"Juan" Huge Upset At The US Open

Argentine youngster Juan Martin del Potro shocked five-time defending champion Roger Federer in five sets (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), on Monday night to capture the title at the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year. Due to weather the Men's Finals were pushed from the usual Sunday finish and took place late afternoon.

It was because of that it was one of those sporting events that you flip back and forth to while watching something else, kind of of a oh by the way there is a Major Title on the line right now. At first you look at the score and think good for the young kid, he is holding his own with the big dawg and at least keeping it competitive. Then you look back later and see a lot of 6's and 7's on the scorecard and think - this match must be over Federer must take this, until you take a closer look and do some quick math and think "Oh Man this could be one HUGE upset, can this kid actually take down the greatest player of all time...a man who hasn't lost in 41 straight matches at the US Open"

Federer seemed to have some issues with the officiating during the match as there were some questionable calls and rules interpretations that caused him to uncharacteristically vocal and did drop a few "Bombs" and some "Swears". It was nothing like the verbal assault that that Williams sister exploded into thank goodness. His public image is a lot more important then her's.

del Potro managed not only to win but also became the first player to knock off both Federer and Nadal in the same tournament. This can only help his confidence going forward. The 20-year-old del Potro earned $1.6 million for winning the U.S. Open and an additional $250,000 for finishing third in the U.S. Open Series. He also received a Lexus IS convertible automobile. Not a small accomplishment for a 20 year old (although he looks like he is 30 - he is no Greg Oden but he looks well beyond his years)

In any event this was one major upset and one great US Open final.

Weekend Wrap Up...Sunday Edition

As you are all aware based on my post regarding Saturday’s day in sports, Sunday was not to be outdone. It was the “true” kickoff of the 2009 NfL season with a full slate of games...a jam packed lineup. There was a lot of games that ended in blowouts or at least double digit wins. It may not make for the most entertaining of games but for week one any NFL football is good football. You can take notice that I didn't include any CFL updates as there would need to be something REAL BIG to happen to justify the space.

~ There was one of the craziest finishes in the Denver-Cincinnati that you will see in football when a tiped ball on a Hail Mary at the end of the game resulted in a crushing loss by the Bungles errr- Bengals.
~ In Green Bay Aaron Rogers went old school Brett Favre and orchestrated a late comeback to take down the Bears (Jay Cuttler threw 3 INT in his debut after being the toast of the off season and Brian Urlacher dislocated his wrist and may be lost for the year...not a good start).
~The Lions were the Lions and went to 0-18 as predicted.
~ Mike Vick was in a box watching his Eagles teammates and had a good view of Donovan McNabb going down with a injured and maybe broken rib...he has 1 more week for his suspension then maybe week 3 you may see Vick under center. That could be very interesting for both the Eagles and the NFL.
~ Rookie Matt Sanchez was solid in debut as Jets stymie the Texans...just another USC QB Standout. They may now be the second best QB factory next to Michigan - high praise indeed.

There was also some tennis being played and it was in the first mens Quarter Finals that there was a pretty big upset. #2 Rafael Nadal was taken down by #6 Juan Martin del Potro 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal was looking to complete the career Grand Slam but fell short and will have to wait at least another year for a chance at the US Open. del Potro was just to much for Nadal and will go on to play in the finals on Monday, weather permitting.

#1Roger Federer took on #4 Novak Djokovic in the other Quarter Final. Federer prevailed with a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 victory sending him to the finals. Federer is going for his 5th straight US Open. I guess that it wouldn't be a US Open without Roger in the finals.

Tiger Woods coasted to a runaway victory at BMW Championship Not surprising when pretty much lapping the field...It turned into a tournament for second place

What was overlooked on my Saturday summary was the Hall of Fame induction speech by Michael Jordan. Many have criticized him for being petty, arrogant and for lack of a better term putting himself on a pedestal looking down on everyone. There was no evidence of him being humble and talked about as much trash in his acceptance speech as he did on the court. Not a classy move but I guess we can’t expect any more from a guy who was never a team player and was known for berating players and teammates alike, trying to get guys traded and demanding that people be fired. In the book the Jordan Rules it give a true look at the kind of person that Jordan really is... detached from reality, not willing to let go and being stubborn and defiant until the end. I liked it better when I didn’t know what he was really like. The image of greatness I remember was much more pleasing.

Cinderella Story Comes To An End for 17yr Old

Last night the clock struck 12:00 on the Cinderella story that was Melanie Oudin. After her recent run at US Open she has become America’s tennis princess. Oudin, 17, has become a household name at the U.S. Open, upsetting Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova. ‘’I can compete with these top girls," Oudin said after defeating Sharapova. "And if I believe in myself, and my game, then I can beat them.’’ Very poised for a young player.

The story was both on the court and off as her "unscheduled" winning streak made her stay in New York last a little longer then anyone would have thought...especially whom ever represents her and books her accommodations. For a short time on Sunday, she had no place to stay. The 17-year-old and her family were forced to leave the Marriott Times Square hotel this weekend after their reservation had ended. Since nobody expected Oudin to still be playing in the second week of the tournament no extension was ever requested. She was quickly found new accommodations but not a distraction that a 17 year old needs in the middle of an unexpected Major Championship run.

On the tennis side of things she didn’t have any of the same difficulties. Oudin is the youngest American woman in the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Serena Williams a decade ago. It is not like she has had a free pass by any means either knocking off some pretty big names in the process. Maybe being so young was a good thing as maybe she was able to just go out and play and not have to think about what was happening. You can play much looser and much more free when there isn’t any pressure on you...a luxury that she will likely no longer have. She has opened the eyes of many people and the expectations have increased substantially in a very short period of time.

Oudin run was halted by ninth seeded 19yr old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the quarterfinals 6–2, 6–2 Wednesday night. It was cool after the match during the interviews that they said basically - we don’t usually talk to the looser, but this is no looser- an interesting way to start an interview for sure. After talking with her the spoke with Wozniacki, who did just a great job playing to the interviewer and the crowd. She basically said I know that everyone here wasn’t rooting against me but rooting for Melanie, and she hoped that in the process that she won some people over and that they would root for her in her next match, which they probably will. It was a great interview and showed that she was not only a good player but a good person and a great winner.

It is great to have those stories along with some good tennis, especially on the woman's side. With Sharapova now gone and my little interest in either of the Williams sisters (Serena more so, she just bugs the crap out of me). Federer and Nadal may be on course to collide with each other on the men's so that is always great. It really makes for a more compelling tournament when you can have great action on the court and the coming out party of a young player, especially a young American at the US Open.

Around the Horn

ESPN has a show called Around the Horn
Not only did they steal the name from me but the show is not good and diminishes this Friday feature. If i had legal ground I would sue, and all I would want is that they send me ESPN programing here in Canada without CRTC regulations screwing me over

Great response from tennis player Andy Roddick regarding the injuries or phantom injuries that Novak Djokovic seems to en cure increasingly more often in matches
"I’ve got to feel good because (Djokovic) has got about 16 injuries," Roddick told the crowd, adding fuel to the fire of their ongoing fued when asked about a Djokovic ankle injury....It is just too bad that he lost to Djokovic later on.
"Isn’t it both of them? And a back? and a hip? And a cramp... bird flu... anthrax. SARS, common cough and a cold.

Olympic hammer throw medallists investigated for doping
Is nothing sacred anymore? How can the purity of the hammer throw be tainted?

Rafael Nadal played Mardy Fish at the US Open in a match that began at 11:30 pm and ended at 2;11 am..the third latest finish at the Open
Even the allure of the #1 player couldn’t keep me up for this one. The late sessions are cool but come on, your crushing your own potential ratings.
At least it wasn’t like the match in Australlia that went to near 5am.

It went Supersonic to Thunder in record time. The former Seattle team relocated to Okalhoma City and have now been named Thunder
In a shocking move at the press conference they played AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.
The potential for a good marketing logo was there but alas they came up short. When I played for a team called Thunder we actually had a cool logo and it was far from a professional team.

Tatum Bell lost his job as running back with the Lions, Rudi Johnson gained a job as running back with the Lions, but lost his underwear
Bell apparently took two Gucci bags that Johnson had received as a Pro Bowl gift, included was about $200 in cash along with his ID and the credit cards. He got the bags back empty, and this is the NFL not the CFL..I just hope that they wern’t his "LUCKY DRAWS"

The Montreal Canadiens are looking at playing an outdoor game at Olympic Stadium as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations.
Great cash grab if you can get 39,000+ in at most likely a somewhat inflated price point.
Opening up the roof at the Big O is like opening Pandoras Box, once it is open you may never get it closed again. Get the hardhats out because you know the concrete is going to fall like rain!

Daunte Culpepper has retired, gone after 9 seasons at only 31
A former MVP and one half of one of the best QB/WR tandems ever can’t even hold a clipboard anymore. A shredded knee has taken him off the map and out of the league.

He Continues to Amaze

First let me say that I am a Tiger Woods fan. I want him to break Jack Nicklaus’ majors record and continue to rewrite the record books. There are many people that don’t like him, are intimidated by him, envious of him. I am however one that will more often then not side with watching legends and history unfold. If there is a chance that someone or some thing in the sports world that will either make history or create legend or infamy I am all for it. I rooted for the Patriots to go undefeated and then win the Super Bowl, I rooted for the Atlanta Braves to win a record number of division titles (14), Jimmie Johnson to repeat as NASCAR Champion, and on the other side I rooted for the Mets to have the greatest/latest collapse in MLB history and I would love to see an NFL team go 0-16.What Tiger Woods was just able to do in the US Open just a few minutes ago in Round 3 was nothing short of amazing...even for Tiger. That may have been the most gritty and overall best round of golf that i have ever seen. Players, including Tiger have shot way lower scores and Tiger has made some of the most amazing shots ever executed on a golf course, but this was special. Playing on effectively 1 leg by the end he gritted out the most difficult 67 ever, and in the process made 2 of the most incredible eagles and one of the most improbable brirdies in a tournament changing 3 holes. Even if he doesn’t win on Sunday (and there is a chance, ONLY because his knee is worse then he is letting on), he has found a way to make his legend grow yet again.
So sit back and take in history in all its glory and be thankful that you can say you saw the greatest golfer in history play.