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Friday, September 21, 2018

Let Them Play


Let Them Play

A cranky opinion for

CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man with little knowledge of the topic opined.  Opposing opinions are welcome but wrong.  As always, please, no name calling.  That means you, you big stupid head!

I don’t really like tennis.  I used to, it was way popular in the 80’s, today it seems, not so much…at least for me and anyone I know.  I liked it when McEnroe was winning and whining.  I liked it when Connors was winning and complaining.  To me the game now just lacks personality…also my ex-wife loved the game and used to beat me at it regularly with her steady-as-you-go pitty-pat game so I learned to hate the game.

Anyway.

I did take interest in the recent hoo-ha over Serena Williams battle with the head linesman in a US Open final.  It could be easy to take sides against Serena.  She is a great player but does have a reputation of making excuses the few times she does lose.

It seems in this match, she got in a battle with the judge who took away a point because she was being coached.  She claims she wasn’t coached.   Actually, her coach says yes, he was coaching her.  I say so what!  It is a really stupid rule.

Then Serena lost her temper and broke her racket costing her another penalty, I think a game, and she really blew up.

Here is the thing, tennis is a country club hoity-toity rich persons sport. Years ago, the only courts that you could play on were at the country club or the back yards of really rich people.  These days there are lots of public courts, but the game still has the hoity-toity feel.

Serena is not hoity-toity.  I’m not an expert on her career, but I believe she grew up in Compton L.A., one of the least hoity toity places in the world.  Her father trained her and her sister on crappy public courts from a very young age.  I doubt anything other than talent has ever come easy for her.  She has worked really hard to be the best.

When things do not come easily to you, it is really hard to accept when someone takes stuff away from you.  In the case of her match, the head umpire was an ass.

First, Serena’s coach was giving signals, apparently that is against the stupid hoity-toity rules that apparently almost everyone ignores and umpires overlook.  Serena was ignoring the signals. It is pretty hard to play the game and listen to someone tell you what to do.  I yelled directions to my kids all the time during sports events…they do not hear you, if they do, they give you that “just shut up dad” look.

Then Serena busted her racket in a temper tantrum.  So what? Let her play, giving her a penalty is just stupid.  This was the finals in the US Open, adrenalin is pumping and nerves are on edge.  LET THEM PLAY!!

Baseball players smash their bats all the time…also water coolers and sometimes even their fists.  This is a young lady straight out of Compton playing in front of millions, this is not Buffy playing against Debby for the club championship of hoity-toityville.

Tennis fans payed to watch Serena play, not some umpire with a hoity-toity stick up his ass trying to preserve the so-called dignity of this hoity-toity country club rich persons pastime.

Let them grunt, let them wear whatever the f*ck they want to wear, let them smash rackets, let them show emotion, and LET THEM PLAY!

Maybe if you added a little personality to this bland white washed sport they might win back some more fans…even me…probably not…but still.
The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.


13 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you on this but I'm a Serena fan so my opinion may be biased. Also, Serena showed great sportsmanship to the player than won.

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  2. Well, she has threatened to kill the umpire in the past. I think her mean spirit finally caught up with her. Yes, tennis is an elitist game. For that reason, the umps try to keep it that way. They don't always succeed and some umps are more tolerant than others, but that happens in any sport.

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    1. She is reported to have said "I swear to God I'll fucking take the ball and shove it down your fucking throat." Not very nice, but not a serious threat to kill.

      Also not something unusual in sports, the tennis venue is pretty intimate compared to huge arenas.

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  3. I am not a fan of hers, having seen her tantrums on court before, but this one stood out as the worst.

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  4. Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

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  5. While i am not a tennis fan, i believe players of any sport should be good sports, especially when they are being watched by millions. Work hard, play hard, disagree with a bad call firmly but politely, stay a good sport. Yes, i’m a dreamer, why do you ask?

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  6. I saw it all when my son was in the junior USTA. I'm with Mimi that if you can't be a good sport, don't play the game.

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  7. I haven't watched tennis since the King/Court/Goolagong/Evert/Navratilova days. I wouldn't watch the men because I wanted to smack Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. I guess they brought out the violence in me.

    My mom was a big fan of Serena, and planned her TV viewing around her matches. Then again, Dennis Rodman was her favorite basketball player. I guess their behavior didn't bother her. I, however, think rules are made to be followed. Don't get me started on refs in the NBA.

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  8. You summed up my feelings exactly. However, I still like tennis because the men's butt are SO cute!!

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    1. Hmm, same reason I like women's figure skating!

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  9. I only saw the clips and not the match. I know it happens in all sports--those poor defenseless Gatorade buckets--but I really don't care to watch melt downs.

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  10. Thank you fo allowing my two cents:
    ---Let them grunt, let them wear whatever the f*ck they want to wear, let them smash rackets, let them show emotion, and LET THEM PLAY!--
    I agree with the emotions, except for the smashing of rackets. It's just that I find that a childish and offensive attitude - disdainful to the public and the other player(s); it's like saying: look how little this matters to me, compared with what that stupid linesman/umpire did to ME!
    Of course it's okay to doubt a call or some other sanction, but the player should do that only for the record, since he should know that even if he is right, the umpire will be unwilling to review his decision because of that protest. That is also why any discussion with the person in the chair is disgraceful. If necessary, the coach might do so - afterwards.
    Speaking of coaches, the reason why they are not allowed to signal indications to the court may have been to avoid that “just shut up dad” look your kids used to return to you... :-)
    .-

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  11. Serena Williams is brilliant. But what struck me about this whole row is that the actual winner Naomi Osaka has completely had the shine taken off her victory. In fact, I read several stories that never mentioned her at all! She has been sidelined, which is a great shame.

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