At least Sampras is in the same realm as Laver, Tilden, Budge, Borg et al. Reagan did more for Alzheimer's awareness than he did for the country.
As much as I love Boom Boom Becker, he doesn't belong on the list but Federer does. Who knows how high he'll go? Dr. Seuss.
As for Trautwig, he did start out as an announcer for women's tennis so at least he knows the subject (unlike gymnastics).

I want to kick his ass. And Sports Illustrated's ass for paying him for this kind of bullshit. I think I watch alot of tennis, but when I watch matches they might show 2.5 seconds of practice footage on television, it's not exactly the hottest thing they are marketing. And when they do, of course they tend to only show the more attractive players. The same goes for the men. I've seen alot more shirtless Marat/Andy/James Blake than I have Santoro. So his notion that "beached whale" like female players are potentially disgusting tennis fans around the world seems like the ultimate cheap shot and completely irrelevant to how the game is marketed. I'm annoyed by the implication that people who love tennis, would find something as unimportant as a non-6 pack stomach enough to make them switch to only watching poker on TV or something. Justin Gimblestob, you suck.

You're right; they wouldn't. Lindsay will be the #2 seed at the Open even though she'll be the #1 player on Monday. She missed the deadline (lucky her).


Heh. As soon as I saw Courier's name, he became #15. I also agree that people like Emerson and Agassi who dominated the Aussie Open are a little overrated. It's the least important slam now, but it was completely irrelevant for years. You also have to factor in the fact that for years 3 of the 4 were played on grass. In short, a list like this is a hair away from futile. However, I love lists like this so I did it anyway. I think I put Andre at #8 or 9. I wonder if ESPN is going to comment on the outcome.

On the Pilot Pen final aired today, one of the commentators mentioned that Lindsay will regain her #1 ranking, but that it will not affect the draw. Because the draw was determined based on rankings as of this past week. mmmmmmMaria will be #1 for the U.S. Open.

I think Agassi's bigger acheivement is winning all four majors on three different surfaces. Something that has never been done, because of the surface changes over the years. It places him higher, than if we were going purely by the numbers. That being said, he is clearly ranked too high on that list. I think in truth, there is no way to really rank the best and come to a complete consensus. Different surfaces, level of competition, improvements in technology and fitness all play a factor. List like that are really more popularity contests, and depending on your age, you probably haven't seen many of those guys play.

I get a kick out of Mary Jo Fernandez's throwaway comments on the cutiepies on the men's side. Last night she said a Blake-Lopez match would be a "good-looking final." Hee.

Oh, and Tracy's another one who likes the beautiful boys. I remember someone kidding her about still mourning the loss of Pat Rafter. Aren't we all, Tracy. Aren't we all.

(I personally don't think Lopez is all that. To me he's like that Jan Michael guy, who seems better looking than he actually is. They don't stand up to closer scrutiny. Lopez has the look of a nice guy, which is always appealing. James Blake, now. He is a thing of beauty. Although I can do without the headband. I haven't seen that look work on anyone IMO.)

Oh, I agree. OTOH, with all of his talent, you could say Agassi underachieved. Yes, he had to deal with Sampras, but that doesn't explain his single French Open. You'd think he would've found a way to win more than that.

Is that a changing ESPN poll? Personally, I think Agassi does belong in the Top 10 because his style--taking the ball on the rise, groundstroke/return of serve offense--did influence the game we see today tremendously. Courier? No.

Cliff and PMac were talking today about some really cool camerawork they're gonna be doing for the US Open. Wonder what they mean?

Was it me or was the Mauresmo/Davenport final boring? I gave up watching it after the first changeover during the second set. Seriously, the crowd was so silent it was like there was no one there.

Memo to PMac: Shut up already! Silence is golden.

As for Al Trautwig, I have nothing but hate for him. I really don't know which gymnastics commentator is worse: John Tesh or Al Trautwig.

The understatement of the year.


I'm afraid that I'm going to have to disagree with this. To me, Lopez is much better looking super close up than he is on tv--and I think PMac agrees with me. Andy and Rafa are both going to have to learn to share if Lopez plays well tomorrow.

Who do we have to pay to make sure BG stays on the court and never gets back in the booth? He is remarkably better down there.


During the men's semis Cliff made an oblique reference to the lack of crowd when he mentioned how "every seat would be filled" when it was at Stratton (?) Mt.

Obviously, I also think Agassi's in the top 10, but I have to disagree about Courier. While I don't think he really belongs on this list, he was one of (if not) the first major player to make fitness a huge priority. Not only is that now commonplace, but it's the major thing that has allowed Agassi to have so much success in his later years.

I think Cliffy might just be my favorite of all the announcers. He's been hit and miss a little, but I agree that probably has a lot to do with his other commentators.

What's interesting is during the first half of his career you could definitely say he underachieved, but you could also say he overachieved during the later portion of his career. It's possible if he were at the highest level for all those years he would've burned himself out. I have a hard time believing he would still be out there if that were true. That being said, ITA that he really should've won either the 90' or 91' FO, but in reference to who's the best of all-time I'm not sure how much we can take into account whether someone over or underachieved.

Here are a couple of nice articles on the upcoming Open. The first one is Federer-focused from the NY Times.

His Own Man (Federer Article from NY Times)

And this one focuses on other players as well, but has this funny quote from a speech Federer gave a few days ago:
Hee. Everything's pink.

Federer Enters Open on a Roll (Other Players Covered Too)

And I just read he's going to be named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful whatever. Huzzah!! (And hubbah, hubbah!)

I find Federer disgusting looking. The constant sneer, the awful hair, and his resemblance to an ape make him one of the ugliest men on tour. He does not belong in the same list as mmmmMaria.

I still think he has bitter-beer face, but Federer's much more attractive now that he cut his hair. I actually like his "new" haircut a lot.

"Everything is pink." Hilarious!

LT, I'll get back to you soon.

I agree about bitter beer face, but I don't think he looks good with or without the new haircut. What's wrong with a regular haircut, that whatever it is spilling out of headband look is just slightly better than the girly mini-ponytail. I also think he has the Renee Zellweger "Squinty McSquint" squinty eyes. I will avoid any US Open coverage of his matches.

I think they're both attractive but not excessively so. Neither of them is the best looking player on their respective tours. Maria's pretty but sort of ordinary/plain looking in my opinion, and the same could be said for Roger.

So does anyone know what the schedule is for tomorrow? I know the night session has Sharapova vs. Daniilidou, and Agassi. Does Roger play tomorrow?

Enjoyed watching the Arthur Ashe kid's day, especially the interactions between Andre and Andy. Andre's return of Andy's serve while he was standing inside the baseline was impressive.

Who the hell is "Click 5"? Seems like this boy band is trying to channel the Beatles - dark suits, moppy haircuts, etc. Let's see how long they last.

The US Open site has tomorrow's schedule up. No Roger, but Nadal and both Williams sisters are playing during the day. Some fun matches (including Kim on Louis Armstrong and Jonas, X and Richard Gasquet on back courts), but no Max. Dang. Only time I get to see him play is when I'm sitting in the stands. This whole bottom of the draw playing on day 1 is too upsetting to my too-organized mind.


This will be my new mantra.

And. . . it has not rained around here all summer. This upcoming week? Rain every flipping day. Dangit. Get ready to see that 1991 Jimmy Connors v. Aaron Krickstein match some more.

Noooooooooooooo! [/drama] There are so many more to choose from. Venus vs. Hingis semi, JHH v. Capriati semi, countless Agassi and Sampras matches... I so wish they wouldn't show that Connors match (nor the Graf v. Navratilova final, nor the Seles vs. Capriati semi) anymore.

ETA: Marat has apparently withdrawn from the tournament. :-(

So no trophy presentation again, ESPN? Bad form!

On a positive note: Yeah, James! Woo hoo! Looking good.

Harry24 wrote:
So true. Even her ball toss and ticks (adjusting her braid) were like Pierce's. Not to mention the similarity in their looks. It was eerie. And the cameraman at least knew what to key in on. Excellent!

The Good: James Blake won! Yay. I love him. The J-Block were hilarious (and during last night's match, as it would appear, quite a bit drunk). Good for James. Hopefully he'll put in a good showing at the US Open.

The Bad: Marat Safin pulled out of the Open. Why? WHY? What will I do without Safin to watch and drool over? Hewitt has a pretty tough draw but I expect he'll def. make the semis now.

PS. I love Al Trautwig, but I love him when he's doing the announcing with Sam Rosen and John Davidson for New York Rangers hockey. The three of them are great together!

Congratulations to James! Not to stroke P-Mac's ego or anything, but four Americans winning US Open Series titles is impressive. He has a tough decision for Davis Cup. I know it sounds like blasphemy, but, considering the tie is on clay, there's at least part of me that thinks Blake and Ginepri would both be better than Roddick. Like P-Mac would ever do that. Barring any unforeseen runs by either, I expect him to select Blake over Ginepri because it's on clay.


On one hand, that really sucks. OTOH, it makes Henman's bad draw a lot better.


Thank you! Most of all, she's way too skinny. Dementieva and Venus have much better legs. Serena has the best body of all. Mmm, Serena. Cue Carl Carlton.

I'm getting excited! US Open time!

Have any of the announcers mentioned Capriati? Not that I miss her, but I haven't heard a word about her all summer during injury/illness discussions.

ETA: Thanks, TonyBoy123 - I knew someone here would help me out!

Mary Joe mentioned that she talked to her a few weeks ago and she is rehabbing and actually had surgery on her wrist as well as her shoulder. It looks like the earliest we'll see her is probably next year. No word on her maybe calling it quits or anything. Although, being so close to 30 years of age, who knows.



Looks are pretty subjective and Maria certainly has a huge male following who find her quite attractive. Though it doesn't seem like she is as popular as Kournikova during her heyday, even though she is much more talented. She's pretty, not gorgeous, but pretty. Although among the top women, I think she is probably the most attractive. As for Roger, "bitter beer face" still cracks me up.

With how he's been playing lately and Verdasco, Mathieu and Monfils/Ancic in the first three rounds, I don't think Timmy's going to last long enough to worry about whether Safin's still in the draw. In fact, with Rusedski getting Blake in the first round, Andy Murray might end up being the last Brit standing (if his shoulder holds up).

Can't wait for the US Open coverage starting later today. It's been over a month since the last grand slam and I've been having a bit or withdrawal. I even sat through the whole Arthur Ashe Kids Day Special.

I think it's interesting how the US Open has changed court colors from Forest Green to Deep Blue. It might take a while to get used to but it looks like it could be an improvement for both players and fans.

I'm a little angry though that I'm gonna have to miss some of the night sessions this week. Tomorrow night is Prison Break and I can't watch and record something on my TiVo so I'll probably be flicking a lot. Tuesday night I'm out from 5-9:30 and same for Thrusday. I guess my TiVo will come in handy those nights. I don't know why but I have problems with watching sports events on my TiVo; I'm always so tempted to fast forward to the final result.

I said it was a bad draw. Still, present form notwithstanding, Tim's a wily veteran. It may not be likely, but he can find a way to get through those matches. I hope so, because he's going to take a huge tumble in the rankings if he doesn't do well here.

I think Lopez looks a lot better in that capri pants/sleeveless shirt ensemble than Nadal.

I'm glad I'm nto the only one who doesn't think Maria Sharapova is as goldurned BEEYOOTIFUL as everyone carries on. I think Dementieva is probably the prettiest woman on the tour.

Don't even joke about rain delays. I remember watching that Connors/Krickstein match in 91. It's a great match, but I don't want to see it again. If they have to fill time, I wish they'd really go back into the archives. I think it would be fun to see Chris's first run to the semi's when she was 18. Or the Wilander/Lendl final the year Mats won everything but Wimbledon.

He should maybe wear some proper underpants if he's going to wear them on t.v. again. I could see right past England AND France during that match yesterday.

Looks like Kuznetsova is not playing very well. It's a shame because I really love to watch her play. She loves to run down the tough points.


I love the internet coverage that the USTA has. It looks even more extensive than last year if I'm not mistaken. I've been glued to my desk all day trying to work and keep an eye on the live scores. Plus I've been a total geek for all the stats and the point tracker, serve breakdown, etc..


I've heard that whatever's left of hurricane Katrina may be on it's way up here within the next 2-3 days. Let's hope not. Maybe they'll do something different this time and actually show some current doubles match footage or some of the up and comers or something? Yeah it's nice to hope.

I know they'll run it into the ground soon enough, but I love the new commercial with Andre and Steffi.

I'm so sad to see Gaudio go down so early. He's definitely my favorite South American player (even above Gonzalez). I love watching him play.

The coverage so far has been pretty good. Trautwig sightings have been rare (although someone really needs to tell him to stop saying "NAY-dal"). Spanish names should be the easiest to pronounce.

So my best friend and doubles partner just called me from NY and the site of a US Open practice court to tell me he was watching Andy Roddick practice shirtless (we both think he's yummy).

Anyway, he's going into great detail about how Andy's obviously been working on his stomach because it's like a 6 pack and how good he looks all sweaty and how hot he is, etc etc etc...

Then he pauses.

Sitting next to him? USA Network.

The person sitting in front of him? Roddick's coach.

HEE!

Made my day.

As for rain delays: you would think that with the frequency with which rain delays happen at the Open that they would have put together a highlight reel or some of the best players best moments. Like compilations of the best of Chris, the best of Martina and Steffi, the best of Connors, McEnroe etc....whip out a new "best of" or "classic moments" during each rain delay rather than the same, stale "Connors/Krickstein" and "Seles/Capriati", and "Navratilova/Graf".

Hee! That's great.

Here's an article that echoes some of my sentiments about Roddick vs. Federer.

I hope the rumors that Roddick and Sharapova dating are false. Both of them are showcased enough as it is -- this would make them like the "it" couple in tennis and would just draw them more attention.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I thought that Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters were adorable together. The other day I saw a picture of them hugging and kissing from when he won the US Open and it was just so cute. *Sigh* Well, that's definitley over now.

I think Dementieva is the best looking women's tennis player, not Sharapova.

I think it's Patty Schnyder. Seriously, ignore the frizzy hair and look at her face. She's cute!

I find Sharapova attractive. I think a lot of people tune in to see her, so I don't blame broadcasters for fawning over her. I also think Daniela Hantuchova is attractive, a lot more so than Dementieva.

She's cute and all, but that's taking way too skinny to a whole new level. Thank God she's gotten a little bigger, because her hip bones used to be lethal weapons.

I thought Sharapova had something going on with Ferrero. I'm not that old, but I'm old enough that her being barely legal is a big turnoff.

Wait, USA showed Roddick practicing with his shirt off? My sister makes me get her every time that Roddick comes on and she's like flipping out that I made her miss him.

blackwing, I totally agree with you on Hantuchova. I don't even care about the tennis when she's on. I only wish Ashley Harkelroad's game was better.

So do I. I've seen her from a distance and, no, she's not byyyyoootiful! but what I don't think comes off well on the TV screen is her height (6'2") and presence. She's really rather stunning.

I missed Roddick practicing shirtless? Damn. I like seeing the hot players all shirtless and hot. Yes I am articulate arent I.

I think Roger's cute but not the best looking male player, ditto with Sharapova, however both of them are attractive.

I think the majority of the men's players are fairly attractive though:James Blake, Marat Safin, Feliciano Lopez, Andy Roddick, Tim Henman, mmmmMax Mirnyi, Tommy Hass, etc. Hell, even Andy Murray's cute.

As for women? I'm going to go with Hantuchova, although again hey, as a straight woman...most of them are hot.

Did the announcers say anything today regarding Justin Gimelstob's comments on the women's tour? If not, can someone please direct me to a site that explains the basis for his comments (since it's off-topic here)? Thanks.

They didn't show Roddick shirtless that I remember. BTW, I forgot to comment on this:

He might have a 6 pack, but it's hidden by a layer of fat. He uses his shirt to wipe his face a lot in matches and I've never seen any kind of noticeable definition there. Just sayin'.

No one mentioned Gimelstob's comments, but that's completely understandable since he didn't play today. Anyway, here's the link again. BTW, there's a new entry.

As a straight guy, I have to say I don't agree with the poster who said Jan-Michael Gambill isn't attractive. Anyway, it was nice to see him playing again (albeit in a loss).

I think Dementieva is definitely beautiful, I also think Ana Ivanovic is beautiful too, although a little on the young side like Maria.

As for the guys, I gotta agree about James Blake and Marat Safin.

Maria and Andre looked good today. A friend of mine said that Serena brought her dog onto the court with her, is this true? I love Serena, but a dog and expensive diamond earings that end up all over the court? That doesn't sound like focus to me.

$40,000 earings my ass!

I was wondering if something could explain something to me. When that Ted guy was interviewing Serena after her win this morning, he referred to her $40,000 or (or in that ballpark) earrings. Then he said that those earrings cost more than Serena's opponent had made in her entire career.

Serena replied (what do you say to that?) "Well, you've gotta have the bling." The crowd booed loudly. I couldn't figure out whether they were booing Serena's response or Ted's comment (which was kind of asinine.) Serena recovered nicely by saying that her opponent was only 16, and that when she herself was 16, she didn't even have $5,000 to her name. The audience seemed respond favourably.

Any thoughts on what was going on there?

Dementieva is really, really pretty. And she has got got legs, I wish my legs looked like hers. I am sure that a lot of people find Maria attractive, but she doesn't do it for me.

And Marat is definitely yummy. But I think Federer is hot, in a way that I just can't describe. There is just something about him.

And he plays tomorrow morning, and I have to miss it because of work! Gah.

They were booing that stupid question (and it was Michael IIRC). Serena said something like "that was rude" (but with a laugh).

Lindsay Davenport responds to Gimelstob's moronic wailings:


SI will be loving this though - having the comments picked up by other news outlets is the perfect scenario for them, whatever the reasons for it.