You know the theory of synchronicity, right? Well, here's a pretty good example. Last night, I had an email from our own JB, who was a little bummed about how fast the US Open tickets have sold out for the middle weekend, and who also expressed her frustration at the quality of today's tennis commentary, praising to high heaven a critique of commentary posted just the other day by Tennis magazine's editor-in-chief, James Martin.
I got in to the office pretty early today, so I drifted into the conference room, where the TV is always on, to catch a bit of the Artois Championships at Queens Club, London. In fact, I was just in time to see the end of the Rafael Nadal vs. Ivo Karlovic match, which was a real barnburner. The grass at Queens this year seems unusually fast but there was Rafa, fist-pumping and vamos-ing his way to a quarterfinal win that, if you were to judge from Rafa's enthusiasm and determination, could have been the final of the Inter-galactic World Tennis Singles Championships. Ever notice how his forehand has so much velocity that it sometimes hits and just skids beyond the outstretched racket of his opponent -despite the topspin?
Anyway, I was watching with our summer intern, tar heel Kate Gillam, and Martin. The commentators barely spoke. The long stretches of silence were as welcome as the soothing green of Queens; I'd grown so accustomed to the mindless chatter of most tennis commentary that - and so used to tuning it out - that I noticed how novel it was not to not notice, if you know what I mean. . .
I recognized John Lloyd's voice, but I'm not sure of the identity of his booth-mate, and couldn't find at the Tennischannel website. The quality of the commentary was first-rate. James must have touched a nerve with his piece, because it's caused a bit of a stir in the tennis community. Among others, Justin Gimelstob has logged in with James, to discuss him comments. I think they were spot on.
Those of you who simply hit the mute button to zap the annoying commentary are getting shortchanged, because the auditory component in tennis is hugely important and easy to overlook. Let's hope the network honchos all read James's thoughts and re-examine their shotgun approach to commentary.
Less is more, and a lot less is a lot more.
BTW, is there a more appealing venue in all of tennis than Queens, with that fetching red and green color scheme, and those unmistakably British brick buildings looming, both friendly and intriguing, over the grandstand? Many thanks to Rosangel for helping us appreciate this in such striking visual terms. What a makeover for Queens. The last time I was there - granted, it was many years ago - the vibe was much more. . . Dickensian. The surroundings and even the club compound itself were grimly rather than quaintly evocative of the Industrial Revolution, and I would not have been surprised if the sign on the gates of the club had read: North London Psychiatric and Electro-Shock Therapy Facility.
Well, the weekend is upon us. I'm heading up to the farm in game-rich Andes after a quick meeting regarding Cowboy Luke's future at school (He wants to be a truck driver when he grows up; I'm warning him not to set his sights too high, and there's always room in this world for a good welder). It's another "boy's weekend", as my wife Lisa is away at a memorial service in Washington, D.C, so it will be Asad Raza, Luke and me, shooting out the lights. I'll have a post for you tomorrow, on an issue that may have seismic repercussion in tennis in the coming months. Stay tuned, and enjoy the weekend.