One of my first experiences with an All Access pass was as an 18-year-old covering an event at the UIC Pavilion called the Ameritech Open, a now-defunct stop on the WTA Tour coordinated by IMG. Since most so many the athletes were teenagers themselves I felt I'd fit in.
Not so, it seemed. I slyly maneuvered my way through ever unauthorized area I could -- completely unintentionally, of course. Highlights included fabricating lines for an interview with a coke-snorter sharing a small couch, and eating pork chops with plastic forks at the Williams sisters' table underneath a huge red tent.
Yesterday I stayed up well past midnight, as usual, and the backdrop was provided by an enthralling live telecast of the Australian Open, one epic swoop after another that included a 4.5 hour match between [B&B]Andy Roddickhead & Ben Doucheburger[/B&B], then another 4.5 hour match between Federrer and the bespectacled Tipsanejvich, then fell asleep prior to the start of the Hewitt v Bagdaditis match which also ended up going 4.5 hours.
And I had it all on mute.
It's nice cinematography Down Under. A blissful background view while I'm typing away on my laptop, since its summer there when its winter here in the States. The time difference works perfectly -- its the backdrop of bright Green Screen showing it in all the diners I've been to late nights in various continental locales IHOP'ing.
Grand Slams (tennis, not the breakfast) have been ubiquitous in my life due to my grandparent's obsession with watching them, thanks in large part to a dude named Andre Agassi whose father was an Olympian for Iran back in the 1950s.
Finally, I'd like to say that it would be my honor to, ummmm, return the serve of Serbia's Jelena Jankovic with a sturdy backhand to her lucinda grande. But don't take my word for it. Just hear these guys out.
Turns out, Hingis ouster in the quarterfinals of this Aussie Open was her swan song - and not just because of her resemblance to the actress.
