By Sandra Harwitt
Looking for where you can find Melanie Oudin next?
I can help you out with that information.
Melanie’s swapping her tennis racket and tennis balls on Saturday night to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Braves game at Turner Field. For those interested in the game, the Braves will be taking on Phillies. For those interested in Melanie, the Braves press release refers to her as “the pride of Atlanta” and that’s certainly an apt description. Forget the Real Housewives of Atlanta to publicize the Georgia city, rely on the Braves and Oudin to keep the town on the map.
Oudin is set to do some media during batting practice on the field. And the teen tennis star will meet-and-greet fans and sign autographs at Fan Plaza.
What I’m hoping for Oudin is that everybody doesn’t climb on the bandwagon and put too much pressure on her to do too much, too soon. We’ve seen how that enthusiasm has proven to be a curse to some players, certainly at a young age, in the past. To the powers that be, Melanie’s got a lot of game and has shown the potential to become a star. Let her do it at her own pace – encouragement is good, but make sure not to cross the line where she starts to feel suffocated and anxious as if people are demanding great things ASAP.
Oudin started to show promise at Wimbledon this year and pushed the envelope with a remarkable run to the U.S. Open quarterfinal the past couple of weeks. Undoubtedly, there’s the feeling out there that the player waiting-in-the-wings to take over from Venus and Serena Williams has arrived. Maybe she is the heiress apparent, but that’s not set in stone, so let’s not have the coronation party yet.
FEDERER FINE
Yes, many of us heard the Fed use bad language when he had a chat with the umpire during the U.S. Open final. You know the word – Forrest Gump used it when he said, “S—t Happens! We heard it over the CBS microphone, and consequently, a fine was assessed for the NO DIRTY WORDS ALLOWED rule.
I don’t have a problem with the rule, although I do think it needs to be used judiciously as some incidents are more serious than other incidents. Do we have to look further than this past U.S. Open and compare La Serena to Le Roger?
But if you’re going to have a fine why not administer a fine where the pain can be felt?
Is Federer really going to notice in the midst of his millions that his U.S. Open check was $1,500 shorter than what he really earned? I doubt it. As those of us on Facebook have been joking about with the most common thread being the twins might not get their first pair of shoes. I suggested that Mirka might have to give up a new Louis Vuitton purse.
I understand that for a lesser player, a $1,500 fine might have an impact. But with Roger, I doubt it. Maybe the fine scale should be amended to a different fine being assessed to different players according to where you rank with all the money collected going into a pot to help grass roots tennis around the world, or for a charity of choice of the player or either of the tours. As it stands, fining a Roger Federer pocket change is pointless, unless the idea is just to go through the official process. I’m betting Roger would find having his mouth washed out with soap less palatable than the $1,500 fine.
FYI: For those who are shocked that Roger went colorful in language selection, my photographer friends tell me they often here him mumbling a cuss word or two. But, overall, Roger is a classy guy and a great representative of the sport, so let’s not be too harsh.
NEWS FOR THE FUTURE
As an early warning to anyone out there who has become a loyal reader to this blog since its inception only a couple of weeks ago, the word on the street is that China has not opened up Facebook and Twitter. I will be going to the Shanghai Masters 1000 tournaments in mid-October and will be doing some blogging from there. I will remind you again, but it’s unlikely I’ll be able to link though those to Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll have to make the effort and go to http://slh28@blogspot.com all on your own
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
On Oudin.
ReplyDeleteShe was on a flight to L.A. to do Ellen and Conan, or whatever, before she even officially withdrew from the Bell Challenge in Quebec City (which took place the week of that appearance at Turner Field).
Pretty much, I was the one who told them she wouldn't be coming, 'cause she was going to be in Los Angeles.
She was, cough, cough, just too injured to play, but not to gad around the country.
She ain't no big thing. She had better not make that a habit.