Ron Paul, Steve, Ron Paul.

He's the only one who's gonna fix the mess we're in now.

Steve,
NY Giants were the best team Sunday. Did you see Peyton Manning celebrate when FOX showed him after Eli made a big play. That 3rd and 5 play with Eli escaping a sack and then threw a prayer that was answered by Tyree reaching for the ball on his helmet. After that play, I knew that NE would end up 18-1 'cuz NYG outplayed NE and got all the breaks in the 4th.
Ashley had a career defining moment at Fed Cup saving the US an unnecessary headache. Chances are she won't make the trip to Moscow unless the WS do not play.

I was staying over at my cousin's when I first saw the Stones on Ed Sullivan, watching with Aunt Ida and Uncle Freddie. OMG, they weren't wearing the same outfit! (No, no, not Ida and Fred – the Stones, the Stones!)

Is it me, or is the concept of hating a team, or tennis player, just plain silly? Maybe I'm just being too literal, or hippy dippy-ish, but hate is such a violent term, how can it apply to how you feel about a team that plays a game, for goodness sake?

Music, politics, tennis; we live in interesting times. What a curse.

Reading your stuff is a pleasure.

***Politics will continue as usual, no matter who’s in there; there’s no incentive for either side to change it.***

A group of went out last night to have some drinks outside at our favorite haunt (70 degree weather at night in February will do that to you) and discussed the candidates. I will say that hubs and I are Obama voters. My husband has been a fan of his since he had a class that Barack taught at UoC law school. And we mentioned that many people not think that there is no way to change anything. What a difference a few decades make! I do think that Obama realizes there is a machine- and not everything can be changed overnight. But I do think he is sincere in that he wants people to control the machine- and not machine to control the people. Which it has been doing. And I am not yet ready to say that nothing will change. Things have changed in the past. We went from Gilded Age corruption to some good reforms during the Progressive Era. Then of course the Harding administration had to come along and muck it up. lol. I do feel that there is a lot of apathy though now. This idea of nothing can change so why does it matter? It does matter...and not doing anything about it will ensure that a faulty system continues. I don't think that we will have a perfect political system by any means. But I am not yet ready to give up any fight and just say- this is how it is- nothing can be done.

While I do not agree with his politics- I do admire Ron Paul in principal by the way- he sticks to his guns and does not waver. I do not believe in Libertarian government however- and so I do not agree with his policies. This history nerd actually thinks that the New Deal was a good thing- and do feel that there need to be some safety nets in society. You just have to have a good system- and our current system...let's say it has issues.

Of course, we all have different ideas as who can alter things. But I am not ready to think that it doesn't matter. I have who I want to win- but I really hope that whoever gets into office- things are different than this current administration. And at this point- I have to believe it. I need to believe it. (Sorry to anyone who likes the current administration).

Ha! I read those articles by Pierce before- and they did indeed bug.

The Sports Illustrated article on the NFL championship game won by the Colts before Super Bowl III started off (and I paraphrase -- it's been 39 years since I read the article) -- The championship of professional football was decided (yesterday? last Sunday?). There will be another game ..., but....

Steve,

This post put many smiles on my face on the end of a long Super Tuesday. (I voted for the same guy as you - though I've been pumped to do so for a long time. For what it's worth, I actually think he'll be different.)

Always fun to watch that Chang footage, though it inevitably reminds me of Tieneman (sp?) Square. I graduated college that May and went backpacking around Europe. The friend who came with me and I kept trying to find out what happened to the student who stood in front of the tank in that famous photo. (This was before the internet, which makes me feel old as I type this.) We eventually got a postcard from his girlfriend back in the States informing us that he had been killed. Strange, but that news and the Chang win are completely intertwined in my mind.

Steve - I enjoyed your Super Tuesday post. I also found myself rooting for the Giants in the Super Bowl - partly due to the underdog syndrome and also against Belichick and the Patriots' behavior this year. It was a close, competitive game which is more than one can say for most Super Bowls.
Your video of the Chang French Open year was classic. Chang may nave not been the most gifted player but he was a gamer who got the most out of his talent.

Nice article Steve. During the last few weeks I have been trying to put my finger on the Obama guy. I like him - he speaks well, draws the crowds, is good looking, smart... but there was something... thank you for putting it into words - 'slick entitlement'- I love it. Still deciding which democrat to vote for. Now back to the tennis...

Michael Chang: Nice career. But not worthy of the Hall of Fame.

NYC residents that post comments in this blog. This coming saturday Feb. 9th at around 9.30 PM some of us will be meeting at Bar-89 in Broom St. in downtown Soho for drinks before heading over to a party at 'La Esquina' lounge (corner on Kenmare and Lafayette Sts). You all are invited, ask for SwissMaestro and I'll know you all come from this blog.

Steve, Pete, Tom, Rosangel - You all are invited too.

I agree Greg, plus Chang also has a big mouth...

SwissMeastro: Big mouth how (re: Chang)?

SwissMaestro: Big mouth how (re: Chang)?

Hillary's display, crying because she worried that we wouldn't let her fix the mess, shows a real sense of entitlement.
More importantly, polls show McCain can beat her but that Obama can beat McCain.
Experience: Hillary has been in the Senate only a few more years than Obama, and he is older than Bill was when he took office.

Her claim of having worked for the Children's Defense Fund: yes, for one year then she joined a corporate law firm. Obama served in his state legislature and worked as an organizer for years.
Do we count her experience as first lady? please...

Tennis is cool

I get the aforementioned sense of entitlement much more from Clinton (and her husband). She stalks around the campaign trail, banging on about her experience as if being a career politician is is a feat worthy of a medal. Obama seems earnest, even if I disagree with 80% of his stances on the issues.

Does anybody else think there is some sort of dea between Huckubee and McCain? Especially after what happened in West Virginia yesterday.

Does anybody else think there is some sort of deal between Huckubee and McCain? Especially after what happened in West Virginia yesterday.

sorry about that first post. I didn't missed the "l" in deal

Have you people seen this insane 96 shots point between Borg and Guillermo Vilas at the French Open??? It is sick... they even have to play the camera in fast motion at some points during the rally...

I know you'll love it Steve...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0_v4gD_QnE&feature=related

yawn

Booo. Surely you know, Steve, that 'Belicheat' is one of 27 coaches who do the very same thing he was hammered for; the others just haven't been caught. Yet.

Go Giants, even though I really wanted Brady to nab another SB. I'm really glad the younger Manning put to rest any fears that he's less than his sibling. What a great game!

The rest of your article is on point as usual. Two questions; do you think Safin will ever regain that potent form again? And how many members are allowed on a Fed Cup team??

The way the media focuses on whether Hillary cried or didn't, what her dress/hair/setting was like, and all the other trivial issues makes me want to cast a voice for her.

I'm not just kissing your you know what when I say I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say. My head said Hilary but my heart beats for Obama. I, too, love the old-fashioned feeling of the curtained polling booths and the satisfying clank of the voting lever. And despite growing up north of Boston, the smugness of the Patriots made me relish their loss.

Oh, and if you ever find yourself in Huntington Station on Long Island, be sure to hit Northern Thrift. An eclectic second-hand shop that sells vinyl without the High Fidelity-esque snobbery. I found many gems that often cost just a dollar or two.

-Comments

- NY Giants Eli came of age in Buffalo when they beat the Bills in a blizzard after trailing 14-0, I knew they could beat Green Bay in the tundra. I enjoyed the beating of Dallas as much as taking the bowl from the Pats. I don't know which onwer I dislike more Jones or the Pats sorry excuse.

-McCain/Clinton/Obama = No Choice..........Is this the best we can do?

_Davis Cup Bryans go down to Melzer/Knowle this could be the decider! You got to love Knowle with double fisted volleys off both sides a-la Santoro.

-Chang in the Hall of Fame....I guess they will be putting Vince Spadea in there next.........

Go Vince!

I'd like to 2nd skip's motion - haven't been good with keeping up with the blog, but whenever I get back to CE, it's pure pleasure. Have to agree with some of the posters about Barack - this does feel like a chance for true change. (And yet, I feel my vote tugging toward Ron Paul.)

Have to defend Michael here against the resident SwissKAD. To perform as well as he performed given his initial conditions, Michael is in a class with Lleyton Hewitt, Harold Solomon, etc. and from what I remember, MC was always a class act.

TBrady smug? It's Manning (Peyton) in every crass commercial hawking anything and everything, while Brady tends to stay out of the limelight (other than dating supermodels)? Love to see him get 5 rings surpassing the product of a true genius football mind (Joe Montana, creation of Bill Walsh) and a QB who benefited from playing with teammates amped up on steriods (T.Bradshaw, whose drugged up mates pounded my beloved Vikings when football really mattered). Have to admit it was nice to see overrated Belicheck know he got outcoached when history was on the line, however (to 2nd Randy Moss' notion).

Rolo - check out the PBS show Frontline and their episode titled 'Tank Man' when you get a chance. The conclusion of the show is unclear on Tank Man's fate, he may still live among us, although many suspect as you have written, that he was executed by the totalitarian regime.

Kinda makes it a joke when anyone refers to a person who plays sports for a living as being 'courageous'!

PrincePro-

There can be little doubt that any of the three choices you mentioned, would be a tremendous improvement from the administration we have presently and what we've had over the past eight years. Whetever happens in November, the United States will far better off. Enormously so.

Towards the end of the season, due to the unbeaten record, and the knowledge they were playing against the best team in the NFL, all the Pat's opponents played the Pats as if it were their superbowl. They all played the games of their lives:

Philly, Ravens, Pitt, Jets, Fish, Giants.

Taking nothing away from the Giants victory. The Pat's played the equivalent of 9 SB games (including the 3 post season games). (one could argue that the Fish didn't really put up that much of a fight - but it was one of their best performances of the year)

Anyone see the Daily Show last night? A hilarious observation by some woman on CNN or Fox News or somewhere, and this chick doesn't even deserve to be called "pundit", she said something like "If there's anything these primaries are showing us, it's that people like to vote for people they like." Priceless!

Oh yeah, the Patriots suck, and so does Tom Brady and Bill Belisuck.

Regularly I don’t make comments on blogs, but I’ve to point out that it article really forced me to try and do so. Because tennis is my favorite sports.
Thanks
Lisa
”Nathan Mclain Tennis”