Golf, PGA Tour, Sports, Tennis, US Open

If I Hadn’t Heard It I Wouldn’t Have Believed It Can We Have An Analyst Out There Who Actually Knows Something About The Sport They Cover ?


If I Hadn’t Heard It I Wouldn’t Have Believed It Can We Have An Analyst Out There Who Actually Knows Something About The Sport They Cover ?

Is it me but are the so called pundits and analysts covering sports as knowledgeable as they make themselves out to be or just complete assholes for want of a better word ? For months now we’ve heard that Tiger Woods’ place atop of the world rankings in golf is in imminent danger but to date that simply has yet to happen. Both Steve Stricker and Phil Mickeson have had the chance to supplant Woods at the top of the rankings. Instead we’ve seen both players seemingly melt like butter on a hot knife. As we all know that in spite of Woods’ off the course problems and a rather lackluster season we’ve yet to see any of the players amongst the top ten rankings mount a serious challenge to Woods’ decade long reign at the top of the world rankings. But yet we hear the continued talk that Woods’ place at the top is now at an end. Well until the likes of Mickelson, Stricker or Lee Westwood for that matter show that they have the wherewithal to supplant Woods then can we have these idiots simply shut the hell up ?

Stricker needed to finish no worse than fourth to supplant the world number one and Mickelson for all of his success this season has simply proven that being number one isn’t as important to him as being loved by the adoring public. The Deutsche Bank Championship the second of four tournaments of the Fedex Cup playoff system has shown that the PGA Tour’s playoff system though not the most desirable formats out there has become something of a token gesture. At the same time it shows how devoid the season becomes once they have been played. Mundane and meaningless tournaments scheduled to create interest in a sport where unless Woods is center stage then the game itself becomes something of a meaningless spectacle. PGA Tour chairman Tim Finchem knows this to be true much as in the same way NASCAR knows that their Sprint Cup format has brought about as much interest as flies hovering around fecal matter or the carcass and entrails of a dead animal.

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And now with the Ryder Cup now approaching in October and to to be held at the Celtic Manor Golf & CC in Newport, Wales. The US Ryder Cup team with Woods onboard as a captain’s pick will have its work cut out for them when they face an experienced European Ryder Cup team captained by Colin Montgomerie . The Scots man’s opposing number Corey Pavin goes in with a US team with only one player on there that actually has a winning record within the Ryder Cup format. So on paper things don’t appear to bode well for the team but as we know games aren’t played on paper but on the field of play. So as they say anything can happen and so let the games begin, as they no doubt will.

Woods’ season as we know has been subpar even by his own lofty standards for which the vast majority of the players on the Tour they would be extremely happy with. But as we know Woods himself has been twice a winner of the Fedex Cup playoff format . The only other recipient of the $10 million annuity payout has been Vijay Singh . Less we forget that this format has only been in existent for three years and it now enters its fourth year. Somehow this all appears to be lost on the commentators covering the sport of golf. Granted, the game is all about what have you done lately but considering the likes of Stricker and Mickelson combined haven’t amassed the total victories of Woods on the PGA Tour worldwide. Can one surmise that until either golfer has actually shown that they have desire to dethrone Woods from atop of the ranking the fact of the matter is he is still the world’s top golfer even if his present form doesn’t show it ?. An eleventh place finish in the Deutsche Bank championship would suggest that Tiger Woods might be back on track but until victories are back with a consistent regularity the truth is he remains number one and the challengers out there are either going to have to play catch up or simply let the status quo remain as it is .

There’s no doubt about it but the days of US dominance within men’s tennis is now over. There hasn’t been a male winner of a Grand Slam singles’ title in over seven years. And with the failure of Andy Roddick to make it beyond the third round imply shows how dire the situation has now become for USTA . Praise and hype was heaped upon John Isner’s monumental Wimbledon feat in his match against Nicholas Mahut. But t the end of the day Isner’s Wimbledon heroics simply petered out against his next opponent. Teenager Ryan Harrison now remains the US men’s sole hope in at the US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York. The Billy Jean King National Tennis Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium is the main venue for the finals of the last remaining Grand Slam tournament of the season.

While there’s no doubt that the popularity of the men’s game has been on the wane here in the United States the rest of the world has seen the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the men’s game. The two between them have won simply dominated the ATP Tour and have made the game all the more appealing for the fans worldwide. And in terms of sportsmanship the two have made that their mantra and it is a welcome pleasure for the fans.

Now say what you will about the state of the men’s game here in the US but if the country’s greatest claim that the Davis Cup international men’s team competition is of vital importance as to the popularity the sport. If the country’s sole hope in men’s tennis is now wrapped itself around a meaningless team tournament then it suggests that the fans haven’t really a great deal to be entirely happy about. Andy Roddick now remains a lost cause and the likes of Sam Querrey and Isner are seen as the young US lions on the rise within the sport. It gives us food for thought as to where the game is now heading and how the USTA will go about making it their top priority to have US males rise amongst the rankings and be counted amongst the elite of the game. Spain now remains a dominant force in the men’s game having Nadal as the top ranked player at the US Open as well atop of the ATP men’s rankings . The country also has a ten players ranked inside the top 100 in the world and if that’s not enough to suggest how dominant they have become . It shows how far and dire the state of US men’s tennis has become and the lack of talent being developed in the lower echelons of the sport. However you’d be hard pressed to hear the likes of John or Patrick McEnroe and Mary Carillo suggest that US men’s tennis is in dire need of resuscitation. They simply rally around whatever might take their fancy at a given moment and make that their rallying cause-celebre and rallying cry of the moment. Simply wishing it to be so rather than facing the realities are entirely two different things. Unfortunately the days of McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and their successors in Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are long gone and it it may well be several years before we see a US male player of their profound talents rise to dominate the game in the way that they’d done.

These are now lean times for the USTA and in particular for the state of US men’s tennis. It seems highly unlikely that we’ll see US male crowned champion at the tournament in Flushing , New York. Whereas on the women’s side Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki it would appear are on a collision course to meet in the women’s singles finals. But that is very much predicated upon what happens over the next four days and should the two top ranked players meet as predicted in those finals. The two have been playing a consistently high level and their play so far in the tournament has given us every reason to believe that should the two meet in those finals the fans could be in for an exhilarating spectacle.

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Picture gallery for your perusal.

If as an avid sport’s fan how do you see the state of golf on the PGA Tour and that of Woods’ plight ? Do you ultimately see Tiger Woods being dethroned from atop of the rankings ? And in men’s tennis where do you see the state of US men’s tennis as it now stands ?Will there be a US male winning a Grand Slam tournament within the next five years or do you see it taking ultimately longer than that ? Do you tend to find the on air analysts far too opinionated and condescending for your liking ? If so which of them gives you the impression that they simply are way in over their heads and why ?

NB: Both Ryan Wilson and Sam Querrey the sole surviving players from the second and third rounds have been knocked out of the singles competition at the US Open. This has been the first time that this has happened where the country hasn’t had a male representative in the quarter finals of the competition since 1999. Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams are seeded number’s 1 & 2 in the women’s singles at the US Open.

For up to date results at the US Open click on the link shown. Results & news ….

Alan aka tophatal …………………… 🙂

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Tammy

Video vixen Tammy Torres

Sports, Tennis, US Open

The Hopes of A Nation Rests Upon Your Shoulders ………


The  US  Open   tennis  championships   have   begun  and    there’s   the  belief   now   that  should    the  US men   be  unable   to  acquit  themselves   well   throughout  these   championships. Then  the  domestic  program  of   the USTA   will   have   to  be  revisited   and  any   questions   arising    out  of  their  investigations  will  have to  be  addressed. 

 

  Andy Roddick (R) of the US shakes hands with Fabrice Santoro of France after their first round match at the US Open tennis tournament on August 27, 2008 in Flushing Meadows, NY. Roddick won in straight sets.       AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Andy  Roddick  congratulates   Fabrice  Santoro of France  having   won in  a  straights  set   victory 6-2,6-2,6-2   in  the  first   round   of   the   men’s  singles   tournament of   the  US  Open  at  Flushing   Meadows in  New  York.  picture  appears   courtesy of  afp/getty  images/Don  Emmert  ………….. 

 At   the  National   Tennis  Center   in  Flushing   New  York  home   to  the  championships.  The  tennis   itself    will  be   a  spectacle    for  even  the   most  ardent   of   fans .   And   their   expectations   of    homegrown   win  will   rest    soundly   upon  the  shoulders  of    the  country’s  top   two  male   players   James   Blake   and   Andy  Roddick.  Both   are   ranked   amongst  the   top   10  in  the  ATP  rankings  and  a   domestic   win    by   either   will   go  a  long  way   in restoring   some   cedibility   to  the  men’s   game   domestically.

 

Andy Roddick, of the United States, stretches to return to Fabrice Santoro, of France, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008.

Roddick   at  full   stretch   returns   a  forehand    to  Santoro    during   the   first   round   of   their   singles’  match.  picture  appears   courtesy  of   ap/photo/Elise   Amendola ……………

Blake  had  a  marginally  successful   tournament    at   the   Beijing  Olympics.  He    was  able   to  defeat   former    world   #1   Roger   Federer    in  the  men’s  singles   tournament.   His   biggest    singles’ victory  of   the  year   thus   far.     The   men’s   singles   event   at   Flushing   Meadows  in  New  York    hasn’t   been   won   by   an  American    since    Andy   Roddick   raised    the  trophy  in  2003   his   sole   Grand  Slam   tournament    won. 

Blake    raises   his  arms    aloft     having    just  secured   a   hard   fought    five  set  thrilling   victory   over   former   world   junior   # 1  ranked   player   Donald  Young.  picture  appears   courtesy  of   ap/photo/ Elise   Amendola  ………..

James  Blake   for   his   part   has   never   really    fulfilled    his   abilities   despite   his    undoubted   talent  as  a  player.  Long   thought of  as   the  player   most  likely   to   take  over    the  mantle   left   by   Pete   Sampras as  the  premiere   player   of   his  era.  But   this   was  never    the   case  as   Blake’s   career   waylaid     by   a  series   of    injuries   that   would’ve  curtailed   the   career  of a  lesser    player.  Back   and    playing    somewhat  inconsistently      Blake   has  seen    something  of   a  renaissance   in  his  career.   In  the   first  round    he  had to   battle    to  beat   former US   teenage   phenom  Donald  Young    in  a   five   set   battle   6-1,3-6, 6-1,4-6,6-4.  

Ninth   seed   James   Blake   of  the   US  returns  a   backhand   to   his    opponent    Donald   Young   his   fellow  countryman    in  the   first   round   of  the     US   Men’s  Open  at    Flushing   Meadow  in  New  York.   picture appears   courtesy  of     ap/photo/Elise  Amendola  …………..

And  whilst    there  are   seveal    other   US  male   competitors   within    the    tournament.  It  is  to   Blake  and   Roddick    that   the   fans  will  be   looking   to   in  order   to   see   of    an   American   male  can  once    again   bring   back   some   luster   to  the  game   domestically.  

Andy Roddick returns a shot against Fabrice Santoro of France during Day 3 of the 2008 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2008 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.  (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Roddick    returns   a   backhand   to   his   opponent     Fabrice   Santoro   during   their   first   round  match  of   the men’s   singles   tournament.   picture  appears   courtesy  of  getty   images/  Matthew  Stockman …………………..

At   present   it’d    appear  to be    just  a   two   horse    race   for    the  major   Grand  Slam    tournaments    with  the   last   two   Grand  Slam   tournaments    having    been   won   by   Spain’s   Rafael   Nadal .   Who   in  defeating   Switzerland’s     Roger  Federer   at  Roland  Garros   for the   French  Open  and   finally    debunking  the   myth  that    Federer  was  unbeatable   at  Wimbledon    by   defeating   him   there  also.    In  achieving  this   and     with   his    gold   medal  win   at  the  Olympics .   Nadal    wrestled   away   the   number   #1 ranking   on  the  men’s  ATP Tour. 

Spain's Rafael Nadal returns a backhand to Germany's Bjorn Phau at the 2008 US Open in New York. Reigning Olympic champions Nadal and Elena Dementieva have started their US Opens having faced stiff challenges from unseeded challengers.

Newly   anointed    world    #1   Rafael   Nadal    returns    a   double   handed   backhand   in  the  first  round  against  Germany’s Bjorn  Phau.  Nadal    won  his  match    7-6(7-4),6-3,7-6(7-4)  in   straight  sets  finding   very   little   opposition   from  his  opponent.   picture   appears courtesy  of    ap/photo/Elise  Amendola  ……………..  

And   as   much   as   we’ve    all    wanted    the  existence   of  a   rivalry     on  the  men’s   tour   to    create  the  interest    we   once    enjoyed    when    Agassi  ,   McEnroe   ,  Lendl   and  Sampras    graced  the   courts .     Nadal   and    Federer    has    provided    that  and     a  great   deal   more .    Nadal   has   now proved   to   be    the   thorn    in  the   side   of  Federer .   And    Federer    for    his  part  must   now   question     whether    or    not    he  has  the  ability    and   the  intestinal    fortitude  to    chase   after    tennis   immortality  and   surpass    Pete   Sampras’    slam   record   of    14  singles’  tournament   victories.

Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot against Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, on August 26, in New York City. Federer won 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

Roger  Federer   returns   a  crosscourt  forehand   against   his    first   round   opponent Maximo   Gonzalez  of   Argentina.   Feder   won  his   match   in   straight   sets  6-3,6-0,6-3 .  picture  appears   courtesy  of   afp/getty  images/ Andy   Lyons  ……………   

Federer’s    nemesis    now   in  the   guise   of    Nadal   has   provided    him   with  an  adversary     that   demands   his  complete   attention   now   on  any  surface   that   they  meet.   No   longer   does   Federer  has   the  comfort    grass   as   his   his    own   personal   domain.     Nadal   for   his   part    has    proven  himself   more   than   adequate   now   on   all   surfaces.  In   securing   his    first   Wimbledon   grasscourt title  and  with   four  slam    titles   to    his    resume’.  It  can     be  said   that    Nadal    can   no  longer   be    described   as  one   trick    pony    whose  comfortable   on the clay   courts  alone.     If  anything    he’s    now   proving   himself   to  be  equally   adept    on  all   surfaces.  And   this  will   test    Federer’s   resolve    now    as   he   embarks   upon   surpassing   Sampras’    record  and  supplant   him    as  the   greatest   player   of   the  modern   era   .  If   not   the    best   male   player   of alltime.

abritishman  …………