Wordless Wednesday: Serena

Should Serena Williams Be Suspended from US Open Because of Her Outburst?

Only one thing went wrong with my sporting weekend. My favorite NFL teams -- Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and New York Jets -- all managed to win their opening games. For at least a week Bengals fans can say that their team is UNDEFEATED. My favorite college football team -- University of Michigan Wolverines -- showed remarkable courage in their comeback victory over the Fighting Irish. Even my 11-year old son and his youth football team won their first game of the year by a score of 14-12 yesterday!

The only downer for the weekend was the US Open. I was stunned that Serena Williams lost the finals to Aussie Samantha Stosur. I guess Serena was in disbelief as well ... as she had a severe explosion during the first game of the second set.

Serena has a habit of yelling 'Come On!' at the top of her lungs during big points in her matches. She let out such a yell during her match against Stosur. However, she let it out before the point was over ... and that appears to be a rules violation in tennis. The judge in the match, Eva Asderaki, took the winning point away from Serena.

In my view, Serena's yell is the equivalent of the constant grunts that you hear from other tennis players, like Maria Sharapova. However, it appears that Judge Asderaki thought that Serena's yell was loud and menacing.





Serena was still peeved at the judge while resting between points.

"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you’re out of control," Williams said while sitting in her chair. "You’re totally out of control. You’re a hater, unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow, what a loser. Give me a code violation because I expressed my emotion? We’re in America last time I checked. Really, don’t even look at me, don’t look my way."

In fact, there is some talk that Serena may be banned from next year's US Open as a result.

I don't think that the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) will go that far. After all, Serena is to tennis as Tiger is to golf -- she is a money-maker. Who would care about tennis in America if Serena (or her sister Venus) weren't in the mix?

"Any impact this code violation might have on Serena Williams’ grand slam probation would require the incident being ruled a major event," a WTA statement said. "That determination will be made by the grand slam committee director."

Serena was all smiles and kind words in the post-match interviews. She congratulated her opponent and accepted her second-place trophy and prizes with dignity and grace. However, her earlier on-court explosion didn't do much for her image within the sport.

I suspect that she won't be given the ultimate penalty of suspension from the next US Open ... but, I also suspect that Serena would prefer to be remembered for her tennis and not for her inability to handle her emotions.

What say u?

Serena and Venus are Wimble-Done...

I enjoyed watching the early-morning Wimbledon tennis championship last week. Serena Williams and Venus Williams alternated days on the court as they made their way through the first three rounds of the tournament. The two of them have dominated Wimbledon over the past decade. I was confident that they would meet each other later this week in the Wimbledon finals.

My expectations were shattered today when the Williams' sisters both lost today against lower-ranked players. I suspect that most 'villagers' join me in letting out a sigh of disappointment when we realized that neither sister was in the tournament any longer.

It is likely that I won't be watching Wimbledon any more this week.

Well, I might be tempted to see if this Mardy Fish guy can keep winning. He is the last American standing in the tournament. He's in the quarterfinals ... so he has a chance to make some noise if he can win another match or two.

Question for the Day: Will Serena or Venus ever make it back to #1 in tennis rankings?

Wordless Wednesday: Serena Williams in the Nude

Once You Go Black...

Villagers are gathering around the baobob tree to consider some of the mysteries of the world. Today, we share the following observations for your consideration:

• The most powerful politician in the world is Black.
• The best golfer in the world is Black.
• The best female tennis player in the world is Black.
• The fastest racing driver in the world is Black.
• The fastest sprinter in the world is Black.

Michael Jackson must be kicking himself!

Venus and Serena Williams Win Australian Open Doubles Championship

Serena and Venus Williams teamed to win their eighth Grand Slam doubles title in the Australian Open, a day before Serena's bid for a 10th major singles crown. They beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3 for their third doubles championship in Australia.

Venus Beats Serena at Wimbledon

Venus Williams won Wimbledon singles championship today. She has now won this grand slam tournament five times. I imagine that she is one of the best grass court players of all time.

She is probably one of the best female tennis players of all time. She was formerly ranked as the World No. 1 tennis player. Venus has won the Olympic gold medal in women's tennis and 15 Grand Slam titles, including seven singles (five at Wimbledon), six women's doubles, and two mixed doubles titles. Venus holds the record for the fastest serve ever recorded by a female player (129 mph).

No point in feeling sorry for her younger sister, Serena. Serena won many matches in the past ... and she will win many more in the future. I guess the best way to think about it is as follows -- "May the best Williams win!"

And the one with the biggest smile on his face is their father, Richard Williams. He is a strange guy ... but, no doubt he will go down as one of the greatest sports fathers of all time! He wins everytime either Serena or Venus win.

Did you enjoy Breakfast with Wimbledon this morning? What do you think about Venus Williams?

Manic Monday: Drop

Morgen's Manic Monday word today is DROP. Have you heard the term DROP-dead gorgeous before? I remember when I was growing up the most beautiful woman in the world showed up on my television on July 16, 1977 when Janelle 'Penny' Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago became the first Black winner in the history of the Miss Universe pageant.

"I felt like a ray of sunshine was around me" is how Janelle described the feeling that night.

It's odd. I still remember where I was when she won the contest. I was on summer vacation out by a lake in Michigan with my grandparents, uncle and such. I understand that when Janelle was announced as the new Miss Universe, Trinidad and Tobago went wild. Evidently, Trinidadian television aired repeats of the pageant for days. The 24 year-old Caribbean beauty declared that she "believed her election would contribute to erasing racial barriers." Proud of her victory, she noted, "Beauty belongs to all people; it has no racial or geographic boundaries."

Today, Janelle runs the largest boat-building company in the Caribbean and maintains a low profile.

My definition of beauty evolved later in life. Halle Berry became the DROP-dead gorgeous woman of my dreams. Halle started out as a beauty queen and model and later became a pioneer for Black women in Hollywood. One of her first roles as a crack addict in Jungle Fever was impressive. She had minor roles in a number of movies such as The Last Boy Scout, Boomerang and The Flintstones.

In 1999 Berry realized a lifelong dream and won an acting Emmy when she produced and starred in the TV biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, about the first Black performer to be nominated for an Oscar as best actress. The part proved prophetic when Berry became the first Black actress to win that coveted award in 2002 for her unglamorous turn as a woman coping with a husband on death row in Monster's Ball. Billy Bob Thornton is still my hero as a result of his role in that movie!
Berry's personal life is a mess with high-profile divorces from professional baseball player David Justice and singer Eric Benet, and a hit-and-run accident and subsequent civil suit in 2000.

Currently, the two DROP-dead gorgeous women that I would love to see in our village are Meagan Good and Serena Williams! Well villagers, care to share your thoughts on a DROP-dead gorgeous man or woman on your mind?

Being Serena Williams

I know that you are thinking that I look for any excuse to share photos of Serena here in the Village for prurient reasons. But, that is not the case this time! Native Son beat the drum to share news that Serena was the victim of racist comments during her tennis match earlier this week.

According to Serena, a white spectator called her the N-word.

“The guy said, ‘Hit the net like any Negro would,’ ” Williams said, later explaining she had cleaned up the language for the news conference and that he actually used the N-word. “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I had to do a double take. I think I hit a double fault on that point.”

You know that we live in a rough environment you cannot escape racism and racist comments even while doing your job ... as Serena was doing on the tennis court. If being Serena Williams doesn't exempt us from such negativity ... how can we expect it in our individual lives?

Yet, we must continue to uplift one another. As the famous philospher, Rodney King, once said, "Can't we just get along?" Well Villagers, any comments on the latest incidence of racial intolerance?

Serena Williams

It was great to see Serena Williams win the Australian Open yesterday. She put an ol' fashioned butt-whippin' on her opponent. Serena only played four matches in 2006 because of injuries. She dropped to #81 ranking in the world. She lost a match earlier in the month to the #56 ranked player. None of that mattered as she marched through her opponents in this grand slam event. I am not a big tennis fan ... but I enjoy it when either of the Williams' sisters does well. I hope that 2007 is a big year for Serena.

Are any of you tennis fans? What do you think about Serena or her sister?