July 4, 2021
I really am going to try and keep it short this week. Doubt me? Watch.
Wimbledon quick hits
Mens Final Prediction: Djokovic vs. Matteo "The boy every mother wants their daughter to bring home except he's already dating Ajla Tomljanović"
Berrettini. Berrettini has a 35% chance of making it interesting (> 3 sets) and lets a 15% chance of winning. I know those numbers are too high, but this is why we play the game.
Women's Final Prediction: Oh my, is this a crapshoot. For posterity, Barty vs. Jabeur. Jabeur in 3.
Alexandra Stevenson: An appreciation
In 1999, two women's semi-finalists were expected and two were not. The two expected competitors were Lindsay Davenport and Steffi Graf.
(Short aside: This was close to the end for Graf, after she had somewhat unexpectedly just won the French Open over Martina Hingis in a match that was as memorable for the French booing and jeering Hingis as it was for the level of play. She had just started dating fellow surprise French Open champion Andre Agassi. She had teamed up with John McEnroe in the mixed doubles, but withdrew because she picked up an injury. McEnroe, apparently not happy per usual, ranted about the withdrawal in the locker in from of Agassi, who said nothing, as his relationship with Graf was not yet public knowledge.)
The other two were two players outside the top 100.
Mirjana Lučić was a Croatian player that got in an exemption because she had made the later rounds of a warm up tournament leaving her unable to play in the qualifying. She was 17 at the time and had an unfortunate family situation, which caused her to drop out of tennis later, but happily she returned to the game and made a second semifinal a mere 18 years at the Australian Open.
The last semifinalist, was another teenager and qualifier named Alexandra Stevenson. Alexandra would knock around the tour for the next decade playing just under .500 tennis and probably making just enough money to fund her career. About 10% of her career earning came from that first Wimbledon semi's appearance. While she never got past the 2nd round of any other major, she got a cup of coffee in the top 20 after making the finals of a couple of lower tier tournaments in 2002.
She is arguably more famous for being the daughter of Julius Erving than for tennis. Nonetheless, she has joined ESPN's commentary team for tennis coverage in 2019. Now a good portion of the internet of tennis likes to rag on ESPN's tennis coverage. I'm more sanguine about these things. There's pros and cons. I'm not going to do a tennis commentator power rankings (although I could - special shout to the Radio Roland Garros team: Mom (Eleanor Preston), Dad (Marcus Buckland), fun uncle (Simon Cambers), sis (Gigi Salmon) and the rest (Sophie Amiach, Stephanie Myles, did I miss someone?)
All I want to say is that my Alexandra probably provokes some negative comments out there. I was certainly a little uncertain at first, but I'm here to say that I was wrong. I will defend Alexandra Stevenson's tennis commentary to the death. I was wrong before. (See Carillo, Mary.) Alexandra could quite possibly be an advanced tennis commentator.
I wish I had picture of her from the 2020 US Open Coverage - I don't think I'm making this up.. Due to the pandemic there was a face mask. More importantly she accessorized with a decorative flower in her hair. Bold.
At this year's Wimbledon coverage, I finally understood the genius of Alexandra. During a conversation with Pam Shriver about Wimbledon's old Court 2, which was nicknamed "The graveyard of champions" due to the number of ex-champs that famously lost on the court, I believe Alexandra asked Pam if they should go out and look for ghosts. I think this was in jest, but then this exchange happened:
Pam Shriver: It's exactly eight o'clock here at Wimbledon.
Alexandra Stevenson: The witching hour, Pam!
!!! (Much like five o'clock, it's the witching hour somewhere.)
Most tennis commentators speak in hushed tones during a match attempting to adhere to the "quiet please" directives of the chair umpire, but Alexandra's slightly sibilant 's' takes this practice to its logical conclusion as ASMR content for YouTube.
At a certain point things just start to transcend logic and attain a plain of irrefutably and Alexandra Stevenson has achieved that level of existence. I will gladly have Stevenson's commentary directly piped into my brain for every match I watch from now on. She may not always pronounce the players names correctly, but if we're not going to hold Brad Gilbert to account on that, where do we start?) I want every question responded to with a Rudyard Kipling (name pronunciation also questionable) and that's what Alexandra is here to provide.
Here's to you Ms. Stevenson!
Never change.
The CBS SUNDAY MORNING POWER RANKINGS
Kelefa Sanneh is a lucky man. His wife bakes pies for a living. I know that you probably don't want to bring your work home, but, I mean he's got to bring a pie home every once in a while. I wouldn't press my luck. I'm just saying every 2 or 3 months sounds reasonable.
In serendipitous turn, I actually made an apple pie for the 4th. I wanted to bring something to a pot luck. Only one person tried it as there were too many deserts, but I hope he liked it. More for me, I guess. I didn't make it express for the occassion as assembling the pie is a time intensive task for me. I can get by in a kitchen, but it takes me time. I'm sure I'd learn short cuts if I made them every day like Kelefa's wife.
The pies of
Let it be know this is not the first time that Sunday Morning has tackled the weighty subject of pie. The committee wants them to know, we're here for it any time you want to revisit the subject in the future.
2) Nancy Giles
The honest truth is that I probably enjoyed Nancy's segment about asylum seekers learning culinary skills and working in fancy New York restaurants more than Kelefa's story. The committee decided to go with Kelefa in recognition of longstanding great work, but this segment probably made me smile more because who doesn't enjoy an underdog success story? I don't have much to add to Nancy's segment because it's kind of perfect.
Sure, I probably can't afford to eat at some of the restaurants featured, but if I'm ever in Brooklyn (which I won't be) maybe I'll go out of my get some food at Emma's Torch. I
Also, I'm a sucker for a food segment. The first third of today's show was very food intensive. My mouth watered a lot. For a second, I thought I had wandered into the annual food episode. I know it's July 4th, but I was ready for the third segmentt to be Teichner revisiting high end Irish cuisine. Since they are starting to repurpose old stories, it was an option.
3) Jane Pauley
Jane narrates a little tale about a miniature (9 ft tall) Sature of Liberty 2, Electric Boogaloo, that the French are parading around the US before installing it in their embassy.
Is it really a second gift to the US if they are putting in their own embassy?
It wasn't a Sunday Almanac, but it felt like one, so a high ranking goes to Jane.
At this point, I don't need to say it again, but I will. Bring back Sunday Almanac. Don't make me sic Kim Cattrall on you
The title of the segment is "An Alzheimer's Wedding". There were some pollen issues as I watched this one.
5) Bald Eaglets
We're talking birds again which are, as alwasy, brought to you by Audobon Florida! I did not know that juvenile bald eagles do not have the white head. Learn something new every day folks. That's how you keep feeling alive.
Also, my DVR failed, so I ended up watching the episode online. The nature segment seemed to run the full two and a half minutes. Is it always like this online where we don't get shortchanged in the nature segment? Anyway, if Sunday Morning is short on programming content for the summer, just do an episode of the best nature segments for 90 minutes.
Seriously.
6) Mo Rocca
D.C. should be a state. Puerto Rico should be a state if they want it. But thanks to our arbitrary two party system, we can only ever add states when the numbers can balance out in congress, unless Democrats gain a supermajority. To the people who say D.C. statehood can't be done without a constituional amendment, there should be a lot more ammendements to the constitution! It is really insane that we are basically the only country on this planet with a governing document that is more that predates World War II. And not just by a little, by a lot! I think it's insane to think that the founders got everything right. They obviously messed up on slavery and we ended up fighting a war about that. If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he'd probably look at us side eyed, and tell us they had no intention that we still be using it, almost unchanged, 250 years later. If they really had the foresight to have "gotten everything right", they would have realized the impossibility of that task and added a provision that the whole thing be rewritten every 50 years.
Also the process of adding ammendments is basically untenable in the current polarized climate where witholding legitimate civil rights from groups of people unless the other side is willing to concede on certain points is considered reasonable politics. So basically, it'll be the same as it ever was with everything is very Animal Farm-y.
Stealing an idea first proposed by Malcolm Gladwell, if the only way to get D.C. statehood is to find a new Republican state to add, break up Texas.
7) Tracy Smith
Quentin Tarantino is a good writer. Unfortunately, everybody and their mother have been trying to replicate his unique narrative style since the mid-90's. Dialogue is his strong suit. Strong enough to overcome an unfortunate predilicition for liberally tossing the n-word into his scripts. His appearnace in Pulp Fiction is still a little confounding. A record scratch in an otherwise great movie. I always thought one of Roger Ebert's best observations that Pulp Fiction would work as an audio book. The movie's moderately famous soundtrack album is intersperesed with snippets of dialogue. Nobody skips the dialog tracks when listening to it. The dialogue sets the scene for the music as much as it is vice versa.
I probably won't be reading his novels/novelizations. I like his movies a lot, but I don't like them that much. I take that back. Maybe I'll try one when he write an original story he hasn't already filmed.
He seems to have mellowed with age and the way he talks about his son is very sweet. It was nice to see Tracy bring out that side of him.
I kind of wish that his 10th (and supposedly final) movie had ended up being the long rumored fourth Star Trek movie. I'm not sure I can lay claim to the title of Trekkie, but I am a Trek fan. I'm sure a Tarantino Star Trek would have been divisive, but that's kind of the point. It would be a great success or a wild, glorious, spactacular failure which is almost as good. Just don't give me dull, watered down, or uninspired.
8) Faith Salie
The great summer re-airing of old segments has begun. I wouldn't usually consider recycled segments for power rankings, but I honestly don't remember this one. Must have been one I missed. It's a bit science-y and a bit nature-y which makes it seem like Faith is infringing on Pogue or Knighton territory, but then again she is a Rhodes Scholar and appeared on Star Trek DS9, which gives her all the bona fides I need.
The segment was about ants. It was actually pretty good. Maybe and top half segment if it wasn't a reair.
9) David Martin, Charlie D'Agata (tie)
I was just about to turn 18 when the 9/11 attacks happened. Close enough to 18 that I kind of think I might have turned 18 before the United States actaully invaded Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban. At the time, I may have freaked out just a little because I had to register for the selective service and whatnot. In retrospect, I should have known there would be no draft. The US can go to war with as many countries as it wants, but instituting a draft is a bridge too far because most of can't/won't/shouldn't have to deal with the realities of war. Those that do are either braver, stronger, or crazier than I am - I would hope for the former because you can't be brave unless you are first scared. The point is that it's been a long time since then.
I'll avoid the think piece about where do we go from here. We're pretty much screwing over the everyday Afghan (especially women) who will probably end up under Taliban rule again. But some wars aren't winnable despite what we want to tell ourselves. Since becoming a global empire, it seems we need a reminder of that periodically. We're all just looking for the best worst option here. There's a big what if asked - what if we had gotten Bin Laden when we invaded. The implication is that we let him get away. Would we have left and said bye? Would that have been the best result?
I reeeeaallly want David Martin to a non-military segment some day. I get excited imagining him doing a segment about pie. Just imagine him listing pie ingredients or interviewing bakers. That's a sketch comedy idea if I ever heard one.
10) Martha Teichner
Up for Teichnerization this week is Charlie Junger, a writer who shared some thoughts about freedom this independence day. What happened on January 6th was bad, terrible even. I felt the lead up to the analogy was a bit clumsy, so let's all agree not to equate the MAGA folk to Al Qaeda. Not helping. While were at it, I know we have this converstion every election cycle (and now that cable news has turned election cycles perpetual, it's become basically every week) I thought we agreed to stop referencing the following to score political points: Hitler, Nazis, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Fidel Castro, Che Gueverra, Hugo Chavez, etc.
____
Once again, I've failed to keep it short... when it comes to me, always take the over.
Comments
Post a Comment