US Open Day 2: Nalbandian Survives

Curtain Call

Player: Rik De Voest
Nation: South Africa
Age: 30
Current Ranking: 231
Tour Page
Today's Result: loss to David Nalbandian (31st seed, Argentina) in five sets

Photo from ATP

Well done, sir, of course. I can't deny, however, that I would have been mighty embarrassed had my pick for the champion gone out in the first round. I know he's a long shot but still!

De Voest has had more career success as a doubles player. His high rank for doubles (#39) is significantly higher than his high for singles (#110). He also has won two doubles titles on tour. Going five sets against possibly the best grinder in the world is still pretty darn good for a 30-year-old.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Daniel Brands (Curtain Call, Wimbledon Day 7) - This was Brands's first time in the main draw of the US Open. A first round exit pales in comparison to his fourth round effort at Wimbledon but the 23-year-old's career is definitely heading in the right direction.

All Part of My Fantasy

I'm already out of the running for the men but my pick for the women today was Jelena Jankovic. It was a little scary in the third set against Simon Halep but Jankovic prevailed.

US Open Day 1: Flushing Meadows

Curtain Call

Player: Andreas Haider-Maurer
Nation: Austria
Age: 23
Current Ranking: 214
Tour Page
Today's Result: loss to Robin Soderling (5th seed, Sweden) in five sets

Photo from juniortennis.com

Haider-Maurer went through qualifying to reach his first slam. Pushing the fifth seed the distance is an impressive showing.

The brothers McEnroe are currently debating the merits of Federer's between the legs shot tonight versus the one against Djokovic last year. I realize it's not so interesting to talk about the lopsided match in front of them. Heaven forbid they should stop talking altogether.

Catching Up with Old Friends

Greta Arn (Curtain Call, Wimbledon 2010 Day 5) - Today's match marks Arn's return to the US Open main draw after a three-year absence. At 31, it's good to see her making a late-career surge.


My Tennis Fantasy

First, my picks for the tournament...

Men -

Semis: Nalbandian v. Murray, Roddick v. Federer

Final: Nalbandian def. Federer

Yup, I'm going with the long shot. If he gets hot and stays healthy, Nalbandian can do it.

Women -

Semis: Kuznetsova v. Martinez Sanchez, Schiavone v. Clijsters

Final: Clijsters def. Kuznetsova

It's difficult to be too shocking with a wide-open women's field.

My suicide pool picks for Day 1 were Marion Bartoli for the women and Leonardo Mayer for the men. Bartoli came through with a straight-sets win over Edina Gallovits. Mayer, on the other hand, crashed and burned. He stormed through in the first set against French wild card Guillaume Rufin only to go down in four.

I'm still doing my bracket on the Tennis Channel site but major kudos to the US Open site for running their own bracket challenge. I think it's a great way to potentially draw the interest of casual fans and also draw the more serious fan to early round matches that otherwise wouldn't merit much attention.

My Baseball Fantasy: The Best Player in Baseball?

Week: August 22-28
Current Standing: 1st out of 12
My Player of the Week: Josh Hamilton (Left Fielder, Rangers) with 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 7 runs and a .375 batting average

A couple weeks ago, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci wrote a column on the Rangers' slugger: Hamilton Leaving No Doubt He Is the Best Player in Baseball. He has certainly been a fantasy gold mine for me. I have to admit that I had some misgivings about him at the beginning of the season: history of injury and substance abuse, inconsistency, etc. Plus, he's a lefty so there's always the concern he might miss starts against lefty pitchers. No doubt, it was because of these factors that he was available later in our draft. Instead, the MVP-type numbers keep piling up, now at 30 homers, 93 RBI, 91 runs, 8 stolen bases and a .357 batting average for the year. He still has all of September to build his case.

Long Trail Project: Lincoln Gap/Sunset Ledge

Check out My Wife's post regarding our latest Long Trail hike:

Hike #6 - Lincoln Gap/Sunset Ledge

State of the Blog 2010

The Armchair Squid is one year old today. I started this blog with what I will admit was a rather amorphous vision. The idea first hatched as I was watching last year's Confederations Cup soccer tournament. During the last World Cup (2006), I served as commissioner for My Wife's work pool and wrote humble missives to help guide the uninitiated. It was good fun and I thought I might give it another shot in 2010.

However, as you may have already figured out, my primary sports enthusiasm is for tennis. Not long after my soccer thoughts, I was watching Wimbledon and thinking about how frustrating it is that the press follows such a small sample of the hundreds of players who participate in a Slam tournament. 128 players in a singles draw means 128 stories. I thought I might find a way to showcase some of the lesser-knowns and my Curtain Call idea was born. It was with these two ideas that I launched the Armchair Squid last August.

Years ago, my mother asked me why I like sports so much. It is an interest which I developed entirely apart from my family. She wondered if it was my love for numbers. While I am certainly a numbers geek and the sports page definitely fed me plenty of them, I didn't think that was it. I believe that what I really love about sports is its wealth of stories. Every game is a story and if you watch (or play) live you get to watch the story unfold as it happens. But really, a game is a great confluence of stories. Every player has a story, as does every team, every coach, every season, every franchise, every city and on and on. Naturally, every fan also has a story, too. After the US Open finished, I didn't want to just twiddle my thumbs until the Aussie Open came around. I wanted to keep writing. And so, I decided that my story as a fan would be my starting point as I explored other topics.

This jumping around and dabbling here and there has been good fun but I'm now at a point where I'd like for the blog to have a better defined direction. It is my intention, therefore, to narrow my focus to a few specific areas rather than the entire sports world. At least for the moment, those areas shall be:

1. Baseball
2. Fantasy Sports
3. Tennis
4. Curling
5. Books
6. Family Adventures


Baseball

I'll definitely see my bold proposal project through to the end of the season. I have some ideas as to how the postseason would play out in my ideal universe. Whether I bring it back next season will depend on how things work out this season.

But what I'd really like to do is reconnect with the team I grew up with, the Baltimore Orioles. I've written a lot about the Cubs this season. I like the Cubs and I certainly like the fact that they're on TV a lot but I can't deny that I feel a touch disloyal. I'm not prepared to shell out for a broader TV package so my relationship with the O's will continue to be one of the long-distance variety. But I think of all those baseball fans in the pre-television era who never got to see their team in action. If they could do it, so can I.


Fantasy Sports

I'm still not sure what took me so long to get into fantasy football or fantasy baseball. Perhaps in my subconscious I knew the risk of addiction. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much before it was all Web-based but I'm sure glad it's a part of my life now.

I need to find some more specific directions with fantasy sports but it is certainly a hobby ideally suited for blogging. I will continue to showcase the players who do well by me. I also want to explore ways to be a good commissioner - the fantasy sports equivalent to a dungeon master - and to develop the perfect league. Stay tuned. This will take some flushing out.


Tennis

I definitely want to continue with the Curtain Calls, partly because it's a fun way to follow a Slam but also because it's really the essence of what I want my blog to be. I also feel that the Slams are the best point of contact for the casual fan. I'm still hoping to convert average sports fans to my sport of choice.


Curling

I was puzzled over what to do about this one as television coverage in the US is essentially nil. So, anyone with an interest would have access to all of the same Web resources as I do. How could I offer something different? Wouldn't you know, the Canadian Broadcast Company would come to my rescue. A TV series version of Men with Brooms is premiering this fall. While we don't get CBC in our satellite package, the network has an outstanding website on which one can watch programming. So, it is my plan to blog reviews of the show. Beyond that, I'll certainly check in with the world championships when they come around.


Books

Apart from actually watching sports, books have been my fuel this year. I have been delighted to find so much quality sports writing and fully intend to continue my exploration. I'll certainly share my thoughts on the books I find.


Family Adventures

We're sure to have plenty of them and I'll write about them when appropriate. In many ways, these posts are the most fun for me to write. My Favorite Athlete is also my favorite subject.


It is entirely possible that other subjects will creep in from time to time. I may, at some point, get off of the sports track but it's working for now so I'll stick with it.

I am tickled pink that anyone would read and enjoy my blog. To paraphrase Jon Wertheim, 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 2. I hope you'll join me.

Squiddies 2010

My blog turns one year old today. As such, it's awards show time. And the Squiddy goes to...


Biggest Surprise: Curling

When the Winter Olympics began in February, I was not expecting to become a devoted curling fan by the end but it happened. I like curling for many reasons:

1. It is no end of quirky, as a sport with ice, 40-pound rocks and brooms could only be.
2. Basic sportsmanship is the rule rather than the exception. I particularly approve of the expectation that a team will concede once a win is out of reach. Nothing in sports is more boring than a blowout.
3. The relaxed pace. It's easy enough to imagine all of the curlers standing around the ice with beers in hand.

Anyway, I fell in love and will do my best to follow the sport in non-Olympic years, despite the lack of coverage on American television.

Honorable Mention: Fantasy Football, Butler Basketball, Francesca Schiavone


Biggest Disappointment: Washington Capitals

No contest here. They made quite a convincing impression of the best team in hockey for most of the season but finished with zero Olympic medals and a first-round playoff loss. With so much young talent, I certainly hope they're taking a long, hard look in the mirror this summer to figure out how to turn this team into a champion.

Honorable Mention: The Yankees Win the World Series...Again


Best Game: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final

It is not mere coincidence that Duke has played in so many of the great basketball games of the past 25 years. Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying that the Blue Devils play the game as it was meant to be played. Win or lose, Coach K's teams always play tough, disciplined basketball.

To me, the definition of a great game is one in which both sides play hard and it's a shame that somebody has to lose. Butler's improbable run to the national finals was enough to cement their place in sports legend. But the Bulldogs came ready to play and gave as good as they got against mighty Duke. Let us not forget that Hayward's desperation heave at the end nearly went in. If it had, this would have to be called the best game ever. Period.

Honorable Mention: Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game


Best Story: Francesca Schiavone Wins the French Open

But alas, Hayward's shot did not go in. For two weeks in Paris, Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone made all of the shots when it mattered. I started following Schiavone at the U.S. Open. I really enjoyed watching her play. She is not a physically dominating player in any way but she plays with a competitive fire which is downright inspiring. No one could have expected her to walk away with the singles title at Roland Garros but she did it. Her team's t-shirts said it all: "Nothing Is Impossible."

Honorable Mention: Butler Basketball, Chicago Blackhawks


Best Read: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

One of the best unexpected consequences of blogging is that it has gotten me back into pleasure reading. I've read a lot of good sports-related books this year but I would consider A Walk in the Woods the best of them simply because I expect it's the most enjoyable without an initial interest in the subject matter, in this case hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Honorable Mention: Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi


Athlete of the Year: Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis is, of course, the San Francisco 49ers' Pro Bowl tight end. He was also the MVP of my fantasy football team last year. That really would have been enough to earn my praise but he turned out to be so much more. First I found out he was an art major in college which led me to his excellent website. The website led me to seek out other well-regarded athlete sites (I still say Vernon's is the best). Then, before the Olympics, he was named honorary captain of the U.S. men's curling team. Later in the year, he picked up a tennis racket and played doubles with Serena Williams at a charity event.

In short, he turned out to be a far more interesting person than I would have expected an NFL tight end to be. He was a great story to follow over the course of the year, very much in the spirit of my overall vision for the blog.

Honorable Mention: Francesca Schiavone, Josh Hamilton, Gordon Hayward


Post with Most Unexpected Consequences: South Africa 2010: The Orange Crush

The fact that watching the World Cup got me thinking about my own youth soccer experiences is not so surprising, nor is the fact that such thoughts inspired me to try to get in touch with the members of my first team. But the success I had in finding them and the enthusiastic responses I have gotten from my teammates and their parents have been nothing short of astonishing. Bear in mind, I have not seen some of these folks since the fourth grade. That was 28 years ago! Stay tuned. This story may yet be going places.

Honarable Mention: All Part of My Fantasy: Best 11th Round Pick Ever


Best Family Adventure: The Long Trail Project

My Wife has primary blogging rights on this subject (Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail) but I figure I can claim a tangential connection. What we're doing is wonderful for many reasons:

1. We're all doing it together.
2. We live in an outdoor adventurer's paradise and we're lazy bums if we don't get out on a regular basis to enjoy it.
3. It suits my larger purposes of getting more exercise.

Honorable Mention: Our Girl's Swimming Adventures, Tree Farm Vacation


Best Unexpected Benefit of Blogging: An Enriched Friendship

At the beginning of this past school year, I'd like to think that Mock and I were already on our way to building a solid friendship. But blogging has definitely played a role in helping us get to know each other better. For that, I am very grateful. If you haven't checked out his blog, you should: Stay on target...

Honorable Mention: Reconnecting with the Orange Crush, Renewed Interest in Pleasure Reading

Cincinnati: Setting the Stage

So, with Federer winning the title in Cincinnati, the stage is set for a very interesting US Open on the men's side. Even with del Potro unable to defend his title, some high-quality players are definitely peaking at the right time: Federer, Fish, Murray, Roddick, Baghdatis, Djokovic and Nalbandian. Nadal should be dangerous, too, of course but as his tendency, his play has dropped off a tad since Wimbledon.

Right now, it's disappointing that two of the bigger names on the women's side have already pulled out: Serena Williams and Justine Henin. But it does mean great opportunities for the lesser lights.