Competition really drives the Schloss-Blog and the Schloss-Blog has been following a lot of it lately. Like the U.S Open tennis competition, where the challenges, the stunning shot-making, the fierce spirit of the competitors, much of it toward each other, provides compelling reasons to watch.
Throughout, for two weeks, ESPN's expert analysts, and they are, supply viewers with insights they don't get anywhere else. Unless they play competitive tennis themselves, that is, and can plainly see that no matter how good they tell us Alexander Bublik is, no matter how deep they tell us Taylor Fritz can go in the draw, no matter how many times they remind us that some guy you never heard of has beaten Carlos Alcaraz before and no matter how long a drug suspension Jannik Sinner served (three months instead of the usual four years), the finals of one of tennis' premier events comes down to two things:
Who will win this time; Alcaraz or Sinner?
Heading into today's final, the one or the other of them had taken home the hardware in all four majors since the beginning of 2024. No one else had a chance. Not even Novak Djokovic, who has 24 major titles. The problem is, he won his first when Alcaraz and Sinner were 5 and 7, respectively (2008). Tnerefore, it will be a chore for him to win a record-breaking 25th.
Now 38, and more than able to conquer anyone and everyone else not named Sinner or Alcaraz, Djokovic needs help - like someone to beat Alcaraz and/or Sinner en route to the semifinals. Because he can't. He played a great match on Friday againt Alcaraz in the semifinals at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. He would've beaten anyone else.
Except Alcaraz. Or Sinner, likely.
At least the women's competition was in doubt all the way through. Thank you, Amanda Anisimova, for making it interesting enough for American tennis fans to keep watching, all the way to the finals, with wins over Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka.
Unfortunately, you lost in the finals to the always less-than-gracious Aryna Sabalenka.
American men though, haven't won a major finals since - wait for it - Andy Roddick did it at the U.S. Open.
In 2003.
It might be another 22 years on top of that until an American man wins one.
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Why is it when that when I write about trashing the President of the United States I get more "impressions" when I post this blog on LinkedIn than I do when I write about sports, other politics, entertainment or just life in general?
Actually, when I trash Trump in this blog, the impressions skyrocket, although not necessarily when I write about "the president." Guess I'll have to write about Trump - uh, trash Trump, that is - more often.
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Not to drift away from Trash - uh, Trump - but this kid Aaron Stewart from Warren Township High School in Illinoisn rushed for 438 yards - 438 - in a season-opening win for the Blue Devils over Hersey.
438.
In the 50 years I covered high school football, I never saw a kid rush for that many individually. 438 - unbelievable!
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Speaking of Trump. CBS News has adopted a new policy that says it will no longer broadcast edited portions of interviews with politicians that take things "out of context." This is a result of the lawsuit fhat Trump "won" over the "60 Minutes" editing of an intrerview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Trump's attorneys didn't like that CBS broadcast different versions of Kamala responses to a question that he claims made him look bad (as if that's difficult to do).
So, from now on CBS News, you'll see one bad version of a response that makes Trump look bad, not two or three versions.
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Also, the Trump Administration is so desperate to meet its Stephen Miller-imposed quota of deportations everyday that it will be detaining caskets of soldiers whose names are foreign-sounding at Arlington National Cemetery and were cartel members.
The ACLU is suing so that the caskets get proper hearings before deportation.
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Bill Belichick looked like the walking dead when he escorted his North Carolina Tar Heels out onto the field for their season opener
With North Carolina royalty in the stadium for the game (Michal Jordan, Roy Williams, Lawrence Tauylor, Mia Hamm), the Tar Heels went out and sucked. against TCU in an embarrassing 48-14 loss.
If he's the second coming, Nort Carolina missed the exit.
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Read Subsack: for Marty Maciaszek;
for Ilyce Glink;
for Tim McKinney;
for Katherine Raz.
I do. Very ineresting.
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Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Katherine Raz. More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.
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