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Steve R.

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Everything posted by Steve R.

  1. Steve R.
    Hingis played for the NY Sportimes for several years and I was a member of that club & had tkts to all their home matches. She was the crowd favorite and clearly still had game big time. It's really nice to see her continue to collect trophies. She is great to watch & one of my favorite players, smiling almost all the time. Paes is who I watch relentlessly throughout the US Open. We get Grounds Passes for several days of the tournament & I will not watch the big time singles if he is on the doubles court anywhere. Try as I might, I just can't believe anyone can have that much finesse, that great a touch and think that well while playing doubles. My favorite all time, especially when he and Martina N. teamed up. He and Stepanek were pretty special too, although not as successful post 2013.
  2. Steve R.
    Yep. I agree with just about all of what you said, especially your statement about the semi's that "Federer today looked as good as I've ever seen him." eta: now, after the fact (he lost in the finals today), I have to say that he looked damn good today as well. Unfortunately, Djokovic was even better. I'm getting the feeling that, 10 years down the road, I might actually wind up having to admit that Djokovic was one of the greatest, if not the greatest. We'll see; still have a ways to go.
  3. Steve R.
    No, I don't. Freshly back from Seattle, where we had to wake up pretty early to catch earlier round matches, we're enjoying the 9am starts yesterday & today for the finals. Not so enjoyable (so far) is the match score... Fed down 2-1 in sets. I guess 3-1 means it's over, huh?
  4. Steve R.
    Don- I don't think there's any doubt that Riggs tanked points, but tanking the match is different. I'm sure he could've given up points for various reasons, including feeling winded or wanting King to get overconfident about the effectiveness of a certain shot. And, it wouldn't have been unusual for him to be so convinced of his superiority to have given points in order to make it more entertaining, not realizing that it would get out of hand. My own skepticism is that I doubt he would have done these things in the 3rd set & I would have expected a more error free attack from him as the match went her way. He could've been ill... that level of sweat from him was unusual as well. As for the other question at hand.... I think the world of Johnny Mac's ability right now & have watched him play several times during the past 2-3 years. But I fully believe that Serena would kick his ass... easily.
  5. Steve R.
    Okay, so as the older tennis guy around here, let me weigh in by saying that, in my opinion it's an absolute coin toss as to whether Riggs tanked or not. I played (very) competitive tennis in HS (NYC champions, Capt of the team, best doubles player in NYC...) '68-70 &, although I moved over to squash in '70, I remained active in tennis circles thru college ('70-74). I watched the match & have seen replays (not recently). I rooted for Billie Jean. I still know one of Riggs' doubles partners. All that by way of saying that I am probably as knowledgable as anyone outside would be & I absolutely think it could be either way. The only certainties are that Riggs was a heavy gambler, as much capable of tanking &/or hustling as anyone in any game has ever been, and definitely did not play well against Billie Jean. No strategy, no plan, bad shots, looking worn out.... the list goes on & on. Clearly something was wrong & I don't think it can be attributed to King taking him off his game. Was he ill, did he throw it, did he just have one of those days? We'll never know. But he was more awful than he had any obvious reason to be & we all expected a better match. If I absolutely had to choose, my guess would be on the tank. However, I wouldn't bet on it.
  6. Steve R.
    My wife and I hit the Doughnut Plant & bought a couple yesterday. First time we've eaten any of their product. Waaaay too sweet for us. I prefer Dunkin'.
  7. Steve R.
    Does "Easy Rider" qualify? If not, I vote for "The Last Waltz."
  8. Steve R.
    Getting rid of much of my vinyl, I looked inside my copy of The Four Seasons Greatest Hits (mono, bought in the late '60s) & discovered a sheet of paper with their autographs, gotten at a TV show taping in the mid-'60s. I'm old.
  9. Steve R.
    Nice to see Shumpert & JR Smith have solid roles in this. They must be thrilled to be off the Knicks.
  10. Steve R.
    Very well put, although there were way too few good r&r numbers to offset the "dismal legacy" crap. And, unfortunately, that's the stuff that just keeps comin'.
  11. Steve R.
    Couldn't agree more. And his Rock & Roll album too. Marianne Faithful was/is incredible. Pick up her live concert album, done at St. Ann's in Brooklyn, 2 blocks from where I live (& where my wife & I were married... & where the Tim Buckley tribute concert was held). Incredible church acoustics, great back up players.
  12. Steve R.
    I agree with The Hersch on the "wasted potential" comment. When I was a teen, way back in the '60s, I saw several Jeff Beck Group concerts, with Rod Stewart doing the vocals. Loved it. Immediately bought the Rod Stewart Album and then Gasoline Alley when they came out. Loved them. By "Every Picture Tells A Story", I was less thrilled & he kept moving to more and more pop over the years. More critical acclaim but I've always felt he's been way less than he could've been. Now he's singing standards and crooning?! Oh well.
  13. Steve R.
    Sorry all. I honestly didn't think the Rangers were going to come back from a 3-1 game deficit for the 2nd year in a row. Great series. At least one or two people on this board (me & weinoo?) like the result.
  14. Steve R.
    Well, I liked the game just fine.
  15. Steve R.
    Hell, Sharapova is 6'1" and Venus is 6'2". It must be nice to be Isner height and serve from so many feet higher than the net. Just gotta make sure you earn enough money so you don't have to take the subways and can ride in a high ceiling'ed car.
  16. Steve R.
    I've been going to the US Open (& its previous name) since Forest Hills days & have been to Wimbledon & many pro league matches. In the late '60s I even got to go (with my High School tennis team) to Madison Sq. Garden to sit in the lower rows and watch Laver, Gonzalez & many others play. So, my list of who I've never seen but would have loved to see play is pretty much confined to those who came before then and those who I haven't gotten into the big stadiums to see, even when at the majors. So: Kramer, Budge, Althea Gibson come to mind for the former & Nadal, Sharapova for the current. My favorite to watch over the years has been Leander Paes & whomever his partner might be. But, I'm a doubles player for almost 50 years so...
  17. Steve R.
    So we stayed 3 nights in ABQ Old Town at the Bottger B & B and liked it/them a lot. Happy hour drinks/apps. one afternoon & dinner at the bar of High Noon another were both enjoyed, as they make great margaritas (the mulled cucumber one was my favorite) & have above average food. Dinner at Seasons was very good but I didn't like the fact that both the prime rib & the chicken's tastes were overshadowed by the smoked flavor. I liked dinner at Antiquity even more but, again, the smoke on the steak my wife ordered was too prominent. My pork was excellent. And their wine list is very gently & fairly priced, especially in the mid-range $50-90/bottle selections.
  18. Steve R.
    Don: I may be wrong but I think some of that passing the ball around and not going for it in the last 3 minutes might have been Calipari's fault. When Kentucky got the lead, I think he could be repeatedly seen instructing them to slow it down & eat clock. Puzzling. They didn't react well to it & looked really unsure of themselves the rest of the way. Am I imagining this? I didn't stick around for any post game analysis & haven't been listening since.
  19. Steve R.
    Prior to the game, I thought it would be a lopsided Kentucky win. I thought the # of Kentucky big men would tire out the big Wisconsin guys, as they'd have to defend the entire game against fresh legs and would, in turn, be guarded by a rotating group of physical players. I thought Kentucky had the edge on shooting guards as well -- although I didn't think their defense would cause problems for Wisconsin, I thought Kentucky would out rebound Wisconsin and keep them to one shot while the Kentucky guards would be more open when Wisconsin had to collapse inside to counter the Kentucky big men. I might as well have thought the moon was made of cheese. I was entirely wrong. Great game plan by Wisconsin, great composure by Wisconsin &, most of all, better playing by Wisconsin. Except for a few exciting runs by Kentucky (too few), an all Wisconsin game.
  20. Steve R.
    Here's a tangent: do we think that's true of, given the primary purpose of this board, chefs or high level restaurants? I'd find it hard to assert that our top chefs rival those of previous generations, let alone surpass them. How about the top restaurants? Seems to me that the positive movement is in the middle and the general accessibility. Just a thought.
  21. Steve R.
    As a scrub gym-rat wannabe basketball player who who knows full well how good top players were back then (2 friends made it to the NBA), I can't tell you how much better I think the current college game is & how unbelievably better the players today are. In my opinion, not one of the great UCLA teams would fare as well against Kentucky as WV did, let alone have a chance of winning. UCLA's teams may not have even earned a high seeding in the tournament. Is my opinion on this clear? And, since Don brought up tennis, I'll add my 2 cents there as well. I was Capt. of my HS tennis team & we won the NYC championship my Junior & Senior year ('69 & '70). My partner & I were the #1 doubles team in NYC my Senior year. I love telling people that... it's great for my aged ego, even though it's ancient history. However, I am 100% sure that, at my peak, I couldn't compete with today's 13 year old tournament players & probably wouldn't make my High School's current team, even though they are no longer even a NYC playoff team. In conclusion: I agree with Don.
  22. Steve R.
    Someone in the pre-game or halftime mentioned that Kentucky can beat the Knicks.
  23. Steve R.
    I agree with you & think he should be reinstated. However, there are some good reasons that betting on your own team is problematic. Its not an individual sport and he's not betting on himself. His decisions as a Manager may have an adverse effect on others. If he has a lot riding on a particular game, would he take out a starter so as not to risk his arm for the rest of the season? Would he throw at an opposing batter more aggressively? Lots of things a Manager could make decisions on that reflect the need to win a specific game vs. win a championship. Again, I'm not opposed to reinstating him but, basically, because I'm a cynic and think that there are always illegal things going on at all times and that this rule is almost the "jaywalking" of baseball.
  24. Steve R.
    Interesting guy"¦ not sure there's a biography around worth reading. Have listened to him since I was in H.S. in the late '60s & relentlessly read all his stuff when in college and thereafter as it came out. As an aside, pick up "Eden Express", his son's book about his own life, from his father to drug addiction to mental illness. He became a Psychiatrist. Great reading.
  25. Steve R.
    The Egyptian stuff is really good there as well and there's a small long term exhibit on the 5th floor from the Black Arts Movement of the '60s. It also has a newish restaurant from Saul Bolton (he moved "Saul" there from Smith St"¦ I'm not a fan, but it's well reviewed) and is at the foot of the Washington Ave/Vanderbilt Ave restaurant rows, as well as only blocks from Park Slope. Grand Army Plaza has a Greenmarket on Sat & the Library & Botanical Gardens are worth the effort. Prospect Park is where I play tennis. Bubbles in the winter, open har-tru courts in the summer. Just sayin'.
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