Mornin'. This post isn't about Jelena Jankovic. I just needed a picture and didn't want to get my female readers all fired up by posting one of Jim Morrison (read on), and I couldn't bear the idea of going with Wayne Odesnik images for two days in a row (albeit not for the same reason, if you know what I mean). Now to the business at hand on a slow tennis day.
First of all, check out this "remix" of the Tiger Woods/Nike ad we were talking about yesterday. Pretty funny, IMO.
Other things: Every once in a while, you run across a story or article that reads almost like a parody of either the publication, its readership, or the gestalt of a certain segment of society. Tom Perrotta sent me a link to a New York Times story that in this regard is nothing short of delicious. See for yourself if you're curious about what I mean. It only makes it that much better that this piece is ostensibly a "real-estate" story. . . As I tweeted earlier today, are New Yorkers really veal?
On another tack, I had to smile this morning while reading yesterday's New York Post on the train. There was an item in the real estate section (eerie coincidence; I'm perfectly happy with my homes) on the actress, Jennifer Esposito, who apparently sold her Greenwich Village apartment. At the end of the item, it noted that Esposito is engaged to Mark Philippoussis. This is something I didn't know, and I'm glad to see Mark, the laziest and best player never to win a Grand Slam, has happily landed on his feet - yet again. It was always hard not to like Mark, because it was pretty clear that he's a happy-go-lucky kid who would never be mistaken for a rocket scientist.
Having thrown away the paper on the way to work, I had to scramble to find Mark's enamorata's name, and I came across this cheesy website. You can always count on the Scud to turn up in all the right places, verdad?
Oh, and to those of you who professed some amazement that I read the Post, what can I say but that it really captures the heartbeat of Gotham (the New York Times is far too busy trying to position itself as a national/international newspaper and force for "progressive" politics). Why cover New York (state and city), with its tawdry pay-to-play politics and corruption in Albany? The Post is all over it, though; it smokes out and hounds the venal and debased in what can only be described as a failing state. We are in big trouble, folks, and governed by despicable fools. What does the august Times care about such things?
Of course, I've also always had a weakness for well-done, Swiftian tabloid journalism; the clever headlines alone are worth the 50-cent price of the paper. You want "real" New York, read the Post instead of those free, woeful daily papers that that provide a functional definition of banal?
BTW, Kyle Smith, a movie reviewer for the Post, is nothing less than brilliant. Hail, I don't even go to the movies, but I read this guy because he's so danged funny. The review I link is just his most recent one, which ran today - so don't of all you Jim Morrison fans get your shorts in a bunch. Back in the day, I lined up at my local record store to get the new Doors album myself (and saw them perform maybe a dozen times, all over the eastern seaboard).
Now getting back to tennis. . . I have a post up at ESPN which touches on an issue I didn't really treat in my thoughts on the Wayne Odesnik controversy. I was surprised, writing that post, how strongly I felt about the matter. I neglected yesterday to get into the "who's the real victim?" issues raised by Odesnik's decision to keep playing (instead of accepting a voluntary suspension). At least one comment poster at the last thread, challenging my assertion that Odesnik's opponents are paying the price for his illegal activities, said he would be thrilled to go out there in Houston and, driven by righteousness, double-bagel Odesnik.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. It never did, except in a few rare cases. Nobody should have to go into a tennis match fired up to make a point (in this case, punishing a cheater); most players simply can't play their best tennis when so distracted. That's one of the main reasons players engage in so little trash-talking to begin with, and why they generally prefer staring at their strings instead of their opponents. When things on court get personal, they usually get ugly - not necessarily confrontation-ugly, often it's just style-ugly. You can say it's up to Odesnik's opponents not to be distracted by his recent actions, and a Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga probably would make short work of the guy in an impersonal way.
But the guys who suffer are those who are at Odesnik's level, or just below (as is the case wherever doping-rule violators are concerned). The little bit of difference made by the controversy can be enough to tip the balance. Look, I don't want to demonize Odesnik here, but it's pretty shameless of him to continue playing. And yes, I'll be the first person to apologize in the event that Odesnik comes up with some acceptable mitigating circumstances for having been in possession of HGH.
It doesn't help that I haven't seen Odesnik use those two words that seem to be so out of fashion these days, especially among those who have clearly made a big mistake:
I'm sorry.
The real victims here are the journeymen who have to play against Odesnik while feeling that he shouldn't be allowed on the court in the first place, and harboring a distracting desire to punch the guy in the nose. Given the Houston draw, it's possible that Odesnik will do well, which will only make the anti-doping establishment look even more weak-kneed. Due process? Look at it this way: Suspected felons get arrested all the time on the basis of evidence. And if Odesnik's confession that he was in possession of HGH isn't sufficient "evidence" to keep him from competing on a pro tour that prohibits the possession of Performance Enhancing Drugs, what would be considered adequate proof - keeping in mind that possession is tantamount to usage in the eyes of the anti-doping folks.
Jackie-Oh will be back later with a Deuce Club post. Have a good weekend everyone, I'll be around.