As someone who has not only been a lifelong sports fan, but has covered them for decades now, (first on my TV show, then doing sports radio, and now writing about them here on INAM as often as possible,) I was absolutely thrilled to be invited to the LA Sports Innovation Conference!

But this was on such a higher plane than just being a spectator. So much goes into the field of sports, on so many levels; the average fan can not even begin to imagine it all. So the conference was very enlightening. It featured seven panels, a “Start-up Showdown,” a keynote speaker, a post-event cocktail party, and, of course, my other area of expertise—lunch! Whew.

Part of the plaza connecting all of the sports complex. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Even though it was basically all in the category of work for me, I actually had a great time! The entire event was much cooler and looser than I had expected.

The panelists spoke on emerging trends, such as NILs, (more on that in a minute,) athletes getting into business, and all kinds of cutting-edge innovations in the sports industry.

Despite my 147 IQ, (which I believe I’ve mentioned before, a time or two–or twenty!,) my shallow mind finds it hard to grasp serious topics, which concerned me a bit beforehand. But I needn’t have worried; all the speakers should be teachers because they broke down their topics to make them easy to understand.

The LA Sports Innovation Conference was held at the YouTube Theatre, which, shockingly, I had never even heard of before I received this invitation! It’s right across from Sofi Stadium in the stunning Hollywood Park complex. It was even the first time I had been to SoFi. (Really–how much can one little bon vivette, who has multiple events all the time, do???)

YouTube Theatre. Photo courtesy of the LA Sports Council.

And I’m happy to report that I loved every second of the experience. Now I’m spoiled because, since no one was playing a game that day, nor performing a concert, it was easy enough to get there. And my associate, Marc, and I even got to park a few steps from our destination! How lucky were we? When will that ever happen again?! (Well, hopefully again next year, at the 2023 LA Sports Innovation Conference!)

I understand that when the panels were over, guests had the option of taking a tour of the stadium. Marc and I were desperate to take advantage of that kind offer, but alas–as usual, I was overbooked that day, so we missed-out. But the little that we did see of the area was fabulous! We actually entered the premises at the absolutely wrong place, so we wound-up having to walk across the entire plaza. But, that worked out well for us because, besides that I was grateful for the exercise, it gave us beautiful views of the entire panorama.

Another perk of the conference was the wonderful access it afforded us to the entire YouTube Theatre itself.  We were seated at tables right in front of the stage, up-close to all the action. And I got to conduct interviews backstage, right by the dressing rooms. (Marc was more than happy to sit those out because he got to avail himself of the generous snacks in the close-by VIP area.) We even got to experience a suite at the top of the auditorium for a short while!

The Lombardi Trophy. Photo courtesy of the LA Sports Council.

Most of all, I enjoyed getting a close-up gander at the iconic Lombardi Trophy, won by the LA Rams at the last Super Bowl. (That team should also admire it now, while they can, because it will be a miracle if they win it again this season. Just sayin’.)

All the people we encountered that day were lovely. I thought I’d feel a bit out of the loop with so many business peeps, (as opposed to athletes,) but I could not have felt more welcome.

So now to my favorite part of the happening. And no—it was not lunch!!! (Although you would usually be correct to think that.) It was speaking with two famous LA athletes, one I already knew a tiny bit, one I just met. And both could not have been more darling. Even though they knew I would be reporting what they had to say, we just basically chatted; there was no official interviewee posturing from either of them, which I so admired.

First up was former pro basketball Champion, Ron Artest, (aka Metta World Peace, for you more modern folks,) of whom I have always been a fan, even in his somewhat dark days. I had met him a little over three years ago, at the premiere of his documentary, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story. We have a mutual very dear friend who introduced us back then, and he said that he remembered me. (Or, at least, was nice enough to pretend to.) He even laughed when I showed him the picture of “us” that I had published in that article back then. (Here’s that link, if you’d like to see it, and learn more about his life: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/movieparty-quiet-storm-the-ron-artest-story-premiere.)

Karen Salkin and Ron Artest. Photo by Marc Winer.

Backstage at this conference, we talked about our friend, Ron’s fam, (most of whom I had met last time,) and all of his endeavors since he retired from the game. He even had the patience to look over my article about that movie premiere because I needed him to identify an old friend of his about whom I had written, a guy nobody could name for me back then. So I’m relieved to finally have the correct info straight from the horse’s mouth!

But Ron and I spent the most time talking about—again, you’d be wrong if you assumed it was me, but I like your thinking—his son! He has a big family, and he’s proud of them all, but he was positively glowing when he told me about everything that Jeron’s been doing! (And I must add, that despite now being a grandfather, Ron doesn’t look much older than his kids!)

By the way, I appreciated that when I asked which name he preferred to be called—Ron or Metta–he said he’s fine with either. Most people insist on the new one when they change it, no matter how long you’ve known them by the first one. So I really appreciated being given the choice, especially because he’ll always be “Ron” to me. (On a sidebar, three days later, Marc proudly told me that he had just bumped into “Metta” on a hike! Which means they’ve probably seen each other there many times before, but didn’t know it until I introduced them at the conference. I love situations like that.)

Karen Salkin and Chase Griffin. Photo by Lew Stowers.

The other athlete I spoke with is UCLA quarterback Chase Griffin, which is perhaps the best name ever! We talked for a long time, and I absolutely adore him now. He had just been on the first panel after lunch, which was the uber-informative NIL & Athlete Brands: A New Era Is Here. I, who is completely nescient about finances, had actually heard very little about NILs, (meaning a college athlete can now lay claim to their “Name, Image, and Likeness,”) so it was all a revelation to me. During the panel discussion, Chase summed-up the topic succinctly by declaring, “NIL doesn’t help my brand; it is my brand!”

Coincidentally, I had just learned a bit about that subject on, of all places, Coroner, a drama series from Canada. (No worries if you’ve never heard of it; it’s on the CW.) So I found that panel at the conference extra-interesting.

Chase is a wonderful guy who not only already graduated from UCLA in two years, and is now working on his Masters there, but…he laughed at everything I said! You know I adore someone with a fabulous sense of humor.

I also got a kick out of the fact that we have UCLA, and some athlete pals, in common, along with the eateries in Westwood, of course! And Chase laughed heartily at this story I told him: Back in the late ’90s-early aughts, I had very many UCLA friends, most of whom were athletes there. Then they started graduating, but I had one left, Aaron, who called me one day and said, “I have bad news for you—I’m graduating.” He was kidding around of course, but I still felt bad, and said, “Oh no—now I won’t have any friends at UCLA! What am I gonna do?!” To which Aaron replied, “You should set up a booth at their next job fair!” But I guess I don’t need to now because Chase just won the coveted title of My New Best Friend!

On the more serious topic of college athletes finally earning money for all their hard work, Chase reminded me that Ed O’Bannon, the star of the 1995 UCLA Championship basketball team, is actually the one who got the ball rolling on NILs! I was friends with Ed’s little bro, Charles, and the rest of the team starting two years after that, so I knew only a soupçon of what Ed was working on back then. I enjoyed being apprised of his full involvement in the NIL area.

The NIL panel. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I seriously could have just talked to Chase all day—the guy is brilliant! UCLA is lucky to have gotten him because I know that several Ivy League schools were after him, as well.

But, with so many interesting sports-and-business-centric minds at the conference, I had more people to meet and greet, including a woman who’s on a committee for the 2028 LA Olympics. As I’m sure many of you know, I’m jumping out of my skin over that eventuality.

Okay, I tried to not mention the food, (because I was really into the plethora of info at the event, not eating,) but just to show you that I’m still me, I have to tell you that I, by accident, invented the most delish appetizer ever that day! It’s Caesar salad on…potato chips! They had run out of forks for a little bit, because, believe it or not, I was far from the first person on the buffet line this time! I was even close to being the last! So I had to use something with which to eat the salad, and all I could find was the chips. And I have been craving it ever since!

My little creation was just the icing on the LA Sports Innovation Conference cake. And now I look forward to it all again next year. I’ll just bring my own fork.

For more information, please visit www.lasports.org.

Today is the day that I was planning to preview the (now-cancelled) March Madness college basketball tournament for you. But what we’re living through right now is the true March Madness!!!

I can’t stop crying. This whole world has become such a a mess. Even having lived through the horrors of 9/11 and its aftermath, I did not in my wildest imagination think I would ever see what the world is going though in 2020. And it seems to get worse by the second.

The plethora of closures, including schools, theatre, and even Disneyland, is just horrible. My biggest recent concern was how I was going to watch every second of the overlapping NCAA college basketball tourney and the Figure Skating World Championships this week, while still going out to many fun parties and opening nights. Never would it ever have occurred to me that absolutely all of those attractive options would be off the table! I feel like we’re all living in a horror movie!

This is not about politics for me, but if we had a non-moron for President, I don’t think the danger would have gotten so prevalent in this country. That disgrace of a human being has only made things worse. Much, much worse.

But that’s the situation we’re in now, so we just have to move forward from here in as good a way as possible.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

To that end, it feels like the entire world has been cancelled for the time being. It’s all so disappointing, but it had to be done. It’s too risky to allow big groups of people to be around each other. The sacrifice is for the greater good. If Tom Hanks and famous pro athletes, such as the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, can contract the virus, anyone can.

Out of all the changes occurring in an attempt to keep as many people safe as possible, the most devastating change to me is that all big, important sporting events have been cancelled or suspended, which is heartbreaking for everyone, especially the college kids who will never get this chance again. I’m crushed. (I just hope this virus will be contained before the Summer Olympics! Tokyo is trying desperately to not have to cancel it.)

This Tuesday was due to be the beginning of the college basketball tournament, March Madness. Sports fans look forward to it all year. Its not just the players—it’s the coaches, cheerleaders, student body in general, fans, and even the bands and mascots!!! The NCAA tourney is so important to college life. And many of these players will never again have this opportunity of a lifetime. Even for the ones who don’t win, nor even make it all the way to the prestigious Final Four, it’s something that stays with them for life. The loss of this wonderful experience for so many is almost too much for Empaths such as myself to bear. I’ve been distraught over it for days. And if I feel this bad, just imagine what the people involved feel like. It’s just an awful situation.

The tournament that is no more this year. So sad.

Another aspect of that cancellation is that how some of the players perform in the tournament is what sets them up for their position in the upcoming NBA Draft! Now that event will be sort-of a mess because the scouts need that extra information to decide just whom they would like on their teams.

Half the time, I feel the NCAA should have either gone ahead with the tourney with only the players’ families in the arenas, so the athletes themselves could have had the experience, or just postponed it, rather than canceling. But for how long? Unlike pro sports, college ones have expiration dates because the school year comes to an end.

But it’s not just sports–I feel awful for absolutely everyone, friends and strangers alike. Every few minutes I think of somebody else this world lockdown will harm. I’m not sharing all of those concerns with you, to spare you the same pain, in case you haven’t thought of those people yourself. But I’m sure we all have personal friends who really need to make money, so magnify that by millions, and you’ll see how many people will need help. One of my friends, a new mother, will be beginning her new nursing job at a hospital any day now. What an awful way to start a new medical job! Another one drove from Montreal to New York to see several pals in Broadway shows, (using all her savings-to-date to do so,) but they were shut down on her second day there! And so were the jobs she went back home to! And a couple I know had just flown to Portugal when they were told they had one day to get to the US, so they had to spend beaucoup bucks to just turn back around. I’m sure we all know horror stories like these.

This is what every venue is looking like right now.

I already work from home, so the (so far voluntary) isolation isn’t a hardship for me. But, without going out to events, (because all the upcoming fun openings and parties, all of which I was looking sooo forward to, got cancelled,) I won’t have as much to write about in this week-daily e-zine! But no real worries there–I already have several already-lived events to tell you about in the next few weeks, and I’ve been working on some apropos-of-nothing essays, so please still stay tuned for those. (That is, if I can tear myself away from the world news long enough to finish writing them!)

And, of course, as always, I’ll try to make the best of this unexpected down time. I plan to call one friend a day, (which I never have time to do normally,) clear my DVR, clean-up my long-standing house clutter, and watch old movies. If none of those activities appeal to you, you can always read, sleep, or learn a new home skill, like cooking creatively with foods-on-hand. (I’ve actually been planning on writing an article about that very subject! I guess now is the time for it.)

No matter what, please be aware that the world has been altered, hopefully for just a little while, and be respectful of what needs to be done, by all of us. The people who are proceeding like everything is normal are idiots! Please do not be one of them.

My friend Thomas and I were happy to be guests at the taping of this really fun musical and athletic entertainment show, Jump, Jive, and Thrive, which celebrated cancer survivorship.  And you’ll have the chance to see it for yourselves on CBS this week-end!

Melissa Ethridge and Laurie Hernandez.

It was taped at UCLA’s historic Pauley Pavilion, which made it that much more special to me, since I was friends with many of the athletes who competed there in the late ’90s.  I don’t think I had been back there in at least ten years, and the memories just came flooding back. The feeling of walking into that building is one I always cherish.

The funds raised by Jump, Jive, and Thrive will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  To highlight that situation, several famous cancer survivors participated, including singer Melissa Etheridge (whose singing and guitar playing I was really impressed with) and Olympic athletes Shannon Miller and Scott Hamilton, with the latter two hosting the festivities.

The very beginning of Le Petit Cirque’s performance, before it really got going. Photo by Karen Salkin.

The show combined gymnastics, music, and dance, three of my favorite branches of the arts, so I was especially enthralled by it all.  Thomas is a skateboarder, so he was impressed with all the athletic accomplishments on display that evening.

There were many highlights in the two-hour presentation, but my favorite was a special showcase by Cirque du Soleil’s youngster division, Le Petit Cirque.  They really wowed me. As with all TV tapings, some portions had to be done over, and I was sooo hoping that their number would be one of those, because I wanted to watch them again and again, but, of course, being Cirque members, they nailed it in one take. Darn.

Karen Salkin and Mark Ballas, at a previous meeting. Photo by Jeanine Anderson.

And, since Mark Ballas became My New Best Friend a few months ago, (even though he may not even be aware of still holding that coveted title, since we were both too busy to even say hi at the pre-show festivities that night,) I really enjoyed his lovely singing duet (as opposed to dancing, which he is more known for,) with his beautiful bride, BC Jean.  (Their duo moniker is Alexander Jean.)  They treated us to two numbers, one upbeat and one ballad, each as appealing as the other.

Lindsey Stirling and Dave Koz.

And then he introduced his current Dancing With The Stars  partner, electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling, who played her stunning rhinestone-encrusted violin, which was actually just strings on an outline!  She played with saxophonist Dave Koz, while my former New Best Friend, Olympic gold medalist Nastia Luikin did a gorgeous gymnastic routine.  I really don’t know how these ladies who have retired from the sport, (forty-year-old Shannon Miller did a routine, as well,) are able to still have such beautiful athletic skills!  It’s unbelievable.

As the evening went along, in-between the entertainment, we heard uplifting personal stories of surviving cancer from several of the participants, including one tiny little gymnast, who could not have been more than seven years old. That one really got to me.

The fun closing number. Laurie Hernandez is on the front right, with the little girl on her back. Photo by Karen Salkin.

And, because UCLA’s Women’s Gymnastics coach (and cancer survivor,) Valorie Kondos Field, was involved, we were treated to plenty of tumbling, which I love. To the delight of the crowd, many of the numbers featured Olympic gold medalist (and—more importantly in this town!–Dancing With The Stars champion) Laurie Hernandez, who is really beloved for her darling and ebullient personality. I especially enjoyed a piece all the gymnasts did while former The Voice contestant Judith Hill sang, which I believe will be the closing number on the telecast.

Karen Salkin and Nastia Luikin at a previous event. Photo by Lauren Bennett.

Of course, I have no idea just what portions of what we saw in person will make it into the one hour show on CBS this week-end, but I hope that Cirque de Soleil’s Le Rêve performance will make the cut. Theirs was a short presentation, but any time you get to see anything from Cirque de Soleil, I say grab it!

And I say that about this entire Jump, Jive, and Thrive show. It’s not just wonderful entertainment; there are a lot of hopeful stories about surviving cancer featured along the way.

So set your DVRs right now!!! (And if you look closely, you might even see Thomas and me cheering everyone on from the audience. Me choosing to sit in a TV taping audience is quite the rarity–but this show merits all of our presence, on so many levels–so you better catch me now!)

Jump, Jive, and Thrive will air during the day on CBS on Saturday, October 21st.  (It’s 10AM here on the west Coast, but you should check your local listings for the exact hours.)

Being the sports nut that I am, I was thrilled to be invited to this “Sports Summit” put on by Sports 1 Marketing, a company that was co-founded by former NFL quarterback, (and 1978 Rose Bowl MVP,) Warren Moon, (who looks as young as he did when he was playing, by the way!)

Karen Salkin, back on the Rose Bowl field! Photo by Alice Farinas.

This was the organization’s inaugural event, so I really had no idea of exactly what to expect, and I assume that was also true for the rest of the guests. But nonetheless, so many people arrived early to the Rose Bowl.  I’ve never seen lines like that except for events that are offering free beauty services to the first group of attendees! So, way to go, Sports 1 Marketing!

After they checked us in, (which I thank them for making easy enough—there was none of the drama I often see at big events,) we received a tour of the entire Rose Bowl.  I’ve been to this iconic stadium so many times over the years, mainly during my close friendship with the UCLA teams back in the day, and I’ve even been on the field, but this tour was a revelation!

The Rose Bowl Command Center. Photo by Karen Salkin.

They put us in small enough groups that enabled us to see and hear everything the guide was sharing with us. We visited the Command Center, the Press Room, and the Keith Jackson Broadcast Center. And then came the best part for me, especially on a day that featured absolutely beautiful weather–we got to hang-out on the field for awhile! That was actually the second time this month that I did that, but the other was at night, so it was a different vibe then. And prior to a few weeks ago, I hadn’t been on the field since I was friends with those UCLA athletes back in the late ’90s!

The view of the Rose Bowl Field from the Press Room. Photo by Karen Salkin.

After a bit, the VIP guests moved into the Visitors Locker Room for an hors d’oeuvres reception.  For once, the food was not the attraction for me; it was my surroundings!  Even with all my sports experiences, I had no idea that professional team’s locker rooms were so gigantic; that was eye-opening.  (Actually, back when I was doing my TV show, I played in a Celebrity Charity Softball Game in Florida’s Tampa Stadium, so I was in a locker room then.  But I was just trying to survive in that oppressive heat down there, so I wasn’t taking much notice of my environs.)

The entire group then moved on to the Home Locker Room, which was adorned with all kinds of informative Rose Bowl posters around the entire perimeter, between the ceiling and the lockers. We each grabbed a boxed lunch and took a seat at a table, so the program could begin. *[Please make sure to read my program note at the very bottom of this page, when you get down there. Hint: It’s a grammar lesson. Bet you can’t wait!]

That’s when the highlight of my day came–I got to chat with Warren Moon for a bit about my days doing sports radio!  I give him a lot of credit—everyone was clamoring for time with him, so he could have been forgiven if he didn’t engage in a conversation with me, but he totally listened to everything I had to say, and even followed-up with a couple of questions of his own. He even laughed when I told him that my method of color commenting is to discuss the athletes’ looks, say who is cute, and out the ones who really need to fix their hair!  (He has no worries at all in these categories; he’s still very attractive and has no hair!)

David Meltzer and Warren Moon. Photo courtesy of Sports 1 Marketing.

The program began with the keynote speaker, Dave Meltzer, who is the co-founder (with Warren Moon) and CEO of Sports 1 Marketing. He gave a very interesting talk, which included singing Warren’s praises.  Dave pointed-out that Warren was one of the first black quarterbacks, and then quipped that now UCLA has a Jewish one, which is even more rare.  (I know that my former sports radio partner has been jumping out of his skin over that development because he always used to lament how few Jewish athletes there are. So to have one in his own backyard must be thrilling to him.) Dave offered us some wise business advice, which I’m sure the assemblage really appreciated.

When he was finished, there was a panel discussion, led by LA Times sports writer Sam Farmer.  Ironically, and amusingly, even though he can write, he can’t really speak, which I have a feeling he’d be the first to tell you.  He was a wreck when he was on the stage by himself for a few minutes, and tried to speak to us on his own, but he came to life as soon as he got to moderate the panel discussion. His discomfort was actually quite endearing.  He’s the opposite of moi—even though I’m now a writer, it’s so much easier for me to just talk by myself, as I did on my show for all those years.  That’s why guys have always compared me to Vin Scully! (At least I hope that’s why!) Maybe Sam and I should team-up—he can do all the writing, and I’ll speak for us both, (as I always do for Mr. X.)

(L to R) Sam Farmer, Jeremy Barnett, Warren Moon, and Dr. Hasan Badday. Photo by Alice Farinas.

The informative panel consisted of a quartet of successful, informative gents: the aforementioned Warren Moon; Josh Booty, (who’s a former quarterback, and World Series Champion pitcher—impressive!); regenerative medicine doctor Dr. Hasan Badday, (the one I most interested to hear); and businessman Jeremy Barnett, (who was the only one who apparently did not get the “business attire” memo.)

I give Sports 1 Marketing a lot of credit for making their maiden voyage just the correct length.  Events such as this one often tend to go on and on, but this one ended at just the perfect time.

The assemblage, paying rapt attention to the program. Not a texter in the bunch! (But can you tell that I’m the only one taking notes? See if you can find me, but if not, here’s a clue–the bright blue sleeve is mine!) Photo courtesy of Sports 1 Marketing.

As an added bonus, in addition to all the knowledge we accrued that day, we each left with David’s book, which Warren wrote the forward to.  Now that I got to see them both in live action, which means I can hear their voices in my mind as I read it, I have a feeling the advice in there will mean even more to me.

I can’t wait until Sports 1 Marketing’s second event, which I believe will be this summer.  I just hope that these locker rooms are super air-conditioned!

*[Program note: Many of you know by now that, as a journalist and former teacher, (and just a person who wants everyone to speak well,) I take any teaching opportunity that I can, so here’s an easy one. It was brought up this day by one of the speakers continually saying, “me and my siblings.”  I’m not naming him, but he must have been absent the day they taught the “my (anything) and I” lesson, as, sadly, so many people were.  But I have a feeling that, being the obviously intelligent man that he is, he will be happy to learn that lesson now. (And, hopefully, now that you are reading this, you will never make that mistake again yourself.) So here’s all you need to know about that particular grammar rule: Just remember to always put yourself last. Easy enough, right? “My friend and I,” “my siblings, my cousins, and I,” “the guy I’m stalking and I,”…I think you all get it now. Sometimes the first-person word is “me,” rather than “I,” but I think I’ll save that lesson for another time. Aren’t you relieved?]

For this milestone, I have to break-out one of my old buds’ famous questions to me. Nancy and I used to model together. The girl was great-looking and artistic, and we had fun together. But she was perhaps not the brightest bulb in the drawer. (Fill-in that last word yourself, if you like, but that’s where we keep our bulbs!) One day, out of the blue, she lazily asked me, “What’s this Superbowl you’re always taking about?” I nearly fell over. I didn’t think there was a person in America who didn’t know what it was, even if they weren’t interested in sports! And I know she had a father who was a horseman, so wouldn’t he have mentioned it once in her twenty-something years?!

So, anyway, that brings me to the fifty years of this event happening! It’s been interesting to see it grow into such a major event, but, during this game, I realized that I hate football because of the physical danger to these guys. I feel that it’s practically a gladiator sport—these guys are beating each other up for the audience’s amusement. Not really what I call a great situation.

That being said, I’m thrilled that the Denver Broncos won Superbowl 50, (over the Carolina Panthers.) I started the day not knowing for whom to root because I like both teams.  And, originally I rooted for the great Peyton Manning because he’s old and he’s most likely retiring. (How undramatic of a denouement would it be if he decided to stay in the game?) And I rooted for Cam Newton (of the Panthers) because he’s Cam. He began the day as a hero in my eyes, and a near-perfect athlete. (But he ended the day as a totally different person, one I did not see coming, an assessment I’m sure I’m not alone in making. Let’s put it this way, in honor of his teammate, Michael Oher—I was blindsided. More on Cam’s post-game behavior in a bit.)

Champion Peyton Manning, admiring the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But then, I felt myself hoping that Peyton would take it home. What a great career-ender that would be! (I had just recently found-out that he’s a major Republican, and a friend of the creepy Papa John’s owner. But I decided to not allow those facts to sway me to root against him. How big a person am I?! But later, I read about his “sexual assault” of a female trainer when he was in college, and now I don’t know what to think. He didn’t rape her, but it was pretty awful. If the incident really did happen, and it does appear it’s true, I’ll be glad he’s out of the game, so I don’t make the mistake of ever rooting for him again.)

I watched all the coverage, morning, noon, and night, (as I always do,) but surprisingly, nothing really got to me, except a super sad story about Zaevion Dobson, the young high school football player who died saving his female pals from bullets coming their way for no reason. Even Brandon Marshall, the New York Jet who was commentating for the day, was almost crying while reporting it.

The All-Time Superbowl MVPs.

I also was moved during the tribute to all the past Superbowl MVPs, who received one more day in the sun. (Only one had passed away, and two older gents waved to us from their homes.) And I especially loved that Tom Brady, despite winning the award three times, is the one man who got booed! You rock, stadium crowd!

Here are the rest of my Superbowl thoughts. I’m beginning with the now-controversial halftime show, even though I originally thought I had only a sentence or two to say about it. I’m sure that you’ll be happy to hear that I now have tons to say on the topic!

HALTIME AND OPENING MUSIC

Lady Gaga’s red, white, and blue outfit theme. Love that eyeshadow!

First, just one note about Lady Gaga’s very dramatic and self-serving rendition of the National Anthem: I know many of you loved it, but it just didn’t cut it for me. But I super-appreciated her red, white, and blue outfit, especially the flag shoes (which we could barely see) and her sparkly red eyeshadow.

Leading up to halftime, they kept announcing that the show’s theme is “past, present, and future.”  What did that even mean? The acts are all of the present!  And have been around since the past, and will be here in the future.  But that’s all Superbowl half-time acts! So why keep mentioning it? (And why even give it a theme to begin with, especially a stupid one?)

I’m glad I waited several hours to weigh-in because now I have so much more to say on the subject. My initial feeling was that it was an excellent, happy halftime show.   On the surface, (because I can never understand Beyonce’s words,) I thought there was no message, no one was trying to be profound or controversial or earth-shattering. They were simply desiring to entertain us.  I even wrote the note: “Great job.”

But now I’ve seen some of the internet meanness, belittling Coldplay and Chris Martin’s involvement in the presentation, and those peeps are all sooo wrong! In recent years, the Superbowl show has always had one big act, and then one or two other big acts to be the “guests.” This year, the “others” were Bruno Mars and Beyonce. So, now people are making like Coldplay’s involvement was an afterthought, an assessment I hardly agree with. I thought that Chris was generous to include the other two.

During the halftime show, I had a major revelation; I realized that I’m so bored with Beyonce. Doesn’t it always look like she’s just performing Crazy In Love (or Single Lady—they’re interchangeable) over and over again? It’s the same old steps, the music is so loud that you can’t distinguish the tune, and her words are beyond unintelligible.

Much worse than the tedium of her performance this time was this: it was very rude of her to make her portion a “black power” piece. That’s not what the Superbowl is about. Or should have allowed. How vilified would Chris Martin have been if he had made his songs some “white power” situation? I don’t even want to think about what would have happened in that case! [Note: If you don’t know what Beyonce did, it was threefold, and too long to explain here. Just google it.]

Just wondering—the Superbowl peeps had their panties in a knot when we saw Janet Jackson’s pasty-covered breast several years ago. But Beyonce can sing a whole song against white people??? How is that not hurting people so much more than seeing part of a breast, the unveiling of which was at least exciting in it’s shock value?!

Halftime show.

But on the topic of Coldplay’s minimalization in the show, despite having star billing, I say the people who are saying that are wrong. All three acts were featured, (with Coldplay, the headliners, a bit moreso,) and they even flashed DJ Mark Ronson’s name on the screen, to include his participation in the credits, as well. Mr. X (and I’m sure millions of other viewers) thought that Coldplay was wonderful, and could not have been better.

My favorite part was Bruno, by far. Uptown Funk is my favorite song. And each time he and his posse perform it, they come up with a different presentation, which I so appreciate it. That song is just about being upbeat and having fun, and was perfect for the occasion.

All that being said, it was a tad strange of them to recycle recent halftime acts. Bruno did it just two years ago, and Beyonce three. Are there no other big acts to book? That’s just crazy! (And I’m not “In Love” without the concept, if you get my drift.)

I think the best part of the whole show was the gorgeous colors displayed in the dancing part, on the field. That was all so gorgeous. I jus hope that none of that was racist! (I know that some people took it as a sign of support for gay people. Can’t something beautiful just be something beautiful these days? I can’t stand all the craziness!)

Oh, I do give Beyonce a lot of credit for one thing—her facial work is great! It’s hardly noticeable, but, of course, it is, just a bit.  I want the name of her plastic surgeon!

And the one good thing that came of the halftime show–at least we can now put the pregnancy rumors to rest.

THE ADS

I saw only two good commercials, (where was the new baby Clydesdale?–Maybe I spaced-out during it, if there was one with him,) so here are some very quick thoughts on that duo, followed by some of the worst:

The Honda ad, offering everyone a free Uber ride that day, was very useful. And a good reminder to not drink and drive.

The bottom half of the “texts” PSA.

And the PSA showing texts between female pals was a chilling way to say that we really need to do everything we can to stop domestic violence. I just hope that people got that subtle-yet-effective message.

And now to the worst, of which there were too many to mention here: I’ve never seen so many unappetizing commercials, like the one with NFL legends discussing toenail fungus! Or the “special kind of constipation” one! I could have vomited from them. I hope you weren’t trying to enjoy your Superbowl party tidbits during them!

The Doritos one with the baby popping-out prematurely was disgusting. And low-class.

Mr. X said the winner for “creepiest” is the “puppy monkey baby” one. It was downright sickening.  I don’t even know what it was for!

Why are there so many creepy animated animals commercials this year?

I absolutely detested the Prius commercial with the car chase!  Who thought of this?  They want to be associated with evil?  Really? (I was just about to break-down and just buy a Prius because I so need a new car, and now, just because of those stupid commercials, supporting violence on the streets, I nixed it.)

Speaking of car commercials, there were way too many of them. (And I even wrote that note in just the first quarter!) And they were for all different makes, which sort-of cancels each other out, doesn’t it?

I hate to say it because these were the NFL’s own promos, but those “Superbowl Babies” ads were downright tasteless!  Were the execs all unaware that children watch this game?  They don’t want to think about their parents having sex if their team wins.  Or wonder if that’s how they were conceived to begin with.  Or even wonder what it all means, and ask their worried parents about it! Sex should not come into the topic of the Superbowl at all. I needed a shower after each one of those ads that they continuously bombarded us with. (And didn’t they sort-of remind you of those fake SNL ones? That’s where they actually belonged.)

AND FINALLY THE GAME! (AND AFTERMATH BECAUSE THERE’S NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE GAME ITSELF)

This is the first Superbowl, to me, where the commercials were basically nothing, and the game was everything, even though not much scoring took place in it.

Anquan Boldin, with his Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy.

The game finally got exciting with less than seven minutes to go in the first quarter.

I feel that the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award (which recognizes a player for his excellence both on and, more importantly, off the field) is the most important part of the sport. So, major props to this years’ recipient, Anquan Boldin, (who’s a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, so it was a bonus that he received the award at his home stadium!)

I was so verklempt that the Broncos won. Mr. X and I really did not think it would happen. (Good thing we’re not bettors!)

Peyton Manning didn’t play a brilliant game, but he didn’t need to.

At the end, I found myself hoping that the Panthers would win next year, (if my Giants or Jets aren’t in it.)

Peyton Manning being congratulated on the win by good sport Carolina Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera.

But then, because of the horrible sore-loser-ness of losing Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, I don’t want them to be back there next year!

As good a sport as his coach, Ron Rivera, was, that’s how bad Cam was in his press conference.  I’m so disappointed because I had been a fan of his.

And he’s the MVP of the league! The powers-that-be over there must be so embarrassed by his classless, so unsportsman-like behavior, as well they should be.

Dreadful sport, (and losing quarterback,) Cam Newton, in his ultra-rude press conference.

Commentator (and, of course, football legend, and, the best-looking guy there, including the fit of his suit!,) Steve Young, and his co-horts, looked so disappointed after Cam’s press conference.  And they said as much. After Cam walked out of his mostly one-word-answers conference, and they cut back to Steve and Len Berman and Tom Jackson, the three of them really did look in shock. They all let out a long breath, and actually sat back, in unison. They even said that Cam should have taken that opportunity to be classy.  (I’m paraphrasing.)

Cam’s presser was the worst one I’ve ever seen. (And remember—I watch a lot of sports!) It was a big downer way to close-out the coverage to the most major event in sports all year. So, kids out there, let that be a lesson to you—don’t emulate Cam Newton. Look to the great sports, like LeBron James and Doc Rivers and Ron Rivera, to show you how to handle defeat. It’s what will happen most to you in sports, so you need to come through it with your head held high.

Superbowl 50 MVP Von Miller.

And a big major congrats to Superbowl 50 MVP, Von Miller! It’s great to see a little boy who embraced having to wear glasses be so victorious! Let that be a lesson to you kids, too!

This was surprisingly, (especially because of the dearth of real international-caliber stars,) the most exciting figure skating National Championships in a very long time.

brother-and sister team of Maia and Alex Shibutani, flanked by their ecstatic coaches.

I hadn’t even planned on writing about them this year! Part of that is because I rarely watch skating live (or even when the-powers-that-be deign to broadcast the competitions, after they’ve already been held) anymore; until recently, I was almost a year behind! No lie. And because few outlets report on the sport these days, I had never even heard who won…last March!!! (When I was looking for pictures of this recent competition to share here, I couldn’t even find stories about it! I even went to the Huffington Post Sports Page, and it was nowhere to be found. But there were articles about people diving into snow like it was water! Shameful.)

Also, I got caught up in the football play-offs yesterday, so I didn’t think I’d finish watching the skating on time to report on it. But, mostly, I had planned on a different topic column today because not many people seem to care about skating nowadays. Truth be told, even I’m a little bored with it. (Bite my tongue!)

But I awoke at the crack of dawn thinking about all that had happened for the skaters this past week, (despite the fact that I had watched the also-exciting football games and three awards-contenders films yesterday,) and I just knew that I had to weigh-in on the wonderful achievements of these beautiful athletes.

Every single discipline had surprise performances, several of which left me in tears, which was a regular occurrence for me in the days of Michelle Kwan and Todd Eldridge, but had not happened to me in recent times. Many of them were glorious to behold.

Let’s discuss the Ladies first. The only girl I’m a fan of is Mirai Nagasu, who always gets screwed, but she keeps on keepin’ on. She did great, and came in fourth, (although I feel she really should have been third.) The contest is usually between recent former champs, Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold. I dislike both girls intensely. They’re just not likable, on any level. They both never seem like nice people, they appear to care about only themselves, and neither one has ever displayed good sportsmanship, that I have witnessed, anyway. Poor funny-looking Ashley fancies herself to be sexy, and Gracie thinks she’s one of the top skaters in the world, while neither has had much success on the intentional stage.

Polina Edmunds and her happy coach, Rudy Galindo.

And the young ‘un, who’s been near the top for the past two seasons, Polina Edmunds, has no personality to recommend her, either. She just looks totally blank all the time.

So, in the Short Programs, Ashley fell and Gracie “popped” a jump. (That basically means she did a single twist, instead of a triple.) And Polina skated a beautiful, graceful program, choreographed by one of my all-time favorite American champions, Rudy Galindo, and as a result, she was in first place going into the Longs.

So, Polina was eight points ahead of everyone, which is almost impossible for the others to overcome, and Gracie and Ashley were almost tied for the next spot, along with a third girl who would wind-up not factoring in. I had no one to root for, because I knew Mirai would get screwed, as she always does. But it’s a judged sport, so what can you do.

They skate in random order for the finals. So, Ashley went first, and did a great job, save for one fall. Her coach was such a d-bag to her after that I was embarrassed for both of them. She needs to change coaches for next season. She still got good marks, and held the lead for a little while.

Then Polina went, with a Gone With The Wind-themed program, and it was again graceful and flawless. There was almost no way she could lose. Gracie, who never skates clean programs, (meaning, she always falls, or pops a jump, or suffers some other disastrous occurrence,) would have to earn five points over the score she received two years ago, when she won it all! It was close to impossible.

Gracie Gold, learning she had won.

As she took the ice, even whiter in the face than she usually is with her awful kabuki make-up that no one corrects her on, Mr. X observed that she just wanted to leave the building, and go straight into retirement from the sport. We both thought there was no chance in hell she’d do even a good performance.

She was skating to Firebird, which is wonderful music, with great choreographic potential. But she started off a bit shakily. And then, she hit her first difficult jumps. And that was it. She, (excuse the pun,) was on fire! It was wonderful! Not a mistake anywhere, and she skated the heck out of it. Even her bows, with her fingers fluttering like a bird’s wings, were great.

But she needed marks that were off the chart. And guess what? She received them!!! She won! Even stranger than that is that Mr. X and I were happy about it. We believe in fairness, and Gracie totally deserved that title. So, good for her.

The Mens’ competition was quite the opposite for me, with me rooting for just about every one of them. And it was more exciting and crazy than the Ladies. What a wild ride.

Powerhouse skater, Max Aaron.

The defending Champion, Jason Brown, was out with an injury, which meant a chance for all the others. Max Aaron, the 2013 Champ, was the one to beat. He’s a little firecracker, who was also a recent hockey player (and could have gone pro in that discipline!)

Several of the lower-ranked guys went first, and two in particular, Grant Hochstein and Alexander Johnson, had wonderful programs, and finished their best ever. (Grant wound-up in fourth, and Alexander in sixth.) I’m so happy for them.

And then it was time for the final quartet. The teen-age Nathan Chen went first, and performed four perfect quads! For you nescients, that’s a major feat. One quad is hard enough, so nobody does four! His artistic skills are somewhat lacking, though, and both scores count. But his technical marks were off the charts. So, even though he was fourth after the short, it looked like he just might win.

Then Max went, and did great. He had two quads, and even though the artistic side is not his strong suit, with his Black Swan program, he did beat Nathan, so he was in first, with just two men to go. I was pretty much rooting for him.

Adam Rippon, realizing he was finally the Champ.

The next to go was the most graceful, artistic skater in a long while, Adam Rippon, who should have won last year, but the judges screwed him, big time, in the short. So, this time, he fell right off the bat, on his only attempted quad, and I thought that was all she wrote. But he kept his wits about him, and skated beautifully from then on, including all the rest of his jumps.

Even the commentators thought he still didn’t have a chance at the title, but guess what? He did! He won the whole thing! And the other guys seemed genuinely happy for him, which was lovely to see. Quite the opposite of the girls, let me tell you.

The poor last guy to go, Ross Miner, (who had been a close second after the short,) just missed the podium, coming in fifth. I’m so sad about that because it was his birthday that day. And the World Championships are in his hometown of Boston this year, and he was desperate to compete there. So, he and I are both trying to get over that disappointment. (I hope he’ll do better at that task than empathetic I will.)

Last word on the Men: I don’t know if the judging panel would have taken such a big chance on awarding Adam Rippon the title if it were an Olympics year, rather than just a World Championship one, but I’m glad they did.

Pairs winners Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea.

But the most emotional wins for me were in the Pairs and Ice Dance. In both cases, the duo expected to come in second had absolutely brilliant performances, and rose to the top. We all though the judges would keep the teams status quo, so I’m thrilled they rewarded the correct couples.

So, major congrats to Pairs winners Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea and the Dance brother-and sister team of Maia and Alex Shibutani. They both made me really cry, which isn’t a good thing in sport—it’s a great thing!!!

I wish them all the best of luck at the World Championships in March. You go, skating boys and girls!!!

Even though the last tennis tourney, Wimbledon, didn’t work out well for me, I’m not letting that fact deter me from watching every second of the US Open for the next two weeks.

And, as always, I’m rooting for Roger Federer.

There’s not much gossip to tell you yet, but I will along the way.

Nick Kyrgios.

The big news is that there’s finally a player I hate more than Eugenie Bouchard and Serena Williams!  It’s Nick Kyrgios.  He’s disgusting.  He’s a young Aussie about whom the commentators have been making a fuss for a couple of years now, especially when he bested Raphael Nadal at last year’s Wimbledon tournament.

I have never liked him, finding him to be thoroughly obnoxious.  I hate when sports reporters call him the “Bad Boy of Tennis.”  “Bad Boy of…” whatever usually connotes someone charming, with an edge, like Maksim Chmerkovskiy of Dancing With The Stars fame.  Maks is rightfully labeled the “Bad Boy of Dance.”  But Kyrgios is more the “Douche-bag of Tennis.”

Here’s what he did a few weeks ago, which is unforgivable:  When he was playing the much-higher-ranked Stan Wawrinka in the Rogers Cup tourney in Montreal, while on-court, he told Stan that Stan’s girlfriend, fellow player Donna Vekic, had “banged’’ another Aussie male player.  In the middle of the match!!!   That’s classless at any time, but on the court just means he has less than no class.

Stan Wawrinka being nice to Nick Kyrgios even after that nasty incidient.

So, now he’s been blaming his thuggish behavior on being twenty-years-old.  What a weak excuse.   Every tennis player in history over twenty has played at that age, and none has ever stooped that low before.  Not even the high-strung John McEnroe.  (Just contrast Nick with Arthur Ashe to realize how out-of-line he was.)

Speaking of John, I don’t know the details, but I do feel that he should be ashamed of himself for inviting Nick to play in his recent charity event.  That event was a fundraiser for the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which supports young tennis prospects who have financial issues. Since it involves kids, they shouldn’t have the example that they can behave like creeps, and still be welcomed into the fold.  Not cool, Johnny Mac.

In my opinion, Kyrgios should not even be allowed to play in the US Open!  Such disrespect, especially of one’s fellow players, should be sanctioned much worse than the United States Tennis Association has done.

But, I’ll try to put it out of mind, and just root against him.  He’s playing against the #3 seed, and two-time Majors Champion, Andy Murray, in the first round, so, hopefully, that means that Nick will be a non-issue for the remainder of the tournament.  Now, if only I could be so lucky in the cases of Williams and Bouchard!

And, as always, go, Roger!

[Note: I plan to tweet about the goings-on at the tourney, so please follow me, if you want to cut to the chase!  @MajorCelebrity.  I’ll also post an update in this space right after Labor Day, and do a complete wrap-up the following week.]

I had to take a few days off from writing about this tennis tourney because I was pretty depressed about Roger Federer not winning the Championship.  Actually, neither final went my way.  But, being an Empath, it’s hard for me to get over what happened to Roger.

These pix are all me, watching the Men’s Final.

So, this column will be short, but far from sweet.  (If you’d like to read all the colorful stories that led up to this point in this year’s Wimbledon, here are my two previous columns telling all the deets of the fortnight, in order:  itsnotaboutme.tv/news/tennissporst-wimbledon-2015-first-week-updates and itsnotaboutme.tv/news/tennissports-wimbledon-2015-week-two-updates.)

Luckily for me, I was in San Francisco for both week-end finals, so, watching them in spurts on my iPad sort-of softened the blows.  The action wasn’t gigantic and in my face, as it is on my big screen at home, sitting glued to it.  I was able to focus instead on my own life action, which was that of being an apt tourist.

First, I have to admit that although I can’t stand anything about Serena Williams, the most ungracious athlete ever, her accomplishments are pretty amazing.  I do have to laud her for that.  I’m always so insecure, (even when I was the “it” girl, being the toast of the town due to the success of my former television show.)  I’ve rarely thought that I’m the best at anything.  So, that Serena has been able to keep that mind-set about herself, believing that no one can beat her, is pretty incredible.  That mental toughness is to be applauded, no matter how obnoxious she is.

In the case of the Ladies Final, I’m not sad for anyone, just disgusted about the victor.

But, in the case of the Men’s Final, I seriously cannot discuss it even here.  My fingers just won’t type all my sad thoughts.  I have a feeling Roger will be over his loss sooner than I will.

After he played the whole tournament the most beautifully that I, (and all the commentators, too) have ever seen any tennis player in history perform, to lose like he did was crushing.  Yes, he did win a set, but I’ve never seen him make so many errors.  His serve had been broken only one time in his previous six Wimbledon matches this year, and he had lost only one set, and that was in a tiebreaker.  He had beaten the pants off Andy Murray in the stunning semi-final.   And Andy had been one of the two favorites to wind-up the Champion!   It seemed in the final that Roger just gave up and stopped giving it his all.  Perhaps the earlier rounds had just been too easy for him.

At the same time, his opponent, Novak Djokovic, had almost lost in the quarterfinals a few days earlier.  (I keep lamenting the fact that he didn’t.)

Suffice it to say, I’m sick that the final went the wrong way.

As I was watching it, I realized that I may have to cut myself off from watching sports for a little bit. The losses are too painful. In the tennis category, I have till the US Open begins in late August to decide what to do about it. I really don’t know which way I’ll go on it. But you know that I’ll let you all know!

Most of the second, and final, week of Wimbledon is over now, and as it winds down, I’m continuing my weighing-in on the proceedings thus far. If my missed my thoughts from last week, (of which there are many more than in this column,) just click here: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/tennissporst-wimbledon-2015-first-week-updates.

I made it easier this time by listing it all by the day it happened on. Here goes:

MONDAY

Nick Kryrgios. Even if that’s not eye make-up on him, I’m coping the pattern. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I realized that I thoroughly dislike Nick Kyrgios from Australia.  I’m all for personality, but his antics are not charming, as are those of France’s Gael Monfils.  He’s just creepy.

And has anyone else noticed that it totally looks like he’s wearing eye make-up?

At least he tried to be somewhat of an okay loser, putting an uncomfortable arm around Richard Gasquet who had just defeated him, (even though Nick wouldn’t even look at his slayer.)

Speaking of creepy, Maria Sharapova’s horrible shrieks, with every single ball she hits, are disgusting.  They jar me so much, and I’m just a TV viewer, so how disruptive are they to her poor opponents?

Serena beat her sister Venus in the round of sixteen.  Duh.  (Check my tweets about it.  @MajorCelebrity, if you’re interested in my thoughts on that situation.)

Good for the American girls! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Even though I hate Serena, it was nice to see that the first three females into the quarter-finals were all Americans!

Analyst Brad Gilbert always reminds me of all the guys I knew from Queens, (which is not a great thing.) But I must say that I appreciate his ever-present enthusiasm for the game and its players.

As I’ve stated in years past, I love that Aggie Radwanska wears make-up when she plays.  I wish they would all do it!

Who would have ever thought that Bautista Agut would be the final Spanish guy?  Or that the female, Garbine Muguruza, would outlast them all?  And not one of the wind-bagging ESPN commentators ever mentioned either of those facts!!!  [Note: Finally, Patrick McEnroe mentioned it!]

What a pleasure it was to hear American girl Coco Vandeweghe speak so well.  She had none of the little girl silly voices that most of them have, nor the boredom of the Williams girls.  I bet she’s planning to be a broadcaster when her playing days are over, which is way far away. [Note: I wrote this on Monday, and, because of her behavior on the court, hated her on Tuesday!]

TUESDAY

I can’t believe that none of the top eight girls from 2014 made it back to the quarterfinals this year!  Very strange.

I just had to show this, that I got such a kick out of it! It’s Stan Wawrinka’s tennis bag, featuring his nickname, the symbol for his two Majors trophies, and–get this–a swatch of the crazy shorts he wore when he won his recent French Open Championship!!! Adorbs. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Stop the presses!  Just a day after I corrected her, (again,) Chris McKendry just said “draw” correctly!  She did not add a crazy “l” to the end!  So, props to her for being yet another broadcaster who pays attention to what I write!!!

That was not nice of Chris Evert to bust Coco Vandeweghe for not being a “team player.”  She hasn’t seemed dislikable to me, but now I have to re-think that.  Chris said that Coco doesn’t care about the rest of the American girls, though I sort-of agree with her to not care about that group.  And I don’t know the context in which she said it, so this jury of one is still out over her.

I take back my earlier assessment of Coco Vandeweghe.  In just one match (against Maria Sharapova, whom I’m also not a fan of,) she turned my good will around.  I’ve never seen a player, especially a female, keep flapping her arms after every game she wins, exhorting the crowd to cheer for her more.  That’s such a low-class thing to do ever, but especially at Wimbledon.  It may be okay to do at the US Open, (mainly if you’re an American competitor,) but it’s utterly classless at the uber-quiet and decorous British tourney.

WEDNESDAY

Richard Gasquet on the cover of a French magazine when he was just nine. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I can’t believe the the chair umpire for the Murray-Pospisil match, Pascal Maria, called a time violations on poor Vasek Pospisil, who totally didn’t deserve it.  It was at an absolute critical point in the second set, and rattled the poor kid so much that he lost his service game, and then right after that, the set.  What a douchey move that was on the part of the ump, who’s seasoned enough to know much better!

I absolutely cannot believe that Richard Gasquet beat #4 seed, and two-time Majors Champion, Stan Wawrinka! I’m sad about it, because I don’t think he can beat Novak Djokovic, (who I don’t want to win the tourney,) and we all know that Stan the Man can. But I am happy for Richard to finally be living up to his potential that was heralded when he was just nine!

THURSDAY

There’s not much more to say at this point.  I’m thrilled that Roger Federer is in the semi-finals once again, I’m miserable that Serena is in the final again, and I’m rooting for the new girl, Garbine Muguruza from Spain, to win the Ladies Championship tomorrow, though I’m not holding out much hope of that.

I’ll do the wrap-up of the whole shebang early next week for you.

And, as always, go Roger!

Since I’m so wrapped-up in the Wimbledon tournament, I can’t think of anything else until it’s over.  So, here’s another tennis-centric column for you. It’s just a simple list, so it takes only about thirty seconds to read.

As the tournament went along that I found myself cheering, and booing, without even realizing it.  We all know about my unfailing love for Roger Federer, and my extreme hatred of Serena Williams, but even I wasn’t that aware of just what other players I root for.  While no one else makes me as sick as Serena does, there are several others I also dislike, of both sexes.

So, here’s the break-down of them all, even though I don’t have time to give my reasons. Those are often built into my bigger tennis columns, but if you’re really curious, let me know, and I’ll answer you.

LOVE

Jeremy Chardy. Am I right or am I right?! Photo by Karen Salkin. (I wish, in person!)

Roger Federer

Petra Kvitova

Victoria Azarenka

Ana Ivanovic

Dustin Brown

Jeremy Chardy (This is the shallow one, based solely on his gorgeous looks; I don’t know much about him otherwise, although I wish I did.)

LIKE

Gael Monfils

Stan Wawrinka

Novak Djokovic

Sabine Lisicki

Sara Errani

Aggie Radwanska (I’m now hoping she wins the whole Ladies side!)

Heather Watson

DISLIKE

Venus Williams

Maria Sharapova

Nick Kyrgios

Sloane Stephens

Tomas Berdych

Coco Vandeweghe (This one just happened yesterday.)

HATE

Serena Williams

Eugenie Bouchard

Did I forget anyone?  Let me know if I did, in the Comments section below.  And, please feel free to share your feelings on the tennis players, as well, whether or not you agree with me.