CBS Sunday Morning Power Rankings

Before I get to this weeks very special episode of Sunday Morning ... TENNIS TALK! The middle weekend of the Roland Garros (Don't be gauche and call it the French Open!) has come and gone. As of Sunday evening, there are 12 women and 11 men remaining. Before I rank players in terms of my rooting interests/favorites to win, a (not so) quick recap: On the Women's side, chaos reigns. I'm sure this displeases my tennis watching buddy (with whom I have watched 1 episode of HGTV's Home Town.) But I am here for it all day every day. Let chaos reign friends! Barty retired after being breadsticked by Magda Linette of Poland in the 2nd round. Osaka withdrew for mental health reasons. Her statement second statement said she did not want to be a distraction. To honor her wishes, this will be the last mention of her in the blog. Halep didn't play due to injury. Sabalenka lost in the 3rd round to Pavlyuchenkova. This is a surprise to those who are perpetually waiting for her to w...

I thought Sunday Morning might start "reappropriating" stories this week, but it was all new. Maybe I should hold off until next week, but the tabulations are in. And I think 19 weeks is a healthy sample size. Represents approximately 1/3 of year of Sunday Mornings and probably about half of a season where all the content is "fresh". CBS SUNDAY MORNING ANALYTICS (A Sunday Morning points are basically handed out each time someone makes the rankings. 10 points for a #1, and 1 for #10. You can figure out the rest.) Serena Altschul Appearances: 1 Total Sunday Morning Points: 8 Weeks at #1: 0 Avg. Ranking: 3 Scouting Report: We like Serena Altschul. I wish she got more segments. She appeared this week, so yay! Jim Axelrod Appearances: 5 Total Sunday Morning Points: 30 Weeks at #1: 1 Avg. Ranking: 5 Scouting Report: Axelrod seems like he'd be a button journalist in the "hard news" only mold, but he is quite versatile. Charles M. Blow Appearances: 1 Tota...

Next week: Stats! Today: Potpourri This is going to sound like a humble-brag, because it is. Last Friday, I rode my bike 101 miles. A 100+ ride is called a century if you're into biking lingo. It was far from the most strenuous ride I've ever done because there was almost no climbing to speak of it. 99% of the ride was along flat trail - converted from an old railroad - rails to trails as they say. There was a climb at the end, because that's how I get back to my house. Anyway, the point isn't to brag that I do centuries. It's that the next day, I hung out with a good friend I hadn't seen in a long time - at least partly due to the pandemic. Our thing used to be tennis and I rarely get to play tennis anymore so that's what we decided to do. My 100-mile legs seemed to managed to get by ok except for the first practice rally, my feet go tangled up the first time I tried to move them and I took a spill. There were a couple minor scratches. Nothing was bruised e...

The weather is getting warm, so my weekends are increasingly being taken up with outdoor chores and activities. So the recaps are probably going to get shorter and less punctual. At least until I can cross some things off my personal to do list. I'd still like to post at least once a week though. First some frivolity. AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL POWER RANKINGS 1) Platypus If I have to explain it, you don't get it. 2) Wombat The noble wombat has cube shaped poop . In a pinch, they also make a striking figure for a tennis trophy . 3) Wallaby In a surprising upset, wallabies are like kangaroos, but smaller. And smaller things are cuter. Wallaby is also more fun to say than kangaroo. Wallabies can pause pregnancy , but I think all (most?) marsupials can do this. (Maybe? I am no expert.) 4) Pygmy possum This is the second time pygmy possums have been mentioned in this space. The smallest possums in the world testing the limits of the small = cute formula. It was thought the brush fires of 20...