Odds and Ends
First things first, we need to get the LIVE8 reminder out again. Anyone out there who wants to be where the DC Sports Guys will be this weekend, get yourself up to Philadelphia for the free concert to benefit Africa. Again, it's FREE, and here's the band list one more time:
Will Smith
Bon Jovi
Dave Matthews Band
Destiny's Child
Jay-Z
Kaiser Chiefs
Keith Urban
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
P Diddy
Rob Thomas
Sarah McLachlan
Stevie Wonder
Should be a great time.
Okay, second thing to be addressed. It was asked previously if rooting for Andy Roddick was okay, being that he is not from our area, but from Nebraska (yes, I looked it up.) Though the question was asked in jest, rather mockingly as I recall, and coming on the end of a rant, the short answer is yes.
The long answer is that tennis, golf, the Olympics, etc. are country based sports, not regionally based like football, baseball and basketball. In this case, being born in America, you should root for the Americans. Born in France, root for the Frenchman. This is not to say I encourage dislike of other nationalities, far from it. It is a natural impulse to pull for your countrymen and women. National pride should never falter, and I say this regardless of your current views on our administration. You should still be proud to be an American.
Now then, there are exceptions to every rule. As a representative of America, it is your duty to compete and also to give the country a good image. It's part of the job of being a public athlete, and it comes with the job, whether you like it or not.
For instance, I will never pull for Jon Drummond to ever be successful in anything. For those of you who aren't into track and field, Jon Drummond is an American sprinter. At the Olympics in Sydney (I think it was these Olympics) he and three other men won a 4 x some distance sprinting event, taking the gold. Rather than celebrating amonst themselves and/or congratulating the other countries, all four of them ripped off their shirts and started doing poses, mugging for the crowd, and generally rubbing it in. Just what we need to help our image abroad.
The reason I singled out Drummond over the other three is because Drummond managed to make an asshole of himself a second time. A few years later, during a track event (it may have been the World/National championships, I don't remember) Drummond false started and was disqualified. Unfortunate? Yes, he worked a long time to get there. However, most people have to accept that they screwed up. Not Drummond. Drummond whined, begged, and finally laid down ON THE TRACK, across some of the lanes, so that the race couldn't be run. He stayed there for at least ten minutes, until he was finally threatened with suspensions.
I should point out, one of the other four sprinters in the Olympics episode was Maurice Greene, who was the veteran of the squad and should have known better, and set a better example. Greene tore his hamstring this weekend in a 100 meter qualifying heat for the US Championships. I'm not saying anything except the karma police have a way of catching up sometimes. Now, I'm not going to wish for anyone to get hurt, but if I have to choose between Greene, a noted showboat and jerk, or Justin Gatlin, the winner of the heat, and a good guy by all accounts...well, Greene will lose every time.
The original point of this was Andy Roddick. Here's my take on Roddick. He's a good player who uses a dominating serve to hide holes in other parts of his game. I like Roddick, but I think he acts like a child sometimes, when he throws little tantrums on the court. This was on display this past week at Wimbledon when Roddick decided it was too dark, packed up his stuff and left the court in the middle of the match. Brilliant move Andy, way to improve your reputation and the world view of spoiled, bitchy Americans in general. In interviews with the press afterwards, Roddick was surly, deflecting questions by asking reporters if they would "Read a book in the dark?" His general defense was that it was too dark to see and return serves.
This is ridiculous for two reasons. First off, Andy Roddick's return game sucks anyway, so I don't know what difference it would have made. You want to see someone with a return game, watch Roger Federer. Secondly, Roddick is the hardest server, consistently, on the men's tennis circuit. This complaint should have come from his opponent, if anyone. His opponent who still wanted to play, I might add.
Andy Roddick is a great player, and I do support him, but he needs to mature up a little. He will win a few more majors, I'm sure, but he'll never be as good as Federer, and there may be a few younger guys, like Nadal, who overtake him soon. As to this episode, if I was in charge of Wimbledon, I would have given Roddick five minutes to get his sorry butt back on the court, and if he refused, I would have forfeited the match to his opponent. Pack your bags, see you next year.
And yes, I'll still be pulling for Roddick to win the U.S. Open.
Will Smith
Bon Jovi
Dave Matthews Band
Destiny's Child
Jay-Z
Kaiser Chiefs
Keith Urban
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
P Diddy
Rob Thomas
Sarah McLachlan
Stevie Wonder
Should be a great time.
Okay, second thing to be addressed. It was asked previously if rooting for Andy Roddick was okay, being that he is not from our area, but from Nebraska (yes, I looked it up.) Though the question was asked in jest, rather mockingly as I recall, and coming on the end of a rant, the short answer is yes.
The long answer is that tennis, golf, the Olympics, etc. are country based sports, not regionally based like football, baseball and basketball. In this case, being born in America, you should root for the Americans. Born in France, root for the Frenchman. This is not to say I encourage dislike of other nationalities, far from it. It is a natural impulse to pull for your countrymen and women. National pride should never falter, and I say this regardless of your current views on our administration. You should still be proud to be an American.
Now then, there are exceptions to every rule. As a representative of America, it is your duty to compete and also to give the country a good image. It's part of the job of being a public athlete, and it comes with the job, whether you like it or not.
For instance, I will never pull for Jon Drummond to ever be successful in anything. For those of you who aren't into track and field, Jon Drummond is an American sprinter. At the Olympics in Sydney (I think it was these Olympics) he and three other men won a 4 x some distance sprinting event, taking the gold. Rather than celebrating amonst themselves and/or congratulating the other countries, all four of them ripped off their shirts and started doing poses, mugging for the crowd, and generally rubbing it in. Just what we need to help our image abroad.
The reason I singled out Drummond over the other three is because Drummond managed to make an asshole of himself a second time. A few years later, during a track event (it may have been the World/National championships, I don't remember) Drummond false started and was disqualified. Unfortunate? Yes, he worked a long time to get there. However, most people have to accept that they screwed up. Not Drummond. Drummond whined, begged, and finally laid down ON THE TRACK, across some of the lanes, so that the race couldn't be run. He stayed there for at least ten minutes, until he was finally threatened with suspensions.
I should point out, one of the other four sprinters in the Olympics episode was Maurice Greene, who was the veteran of the squad and should have known better, and set a better example. Greene tore his hamstring this weekend in a 100 meter qualifying heat for the US Championships. I'm not saying anything except the karma police have a way of catching up sometimes. Now, I'm not going to wish for anyone to get hurt, but if I have to choose between Greene, a noted showboat and jerk, or Justin Gatlin, the winner of the heat, and a good guy by all accounts...well, Greene will lose every time.
The original point of this was Andy Roddick. Here's my take on Roddick. He's a good player who uses a dominating serve to hide holes in other parts of his game. I like Roddick, but I think he acts like a child sometimes, when he throws little tantrums on the court. This was on display this past week at Wimbledon when Roddick decided it was too dark, packed up his stuff and left the court in the middle of the match. Brilliant move Andy, way to improve your reputation and the world view of spoiled, bitchy Americans in general. In interviews with the press afterwards, Roddick was surly, deflecting questions by asking reporters if they would "Read a book in the dark?" His general defense was that it was too dark to see and return serves.
This is ridiculous for two reasons. First off, Andy Roddick's return game sucks anyway, so I don't know what difference it would have made. You want to see someone with a return game, watch Roger Federer. Secondly, Roddick is the hardest server, consistently, on the men's tennis circuit. This complaint should have come from his opponent, if anyone. His opponent who still wanted to play, I might add.
Andy Roddick is a great player, and I do support him, but he needs to mature up a little. He will win a few more majors, I'm sure, but he'll never be as good as Federer, and there may be a few younger guys, like Nadal, who overtake him soon. As to this episode, if I was in charge of Wimbledon, I would have given Roddick five minutes to get his sorry butt back on the court, and if he refused, I would have forfeited the match to his opponent. Pack your bags, see you next year.
And yes, I'll still be pulling for Roddick to win the U.S. Open.
posted by The Captain at 4:17 PM
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