That Good Good: game recognize game

sun sets for nyc skyline at the us open

My second trip to the US Open was not via ‘practice, practice, practice’ (like the Sco) but via the 7 train. And although the 7 usually reps the multitudes well it was great to see the ethnic and cultural (if not economic) diversity of New York… all blocking my view of the new blue tennis court. The vibe even inspired me to try out the New-York-patented “Hey, Lady… sit down!!!” on a tennis-fan seemingly lost in the stands. Her WASPy early-Fall shoulder-sweater-sleeves just grazed the plastic cups of ‘oh-honey-why-not’ beers. The Brit-colony-accented trio behind me joined the NY spirit with their calls for “Up or daahn! Up or daahn!” giving her an option for moving through the aisle and clearing the precious nose-bleed view. As she stepped up the aisle she didn’t mutter so much as snap under her breath “Lighten UP…”

Although I hoped it was going to be on some “there are seven acknowledged wonders of the world… you are about to witness the eighth…” the chants of “The JB! The JB! The JB!” never really happened at the AA meeting last night. The match seemed to be scored by our favorite Memphis crew in the first 4 sets (3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3), but it refused to stay fly for those of us caught up in the James Blake story. Oh, hell yes, you CAN call it a comeback but the dude who heeded mama’s instructions of ‘Knock you out!’ was AA Cools J (Andre Agassi Cools James). Eyebrows down, Dre and J-Bleezy stayed focused taking the tie-breaker to 8. After Blake finally stopped going in the final moments of his Double-A battery, the two embraced at the net in an acknowledgement not only of skills but of character. Dre, the one-time rebel without applause (blame crowd fave Pete Sampras) had finally grown up, earned a spot in the ‘establishment’ and savored the increasingly fleeting moments of the late-bracket racket. The stadium held a decent crowd until after 1 AM in the morning applauding two great players at different points in their careers with dramatic off-court stories that faded against the shine of their game.