Mardy Fish of USA is playing Gael Monfils of France. I like Monfils: loose, casual and acrobatic, can probably scale the Mount Marcy or Algonquin Peak Summit like a monkey. Fish serves and volleys .. so I’m for the American while Pumpkin is for the Acrobat. Mardy is leading two sets to love.
French male tennis players have been the odd lot type, flamboyant but never last long to make an impact. Flash in the pants, did I get this idiom right? Noah, then Guy Forget (who’s rather gentlemanly looking, classic is quite fitting here), Cedric Pioline who played Pete Sampras in the 1993 US Open final when he said (he finished his semi prior to Pete’s) “I want Sampras” but predicable he lost to Pete 6:4, 6:4 and 6:3; Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and now Gael Monfils .. they are all bride maids.
Did anyone get the Geico commercial where the caveman was on the beach with a blond?
The summer 2003. One weekend Yishi summoned group of her Qinghua friends, we marched to the countryside, eight families in six cars. As we were driving, my children saw more high-rise buildings. ChangPing used to be a remote area to us, the city slickers, now a part of Beijing landscape. There were skeletons of street vendors selling peaches.
“I bet they bought the peach from the city to sell here.” Wang commentedThere were some farmlands, but patchy. I forgot the resort name. The hotel was adequate. The amenities included an indoor tennis court (carpet), small swimming pool – I only remembered those two, since that’s all I cared and used. The tennis court looked clubby, dark and felt seldom used. The court fee was astronomical, US$32 per hour. With that, you get two lazy ball girls who dressed to the tee but didn’t nothing. The manager didn’t like my Ked sneakers, insisted that would damage their court surface, made me rent a pair of sneaker for 5 RMB.
The swimming pool was ok, although small, was about US$8 per day.
That night, we had dinner at the village, obviously. The shack was ok, looked the part, one story with outer and inner courtyard. Looked like a formed living quarter, without a main dinner hall, all small rooms, perhaps the bedrooms. The savvy lady who served us was pretty sleek. No makeup, non-nonsense with a short haircut. Just like any working girl you’d found on the streets of Manhattan. Her black jacket looked like from Ann Taylor (it was July), simple and profession. A ball pen was hanging on her neck. We decided to have the hot pot of games, plus few suggestions she made. I couldn’t pin down her accent. Her exchange with us was short and terse. Was she hiding something, or running away from someone/thing? Bad teeth.
Kids had a field day. We seemed the only diners there. So kids had run of the place. From the courtyard, to the dinning rooms – they dined in another room since each room was so small ..
The food .. .. the hotpot tasted great, but the games were over cooked, chewy. ..
That night, we played baifen.
Sorry it’s been six years since, but Irene still remembered this incident:
Six of us played with two decks of cards. Two wives with four husbands. Irene was kind of slow and put down an extra card in the base. Now, as a good sportsman, I would or any of my girlfriends who play with me often, would inform me regardless of being my partner or opponents because we all want a good game that being played fairly.
When the hand was depleted to the last round did Irene realize she was one card short.
One of the husbands who I found very cocky laughed with triumphal,
“I saw you put that extra card down.” He said, taking pleasure in my misfortune.
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“Why should I tell you?” He retorted.
He did have a point.
During one of his seven wins in France, Lance Armstrong waited for his closest competitor who falls off the bike to get back on before racing again.
Ok, I wasn’t dealing with world class. But was it my fault for always hoping for?
希望仍在人间 .
August 28, 2008 at 8:35 pm
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
It’s half time, New York Giants is leading New England Patriots 13 to nothing. The demo convention got a few seconds during the half time. Isn’t this cool or what, the presidential race got a few seconds out of half time, when half time was just few commentators, well commenting. As if frying some cold old rice from last season. Not like having Janet Jackson’s showing other pretty breast or something special. Manning isn’t playing. No wonder, the president makes far less than a footballer, of any position. It’s America. US Open is openly being covered live – Ana Ivanovic is out; Nadal is playing an American, DeHeart. The benefit two weeks of US Open equals to a single Superbowl. Go figure.
August 10, 2008 at 8:20 pm
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
I finally got Pumpkin to play tennis with me last week. No matter where we are, when I walk into a court with her, I always feel very tall, proud and happy. It’s such a cool feeling that you’re playing with your kids, regardless what it is, they share the same passion with you!
July 28, 2008 at 9:28 am
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged Sex, tennis
Heard this was coming for a while, now she’s here. I’ve never heard of Ashley Harkleroad until she posted for the Playboy. Few had predicted in the past that she would be the America’s answer to Anna K. Guess not. Posting won’t do any thing to her tennis career, but might open doors to other venues after she retires. Whatever the reason she cited, I just can’t image
any top 10 girls in tennis doing it. Maria and Ana are pretty, ..
What do golf, Formula One and US presidential race in common? Come on, you can guess that easily. Black man. Strictly speaking, mix-raced person with dark skin more then the other half. The phenomenon in the Formula One in Europe now is the 22 years old Lewis Hamilton, an English whose grandfather Davidson was from Grenada in the West Indies, mother Carmen a white.
Formula One is the top level in auto racing. Danica Patrick is the IndyCar racer, the American open wheel racing, as vs the NASCAR, the stock cars. F-1 used to be the sports for the titled Europeans. Steffi Graf dated driver Michael Bartels for seven years. He was a F-3 driver, never qualified for F-1. In the US, there are two types of auto racing (in general), Grand prix, open wheel and the stock car. I think the sport is changing too. In the past, the drivers had the air of a gentleman and cultured. Not sure that still applies today, especially when he is only 22. This isn’t to say that the younger ones won’t develop to be sophisticated adults.
Long ago, when Golfer spotted the news that Formula One was going to build a track in Zhuhai in the SEZ, he said he’ll visit China when it opens. Years late, the track relocated to Shanghai. It opened for business for a few years, but Golfer had since lost his appetite for China.
However, he did drag me to a NASCAR race in PA. The Andretti family is from Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Father Mario has all three: F-1, Indy and NASCAR. It was a gorgeous day. But each exits were so far apart in the Poconos, we failed to gauge the distance (map quest hasn’t become popular) correctly and missed the parade and the starting of the race. Once we sat down, I noticed we were the only Asians in a Pacific Ocean of large sized rednecks. They all well prepared for the race: huge coolers and chips. The sound of chip chewing was drown by the nosier, no the ear splitting cars. After the race, the party moved from the bleachers to the parking lot. Needless to say, we stranded there for another 2 more hours. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but I would rather be at some other place .. no telling Golfer, I’m a supportive, mute and obedient wife.
July 10, 2008 at 1:19 pm
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
Yuppppy, I served an ace. I haven’t served in a long time, thought I don’t know how by now. Had few double faults but managed to win the Canadian doubles. Feeling great. My right arm is ok. Tuesday night at badminton, Jordan (the older) Fan was there too. He left at end of last year to get married. During his absence, my right arm’s in pain, so I started to play with my left. When my left wrist got hurt (how???), I began to play with my right arm again. He joked, “oh .. sorry .. now you’ll need to play with your foot ..” We played well and won all our sets, except the last one, a 7-point game. By then I was just too tired to even move. He’s been going to Sam’s game on Mondays/Fridays and trying to get me going too. It’s too far and parking is hard. This morning I had good tennis game too. More double faults than I’d like, but I held all my serves.
July 8, 2008 at 10:46 am
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
Chris Evert married golfer Greg Norman after their engagement last December. I’m happy to see two oldies (50+ is old?) found love again, but neutral on her, except I don’t enjoy watching her as a player and thought she was out of line by criticizing the Williams sisters for having other interests in life. Your interests Chrisie, aside from tennis? Marrying?
July 8, 2008 at 9:44 am
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
The Federer vs. Nadal last Sunday at Wimbledon was an epic match. Times sports section usually does a good job. But what is this editorial trying to do here? Can’t you leave the fun to the sports writers who knows their stuff, or at least not losing us? Giving tennis a new topography? .. what are you talking about??
The rain delays did us wonder. Thought the match would be over when we got back from the Berkshires. But it didn’t! We watched the fifth set screaming our lungs out, Pumpkin and I. We were both for Roger. Actually I didn’t mind that Nadal won. Thank lord was not the pig Sergio García who hasn’t won a major yet. Nadal brings to mind ‘brute’. Marat Safin jokingly said Nadal’s running like a rabbit, :), .. but he’s very likable kid, minors the G-string. Is he losing his hair already?
July 2, 2008 at 6:28 pm
· Filed under Sports ·Tagged tennis
It looks like the sisters would be in the final .. not saying Zheng Jie isn’t good, but I think the chances are very slim that she’ll beat Venus. I’ve been watching a lots of TV this week, 🙂 Ancic is good looking, looks like a shrimp when he serves (6’5″) and a little di bao tian too. Lopez is so good looking but he lost to Marat Safin .. you got to check him out! I have limited Internet service up the Berkshires this week ..
What do golf, Formula One and US presidential race in common? Come on, you can guess that easily. Black man. Strictly speaking, mix-raced person with dark skin more then the other half. The phenomenon in the Formula One in Europe now is the 22 years old Lewis Hamilton, an English whose grandfather Davidson was from Grenada in the West Indies, mother Carmen a white.