Lowest seed ever to win Wimbledon
Inside Sports
With Earl Austin Jr.
Venus Williams resembled that little six-year old girl who just received her first Christmas present from her father as she jumped up and down repeatedly on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
She had every reason to be jumping for joy. Williams had just outlasted fellow veteran Lindsay Davenport to win to win her third women’s singles title. The victory marked Venus’ official comeback to the championship circuit and, in my opinion, the finest hour of her illustrious career.
It had been a long time since I had sat down and watched an entire tennis match, but I could not turn away from that two hour and 41 minute masterpiece that Venus and Lindsay laid down. Both were down and counted out in their careers, but here they were on Centre Court providing fans with the best women’s tennis seen in years. Davenport was on the way back as witnessed by her No. 1 seed, but nobody saw Venus coming.
With younger sister Serena and the young Russian players dominating the scene, there appeared to be little room for Venus, a once-proud champion who was now 25 and constantly breaking down with various injuries. In the minds of many, it was over for Venus as she showed up in England three weeks ago as the No. 14 seed and way off the championship radar.
However, a funny thing happened on the way to another ignominious second-round defeat. The old Venus Williams showed up. The same one who dominated the tennis world at the beginning of the decade. The same agile 6’2″ gazelle who covered the entire court in mere strides and overpowered her opponents with her serve and volley game.
Not only did Venus Williams return to championship form, we saw a competitive fire that would not allow her to lose. The red alert should have sounded when she dusted off defending champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. By then, it was too late. This young lady was not going to be denied. Just when you thought it was safe to have a Williams-free Grand Slam final with Serena out early, here comes Big Sis to the rescue.
Even when she was facing championship point in the second set; even when Davenport was serving for the match at 5-4 and Williams broke service without letting Davenport get a single point. That will carried Williams to a 9-7 victory that made her the lowest seed ever to win the title in the longest championship match in history.
Welcome back, Venus.
Dontrelle in Detroit
I fully expect to see Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins on the hill as the starting pitcher for the National League in next week’s Major League Baseball All-Star game in Detroit. With a 13-3 record and an ERA under two runs per game, it should be a no-brainer. He also made a compelling closing argument with a three-hit shutout in his last start.
Gimme a break
I’m not sure which boxing story is more ridiculous. Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns making a comeback at age 49 or former National Basketball Association player Kendall Gill becoming a boxer at all. Both of you need to sit down.
Vashon to U of I
When Ron Zook took over as the head football coach at the University of Illinois, he wanted to re-assert the Fighting Illini’s recruiting foothold in St. Louis. Last week, he got his first area commitment from Vashon High’s Jerry Brown, a 6’4″ 260-pound defensive end. Brown had received interest from the likes of Oklahoma and Nebraska, but he is headed to Champaign.
Loved ya, Luther
The death of recording star Luther Van Dross is one that hits hard to all us who love our R&B. He was truly one of the legends. I remember back to our high school basketball banquet at McCluer North High in 1982. All of us seniors decided to add a little spice to the event with our own form of entertainment. I wrote a detailed summary of our basketball season and passed it out to everybody. But the stars of the evening were my teammates Andrew Hogue and Cedric Brooks. The went on stage and sang some of Luther’s big hits at the time. They got a standing ovation.
What’s my line
The American Film Institute recently came out with their Top 100 movie quotes of all time. I had a few favorites of my own that did not make the AFI Top 100 list. Here are some of mine. Frankly, I can’t believe these lines were left out.
* “CAN YOU DIG IT?!” – Cyrus, The Warriors
* “Hey kid, do you do this constantly?”
“No, Sir, I does it all the time.” – James Earl Jones (Leon Carter) and Stan Shaw (Esquire Joe), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings
* “Fifteen is my limit on Schnitzendruben” – Sheriff Bart, played by Cleavon Little, Blazing Saddles
* “Cause he wreaked havoc amongst the brethren. Sausage Nose. Chitlin’ Eyes.” – Bill Cosby, Let’s Do it Again
* “You sho’ is ugly!” – Shug Avery, The Color Purple
* “I pity the fool who tries to take what I got!” – Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T, Rocky III
* “Kids, you work your heart out!” – Lee J. Cobb, 12 Angry Men
* “Attitude reflects leadership.” – Big Julius, Remember the Titans
* “Tom, can you get me off the hook with Michael for old times sake?”
“Can’t do it Sally.” Abe Vigoda and Robert Duval, The Godfather
* “I’ll make it” – Jimmy Chitwood, Hoosiers
* “Let them play! Let them play!” – William Devane, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
* “Mister Blutarksy … 0.0.” – Dean Wormer, Animal House
