Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- I found this story amusing and the fact it happened in France of all place. Do they even have deodorant there? I kid.

- From the archives: The kings and queen are royals but what's a jack?

- Heh Heh (HT View from Lady Lake)

- The Letitia James story explained. She's in a lot of trouble.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Douglas Murray: We should be thankful the future is in Trump's hands - not Harris's. Amen!

- Reminder that Jimmy Stewart was a real-life Mr. Roberts (except he flew bombers and wasn't in the Navy).

- A time for Quaestors? Yes!

- Roger Federer's post to Raphael Nadal. More than a week old but new to me.

Greatest Tennis Photo Ever?

From this year's Wimbledon (or maybe Romper Room?). Photo Via 

Good for the WTA

I Stand with Peng Shuai

I stand with Peng Shuai. Communism is evil!

Is the Australian Open in Question?

Leaked emails reveal twists in the Australian Open vaccine drama. Supposedly nobody who wasn't "double vaxxed" would be allowed into the country but now it looks like some exceptions may be made. 

World Number One Novak Djokovic has not revealed his vaccine status (good for him) and his participation may be in question. And why would a person of Djokovic's stature and accomplishment want to quarantine himself for 14-days in a hotel as the exceptions require? If Djokovic and others decline to participate or are not allowed to participate - the winners of the Australian Open should have a huge asterixis next to their names in the record books.

If I were in Djokovic's shoes - I'd hold a competing tournament at the same time as the Australian Open and hold it in one of the Nordic countries that has completely removed all COVID restrictions. I'd sell the TV rights to this competing tourney and use those funds to pay the participants.  The IFT (International Tennis Federation) should question why Australia has one of the four tennis major tourney's in the first place. Open up a competition to replace Australia and generate so much more exposure and interest for the sport. Australia has no one to blame but themselves. Going forward the Australian Open should be relegated to the status of a local tourney and nothing more.

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- EB White on "The Meaning of Democracy"

- VDH: The Cruel Progressive Creed Undoing Civilization

- How Roger Federer became the first $1 billion tennis player

- Glenn Greenwald on Biden's bombing of Syria

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

RIP Bud Collins. To me he was tennis. Wimbledon just wasn't Wimbledon without him. That said I think the McEnroe brothers are ready to take up his mantle as far as TV duties are concerned. However, it will never be the same as tennis will never be as popular again as it was during Collins' heyday...  Heh heh... OK - I'll say it! Both Holly Holm and Miesha Tate have very nice butts. And both could kick my ass... Jeez - maybe Keanu Reeves really is John Wick... Just because I make the observations that all incarnations of Wonder Woman have had large breasts and shaven arm pits doesn't make me a misogynist... Hmmm - the Celtics made a run at the Bulls' Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline? Just as interesting is the fact that this has been leaked. It wasn't by the Celtics so it was either the Bulls or Butler's camp. Interesting... A Pizza Night Light? Yes please!... Just as a fantasy baseball reminder - any time this spring that Peter Gammons writes "Player X is healthy and on a mission" - avoid that player like the plague... Supposedly Douglas MacArthur didn't spend a single night in Korea during the entire duration of the war. Can that really be true?...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

"Teacher says that every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." Did Zuzu from It's a Wonderful Life write the ending to the finale of the Sopranos? Did my cable go out for a few seconds and I missed the ending? Did David Chase film several endings but then forget to splice in the one he wanted to use? I think the only finale to a long running show that actually worked well was the ending to the second Newhart show where Bob ends up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette and the whole bed and breakfast thing in Vermont was a dream... This is a funny commercial that will never be aired on TV... When I was growing up men's tennis was a big deal. Now its unwatchable. A big serve and maybe one volley if you are lucky. That's just plain boring. It used to be you'd have a volley that went back and forth several times. The equipment is probably as much to blame as anything. I wonder if tennis went back to wood rackets if the excitement could return? As far as the women are concerned - Justine Henin just won her third straight French Open and when I saw highlights I realized that I had never heard of Justine Henin before (and I consider myself a sports fan)... Apropo of the Sopranos ending last night - today is Tony Suck's birthday...