Wimbledon: Isner v Mahut - Part 3 starts tomorrow

I saw a picture of a close family member at Wimbledon today, and I couldn't believe it.  Well, actually ~ I could believe it, but that's not the point.  I was jealous!  In addition to seeing him with a Wimbledon headband (i.e. think Bjorn Borg), he also sent me the following picture (i.e. "I've queued for the 2010 Championships").  To add insult to injury, this was not his first time there.  Anyway...

Today at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled.  To say that it was a marathon, isn't doing it justice.  It was the 2nd day of their 1st round match.

Today, the players ended their outing tied.   Each had 2 sets each and the 59 games EACH in the fifth set.  Yes, you read it correctly, 59 (i.e. fifty-nine)!  Isner and Mahut had their play suspended after 7 hours, 6 minutes on court, due to darkness.

It doesn't surprise me that there's already a Wikipedia page for the match, since it's definitely one for the history books!  The Wikipedia page (i.e. at the time of the suspension for darkness on 23 June) has statistics for the match in process, but I did want to point out a couple of statistics.  Mahut has 95 aces, and Isner has 98 aces.  Further, Isner has had 4 match points, and Mahut has had 0.

Both players seemed unable to break each other's serve and I can't imagine the degree of fatigue each must feel.  I'm not sure how they're going to get out of bed tomorrow to play, but hopefully the match will conclude (i.e. FINGERS CROSSED) tomorrow.

Even though grass courts don't appear to be Isner's forte, I predict that he wins.

Speaking of Wimbledon, does anyone remember the 2008 Wimbledon final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer?  If you're a tennis fan, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  I was in Las Vegas and I bet on Federer.  I fell asleep and woke up to see that Nadal had the advantage.  It basically looked like Nadal had the match in hand, so I went back to sleep.  When I woke up AGAIN, Federer was coming back!  I had to watch the rest of the match at the Home Turf sports bar at the Las Vegas airport.  Thanks to Delta, I was able to easily bump myself off of my flight to watch the end of the match.  I lost, but Nadal won.  That match was amazing, and my first class seat on the way home helped ease my pain... 

THE WIRK

Caps sweep the Penguins, UConn repeats, the NBA Playoff race, and upcoming adventures

An array of sporting events happened and are happening tonight.  Honestly, I fully intended to go out this evening and decided to wear my new Capitals' Ovechkin jersey.  However, after getting ready, I decided to lay low and flip channels all evening.

Hockey and College Basketball (i.e. just a little bit on women's college basketball):

While watching the Caps take on the Penguins (i.e. Caps were up, 5-3) on TV, I received a call from a buddy who told me to flip to the Women's College Basketball Championship game.  He told me that UConn was losing.  Say what?!?!  I flipped to it and Stanford was beating UConn 20-17 in the 2nd half of the game.  With a painfully low score, I was interested in it for only a few minutes.  I saw a missed lay-up, a bunch of missed shots, and a score that indicated that UConn was starting to catch up.  UConn eventually took the lead (i.e. I think they led by 4 when I decided to go back to the hockey game).  I'm going to assume that UConn won the game and that their winning streak is in tact.

The Caps ended up winning 6-3 and Ovechkin scored two goals, compared to Crosby's one.  It's official, the Caps have swept the Penguins, 4-0.  Conclusion: Perhaps my new jersey is lucky?!?!


Basketball:

Don Nelson had a chance to break Lenny Wilkens' record for all-time wins tonight in DC.  Currently, both Nellie and Lenny are tied with 1,332 wins.  I noticed earlier in the day that one of my facebook friends had suite tickets that he was giving away for tonight's game.  A free suite ticket to see the Golden State Warriors take on the Wizards and watch Nellie make history, and I couldn't muster the energy to request a ticket...  No offense to Nellie, because I have much respect, but does that tell you how disinterested I was in the game even though it would've been historic?  If anything, it looks like I didn't miss anything since the Wizards defeated  Golden State, 112-94.  I watched exactly 0.0 minutes of this game.

The Cavs hosted the Raptors at home and won.  This isn't really noteworthy, but since I am a Cavs fan, the mention is obligatory.  On another note, while stressed out and rooting for the Duke Blue Devils, I wore my Cavz - Better with Z, Fresh Brewed Tees shirt, last night and it generated someinterest and overall received a good response.

I'm heading to Atlanta later this week, and I actually just read on that Joe Johnson is going to miss at least the next two games with a sprained right thumb.  ****Mental note: Must check and see if Friday's game is one of the next 2 games on the Hawks' schedule.  I'm guessing it is.  Boo!!!  While we're on the subject of Hawks' injuries, what is going on with Mike Bibby's ingrown toenail and possible infection ~ ugh.  Come on, Hawks!!!  I want to see you play at full strength and not all banged up before heading into the Playoffs.

The Thunder lost in overtime to the Jazz today, 139-140. With the NBA Playoff race in the West being a tight one, this loss hurt for all the Durant and OKC Thunder fans.

I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the NBA Playoffs schedule.  Once, I see it ~ I can plan where I want to go.  Initially (i.e. in a perfect world and without looking at costs and schedules) based on the current standings, the Cavs v Toronto series and Lakers v Blazers series are the most intriguing.  Why?  I haven't seen a home game in Toronto or Portland and would love to return to either city and see friends. 

On a plane heading "somewhere"

The current standings in the East  (1-8) are as follows:

1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Atlanta
4. Boston
5. Milwaukee
6. Miami
7. Charlotte
8. Toronto

The current standings in the West (1-8) are as follows:

1. L.A. Lakers
2. Utah
3. Dallas
4. Phoenix
5. Denver
6. San Antonio
7. Oklahoma City
8. Portland

Baseball:

I may not have made it to opening day, but I believe I see a Braves game in my future.  Stay tuned.


Golf:

 I've got some big plans in the next few days.  Here's a hint, I'm going to Georgia.  Stay tuned.


Tennis:

I was checking schedules of some of the Majors (i.e. after I saw a post from a friend about Roland Garros in 40+ days).  Paris is one of my favorite cities and I was fortunate to spend a weekend there last year.  When doing some checking, I noticed that the French Open is being played during Memorial Day weekend.  Immediately I checked my points and miles balances.  As of now, it's a definite maybe, since I find the idea completely intriguing (i.e. it requires no time off of work and I can cover Paris in a couple of days for the tournament)

Of course, the next thing I looked up were the dates for Wimbledon, which just so happens to end on the Sunday, 4th of July.  I like London also...  Just saying.  Seriously though, I'd most likely have to pick between the two events, and it's a little too early for me to commit to either.

Can you hear that?  The gears in my head are turning, but that's all I have for now.  Tomorrow is going to be a great day!


THE WIRK