Is France's Mladenovic Next Big Thing in Women's Tennis?

Kristin Mladenovic fell just short of winning the "Junior Channel Slam", but the 16-year-old out of Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, Nord, France looks to have an exciting future in women's professional tennis, which could certainly use some new personalities. (Cont. )

Poor Sportsmanship Awards are in ...

... and the winners are. Rafael Nadal, LeBron James, Serena Williams and Michelle Larcher del Brito. 

Singing The Paul Krugman Blues

If you follow Noble economist Paul Krugman's blog, or read his New York Times column, you can relate to the emotional ups and downs he puts his readers through, as amusingly related by folk singer Loudon Wainwright III's "song for a New Depression" on this hand-held (cell phone?) video:

Is Tennis' Hawk-Eye Infallible?

I'm a big fan of Tennis' computerized instant-replay system. Whatever else you say about the invisible powers that run Tennis, they've done a much better job than other sports of implementing new technology to review calls. 

Not only has reply made calls more accurate, it has all but eliminated the silly tantrums spoiled tyrants such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors used to disrupt games and cheat their rivals. Replay has also speeded games (although much of the benefit is lost to prodigious stallers like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djkokovic et al). 

Roger Federer is Houdini, Congrats to Roddick, Too

It's going to take me days to recover from yesterday's Wimbledon final, and I only watched. This was one of the most astonishing matches I've seen, beyond the excellent play, for the competitive intensity. 

How Competitive Is Men's Pro Tennis?

It fascinates me how tough and close most matches between any of the top 50 men's tennis players are. Yesterday, Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling at Wimbledon it what is described as a one-sided easy victory. Actually, Federer won only six (6) more points than Soderling out of 200 total points played. There was only one break, which went to Federer, yet Soderling was only two swings away from getting two breaks, and had the second tie-breaker on his racquet. 

It's not uncommon for the player that wins the most points to lose the match, which has happened to Federer in finals against Rafael Nadal, for example. 

Look at the stat sheet:

Karlovic's Serve is Underhanded

Some would say any serve by Ivo Karlovic is under-handed since it seems like the 6 ft 10 in tennis player is serving from a tree. But in this 2007 match with Tommy Hass, Ivo literally goes under-handed to serve what may be the slowest ace is pro tennis history. I bet Ivo enjoyed this even more than his 153 MPH personal best. You can't see the actual serve until the replay, so be patient for a few seconds.

Michael Moore: "Save Our CEOs"

Here's a teaser video for muck-racker Michael Moore's upcoming new movie "Save Our CEOs", coming October 22, about our wonderful bank bailout. This "fund raiser" was shown without announcement while ushers walked the aisles with collection baskets. 

Why Is NBA Officiating So Bad?

Sadly, the main discussion surrounding this year's NBA basketball playoffs isn't the great play, but the obviously bad officiating. 

Are Google, Apple, Yahoo Conspiring to Keep Down Salaries?

Buried in the Washington Post is a fascinating article about a Justice Department probe of possible collusion by Google, Apple, Yahoo and Genetech to suppress hiring of high-tech workers.