The Prince of Monte Carlo
Defending champion Rafael Nadal dominated French ace Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in his semifinal match at the Monte Carlo Masters notwithstanding pains pretty much all over, they said, including his back. The...
View ArticleManny Pacquiao vs. The IRS
Manny Pacquiao takes on his toughest opponent in his next fight: the Internal Revenue Service. Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield, and Floyd Mayweather all fought the most powerful three-letters in boxing...
View ArticleThe Prince of Madrid
Stanislas Wawrinka, the perennial No. 2 Swiss champion — you can talk about predestination in his Calvinist country, but the simpler explanation is that the courtly Wawrinka and the courteous Roger...
View ArticleA Hot Chill in Paris
After nearly four hours of play, it appears Tomas Berdych is finally in control of the match. Over four and a half sets, first Gael Monfils, the volatile French ace, then Berdych has managed to get...
View ArticleThe Natural
“Then there was the bad weather.” Whether or not this is the most famous first line in American letters you remember it when it is cold and damp in Paris and you wish for some wool over your shirt and...
View ArticleBeautiful Girls
PARIS — Gael Monfils stole the show on Monday, coming into the tournament as a wild card and beating the No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych in five electrifying sets. He did it again on Wednesday, snatching...
View ArticleAmericans in Paris
PARIS — They named Tommy Haas comeback player of 2012. He had some tough physical breaks since breaking into the world top 10 in 2001 and holding the no. 2 rank for a spell in 2002 and American...
View ArticleCaballeros
They say the clay tennis court surfaces are where the Spaniards are without peers. They are right. They are right, at any rate, if you judge by the results of the first week of the French Open,...
View ArticleSwiss Cheese
Contrary to a certain conventional wisdom reinforced by 20th century European history, the Swiss are anything but a nation of pacifists. They did not sit out the two world wars, aka the European civil...
View ArticleThe Lone Musketeer
PARIS — Roger Federer was in top form, and as he walked on to the central court at Roland-Garros under a glorious June sky, he had a clear shot at his second French Open title, since no matter what...
View ArticleCrunch Time in Paris
PARIS — When you have four big four in a tennis tournament, there is a better than even chance that one of them will win, and there is at least an even chance another one of them will be runner-up,...
View ArticleThe Game Continues
PARIS — Mike and Bob Bryan won their second championship here — their first since 2003 — extending their record as the winningest men’s doubles team in the Open era and any other era. Coming on top of...
View ArticleTight Ends, Tight Spots
In the 2010 NFL draft, the New England Patriots selected two tight ends who some analysts considered first round talents at bargain prices. Rob Gronkowski went in the second round. Aaron Hernandez was...
View ArticlePay College Athletes?
Former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon wants to make sure college athletes get big cut of the revenues they generate for their colleges. He is the plaintiff in a class action antitrust lawsuit...
View ArticleSensitized Into Compliance
In the movie White Men Can’t Jump, a white man and a black man with a knife have a brief but heated conversation about race. White man: Hey, who are you calling a goofy white [guy who has sex with...
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