Wednesday, September 08, 2004

A Soggy Saga During the "Nick's Picks" segment of USA network's U.S. Open coverage, famed tennis guru Nick Bolliettieri predicted that in today's quarterfinal matches, Roger Federer would defeat Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport would beat Shinobu Asagoe. He mispronounced Asagoe's name as "A Soggy" -- unintentionally appropriate, since the Open is having its first rain delay after 10 days of uncharacteristically sunny New York weather. Hoping to resume play when the precipitation lets up, officials have brought in Zambonis, normally used on hockey ice,  to clear the water from the courts.  They want to avoid the sorry -- and soggy -- spectacle of last year's tournament, which featured endless broadcast footage of grounds crews looking like the homeless, down on their knees mopping up and squeegeeing the courts. If the weather gods are no longer smiling on New York and the rain persists into the winter months, U.S. Open officials could always leave the Zambonis in place and invite the New York Rangers and Islanders to play outdoor exhibition hockey. Meanwhile, Serena Williams is probably wishing that a Biblical deluge had postponed last night's match against Jennifer Capriati (see commentary below), with the waters rising high enough to topple the persistently errant chair umpire off her high perch and carry her downstream into New York's sewer system. 11:27:22 AM

The Evil Umpire Just when you were starting to forget all that bad gymnastics judging at the Olympics . . . Jennifer Capriati’s 3-set quarterfinal victory over Serena Williams at the U.S. Open was marred by a series of terrible line calls that may have cost Williams the match, as ESPN describes: It happened in the opening game of the third set . . . Capriati played superbly, without a doubt, but what always will be remembered is the miscue by chair umpire Mariana Alves of Portugal. She awarded the point to Capriati after Williams hit a backhand that landed in – and was ruled good by the line judge. . . . TV replays also appeared to show at least two other incorrect calls that went against Williams in the final game, when Capriati needed three match points to serve it out. Alves won’t officiate another match during the Open, said tournament referee Brian Earley, who acknowledged the overrule by Alves was wrong. "I’d prefer she not umpire at my court anymore," Serena Williams said. "She’s obviously anti-Serena." Williams stopped short of saying the umpire was racist. Where’s Al Sharpton when we really need him? 12:16:24 AM