The Lee Word Side

I can’t believe that it’s been almost one month since I’ve posted anything. And the sad part is that I don’t even have a good, or a very interesting excuse. Life just got in he way. I wish I could tell you that I meet someone and I’ve fallen in love and all my time is being spent in his muscular arms, but, alas, I didn’t. I’d like to be able to tell you that I’ve been on an extended vacation in some exotic location where the sun, the sand, and the men were all warm and accommodating, but I wasn’t. I’d like to be able to tell you that I won the lottery and I’ve been too busy spending my winnings, but I didn’t. I’d like to tell you a lot of things, I should have told you a lot of things, but I didn’t. Because like you, I’ve been busy with life. Just trying to keep my head above the water, which with these disturbing political and economic times is becoming quite a feat. Some days I’m fine, but on other days…
I’ll make an effort to post more. I’ve missed this.

Ciao

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.

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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.

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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.

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I have throughly been enjoying this year’s US Open. Some outstanding tennis has been played and all of my favorites are still in the tournament; Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick. Also doing well are my favorite twins, the Bryan Brothers. However, I’m disappointed because CBS has yet to show any of their matches on TV. Doubles tennis has never held the same stature as singles tennis has, but most people who play tennis (non professionally), play doubles and it would be nice to see a few doubles matches on TV. Come on CBS!

Rafa Nadal is on fire. He has yet to loose a set. He just over-powers his opponents and he can run down a ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen. He fights for each point like it was match point. He’s been wearing this redish/orangish colored outfit this year and he looks HOT! Hands-down the best ass in tennis.

Roger Federer, now the number two ranked player in the world, still plays like he’s number one. Although Federer came into the Open seeded number two, he’s won the Men’s Singles Title at the US Open for the last four years and he can’t be ignored as an honest contender. Roger plays some of the most solid tennis in the game.

Andy Roddick is still fighting for each point, but he’s beginning to look like the Andy who won the US Open in 2003. He’s playing strong, and his serve is as fast as ever. He’s had a couple of rough matches so far, but he’s hung in there and he’s ready to go all the way. Go Andy!

Ciao

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You can add Olympic Gold Medal to the list of trophies that Rafael Nadal has won. Nadal won the gold in the men’s singles with a 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Fernando Gonzalez of Chile at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing. This win only supports the legitimacy of his rise to the number one ranked player in the world. Nadal will be replacing Roger Federer of Switzerland who held the number one position for an unprecedented 237 weeks.
Nadal’s win has given Spain her first ever Olympic Medal in Tennis.

Venus and Serena Williams took the Gold Medal in Women’s Doubles, adding one more to the Gold Medal they won in Sydney eight years ago. Their enthusiasm over their winning the Gold Medal was truly infectious.
Coming up next, beginning August 25th, the US Open begins in New York. I’m sure looking forward to seeing more top notch tennis (Go Andy). I only wish I could be there.

Ciao

Never intending to get hooked into watching the Beijing Summer Olympics I none the less succumbed to their promise of greatness and watched the Opening Ceremonies. If the games acquire any amount of the grandeur that the Opening Ceremonies gave us then this Olympics should be a tremendous success. Because there will be over 3,600 hours of televised coverage of the Olympics–NBC added two new cable channels that will be dedicated solely to the Olympics, I won’t be able to see it all, but I have set my TIVO to record all the Tennis matches, and the Marathon. That should be more than enough Olympics for me.

This is one of the many pictures that were taken during the Opening Ceremonies. I thought this picture was one of the exceptional ones. Don’t you agree? Who can tell me which country this beautiful man represents? Does anyone know?

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Regardless of what the relative temperature is outside, as long as model/DJ Micky Friedmann is in the house it’s going to be HOT!