greenwitch's Comments (35)

“Rhino, regarding my "phobia"...get a clue. I was talking about the disconnect between Serena's outburst and her press conference. There's too much real racism in the world for you to try to manufacture it.
/:[”

“I dunno...Novak Djokovic is also considered an "outsider." His parents behaved boorishly and have made less-than-thoughtful comments; he was shunned by other players for his impersonations of them, even though fans were delighted by his antics; he was booed by the NY fans last year when he took exception to Andy Roddick's jibes about his fitness. He got several bad calls in his match with Fed on Sunday. Sound familiar? (BTW, he's from Serbia.) Outsider status does not have to be based on race, and the Williams sisters broke the norm by refusing to play junior tournaments. Richard Williams spoke his mind and was considered arrogant, while, IIRC, Oracene has always been gracious and well liked. Tennis is a cliquish sport, as are most sports played at a country club, and those that refuse to "toe the line" get stepped on. That said, Serena and Venus have more than "paid their dues" in the sport, have a huge fan base and are loved all over the world.”

“Maybe because Federer just used profanity---he didn't threaten to shove a tennis ball down the ump's throat. See the difference?”

“I think she meant that the camera did not have a shot on the line, hence the angles of the replays were inconclusive.”

“No, of course not, line judges watch all the lines, hence the name "line judges." They are rotated around and off the court during the match. In this case, during the serve, that linesperson's job was to watch for foot faults. I was being a bit sarcastic about taking away the judge when a match gets tight, but my point was why bother assigning a person to make a foot fault call if you don't want them to make the call as they see it?”

“I'm surprised she was able to play in the doubles championship match. Her arm must've hurt from all that twisting.”

“Thank you. Couldn't agree with you more. Excusing and even rewarding bad behavior is becoming the norm lately. Not good.”

“"She had every right to be angry. And many of those whom want her 'banned' would have been livid also at that crucial time in the match People get upset. You don't find this call for 'banning' when they clear the benches in pro baseball or even hockey."

Perhaps, but many bench-clearing brawls lead to suspensions.

"People have a right to express themselves."

People do not have the right to threaten and menace other people. It's called assault.

"What I want to know is if the linesperson is going to be investigated? Who said she didn't have a bet on the game with control of the outcome in her hands. I'm just saying."

You're "just saying" BS. How convenient for the linesperson that Serena ended up having to serve to stay in the match and hitting two easy balls into the net to be down 15-30 and faced with a second serve. "Here's my chance to make beaucoup bucks!" the linesperson thought. Yeah, right. The linesperson was assigned to call foot faults and she thought she saw one so she called it. That's her job. If foot faults shouldn't be called on "important points," then take away the foot fault line judge when the match gets tight.”

“2) I don't think it is fair to lump the Williams sisters together. Throughout the years, Venus has showed more respect to her opponents on and off the court than Serena, and is the better-liked player in the locker room. Serena, on the other hand, is quirky, sometimes charming, other times dismissive. Her behavior on court Saturday, in my opinion, warranted a suspension, and I'm sorry the U.S. Open caved to financial concerns and allowed her back on court two days later. The profanity part did not upset me, as it was an odd call on an important point, but I thought the menace of Serena's tIrade was inexcusable. Technically, it was an assault, and if she were outside a bar instead of on a tennis court she might have been arrested. Her nonchalance in the press conference ("I've moved on") smacked of narcissism and denial. Yes, her T-shirts and interviews are funny, but the excerpts from her book portray someone who marvels at how well she can manipulate people and get away with it. All tennis players have personality issues, some more lovable than others, but every fan shows bias by preferring one player over another. The venom spewed by Serena, and her shrugging dismissal of it in the press conference, scared me. I hope she's urged to take a good look at herself and her behavior, but a slap on the wrist from the USTA does nothing to help. It's a lose-lose for everybody.”

“I have to disagree with you, Keli, especially on two points:

1) Granted, foot faults are a pain for everyone (including recreational players), and calling them is rather archaic in the present game, as so few players come to net behind their serves. However, there is a line judge whose job is to call foot faults, and if she saw Serena's foot touch the line before she hit the serve, her responsibility was to call a fault. If she shouldn't have called a foot fault on such an important point, why was she even out there? Perhaps tennis officials should add a special foot fault line six inches into the court from the baseline, so that only egregious ones will be called. I've seen a couple of angles of the fateful serve, and I think it's inconclusive from either angle. You need a shot from the linesperson's perspective, which extends from the line itself. Either do away with foot faults or add a camera and a challenge system, so bad foot fault calls can be reversed and outbursts avoided.

Point 2 to follow...”

“This is really impressive. Thank you!”

“Send us the good mojo! We're really trying.”

“According to Christiane Amanpour, bin Laden is living in a villa somewhere, probably Pakistan. Maybe the U.S. should try to deliver a pizza.”

“I wonder what she thinks of the guy (Neel Kashkari) who's running the bailout. Arab terrorist, too, Gayle? Very, very, scary?? Quick, hide your money under your mattress, dear---but watch out for the cat hair and bedbugs.”

“Sorry to hear that. Some people are just impossibly clueless. I recommend you bless him on his path and get far, far out of his way.”

“You're not being fair to the cats...”

“She doesn't mention that the McCain health insurance plan takes away the tax deduction that businesses get for providing health insurance for their employees. That leaves no incentive for businesses to provide health insurance, and it takes away the group rates that allow all employees to be covered regardless of health problems and pre-existing conditions. Getting an individual policy is difficult and expensive, especially for older people.”

“You're right---Bob Shrum is no soothsayer.”

“Muthee exclaimed, "We come against the spirit of witchcraft! We come against the python spirits!" More like Monty Python spirits, if you ask me.

Sir Bedevere: There are ways of telling whether she is a witch.
Peasant 1: Are there? Oh well, tell us.
Sir Bedevere: Tell me. What do you do with witches?
Peasant 1: Burn them.
Sir Bedevere: And what do you burn, apart from witches?
Peasant 1: More witches.
Peasant 2: Wood.
Sir Bedevere: Good. Now, why do witches burn?
Peasant 3: ...because they're made of... wood?
Sir Bedevere: Good. So how do you tell whether she is made of wood?
Peasant 1: Build a bridge out of her.
Sir Bedevere: But can you not also build bridges out of stone?
Peasant 1: Oh yeah.
Sir Bedevere: Does wood sink in water?
Peasant 1: No, no, it floats!... It floats! Throw her into the pond!
Sir Bedevere: No, no. What else floats in water?
Peasant 1: Bread.
Peasant 2: Apples.
Peasant 3: Very small rocks.
Peasant 1: Cider.
Peasant 2: Gravy.
Peasant 3: Cherries.
Peasant 1: Mud.
Peasant 2: Churches.
Peasant 3: Lead! Lead!
King Arthur: A Duck.
Sir Bedevere: ...Exactly. So, logically...
Peasant 1: If she weighed the same as a duck... she's made of wood.
Sir Bedevere: And therefore...
Peasant 2: ...A witch!”

“Yeah, it was fun. Poor Thomas Paine would be spinning in his grave, if he'd had one.”

“Oh really, Bill? Nobody's forcing Scarah to have an abortion or take the pill, but she wants to take those options away from us. So that "freedom of choice" doesn't go both ways, and the zealotry and intolerance falls squarely on Palin's side of the coin. Don't blame us for fighting the hell back---we refuse to put up with their BS.”

“Heh heh...good one!”

“What a joke. Palin is Bush in a skirt. And totally unqualified. But, dream on, Judy.”

“God doesn't care. But we should.”

“Umm...it was December 27, 2007. But thanks for playing our game.”