The Lee Word Side

Roger Federer put his name in the history books tonight when he won his fifth straight US Open Men’s Final. He is the only player to have won five Grand Slam Finals on two surfaces, grass at Wimbledon and hard court at the US Open. His win tonight against Scotsman Andy Murray in straight sets is his thirteenth Grand Slam title. Just one away from Pet Sampras’ record holding fourteen. Federer won tonight after suffering two major losses this year. He lost to Nadal in the French Open as well as at Wimbledon. At 26 years old Federer still has a few good years to play some top notch tennis and to make that fourteenth Grand Slam Title.
With the close of the US Open tonight this winds down the tennis season for 2008. It was a wonderful year with some outstanding matches and some outstanding players. And to top it off we also had the Olympics in Beijing. What a great year.

Ciao

Bob and Mike Bryan, the no. 2 ranked players, won the Men’s Doubles tournament at Flushing Meadows on Friday. This was their second win at the US Open. Their first win came in 2005. The Bryan brothers beat Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and Leander Paes 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (12-10) to claim their sixth Grand Slam title. They won the match after a hard fought tiebreaker in the second set. This win will not only give them a check for $420,000, that they will split, but they will also regain their well deserved No. 1 ranking. In the Men’s Singles Semifinals Roger Federer fired 20 aces and advanced to the US Open final with a 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 victory over Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic. The other men’s Semifinal was suspended because of rain, with Scotland’s Andy Murray leading world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. This match should resume tomorrow afternoon weather permitting. I ‘m hopeful that Nadal can beat Murray. If that happens that will pit him against Roger Federer for the Final. That would be a fantastic match. The last time they meet was in the Wimbledon Final where Nadal won.

Ciao

Here we are, still two months away from the national election and I’ve already reached my Political Bullshit Quota. Never have I seen so much shit being served-up than what we’re being feed this election; from both parties. Democrats would have us believe that Barack is another Jack Kennedy, a political wiz kid, the reincarnated Martin Luther King. He isn’t. He’s just a junior Congressman from Illinois that has very little international political experience. He’s handsome, personable, and a good orator, but he’s unproven as a leader. Not to be outdone, the Republicans operate as we Americans are stupid, that we can’t see that McCain is just a Bush-lite, that he isn’t a “maverick,” and that he isn’t “his own man.” McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin for his Vice Presidential running mate is stupefying. Is she suppose to be the bait that will entice Hillary Clinton’s female base over to the dark side? Does McCain think so little of women that he thinks that they won’t notice, or care about the differences between Palin and Clinton? Or that we won’t see that their political and social beliefs are in direct opposition? After all, it’s just replacing one woman for another, right?
And what’s with this “unwed-pregnant seventeen year old daughter mess?” If this situation were reversed and it was Barack’s daughter who was pregnant the Republicans would be all over this. But because it has happened to them it’s now considered as something that’s wholesome, something that exemplifies Christian and family values, and it’s pro-life. You can call it whatever you want, but she’s still seventeen, still unwed, and she’s pregnant. And as much as we would like to believe that this shouldn’t matter, that a candidate’s family is “off limits,” it just isn’t so. Try asking someone from Kansas or Missouri what they think about this. You know what answer you’ll get. What ever happened to the belief in abstinence that the Republicans were peddling? More importantly, what happened to all the money, my money, that the federal government spent on abstinence programs? Didn’t work too well, did they? Abstinence doesn’t work. But you know what does work? CONDOMS, that’s what works.
Somehow between now and election day I’ve got to find a way to weave my way through all this bullshit or I’ll go crazy. Oh hell, who am I trying to kid, I passed going crazy miles ago. Bring it on, I’ve got my waders on.

Ciao

We are slowly moving into my favorite time of the year, autumn. The days are becoming shorter and the morning air is beginning to have a cool, crispness to it. Fall is still a few weeks away, but the early signs of it’s imminent arrival is enough to pick up my spirits. The afternoon temperatures are almost cool enough to get busy with some of the fall chores, and evenings are perfect to sit outside with family and friends and enjoy a nice cocktail. Autumn is the best time of the year, a time that makes me feel alive, and connected to the earth.

Ciao