A little bit of this and a little bit of that

So I teach and coach tennis.  I love it.  I absolutely love it.  I honestly can't find a negative in what I do.  (Well....I could tell you a couple stories that would be stupify you, but I'll refrain)  Nothing beats teaching a tennis lesson to a little boy or girl and have them come over to you with a big smile on their face, slap you high-five and say thank you. 

David Duval is back at the US Open this weekend.  He opened with an opening round 83 and said he was 'happy' with it.  I'm not quite sure he is happy with the round, but he's ecstatic with his life being back on track.  Glad to see him back and with a smile on his face.  Best of luck to him.

Congrats to the Detroit Pistons....and with future NBA MVP, Darko *cough, cough* Milicic waiting in the wings Mo-town is set for the future.  Go get 'em Darko.  Will he ever play?  I mean....ever?  I understand the Pistons were very good this year, but Larry Brown couldn't find more than like 30 seconds a game for him?  Lets see what he's got already.  Obviously Coach Brown knows what he is doing but didn't the draft experts think he had a chance be something special? 

Wimbledon starts on Monday.  Andre Agassi has had to pull out with yet another injury.  Is Andre done?  I sure hope not.  I'm hoping he is saving himself for one last run at the US Open in September.  If he is done I'm happy with what he has accomplished.  The last of the great American players of the past decade or so (Sampras, Chang, Courier), he has done more than I ever would have thought (6 grand slams, 7 overall) after dropping to #151 in the world and playing satellite tour events.  My pick to win Wimbledon?  Andy Roddick or Roger Federer.  They both have the games to dominate for the next two weeks on grass.

Euro 2004, Europe's equivalent of the World Cup, got underway this past Sunday.  England, led by Real Madrid's David Beckham, had France beaten until Zinedine Zidane (his teammate at Real) scored two goals in the last minute to steal avictory for the French.  If you get a chance to watch France; get ready, they are something special. Every starting player is one of the most dominant in the sport.  They feature Zidane, David Trezeguet, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Mikael Silvestre, Robert Pires and the list goes on.  Another story of the tourney is England's 18 year old Wayne Rooney.  He scored two goals on Thursday to help England beat Switzerland 3-0.  Rooney, who plays for Everton in England's Premier League, became the youngest player to ever score in the tournament.
 Rooney controlling it with ease

Have a favorite sports movie?  How many times in a row do you think I could watch Caddyshack and Major League?  The over/under is 7.  Back to back viewings can't happen with movies that give you goosebumps near the end (i.e. Hoosiers, The Natural, Rudy, etc)....which leads right into my list....

My Top 8 Sports Movies

1. Caddyshack -- "So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me and I say: 'Hey Lama, hey how about a little something, you know, for the effort?!' And he says: 'There'll be no money, but when you die, on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me, which is nice."

2. Major League -- 'Juuuuuuuuuust a bit outside, he shot the corner and missed.  Ball 4, ball 8....and Vaughn has walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches.  I can't believe guys are laying off pitches that close' -- Harry Doyle (aka Bob Uecker).

3. Hoosiers -- What's not to love?  Tiny 'Hickory' overcoming obstacle after obstacle to beat massive Muncie Central for the state title.  No basketball movie compares.

4. Rocky -- Isn't there a 6th movie in the works?  Man, they needed to stop with Ivan 'I must break you' Drago at 4.

5. Rudy -- Everybody tears up when he runs on the field for the final kick-off then gets the sack on the next play. 

6. The Natural -- 'Alright Roy, knock the cover off the ball'....he did that and much more.  Great movie.

7. Days of Thunder -- Tom Cruise plays NASCAR driver Cole Trickle perfectly...then again I'm not the biggest racing fan in the world.  That's another story for another day.  

8. Slapshot -- A failing hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games.  What's not to love?  And failing is putting it mildly...