NBA pregame, Gerry Webber Open, and new TV show, King & Maxwell

Posted on June 11, 2013 by admin

Well, what can I say, been one of those days…so how about a little bit of this and a little bit of that?  Let’s start with some tennis news.  The Gerry Webber Open is under way in Halle, Germany.  Yesterday, Roger Federer (age 31) and Tommy Haas (age 35) teamed up for a bit of doubles competition.  They lost in two sets, 6 – 7, 4 – 6, but hey, it was fun to watch the “old” guys give it a go.  You could tell they were having fun (and that is important!) but also it was apparent they were sort of out there throwing it all together as communication was lacking on some points.  A couple of times they both found themselves side by side swinging at the ball together, not exactly the way competitive doubles tennis is supposed to be played at the ATP level!  Anyhow, it was fun to watch, Mirka had the twin girls with her in the stands, watching Daddy do his “job”.  Also, great to see Fed and Tommy Haas playing together as they both came onto the tennis circuit at the same time and have “grown up” together and are great friends.  Again, let’s hear it for the “old guys”!  Tomorrow, serious action gets underway and Federer will face Stede of Germany in his first round match.

Moving on…game three of the NBA finals tonight from San Antonio.  The series is tied at 1-1 and have to expect and hope that the Spurs are going to come out strong in the first game on their home floor.  One of the better offshoots of the NBA finals is the Jimmy Kimmel pregame show before each of the NBA finals.  Tonight he had the cast of the latest installment of the Grown Ups movie franchise, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James.  I have to say, that is five funny dudes (I am of course including Jimmy in that analysis!!).

Finally, new TV show premiered last night on TNT…King and Maxwell.  It was pretty entertaining!  It stars John Tenney (ex-husband of Terri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives) and Rebecca Romijn (gorgeous).  They play private detectives who sort of stumble their way through solving crimes (Tenney’s character is a former lawyer).  They both have some skeletons in their closet and they have a nice chemistry.  Not a bad first show in my opinion.  Still think Motive is the best new offering I have seen so far and it will return on ABC after the NBA finals conclude on Thursdays at 9:00 pm EST.  I am also looking forward to the return of Unforgettable with Poppy Montgomery, set to begin it’s summer season on June 30th.

That is it for today, so for now…let’s watch some basketball!


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Not even close…Heat over Spurs in game 2, 103 – 84

Posted on June 10, 2013 by susan

A tale of two games in the NBA finals, game one vs. game two.  In game one, the Spurs were almost flawless, only four turnovers for the entire game.  Tony Parker and Tim Duncan were at their best.  Last night, game two was a very different story with a very different outcome.  The Spurs committed seventeen turnovers, and were blown out in Miami by the Heat, 103 – 84.  Parker had 13 points, Tim Duncan had 9 points and 11 rebounds.  LeBron James had 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Heat who were led by Mario Chalmers with 19 points.  The Heat led 80 – 65, then 91-67  in the fourth before eventually going on to the the 103 – 84 victory, with the Spurs starting five sitting on the bench watching.  The Spurs were actually hanging around, even in the lead, then Miami blew the game wide open with an unbelievable 33 – 5 run in the second half.  Especially unbelievable given how good this Spurs’ defense is and how well they have  played, especially in the postseason.   So, series tied at 1-1.  Spurs did manage to steal one in Miami, and now we had to San Antonio for game three on Tuesday night.  Will the Spurs win both games at home?  If they do, can they then eventually claim the NBA title?  Or, will Miami get at least one in San Antonio and make this a six, even seven game series with an eventual “repeat”?   Hard to imagine the Spurs dropping both games in San Antonio.

Stay tuned…this NBA finals series is going to get better and better!  (On a personal note…Go Spurs!)


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Firestone 500 from Texas – Indy Racing

Posted on June 9, 2013 by admin

Izod Indy Race series continued last night from Fort Worth, Texas….an oval race!!  Firestone 500 was on ABC last night as this open wheel series returned to the race format that makes it so exciting, oval race track competition!  Helio Castroneves was the winner and also took over sole possession of first place in the points race.  Second was Ryan Hunter-Reay, third place finisher was Tony Kanaan (popular race car driver who just won the Indy 500 for the first time!), fourth place went to Ed Carpenter, fifth place finisher was Marco Andretti and finally, sixth place went to my guy, Dario Franchitti.  (The “other” guy, Will Power, came in seventh, and Dario’s teammate, Scott Dixon did not finish).

Nice to see the guys back out racing on the ovals, but still not a good year for Dario Franchitti, or Chip Ganassi Race Team for that matter.  Next up, June 15th from Milwaukee.


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Firestone 500 from Texas – Indy Racing

Posted on June 9, 2013 by susan

Izod Indy Race series continued last night from Fort Worth, Texas….an oval race!!  Firestone 500 was on ABC last night as this open wheel series returned to the race format that makes it so exciting, oval race track competition!  Helio Castroneves was the winner and also took over sole possession of first place in the points race.  Second was Ryan Hunter-Reay, third place finisher was Tony Kanaan (popular race car driver who just won the Indy 500 for the first time!), fourth place went to Ed Carpenter, fifth place finisher was Marco Andretti and finally, sixth place went to my guy, Dario Franchitti.  (The “other” guy, Will Power, came in seventh, and Dario’s teammate, Scott Dixon did not finish).

Nice to see the guys back out racing on the ovals, but still not a good year for Dario Franchitti, or Chip Ganassi Race Team for that matter.  Next up, June 15th from Milwaukee.


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Nadal makes history..wins 8th French Open!

Posted on June 9, 2013 by admin

Rafael Nadal made history today in Paris, winning his 8th French Open title.  It is an incredible feat, especially when you consider that he missed seven months from the sport with a serious knee injury and only returned to competitive action this past spring.  He has only lost one match ever at the French Open (to Robin Soderling in 2009, the year Roger Federer won his only French Open title).  Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer with ease, 6 – 3, 6 – 2, 6 – 3.  It was a bit anticlimactic after the exciting semifinal match between Djokovic and Nadal which lasted five sets with Nadal winning in the fifth set, 9 – 7.  Also disappointing for Ferrer who reached his first ever final of a Grand Slam tournament.  Still, to beat Rafa on clay is almost impossible.  He is so strong and with that loopy lefty forehand he hits with such incredible strength and power along with his superb movement, well that is why he is the King of Clay.  He is the only man to win ANY Grand Slam title 8 times (Roger Federer has won Wimbledon seven times).  The match was played under cool conditions, with some intermittent rain and was marred by a shirtless protestor who took to the court with a lit flare.  Both players were startled, especially Nadal as he was at the end of the court that the fellow was running towards.  The security team quickly nabbed him and put out the flare but it took a little time for the players to regroup from the interruption.  Once they did, Nadal continued to roll, right on to his record setting title.  Congrats to Rafa!  He will not be playing in next week’s grass court tournament in Halle (Gerry Webber Open) so we will have to wait until Wimbledon (June 24th) to see Nadal in action again.

Ironically, David Ferrer will be ranked #4 in the world rankings which come out on Monday, and Rafa will drop to #5.  Doesn’t seem logical but it all has to do with points accumulated and points defended?  The long layoff for Rafa is, of course, a huge factor.  Will be interesting to see how it affects the seedings for Wimbledon.

 

 

 


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Serena Williams wins second French Open title

Posted on June 8, 2013 by admin

Serena Williams won her second French Open title today, exactly eleven years to the day from winning her first (over sister Venus in 2003) with a 6 – 4, 6 -4 victory over last year’s champion, Maria Sharapova.  Serena is just the most dominant athlete in women’s tennis.  No doubt about it.  Sharapova was good, Serena was great!  Williams sealed the deal in the second set with an ace, her 10th of the match.  She has a French coach (also her boyfriend)  and maintains an apartment in Paris now.  She gave her acceptance speech in French (as she has been doing after each of her victories at this year’s tournament) and seems to have endeared herself to the French crowd.  In year’s past, they have not really pulled for her.  This victory surely erases the bitter taste of last year’s first round loss for Serena.  She is now the holder of 16 Grand Slam titles and at the age of 31, appears to be as strong as ever, perhaps in the best shape of her life.  She is the clear favorite headed into Wimbledon in a couple of weeks.  I am not much of a Sharapova fan, so I was glad to see Serena get the victory.  Maria was certainly more gracious today in defeat than I have seen her be before, perhaps realizing she was just over matched as Serena has owned her in their most recent head to head encounters.

The Bryan Brothers of the USA won their record setting 14th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating Llodra and Mahut of France in two tough sets.  Also, Nadal, who will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in tomorrow’s men’s final (Rafa will be going for French Open title #8!), announced he would not play in next week’s Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.  This tournament is a tune up on grass courts before Wimbledon.  That leaves Roger Federer as the favorite to win his 6th title at Halle.

Should Nadal win tomorrow (and I do expect him to do so), he will surpass Vilas and Federer for most career wins at the French Open.  Coverage will begin at 9:00 am EST on NBC.


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Tiger Woods, Rory Mcilroy, and Adam Scott to begin play at US Open next week

Posted on June 7, 2013 by susan

Very interesting pairing for the first round of next week’s US Open Golf Championship announced today.  Tiger Woods, (#1), Rory Mcilroy (#2) and Adam Scott (winner of the 2013 Masters).  Doesn’t get much better than that.  Tiger and Rory really seem to enjoy each other.  I have to wonder how much Stevie Williams, former caddie for Tiger, now carrying the bag for Adam Scott, will enjoy this group.  Stevie has had a difficult time keeping his mouth shut, which he really should, and wonder how Tiger and he will interact, if they will at all.  Knowing how Tiger conducts himself, have to expect he will act like Williams is not even there.  Still, should make for a great opening round of golf, and perhaps some drama!


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No surprises…Nadal and Ferrer advance to French Open final

Posted on June 7, 2013 by admin

No real surprises today, at least not to me.  Rafael Nadal will play for his 8th French Open title on Sunday in the men’s final.  He advanced today in a four and a half hour five set match over world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, 6 – 4, 3 – 6, 6 – 1, 6 – 7, 9 – 7.  They are calling it an “epic” match.  It was another great match between these two, but I don’t know about epic.  After all, one set was 6 – 1?  I just think it was Nadal doing what Nadal does, winning on the red clay in Paris.  He is now 58 – 1 on the courts at Roland Garros.  Djokovic did not look to be at the top of his game to start the match, but to his credit, he rallied and made it one heck of a match.  But there have been many epic battles here and and at other Grand Slams throughout the years.  This was another great match between the King of Clay (Rafa) and the current world no 1 Djokovic.  Have to expect Nadal to add yet another French Open title to his collection on Sunday.  He will face fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, the pit bull, the energizer bunny, the thirty one year old player who just keeps on coming!!  (First Grand Slam final for Ferrer!)  Still, Nadal owns him.  Ferrer took out French hopeful, J. Tsonga (who took out Federer in three sets in the quarterfinals, still not happy about that!), 6 – 1, 7 – 6. 6- 2.  Very disappointing performance by Tsonga who was looking to become the first Frenchman to win the French Open in thirty years.  Disappointing for both Tsonga and the French crowd.

Women’s final between Sharapova and Serena Williams is on tomorrow, the men’s final on Sunday.  Predictions…Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal.  We shall see if I called it right?


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No surprises…Nadal and Ferrer advance to French Open final

Posted on June 7, 2013 by susan

No real surprises today, at least not to me.  Rafael Nadal will play for his 8th French Open title on Sunday in the men’s final.  He advanced today in a four and a half hour five set match over world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, 6 – 4, 3 – 6, 6 – 1, 6 – 7, 9 – 7.  They are calling it an “epic” match.  It was another great match between these two, but I don’t know about epic.  After all, one set was 6 – 1?  I just think it was Nadal doing what Nadal does, winning on the red clay in Paris.  He is now 58 – 1 on the courts at Roland Garros.  Djokovic did not look to be at the top of his game to start the match, but to his credit, he rallied and made it one heck of a match.  But there have been many epic battles here and and at other Grand Slams throughout the years.  This was another great match between the King of Clay (Rafa) and the current world no 1 Djokovic.  Have to expect Nadal to add yet another French Open title to his collection on Sunday.  He will face fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, the pit bull, the energizer bunny, the thirty one year old player who just keeps on coming!!  (First Grand Slam final for Ferrer!)  Still, Nadal owns him.  Ferrer took out French hopeful, J. Tsonga (who took out Federer in three sets in the quarterfinals, still not happy about that!), 6 – 1, 7 – 6. 6- 2.  Very disappointing performance by Tsonga who was looking to become the first Frenchman to win the French Open in thirty years.  Disappointing for both Tsonga and the French crowd.

Women’s final between Sharapova and Serena Williams is on tomorrow, the men’s final on Sunday.  Predictions…Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal.  We shall see if I called it right?


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How about the Spurs! Defeat Miami in game one, 92-88

Posted on June 7, 2013 by admin

How about the Spurs.  They go to Miami and defeat the Heat in game one of the NBA finals, 92 – 88.  Inspite of Lebron James’ triple double, the Spurs were too much for the Heat, simply superb.  The defense was outstanding, especially in the fourth period.  They outscored the Heat in the 4th period, 23 – 16 and only had four turnovers for the entire game.  Tony Parker was a man on a mission with 21 points, 10 points in the 4th period.  The shot over LeBron with the shot clock running down was phenomenal.  Tim Duncan had 20 points.  The Heat struggled from the free point line and just could not overcome the smothering defense thrown at them by the Spurs.  Quite a performance by the “old guys”.  Ray Allen of the Heat tossed in three 3 points shots but it was not enough, even along with LeBron, Bosh and Wade.  The Spurs look like a team that could take down the Heat.  Still, statistics show that the winner of game one has gone on to lose the series. But hey, that is the past, this is the present.  This Spurs team has fantastic players and a fantastic coach.  It was their seventh straight playoff victory and they are 7 -1 on the road in playoff games this season.  Do not count them out.  They just might make the magic happen and unseat the Heat!  GO SPURS!

(I am a Lakers fan, but if not LA, I am pulling for the  Spurs!)  Game two is Sunday night from Miami on ABC.


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