Rooting for Roger

When Roger Federer won the French Open this morning, one thing the commentating team kept mentioning was the fact that everyone was rooting for him. Count me as one of them.

I confess that I cheat when it comes to watching tennis. If there is a tennis match on, chances are I'm not watching it. However, when it comes to the majors (Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and U.S. Open), I'm totally on board.

And I've always found myself pulling for Federer. Maybe it is the quiet confidence he displays. Everyone recognized he was, for a time, the most dominant force in the sport, but I can't remember a time when he showed up an opponent with a flashy celebration or trash talk. I'm not an crotchety old-timer who thinks there shouldn't be any celebration, but I respect the way Federer handles his business.

Secondly, more than any other time, I was rooting for Federer because he had never won in France. I would like to think Federer is the greatest of all time, but my severe lack of tennis knowledge really means this is a uninformed opinion. However, that being said, many with a more informed opinion also believe that Federer may be the greatest of all time, and if he were to really hold that title, he had to win all four Grand Slams. With the emergence of Rafa Nadal, it appeared that Federer was not going to be able to complete the career grand slam. While still able to cruise to Grand Slam semifinals, Federer couldn't no longer beat Nadal on any surface. To make a poor sports comparison, it was as if Federer had become the old, wrinkled Rocky, caught up to by a younger generation who had used him the standard for greatness. Federer had reached a career peak at 27.

Additionally, as a sports enthusiast, I love seeing history being made. I'm lucky enough to have seen Detroit sports teams win 4 Stanley Cups and 3 NBA titles during my lifetime, and Tiger Woods set new modern records on the golf course, and to me, it is exciting to see record books being rewritten. Federer, and Nadal, can do that everytime they enter a tournament, so it seems as if I am always rooting for them.

Like Pete Sampras late in his career, I feel like Federer on his worst day is better than all but a handful of his competitors, however, the gap is always shrinking, and some cases, like Nadal, Federer has been passed. It is not a knock on Federer, it just means that he has been on the top for so long, he has forced players to improve to be able to compete with him. I see Federer having a two-year window of being able to win a major. At the end of that time, he'll be 29, which is a dinosaur in tennis years. And with Nadal only being 23 and entering the prime of his career, I don't see Federer winning more than two majors in the next two years. However, I would be pleasantly surprised if he does.

So congratulations Roger, the hard work you have put in to tennis finally gave you that elusive French Open crown. I hope you have just as much success in the future, but for now, enjoy the victory.

Entrance Music

So there are some reasons why you would want to be a baseball player: money, attention and playing baseball is your job.

All of those things would be cool to have, but I really think there is one thing that is completely overlooked by being a professional athlete. Theme music.

Going up to bat or coming out of the bullpen, baseball players have signature songs that make all the jock itching and spitting seem all that much more classy.

And unless you are a good husband, Mr. Zobrist, you can pick any music you like.

Unfortunately, this hasn't transferred into other areas of life. It is neither practical nor acceptable to walk into your office with the docile tones of Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize" replacing the office muzak.

I feel this is a mistake. People already make assumptions about people before they even have the chance to meet them, so at least know what kind of music that person likes while they are secretly judging them.

Furthermore, almost anyone I have met has loved to talk about music. What better way to break the ice than to have a song or two to already talk about when you walk up to that cute girl in the bar? Imagine if your theme music matched hers, you already know you have something in common. Bingo-bango, instant match.

I guess this just could never happen. I would get too tired of listening to other people's crappy intro music and would just want to listen to mine over and over again. It might also be a little embarrassing if I had a little Abba playing when I walk into guys night.

I do dare to dream though.