Quote from Serena Williams: "I am going to take this _____ ball and shove it down your _____ throat and kill you."What a night it was last night at the US Open. Our very own Serena Williams received a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (abusing an official) and consequently lost her match with Kim Clijsters.
Here are a few observations from last night's fiasco:
* Kudos to the tournament officials for actually giving her a point penalty for her abusive behavior. It should have been an immediate default when Serena threatened to kill the lineswoman but at least they did something! Perhaps watching players break rackets all week long with no penalties may have made us a little dubious...
* Even worse than the on-court incident was Serena's post match interview. She actually would not tell the reporters what she had said and then added that she didn't feel that she owed the lineswoman an apology. Then to top it all off in the commentary by Lindsey Davenport, Lindsey said, "I'm so impressed with how Serena has handled all of this." What a load of bunk...
These are just a few of my observations. What are yours???
You can see it all right here:
36 comments:
There was one comment Serena made in the post match that I didn't like.
"They've been calling foot faults on me all tournament...."
That statement implies that she doesn't think she's doing anything wrong and she's just a victim of rogue officiating. Officials are not calling foot faults on you. You are foot faulting and being penalized for it.
just my observation.
Well, first, why didn't the chair umpire issue a code violation when Serna marched over to the baseline person and threatened her she was gonna put that ball up her A-hole.?? Why have to wait until the big guns come out for a chat to do that?
If they don't want a penalty for foot-faults, then take the rule out.
This was not the 1st foot-fault called in the match. A different baseline person had called one earlier.
Yikes!!
This topic is gonna get good!!!!!
Typical Serna. Like she really supports the tour, that makes her a lot of money. She only plays in events that she wants to. Even though she has won the last 3 Grand Slam events she was still not ranked #1, because she plays only a limited number of tournaments.
Any bets we see the Rev. Al and Jesse show up real soon to take care of this matter? This just can't stand.
I suppose you could blame this situation on DIVERSITY.
Here's my favorite personal experience with the foot fault call....
Being posted on the baseline at a long ago "Exhibition Tournament" I was rotated in after a foot-fault had been called on 'ole Jimmy. After a couple of points on his next service game, Jimbo again steps on the line whilst tossing the ball for his serve. Being in my eagle eye stance, I am waiting for the sound of racket striking ball; and waiting; and waiting; until i hear the ball striking the court unhit by 'ole Jimmy. Looking up I see a glare coming back at me for my 'no call'. His ploy of inducing an erroneous "foot fault call" had failed. I think I faintly hear something to the affect of 'nice job'. He didn't try that again on my end.
One thing about Jimbo, he was a terrific player and an entertainer par excellence.
First off, I seemed to recall someone being coded each time a racquet was broken-even the matches I saw in person. Many times the officials did it quietly while the player changed it out.
Now for Serena. She is quoted in the notes of the PC as saying she probably did foot fault and the linesperson was just doing her job. The transcript is available on the Open site. On the other hand she was flipant about the whole thing.
I think the umpire acted slowly bc it was such a huge situation. All in all, the call and penalty were correct and deserved.
I agree if you don't was ffs called take the rule out.
Why did the chair umpire have to call the referee to court to access a code violation - point penalty? Do the pro chair umpires have to get mother-may-I permission from management before they can do their job, or is it that since Women's tennis is sssooooo boring, the chairs forget how to access code violations. Or was the female chair umpire thinking about accessing a code violation - default because of the gorilla's actions. In this case it really didn't matter since it was match point any way.
It was obvious the chair umpire was flustered. Otherwise, she would have remembered to announce game, set, match... at the conclusion of this fiasco.
I see a new rule change coming next year under "footfaults." Footfaults are to be called at any time unless it could adversely affect the outcome of the match, i.e., match point, or may hurt the player's feelings.
I noticed at the Dallas Men's Challenger last year that the "badged" chair umpires were not calling flagrant foot faults. Maybe there already has been a rule change but it hasn't flowed down to us peasants yet.
I guess that "ridiculous stupid woman with lack of common sense and any idea about tennis" should just understand that a violation of the rules only applies to non-professionals and only when the penalty for the violation is not going to affect the outcome of the match. I may be "new" to officiating, and I may be "visionary" in my lack of subjectivity when applying the rules. If the rules are only going to be applied subjectively, there can never be a line drawn and the event becomes a free-for-all where the most creative cheater wins.
I have made bad calls. Some I corrected, some I could not correct. If the call was wrong, you have a complaint. If the call was correct .... SHUT UP!
Serena didn't loose the match because a foot fault was called and a point penalty was given. Serena lost the match because she foot faulted and then verbally assaulted the official. The official is not at fault. Serena committed the infractions to the rules. Serena and Serena alone is at fault. The foot fault was the metaphorical equivalent of shooting herself in the foot. The verbal assault on an official was the metaphorical equivalent of shooting herself in the head to stop her foot from hurting.
The rules apply or they don't.
The FACTS are the Gorilla was down a set and down a break at 15-30 when this situation came up. Like Really now, this was the only reason 'The One' lost this match.
Since Serena is a famous celebrity, and she doesn't like to play tennis all year long, here's an idea for a new reality TV show she can develop. HIDE THE TENNIS BALL. You score points when you hide the 'ole green sphere in any body cavity.
I think the chair umpire did exactly the correct thing in getting the referee out. At any other point in the match, the chair would assess the point penalty freely, but given the event, location, TV stations, and situation (ending the match), it was best to pull out the big guns. to call the match for Kim.
There are a couple of comments already about diversity/race coming into this. I don't see how that's applicable at all.
And finally, why was it ONLY a point penalty. Isn't physically threatening an opponent/official grounds for immediate disqualification from the tournament? Why was she allowed to play the doubles final? A point penalty and a couple of fines aren't exactly what I would have expected for such an outburst.
Doesn't MTV or VH1 have a show where people get even with bullies? They should invite the baseline umpire on the show so they can do a beat down on Serena. Lets see, who should they get to do the beat down. My vote would be Jeff Tarango. Now that would get some viewers.
Instead of suspending Serena due to her actions, I think the ITF should force her to PLAY tournaments. That would be a change of pace and may actually help Serena lose some much needed weight.
Speaking of the U.S. Open, where has the prima donna U.S. female umpire, Lynn Welch, been this year? Has anybody seen her on TV? That Serena match was just the kind of match she is go good at handling. The Queen of OverRules could have easily corrected that obvious mistaken footfault call and continued the match to it's rightful conclusion.
After watching the replay of the match last night, it appears the officiating crew was Over Diversified.
The USTA is nothing but a Community Organizer program.
Another question - Why in the hell is a foreign chair umpire calling the Women's final at the US Open. It either means that the USTA has no gonads, or there are no more qualified US chair umpires left. I bet its the first. Anybody else concerned about not using US officials at US tournaments. I can't wait to see an American Chair Umpire doing the finals at Wimbledon.
Ms Serena only gets fined $10,000 for threatening an official and $500 for breaking her racket. Now the ITF will investigate posting additional penalties on her. If it was up to me, instead of banning her from playing (which she rarely does anyway), I would require her to play a tournament every week for the next three months. Now that would be appropriate punishment for her. Besides, it may do her more good than harm since she can stand to lose a few pounds, especially in her tail section.
I agree with John Sanchez. Physical threats are grounds for immediate default from the tournament. So why in the hell is Serena allowed to play in the Women's doubles finals. But if that would happen, I bet there would be renewed riots in Watts.
With the tightly controlled credentials access to the U.S. Open this year, maybe Ms. Lynn Welch got caught up again and couldn't get thru the turnstiles to go do her match -- The Finals.
The credential badges are so controlled this year, the Chief of Officials and the tournament Referee couldn't even get their wives freebe passes this year.
Maybe the World will love us again now that a foreigner got the women's finals chair.
Mary Carillo had some excellent comments after tonight's Women's Finals match about Serena. She had it spot on by saying Serena's punishment (or lack thereof) is an embarrasement to the US Open and Women's professional tennis in general.
It's not like the first time Serena has been involved in controversy. Maybe she should go to anger management class, for she has no class. I'm sure Obama will give her some award and who knows, I'm sure the USTA will name something after her as well after she retires. I know, the Billie Jean King - Serena Williams Obama National Tennis Center. Now that has a real ring to it, doesn't it.
Serena's actions on court and comments after the match speak highly of her character. As the great Martin Luther King once said "...will not be judged by the color of their skin AND NAME but by the content of their character and THEIR WORDS."
That's too funny about naming the National Tennis Center after Serena. I can't wait until the USTA places a placard on the Arthur Ashe Stadium umpire chair as the Lynn Welch honorary thrown. I bet the Credentials department could hire Ms. Welch to help design new badges that are tamper resistant. Since we all know she has experience in this most lucrative field based on published reports from the Greece Olympics.
Throw in human nature (the rich and famous are not treated the same as the rest of us) and politics (the powerful manipulate the rules to their own benefit)[yes, I'm a cynic.] and this incident wasn't handled all that poorly. Serena got punished for her actions (both the foot fault and the outburst) and the US Open management lost out on having a Williams in the final. There are those of us who are happy about that and would also liked to have seen her removed from the doubles as was warranted but we all know that wasn't going to happen. So, next there will be a camera spotted to look down the baseline... You just know that will happen at the next televised event, don't you? Give Serena her props - she really did make womens tennis a lot more interesting for at least a few minutes...!
Carol Cox made an interesting comment in the NY Times. Carol Cox, a veteran tennis official who evaluates line officials and referees for the United States Tennis Association, said there were two schools of thought on making a foot-fault call at a critical juncture in the match.
“One philosophy is that it is a rule, and you call it when you see it,” Cox said. “The second way of thinking is more in line with a good N.B.A. official: You don’t make a call that can decide a match unless it’s flagrant.”
I hope this lady is NO LONGER a national evaluator. If this is the case, then "Houston We Have A Problem"
Here is a stupid question. Some of the sports commentators keep harping on the fact that she was already warned (when she threw her racket after the first set). I was taught that the only "warning" in tennis is for a time violation. You code everthing else without a warning. If conduct is close to the line, but not over it, you can give a soft caution. Throwing a racket is clearly over the line, as would be threatening an official.
You can take the girl out of Compton, but you can't always take Compton out of the girl.
Quick comment re: the "diversity" comment above. (Really, I see this a bit and I'm not sure why there seems to be such a resistance to diversity, or at least a constant ridiculing of concept.)
It's my understanding that a chair umpire (and presumably line officials as well) can't, or at least shouldn't be from the same country as the individual players in order to minimize national bias.
US Open officials make up only a fraction of the total number of officials because of the number of Americans in the tournament.
That should be the case for all of the Slams. It's not a matter of "diversity", but a function of minimizing bias by officials.
Hey Juan.
If there is any 'bias' it will be that 99.8% of U.S. officials want to get the call right. Where's the bias in that? I've had to make calls that had my hair on my neck stand up, but the job is to make the correct call.
Do you really think your recommendation will hold up? Do you have any idea on how many U.S. officials work the grand slams overseas? There is no doubt the USTA brings in many more foreigners here to the U.S. Open than Americans going overseas.
I'm thinking real hard in trying to remember the last time a foreign Grand Slam had anyone but a national doing their Finals Chair. Maybe you can do some research on that.
Here's a tip for kcufnmud. Slow down when you're typing.
kcufnmud can't spell. He missed a keystroke by 1 spot.
Someone...
I know a few officials who have been to Wimbledon. My comment was not a recommendation at all. USTA and BTUA routinely swap umpire assignments much like they do wildcards for players. There's a 8-10 official "swap" between the two countries. Similar arrangements with other tennis organizations around the world will really add up.
I would guess it seems like the US Open has many more "foreigners" because of the diversity of the USTA official roster. Does anyone know the line judge that made the call? It's likely she's a USTA official, not foreign. Perhaps there's the perception that there are more foreign umpires at the Open because many of the USTA officials look like they may be from another country.
As for a national chairing the final, it's likely that it IS a national in the chair for the final because it's not very often a national player makes it to the final of their tournament, however who knows how that determination is made. I don't make the schedule for tournament officials, nor do I know the person that does to ask them.
Just my observations. I wasn't trying to imply that an official would deliberately mis-call a match because the player is from their country.
Thanks,
JOHN Sanchez
Give me a break Juan Sanchez. You must be a green official since it's apparent you have no idea or knowledge about what you are talking about. I used to think you were educated until your last post. Where do you get the idea that it's your understanding that a chair umpire (and presumably line umpires) can't, or at least shouldn't be from the same country as the individual players in order to minimie national bias. Did you count up the US players in the draw lately or is it that you just can't count. There were NO US players in the Men's draw since before the quarters. Does that mean the entire crew should have been made up of US officials. I think not. If that was the case, then I'm sure the Chair Umpire for the Women's finals match would have been an American since this is an AMERICAN TOURNAMENT. And to state that the number of US officials only make up a fraction of the total number of officials due to the high number of Americans in the tournament is laughable. The USTA (i.e. Rich K)has NEVER supported American officials and has always looked to add additional foreigners in the name of diversity. Not to mention he still hasn't cut ties with his ATP buddies. For what good - nothing that I can think of other than to screw Americans out of our only opportunity to work Grand Slam events. Count the number of US officials that get to work the other Slams and it may be eye opening.
I suggest you stop drinking the koolaide and open your eyes on what is going on in the pro ranks. One side note from this year's US Open. There were a larger proportion of OLD US officials on the show courts. Can you guess why??? Try threats of litigation due to age discrimination. The USTA has no backbone and never will until a massive change is made at the highest echelons of the tennis officials staff.
I think a bomb just went off!!!!!! Poor Juan.
And who was the corpulent, camp follower, blonde trying to push the CBS camera away from shooting film of Team Williams in the hallway after Serena's meltdown? Wasn't she the same person that had been in their box the entire tournament? See the first picture in the original blog. There she was interfering with the camera person, trying to push the camera away, shielding the lens or blocking the camera with her ample girth. All of these actions should be grounds for immediate ejection from the tournament, loss of credentials and permanent ban from future events. Just another sign of the lack of class of the Williams's camp followers.
The Men's Final had a dustup too. Federer got his jock in a wad when the chair allowed del Portro to take an exceptionally long time before asking for a review challenge on a line call. On the change-over, the chair had asked to just drop it and ole Roger said F*&k that, I can talk whenever I want to talk.
Federer had been denied a review challenge previously for taking too long to ask.
By the way, how come the bald-headed guy didn't do the Men's Final chair this year? He has probably done at least a dozen finals before this year.
Taco Kid.
I never thought Carol Cox was cut out to be a National Evaluator either. For one thing she didn't fit the mold. You know the one. The big wide stance that is required for these persons. And in addition, she was one of those: do as I say, not do as I do persons.
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