A Popinjay With Feet Of Clay

What the hell is going on with tennis?

I've been watching some great matches for a week and-a-half now from the French Open at Roland Garros.

By the way, why did the French name a tennis stadium after a noted World War I aviator? What's up with that? Unless of course the stadium's founding fathers had the sweeping, dipping and looping camera angles that the French broadcasters practice in mind when they chose a dignitary after whom to name the place.

Sadly, in a huge upset, four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal was defeated. Some 23rd seeded Swede (Robin Soderling) felled the mighty top-seeded player. And I think I know what happened.

At the French Open the reddish-orange clay courts stand out in stark contrast to the military green of the billboards and stadium. It's quite different from the grass at Wimbledon. But the clay isn't the only colourful thing at Roland Garros.

What the heck ever happened to "tennis whites", long the standard uniform of tennis professionals? I think things started to turn with the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. When they hit the scene tennis fashion started to change. In fact, I think the reason they won so much early on in their careers was they knocked their opponents eyes out with the flashy cut and colour of their clothes!

These days, colourful tennis clothes are, to aptly use a french phrase, de rigour. And the colourful look has jumped genders and now men players are loud and proud. For example, France's Gael Monfils has been sporting a banana-yellow tank top, even brighter than the yellow tennis balls. Number 2 seed Roger Federer strutted with a sea-blue jersey. But the worst was the pink with yellow piping affair worn by Nadal. Why did he lose to the 23rd seeded player? Hell, he blinded himself!

Channeling Johnny Cash

I've been on a bit of a Johnny Cash jag lately; listening to his American Recordings series, his historic At Folsom Prison and several CDs of his collected works. I've kinda had Johnny Cash on the brain. And it got me to thinking, "Hey, maybe there's a hidden meaning behind his song titles." What got me going was I Walk the Line . When were were younger the lyrics we sang were, "I keep my pants done up with a piece of twine, because you're mine, just pull the twine". Yeah, pretty silly, eh? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet. I Walk The Line The mantra of the surviving members of the Flying Wallendas. Ring Of Fire The result of drinking 13 Coronas the night before. Man In Black What they called that movie before they signed Will Smith to co-star with Tommy Lee Jones. One Piece At A Time Rules for successfully completing jigsaw puzzles Send A Picture Of Mother His first request if Norman Bates had gone to prison. A Boy Named Sue Because you

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born. That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network. And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door. And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran. The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993. I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share. The formula was pretty simple. A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains. The show opened as follows... Imagination Day! Oh boy! You know what happens on Imagination D

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