Family Adventures: Happy New Year

Photo via Whats4lunch

While out on errands on Saturday, we stopped for lunch at the Asian Bistro in Williston. It's a bit further from our home than Joyce's Noodle House in Essex but apparently My Wife prefers their lo mein to Joyce's. I had no idea. It was chicken fried noodles for me - not bad but, as usual, My Wife ordered better.

Image via Amazon.com

We went to the Mocks' for an early evening New Year's gathering. We brought over a new game to share: Dixit. My Wife has had her eye on Dixit for a while now and bought it as a gift for our family. It's a sort of story telling/guessing/fool your opponents game. It's a lot of fun: easy to learn and perfectly suitable for a wide range of ages. The game is technically limited to six people and we had seven which was a little funky but two of the kids volunteered to play as a team so it worked out fine. It allows for a low-key atmosphere, too - not overly competitive and we could all be happy for the winner, Mrs. Mock in this case.

Image via ProductWiki

Pictionary was a different story. Things got a lot more emotional with that one! I hadn't played in years but it was fun. My team struggled but we made a strong effort in the end. The toughest word I had to draw (unsuccessfully) was current.

We brought over Duck Soup to share. It's long been our tradition to watch Marx Brothers movies on New Year's. Evidently, they tended to be on TV when My Wife babysat as a teenager on New Year's (I'm still learning new things about her all the time). Apparently, it's a long-standing tradition for loads of people. TCM had a New Year's Eve Marx Brothers marathon this year. Here I thought it was just her clever idea!

Duck Soup is my favorite Marx Brothers film, though I also like Horse Feathers, the first one I ever watched. The adults watched more than the kids did last night. Those kids who did wander in and out were mostly confused by it - understandable if you're not paying close attention, I suppose.

Before I sign off, I'd like to take a quick moment to express my disappointment with Fantasy Tennis Tour. Due to their apparent compatibility issues with Firefox, I wasn't able to log in and make my picks for the opening tournaments of the year. It's not worth the weekly frustration so I'm bagging the idea for the year. Oh well. I dare say I'll find other things to write about!

But let's end on a positive note. Here's my favorite scene from Duck Soup:



Happy New Year!

My Tennis Fantasy: Can He Do It Again?

My Final Overall Standing: 15th
My MVP for the Week: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) with $260,000, finishing 1-2 in the round robin stage of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
My MVP for the Year: Novak Djokovic


Photo via Bettor.com

Without a doubt, 2011 has been Novak's year. Here is Jon Wertheim's nomination of Djokovic for SI's Sportsman of the Year. (I'm betting it will be either Coach K or Aaron Rodgers). The question remains, though: can he keep this up?

My guess is no. Djokovic is obviously plenty good but I think Nadal and Federer will reassert their authority in 2012. If each player is at his best, I think they're both still better than Djokovic is. Yes, Novak's got all of the shots in the book but the Federer/Nadal reign has been about mental prowess as much as physical. I think they both win Slams next year and - ready for it? - Djokovic doesn't win any.

One final bold prediction for 2012: I've said for a long time that I think this next year will be Federer's last and I'm standing by it. But I think he'll leave us with a few final gems to remember him by. I genuinely hope I'm wrong about this one. If anyone deserves to walk away from his sport on his own terms, it's Fed. Even if he plays until he's 40, he'll be sorely missed once he's gone.

As for Fantasy Tennis Tour, I've definitely enjoyed the year but I have been very frustrated by their inclination to change the rules on us mid-season. It happened several times. I've been even more frustrated by their slow-loading website, at least on Safari. I know it's just a beta site this year but I hope they'll shape up for Year 2. And yes, I'm definitely planning to play again. I'm sad not to have cracked the top 10 - a worthy goal for 2012!

My Tennis Fantasy: Federer

Current Overall Standing: 11th
My MVP for the Week: Roger Federer (Switzerland) with $612,765, defeating Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (France) for the title at the BNP Paribas Masters


Photo via TopNews

Even at age 30, it's not too late for Roger The Great to achieve a career-first. He had never won the Paris Masters tournament before this week. There are now only two Masters events he's never won: Monte Carlo and Rome. He's had a great two-week stretch. He didn't lose so much as a set in Paris.

My Tennis Fantasy: Nishikori

Current Overall Standing: 12th
My MVP for the Week: Kei Nishikori (Japan) with $182,467, losing to Roger Federer (Switzerland) in the finals of Swiss Indoor Basel


Photo via ATP Tennis World

Nishikori is the big story of the week, having beaten Djokovic in the semifinals. Get used to seeing his name. I have long considered him to be the best under-the-radar player on tour. He has a disturbing tendency towards injuries but seems to be pulling things together, having already accomplished one career goal: becoming the highest-ranked Japanese male singles player ever. Now with supercoach Brad Gilbert on board, I think we can expect a lot from this young player over the next few years. He turns 22 next month.

My Tennis Fantasy: Cilic

Current Overall Standing: 12th
My MVP for the Week: Marin Cilic (Croatia) with $113,600, defeating Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) to win the title at the St. Petersburg Open


Photo via Celebrities

Whatever happened to Cilic? At the 2010 Australian Open, the 6'6" Croat looked to be tennis's next superstar. Since then, he's been relatively quiet. This is his first title since February 2010, though he has made four other finals in the interim. He's only 23 so there's plenty of time for him to make more noise.

My Tennis Fantasy: Tipsarevic, Part 3

Current Overall Standing: 12th
My MVP for the Week: Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) with $181,750, defeating Viktor Troicki (Serbia) at the Kremlin Cup


Photo via Live Tennis Guide

Sunday's Moscow final was the first-ever ATP final between two Serbs and Djokovic wasn't even one of them. Tipsarevic is on a tear this fall, picking up his second title in four weeks, albeit with two first round exits in between.

I am not too happy with Fantasy Tennis Tour at the moment. Their site is very slow-loading, at least on Firefox - and I'm not switching to Internet Explorer just to appease them. I hope they'll have this sorted out by the beginning of next season. It's almost like they don't want me to crack the top 10 for the year.

My Tennis Fantasy: Ferrer, Part 2

Current Overall Standing: 13th
My MVP for the Week: David Ferrer (Spain) with $302,000, losing to Andy Murray (UK) in the finals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters


Photo via Sky Sports

A fantastic result for Ferrer in the same week that he qualified for the year-end tournament in London - his third time in the final showcase.

My Tennis Fantasy: Berdych, Part 4

Current Overall Standing: 13th
My MVP for the Week: Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) with $500,000, defeating Marin Cilic (Croatia) for the title at the China Open


Photo via Fanpop

We haven't discussed Berdych in a while. After a strong spring, he had a lackluster summer Slam season. This is his sixth career title, but his first in two years.

My Tennis Fantasy: Tipsarevic, Part 2

Current Overall Standing: 14th
My MVP for the Week: Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) with $153,500, defeating Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) for the title at the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011


Photo via TopNews

Tipsarevic won his first ATP title in his fifth final. This was the first week of a three-week Asian swing for the men's tour. Tokyo and Beijing this coming week, with the Shanghai Masters tournament to follow.

My Tennis Fantasy: Mayer

Current Overall Standing: 15th
My MVP for the Week: Florian Mayer (Germany) with $90,661, defeating Pablo Andujar (Spain) for the title at the BCR Open Romania


Photo via Quickly-Community

Surprisingly, this is 27-year-old Mayer's first ATP title. Mayer is that rare player who is better on both grass and clay than he is on hard courts. His best Slam run was a quarterfinal effort at Wimbledon 2004.

US Open Day 15: Leaving No Doubt

Curtain Call

Player: Novak Djokovic
Age: 24
Nation: Serbia
Current Ranking: 1
Today's Result: defeated Rafael Nadal (2nd seed, Spain) in four sets


Photo via CLBuzz

Novak Djokovic is the best player in the world. If there were any doubt before tonight, it's all gone now. Nadal put up a beautiful fight but in the end, Djokovic's victory seemed inevitable. Will he be able to even come close to matching this effort next year? It will be a tall order. He'll have significant points to defend at nearly every event he plays. He is the king until proven otherwise but I actually see Federer mounting a resurgence in 2012 - just when no one expects it.


My Tennis Fantasy

Current Overall Ranking: 16th
My MVP for the Week: Novak Djokovic with $1,800,000

US Open Day 1: Knapp

Curtain Call

Player: Karin Knapp
Age: 24
Nation: Italy
Current Ranking: 193
Today's Result: loss to Annabel Medina Garrigues (30th seed, Spain) in three sets


Photo via Wikipedia

This is Knapp's third US Open main draw but her first since 2008. Her best results have been at Roland Garros where she has reached the third round twice. She went through qualifying to reach the main draw, only to be slotted with a seeded player in the first round.


Golden Squid Report

Tobias Kamke - Kamke had the rotten luck of drawing the in-form Mardy Fish (8th, USA) in the first round and went down meekly in three. It's his second Slam in a row falling to the host nation's #1. He lost to Andy Murray at Wimbledon. I would love to see him make more noise at the smaller events so he could get the ranking up and avoid the seeds early in the Slams.


My Tennis Fantasy

I was very boring in my picks for the US Open, going with the top seven men's seeds. For the record, Djokovic is my favorite for the title, even with the nagging injury. Gael Monfils survived the day and, as I write this, Federer is up a set and a break in his first rounder.

My Tennis Fantasy: Isner

Current Overall Standing: 17th
My MVP for the Week: John Isner (USA) with $74,630, defeating Julien Benneteau (France) for the title at the Winston-Salem Open


Photo via BEHIND BLONDIE PARK

The organizers in North Carolina very cleverly avoided Hurricane Irene by scheduling their final on Saturday!

Big Man Isner won his third career singles title yesterday. A winner's trophy is always nice but I'd still argue that he'd have been better served by a week off before the US Open. Alas, no one ever consults me about these things!

State of the Blog 2011

It has been a year of evolution for The Armchair Squid. No longer merely a sports blog, the Squid has moved into the realms of literature and music. However, I believe that both sports and the arts are expressions of culture, reflecting different aspects of the human experience. A balanced life - that of an individual, a family, a community - should contain elements of both. In the coming year, the third in the life of the Squid, I shall continue to explore sports, literature and music. Further evolution in new directions is always likely. The Olympics are coming up next summer and that is certain to influence my posts.


Blogging Projects


Mock deserves full credit for getting me involved in blogging projects this past year. First, he tackled the 30 Comics in 30 Days challenge for his own blog, Stay on target... Then he discovered both the A to Z challenge and the 30 Songs in 30 Days challenge and encouraged me to try. Both were very positive experiences.

I definitely plan on doing A to Z again. I already have my theme ready to go. I have also designed my own challenge: 12 Books in 12 Months. I encourage you to join us for it. The details are here.


Books


Image via The Guardian

Books have become the life blood of the Squid and I have a number of projects lined up for the coming year. One is the 12 Books challenge mentioned above. I also have set a goal of reading The Hobbit to my daughter before the Peter Jackson film comes out next December. Then there's DC Comics' New 52. Mock, a true aficionado, has been feeding me comics for about a year now. I didn't read them much at all as a kid, devoting myself to Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons instead. As such, it's like a whole new world for me. I'm also a sucker for a good marketing campaign and thus cannot help being intrigued by DC's upcoming relaunch of 52 titles, including their most popular series. Justice League #1 is set for release on August 31st, the rest to follow in September.

Oh, I'm also trying to write a book. I've sort of hit a wall for the moment and could use some encouragement. It's a book based on my Orange Crush experience and youth soccer in general. I still think it's worth doing but I need to rethink the project a bit to make it work.


Family Adventures


Photo via Bruce Fong's Blog

I've already told My Wife that I'm taking responsibility for winter enjoyment this year. The Vermont winter, while frequently beautiful, is long and arduous. It's all too easy to feel snowbound and not leave the house for weeks at a time except when you absolutely must. I think we need to be more deliberate in combating that feeling this year. In truth, winter isn't even the toughest part of the year. The transitional seasons in November and March are brutal, too. So, perhaps my project is better described as Weekend Enjoyment.

My vision is to get all of us out of the house once a weekend for a non-errand outing, even if just for a leisurely walk in the neighborhood. The ideal activity is one that appeals to all three of us, gets us outdoors and doesn't cost much. The first condition is essential, the other two negotiable. There will be weekends when the idea of being outside is not remotely appealing but getting out of the house will be necessary anyway. Also, there may be weekends when the one thing we all really want to do will cost a bit. There will, indeed, be weekends when dragging everyone out of our cozy hibernation den - self included - will be enough challenge in itself. But it is for those weekends in particular that I feel this is important.

As mentioned in my Squiddies post, I'd like to take and post more photos this year. We do truly live in a beautiful place. I think photography will help me to appreciate that more often.


Baseball


Image via http://baltimoreorioles.devhub.com/

It's been a fun year with baseball, only moderate tinkering required for Year 3. The Baltimore Orioles will continue to be my primary focus and I have a new look planned for their 2012 campaign. The Chicago Cubs will still serve as my glimpse into the National League. I certainly hope to go to more Vermont Lake Monsters games next season. My bold proposal experiment shall continue as long as it remains viable. The Milwaukee Brewers, though, are the most likely team to upset my apple cart and they're looking pretty strong indeed right now. As much as possible, I will explore baseball's connections to other elements of culture: music, books, film, poetry, etc. I now understand why baseball has long held such appeal for professional writers.


Music


Photo via ullman211

This is a tricky one. Music is my job and I originally started the blog as something that would be completely separate from my daily work. But there's no denying the success of the 30 Songs in 30 Days experience for me so I'd like to find ways of incorporating music in future posts. To that end, I plan to explore the connections between the worlds of music and sport. Luckily, there are plenty.


Fantasy Sports


Image via Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

I shall continue posting my fantasies: baseball, football and tennis certainly. I also will be expanding my college football exploits (That sound you hear is My Wife groaning in despair. Don't worry, dear. This won't mean actually watching more games.) I intend to make a better showing in our college bowls group this year and as such, I will follow the regular season more closely. Care to join my pick 'em group? All are welcome...

Yahoo! Group #1978
Password: mockmock

Also, there is no stronger link in America between sports and music than that which exists in college football. Stay tuned.


Curling


Photo via Aww Dip

I will once again follow the World Championships but what I really want to do this year is get out on the ice myself. Mock has also convinced me to try broomball. Maybe mine could become the broom sports blog!


Tennis

Photo via Free-Extras
I will continue to post my Curtain Calls for Slams and to follow my Golden Squid. Interestingly, tennis is the only sport I've mentioned so far which is still a Summer Olympic sport. However, the real fun of following the Olympics is the chance to see the sports that don't get much or any exposure otherwise. As such, I'm likely to focus more of my Olympic attention on those than on tennis.


Photo via Executive Chairs

As I said last year, if anyone enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to Year 3. I hope you'll join me.

For comparison, here's last year's State of the Blog.

My Tennis Fantasy: Fish

Current Overall Standing: 18th
My MVP for the Week: Mardy Fish (USA) with $113,725 losing to Andy Murray (UK) in the semifinals of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters


Photo via World Amazing Sports Players

With all of the great stories coursing through men's tennis these days, it would be easy to overlook the tale of Mardy Fish. Yet here he is, staring at his 30th birthday in December and he's just attained his career-high ranking of #7. He is, shockingly, the highest ranked American in men's tennis. Apparently improved physical fitness has been the key to his late-career surge. He's never been past the quarters at the US Open but he's in top form right now. This could be his last good shot at a deeper run.

My Tennis Fantasy: He Speaks of the Pompetous of Love

Current Overall Standing: 17th
My MVP for the Week: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) with $443,500, defeating Mardy Fish (USA) for the title at the Rogers Cup


Photo via Indyposted

There are only so many ways to say it. Clearly, this is Novak's year. He is the first player ever to win five Masters titles in a single year. All that remains to be seen is if he can ride the wave all the way to the US Open title. I say yes.

My Tennis Fantasy: Monfils

Current Overall Ranking: 19th
My MVP for the Week: Gael Monfils (France) with $121,600, losing to Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic


Photo via Tennis24seven

Monfils is the current French #1, ranked #7 in the world, the highest ranking of his career. He was an absolute beast on the juniors circuit, claiming three consecutive junior slam titles in 2004: Australia, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He has yet to move beyond supporting cast status with the big boys. Could this be the year?

My Tennis Fantasy: Dolgopolov

Current Overall Standing: 20th
My MVP for the Week: Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) with $98,246, defeating Marin Cilic (Croatia) for the title at the ATP Studena Croatia Open

It's been a break out year for Dolgopolov. He attained his career-best ranking of #20 in April. This is his first singles title at the ATP level.

My Tennis Fantasy: Simon

Current Overall Ranking: 19th
My MVP for the Week: Gilles Simon (France) with $310,467, defeating Nicolas Almagro (Spain) for the title at the German Open Tennis Championships


Photo via Ticket Tennis News

Today's Hamburg final was a fun match. Neither Simon nor Almagro possesses a big kill shot so rallies were long with lots of tactics involving angles and court position: classic clay court tennis. This was Simon's ninth ATP tour title but his first at the 500 tournament level, as the commentators frequently reminded us.

Let's Talk Tennis: The Summer Clay Season

My Tennis Fantasy

Current Overall Standing: 25th
My MVP for the Week: Potito Starace (Italy) with $15,986, losing to Robin Soderling (Sweden) in the quarterfinals of the SkiStar Swedish Open


Photo via Jungle Key

This is a nice time of year for a guy like Starace. Clay is his best surface and the post-Wimbledon European clay swing is generally avoided by the bigger names as they rest up for the coming North American hard court slog. Unfortunately for Starace, Sweden's own #1 did show up for this one and Starace landed in his quarter of the draw.


Golden Squid Report

Jurgen Melzer (Austria) has won yet another doubles title, teaming up with his buddy Philipp Petzschner (Germany) to take the MercedesCup. This is Melzer's eleventh men's doubles title overall, his fourth with Petzschner. At the moment, Melzer is ranked twelfth in the world in both singles and doubles.