BuggBlog

Still not dead

So I had finally gotten back on a rough schedule of posting here, spurred in no small part by the ongoing drama of the U.S. Open (Marat! What happened? My heart hurts for you!). But I have an excuse for my disappearance this time -- I'm in Miami for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association conference. Got my panel done yesterday -- all about how to make your gay publication a long-term success -- and hit the beach:

How white is that? I may have accidentally blinded the unbelievably tanned German couple who were sunning next to us. Anyway, I'm now burned, in some places where my sunscreen was inadequately applied, so I'm holding off on the beach. Cavin wants to hit the Everglades, so maybe some pics from that later.

Too hot to handle

Now that we're into the second week of the U.S. Open and, presumably, concentrating on the players who may have a shot at actually winning the thing, I'm feeling a lot better about the tournament. Hey, even I got a little misty at Agassi's farewell speech, but it's time to move on to such silly and inconsequential thoughts as:

--Biggest disappointment of the Labor Day play? Robbie Ginepri's almost-but-not-quite comeback match with Tommy Haas. I really thought he was going to win that one, and it hurt to watch him fall apart so badly in that fifth-set tiebreak. Luckily for him, he's still hot, so he'll be okay.

--Watching Fernando Verdasco lose yesterday to Andy Roddick, it's hard to avoid the obvious: Spain turns out the men who are both talented and extremely hot. Rafael Nadal, Verdasco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya (not my type, but I have it on good authority that he is, actually, hot), Fernando Feliciano Lopez. Then there's Tommy Robredo running around with '70s hair and short-shorts looking like he just came (!) from a classic William Higgins porn shoot.

--Back when Roddick was young and winning tournaments, he looked like he was having fun when he played and, concomitantly, was a pleasure to watch. These days, he appears to have settled on the "Big Asshole" strategy for matches -- yeah, Andy, we're all impressed with your macho, how-dare-you, in-your-face act when Benjamin Becker shows a little enthusiasm. What big balls you have! Really, for someone who seems like a good guy off the court based solely on his non-playing public persona, his matches have turned into a joyless chore to sit through. At this point, it's kind of making me look forward to watching him get chewed up by Federer. Or Safin, since he's the one I'm picking to win. I'm crazy that way.

--Everyone's favorite lesbian (who hasn't retired yet) Amelie Mauresmo continues threatening to give me a heart attack with her up-and-down matches. The win over Serena Williams tonight was a fabulous one, particularly if you ignore that big bagel Serena served up for the second set. I really, really enjoy watching Mauresmo play -- the fact that she continually scores another victory for lesbian visibility is like a nice little bonus to such a beautiful game. I'm not completely confident about her chances to go all the way in New York, but for Mauresmo to grab three Grand Slams in one year would be a particularly just dessert for many a naysayer.

And so it ends

I had to play my own tennis match early in the afternoon, so after managing to avoid having any random person spoil me with the results, I'm finally catching up to Agassi's final match.

--Man, this is one ugly match. I can't help but think that everyone would have been a lot better off had Baghdatis won that second round match. As much as I've been annoyed by the all-Agassi show the past few days, it would have been nice to see him go out on a higher note than the odd wind-down that he got with (not-Boris) Becker. That said, it's sad to see him go, and the emotion he showed even choked me up a little bit. The man does know how to go out classy.

--The day crowd is way better than the night crowd, leaving aside the occasional odd booing of Becker for having the temerity to hit a drop shot.

--Can Dick Enberg just shut the hell up? He manages to be vapid, hysterical and wrong all and once, and alarmingly often. He never understands which player is challenging a call, and John McEnroe is constantly having to come in and gently correct him.

--Lindsay Davenport is, like, this close to retiring, and CBS couldn't cut away for even a minute or two before she managed to pull out the last four points of the third set tiebreaker and stay alive for another round?

Bailing out

Now I remember why renting is easier than owning. Our sump pump in the cellar apparently gave out last night, leaving us with a few inches of Ernesto down below. Which is not as much fun as it sounds. What a start to a three-day weekend. Well, two day weekend, given that Monday is part of my production schedule. Labor Day, my ass.

Late night follies

Just a few thoughts on the Agassi-Baghdatis match I stayed up way too late watching:

1. Baghdatis is one of the easiest players to love I've seen in a long time. There aren't that many players whose level of play seems so closely attuned to how often he smiles. After being put out of sorts for the first two sets by the overactive crowd -- see below -- he found his groove and played the incredible game that's made me a huge, huge fan. Sad to see him go so early, because I think the sport needs him around as much as it needs bangers like Nadal.

2. Okay, I like Andre Agassi and everything -- in the last few years he's matured into an admirable specimen of man and player -- but I cannot wait until all-Andre love extravaganza is over. Between treating the opening match with Pavel as a classic for the ages (it wasn't) and forcing every man, woman and child within range of a camera to genuflect before the altar of Agassi, USA Network is beginning to piss me off by shoving all this down my throat.

3. Last night's New York crowd went over the top, booing Baghdatis's every mistake and finally, in the last few points, booing him as he fought his way through cramps to finish the match. Can we finally stop pretending that the New York crowds are rambunctious, charming and entertaining locals, when they're more often just a bunch of obnoxious, screaming, asshole bullies?