down b/c Congress won't approve $5B for his stupid ass wall! As always, I don't blame the insane person; just the supporters who think this type of behavior is acceptable! "Good luck America; your Manchurian Candidate @ work for us all! Thanks!"
ReplyDelete***Trump's view is don't keep it in your pants, b/c women are there for the taking. That was the view he put forth in the clip where he talked about his entitlement to grope & kiss.***
And stupid women still voted for him! It's not like I'm saying they should've picked Hillary b/c she was a woman, but kvetchin' over the yrs about a lack of representation, they choose the piggiest POS that was on the ballot is inexcusable! Any women complaining later I'll have to laugh in their faces!
***Trump prefers spontaneous intuition over a combination of knowledge, reasoning, & experience. ITA w/ that assessment. But I also think there's some senility @ work here.***
Senility would imply that Trump was sane to begin w/; NOT! He's been this boorish A-hole since 1st hearing his big mouth over 30 yrs ago! Everything's BS; wealth, how he acquired his wealth, & probably his insistence that he doesn't drink or do drugs! That would explain a lot if we find out he's lying about that as well! He's fk'n nutz; no 2 ways about it!
***...Oh for Christ sake, JFK has been dead for 55 yrs. Give it a rest will you. BTW, there are reasons why he's still "glorified." Why don't you take the X some day to learn the reason why.***
Reps & cons. are still kicking President Carter around & he wasn't caught up in any scandal! The man is trying to survive cancer among other things @ 94 & he never catches a break! That's just what some lowlifes do; malign, kvetch, & project any Dem/Lib! It's disgusting in so many ways; esp. w/ the cast of hypocritical characters they have had leading their party!
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Cons. & Reps hate the Clintons so much, they'll dig up their dead bodies to make one of their disgusting pts; vilification their main mode of self-satisfaction! It's pathetic & most of them will die as the loathsome creatures they lived!
***...Except for one fake judge on Fox, none of Mueller's tactics have been found illicit or illegal. Prosecutors trading >er sentences for info is a long X tradition w/i the justice system. What you're suggesting is that prosecutors be prohibited from offering a misdemeanor charge to a guy caught toking a doobie for info on who sold it to him or offering that dealer a reduced charge for info on who wholesaled it to him, etc.***
I'm mystified & incredulous that some still bemoan this investigation as a "witch hunt" & "FAKE!" How many have t/b indicted, convicted, & incarcerated for these losers to come around? They want to put the Clintons in their graves for imaginary crimes that were investigated to death and nothing was found, but these same Reps/Cons won't acknowledge the wrongdoing of criminals right under their noses! Idiots!
***...And perhaps you could give us some examples of "Unjust, Bigoted, Over reaching Dictatorish Governance" in Australia to back up your supposition?***
You'll be waiting a while! People like this just throw accusations & anecdotes out there w/ nothing to back it up; just like their fear<, stupid leader Trump! He keeps making up shit as he goes along, actually knows he's lying, then admits to saying whatever is expedient! They've dragged down all our institutions trying to save their pathetic, lying asses!
***DO YOU REALLY WANT A CIVIL WAR??***
ReplyDelete"This country" has been in a civil war for as long as I can remember! The North & the South have been battling since Lincoln freed the fk'n slaves! The North has some free will & c/b dispassionate & have common sense, while the South are a bunch of mutant loons who vote in a block to their own detriment & have few regrets w/ their mistakes! Reps have had sev. landslides where Presidents actually won 49 States while w/ the Dems it always seems t/b a squeaker = w/ great candidates! They c/b from those areas & it's still a nail-biter like w/ Carter & Clinton! The South like & prefer to believe the worst & lies found later still doesn't change their warped minds! Historians will never be able to explain it; heaven knows I'm still wondering!
***Overthinking can become a neg. in pts of contention to aligned reason & assessment. Business types don't tend to overthink or overly addr. issues before determining a strategy around or thru. If Mattis played too much politician & not enough Gen. there in c/b where the problem lies. Consider Patton here, terrible as politician, superb @ gut feeling enemy control.***
You're giving too much credit to Trump assuming he thinks for = a moment! What else would explain his trashing of Mattis & getting rid of him before a transitions went thru by the end of Feb.? Anyone who thinks Trump knows best is smoking something; prob. something stronger than 420 or crack!
***...That angle is being sold to the staunch, gullible Trumpettes as activist judges, liberal activist judges, of course, going wild, TDS & stuff.***
Not sure it's stupidity or gullibility; he's just doing what they want & that's to tear down all our institutions! Trump couldn't do a more thorough job! Everything's fake & can't be trusted according to him & so far he's gotten away w/ it! Mueller will expose him eventually, but not sure it'll do much good as long as there are a handful of psychos that just don't GAF; = if he's found t/b a treacherous SOB throwing his own country under the bus! What hasn't he done to embarrass us to the fullest? He's ordered babies t/b caged like dogs in kennels, then shipped to other states in the country w/ no records of who's who! Making up stories about immigrants carrying drugs, disease, & worse is just disgusting to no end! Shootings go on & we as a country have become so blithe about it, no one seems to care anymore! Gun legis. isn't = on the radar of Congress! I could go on, but it would take a wk. to chart Trump's work in progress to destroy our very dem. foundation!
***So Trump's charity is under court supervision. Is that a automated guilty verdict or are you just reaching as usual as this was due to the NY AG.
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Yep, it is a 'guilty" verdict on the charity. Why else would it be dissolved?***
They tried to dissolve it before taking office, but the malfeasance discovered by the state made them leave it alone until this adjudication! If Trump isn't a crook, why are so many of his enterprises under investigation or been hit w/ a lawsuit? He promised not to pay people back for Trump College, but he had to cough up $25 M in the end! He's so FOS & I don't understand why anyone believes anything he has to say! If his lips are moving, you c/b assured it's BS!
***Trump does display some indications of the early stages of senility.***
Early stages? You're kidding? Trump is full blown out of his fk'n mind & his supporters are likewise delusional as he pulls troops w/ no conversation, cages kids & allows them to die in internment camps, then capitulates to the demands of the cons. media who dictate to him! Flying over to IRAQ @ the last min. for a photo op w/ Melania proves he's watching cable news & being heavily influenced by it! He's so weak in mind & substance!
***...The Berlin wall featured metric, but loads of fanatical machine gun toting guards all too happy to mow you down IF you manage to cross 100 meters of densely packed anti-personal mines. It was < a wall than a "zone of death."
ReplyDeleteOur Southern border is already a "zone of death!" By orders of the Fuhrer, border guards are caging, starving, & allowing kids to expire right in front of their eyes!
***...Perhaps you should rethink posting obvious lies about liberals NOT wanting border security then.***
That's what they do; throw stupid, absolutely incoherent accusations out there! Trump said he was "owning it; shutting down gov't," but his sycophants are now parroting it's on Pelosi & the Dems even though they're not in charge! They had 2 yrs to do this, but wait until there's a power shift to push it hard shutting down gov't! The collective insanity persists w/ these bastards! I blame it on the populous for sending these sickos back to govern when they've proved they don't GAF about anything but holding onto power! They are colossal Fk-ups, but they can't be blamed for being a-hole when rewarded w/ re-election X & X again!
***Pelosi just passed legis. to reopen gov't. Doing a great job already.***
She always did a great job; + thorough! Pelosi knows WTF she's doing unlike Boehner & Ryan! I've known her to pass 200+ pieces of legis. in her DEM. led Congress while Boehner started out his tenure losing his 1st 3 votes! It's like these idiots on "the right" can't count! Then of course there's the self-sabotage w/ their more rad. cons. members who work against the party's best interest, not to mention THE PEOPLE! I just hope she's not feeling her oats so much as to put "that $1" for "the WALL" in the budget to get "Trump's goat!"
***You'd think that the Critters from Crime Family-D would've learned their lesson in '10, but apparently their days of slamming their own dicks in the car door aren't over yet.***
For the people on site who have a BRAIN, the Dems lost in '10 by the constant haranguing of the ACA by Reps making the law look bad! Now that OBAMA-care is on the books & helping people, = those same scumbag Reps are touting it & saying they're for coverage of pre-existing conditions & keeping kids on parent's insurance until they're 26 yo.! The hypocrisy is mind-numbing, but they still took advantage of the populous' naivete & stupidity!
***Princess Nancy still retains her astounding ability to get the rank & file to bend the knee & lick her hind quarters upon command. You'd think that the politician worship would get old after a while, but not for these folks.***
Yeah, unlike Rep. Speakers who can't = keep their own members in line! Congress hadn't looked so dysfunctional as in the last couple yrs! Nothing got done, but w/ Pelosi in charge, I guarantee that'll change!
***The House Dems will pass stupid bills that the Senate will reject. Nothing will get done b/c the Dem's only agenda is to get Trump & they'll continue to make up lies in more failed attempts to do that.***
Nothing like LIARS calling other people liars! Hilarious! Trump & his sycophants should have a real "time" dealing w/ Pelosi! She'll play them & they'll come around sooner or later! The Dems aren't in charge of the shutdown! The cracks are already appearing w/ Collins & others who're up for reelection in 2020! She'll be the 1st of many to "give up" on Trump!
***Since she voted to confirm Kavanaugh, I don't think she w/b siding w/ the Dems on anything. You live in fantasyland.***
Kavanaugh's become Collins' 1st strike! If she allows Trump to continue dragging the whole party down, she'll be gone soon enough! I don't think she's that stupid & probably calculated she had X to overcome that monstrous vote on Kavanaugh!
***I've seen Pelosi on TV comparing herself to Lincoln & Roosevelt. Really? More like Karl Marx.***
ReplyDeleteHoney you're either projecting or just plain FOS! Pelosi wouldn't muse about some shit like that! Trump already has done it enough on his own! Maybe that's where you're getting this crap! He's so great in his own mind, but doesn't acknowledge his polls haven't moved since he was elected; if anything they're down! I wouldn't try to invoke historic figures you no doubt have NO CLUE ABOUT!
***So women really do like men who criticise their body & force them to make changes! ...setting feminism back, not the institution of marriage.***
All you need to see & know about the subject is US history from 2 yrs ago! Trump was a well publicized sleazebag who routinely undermined women's IQ & = their physicality! They still preferred him over one of their own; Hillary Clinton! IDK what to say about that kind of mass insanity!
***Dems livid after Tlaib vows to ‘impeach the motherfucker’
Wow! Makes you want to laugh the next X you see a Dem. wag their finger about “civility.” This is one of the most vulgar terms I’ve ever heard; typically in a locker room or bar. Not offended, but technically it’s vulgar.
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Party leaders fear such explosive talk only gives ammunition to the GOP. It does, it did, it will. This bitch just cost the Dems a big election.***
No more than Reps shutting down gov't exposing 800K people to unnec. hardship! Trump's thinking he can bluff this thru & make the Dems capitulate! It was shortsighted as everything that goes thru that empty head of his! He's trying to come up w/ all kinds of excuses to backing out, but Pelosi isn't making it easy on him! She's already gone in front of the press & said "he can forget it! That wall w/b a moral abomination!" Trump has nowhere else to go but down when his cons. media masters lambaste him again & again!
***Wall support in the polls is bad news for the Dem. Party, which is hellbent on opposing the president’s efforts to fix our broken immigration system; esp. the border wall he needs in order to get illegal immigration under control.***
No one's interfering w/ Trump helping to craft some kind of immigration BILL! That's total BS! The Reps were totally in charge for 2 yrs & they could've taken care of it back then! They're the ones opposed to any real legis. b/c that would entail compromise! That's a dirty word "on the right!" There was no excuse since the Dems were already "at the table!"
***A WHIM? Nat'l Security? ...None of that seems a "Whim" to myself.***
It became "on a whim" when Trump's media masters criticized him that his presidency w/b over if he caved! He was about to sign that budget agreed by both Houses of Congress, but he heard Laura, Rush, & Sean rip him a new one & backed out at the last moment! Sounds like shutting down the gov't 'on a whim' to me! Nat'l security has nothing to do w/ this; more about a symbol & this a-hole is putting Fed workers in an awful position & w/b in true distress when that next paycheck doesn't come! That's idiotic since Pelosi has already told Trump to "fk off!" This is all on Trump who said he'd take the heat! "Bask in it orange boy!"
***...Another Climate Change Standard goes POOF...***
All I know is we're having great weather here in Chgo; only moderately cold, no snow, & no wind chill to speak of! When growing up it c/b well below 0 by this X w/ snow up the ass, & trying not t/b blown over turning a corner! There hasn't been anything like that in over 10 yrs! The rest of the country is getting punished, but the deniers of climate change just keep their heads buried in the sand! Fk'n idiots! It like they don't GAF what kind of planet they'll pass on to their own KIDS! Air & water are basic necessities, but we're poisoning both w/ impunity!
***Rafa may not make SF's of any of the majors this yr.; looks slow.***
ReplyDeleteLike Murray, he's breaking down & IMO only cares about the FO; hence his success there when seemingly "down & out" in early Rds!
***He's still dom. on red clay. Rafa >er hope Novak & Dominick aren't 100%. If they are, Rafa's reign could come to an end.***
Rafa's not so dom. IMO when Nole's on his game & challenging him! He proved he could get the job done from '11 on in Rome, Madrid, & MC; trashing Rafa in Paris back in '15 though he was @ his lowest pt. before a resurgence in '17!
***...You obviously forgot Stan winning AO in '14 b/c it was not a real victory as the opp. was very injured.***
That's always the way; Nadal never loses, the opp. took advantage of an infirmity! If it isn't an injury, it's always something else! Remember @ the AO & USO when he ended up retiring "on the ropes" in those SF's! Nadal's rarely ever beaten by ANYONE according to some of his fans!
***GSM & the rest of us won't forget that glorious victory. I guess you forgot that your beautiful boy was being trashed before the injury.***
...Players today just don't like volleying for the most part! Even Nole will allow a ball to bounce in front of him inside the service line to hit a groundstroke over a punching volley most X's! Then there's the paranoia & frustration of getting passed!
***He was frustrated prob. b/c he hit a short approach shot, not b/c he's bad @ the net or that Djokovic was that good. Nadal overall is the best volleyer on tour & the best @ hitting passing shots.***
I never said he was bad @ net! He's actually quite good as evidenced by his dubs success w/ OG in '16! I just criticize him for not approaching the net more to cut off weak shots to end pts a lot sooner! He makes his job all the more testing by allowing nobodies & never-weres to keep him on court unnecessarily long going 3, 4, & 5 sets!
***Nadal's the greatest thing to ever happen to tennis! He saved our sport from Darth Fed killing it.***
Well I hope you're getting serious help if you truly believe that! Fed's one of the most beloved players in the history of the game! I can do w/o his "awww shucks" persona, but most people seem to like him! As for Nadal saving tennis; he's killing it IMO! From day one, I couldn't stand that hideous stroke production of his! It's just too much for what he gets out of it! He's breaking down in front of your eyes; "CAN'T YOU SEE IT?" He'd be in serious trouble in past gens due to how short his shots land most of the X! The attacking styles of the 70's & 80's would kick him out of the top 20 IMO!
***You don't get it, if Rafa wasn't there, Fed prob. would've won 3 CYGS, 30 slams, 500 wks @ #1, easy dom. w/ no rival, made a mockery of the sport & took a big dump on all past champions, tennis history & recs. Nadal came & started beating him & saved tennis from total humiliation. He saved tennis & its history from death. Every real tennis fan should thank him & kiss his feet.***
No you don't get it! We were talking about the fandom of Fedal not who dom. their rivalry! And I really hope you're getting nice inpatient care talking about that Fed dom. of Nadal keeping him from getting all those extra Slams & wks @ #1! You should look @ what Nole's done to keep Nadal from eclipsing Fed; defeating him X & X again when it really counted to hold onto #1 & win majors he thinks he deserves! Every argument c/b turned on its head; you just make it so easy w/ the dementia you're displaying here for all to see!
***...I get your pt. that Novak is a great champ. & the Fedal era does eclipse him somewhat.***
ReplyDeleteI've posted what I meant by that sentiment b/c of how the world has seen tennis since '05! It's been about Fedal & only them for the duration! I've been ranting here & elsewhere that Nole's still considered a 3rd wheel in the history of the game! He's matched up well w/ them & continues plugging away! He's the Lendl of his era; unfairly thought of while living in the wake of legacies like Borg, Connors, & McEnroe!
***I can understand why it's frustrating for Djokovic fans that he came late to a party that had Fedal already written into history, esp. given his talents & accomplishments. But they're all still playing. It's on them how it shuffles out in the end. But there always w/b a "Fedal rivalry," & Djokovic is the 3rd man in that conversation. SomeX's you can't fight the more compelling narrative.
But that's the thing, there's no real Fedal rivalry; m/b a lit'l moreso NOW! Back in the day Nadal owned Fed lock, stock, & barrel! We all knew it = when giving Roger an "out" by saying most of those victories were on clay! The dom. was just more pronounced since the >est stage witnessed on clay was in Paris & it was a yearly event for a while seeing Roger rarely coming close to winning over Rafa! It was ugly & many X's I didn't = watch the highlights back then! It didn't get much >er on HC & grass as Nadal smacked him X & X again when Fed was expected to pull it out! It's a wonder Roger's taken the rivalry back w/ those 5 or 6 cons. victories over Nadal, but one or neither have gotten to appt. Rds in the last yr!
***The top dog in tennis, when he finally got someone who could best him. Righty v. lefty, club class v. 21st C. game, Swiss cool v. Mediterranean passion, #1 v #2, = when it changed hands, etc.***
Again, I never said it wasn't compelling for society! I just find it "manufactured" & have refused t/b a part of it! It's all contrived nonsense I was sucked into early on, but the truth is out!
***If Thiem can take Rafa to 5 on a HC, then he has no shot vs Roger. See how silly that is?***
...Thiem hits a much heavier ball! Fed can swipe a few winners, but overall his ball has lit'l to nothing on it in comparison! Thiem'll get it together sooner or later & start beating these oldsters on a reg. basis if they continue to hang on! He was quite impressive in that USO match vs Rafa; just didn't complete the deal in a 5th set TB! He contributed to Rafa needing to WD vs Del PO in the SF!
***Murray prob. to retire after Wimbl.! His hip just never recovered after attaining #1 in '16! Fed outlasted him despite being 6 yrs older.***
As far as I am concerned, Murray did it to himself! He saw a chance to overtake Nole for the #1 ranking by overplaying @ the end of '16! He entered every event possible when he admitted his hip was in pain! How stupid was that? Was it worth it to hold the #1 ranking for a few mins? He hasn't been the same since! Roger wouldn't of tried such a thing then or now! It just wasn't worth it in the long run! I think he could've saved himself if he hadn't gone to that ridiculous defensive style allowing no-names, nobodies, & never-weres to take him to the limit playing 5 sets from the 1st Rd. on like @ the '16 FO! It just made no sense to me seeing as he dom. Nole in the final in the 1st set! He was toast after that; worn out from playing 30 yds behind the baseline & getting run to death! What a fk'n idiot!
***...I feel like Rafa, Fed, & Nole all achieved more as #2 in the world than Andy did. ...He won 3 majors, 2 OG medals in singles & got to #1 in the world. A few yrs ago, people would say that you are crazy to think Murray w/b the 1st to retire out of the Big 4. Amazing how things can change dramatically in that X. I will def. miss Andy after he hangs it up.***
...Andy's hip was already in pain @ the end of '16, now he's limping away! Was it worth it? ...***
ReplyDelete***Andy & Rafa have diff. doctors who offer diff. "medical treatments." Rafa's has a "special regime" that s/b able to prolong his career.***
Nadal also saves himself by not playing for months @ a X! No other top player in the history of the game has taken so many "leave of absences!" He defaults / WD's @ the last moment either @ the beginning of a tourney or when things get tough like @ last season's AO & USO in 2 semis! Andy unfortunately pushed thru all too often, going a long 5 sets last night as if his life depended on it! I didn't watch it, but I can imagine he did irreparable damage to himself & he's going to pay an even >er price for the insanity of stretching that match out vs RBA unnec.!
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I'm half watching the replay of Murray's match vs RBA & I just don't understand it! He's been on the court for almost 4 hrs going into this 5th set, & I can't fathom what he's getting out of killing himself like this? His mother is up there cheering & applauding away instead of looking concerned he's on his last legs!
***When Roger made a whole dramatic scene @ the '09 AO final ceremony & Nadal couldn't = smile anymore & = had to apologize for winning. Fed shed so many tears that I = thought Nadal would drown from a flooding. It was very disrespectful. He should've put his ego aside for a few mins & let the winner celebrate. Another disrespectful moment is when Graf won the '93 FO right after Monica's stabbing & didn't = say a "get well soon Monica" in her speech. Absolutely disgusting.***
I haven't seen it in yrs, but the same thing happened in '14 where Rafa supposedly got hurt in the final vs Wawrinka & commentators made out reverence s/b shown! Stan was supposed to hold back his excitement & pleasure of winning the title to show Rafa respect! WTF; how much respect does Rafa show for his op. falling on the ground in rapture winning = the smallest event? Screw him! Let'er rip & jump up & down like a fool & show him no concern IMO!
***...And tennis = expects photos being taken of the loser.***
Not to mention the loser has to ingratiate himself to the victor & the crowd or he's considered a "sore loser!" You almost see the wide-eyed expectations of the winner that he wants that praise! Agassi was one of the people I think of w/ how he just about NEEDED Sampras to kiss his ass & tell the crowd how great he was in defeat!
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***Scots believe that you've got to "keep right on 'til the end of the road" like Harry Lauder sung in his most famous song.***
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There's a rec. few if any bring up that may never be broken held by 2 players; Lendl & Navratilova! They each won the YEC of their respective tours twice in the same yr. when they moved both to the end of the season! For the men, it had been moved to Jan. for sev. yrs, then moved to Nov. in '86! Ivan won it both X's over Becker in str. sets! The same event change happened when the ladies Virginia Slims Chp. moved from March to Nov. & Martina won them both; BO5 BTW over Hana Mandlikova, then Graf!
***Stefanos Tsitsipas stuns Fed in 4-set AO thriller - At some pt. we all have to stop acting like people can completely overhaul their entire game. ...Fed is winding down his career. He is actually one of the games great returners. Nadal & Djokovic are just >er. Can't really change that at 37.***
ReplyDeletePreach! People need t/b more realistic! Fed's obviously playing as well as he can, but the pressures have t/b building up w/ the inevitable decline he's facing approaching 40! I know things got harder for me when I turned 37 & having a big serve wasn't enough to compete vs = the most avg. of players un< I worked harder to win pts! It ridiculous for his fans to believe he can do much else @ this stage of his career! Fed's approaching "ROSEWALL" territory! "He can't keep it going forever people!"
***...Fed prob. does need to figure his head out. But you're severely underestimating the age factor. Everyone does. B/c he makes it look easy. But being 37 in any professional sport is not easy.
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I'm not underest. the age factor. I'm just not overstating the difficulty of reaching a 4th Rd or QF. Roger c/b doing that 50% of the X or more @ age 42 & I doubt in his mind that would be enough to stick around. ...Roger's a talented guy still much too good to have a run like this where he loses to KA, Milkman, & a 20 yo Tsitsipas in the early Rds.
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Roger's old. Stefanos just out played Roger by controlling the net & staying heavy on Roger's FH. Serena's coach Patrick M has been working w/ this kid since he was 12 due to his father's Greek Hertiage. Stefanos' a great mover & didn't allow Roger to control the center of the court.***
Watching the replay now & it's shocking to see Roger w/ so many BP ops to close out that 2nd set! He prob. would've won being up 2 sets to love! He truly did blow it & Perseus came thru admirably when it would've been quite easy to roll over! Very impressive indeed!
***That's the thing. It took a pretty woeful performance from Fed for the most part, esp. on the important pts for Tsitsipas to barely win in 4 super close sets. So it's in no way a changing of the guard. It was a very close match that could've gone either way & everyone needs to calm down. I'm just glad he lost to a player who I really like & not some toss pot.
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Roger lost b/c he sucked ass, simple as that. He is ancient & he looked ancient, slow as Hell around court. He served decently, but aside from that he did nothing = remotely well. If this is the best he can do from here on out, he'll retire very soon. But you, me, & most importantly Roger knows he still can do a lot >er than his pathetic form since Wimbl. last yr.
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All of The Big 3 will try to win as many slams as they can. They want the slam rec. At 32, Nadal's still tweaking his serve, which tells you that he desperately wants the rec. And if Djokovic wins this AO, he w/b w/i 5 slams of Fed & 2 of Nadal.***
At this pt. in their careers, what else can it be but to win SLAMS! They're in trouble if they start saying "for the love of the game!" Then we can expect some bad losses by "The BIG 3!" Right now, they're still competing well; 2 >er than the other, but as long as Fed thinks he c/b comp., more power to him! I find it very entertaining to see him battling these kids; using every trick in the book to get thru these matches! He's been written off many X's; sooner or later it w/b true!
Fed's ego is about as big as any player in the history of the game! Un< you're lauding his rec. & accomplishments, he's going to come back @ you w/ some kind of shade! He's no >er than any player I've watched since the 70's! He's more accustomed to people kissing his ass so if he gets the smallest bit of criticism or undermining his competitiveness, "it's on" & he'll cut their balls off!
ReplyDelete***Roger does have a big tennis ego. M/b b/c he has won 20 slams. But this is a very unfair post. The reporter's ?? was loaded & a bit silly. How can Roger tell if it "is a changing of guard?" If he says yes, he w/b accused of crowning himself t/b the current king. Clearly he isn't. His answer was pretty accurate. McEnroe has been the silliest legend & commentator by far. His hype has been laughable @ X's. He should know >er. ...He also unreservedly stated that Tsitsipas played >er than him. He was no > gracious than Djokovic.
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...I guarantee Roger won't continue t/b so pathetic as the last 8-9 months (currently now @ #6). If so then I'd imagine he calls it a career after this yr. - I agree. Even w/ a loss like this @ 37, the margin's small. Roger is that good & I think he can still win more slams.***
Well we all know he won't have another one of those miracle runs after 5 yrs waiting for '17 AO! I figured he was done after '12 Wimbl., but thanks to Murray & Djokovic being "on the shelf," it helped his chances & he was able to + 3 more majors to his resume holding Rafa @ bay for a lit'l while anyway!
***Funny, I find Roger does “corporate speak” as well as anyone. They’re all prickly & ego driven. That’s why they’re champs mind you. I just don’t think any tennis champs are Mother Teresa.***
That's about it! No one #1 in the world doing anything is really that humble & self-effacing! It's a crock & they're probably as fake as anyone in entertainment! The stories I could tell you about Michael Jordan are horrifying, but most people just love the guy! They wouldn't if they heard 1/2 his antics IRL outside of B-ball & w/i!
***...Think what Milos did before; defeated Kyrgios & Wawrinka. He had to play well from R1.***
He had a brutal draw; esp. going up vs Kyrgios being the hometown fave w/ so much talent! The Stan match was a masterpiece since it was really up to him! He made a few UFE's @ inopportune X's & Raonic took advantage of it!
***Seventh DF. Sascha's just looking totally disheartened out there. Lendl's going to bail on him.***
That's a serious problem w/ this child! I thought Lendl had exercised those demons, but the possession is taking place now! It's ugly!
*** - https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/player-activity?year=all&tournament=gs -
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Gruelling rallies in the Djokovic match.***
I woke up just in X to see the TB! Nole almost came all the way back from 3-6 before surrendering it to Medvedev! He's scary good & Nole's lucky he was playing well! Those rallies truly were some of the most grueling I've seen in a while! This happens to Djokovic; long rallies where his opp. refuses to miss! IDK what he's doing; more lockdown tennis keeping it in play? Invariably he lets some of those long pts go inexplicably! So bizarre!
***...Actually the annual cost-of-living pay raise for WH employees was enacted some yrs back, but has been regularly held up by Congress ever since.***
ReplyDelete...Congress can't compromise on much of anything & won't create LAWS to deal w/ long standing issues of immigration, campaign finance, & of course "health care!" The laws on the books have been weakened by opp. = though they know the majority of people are satisfied w/ something like Obamacare! It's under constant assault to this day w/ a last min. "thumbs down" to repeal it by Sen. McCain! CR's have become the NORM since they can't get their shit together! Now we have an idiot President closing down the gov't having a hissy fit over "his wall" promised in his campaign! He also promised Mexico would pay for it so the world knows he's FOS! ...The people not brought in for ??ing are prob. TARGETS & certain Trump family members s/b uneasy about their futures! Pelosi's going to have a field day paying Trump back for all his gratuitous attacks!
***Trump himself repeatedly stated since entering the presidential race in June '15 that he had no business in Russia & no interactions w/ representatives of Russia.(quote from "Muller exposes Putin's hold over Trump")***
I don't understand people quoting Trump! His words mean nothing; = if he said something 5 min. ago! That man's in total denial over everything! The latest biggie was "I never said Mexico would actually write a check to pay for the wall!"
***Mitch McConnell needs t/b meeting protests everywhere he goes. His conduct right now is shameful.***
It was the same thing when in the Minority! He wouldn't allow passing of a budget, challenged an increase of the Nat'l debt, & = put our credit rating in jeapardy while Obama was president! This is what Reps do; play w/ people lives, the economy, & our social safety net! I have lit'l sympathy for us when they're rewarded X & X again when being so treacherous!
***...I suspect Curmie is & has always been some sort of anti-American Russian bot.***
I wouldn't doubt it! ...When I saw some SOUTHERN trolls wearing T-shirts saying they'd "rather be RED than a Dem.," I was really done w/ all of these people! I = wrote off my BFF & college roommate after 40+ yrs of friendship! When he said he "proudly" wears his "Trump" T-shirt, we were done! It told me all I needed to know about his changing stance on decency, morals, & compassion when it comes to his fellow man! There's a sense of selfishness & bigotry w/ these people who're of course the biggest hypocrites! They're disgusted w/ our social safety net & the $$ being "squandered" by the gov't until something tragic happens to them, then it's "where's mine!" I still remember our departed Speaker Ryan who humanized himself bragging about how the gov't helped him & his mother out when his father died; then turns around trying to shut down all those programs! I'm too disgusted to = talk civilly to these people anymore!
***Hey, we're thru the looking glass w/ these fucktards. Rudy G's already laying out the call is coming from inside the Trump admin. house w/ his...…. "I never said no one in the campaign colluded w/ Russia. I just said Trump never colluded w/ Russia."***
He's getting his TP's directly from Trump! No normal mind could come up w/ that much BS but Trump! Sorta like what he said a few days ago; "I never said Mexico would write a check for the wall!" They're all FOS & it won't stop until PEOPLE start making them pay! The Reps were rewarded by solidifying their hold on the Senate so it's not us; it's more about them! At least the HOUSE went to the Dems so some oversight will finally occur! Ryan was just plain weak; no doubt the worst Speaker in my lifeX!
***Trump denies Pelosi aircraft for foreign trip in response to call for State of the Union delay.***
ReplyDeleteLove it! Great evidence of Trump's pettiness! "Keep it coming ORANGE ONE!" Stupid is as stupid does! Thanks for the amusement = though he's hurting the country & punishing the troops!
***I dare say Pelosi would bargain w/ the Devil before she would Trump ON ANYTHING.***
Trump's "the Devil" playing w/ people's lives, their families, & prob. the country's economy he touts so much! I'd have more sympathy for these poor schnooks except many of them voted for this a-hole! All of us need t/b punished for allowing this nightmare!
***Publishing secret details about a visit of a congressional delegation to our troops & therefore inviting attacks on Americans in a war zone can only be considered "funny" by some seriously deprived Grabem supporter.***
What do you expect from someone acting like a "crime mob boss" &'s now being ??ed as a Russian agent of Putin & the Kremlin? Trump's = made threats vs Cohen's family! It's unbelievable that McConnell & the rest of those clowns on "the right" have allowed this to go on w/ lit'l comment! It was bad enough when Congress ignored his stretching bad taste into actually making the courts slap him down X & X again, now Nat'l security is in jeopardy while they're kvetchin' about a fk'n wall that ain't happening! When a plane goes down or something happens @ the Super Bowl, m/b these a-holes will do their job & support impeaching his old ass! If the people don't pay the Reps back by voting most of them out of office next yr., we have no one to blame but ourselves!
***...Pelosi has Trump locked out of the House until he does his job & opens the gov't.***
As the news is saying sarcastically, "Trump blinked!" They think this is some kind of master plan to get support on his side by him giving in to her disinviting him to Congress for his ridiculous "SOTU" when all he'll do is tout accomplishments he had lit'l to nothing to do w/! ...Now we're into a 2nd month of a shutdown & Trump's family & admin. are not so insultingly telling the workers to "suck it up" & they can take out loans to pay their bills! Lara Trump s/b smacked; obviously a lit'l princess that has no idea what it means to live in the real world!
***So "poor me" victimhood is the new narrative of the left today?***
Oh please; the "rightwing nuts" have a mantra of "the MSM hates us" & "liberals steal elections every chance they get!" They're so pathetic; esp. when they OWNED it all for 2 yrs! They're still whining & crying about how unfair "the left" are to them! Lindsey Graham embarrassed himself the other day leading a committee vs the NAACP kvetchin' about his low rating w/ the org.! It was just unbelievable listening to him how he treats everyone w/ no partisanship & it does him no good w/ BLACKS! FK him & the horse he rode in on! Minorities are the last people he s/b trying to get sympathy from as his party has a JIHAD vs immigrants, Muslims, Blacks, women, & Mexicans! They cater to their own & say "FK YOU" to the rest of the world under Trump!
***Roger Stone arrested - Trump has surrounded himself w/ miscreants; now claiming to know nothing about it.
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70% of Obama's appts had issues w/ taxes & other legal problems they had to clear up 1st. No one gave a fuck then.***
Your playground deflections of the issues are just pathetic! Invoking Obama who had no real scandal attached to him & his people is well known! They knew if ANYTHING was revealed on them, Reps would act like rabid dogs pounding the guy over it! They had to resort to making up $#!t just to try and keep him above sainthood compared to Trump! Enjoy this; I know I will seeing these traitorous freaks get their comeuppance one by one!
***Rika Kihira's very good & may very well win Worlds, but I was a bit dissapointed in her free skate music.***
ReplyDeleteWatching GP Final now w/ the Ladies' SP! Zagitova so mirrors Tara Lipinski meteoric rise just in X to snatch MK's thunder w/ GPF & Worlds Golds before Olympic glory the following season! Kihira to maybe steal AZ's thunder! Anyway, I can't remember such dom. overall with the Russians! As an American we always seemed to represent, but the pickin's have been thin for a while on the Ladies' side of things! The MEN more dom. w/ plenty of talent pushing the elites! The Ladies just can't compete very well on the Int'l stage! I haven't kept up as much so Zagitova coming out of the blue was a bit of a culture shock since US women's only real claim to fame now is Nagasu's 3-axil completion in the team event of the Olympics! Am I wrong? Tennell got a Bronze on the GP, but more shock is she held off Medvedeva!
***Zagitova's much >er skater than Lipinski was, but the comparison is similar. This has tended to happen Olympic yr. The fave ladies skater not winning seems the norm. I wonder who's waiting to take the gold at next Olympics. I don't see shock in Tennell beating Medvedeva in this rebuilding, new coach, injuries, new style yr. for Medvedeva. I'd see shock if Tennell beat Zagitova this season.***
I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone! Maybe I'm looking at the wrong yr. b/c I don't understand all this love & a willingness to overlook Zenya's overall performanceat Natls! Mon Dieu it was absolutely awful!
***Well, see, there's this thing where fans like a performer, & are loyal to her, then stick w/ her thru ups & downs. You should try it someX. It's kind of nice.***
Done it plenty of X's, but I don't act like I'm deaf, dumb, & blind! Sorry! It's just so weird!
***It's called a "rebuilding yr."***
I guess I'm just spoiled! Normally a top skater gets >er when they switch coaches; Yagudin, Cohen, Weir, & a host of others! I've never seen anything like this & I've been a serious disseminator of FS for decades!
***The technique of Eteri & Orser are utterly diff. Of your list, I only thought Yagudin got >er w/ the switch to Tarasova. Weir was way better under Hill & Galina. Cohen switched too much in gen. & the result was hit & miss.***
Those & others haven't had this kind of collapse = w/ an injury! I never thought of Tarasova as Weir's coach; maybe a choreographer! I can only see Hill & Galina Zmievskaia as coaches of the guy! I could be way wrong!
***Which Eteri Olympic medalist hasn't collapsed after the Olympics? Tarasova was Weir's choreographer while he was coached by Hill. Weir also did visiting sessions w/ Tarasova. Tarasova made Weir an honorary Russian on comp. ice.***
I never paid that much attn. to Russian skaters & coaches outside of the top tier who won medals! I guess if I think about it, the ones that come & go c/b victims of Eteri as some of you guys think!
***I think Eteri's just newish coach & her students will get more staying power as X goes on.***
The NFL has never learned their lesson! IDK WTF to say about this beside Goodell isn't Gawd & the league isn't infallible! If cities weren't so willing to sell their souls to get a pro team, there wouldn't be that much movement! The Chargers probably should've stayed in SD seeing as their attendance is = worse now, but if they make the mistake to relocate, the NFL can't stand in their way! I lived in Sacr. for 10 yrs back in the 90's & we tried like most Cal. cities to lure the Raiders! Even our people didn't realize a sleaze like Davis would just take them for all they're worth! They would've had the attendance for sure, but it's not very sexy playing in a cowtown like the Capital in No Cal! The Kings went yrs w/ sellout after sellout along w/ the WFL team we had; friends attended enough to let me know! Cal. sports overall in LA was failing & it'll continue to fail due to the apathy of So Cal when it comes to sports! Basketball does ok though! Even others who're winners don't guarantee much; look at the Dodger! People arrive late & leave early to avoid traffic! It's a fk'n nightmare; what can I say?
ReplyDelete***Yeah, thats what people don't get when they say the Rams are not packing the stadium. None of those people that say that have ever been to a Rams game. I got friends out there who always debunked that by saying what you just said; that it's the same thing w/ Ram games as it is w/ Dodger games out there. Many fans arrive late & leave early. Only exception is w/ the Rams since they have all day on Sunday & don't have to rush home to get ready for the next day @ work.
...LA loves pro football, but they love ONLY the Rams. LA is RAMS country. They don't want nothing to do w/ the Chargers or Raiders. Even when the Raiders were great in LA, nobody wanted them.
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Hell, the Cowboys haven’t been focused an awful lot for a avg. football team.
They have a retarded coach
- A below Avg. QB
- A good running back
- A good defense
So if they somehow win a playoff game, I w/b stunned.***
The Cowpukes have been a fk'n embarrassment for over 20 yrs! That's what you get w/ a meddling owner & fans that are delusional letting them get away w/ it! Bad decision after bad decision goes on & they haven't paid any price for it w/ sellout after sellout! The real killer is over those 20 yrs, the biggest losses have been in Texas; esp. on Thxgvn. where the whole country c/b watching! It's a real shame that they've had talent, but they find ways to lose every X it's thought they're turning a corner! That Colt loss couldn't be more embarrassing!
***NFL now may allow reviews for flags going forward. What a fk'n joke this league has become. It actually took the refs playing a significant role in both games for them to determine in '19 that they should allow flags t/b challenged. Any doubt the SB w/b another crap game? I just hope they fk over the Pats.***
I prob. won't = watch! I was so disgusted w/ the officiating of both conference games! It sucks & I refuse to = deal w/ the SB!
***Picks for the SB guys?***
After seeing those 2 disgusting & unsettling conf. games, I probably won't = watch the SB! If I hear NE is losing by a lot, I might catch Brady's disap. @ the end! I was such a fan of the NE org. early on! A shocker to find they'll do anything to win; = if it means cheating! The officiating was also loathsome helping them make yet another SB! What's amazing is how nothing'll prob. be done about it! They'll ignore it in the league office; esp. if the SB winds up being a classic of some sort!
***Nadal has played thru his matches brilliantly, not dropping a set so far. I'm starting to concede that Nadal may have a good shot @ beating Djokovic in the final. I feel that we are currently seeing peak Nadal, whereas Djokovic (although playing well) hasn't displayed tennis which is on par to his '11 & '15 seasons. He has simply done what is nec. to win, whereas Nadal has gone beyond this level. Maybe it's cause he hasn't been pushed enough (expect for perhaps by Medvedev).***
ReplyDeleteYou'd think to keep it a REAL rivalry, that Nadal has to win one of their matches sooner or later! Nole's just about owned him for a few yrs; = on clay so I'm worried that Nole's excellence can't keep going forever! I'm hoping to keep Nadal from getting that "double CGS" w/ 2 OG medals which would set him apart from Fedovic for the X being!
***...do we think that after Naomi Osaka has won AO can catch Serena or pass her or Court's Slam Rec.?
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I don't think so. There's too much depth in women's tennis now & for the foreseeable future.***
Finally a player has won back to back majors! What have we gone; 8 majors w/ 8 diff. players? Wow, is that depth or inconsistency?
***Well, you can't have it both ways pal... bemoaning the lack of players stepping up to the plate in ATP & then calling inconsistency w/ the spoils shared around in the WTA. I'd call it depth though... Hsieh Su-wei pushed Naomi early on in the tournament. It's not like the 80s when Nav was feeding bagels & breadsticks to anybody outside the Top 8.***
It's called an inquiry, not to bemoan or kvetch! I still don't pay much attn. to the ladies' game though I like Osaka!
***It was a good match. Petra played her role too, a break down & 0-40 facing chp. pts in the 2nd set. She clawed back & took the set. Osaka looked on the rack for a while, but reset & came back strong in the decider. Rollercoaster of match. Lots more to come from Osaka.
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Congrats to Osaka in winning her 2nd cons. GS. At least this X she could enjoy the win & trophy presentation. I did think Osaka had choked @ 5-3 40-0 up on Petra Kvitová's serve in the 2nd set, & then proceeded to lose the set 7-5. She regrouped & broke early in the 3rd set to hang on. Though I whb just as pleased if Petrá had won as her comeback has been nothing short of miraculous. Naomi's now the new world #1 from being #72 a yr. ago.***
Kvitová's no slouch & I commend her return after being cut & assaulted in that home invasion 2 yrs ago!
***After Djokovic's win "down under," he's 'only' 5 slams behind Fed & 2 behind Nadal. - I don’t think it'll matter @ the end b/c these 3 will go down as the goats & own all the records. Maybe Federer will hold on to the rec. by 1 or 2 slams, but it’s not enough of a lead. He had the advantage to accum. a lot of slams before Nadal & Djokovic arrived on the scene. I think when all is said & done we'll say that Fed's the goat on grass, Nadal the goat on clay & Djokovic the GOAT on HC.
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Djokovic surely has the future vs Fedal, but I really doubt they w/b the ones he has to worry about going forward. We're pretty sure Djokovic can tie Fed's rec. He still lacks 5, which is 1/3 of everything he got his entire career. It is a lot. Same goes for Nadal, who's a bit older. ...I'll stick to my prediction that Fedal are done (as far as majors go). Djokovic already won more than I would've thought 6 months ago, but I still don't think he wins much more than 3. In no way saying this as a dig' it's just that I think winning majors is a pretty difficult thing to do. In other words, FF 1 yr., would you be sure Djokovic could beat a guy like Medvedev (considering where he c/b in 2020)? Total dominance asks for head & shoulders level above the field, that is what I do not see right now. The only guy I see above the field is Djokovic in terms of consistency.***
***...Djokovic having a better serve and return than Nadal doesn't stop him from also controlling the baseline >er. If Nadal doesn't have the confidence to leave his BH corner position, he ends up having to run all around the court to keep up w/ Djokovic. He's been doing that since '11. B/c Djokovic's offence on the BH side is so much better, he doesn't HAVE to leave his FH open to attack so much. ...That along w/ the NCYGS is something neither Fed nor Nadal will ever have.***
ReplyDeleteNole's BH was the determinant shot on the court yesterday & set a tone early in the match "down under!" Nadal hasn't been able to deal w/ it for yrs; coming close, but only winning the cigar on clay! Not sure he can keep depending on that b/c this is turning into more a mental exercise over being physical! Rafa looked broken like @ no other X @ a major! Djokovic has annihilated Nadal indoors & on HC before; my fave ex. being '16 Doho where the Serb was "on" big X & "in the zone" making the Spaniard quite frustrated & going down in flames 1 & 2! The so called experts online are beginning to talk about it as well! I love it; finally Rafa getting some of his own medicine! "How ya like it Rafa?"
***FTR, I have Federer, Nadal, & Djoker all being >er than Sampras. But Sampras has a great argument for being >er than all 3 of these legends. I think that when the Big 3 hang up their rackets, they'll all be very close to each other for achievements & greatness. We might see each one receiving 33.33% of the votes for which one was the greatest of his era. Sampras was undoubtedly the greatest of his era. Nobody born from '61-80 is = in the same universe as Pete. Pete destroys everybody born during this 2 decade span in wks @ #1 & total slam titles. And that gives Sampras a somewhat valid claim to claim GOAT-ness. I would also add Borg to the mix as well.
Slam titles: 15-14 Djokovic
Overall titles: 73-64 Djokovic
YE #1: 6-5 Sampras
Wks @ #1: 286-236
Career winning %: .8278-.7744 Djokovic
Wins vs top 10: 198-124 Djokovic
It's Djokovic's consistency that has been so amazing. I've said all along that I give credit for a player going deep in slams.
Slam finals: 24-18 Djoker
Slam semis: 34-23 Djoker
Slam quarters: 43-29 Djoker
Cons. slam titles: 4-3 Djoker
Cons. slam finals: 6-3 Djoker
Cons. slam SF's: 14-3 Djoker
Cons. slam QF's: 28-10 Djoker
By the #'s, Djokovic beats Pete by quite a bit. But Pete dominated his era far more than the Big 3 dom. theirs.
And finally, it's someX's fun to think how a player would do when switching eras. I think that guys like Lendl got robbed being a strong baseline player stuck in an era that was much more beneficial to S and V players. How would Nadal & Djoker do in the 1980's surfaces with garbage rackets? How about Fed? How about Sampras today w/ the much slower conditions?
There are too many variables to know which player is the GOAT. Borg, Lendl, Sampras, the Big 3. These guys were all incredible. Laver's Open Era CS was insane. Rosewall being in the top 10 @ age 40 in the Open Era seems impossible.
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I don't think the comparison can be fairly made tbh. Sampras didn't have great longevity in comparison to today's era sure & could've perhaps tried to + to his major tally, but that's easy to say. Many people (if not all) in Sampras's position after the '02 USO would've done exactly what Sampras did. ...There isn't really a "wrong" answer here = though people's infatuation w/ the slam count & other arbitrary #'s might lead to a diff. overall conclusion.***
***Nah, Djokovic breaks a lot so his matches are easier.***
ReplyDelete...then has "walkabouts" dropping serve inexplicably! He's always been the most vulnerable of the "Big 3" dropping major finals to Wawrinka & Murray!
***Nole'll pass Fedal w/i 3 yrs.***
It has t/b now; just like winning that Wimbl. & USO last yr., he has to do it as soon as possible! This next crop will take over sooner or later!
***Don’t rule out Roger & Rafa yet. Rafa w/b ready to lose a limb to win RG this yr.***
But an upset has to occur sooner or later!
***NextGen is far more talented than LostGen. Not only are they more talented, but they'll be hitting their prime as Roger enters his late 30s & Novak/Rafa enter their mid-30s. Consider the ages they turn this yr:
Roger: 38 in Aug.
Rafa: 33 in June
Novak: 32 in May
...
24: Kyrgios
23: Coric, Khachanov, Medvedev
22: Zverev, Rublev, Fritz
21: Tiafoe, Tsitsipas
20: Shapovalov, De Minaur
These guys are just entering their primes. At the very least, it's going to get harder & harder for the Big 3 to win those Slams. They keep pushing things back, but I w/b very surprised if '19 wasn't the last yr. that they won the majority of Slams btw them. Mark my words: they'll win no > than 2 in '20.***
Winning 1 more FO w/b great, but I don't think Nole should push it! Too much success means he's on the court longer! That '15 set recs that w/b a while in breaking w/ 3 majors (w/ FO final), 6 Masters (2 other finals), & the YEC! I was surprised he was able to keep it going taking '16 AO & FO, but wasn't shocked he was finally done by the end of the season! He made the USO final w/ player after player WD or ret. in their matches to Nole! He had t/b mentally burned out as well as dead inside w/ all the work it takes to be #1! His '17 had to happen; '18 didn't, but he got it back! The older he gets, too much success takes away from the back end as far as I'm concerned! He can go all out to complete another Nole-Slam if he likes, but prob. should start taking it easy & skip a Masters or 2; esp. during the clay season!
***If Novak achieves the Double CGS
AND achieves the GS
AND leads the table for Major Titles
AND leads the table for most wks at ATP #1
AND leads the table for most ATP YE #1
AND retains his H2H leads vs Federer, Nadal & Murray
It w/b difficult to argue against him being the GOAT (Except for the fact that Laver w/ 2 GS'S is the GOAT of GOATS!)
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Here are the current odds for winning RG '19:
1. Rafa 1/1 (works out to 50%)
2. Novak 23/10 (works out to 30%)
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Expected odds t/b slightly more favorable to Novak after the beat down. Also the analysis on the boards here seem t/b that Nadal's not defending as well anymore & that’s an important part of his clay game.
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Not sure about Nadal not being able to defend well anymore. I also heard that Nadal looked edgy before the match vs Djokovic & Nole was fully aware of it.
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I think it was a more gen. observation over the past yr. or so. In the match however he didn’t = bother to track down shots I’ve seen him do for over a decade.***
Track down? There were sev. instances when Nadal didn't = move for a shot/winner hit by Nole! Rafa was "all at sea" Sunday!
***I think he was simply paralysed w/ fear. If you watched his USO matches vs Khachanov & Thiem, you would've seen how well he was defending. However, those 2 matches took a toll on him & he had to retire vs Del Potro. RG's his domain & he'll use every joule of energy to defend his title. He may give up on other tournaments, but not RG.***
Believe it or not, some "so called" experts think Nole's in Rafa's head & he was avoiding him in that USO final! As well as he was playing "down under," you'd think his confidence was back, but there was something in his eyes that told = the commentators something's up!
***As things stand, I feel 18 slams is very achievable for Djokovic w/ a decent chance for more.***
ReplyDeleteOur expectations for Nole were high due to levels of play for the last sev. yrs! ...Fedal had both gone thru down periods, but we thought NOLE was done! Fed came back past his prime closing in on 40 & Nadal keeps rising like a Phoenix X & X again = though I figured he'd been in the wheelchair race w/ Murray by now! Something's going on w/ him; continuing to hold off the Next-Gen so far, but has Fedovic in his head it seems! I couldn't be more thrilled w/ Djokovic taking these last 3 majors!
***...It's a joke that Murray gets Knighted for winning a Slam the other 3 have had more success @.***
Oh, no doubt Nole's coverage in the States is lacking! He's the Lendl of this era; more a 3rd wheel to the likes of Borg, Connors, & McEnroe! He beat his rivals, won 3 str. USO's of which Borg has none, has 3 FO's of which McEnroe & Connors have none, but the media coverage & ad $$'s continued to go to others = after all these yrs! The real rivalry was vs Djokovic who's come to surpass them both in their H2H stat &'s approaching fast in the 1st & last definitive decider of GOAT-dom w/ 15 majors & counting!
***...while I believe after retiring all of 3 Rafa & Novak will pass for GOAT implementing all of that statistics H-H, X interval, GS, Masters, ATP Fianls... and much more.***
IIRC, Nole was already thought t/b ahead of Fedal 2 yrs ago! He was doing things they hadn't w/ a Nole-Slam, leading in Masters 1000's, & pumping out rec. after rec. winning everything in site! His '15 w/b hard to beat; 3 majors, 6 Masters (8 finals), the YEC, & defeating 30+ top 10 players!
***You mean you thought that. Please don't assume that your views are in the consensus. For the record I've always thought that Novak like Roger has dominated the field in a consistent fashion. Kudos to him for that. But it remains a #'s game. He's not there yet, but for sure he could get there. If we make this a qualitative rather than quantitative exercise I have no problem with that. IMO, I have never seen tennis as beautiful as what I've seen from Fed. I haven't seen tennis played as uniquely & terrifyingly as Rafa. And I haven't seen tennis played as faultlessly as from Novak. Folks can talk about Laver if they want, but the reality is we all know given his size that he wouldn't have been up to it against these 3 titans. These are the ones. Take your pick!***
I said & meant "some" due to this & other sites coming to that consensus! People were overconfident in his move up while the Fedal fans were getting nervous! I said what I said!
***Venus @ 11 wks (w/ 7 slams) vs. Hingis @ 209 wks (w/ 5 slams) shows the absurdity of the WTA rankings in recent X's. - Safina has more wks than Sharapova despite having 0 slams.
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...I dont get the overrating @ X of #1, @ least on the womens side. The mens have a >er ranking system. Some of the ex. being spewed off in this thread shows what a joke the #1 ranking in womens tennis is if anything.***
The women's ranking went askew upon the absences of the Williams sisters; injury, illness, & outside interest keeping them off the tour at diff. pts throughout the yrs! That's when stuff like that started happening w/ Wozniaki, Safina, * later w/ Plíšková & Halep before winning her 1st major! W/ so many single major winners, the #1 ranking has bounced around a lot! Maybe Osaka can hold it for a while just representing well in the remaining majors of this season!
***I reckon Naomi will win another 4 or 5 tournaments in '19. Sounds like her goal is to win IW's again AND take Miami. A tall order, but possible @ this pt. She only really risks losing pts @ IW's.***
***You ever notice how it's always the Nadal fans who either claim that the Big 3 are joint GOATs or that there's no GOAT? I guess that's what happens when you can't argue for your player based on either GS victories or H2H b/c in both cases there's someone better.***
ReplyDeleteThere has t/b a real sense of insecurity w/ 11 FO's of the 17 majors on his resume & lacking a real balance! How can someone be "THE GOAT" if he's 2 other players' bitch on other surfaces? Even Borg had to do more than win his 6 FO t/b thought in the league of Laver! Winning those 5 str. Wimbl. cemented his legacy & people still talk about him! Sampras w/b forgotten unfortunately for him since Fedalovic came along to wipe out his recs so soon! Laver's still enjoying his notoriety of winning 2 GS's; '62 & '69, but Nole's on the cusp of a 2nd Nole-Slam which seems more impressive winning on 3 surfaces instead of 2!
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Federer Majors (20):
AO: 6 - ++++++
FO: 1 - +
Wm: 8 - ++++++++
USO: 5 - +++++
Djokovic Majors (15):
AO: 7 - +++++++
FO: 1 - +
Wm: 4 - ++++
USO: 3 - +++
Nadal Majors (17):
AO: 1 - +
FO: 11 - +++++++++++
Wm: 2 - ++
USO: 3 - +++
Even though Nadal has 2 more majors on his resume, the imbalance is quite obvious making it difficult to isolate him as a "lone GOAT!" Grouping him w/ Fedovic really helps him; esp. with his early success vs them!
***I think it's rather hopeful to predict Djokovic will have b2b 3 major seasons @ age 32-33. I think that's just a knee-jerk reaction to an incredible display last weekend. I think anyone w/ that much mileage is susceptible to more bad days @ the office. Things look great for Novak right now, but I wouldn't expect a '11 or '15 type season, esp. b2b. He'll have similar bad days w/ some shock losses here & there. ...While Novak went on his 2-yr. walkabout, the youngsters did get >er. Who knows when the next motivation sink will come? It's possible that Novak maintains the level he played that AO final @ for some long X in the future. But is it likely? I'm not wishing him ill, but it's rather funny that our imaginations often extend only as far as the last Major final that we watched.
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Rafa has slipped hugely. He used to lead the h2h in the early parts of his career against Fedovic, and now he's behind.***
He's been able to hold off the Next-Gen so far, but has def. slipped w/ Fedovic & I can't understand why Roger's been giving him trouble!
***B/c Nadal has lost some of what was his most valuable weapon: his athleticism. Remember how he could run down shots & turn defense to offense w/ one swing of the racket on HC? He's not quite able to do that as well anymore & in the Aussie final this yr., Djokovic just rushed him on virtually every shot. Fed had the >er hands, but Nadal had the >er feet which is why he troubled Fed so much. When you take away the speed & athleticism, he becomes more mortal & Federer is able to beat him w/ his hands.
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Nope, Nadal might not be quite as fast as when he was 22, but he's still extremely fast & not far off. The real reason is they both figured him out. One of the reasons Nadal's so akward is b/c he's a lefty, lefty serve, lefty FH. And to make things worse his FH also has the highest spin-rate of all. His finish (buggy whip reverse) is also very unique. When he came into the tour, he was something never seen before, & Fed struggled immensely specially w/ his 1-handed BH. But now Novak & recently = Roger both figured him out & exposed him. ...Instead of the usual tactic of going to opps BH which Nadal expected & runaround & hit vicious FH's, both Novak & Roger now attack his FH w/ strong powerful shots (neo BH ala '17 AO final & Djokovic recent '19 AO display).***
***...That's why I say that Murray, = w/ Djokovic's serve would have @ least twice as many slams; prob. more. It was always the serve that let him down.***
ReplyDeleteI've always hated that "chicken wing" delivery of Murray's serve that when tired after doing all that running, it's the weakest; on par w/ Françoise Dürr!
***Nadal wants the WTF t/b played on clay: If he had his own way, every tournament s/b played on clay w/ his own referee.***
I'd support the YEC moving around the world & taking on diff. surfaces! IDK why it was changed back in the 70's! I can still see Vilas winning "down under" on grass over Ilie Nastase back in '74 then Nasty beating Borg on a very fast indoor carpet the following season! Going into a long term contract w/ NYC/MSG was a huge mistake IMO! NY of course is the media capital of the world, but it had t/b all about the $$ & exposure back then I guess! Now we're in London of all places for a 2 > yrs! Who knows where it'll go in '21, but my guess it'll continue being on a HC which is to Nole's benefit!
***The YEC's always been played on HC's except for 1 year. Why should it be played on clay? Clay has got 1 slam & 3 Masters 1000. HC allows every style of play.***
You forgot back in the 70's & 80's, a carpet was the way of both ladies' & men's tours on the go! It was easy to roll it up & move on to the next location! Going to clay would give poor saps like Nadal a chance maybe!
***When it comes to the GOAT, it's not only about slams, clay courts, & FO.***
Fedal fans forget all of Nole's accomplishments that they'll never see like a "Nole-Slam," beating 30+ top 10 pros in a season ('15), 5 YEC's of which Nadal has none, & completing the "Golden Master" by owning all 9 Masters events! He's also on course to eclipse them both holding #1, only 1 Masters behind Nadal's rec., & already shot past Fed w/ 7 AO's! I could go on, but people should have the idea! Nole has so many "STANDALONE" recs so he's more highly regarded w/ just reason!
***Now the rules have changed from having a > # to >er distrib.***
Sounds more of an +ition than a change stating facts; Fed, Nole, & Sampras have a much >er distrib. of MAJORS than Rafa!
***When discussing who is the HC GOAT now or if they are = in # of slams. Distrib. is important since there are 2 slams on HC. 6-5 w/ winning recs in the final of both is >er than 7-3 w/ a losing rec. in the finals of 1 of the slams.
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Isn't it X to stop overreacting about Novak's place in the history? Even as it is he's already one of the best ever w/ his own unique achievements. No need to claim that someone is selling him short. No one in his right mind does that.
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...Djokovic's not a long way off from Fed's own wks @ #1, can get to a 6th YE #1. Now on top of this if you add a double NCYGS, it seems like overvaluing 4 slams. Maybe I can put the mark @ 18 instead of 16, but I don't believe Novak has to tie Rog on 20 slams if he gets a 2nd NCYGS.
Federer vs. Djokovic:
Slams: 20-15. Fed leads.
YE #1: 5-5. Tied.
Wks @ #1: 310 - 236 Federer leads by 1.5 yrs.
Titles: 99-72 Fed. Huge lead.
Masters: 27-32. Lead for Djokovic.
YEC: 6-5. Fed leads.
Win % (Overall, HC, Clay, Grass, Carpet): (82%, 83%, 76%, 87%, 72%) - (83%, 84%, 79%, 83%, 71%)
Intangibles: Fed 3x5, Djokovic NCYGS, Djokovic Golden Masters.***
***Agassi was denied potentially up to 6 slams by Sampras alone:
ReplyDelete'90 USO
'93 Wimbl.
'95 USO
'99 Wimbl.
'01 USO
'02 USO
Honestly the only one of those I think he doesnt win is prob. the '90 USO & = that is possible. ...***
Agassi truly wasted chances to increase his # of majors; esp. early on dropping to rivals he owned as Jrs.! That '90 USO was the most surprising since I went out to play thinking I had X to get back to see the end of the match! It was done & over w/ in about an hr. & 35-40 min.! The other shocker was losing FO final to a retiring Andre Gomez in '90! ...Agassi allowed them to play well & looked like a deer in the headlights! Courier bludgeoning him was also surprising in '91! Andre owned these guys for the most part & had been on tour since '86 & was favored to win!
***Yeah, Agassi really underachieved early on & in the middle of his career. He easily had the talent t/b a double digit slam winner, = in the era he played in. Expectations were so high, they were hard for him to deal w/.
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...But again, there's no diff. btw the Seles stabbing & Serena's level of comp. It's luck. In both cases, Graf & Serena's comp. was weak, & if you're counting that vs Graf, you should count it against Wms.***
Allowing Serena to "come & go" due to apathy, injury, or personal tragedy shows how lame Serena's comp. has been until now! Osaka seems to have her #; though age prob. has something to do w/ it! Wms is def. more vulnerable, but the girls still have to finish the deal!
***...= those who used to pick Graf as the GOAT acknowledged the huge * of the Seles stabbing & tried to make pts that built her up enough to have her on top = with that. ...& btw which > people make about both Graf & Nav'ova who both mostly lorded over super weak fields compared to all of Serena, Court (minus the AO), Evert in the deeper 70s, Henin, Venus, or any of the other greats which would render that parallel of yours = more ridiculous.
...Evert & Nav'ova both say Serena had it far harder overall than they did since there's much more depth. You are also looking @ only today's field which is pretty much irrelevant when what Serena is doing into her late 30s is unprecedented & no other women in history would've ever acheived in any field; but the field Serena faced in the late 90s & much of the 2000s was the strongest and deepest in tennis history which everyone agrees on. Evert & Nav'ova = commentating ridicule Graf's comp. & say she had it easiest of any great in history. Shriver, Carillo, & Austin have all said the same thing.
---
18/56 0,32% - 22 skipped EVERT
18/67 0,27% - 23 skipped NAV'OVA
24/47 0,51% - 21 skipped COURT
22/54 0,41% -11 skipped GRAF
23/70 0,33% - 15 skipped WILLIAMS
Court, Evert, Nav'ova didn't participate @ 21, 22, 23 slam tourns., Wms & Graf @ 15 & 11 ... almost 1/2.
The % of Graf & Court claims is mind-blowing. Good Wms & Evert, slightly < Nav'ova.
But the main consideration is this: if we want to compare only the slam tourns. must consider that Court, Nav'ova & Evert could win many other slams.
The sensation (feeling) is that Court, Evert, & Nav'ova could win another 9-10 slam & Graf & Wms maybe 4-5.
24 + 10 = 34 Court
18 + 10 = 28 Evert
18 + 9 = 27 Navratilova
23 + 4 = 27 Williams
22 + 4 = 26 Graf
Ultimately if we proceed to compare female champions only on the basis of the slam count, we must proceed to a speculation +ing add'l slam for Court, Evert & Nav'ova. This moves Court t/b clearly GOAT, & Evert & Nav'ova on the same level as Wms & Graf. ...Wms & Graf have won significantly < than the 3 ancient champs (23 Prime Mandatory + 5 WTF & 18 Prime Mandatory + 5 WTF).
So for me the ranking is this:
1) Court
2) Evert or Nav'ova
4) Williams
5) Graf***
***...Nole may have declined slightly, but I don't think '17 was b/c of age. He was injured & got surgery for it.***
ReplyDeleteThe problem is the same as in the past for any of the greats; too much success wears you down & they're likely to acquire an injury or just be bone tired! Mentally it's already a strain being #1, but expectations build up w/i & w/o! Making final after final has t/b traumatic to the mind & body! People don't realize, back in '15, = if Nole didn't win an event, he made the final so he never really got a break besides skipping 1 of the 9 Masters! He still made all 8 finals winning 6 which is a rec. that'll be hard to brk! He won 3 majors & was in the final of the FO dropping it to Stan! The same thing happened to Navratilova; winning almost became boring after 5 yrs of dom. & she lost her motivation for 2-3 yrs!
***Of course. At this pt. I think any further wins are gravy & don’t really care for the slam race. He´s won enough. But I think & hope he'll win a bit more.
---
Watching Lendl & Nole exchanging few jokes on trophy ceremony of AO '19, couldn't help noticing that Novak was very + towards him & vice versa. Smile on Ivan's face, Novak also... in fact I don't think Novak had that kind of + interaction w/ anyone that evening.***
The laugh they shared btw them was commiseration to being thought of as the 3rd banana of their respective eras! Even though Lendl was more successful overall, people didn't warm up to him & only looked forward to contests w/ Connors & McEnroe! Today it's all about Fedal = w/ the rec. brking performances of Nole!
***People are really exaggerating Novak being unpopular! As far as this parallels go, yes I agree they are both unpopular, but compared to Lendl, Novak is Justin Bieber! And that says a lot! As unpopular as he is him & Lendl are nowhere nearly in the same ballpark! In the digital era of social media, WWW & advanced techs a lot has changed since 80's & = unpopular players receive more highlights & exposure by the media. So yeah, when comparing the players from current era & 80's, it's very important to take all the aforementioned factors into acct! And btw ending one's career with 8 GS's & breaking Sampras' rec. of 14 isn't the same thing! 8 GS's wasn't = a rec. for an Open Era when Lendl retired! It was still Borg's 11 & it wasn't surpassed until Sampras did it in the end of 90's! So yeah...not really the same thing!***
Sampras hadn't = started his run for Lendl to break! The GOLD standard was Borg @ 11 w/ 5 str. Wimbledons & 6 FO's! It was a diff. era before the >ness of Fedalovic was = thought of! No one thought anyone would come close to Pete's rec., but he lost it w/i 20 yrs by 3 players! There is no comparison to each era except how I describe people's perception of Fedal compared to Nole! It's quite reminiscent of how Lendl was treated like a redheaded stepchild when most people were still lauding the careers of Borg, McEnroe, & Connors!
***Peak Lendl vs peak Nole in AO, RG, USO, & WTF/YEC; who wins?***
Again, these are diff. eras w/ diff. tech, but if I had to choose, Lendl could still win the FO, & contest Wimbl., AO, & USO! The courts have become so homogenized I couldn't be sure, but if Djokovic had to go back to the 80's when grass was grass, Lendl would take it! He practiced hard, had Tony Roche as a coach, & came all so close to winning, but went down to the best who S & V'd; Edberg, Cash, McEnroe, & Becker! It wasn't like he was upset again & again in earlier Rds like Nadal so that's why I give Lendl a very good chance to compete vs Nole!
***What felt Ivan Lendl in his heart when "Sports Illust." pub. that infamous cover: "The Champion That Nobody Cares About"?***
I remember that cover very well which is why I thought Lendl got lit'l to no love here in the States!
***David Hogg led a political protest vs gun violence @ schools. He was attacked universally across the media spectrum. - Hogg chose to enter the political fray & make himself an activist.***
ReplyDeleteLaura Ingraham had to apologize on her show going so far as to criticize HOGG = w/ a huge GPA, but wasn't accepted by a college! She sounded like a real nut! She's so hard to listen to b/c every X you think she "has to make sense" & be part of a consensus, she veers "right" into NOWHERE-land making no sense @ all! She's truly a whack job who has to take opposing view of "the left" no matter how she has to get there!
***Trump has caved...Fed Gov't shutdown over - Trump did the right thing. The wrong people were suffering during all of this. ...***
Who deserves t/b suffering according to you? The ball's sitting right where it's always been & won't be moved j/b Trump's threatening to allow gov't to shut down again in 3 wks! If a plane collided during this mess, he'd certainly be blamed; hence this huge cave to Pelosi who'll continue to bitch slap this a-hole! He doesn't have a leg to stand on going vs her! He could get away w/ murder w/ Ryan @ the helm of Congress, but she doesn't play & has an iron grip on her Dem. members!
***Trump did this so he could get Nancy to let him back to the House to give the SOTU speech next wk. THAT is the only reason. Any asshole who has Tresemme Extra Hold hairspray & Clairol Ultra Blonde #12 BROUGHT INTO THE WH ON PALETTES is THAT vain. He doesn't give a flying fuck about the Fed workers or the women who are raped @ the border. He'll do anything to reclaim his right to give an hr. long speech to a captivated audience covered by every network & cable channel.
---
Sorry, Reps. You can’t call out Northam for racism & give Trump a pass. That’s hypocrisy, full stop.
Finally, the GOP is calling out a chief executive for his appalling insensitivity on an issue of race: Sat., via Twitter, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) decried that chief executive’s “past racist behavior” and said “He should resign.” ...Unfortunately, they’ve reserved their scorn for one chief executive, VA Gov. Ralph Northam, a Dem., & have held back when it comes to criticizing a chief executive from their own party, President Trump, for his racially divisive statements & public positions. That is naked hypocrisy.
Northam brought this criticism on himself: Friday he released a statement apologizing for appearing in a '84 medical school yearbook photo “in a costume that is clearly racist & offensive,” saying, “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made.” Then on Sat., he went before live cameras to say, “I believe then, and now, that I am not either of the people” in the photo in ??. A risible, flimsy explanation, unacceptable for anyone, let alone the governor of a state. He refuses to resign after yearbook controversy.***
True enough, but "enough is enough!" T/b going full bore against this lit'l guy from VA., only to ignore every bigoted thing Trump says & does daily says a lot about the people kvetchin'! It's just over the top! What do they want the guy to do; commit suicide? I'm no fan of VA. & couldn't care < about this one Gov. in the grand scheme of things! This is why Dems just about lost the entire country to a minority party of idiots this last decade! They're too busy sniping @ one another! That bitch Senator Gillibrand is one of the worst; always ready to brow beat a fellow Dem. like Clinton, Franken, & now Northam! Dems really don't know how to stick together like Reps who can back child molesters, rapists, & racists! That says something about both parties that makes me want to be more independent! Unfortunately I'll have to stick to the slimy Dems since the Republican'ts are more despicable!
Being Black, I'm not ready to throw this guy into a garbage truck w/o giving him credit for what he's done over the decades since that pic was taken! Northam's from VA. for Gawd-sake! You have to expect idiot behavior from them = in their mid 20's and going to med school! I w/b more concerned w/ the "head racist-in-chief" in the WH dividing the country & undermining every institution he can think of trying to deflect from his own persona! Dems have got to stop trying to prove how conscientious they are by attacking every indiscretion done by fellow Dems decades old! I'm still PO'd about running Al Franken out of the Senate! He was doing a good job & was an advocate for women, but that bitch Gillibrand was having none of it! She = went after the Clintons who selected her t/b in the Senate replacing Hillary! This is why Dems always w/b fighting to stay afloat; too concerned about public opinion over substance! Reps will win that race every X b/c they just don't GAF!
ReplyDelete***You summed that up very well. I agree w/ you on all counts. Like you, I did not think that Franken should've resigned. All this "forced resigning" is only encouraging searches for any indiscretion in every politician's past. If I was in the same predicament as the Gov. & I knew I wasn't a racist, no way would I step down - b/c that comes off as an admission of guilt.
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Northam grew up among black people. He went to desegregated schools that were predominantly black. He went to VMI & then med school in Norfolk. Not only did he go to VMI, but he also served on its Honor Court. The “he was naive” excuse doesn't work.***
He was being an insensitive a-hole; we know! I still remember Prince Harry wearing a NAZI costume for Halloween yrs ago! Kids are idiots & we can't keep condemning them for minor indiscretions while overlooking serious crimes like a Kavanaugh who's on the fk'n SC! JHC, WTF's wrong w/ people in this Fk'n country?
***..."The Cosby Show" debuted on TV. You'd have to have been living under a rock to have no racial awareness in '84. Actually, I believe "The Cosby Show" was the very 1st show that featured a black cast as normal people. (Don't try and give me "Sanford & Son" or "The Jeffersons!")***
You can say "The Cosby's" were the 1st "affluent" & non-stereotyped family or characters, but not unreal! Actually the 1st program that showed a black family cast in a favorable light has t/b "Julia" going back to the 60's! Diahann Carroll played a nurse raising her son after her husband was killed in Viet Nam! It was a great show!
- - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_(TV_series) - -
***I think most Dems sincerely hold, as bedrock principles, that there's some behavior that simply can't be tolerated. I don't admire sticking together to protect someone who abuses those principles. I think Democrats have done the "stick together" thing in the past and are disgusted with themselves for having done it and are now working hard to uphold their beliefs. I'm sure I'll be called naive for that. So be it.***
Not at all, I'm just musing about the ferocity of the relent< attacks on the guy! It's been going on & on while more pressing issues are being ignored! I thought most w/b more concerned w/ Trump either threatening to shut the gov't down again or enacting some kind of "state of emeergency" for his fk'n wall! There are other things happening as well like Syria, Russia's meddling, the Chinese embargo, etc.!
***...When the rubber meets the road w/ this racial heritage issue, this very well could hurt Warren in the '20 election.***
ReplyDeleteOn FNC they devoted full segments concerning her use of "Native American" as part of her heritage signing up on past docs! It's petty & silly to use as a "silver bullet" to assassinate the character of a rival, but she opened herself up to it! Reps are sad, pathetic characters who have felt oppressed & undermined by Dems & the MSM!
***Well, it's politics, right? There's no diff. btw the 2 parties.***
The bottom of the barrel doesn't have t/b the 1st & last resort of so called "politics!" It's too easy to undermine each other if willing to go back to birth to find a messy diaper! It's gotten too disgusting for words!
***The Dems would embellish the truth to a pt. that it would become a lie to make their pt. They have a track rec. for that behavior.***
Reps can NO LONGER invoke the "truth" card being led by a sociopathic liar! The media stopped counting @ 8000 exaggerations & outright LIES from Trump! Spare me calling anyone a liar; esp. from cons. Reps!
***Funny how I don't recall any condemnation from Shera over that Rep. woman who said she would get all wet & excited over being able to attend a lynching. It wasn't = a surprise that the right-wing ran right out afterwards & voted for her. (Are right wingers required to take their hoods off down there before they vote or do the voter ID laws only apply to the poor & non-white?)***
These hillbillies just have no shame! After Moore came so close to winning in Ala., I just have no reason to believe these people have a soul! All you need is an "R" behind your name to get most of their votes! Rape, child molestation, & heaven knows past bigotry on display won't play too much a part of dissuading them from voting for you! Dems have proved they have a brain & a conscience when they cross over periodically, but the same can't be said for hardcore Repucklicans!
***Cyndi Hyde Smith, Rep. Cand. in MS, '18:
"If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row," the senator is heard saying in a video.
The "fine people" of MS ran right out & elected her shortly afterwards.***
I'm so done w/ these people! They bitch & moan about Dems taxing & spending, but funny how the deficit & Nat'l debt blow up when they're in charge! It's like they don't have a brain believing any LIE thrown their way! I feel so sorry for these pathetic retches only b/c they make decisions that'll doom us all like electing Trump! They didn't seem to care about his history of misogyny & bigotry getting women to jump on board their rollercoaster! If ever a woman complains about a lack of representation, I'll for sure laugh in their faces after they picked Trump over a more qualified woman! Fk 'em all!
***Continuing to blame Trump's election on women, I see.***
They decided it in the Midwest! For Trump to = get 10% of women shows how fk'd up they have t/b after all they learned about that degenerate bigot before the election! I have no words but disgust! I suppose all social groups have a mental deficient or 3! I just never thought women were that bent until now! I'm sure some Black folks voted for Wallace decades ago = though he stood up for segregation to the last!
***After having a Rep. president, a Rep. Senate, a Rep. House…The fiscal hypocrisy is unbelievable.***
Being hypocrites is nothing new w/ Reps! If a Dem is in charge, everything has t/b looked @ & scrutinized, but Trump's gotten away w/ murder w/ nary a peep out of his supporters who are eating up his line on it "being a witch hunt!" If there is a HELL, these people will certainly burn in it after allowing 8000+ lies since the Inaugural! They are truly disgusting people to shake this circus off as NO BIG DEAL!
***While I don’t like that you continue to blame women for something that men participated in, I don’t believe in anonymous “dislikes.”***
ReplyDeleteMen have always been idiots when it comes to the pols they vote for! Women I'd think had a duty to help themselves vs the patriarchal system, but as you say, they participate in it as well! What PO's me the most is that women have the power to take over & change the system, but they don't! They go along voting for the same clowns that undermine, trash, humiliate, & make fun of them like Trump who calls them stupid, emotional, & any other name he can think of! ...That tells me women are shooting themselves in the foot & head every election cycle & I just don't GAF anymore! ...If the Reps close all the PP clinics, take away rights to an abortion, & ignore the in=ties of hiring & pay, I'm gonna yawn & move on! I'M DONE!
***Nope, not buying any of that. I hate the "men are idiots, women need to save us" card.***
Fine; accept the status quo! I'm old & really don't GAF anymore! I've washed my hands of it all! It seems we're destined to go down in flames so if most people don't care, I surely won't anymore @ my age! I'll collect my meager Soc. Sec. & Medicare benefits w/i 2 yrs to just kick back & wait for it all to blow up!
***I don't accept 'status quo' & I do care. I just don't buy any of your women blaming shit.****
...It's anecdotal, but I seem to remember a woman I saw on the news the 1st 2 months of Trump taking over! He promised what he'd do w/ "illegals" & the Mexican hoards that were invading our country to take jobs, bring drugs, & commit other crimes! She didn't take into acct. her own husband was one of those people who was brought to the US when he was a kid! Even though he married an American, he was picked up by ICE one morning dropping the kids off at school! ...he was sent back w/ lit'l to no recourse due to her voting for this clown! That's just one of many stories I can give you as giving out "blame!" I prob. don't need to bring up that ridiculous tax cut which only the rich will prosper from as well as allowing the Nat'l Debt to spiral out of control!
***I get the impression that Fiero doesn't share his humble abode w/ a woman. Which just goes to show that women are smarter than Fiero.***
Yep; all women are so brilliant, most of them voted for Trump! Check the stats; specifically White women as a majority voted for this animal! The yr. of the woman lasts for a lit'l while, then they slink back into patriarchal line & go w/ the old white guys; usually Reps that have been fk'n them over for yrs! Look @ Sen. Collins who gave a thumbs up to Kavanaugh & @ the same X saying his accuser was credible! Someone's lying & I'd go w/ the circumstantial evidence of this guy being a drunk & a loose cannon back when he was a kid!
***The only group of women who voted for Trump were "non-college educated white women." EVERY other group of women voted for Clinton.
- https://qz.com/833003/election-2016-all-women-voted-overwhelmingly-for-clinton-except-the-white-ones/ -***
...and? That's still more than 50% w/o = looking! What's your pt? I said White women; whether educated or not, it's all the same to me! It was such a brilliant move, we w/b paying for it for yrs!
***If no men had voted Trump wouldn't have come close to winning. Overall women voted 54% in favor of Clinton & 42% for Trump. That whb the greatest landslide in modern history.***
But that isn't what happened so that kind of conjecture makes no sense! We're screwed; prob. for all X since Reps don't want to hold this guy accountable for anything he does! It's all fake news as one by one his admin. is getting indicted, prosecuted, & sent off to prison!
***Reps in AL crossed over & elected Doug Jones to the Senate & provided Jones' margin of victory.***
ReplyDeleteBarely; if you say so! I seem to remember Jones only won by 1 1/2 pts! It was still a razor's edge win = though Moore known t/b a racist & child molester!
***Considering the natural lead the Reps normally have + the 1 1/2 pts, it was quite a jump to the Dems. Still, it's disappointing & telling of the moral depths the Rep. Party as a whole has sunk to that they allowed a man like Moore to carry their banner & so many still voted for him. Pity Charles Manson was locked up instead of dead @ the X. He whb the ideal Rep. candidate. - Jones was not an esp. good candidate.***
So that justified those hillbillies going ahead & voting for a known child molester, racist, bigot, religious zealot, liar, & hypocrite? Makes sense to me I guess!
***As I've said before, when you view the opposition as the anti-Christ, you will vote for anything.***
Well the feeling's mutual! I just can't believe where Reps have gone under the leadership of Trump, Cruz, McConnell, Graham, & all the rest who think "everything's fair game in politics!" They love playing the "victim card" = when they're running the whole show! It never stops; the constant kvetchin' about Dem. opposition & the foot soldiers of the MSM, unions, & socialist blogs! It's so pathetic, I don't = want to talk to these people anymore! I was very close to my college roommate; known him for over 40 yrs, but after he bragged about his support for Trump, I felt I didn't know him anymore! It's like he has t/b condoning the racism, misogyny, bigotry, & intolerance of Muslims & their faith! He couldn't justify it w/ me; hence we haven't spoken in almost 2 yrs! I have friends a part of all those groups undermined by Trump & his faction, so I'd feel disloyal to them if I = spoke civilly w/ the guy! I guess that makes me another bigot, but I'll live w/ it!
***Who gets hurt worst by the Electoral College? - ...you don't think the person who gets the most votes from the people should win?***
The Founders wanted to give small states the same chance as larger ones to choose a president & make decisions; hence them getting 2 senators like any other state! IMO that makes lit'l sense as well giving RI the same level of importance & vote as Cal. w/ 10's of millions more people! But I understand why the system works that way as I see the Constitution & B of R a "genius document" that's been corrupted in some ways! We can only hope the country comes together to have =table goals & successes instead of the devisive hate that we feel for each other! The NORTH & South have been @ each other's throats since the Civil War & we obviously haven't gotten over it! What's the excuse of northern women tipping the scale to Trump? We'll always have our diff., but changing the rules mid-game just isn't right j/b we aren't happy w/ the result!
***...As though O'Bumbles might = be capable of "programming" his alarm clock to wake him up in the morning.***
The delusion's real people! Obama worked around the clock while Trump gets to the Oval Office late, but still takes sev. hrs of "TV X & Twitter reflection!" It's kind of pathetic w/ history of Trump kvetchin' about Obama playing too much golf! Trump lived on his courses around the country w/ the us footing the bill! He has The Secret Service overextended & overworked trying to secure too many venues instead of him spending more X @ "Camp David" which is always secure off a base! The waste will all come to light & Reps are going to look like fools after this all blows up!
***...Abby Huntsman / Anna Navarro aren't Dems & Hosting on "The View" has many cons. opinions. Bring on Tara Setmayer too, even.***
ReplyDeleteCons. don't consider people like Abby or Anna real Reps since they have the nerve to criticize Trump! It's the same way on radio programs w/ Limbaugh & Hannity; the caller can laud the reps of Reagan & other Reps, but as soon as they criticize Trump, McConnell, or Graham, they lose their minds & hang up on the caller saying they "aren't real cons!" The hypocrisy's amazing to see & hear daily from these people! Dems have some integrity & will critique one another; then cons. use this as an example that all Dems are wrong, but as soon as the reverse happens, there's something wrong w/ the Rep! IDIOTS!
***True, but no cons. working on 'The View' w/b listened to by that crowd anyway. Even McCain, Trump's personal bootlicker is hated by most Trumpsters who see the McCains as RINOs. It's the reason she's not working on Faux News. She's extreme enough, but her daddy was too sane for the modern Rep. & they hate him for it, which is why no matter how crazy she is, they'll never accept her. Any cons. on 'The View' w/b similarly hated b/c they're working on "that liberal show."
---
...John Mcain was sane? He was a POS. He wanted the US t/b @ war w/ 12 diff. countries @ all X's. All the Lib TV networks hated the guy until Trump won & McCain was opposed to him. He then became St. John McCain & you morons lapped that up. You idiots loved Ted Kennedy too, another POS. He drove drunk & murdered a woman and got away w/ it; y'all loved him for it. Now you retroactively love the shitty Bush presidents & = Reagan too, you sellouts say or do whatever the TV tells you you do. ...If Trump destroys the country completely he'll have accomplished what I wanted when I voted for him.***
...I have to agree about McCain & Kennedy; never a fan of either & I didn't GAF that they died! ...I'll never go back & praise past Rep. presidents since I only see those hypocrites as evil pieces of shit who talked out of both sides of their mouths while driving up huge deficits! They all campaigned vs spending & wanting to do something about the Nat'l debt, but all they did was contribute to it mightily! You may get your wish of Trump destroying the country! Heaven knows he's going out of his way to undermine or destroy all our institutions; not to mention the presidency! It'll never be the same after he's corrupted it to FILTH! Bravo!
***People who subscribe to this way of thinking usually fall into 2 categories:
1 - People who've accomplished nothing so they have nothing to lose.
2 - People who're too stupid to realize how much they have to lose.
Regard< of which type of category they fall into, these people would undoubtedly never have the wherew/al to start anything over from scratch.***
I couldn't have said it >er myself! People who talk like that are the epitome of what I can't stand w/ Reps/cons.! They did nothing but bitch & moan about Obama's overreach w/ his Executive Orders & then they laud Trump for doing more by undermining every institution he can & to rip off the Defense Dept. to pay for a wall that "ain't" happening! He's a fool & his supporters are just as stupid as he is really! The hypocrisy's mind-numbing making it hard for me to = post on the subject! They all truly disgust me nowadays! Common sense has left their bodies!
***...Are the Dems in your country against building the wall @ the Mexican border b/c they're such great humanitarians or are they simply against Trump doing anything to throw him out of the WH?***
ReplyDeleteWhy can't it be both? Trump doesn't deserve to sit in that fk'n chair of power since most of his day is spent watching TV, mulling over how treacherous the MSM & other people in his own admin. are around him, & alienating the world around us! I think it's a disgrace the Rep. party remains mute or actually support his actions cozying up to Russia, China, & North Korea after kvetchin' about how Obama was an appeaser!
***...Funny how Trump's supporters are the 1st to whine about excessive gov't spending, but are prepared to throw buckets of tax payer $$ @ a use< artifact. And where's he going to get his vanity $$? Robbing defense & law enforcement.***
I've said for yrs the Rep. party should just + a big fat "H" to their SEAL to stand for the hypocrites they've always been! They constantly kvetch about excessive spending, budget deficits, & the Nat'l Debt when they've proved t/b the biggest contributors to all of it when they're in power! If this wall was so important to them, why didn't they pass legis. last yr? ...Reps who used to have common sense & integrity have jumped on the bandwagon & support any absurd action taken by Trump! If they're ok w/ it & they aren't voted out, we deserve whatever happens!
***...THERE WILL NEVER BE A REVIEW OF THIS REVIEW of the Hillary’s email case. It’s long over.***
People who keep invoking Hillary & Obama for ANYTHING have more than a few screws loose in their heads! Trump's been in charge for over 2 yrs & their ire should go to him w/ his absurd way of doing things! Watching TV all day & kvetchin' about a 5th column trying to overthrow him is the height of insanity; esp. when most of the people he thinks are so treacherous were selected by him! These are cons. Reps who started investigating him, his family, & businesses! In his opinion, everyone's conspiring against him! Sound familiar? Caesar w/b so @ home speaking w/ Trump!
***There's still a lot of racism in the US. Having a black president just brought it all to the surface & gave people an open forum to express their views j/b someone was sitting in the top political office. Nothing more than that. Same goes for women. Any X a woman's in a high position, whether it be political or business, they cop so much shit for it, j/b people cannot accept a woman doing that.***
True that! You sorta expect the ignorance of some t/b unhappy about Obama, but what puzzles me the most is the apathetic & self-hating of women towards other women! All my life I've heard how they're upset about a lack of representation & being marginalized, but they seem t/b doing it to themselves! There are more women voters, but the yr. of the woman stands out b/c it's so rare! They had a chance to have one of their own t/b president & they decided to go w/ "Grab'em" over Hillary! Nothing was more disgusting to find later that "white women" put him in office in MW states of MI, OH, Wisc, & Penn.! I don't ever want to hear them kvetch about men screwing them over; esp. in politics when they selected this sleazebag over a more qualified woman!
***Rush makes $$ off the nitwits that believe this crap about a "deep state."***
The election of Trump proves there are millions of them out there! What kills me is after all he's done to undermine our institutions & Constitution, they don't seem to have a problem w/ him! The tax cut they're not getting may change their minds after filing; we'll see!
***My theory is that a whole lot of the Trump Base supports Don; NOT b/c they have considered the issues, but b/c they're angry & want others to suffer as much as they believe they've suffered @ the hands of some shadowy cabal. The truth is that these people have suffered b/c they aren't prepared to accept a modern reality which opposes a modern desire for "fairness"... whatever that is.***
ReplyDeleteI used to have a lot of sympathy & compassion for such idiots, but they truly are stuck in the past; I say the 50's which is why they couldn't comprehend Obama & resent it to this day! Trump has gone out of his way to overturn just about all of Obama's accomplishments, unable to elim. Obamacare though!
***I guarantee you.... there are people here that believe this deep state bull crap.***
Well these losers have to have an excuse when Trump goes down in flames taking down the entire Rep. party!
***Rosenstein's expected to leave the DOJ by mid-March (does that mean we'll get yet another book in the near future?). His replacement is speculated t/b deputy transportation secretary Jeffrey Rosen.
- https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/18/politics/rod-rosenstein-mid-march/index.html -****
That'll be the only way for any of these losers to make ANY $$; they're unemployable if you check! The 1st to go was the spokesperson for Trump, Sean Spicer & he's only been good for SNL fodder! He wrote a book & no one's heard from him since! Kelly, Comey, & McCabe will do the same! Even though all weren't hired by Trump, he's brought them all down to his level! Who would touch them seeing as they've been labeled LIARS?
***Andrew McCabe's to appear on Lawrence O'Donnell’s show on MSNBC tonight.***
Why is it after they're on the outs w/ the Rep. party these guys sidle up to the MSM? They write books about how they're redeeming themselves by "ratting out" the system & all concerned! They can't really do enough IMO since they made the deal w/ the Devil & that can't be overlooked! There are so many of these characters out there; too many! I'd have more sympathy for his plight if he hadn't been so shady along w/ Comey undermining Hillary's campaign! When has the FBI held X press conferences just to inform the public of pending & closing of investigations? It was obscene & contributed w/ the Russian efforts to elect Trump! So many helped to put us in a position where Trump can send greetings to a conference thru Pence only to get "stone cold silence!"
***B/c only sane people will give them the X of day?***
The Dems always have to come in to repair Int'l affairs after these neophyte idiots like "W" & now Trump who Fk it up! The real idiots are the ones that thought he'd do a much >er job in the Oval Office! Our institutions are being assailed daily while Trump's allowed to wander the world free! I can't wait for the whole family t/b wearing orange jumpsuits!
***Vile Socialist liberals (NAZIS) ACCUSE OTHERS OF WHAT THEY DO!***
As do VILE Rep. scumbags! They're always kvetchin' about voter fraud, but if you check the cases, it's always them under the gun! Seen NC of late? The son had to testify against his own father warning him of the corrupt practices of official assisting in electing Mark Harris! It's always been like this; the loudest, most obnoxious candidate whining about something should look in the mirror just about every X!
***Nadal's legacy has taken a real hit, no? Where have his supporters scurried off to btw?***
ReplyDeleteThey're still around; just lurking w/ lit'l to say! What can they say? Nadal has his moments, = @ the AO where it was thought "he's back!" Djokovic handled him w/ ease, breaking serve @ will when Rafa had gone most of the tourn. holding! Nole's right on his ass in majors, 15-17 & Nadal's best chance of holding him off is in jeopardy w/ more people thinking there m/b a changing of the guard @ the FO! I'm gonna wait for it to happen before jumping on that bandwagon, but ya never know!
***The extra finals made are all good & s/b treated as "in +tion" to the titles won. But something doesn't + up when we say the GOAT lost to Murray & Wawrinka @ the height of his powers.***
I've addressed this many X's; too much success breeds weariness physically & mentally! Nole works very hard out there & making all those finals made him vulnerable! Look @ the end of the season; prob. worn out after winning Wimbl., Cincy, USO, & Shanghai, but dropped last 2 finals vs Next-Gen's in Paris & London! It wasn't like any of these losses occurred b/c he was playing badly! They were sensational really! I give them more credit than trying to fault Nole for playing poorly!
***If Federer retired today, there's a very good chance his Major's record w/b broken w/i 3 yrs. People laugh @ Sampras for his rec. & how it stood the test of X. Federers likely won't last that long. His other recs. are either consistency based, which is not always a good measure of ultimate GOAThood or X restrained in an era often referred to as "transitional or weak." Anyway, it's likely it w/b obvious if he's the best of his Gen. using a "5 yrs gen" for tennis.***
I think that's one of the main reasons that Fed's hanging on well past his prime! His rec. will mean squat w/o a few yrs; not = a decade since 2 other players are hot on his ass! He was fortunate Nole was disabled for well over a yr., won 3 more Majors, but it didn't stop Rafa from picking up 3 as well! This is a great X t/b a tennis fan = if not a fan of Fedalovic!
***Fed's playing style's nothing new. He has not introduced anything new to the game with his playing style or stroke technique.
Borg was the 1st player to exploit massive topspin. (Gonzales also used a heavy topspin FH, but wasn't consistent.)
Borg was the 1st player to use a predominantly Baseline style of play to consistently win vs traditional S & V players.
Borg was the 1st player to sign multi-million $$ endorsement contracts w/ tennis equipment & tennis clothing manufacturers.
Borg was pretty much responsible for bringing an entirely new group of younger fans - esp. younger women to the sport.
Borg's "Aura?" LOL! No other player in the history of the sport attracted as much attention & mystery as Borg.
And if you don't believe me, just watch the Borg / McEnroe movie. While the producers have dramatised a lot of the story, the character aspects of Borg are pretty much spot on. The way he's portrayed in that movie is very similar to the way he was viewed in real life.
No doubt, someone, someday will make a movie about the Fed / Nadal rivalry. But it'll prob. be Nadal that gets the "Mystery" treatment. Fed's very much an open book. I don't recall ever seeing Roger being treated like he was a member of The Beatles. Of course that's not Roger's fault. The modern world, social media, the internet, & everything that goes w/ it makes it very difficult for high profile sportspeople to have much of a private life now. It was a lot easier to maintain privacy in Borg's X. And that would've certainly helped + to his Aura!***
***Still, after all these yrs after Monica's stabbing, the incident is spoken about so < in gen. ...***
ReplyDeleteIt's almost never brought up! The incident was so unfathomable, some refuse to believe it happened; esp. Graf fans looking to obfuscate her resulting resume due to the elim. of her comp.!
***I have mixed feelings on the whole thing. It's horrible it happened to Monica, but it also is annoying in the sense I feel many of her rabid fans take advantage of it to overrate her to create a narrative she was certain to go on to far >er things than was = certain or = likely w/o the stabbing. I do agree however Graf s/b asterisked due to the incident, which is one reason it annoys me there is anyone calling her the GOAT.***
You really believe Monica wouldn't have won anything; = the FO coming up that summer in '93? I was no fan; actually couldn't stand her play & screeching, but I still remember her coming back to beat Graf @ the AO earlier that yr! Steffi was in charge of that match, but pulled back a lit'l & didn't attack the net to close out some of those longer pts! She donated that win to Monica & I have no doubt whd it again & again; esp. on slower courts! TCC rankings put Steffi 3rd All X & I have to agree w/ that! Martina was given credit for her dom. & longevity, w/ Serena getting the top berth! I personally believe Martina has it all over all women in the Open era w/ her reign extended by way of dubs that no one can touch; = Court!
***I absolutely believe Seles would've won more slams, particularly the '93-95 stretch, & to a >er degree m/b the '96-98 stretch. I wouldn't say Graf s/b asterisked & shouldn't be considered GOAT by anyone b/c of the stabbing if I didn't believe that.
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If you followed tennis @ that X it was quite obvious that Seles would've broken all the recs. It was just a matter of X; everybody except blind fans of Graf knew it. And she was robbed. - ...At best you can say she might've had a chance of being the best ever or one of the top 3 or 4 all X if she weren't stabbed, & = that is purely conjecture at best. You can't predict anyone's future that easily. Who would've imagined Hingis wins 0 slams after winning 5 of the last 9 X's @ the X of the '99 AO. That's was a fairly safe bet Seles wins more than 9 slams & gets into double digits, but anything beyond that is a pure fictitious guess @ best.***
Most will believe Seles doing well since "women's tennis" was so weak @ the X! Martina was on the way out & Evert was already gone! Sabatini never fulfilled her promise = though making deserved final after final! Arantxa was barely strong enough to test Graf, but again she only won a couple X's as well! Seles was the only one who really challenged Graf besides the odd upsets by someone like Pierce or Coetzer!
***...I'm not sure myself Seles would've wound up over Graf. I think they would've roughly won about the same in '93-96 (7 or 8 majors for both) w/ Seles doing >er in some yrs like '93 & Graf >er in some like '96. ...both whh to come back from major turmoil after '97-early 98: Seles fathers illness, Graf injuries. ...Graf had also already done things Seles might've never done: won all slams X X's, the GS, 8 slams out of 9, 186 wks @ #1. Based on that too, it wouldn't be easy for Seles just to cruise by.
One thing I do strongly think is neither w/b the GOAT. The GOAT w/b transformed into a 1 horse race for Serena rather than the 3 horse race of Graf, Serena, Navratilova that only exists due to the stabbing.
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I remember the rise of Seles vs Graf. I never liked Seles (really annoying), but she didn't deserve that. My heart sank when I saw that footage on the news. She was a great champion.***
***Since Fed was often said t/b in bad form when he lost to Djokovic or Nadal, I wanted to check the ranking position in their meetings:
ReplyDeleteDJOKOVIC
beat Nadal 28 X's, & Nadal had an avg. ranking (geometric mean) of 2.14.
beat Fed 25 X's, & Fed had an avg. ranking of 2.42.
NADAL
beat Djokovic 25 X's, & Djokovic had an avg. ranking of 3.03.
beat Fed 23 X's, & Fed had an avg. ranking of 1.70.
FEDERER
beat Djokovic 22 X's, & Djokovic had an avg. ranking of 3.12.
beat Nadal 15 X's, & Nadal had an avg. ranking of 2.94.
Looking at this, does it seem to you that in the h2h btw Big 3, Fed on avg. was the one in the worst form?
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Fed vs. Rafa from '13. '13, Fed's worst yr. on tour in recent memory: They meet 4 X's, Rafa wins them all & gets a win @ the AO '14. Post FO '14: Rafa falls off a cliff & they meet just 1 X in the next 2,5 yrs.
Fed vs. Novak in recent memory: Fed's there to meet Novak in his utter dom. per. every single X.
'11: 5 X's (4-1 Novak)
'12: 5 X's, (3-2 Novak)
'13: 2 X's (Novak wins both)
'14: 5 X's (3-2 Fed, not counting the W/O)
'15, 8 freaking X's in Novak's most dominant yr. (5-3 Novak)
'16: AO
Post WTF '16, Novak falls of a cliff, no meetings for 1.5 yrs until Cinci '18 followed by Paris '18 (Novak wins both).
See a pattern? Fed met them 6 X's in '13 (7 including AO '14) in his worst ever form. They met him once in their combined 4 yr. slump.
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Wins over top 5 Big 3:
Djokovic 48
Nadal 42
Federer 28
Wins over top 10 Big 3:
Djokovic 53
Nadal 46
Federer 32
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It's Big 3, not the Big 4.***
Traditionally it's always been like that; "the BIG 4" going back to the beginning of the Open Era! Even if it meant bringing a scrub on deck to = the ct.; a symbolic SF draw c/b imagined! In my day it was all about Connors, Borg, McEnroe, w/ a qualifying 4th wheel! Vitas Gerulaitis was elevated even though owned by the Big 3 @ the X! His rec. was dismal vs all the top players; never beating Borg, & not much else off the others! Gerulaitis was a nice, solid player for the most part w/ his only real weapon his court speed & being buds w/ the others! Vilas was a lot more gifted w/ weapons testing the others someX's, but couldn't sustain it for various reasons! Later the top 4 seemed to come from the US w/ Sampras, Agassi, Courier, & Chang, but was usually broken up w/ Edberg, Becker, Rafter, Kafelnikov, etc.! Murray's prob. done more as a 4th WHEEL = though I can't stand the guy! He won his share of Masters & a few majors, ascended to #1 for a brief few mins, & had some success vs the Top 3! He's prob. been the best to just make the so called "Big 4," getting more out of it than past players in his position!
***Why don’t we look @ the H2H stats themselves & how they fit in to each players' seasons?
ReplyDeleteHere's how I rank seasons in order of worst to best in case some find my metric unclear:
Poor (It s/b obvious) - OK (Good Slam showing, a few big titles; ...the player wins 1 slam)
Good (1 Slam; few Masters or the WTF) - Great (2 Slams, few Masters, & WTF) - Very Good (duh)
Matches in '06: 1 (H2H 1-0) -- Fed season: Very good -- Djokovic season: Poor
Matches in '07: 4 (H2H 3-1) -- Fed season: Very good -- Djokovic season: Good
Matches in '08: 3 (H2H 2-1) -- Fed season: Good -- Djokovic season: Good (A rare tie!)
Matches in '09: 5 (H2H 2-3) -- Fed season: Great-- Djokovic season: Poor (depends on op.)
Matches in '10: 5 (H2H 4-1) -- Fed season: Good -- Djokovic season: Poor
Matches in '11: 5 (H2H 1-4) -- Fed season: OK -- - Djokovic season: Good
Matches in '12: 5 (H2H 2-3) -- Fed season: Good -- Djokovic season: Great
Matches in '13: 2 (H2H 0-2) -- Fed season: Poor -- Djokovic season: Great
Matches in '14: 5 (H2H 3-2) -- Fed season: OK -- - Djokovic season: Good
Matches in '15: 8 (H2H 3-5) -- Fed season: Good -- Djokovic season: Very good
Matches in '16: 1 (H2H 0-1) -- Fed season: Poor -- Djokovic season: Very good, then Poor
Matches in '17: 0 (H2H 0-0) -- Fed season: Great-- Djokovic season: Poor
Matches in '18: 2 (H2H 0-2) -- Fed season: OK ---- Djokovic season: Poor, then Great
If we count '10 as the final yr. for Djokovic playing "poorly" & '11 as the yr. when Fed began to "age;" leaves us w/:
Pre-'11: 18 matches played
'11-present: 28 matches played
I'm not a huge fan of the age argument as it doesn't factor in level of play (Ex. Fed had a great '17 season despite being 35 yo). Let's use level of play itself:
Matches played in seasons when Fed was clearly the >er player: 15
Matches played in seasons when Djokovic was clearly the >er player: 23
Matches played in seasons when Fed & Djokovic were playing @ roughly a similar level: 8
For the 3rd statistic, I picked the '08 & '12 seasons; you're free to + or remove seasons.
...My answer to the OP: Fed started to really become old in the yr. he turned 32: '13. After this he began to make many changes in his game to accommodate for his declining power & movement.
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14 of 15 GS titles (93.33 %) Djoker won when defeating another Big 4 member - Fed, Nadal or Murray on his way to the title. In total 4 X's he had to beat 2 members of Big 4 (AO'11 & '16 - Fed, Murray; USO'11 - Fed, Nadal; AO'12 - Murray, Nadal). The only easier title, w/o confronting any other Big 4 member, was the USO'18.
And how do other members of Big 4 have it w/ profit of titles w/ confrontation vs other Big 4 member?
Nadal 13 of 17 (76.47%)
Fed 8 of 20 (40%)
Murray 2 of 3 (66.67%)
According to % share & on # of titles' Novak in this parameter's the best of Big 4. It follows that for No1e it has never been easy, almost always had to defeat 1 of his 3 biggest rivals on the way to the title. That's why is Earth's Mightiest Warrior.
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Jan.'11
8 Slams < Nadal
15 Slams < Fed
June '16
2 Slams < Nadal
5 Slams < Fed
June '18
5 Slams < Nadal
8 Slams < Fed
Feb.'19
2 Slams < Nadal
5 Slams < Fed
Obviously, right now Djokovic's where he already was in June '16.
And another funny trivia - during that per. Jan. '11 - Feb. '19, Fedal won 12 Slams, while Nole won 14 Slams.***
Same thing w/ the Masters' & YEC events they semi-own '11-18; YEC - Fedal = (1)/Nole (4) Others = (3) Masters - Fedal/Nole -(24/29) Others (19)
***I think the most important things when it comes to rivalry greatness are: # of X's played (+), level of dom. by 1 player (-), greatness of the 2 players (+), differences in greatness (-). The greatest rivals all play each other a lot in SF & F, in GS & Masters. So I don't think those are very important criteria for this elite group.
ReplyDeleteSo I propose:
Greatness of rivalry = (Total matches x Total GS titles) / ((Higher wins/Lower wins) x (Higher GS/Lower GS)),
where level of dom. is est. by Higher wins/Lower wins in a rivalry; differences in greatness by Higher GS / Lower GS.
The player w/ an upperhand in rivalry s/b listed 1st.
1. Djokovic-Nadal (53 x 32) / ((28 / 25) x (17 / 15)) = 1,336
2. Djokovic-Fed (47 x 35) / ((25 / 22) x (20 / 15)) = 1,086 *Novak's w/o Fed in '14 WTF not included
3. Nadal-Fed (38 x 37) / ((23 / 15) x (20 / 17)) = 779
4. Lendl-McEnroe (36 x 15) / ((21 / 15) x (8 / 7)) = 338
5. Lendl-Connors (35 x 16) / ((22 / 13) x (8 / 8)) = 331
6. McEnroe-Connors (34 x 15) / ((20 / 14) x (8 / 7)) = 312
7. Sampras-Agassi (34 x 22) / ((20 / 14) x (14 / 8)) = 299
8. Becker-Edberg (35 x 12) / ((25 / 10) x (6 / 6)) = 168
9. McEnroe-Borg(tied) (14 x 18) / ((7 / 7) x (11 / 7)) = 160
10. Fed-Murray (25 x 23) / ((14 / 11) x (20 / 3)) = 68
Djokovic-Murray (36 x 18) / ((25 / 11) x (15 / 3)) = 57
Nadal-Murray (24 x 20) / ((17 / 7) x (17 / 3)) = 35
If the Differences in greatness factor is removed.
1. Djokovic-Nadal (53 x 32) / (28 / 25) = 1,514
2. Djokovic-Fed (47 x 35) / (25 / 22) = 1,448 *Novak's w/o Fed in '2014 WTF not included
3. Nadal-Fed (38 x 37) / (23 / 15) = 917
4. Sampras-Agassi (34 x 22) / (20 / 14) = 524
5. Fed-Murray (25 x 23) / (14 / 11) = 452
6. Lendl-McEnroe (36 x 15) / (21 / 15) = 386
7. McEnroe-Connors (34 x 15) / (20 / 14) = 357
8. Lendl-Connors (35 x 16) / (22 / 13) = 331
9. Djokovic-Murray (36 x 18) / (25 / 11) = 285
10. McEnroe-Borg (tied) (14 x 18) / (7 / 7) = 252
11. Nadal-Murray (24 x 20) / (17 / 7) = 198
12. Becker-Edberg (35 x 12) / (25 / 10) = 168
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ROTFL @ delusional posters speculating if Fed's a tier 1 great or not. I'm not = a fan of Federer, but he's prob. the GOAT @ the moment. He can't possibly not be a Tier 1 great. I wonder reading thru some of these threads ...***
No doubt Roger's "the" Tier 1 great for the X being, but he's hurting his legacy the longer he stays out there! It can't last forever! Rosewall was an all X great, but lost yrs before Open Tennis, then when allowed to play he hung on much too long! Making '74 Wimbledon & USO finals vs Connors was more an embarrassment than an achievement @ his age! He stayed on tour a few more yrs longer tainting his memory & titanic battles he had had w/ Laver! Roger's just about there; only saved by Murray & Nole out for a while 2 yrs ago! That enabled Fedal t/b relevant again outside media bluster or commiseration as both were floundering back in '16!
***It depends how long he stays. I think he would have to drop to really sucking to hurt it significantly though. Even then he's too old now for it to matter much. If he was struggling badly @ 31 or 32 ala Sampras it m/b diff., but we are long past that pt. anyway. I know you from FSUniverse though & you keep mentioning how you hate how long Kwan & Asada stuck around, & that Kwan robbed Cohen of her greatness by staying so long. So I know you like old stars to just retire & give someone else a chance which is fine, LOL! SomeX's I feel the same way. It doesn't mean they are hurting their legacy though.***
***Congrats to Bradie leading in the SP of Nat'ls. ...Kudos!***
ReplyDeleteOh I missed it! Was shocked, thinking "she's leading w/ Russians" forgetting the overlap of Euros & Nat'l! I need a re-wiring w/ my cable channel for NBCSPT breaking up! NBC w/b about the same when in PT hitting the networks, but can check it out simultaneously on my laptop clearly! Easier yet their performances are d/l onto You Tube! The thing is I'd rather see a full telecast w/ "the girls!"
***Samodurova wins GOLD over Zagitova for Silver @ Euros! Lindfors took Bronze! Fernández wins men's GOLD! US Nat'ls: Alysa Liu wins GOLD over Bradie Tennell for Silver! Mariah Bell took Bronze! Nathan Chen wins men's GOLD!
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I'm happy that Vincent won the silver @ the US Nat'ls. He skated to my fave music CTHD. There's a good chance that he w/b on the World team.***
Who else? Jason can no longer compete in a WORLD event IMO! When skaters are doing 4 Lutz/3T's w/ lit'l effort, trying to make a podium w/ no quad is "past it!" Even Plushenko w/b in trouble @ this pt.! - At 4 CCC Kihira wins GOLD over Tursynbaeva took Silver; Mihara salvaged Bronze! Shoma Uno won Gold for the men! Zhou got Bronze; Brown was 5th!
***...Alina Zagitova & Evgenia Medvedeva?
-1. Do you know who they are?
-2. Do you like AZ & (or) EM?
...
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I hope they remain competitive.***
That remains t/b seen w/ the depth of female Russian skating! Just a season after the Olympics & these 2 are almost irrelevant; AZ being tested by the next wave & EM breaking ranks to a new coaching team! ...It's just jarring to come back a few months later to see what's going on w/ the Russian & Japanese teams! If not for Nathan Chen, the US team w/b only a footnote in world comp.! It just seemed like yesterday the balance of power was more Western w/ Canada, USA, France, & Germany!
***Personally I'd send both Medvedeva & Tuktamysheva to Worlds & drop Zagitova. I guess results wise you can't justify it & she's Eteri's pet so it would not happen anyway. However I feel like she's a growing mess right now &'s bound for a disaster come Worlds. I'll honestly be surprised if she doesn't place the lowest of the 3 Russians.
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Neither Med nor Zag is the skater we saw compete @ last yr's Worlds. It's tough to say who'll do >er @ the upcoming worlds. Hopefully both will recover from this season, which was disastrous for Zhenya, but it ended well for her. I like her Tosca SP. It's her type of music. I don't like her Tango LP. I hope she finds >er music next yr.***
Alina Z's growth spurts have to influence how she feels w/ her confidence jumping! It's nothing new! She just has to work harder to compensate for the change! AZ's getting pushed by a phalanx of new talent behind her! If not careful, she won't = make the world team next season!
***Of course if Zagitova matches her GPF skates, she w/b almost a guarantee to medal, would have a good shot at Silver, & could win if Rika messed up badly enough, but I w/b surprised if she can match her GPF performances come Worlds. I think she's struggling with a variety of issues. The signs were there early, but I think compounding it all was skating great @ the GPF & losing soundly to Kihira who didnt = skate close to cleanly in the LP. It wasnt = the 3-Axel that mostly did it, Kihira absolutely killed her on GOEs, while matching her PCS; the base values weren't = that diff. That sapped her confidence bigX, + to that sharing a rink w/ young girls doing jumps like quad lutzes she'll never realistically be able to match. Some of the neg. blowback still of her controversial Olympic win over Medvedeva. I think she's not feeling that confident, in addition to the physical & tech. issues she's now dealing w/.***
***Cant stand Zagitova's skating = @ her best, but I do grudgingly admire some of the objective traits of her talent; particularly her jumping ability @ her best. She had some complex choreography = if it's an eyesore @ X's. She seems like a sweet girl. Her inevitable fall she's already experiencing is going t/b hard to witness.
ReplyDeleteMedvedeva's a true champion. Not a huge fan of her skating either, although I much prefer it to Zagitova's. Seeing her lose the OG after being the dom. skater almost 3 yrs was sad, but that seems t/b the fate of most ladies stars in skating w/ few rare exceptions like Yu Na Kim, Katarina Witt, & Kristi Yamaguchi, w/ the 2nd tier-ers winning the gold medals instead, or = on occasion the 3rd tier-ers or nobodies like Hughes or Sotnikova. Admire her guts in continuing & trying to make changes, = if there's some obvious short term loss she might never recover from.***
I compare AZ to Tara L., snatching the GOLD from the presumptive DIVA in charge! Kwan hung on for an extra chance in '02, but it was not t/b w/ another 2nd/3rd tier skater stealing her thunder!
***Agreed. Although unlike arrogant diva Kwan, Medvedeva seems like a total class act & sweetheart so it was hard not to feel sorry for her. I am not even a big fan, but it was hard to watch her crying in the "Kiss & Cry" for about 5 mins. In the case of Kwan, it was hard to do anything but laugh to see the entitled princess who thought she should have a gold medal polished & handed over just for showing up & letting out a fart, have the rug pulled from out underneath, = as someone who personally did not like either Tara or Sarah.***
I never warmed up to MK w/ commentators & the press fawning relentlessly over her every move = if she was legit. beat! It was all about KWAN & I was nauseated most of that era! I was so happy to see TL come out of nowhere & start taking those comp. one by one from her; GPF, US Nat'ls, Worlds, then the Olympics in Nagano! After '99 Irina Slutskaya took over their rivalry! W/ SLC they seemed to try to help MK along when not marking her down on her SP 3-Fl. exec. leaving her in 1st place! If not for that bit of shenanigans, Irina might've taken it instead of Sarah H!
***The commentators' gushing turned me off MK & later off Sasha Cohen. I always rooted for Kwan's rivals to beat her. ...I wasn't happy about TL. She was a child w/ a loud squeal. Even though I'm not an MK fan I was gutted for her @ Nagano.***
For some reason, I still remember it like it was yesterday! I've always been a night-owl, so I was just going to bed after 5 AM when I lived in Cal. & they reported that Tara had upset Michelle, playing both their music! I couldn't wait for it t/b televised later that evening! That squeal still haunts me after all these yrs!
***All threads on FSU are still about Michelle Kwan ... = when the title is "What is your attitude to Alina Zagitova & Evgenia Medvedeva?"***
I can talk history >er than current affairs! I can't = keep the names str. in either of my fave sports of tennis & figure skating! The changing of the guard wasn't enough these days! W/ the ladies they come & go like the wind; take an OG & vanish! W/ Russia & Japan it's just plain too comp.! I'm accustomed to a bit more stability in the ranks = though I don't mind change! At my age, it's just gotten to overwhelming to keep up w/ all the sports like I used to so I rely a lot on "harking back" just for a change of pace around here!
***So, it goes like this...when Fed's winning it's called brilliance. When he's losing it's called a post-peak-old-age-not-in-form phase during the weak era.***
ReplyDeleteHopefully that proves not to use that age old disclaimer of Novak benefiting from Roger being 5+ yo'r! IDK about Roger exposing Rafa, but he certainly benefitted from a lapse in concentration & being shaken by aggressive play from the "old man!" If not for '17, I'd still be able to make a joke of a so called "Fedal rivalry" = though Rafa really owned Roger until recently! I got a few good extra yrs playing in tournaments as a WE Warrior by relentlessly attacking my opp.! If I got a few "unreturnables" in each of my serving games, it was hard to beat me if my volleys & OH were "ON!" Roger benefitted by having a more elegant game that didn't require extending himself too often! W/ Nadovic, most of their matches turn into a war of attrition! That "one way" traffic "down under" final will prob. be more aberrant than the norm!
***That one way traffic you saw "Down Under" IS the current norm when Djokovic plays Nadal on HC. Nadal has only once taken Djokovic to a TB on HC since USO '13 over 5 1/2 yrs ago. Nadal has to start winning sets on HC's 1st to change that narrative.
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The 3 greatest players of all X are Federer, Laver, & Nadal; in that order.***
The firm #'s have Federer the GOAT (for now)! He has tons of recs dealing w/ consistency that may never be broken, but so does his 2 best rivals who have a winning H2H rec. over him! I can't give the NOD to Rafa no matter what the rec. due to his limitations that are so glaring! Most of his wins on clay (11 FO of 17 majors), he breaks down too often to hold onto the #1 ranking for any length of X, & he's been vuln. to Nole & Roger the last sev. yrs keeping him from overtaking Fed's 20 majors! I do cheer on the underdog! Nole's had to overcome so much to get where he is! He was pushed from the beginning by the living legend of Fedal & had to defeat both many X's to earn his own withering rec. of excellence! No one knows what the next couple seasons may bring, but it looks good for Djokovic @ the moment; Nadal unsure, Fed fading, & the Next-Gen. still trying to make their mark!
***Madrid Masters' the replacement for Hamburg, so = though the order was switched around, Fed's still missing Rome & MC. - I know that. I was just applying the "slot" logic being used by others. The actual achievement is the # of diff. Masters won. If Federer were to eventually win either MC or Rome (but not both), it wouldn't be the "Golden Masters."
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Yes, that's where it gets tricky. If we include the Madrid Indoor as being the same as Shanghai - this orientates us w/ Slots. But you've a pt. too; no easy way of doing this. - Note: Fed has been to the finals of MX 4 X's & the final of the Italian Open 4 X's. That's a lot of near misses.***
Why are we trying to "convolute" a way to achieve a rec. not earned? Doesn't Roger have enough legit resume stuffers accum. w/o us manufacturing them? This makes no sense! Since Djokovic has the rec. (Golden Masters), it's not deserved or something? How ya gonna mock up a "Nole-Slam" for Roger then?
***...Fed's irrelevant to that disc. I'm making the pt. that if we simply focus on events not slots, then Djokovic could lose the Career Golden Masters if one of his 9 events is discontinued & replaced w/ an event he hasn't won. Now of course I Djokovic's achievement is fully deserved - & he should never lose it. It would therefore be good to determine the criteria for how events are included on ones CV.***
You mean what happened to Lendl who initially owned 9 of 9, but w/ the change, Nole has the rec. "Golden Masters" alone?
***Fed 1st player to make 10 finals @ 5 ATP events - Dubai's prob. the most prestigious Masters 500 along w/ Queens, but a Masters 1000's always more relevant than a Masters 500. Also, Fed's participated 13 X's in MC & Djokovic 11 X's, so MC has had very strong draws w/ the usual partic. of the Big 3.***
ReplyDeleteIt's the usual hypocrisy w/ some of us! One moment Fed's age is an issue concerning his competitiveness playing Nole, but then give him shit for not achieving a rec. Roger has that comes w/ more X on the tour! SICK!
***Nadal was #1 in the world @ Wimbl., had won the last 3/5 Slams, played his best Wimbl. in yrs & it took Djokovic 10-8 in the 5th to beat him, but yeah, Nadal was easier comp. for Djokovic. He hadn't won a major title in over 2 years. What you are talking about is off topic since Nadal was the best player in the world when Djokovic won there.
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Lendl's the king of top-5 wins during his peak. From '85-87, Lendl went 34-7 vs the top 5, which is >er than anybody managed over a 3 yr. span since the computer rankings came out in '73. Of those 41 matches vs the top-5, only 4 of those were against players that ended up w/ fewer than 6 slam titles. This is insane. No offense to Fed & Djoker, but Lendl blasts them out of the water in this metric for peak. His comp. was insane; esp. when factoring in the huge variety of surfaces & playing styles.
'85-87: Lendl was 34-7, .829 vs the top 5
'14-16: Djokovic was 32-10, .762 vs the top 5
'04-06: Federer was 25-6, .806 vs the top 5
It's a shame that 2 of the majors were held on Lendl's worst surface during his entire prime (thru '87). Lendl's career mark vs the top 5 is starting to get crushed, mainly b/c players are able to last much longer now (>er nutrition, training, playing conditions, doctors, surgeons, etc.).
Career marks vs top 5:
Fed: 102-69, .596
Djokovic: 94-62, .602
Lendl: 85-54, .612
Nadal: 80-54, .597***
I've lauded the career of Lendl many X's w/ a stellar rec. well overlooked for some reason! It was a shame AO on grass most of Lendl's era & the court differences were more pronounced giving advantages to diverse styles of the X! Another reason Fedalovic will end up crushing the record CM vs top 5 due to a lack of upsets! They've played many X's; well over 40 X's each where rivals like McEnroe & Borg only played 14 X's! I'll always find Lendl's rec. more formidable since he had to deal w/ diff. courts, styles, indoor carpet, & @ any major, it was possible to have a dozen major winners in the draw! It's a joke these days since Fedalovic have owned their era like no other "Big 3" in the history of the game!
***Lendl was a big X heavywt. His 157 cons. wks @ #1 was eventually ended in '88 from a ton of injuries, including shoulder surgery after the USO. He also had pulled abdominal during the FO that yr., fractured foot earlier that that yr., & a pulled quad. He won what, 40 matches in '88? The yrs leading up to '88 & '89 were well over 70+ wins. He still holds the rec. for winning 3 cons. title on 3 diff. surfaces. 66 match winning streak on carpet, 9 str. YE Finals. That guy was a beast. ...On his new diet, he shredded tennis from '85-87. This guy is an afterthought for most fans. And yet, his 270 wks @ #1 was light yrs ahead of his direct competitors. Most of Connors’ 268 was in the 1970s & most of Pete’s 286 was in the 1990s.
Lendl dom. his era. He’s a tier 1 ATG in my book. Most disagree w/ me on this. But I really believe it. W/ tha being said, I hated watching him beat Mac back in the 1980s. Mac was my fave. He wouldn’t be today. But I was a teenager back then.***
***IDK about McCabe, but Comey was one of Grabem's main assets. It's not likely Grabem whb elected if it hadn't been for Comey's active interference @ least twice on his behalf. Of course, now we know how loyal right winger's & the orange oaf they so worship are to their own.***
ReplyDeleteComey will have to live w/ his culpability in this travesty for all X! He changed the course of history, turned people's lives upside down, & all our institutions are under attack! I just don't know how we'll recover! The "stupid" have taken over & openly laud the chaos! It's a wonder the country's stayed together @ all with these enemies of the STATE running around so proud of themselves!
***MSNBC's reporting that a domestic terrorist had planned an attack on some Dems & journalists. Msnbc's Chris Hayes is among them. The person is a white nationalist who had a cache of weapons & a list of people he wanted to attack.***
I thought I heard he was a Coast Guard; clues made them start the investigation into this nut!
***Fortunately it was not too late when they investigated. Trump brings out the worst in people who are on the edge. They're not officially crazy, but hate is brewing w/i them, & Trump's words encouraging violence is the catalyst for them. This is extremely dangerous (needless to say).***
Trump never takes responsibility for his "hate speech" that we all know exacerbates the situation btw the 2 parties! It's an "us vs them" mentality & it's getting uglier & uglier all the X!
***...This isn't an oversight committee. This is an inquisition of Trump. It shows how desperate the Dems really are.
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You mean like the Reps & Benghazi? 7 diff. investigations over 2 1/2 yrs & in the end, the report from the Rep. led Congress found no wrongdoing on Hillary's part.***
After all that obscene X & $$ spent on that tactless exercise of politics, Reps still point @ it as something that had t/b done! If the people don't punish them for it, there's nothing that c/b done! I'm just shocked by the people like Gowdy who actually led the charge! I'm still embarrassed for them & the country!
***Meghan the hypocrite: Demand to have 3 mins to give an uninterrupted monologue, but when someone else begins speaking, say something that doesn't support her argument. She immediately interrupts & interrogates their belief systems, ideology, etc.***
BUT that's the relent< cons. credo; get in all their own propaganda, then interrupt & distract as much as possible during the rebuttal! It's so juvenile, but all so effective w/ the polarization of our politics over the last 2 decades! Compromise is openly thought of as "dirty word," w/ the electorate 0'ing in on core issues to the exclusion of all else! Ideology has supplanted logic which's why the country's going under in so many ways! The hypocrisy's mind-numbing, but it's the electorate's fault to repeat the same mistakes over & over again! They punish courageous candidates & reward political hacks!
***Agreed Fiero. Which is why I don't understand why they handle Meghan w/ kid gloves. She's just flat out rude & entitled. I'm glad Joy has been snapping back @ her. I get that Sunny & Meghan are friends now, but Meghan was str. up rude to her after someone slightly interrupted her & Meghan asked everyone to let her finish. Sunny got out a 1/2 a sentence & Meghan was interrupting Sunny, ??ing Sunny as a person, & !!!ing "disgusting" after every 3 words Sunny said. Sunny whb 100% justified in professionally telling Meghan to STFU & listen for 2 mins.***
***Trump's a psychopath. It's uncanny how many boxes in the list below Trump ticks which I got from here:
ReplyDelete- http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hare-Psychopathy-Checklist.html -
- The twenty traits assessed by the PCL-R score are:
•glib & superficial charm
•grandiose (exaggeratedly high) est. of self
•need for stimulation
•pathological lying
•cunning & manipulativeness
•lack of remorse or guilt
•shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
•callousness & lack of empathy
•parasitic lifestyle
•poor behavioral controls
•sexual promiscuity
•early behavior problems
•lack of realistic long-term goals
•impulsivity
•irresponsibility
•failure to accept responsibility for own actions
•many short-term marital relationships
•juvenile delinquency
•revocation of conditional release
•criminal versatility
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The fact that people voted for AOC is the most concerning part lol.***
I say that a lot about the support Trump's getting! I figure something seriously m/b wrong w/ them in the head; esp. the women who put him in office!
***Cohen was an idiot. It plead guilty for no reason. He committed no crime. Making blackmail payment to Stomy Daniels violates no laws & can't ever be made illegal b/c that would force the prosecution t/b aiding & abetting blackmail.***
Cohen just wanted to get a head start on his redemption tour! There w/b so many in the coming yrs; all terribly ashamed of themselves for what they allowed to go on w/ lit'l to no warning given to the public! We had our own "Manchurian Candidate" win the presidency & he's systematically undermined every institution along the way!
***Yes, Trump is an embarrassment, catering to the lowest possible common denominator of the Tea Party, like racists, nationalists, the greedy, the imperialists, etc. But that's no reason to throw out the rule of law & allow people t/b extorted by the legal system when in reality they're the victims of criminal blackmail. That just makes the whole gov't complicit in blackmail. There likely is no way to survive that. I don't care if Cohen's in prison personally or not since he's not an intelligent or likeable person; clearly a goon. ...As a REAL liberal, I certainly can't vote Dem. any more. Last X I could hide out & just vote for Jill Stein. ...What I see in the Dem. party's = more disgusting than the rabid Tea Party.
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Nice diversion from the fact that AOC is probably the dumbest politician that exists currently. - I was, dare I say, optimistic before Trump took office, but since then it's been awful. Some people have gone rabid w/ hatred & say he's an agent of Russia, etc., but the reality's just that he's incompetent, incapable, & the American people deserve much, much >er. The neo-liberal paradigm of war & corporatism w/ a smile as pushed by the mainstream Dem. party isn't much better though. Bernie, AOC, & such seem to offer a real altern. to help the many, rather than the few, guided by principle, = if much of their platform is unrealistic in our current system.***
Why TF would I need a diversion? I barely know the woman! At my age, I stopped GAF due to the stupidity of most that allow things to GTH as it has the last decade or so! We go from a man who legit. was trying to make people's lives >er to an SOB that only cares about how the office can enrich himself & his family! If you accept that, you're the one who's promoting a diversion Thanks BTW! We all needed it!
***AOC's in a very safe district as I recall. Absolute rusted on Dem.***
....which is perpetrated on both sides of the political aisle! The entire South is rusted, corrosed, welded, & melted into a blob of "RED!" Even child molesters & affirmed bigots have Rep. supporters as long as they have an "R" behind their names!
***Quite true. Roy Moore won the AL. Rep. primary after all.***