Sunday, January 28, 2007
Serena, Federer win first major of the year
The first major of the year, and the one many expect to see long and drawn out matches thanks in part to it being the first major and the extreme heat, saw the most dominating finals on both sides in recent times.
Serena Williams and Roger Federer both finished off their opponents at the Australian Open in remarkably easy time to win their eighth and 10th majors respectively.
First up was Serena Williams who started out the tournament ranked 81st in the world and was widely regarded as a dangerous floater throughout the tournament. There was concern from everyone from her mum and coach, Oracene Price, to fans and analysts about her weight and her playing form. But Serena was out to prove that her mental game was at her best ever when she took out 27th-seeded Mara Santangelo in the first round (6-2, 6-1). Taking out fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova in the third round sent signals to her potential opponents that she was a force to be reckoned with. But it was her fourth-round pull-through over the hottest player going into the tournament, 11th-seeded Jelena Jankovic, that gave Serena the confidence to start thinking and playing as a champion.
By the time she met the top-seeded Sharapova in the final, Serena had played herself back into playing shape and was unstoppable throughout the match. Sharapova, who was used to dictating points through most of her matches, could not find an opening to exploit her way back into the match. Playing like the no.1 seed, Serena seemed to be hitting her strides with every point. Ace after ace, forehand and backhand winners from every part of the court, she hit her way past the frustrated Sharapova to claim her third Australian Open and improve her rankings to 14th in the world.
To add to the already tear-dropping moment was her dedication of the trophy to her deceased sister Yetunde Price, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton couple of years ago. Serena fought away tears as she talked about wanting to win the trophy for her older sister. This won't be the last final we would see Serena in a grand slam final this year, we can only hope that Venus would use her sister's remarkable run as a motive to return to the top of women's tennis once again.
When it comes to Roger Federer's influence on tennis as a sport, few words can capture his current reign as the tennis king. Few athletes have dominated their sport in the manner and relatively short span (Jordan, Tiger) that he has. With Pete Sampras' record of most grand slam tournaments set at 14, Federer,barring any freak accidents that will force him to quit the sport, will most assuredly pass the past king of tennis.
After losing to Andy Roddick in an exhibition tournament just before the Australian Open, Federer was facing questions on how he would play Roddick, whose improved game--thanks to Jimmy Connors--was the talk of the tour. In addition to that, players like Fernando Gonzalez, who was playing past the stereotype of spanish players as only clay court specialists,James Blake and Andy Murray, to name a few, seemed to be closing the gap on his dominance. However, with his usual quiet demeanor, which is rarely described of champions, he raced to his 10th slam without dropping a set; the first to do so since Bjorn Borg won the French Open in 1980.
In all fairness to Gonzalez, he had an incredible run to his first ever major final beating tournament favorites like James Blake and Rafael Nadal, and surprise semi-finalist Tommy Haas to get there, which was as inspiring as Serena's run to the final. But going against a player like Federer is similar to playing Michael Jordan and the '93-98 Bulls in the hopes of winning the NBA Championship.
We can hardly wait until the the French Open--which he has yet to win--to see if Federer can claim a career grand slam, en route to a possible grand slam title, but it is not out of league to start suggesting that in a sport that still suffers from little recognition, the best athlete in the world-- he still goes unrecognized in some parts of his country, Switzerland-- might be playing his way into sports' history books with little fanfare.
Serena Williams and Roger Federer both finished off their opponents at the Australian Open in remarkably easy time to win their eighth and 10th majors respectively.
First up was Serena Williams who started out the tournament ranked 81st in the world and was widely regarded as a dangerous floater throughout the tournament. There was concern from everyone from her mum and coach, Oracene Price, to fans and analysts about her weight and her playing form. But Serena was out to prove that her mental game was at her best ever when she took out 27th-seeded Mara Santangelo in the first round (6-2, 6-1). Taking out fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova in the third round sent signals to her potential opponents that she was a force to be reckoned with. But it was her fourth-round pull-through over the hottest player going into the tournament, 11th-seeded Jelena Jankovic, that gave Serena the confidence to start thinking and playing as a champion.
By the time she met the top-seeded Sharapova in the final, Serena had played herself back into playing shape and was unstoppable throughout the match. Sharapova, who was used to dictating points through most of her matches, could not find an opening to exploit her way back into the match. Playing like the no.1 seed, Serena seemed to be hitting her strides with every point. Ace after ace, forehand and backhand winners from every part of the court, she hit her way past the frustrated Sharapova to claim her third Australian Open and improve her rankings to 14th in the world.
To add to the already tear-dropping moment was her dedication of the trophy to her deceased sister Yetunde Price, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton couple of years ago. Serena fought away tears as she talked about wanting to win the trophy for her older sister. This won't be the last final we would see Serena in a grand slam final this year, we can only hope that Venus would use her sister's remarkable run as a motive to return to the top of women's tennis once again.
When it comes to Roger Federer's influence on tennis as a sport, few words can capture his current reign as the tennis king. Few athletes have dominated their sport in the manner and relatively short span (Jordan, Tiger) that he has. With Pete Sampras' record of most grand slam tournaments set at 14, Federer,barring any freak accidents that will force him to quit the sport, will most assuredly pass the past king of tennis.
After losing to Andy Roddick in an exhibition tournament just before the Australian Open, Federer was facing questions on how he would play Roddick, whose improved game--thanks to Jimmy Connors--was the talk of the tour. In addition to that, players like Fernando Gonzalez, who was playing past the stereotype of spanish players as only clay court specialists,James Blake and Andy Murray, to name a few, seemed to be closing the gap on his dominance. However, with his usual quiet demeanor, which is rarely described of champions, he raced to his 10th slam without dropping a set; the first to do so since Bjorn Borg won the French Open in 1980.
In all fairness to Gonzalez, he had an incredible run to his first ever major final beating tournament favorites like James Blake and Rafael Nadal, and surprise semi-finalist Tommy Haas to get there, which was as inspiring as Serena's run to the final. But going against a player like Federer is similar to playing Michael Jordan and the '93-98 Bulls in the hopes of winning the NBA Championship.
We can hardly wait until the the French Open--which he has yet to win--to see if Federer can claim a career grand slam, en route to a possible grand slam title, but it is not out of league to start suggesting that in a sport that still suffers from little recognition, the best athlete in the world-- he still goes unrecognized in some parts of his country, Switzerland-- might be playing his way into sports' history books with little fanfare.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Smith, Dungy create NFL History
Few hours before the start of the NFC Championship game, I get a call from a friend who asks me my prediction for both games. I tell him that I pick the Chicago Bears to outlast the New Orleans Saints for several reasons. I tell him that both teams have very good punt/kick returners in Hester(Bears) and Bush/Lewis(Saints). Both teams also had a great running game (Jones/Benson-Bears, McCallister/Bush-Saints) and good and capable wide receivers, with me giving the slight edge to the Bears receivers. The difference, I told him, was that the Bears defense was overwhelmingly better than the Saints and would anchor the team into a win. I wasn't surprised to see the Saints get blown out by the Bears.
When it came to predicting the AFC Championship's outcome, I told him my pick was for the Indianapolis Colts, but my money was on the New England Patriots. Anyone who's followed football in the past few years knows that while the Patriots are known to rise to the occasion when it matters most (OK maybe their kicker is, but Brady usually puts him in great positions to make these field goals),the Colts, particularly Manning, has been known to melt under pressure in the important games.
So it was in this regard that I assumed that the Patriots would pull through with the win, as they had done in the past few years. And with just over two minutes left and a three point lead, it looked like history was about to repeat itself. However, I'm happy to say that my predictions against my sentimental favorite,was proved wrong. Manning connected on a 32-yard pass to Bryan Fletcher and then another to Reggie Wayne. A roughing the passer call advanced the ball to the 11-yard line, giving running back Joseph Addai the chance to run it in for a 3-yard touchdown and ultimately, the win. Manning would later say that he said a "little prayer" at the start of the last drive to help calm his nerves.
I must say that not only was I pulling for Manning to get his team to the Superbowl, a place they have never been, but the significance of the Bears and Colts meeting in the Superbowl was also apparent to me. In a league where there are fewer than five minority head coaches, two black coaches meeting in the finals would create opportunities for other minority coaches to be considered for head coaching jobs. It was also fitting that the pupil, Lovie Smith, got to watch and wait to see his mentor, Tony Dungy, join him in creating history.
Now, no matter what happens, there is guaranteed to be a black Superbowl-winning head coach in the history books. And that, without a doubt, makes watching the Superbowl two week's from today a lot more special.
When it came to predicting the AFC Championship's outcome, I told him my pick was for the Indianapolis Colts, but my money was on the New England Patriots. Anyone who's followed football in the past few years knows that while the Patriots are known to rise to the occasion when it matters most (OK maybe their kicker is, but Brady usually puts him in great positions to make these field goals),the Colts, particularly Manning, has been known to melt under pressure in the important games.
So it was in this regard that I assumed that the Patriots would pull through with the win, as they had done in the past few years. And with just over two minutes left and a three point lead, it looked like history was about to repeat itself. However, I'm happy to say that my predictions against my sentimental favorite,was proved wrong. Manning connected on a 32-yard pass to Bryan Fletcher and then another to Reggie Wayne. A roughing the passer call advanced the ball to the 11-yard line, giving running back Joseph Addai the chance to run it in for a 3-yard touchdown and ultimately, the win. Manning would later say that he said a "little prayer" at the start of the last drive to help calm his nerves.
I must say that not only was I pulling for Manning to get his team to the Superbowl, a place they have never been, but the significance of the Bears and Colts meeting in the Superbowl was also apparent to me. In a league where there are fewer than five minority head coaches, two black coaches meeting in the finals would create opportunities for other minority coaches to be considered for head coaching jobs. It was also fitting that the pupil, Lovie Smith, got to watch and wait to see his mentor, Tony Dungy, join him in creating history.
Now, no matter what happens, there is guaranteed to be a black Superbowl-winning head coach in the history books. And that, without a doubt, makes watching the Superbowl two week's from today a lot more special.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Happy New Year!!!
When you graduate from college (hopefully you'd have anticipated your graduation and saved up for it), one great piece of advice I can give is to take a vacation before you begin your next job. It's even better if you take a trip to a different country than the one you live in.
And that is what I did. After graduating in December with a bachelors in communications (mass media studies) from Florida State University, I hit the air for London and Paris for a two week break and the aura of it all-- especially being in Paris-- cannot be explained. You have to observe it in person. Everyone needs to go at least once to Paris. Yours truly needs at least one more trip to really capture the aura of Paris.
But I'm back now and there's been so much going on in sports. So much that I can only choose a handful to touch on. Since I'm a tennis enthusiast, I'll kick it off with the emergence of Serena as a powerhouse again. After last night's three-set win against fifth-ranked Nadia Petrova in the Australian Open, Serena proved that not only has she gained a significant part of her fitness back, but she's also gotten her mental toughness back in gear. With the way she played, I expect to see her in the Semis at least.
I was very much disappointed to see the San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots. The team with the league's reigning MVP and the most players on the Pro Bowl team couldn't outlast the team with the most Super Bowl rings in the last six years. Much worse was the after-game conduct of MVP LaDanian Tomlinson who accused Patriot's coach Bill Belichick of being responsible for his players after-game actions. LT, who is usually a class act showed a terrible act of sportsmanship at the wrongest time. Instead of blaming the opposing team's coach, he should have directed any negative comments at his coach, who found a way to lose the game by calling more passing plays than running-- which should've made sense especially since his running back was named MVP on the strength of the running plays.
The past week also saw the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, two of the worst franchises in recent past, emerging as potential powerhouses in the years to come. Of course props is due to my favorite college team's alum, University of Miami's Devin Hester, for setting a couple of records in his rookie year; helping his team to the playoffs. Reggie Bush also showed what everyone had been expecting of him in the NFL toward the end of the season and has only gotten better.
And in baseball, Mark McGwire was denied entry into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt. Many people, including Barry Bonds, have come to his aid saying he deserved to be in there. Frankly, it's hard to feel comfortable voting for a guy who knowingly used steroids and shamefully tried to avoid addressing the issue at a national hearing. At least, I wouldn't have if given the opportunity.
So much more is going on in the world of sports, including the transfer of David Beckham from Real Madrid (where he had been benched) to the LA Galaxy of the Major League Soccer for a potential whopping $250 million. But to close of on a light note, the recent revelation that a man has planned to propose via a Super Bowl ad to his girlfriend has everyone talking. Not only is the idea original, but it can set him up for either the biggest embarrassment of the year (just as the Washington Wizards fan who got turned down by his girlfriend on TV) or the best proposal of the year thus far. For those interested in finding out her response, cameras would apparently be covering her response on that day and would immediately make it available to sites such as YouTube. Stay tuned!
And that is what I did. After graduating in December with a bachelors in communications (mass media studies) from Florida State University, I hit the air for London and Paris for a two week break and the aura of it all-- especially being in Paris-- cannot be explained. You have to observe it in person. Everyone needs to go at least once to Paris. Yours truly needs at least one more trip to really capture the aura of Paris.
But I'm back now and there's been so much going on in sports. So much that I can only choose a handful to touch on. Since I'm a tennis enthusiast, I'll kick it off with the emergence of Serena as a powerhouse again. After last night's three-set win against fifth-ranked Nadia Petrova in the Australian Open, Serena proved that not only has she gained a significant part of her fitness back, but she's also gotten her mental toughness back in gear. With the way she played, I expect to see her in the Semis at least.
I was very much disappointed to see the San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots. The team with the league's reigning MVP and the most players on the Pro Bowl team couldn't outlast the team with the most Super Bowl rings in the last six years. Much worse was the after-game conduct of MVP LaDanian Tomlinson who accused Patriot's coach Bill Belichick of being responsible for his players after-game actions. LT, who is usually a class act showed a terrible act of sportsmanship at the wrongest time. Instead of blaming the opposing team's coach, he should have directed any negative comments at his coach, who found a way to lose the game by calling more passing plays than running-- which should've made sense especially since his running back was named MVP on the strength of the running plays.
The past week also saw the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, two of the worst franchises in recent past, emerging as potential powerhouses in the years to come. Of course props is due to my favorite college team's alum, University of Miami's Devin Hester, for setting a couple of records in his rookie year; helping his team to the playoffs. Reggie Bush also showed what everyone had been expecting of him in the NFL toward the end of the season and has only gotten better.
And in baseball, Mark McGwire was denied entry into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt. Many people, including Barry Bonds, have come to his aid saying he deserved to be in there. Frankly, it's hard to feel comfortable voting for a guy who knowingly used steroids and shamefully tried to avoid addressing the issue at a national hearing. At least, I wouldn't have if given the opportunity.
So much more is going on in the world of sports, including the transfer of David Beckham from Real Madrid (where he had been benched) to the LA Galaxy of the Major League Soccer for a potential whopping $250 million. But to close of on a light note, the recent revelation that a man has planned to propose via a Super Bowl ad to his girlfriend has everyone talking. Not only is the idea original, but it can set him up for either the biggest embarrassment of the year (just as the Washington Wizards fan who got turned down by his girlfriend on TV) or the best proposal of the year thus far. For those interested in finding out her response, cameras would apparently be covering her response on that day and would immediately make it available to sites such as YouTube. Stay tuned!
