STARTING FIVE
Nadal: Is anyone in any sport more dominant?
1. The King of Clay
By winning Sunday’s French Open in four sets over Novak Djokovic, Spaniard Rafael Nadal improved his all-time record at the tournament to 66-1. Only a fourth-round defeat to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in 2009 has kept Nadal from possibly having won this Grand Slam 10 consecutive years.
With Sunday’s French Open title, Nadal, who turned 28 one week ago today, becomes the first amateur era or Open era men’s player to win one Grand Slam nine times (Frenchman Max Decugis had won the French eight time between 1903-1914). Nadal has also now won three of the past five Grand Slams that he has entered, and last year’s first-round exit at Wimbledon is even more of a Ripley’s Believe it or Not moment.
Rafael and Refaeli
I don’t traffic in whether Rafa, who is now tied with Peter Sampras with 14 career Grand Slams (only Roger Federer, with 17, has more) is the greatest player of all time or even of his era or even at this month’s Wimbledon. But, if he does win another Grand Slam in 2014, I hope that Sports Illustrated makes him its “Sportsman of the Year.” He’s worthy–and he’s already posed for its swimsuit issue in the past.
2. From Balfour to No Ball Four
Doolittle hails from Rapid City, S.D.
Last season the Oakland A’s relied on Grant Balfour to be their closer, and he did a fine job (38 saves and only 3 blown saves). But, these are Billy Beane’s A’s, so of course they let Balfour go in free agency. The new closer is Sean Doolittle, who though his Save to Blown Save ratio is just eight to one so far, has an astounding mark through 29 innings of 42 strikeouts and just one walk.
And, hey, I couldn’t resist the headline.
The lone walk, by the way, was to Rays catcher Ryan Hanigan, who is now teammates with Balfour, who just yesterday lost the closer’s job with Tampa Bay after allowing five runs in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Seattle. Tampa has baseball’s worst record at 24-41. Oakland has baseball’s second-best mark at 39-25.
3. You Harangue?
On this issue, Wilbon came off as the “knucklehead.”
Kudos to The Big Lead for bringing Michael Wilbon’s “Get the hell out! Get out of America!” rant to our attention. I happen to agree with Jurgen Klinsmann: “thank you” contracts are not about improving your team, they’re about squeezing one last season or two out of fans ardor for a particular player or era whose times has passed.
4. Tony, Randall’s
Jack White
Two big musical events in New York City last weekend. On Sunday, the Tony Awards, which were basically a love fest for Carole King –who peaked forty years ago– and for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, which is finally getting the love that it deserved some 15 years ago when it played to honors Calculus class-sized audiences at the Jane Street Theater in the West Village.
It helps to have Barney Stinson as your lead.
From Friday to Sunday the Governor’s Ball, featuring Outkast, Jack White and the Strokes (this would’ve been a killer lineup in 2003) was held on Randall’s Island. I missed it because I went to see it on Governor’s Island, which is also a short swim from Manhattan, but nobody told me. Bummer. Tickets for the three-day event cost $250, or $500 for VIP section. Shouldn’t we all be concerned that the four big headline acts (I’ll add Vampire Weekend) for this festival were all at their zenith at least six years ago?
5. Orange u glad you’re not in Prison?
A pretty blonde in a women’s prison? I’m digging the realism.
I don’t have Netflix (or “Nutflix”, the on-line streaming content site John Oliver plans to launch, which surely will include this scene), but a lot of people apparently placed themselves in house arrest over the weekend in order to binge-watch Season 2 of “Orange is the New Black” and loved it.
Remote Patrol
Spurs-Heat ABC 8 p.m.
We await this year’s first NBA Finals game from Miami with bated breast.
Game 1: Miami Heap. Game 2: Miami Heal. Game 3? Miami Head? Hear? Heave? I don’t know. No truth to rumors that Tony Parker attended an 8 a.m. Soul Cycle class this morning.
Wilbon’s rant was disappointing. However, I take it that it wasn’t really just what Klinsmann said about paying “aging superstars” as much as he’s/we’re still angry that JK had the audacity to kick Landon Donovan off the US team when he’s pretty much the ONLY current US player most of America had not just heard of but rooted for/loved the last time this World Cup Circus had opened its tent.
I do think Donovan should be on this World Cup team, it’s not like he can’t play anymore. From what I’ve read the last 3 years, it seem JK was pissed that Landon took some time off from the national squad a few years back & he decided THEN that Landon’s WC time was OVUH. Of course, that didn’t stop his using Landon for last summer’s tournament, which if I recall correctly, Landon’s input was one of the reasons we won the thing.
I agree that Kobe’s contract is stupid if you want to actually have a TEAM that can compete for a championship the next 2 years. Which is why I LOVE it! Two more years of Lakers sucking was an early Xmas present for me! Whoo-hoo!
However, only the very few senior citizen superstars in basketball can actually get a contract like that & usually only the ones that stayed with one team their entire careers (VERY rare). In football, if you can’t play, you are OUT unless you are an old QB that can “help” guide the new guy, but your contract is drastically lower than your star days. I don’t know baseball, but it seems EVERYONE is paid ridiculous money in that sport & for 5-10 guaranteed year contracts!
I’m excited about the game tonight, but truthfully, I’m still IRATE about the crap thrown at poor LeBron over “the cramping incident”. I just do NOT get it. The man has been almost indestructible for 11 (ELEVEN!) freakin NBA seasons! He’s almost never been out for injury. He played with a broken nose this year! And I’m even angrier at the mainstream media for fanning the flames & giving these trolls legitimacy. If you’re not from Cleveland or rest of Ohio, why you’d still “hate” LBJ for “the Decision” & not just admire & embrace him for the MAGNIFICENT athlete that he is, well, don’t get that either. I’m thrilled I finally starting watching when I did (Xmas Day 2011) & will always regret not tuning in sooner.
And I know you’re still a big MJ fan, but LeBron is 10 times the TEAMMATE (both on & off the floor) that Jordan ever was.
And this will come out kinda snarky, but Tony Parker needs to do some weight training. That Chalmer’s quick elbow could send him crashing & wreathing to the floor like that makes me wonder, you know, about his FITNESS. 🙂 Seriously, LeBron gets assaulted almost every time he goes near the basket & only OCCASIONALLY does he go to the foul line.