Well if David Nalbandian could just win one GS title before he retires

That would make my day full stop

In my eyes he should have had a least 2 by now.

Tiger says that he will take an indefinite leave from golf, it'sall so sad.

Wish List:

1. Calendar year GS for Federer. But, realistically, I think 2 of the 4 would be nice. Oddly, if he could only get 1 I want it to be the FO so he will have one them all at least 2x.

2. Henin AO to start her comeback right / Wimbledon to complete career GS.

3. Sharapova FO to complete career GS / + USO.

4. Wickmayer to be unbanned and not miss any slams because of her punishment.

5. Azarenka in Top 5.

6. Gilles and Marin to win a few tournies.

oooh AM, I would LOVE for Nalby to win a slam too. At least get to a final (has he ever been to a GS final? I think the closest he's gotten is the semis, but I also think I'm wrong...)

Nalby made the Wimbledon final before.

Seeing him at the end of a Slam would be amazing, but I don't want to jinx it by hoping for it. Anyway, it's the Davis Cup that really matters to the big man.

Oooh, and how could I forget to mention that I want Dinara to win a slam in 2010 VERY badly!!!!

I believe that last year I tried to wish for negative things
and that came back to bite me

bad things happened to my favorites
so this year I am only thinking positive

I am not going to wish that Federer would lose like I did last year .
I am going with the positive things. I shall try a positive spin this time around.- like how about JMDP would wax and get two eyebrows ! That Mardy Fish would get real socks for Xmas ? That Andy Roddick will get a shirt that fits him. That Rafa returns Hott Sauce's hair product for all photo shoots and never again has the look he was sporting in the official photo for the WTF this year . That no "16 " jacket makes an appearance this year . ( hmmm - bordering on negative - but whatthe heck) .

mean , mean , mean - but these are positive, right ?

He does sometimes have two eyebrows :)

Gauloises,

LOL! In that case, yeah...Fedal have had their share..their era.

Well for me every player dreams of winning a GS title

I also wish that Marin Cilic would eat a sandwich or eight
I hope Santa puts food in his stocking
That boy looks like he needs to run around in the shower to get wet

and from the side , his physique resembles a putter

more Tiger news - I fear he may never really recover from this shattered image
just goes to show you , we only know what they want us to know about them

before this past week , all I knew about Tiger was he was a great golfer, and he went to Stanford briefly and he was married with two children. Now - we know too much

But I am getting a laugh out of one of the mistresses who is incensed that he was cheating on HER - give me a break - like she has some moral high ground to comment from .

gauloises - yes , sometimes LOL!
so maybe I will wish for a standing appointment with his aesthetician - to keep things that way

"I just detest Nick Satan beyond the power of a thousand suns"

Satan = Saban

Beth,
Be nice to my home state coach. Still upset that he took a share of the title while at LSU in 2004 winning the BCS portion?

Wish WTA list for 2010:
*Competitive Slam finals unlike 2009 when the best match was a Slam SF(Elena vs Serena 2009 Wimbledon)
*Victoria and/or Caroline(for the Fanboys sake) somehow win a Slam which is unlikely due to the Williams Sisters, Belgian ladies, and Maria.
*Serbian ladies being competitive on a weekly basis especially Ana
*Most of all, health of all ladies even though Dinara back is an issue.

Also,

I would wish for one match (not GS) between Dimitrov and Federer.

And please, tennis Gods...do not put Soderling in Federer's half in GS..one of these days, Federer is going to get it from him.

Oh, I dream of watching Marin eating a pie ... Preferably one I've baked for him.

Of course I'd have to learn to bake first. That's the big obstacle standing in the way of this plan.

Beth I hear you

This year and my predications

Just Blah,Blah,Blah.

Ahhh! More work drama. Sorry for disappearing - and now I have to head home ...

Will be back soon-ish!

Just heard on our radio that Tiger is taking time off from the game

Sorry I dont feel sorry for him one bit

My heart goes out to his wife and children

He is a sublime golfer thats it.

Aw, I like Delpo's many imperfections. Gives him character.

Ha, ladyjulia, you really think so? Eventually Soderling should win one just by the laws of averages, but I'd be very surprised if it happened on a Slam. OTOH, I'm very surprised on average about six times a day.

Dmitrov-Federer would be nice ... in fact I'd just like lots of Grisha all over the shop.

And HenKon, of course. A banner year for HenKon very nearly made this list.

I shall wish that gauloises learns to bake - just so she can feed Marin :)

my christmas list is getting long - and it started out so simple

Master Ace - no , will not take it easy on Saban ( Satan) and not peeved because of the shared title . For me - in my household - that was a decent compromise that made all sides of our home happy , sort of
I detest that after winning said title - he dumped LSU faster than a bad prom date for the NFL - then jilted them almost as quickly on his return to college coaching with his tail between his legs . I am not a fan of the follow the money philosophy in coaching - jumping from team to team . Show some loyalty - build a connection with your fans - build a program -( I understand the show me the money thing , but hey - if you win and build a great program - the money will come . Ask Mack Brown )
I imagine that the folks in Cincinnati are feeling that way about Kelly right now - and that the West Virginia faithful are smiling just a wee bit over Rodriguez failures at Michigan .

Gauloises,

Well, Soderling nearly took Federer to a fifth set at USO..this was when Federer was playing quite well.

It won't happen on grass or clay...i think it will most likely be HC.

I can't say the same about Roddick.

Tiger Woods seems to take his marriage seriously now. He could have saved himself all this trouble.

ladyjulia Hoping that Roddicks knee injury is ok now

It will be interesting to see how he goes at the Brisbane Internaional where he is the top seed.

Beth,
Players at Cincinnati were very upset with Kelly going to Notre Dame saying that they made the plays that the coach called. Understand feeling about Saban leaving but so far, Alabama "loves" him especially after 2 unbeaten regular seasons in a row.

I suppose it depends on whether Robin can keep up the form he's had this year - he'll need to build on it, actually.

I really hope he does, he's been so great to watch in 2009.

ladyjulia Sometimes Leopards never change their spots.

I think its good he used his website instead of Oprah to say sorry. His statement says he wants to ask for forgiveness and it may not be possible to repair the damage he has done, but he wants to try.

I think its a good decision on his part to write on his website instead of a tv show.

Well for me Actions speak louder than words

Tiger has lost his credibilty in more ways than one

Master Ace - I read about those kids at Cincinnati . I just feel so bad for them . Their coach leaving them like that -and on the eve of their banquet and what should be their biggest triumph . Real shame

Just be careful trusting Saban - I see him and I think snake in the grass .
He is certainly a great college coach - and Alabama's team is probably a heavy favorite for the title . But I would not trust him as far as I could throw him . He could leave you as easily as he did LSU , if a big offer comes along . You just never know .
But that is sort of the nature with coaches anyway

AM,

But Tiger wouldn't leave Golf unless he really wanted to repair his marriage, no?

Leaving your career is a huge thing..esp. when you are ranked No.1. He could have done this soul-searching years ago and saved his family all that anguish..but now that its done, its best to try and repair it.

Hi Jackie, and everyone,

My wish list is very small and greedy:

For Rafa to get fit and well and stay that way.

For Rafa to win all four GS, but if not, to win the AO (which will make Aussiemarg sob and me along with her!)

To bagel that Swede a few times along the way.

Also, if he can't win all 4 GS, maybe David Ferrer could have one.

For Dinara to heed her doctor's advice and, if fit in time, win the FO or even Wimbledon. (Yes I know it's a tall order!)

For Britain to find some top twenty men, besides Andy Murray.

There, I said it was small and greedy!

Master Ace what chance do you think your boy Ingram has of walking away with the Heisman tomorrow? I'm hoping it goes to anyone whose position does not start with a Q (my vote is for Suh personally)

I hope for the sake of those two little children , that Tiger can repair his image to some extent.
Can you imagine when they are old enough to understand- how those little kids will feel if that is what they hear about their dad ?

He really should have thought about that earlier and acted accordingly .
I think his earning power is seriously diminished. Because for sure he made more money in endorsements than he did winning golf tournaments.
If Michael Phelps lost a bundle for one photo of a bong hit - this guy is going to lose much , much more .

Ladyjulia Well he dosent need the money thats for sure

I really dont know How he can repair it quite frankly

How could you ever trust the man again,I know I couldnt

Trust is the basis for any relationship.Gee my hubby used to work away 6 months at a time on a ship with all men.I never had to question when he was in port what he was doing.

Actually I would love to see Suh win the thing - but I don't think he will
lots of pundits are picking Toby Gerhart of Stanford - he is certainly very deserving , IMO

Lynne I am loving your list lol!

AM - I totally understand about the trust thing
I think it would be hard - but forgiving one "transgression " might be doable

But this - with the multiple mistresses , and in virtually every city around the globe
I don't think I could ever , ever forgive that

Oh and just one last wish for Andy Roddick to be fit and well again.

AM,

I dunno...his statement sounds sincere enough..he says he wants to focus on being a better husband,father and person.

Being No.1 in the world and giving it up cannot be easy, unless he hates the sport. If he is giving it up, it seems he wants to genuinely try.

It won't be fair to Elin..but for hte sake of the children, it seems fair to give the marriage another chance. It would be very hard for Elin though..she may not be able to trust his friends/agent etc in addition to him.

Beth,

I'd love to see Gerhart (or Suh) win it also; I really like the way Toby Gerhart plays . . . old school. Suh certainly the best at his position, by far.

ladyjulia Well if Elin can see past his many transgressions

She is a strong woman thats all I can say

Anyway at the end of the day its a very private matter

What works for them and their children is the most important thing.

ladyjulia - I see where you are coming from
and yes , it is good to try to save the marriage and the family

but let's face it - this guy has sounded "sincere " since he first appeared on the scene.
He had a carefully crafted public image - that has turned out to be a lie
Now - I am not so sure that I can believe this new found "sincerity"

If I am struggling , and I don't know the man - imagine how his poor wife feels

If I were Elin, I wouldn't want Tiger anymore.

This isn't as if he has been unfaithful to her just with one woman - its hoards of them. Just my opinion.

Coby - until last Saturday - I had never seen Suh play
and I was blown away
Singlehandedly ( well with a bit of really crummy clock management ) he almost derailed Texas and their bid for a championship . He was incredibly impressive. But I think he will have to be content with every possible defensive player award known to man .

Gerhart has been really good all year. Every game a 100 yard game . And that in the deepest conference in the nation this year ( Sorry Master Ace - but other than the top 3 or 4 the SEC has not been all that this year :P )
And to make it all even more impressive - Gerhart is taking 21 hours of college courses at Stanford . And not underwater basket weaving and folk dance . His course load is pretty intimidating - with high level math and physics figuring in there . So , if I had a vote - he would get it .

TennisTarkheena,
Ingram chances of winning is pretty good per stiffarmtrophy.com but Suh and Gerhart are picking up steam. Local media is not thrilled with ESPN is hyping up Suh to win it as it reminds them of Woodson winning over Manning years ago.

Beth,

You read my mind on pretty much everything you said. I was just thinking that Gerhart had also taken a very heavy course load this Fall. Also, he had some of his biggest games against the best opponents on their schedule.

True..I wonder if Elin has even read anything from the tabloids. I would think half of it is not true...but that still puts the # of women at 6.

Still, the alternative is an extremely messy divorce. As Tiger says in his statement, the damage may be irreparable..and a temporary tryout to mitigate the circumstances may only be a short term solution. But, atleast its one solution to try out.

Yeah, but Elin must be going through hell and it definitely won't get any easier for her for the rest of her life.

Coby - great minds :)

But , I think any of the young men nominated for the Heisman this year could be awarded the trophy and it would not be a travesty. They have all had great games at one point in the season . McCoy against A&M , Ingram against Florida , Tebow against those high school teams they played , and then Gerhart and Suh .
I just hope against hope it is not Tebow
I am really over him .

Beth,
Pac 10 has been pretty good this year led by the Ducks who ran left and right against the controversial Trojans. Now, the SEC has 10 out of 12 going to a bowl which is over 80% while the Pac 10 may make 60% depending on a Navy win over Army tomorrow.

Ah...Bill Simmons at ESPN nailed it correctly..this is Dec 10th and it seems to be playing out the way he predicted it:

"Q: Tiger is getting absolutely crushed by the media. Do you think he responds by going in full "eff you" mode this season on the tour? Over/under on three majors?
-- Jake, Miami

SG: Best sports question in a long time. Here's my prediction …

1. Tiger finally responds publicly, plays the apology/addiction card to a tee, then disappears for a few months. He stays married and goes to counseling. His wife stays with him for now. So do his sponsors.

2. Tiger returns in February in what will invariably be the biggest sports "comeback" since Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995.

3. In the words of T.J. Lavin, I think he kills it. Great athletes have a way of channeling their emotions into a specific game, fight or match."

It seems to be playing out like this.

"Tebow against those high school teams they played "

Beth,
Quit being cruel on the best player ever to play college football in the toughest conference in America but I do agree that he will not win the Heisman tomorrow. ESPN, per our local media, is wanting Suh to win.

Beth I second your opinion of Tebow - my biggest question for the 2010 NFL season is "when will the catfight btn Tebow and Favre occur?" They can't both be the media's darlings and one crier is WAY MORE than enough for the NFL.

Master Ace - no can do - mean girl by nature :)
and Tebow leading Florida towards crushing Charlotte Southern and Florida International is not worthy of any awards
In fact , I don't think those games should count toward a BCS berth either . But that is just my two cents

as for the Pac 10 vs SEC - I was only quoting Kirk Herbstreit - analyst and longtime SEC supporter ( even though he played elsewhere )
He gave the nod to the Pac 10 this year - as the most competitive - top to bottom
Of course , you do have to take out Washington State - but hey, you guys have Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky :)

Back!

Oh man, and somehow we got on the Tiger subject. Blood pressure rising ... ;)

Thanks for that, ladyjulia...

Tebow is a great college player . I am not convinced he can be an NFL quarterback just yet -
Like Vince Young , he is going to have to change his style of play to be effective there .
He has the talent , and certainly is a fighter and a good leader of his teams . But I tend to think he is just the right man for Urban Meyer's system - not necessarily the one for the NFL .

ahoy TW.
lovely - but doomed? ;)- wishlist for 2010, gauloises. i´m on board with more or less all of it. (some of your 2009 wishes were rather... uhm... controversial in this neck of the woods)

don´t think i should bother to make my own tennistical wishlist for ´10 after the grand failure that was the ´09 edition.

BISSY! It's been foreverrrr.

What were your '09 wishes? Refresh me memory ...

"as for the Pac 10 vs SEC - I was only quoting Kirk Herbstreit - analyst and longtime SEC supporter"

Beth,
Kirk is more of a Pac 10 supporter especially USC. Agree about Tebow and his chances of playing QB in the NFL. I say Tebow play 5 years then be an assistant coach under Mayer at Florida. By the way, Kentucky record is better than UCLA.

Hey Bissy good to see you

Been too long

hey you lot.
i don´t remember it verbatim Jackie (i once checked back and was appalled by how silly those wishes were and how utterly off the resulting reality).
good things for masha & JJ, nadal to defend the FO and YE#1, stuff like that. so... yeah. the less we talk about it.

MA - are you sure about that ? are we listening to the same Herbstreit?
I know he loves SC - but other than the Trojans ,he has never been too big on the rest of the Pac 10
at least not lately

that UCLA is even bowl eligible is a complete travesty
They have been awful this year.

oh well - at least we agree on Tebow and his NFL prospects
He would probably make a great coach .

got to go for a while
dinner and Xmas card addressing awaits

night all !

HA, Bissy. Fair enough. So it's all up from here? :)

I was just talking to Jenni the other day about college football. How I know nothing and am always so dazed and confused...

Bye, beth! Thanks for playing! And make sure to come back if you're bored. :)

Wish for 2010, Nadal to stay healthy!

M&M

Hear,Hear!!!!!!!!!!!

No more injuries.He has had too many.

Beth see you.I sent out all my Chrissie cards early this year.Thought I was smart.Then I am getting ones from people I forgot lol!

*So it's all up from here? :)*

sadly, that is a common misconception. it *always* can get worse, no matter how awful it has already been. ;)
besides, i´m not even saying that 2009 was a complete wash. it had its moments even for me. many even. but not gonna lie, everything got tainted by what happened in the summer.

Off the top of my head:

For Rafa, I'd like:
- health, happiness, confidence and "colm"
- RG and USO titles
- saner scheduling
- better-fitting shorts
- no further widening of the center part :/

For Nole:
- Wimbledon
- nice threads from Tacchini
- saner scheduling

For Vee and Serena
- health
- World domination, but if that's not a possibility, I'll take Wimbledon and the AO for Vee and the USO, Miami, and the YEC for Serena

For Dinara:
- self-confidence
- a consistent serve
- RG
- a healthier r/ship with her coach

As for the others...
- For Hott Sauce: Belief, a few big wins over the top 5, and a Masters or slam title
- For Kolya, a slam, a long-term endorsement deal, and fangirls/wannabe groupies who will give him at least a "small part of famous"
- Another DC for Spain
- For Ferru, a return to the top 10
- For Nalby, health, motivation, and a return to the top 5
- For Roddick, a slam, any slam

Now, off to actually read the previous posts!

What up, Deuce Club. Looks like the gang's all here.

Good pep talk, Bissy. ;)

sblily! And C Note! Happy!

Loved the Kolya wish. And the Ferru one!

Hey C Note

Good to see you

C Note, how goes life? And by the by, I assume you'll be at IW again, yeah?

Life is...interesting. I'll leave it at that for now. Let's just say that much like my favorite WTAer, I am very much looking forward to 2010.

And one of the reasons why is of course, Indian Wells. Or the Oracle Open as I will be calling it now. I'm very excited. Will probably go the middle weekend (F-M, probably). I very much look forward to snapping pics of you snapping pics of Gilles.

So meta.

My wish list off the top of my head:

1. Nole or Muzz win a Slam.
2. Ana to get back into the Top 10
3. Italy/Serbia Fed Cup Final.
4. Rafa retakes the French and completes the career Slam in New York.
5. Please, Dinara, smile.
6. For Justine's quest for Wimby to crash and burn.
7. Masha makes a Slam final.
8. For Sods to peter out.
9. For Jo to be healthy and get to the top 6.
10. For FeVer to beat Fed.

I don't think I'm asking for much here.

evening all!!
i havent posted much before but i love wish lists, lol. so, this is what i want to happen in tennis 2010.
1. I hope the Williams sisters stay healthy and dont play as much doubles as last year to focus on slams.
2.Venus wins her 6th Wimbledon title in 2010. and her 7th in 2011, 8th in 2012 and 9th in 2013. tough i know but i would love to see her to at least tie martina record of 9.
3. Serena to win elusive 2nd French open.
4. hoping for better finals, or at least three setters
5. hope Venus does better at the AO, FO then she has, maybe even win the USO.
6. Rafa to win his 5th FO title. and if not the AO then Wimbledon
7. Nole to win his 2nd Grand Slam
8. Jmaes Blake to stick around a little longer and get farther into some slams.
9. @ pete. more rafa v federer slam finals lol.

evening all!!
i havent posted much before but i love wish lists, lol. so, this is what i want to happen in tennis 2010.
1. I hope the Williams sisters stay healthy and dont play as much doubles as last year to focus on slams.
2.Venus wins her 6th Wimbledon title in 2010. and her 7th in 2011, 8th in 2012 and 9th in 2013. tough i know but i would love to see her to at least tie martina record of 9.
3. Serena to win elusive 2nd French open.
4. hoping for better finals, or at least three setters
5. hope Venus does better at the AO, FO then she has, maybe even win the USO.
6. Rafa to win his 5th FO title. and if not the AO then Wimbledon
7. Nole to win his 2nd Grand Slam
8. Jmaes Blake to stick around a little longer and get farther into some slams.
9. @ pete. more rafa v federer slam finals lol.

AHAHAHAHA, C Note! I've shown your photos to many a friend. We all agree they were the best ones to come out of that trip. ;)

And I, too, am looking forward to the new year. In fact, it can't come soon enough.

oops. sorry for second post lol

oops. sorry for second post lol

Oh, and hey AM! Apologies for my rudeness.

Hi there, ericinphilly! So glad you decided to join us. :)

And you're apparently a fan of double posting. ;)

Hi, sblily and C Note.

Hello twibe. Not staying for long as I need to get to bed (it's 2.10am!)

I can't believe the season's over already. I remember being really excited about what 2009 would hold in January and now we're looking forward to 2010. (Don't even get me started on the end of the decade, how did the noughties pass so quickly?)

Some wishes for 2010

Nadal to be healthy, strong and back to his best for the whole year (Bit of a big ask)
More Fedal matches. I know this isn't everyones idea of fun, but I love it when they play each other and it's a shame they only played twice in 2009.
Andy Murray to relax more and win a slam so he can at least get some pressure off him. I think he's feeling the heat.
Novak to not be so hard on himself during matches.
ARod to win another slam.
And for the women to stop screaming. Drives. Me. Mad.

6. For Justine's quest for Wimby to crash and burn.
~~~~

Bwahahaha! I could just hear your voice saying this.

ericinphilly - Good wishlist (well, other than the bit about Blake). :)

SilentP! Glad you stopped by, even if just for a moment.

As for your wishes - AMEN. Especially that last one. ;)

Hey Arun! How's life?

@ jackie: thanks for the introduction. have been lurking but decided today i would say hi lol.
hows everything going for all today?
it's crazy cold here in philly..and i hate the cold weather. would love to be in australia or island right now lol...

Since I've started podcasting I've received a lot of "I can *totally* hear you saying that!" comments.

It's creepy.

;)

Hey Arun.

sbilly: thanks. per blake: he might not have long to go before he retires. love to see him go out on a blaze of glory lol.

C Note Well Ana is enjoying herself it seems cheering Adam Scott as he plays another golf tournament on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.Not too many photos of Adam but plenty of Anna.

Not too bad, sblily(Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!).
Doing something new. somewhat challenging.
Things have changed a bit though. And the off-season is boring. somewhat.
how about yourself?

I really want to see Miss Vee reclaim her Wimby title for 2010

Justine v Miss Vee? mmmmmmm.

eric (can I leave out the "inphilly" part? I'm lazy), it's FUHREEEZING here in the Chi too. Anytime I'm not typing, I'm rubbing my hands to stay warm! Hate winters!

I've seen the pics, AM. The girl can't dress herself to save her life but good for her. They seem happy. And if Ana's happy, I'm happy.

Jeez, can I *not* sound creepy?

Don't answer that.

I have grave doubts Safina's back injury will be fixed in time for the AO.She just pulled out of Brisbane,she is due to play Sydney.Seeing they are just days apart.I feel she will withdraw there to.

Arun - New and somewhat challenging? Sounds intriguing.

I'm doing well. I've been a bit busier than I'd like, and things on the job front are up in the air as usual, but overall I can't complain too much. Some people have real problems, y'know?

C Note - Heh.