Tag: Andy Murray

One Liner Friday’s

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

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Hello and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Peyton Manning is very very very very very good at football.

Hey Flacco, I hope you had your notepad and pencil out while Mr. Manning was taking you to school (nice contract Ravens).

Seriously though, everyone should stop doubting Manning and his arm strength and his age and should just realize that he is one of the best to ever do it (NO, NOT 6, 7, 7 IS THE NUMBER!).

Something About Mary?

Oh Yankees, every time I think you’re going to return to form and storm your way into the playoffs, you go and do something like that.

In case you missed it, Big Mo blew a save (obviously against the Red Sox) and then who else but Joba the hut would go on to lose the game.

I still think the Yankees land the final Wild Card spot in the playoffs this year, watch.

I’ve said it about 10 times now, and I will say it again, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be handed his first ever loss by Canelo Alvarez on Saturday September 14th.

I am looking forward to 50 Cent and Justin Bieber performing for Mayweather as he walks to the ring though (how stupid is that).

Nobody thinks that Cary Williams wanted to fight Riley Cooper because he is a blatant racist do they??

Because that would be absurd!

Hey, uh, Geno Smith, we passed on you just like everyone else in the 1st round of the draft, and we are actually going to play Mark ‘the worst quarterback in the history of the world’ Sanchez over you, but now that ummm, oh man this is awkward, now that he happens to be hurt THIS IS YOUR OFFENSE AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN!!

Yeah, I think he believes you and he’s buying the vote of confidence.

And if he’s not I certainly am.

It has been one of the most spectacular and impressive careers in the history of sports, but Roger Federer is officially on the Decline.

2013 became the first year he hasn’t reached a single Grand Slam Final since 2002 (back before he was the R-FED).

His career is not over, and I think he will make a comeback and have a nice showing in 2014 before he rides off into the sunset, but this is the first of many tributes to one of the finest athletes of all time.

Hey, uh, Andy Murray, I know you’re really busy being the ugliest man in the world, but a player of your stature should never lose in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

You know, instead of suspending Ryan Braun for the rest of the season, they should have just suspended him for 4.5 innings.

No?

Oh, that only works for privileged stuck up little children in College Football, my bad.

Who gives out a suspension of half of a game?!?!?

That’s like taking a convicted felon and saying, you know what we’re going to do, forget the whole prison thing, we are just going to give you about 25 minutes in the pink timeout chair in the corner (obviously the timeout chair is pink).

Thanks for reading everyone, and if you have your own one liner’s that you want to post, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

One Liner Friday’s

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 4 Comments

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Hello everyone and welcome to another stellar edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!

I’d say Ron Metta Artest World Peace should say bye bye to LaLa Land, but clearly he has a permanent residence there.

Seriously though, the Knicks should sign him since he’s the gritty type of player they need.

As long as he promises not to eat anyone’s face than it will be a good pickup.

Why does everyone keep telling me how clean cut and ‘proper’ the Patriots franchise is?

The Patriots cornerback (Alfonzo Dennard) who was just arrested for the second time (for a DUI this time), was drafted by the Patriots just a week AFTER he was arrested for assaulting an officer.

What in the wild world of all things that are holy is Ilya Kovalchuk thinking?

This man just retired from the NHL at the age of 30 and left $77 million on the table (yeah I’m sure he won’t regret that move down the road).

Speaking of Russians, The Brooklyn Nets signed wild hair-do man Andrei Kirilenko to a 2 year $6 million contract.

It’s official, the Net’s are no longer “making splashes”, they’re flat out doing cannonballs in the middle of the pool.

By the way, The Nets Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov is obviously going to buy fellow Russian Andrei Kirilenko an extra special Christmas present this year considering he left about $7 million on the table in free agency.

I’m just saying.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the next victims of the I think Andrew Bynum can play basketball movement.

Man, it’s going to be embarrassing when Major League Baseball tries to suspend players again, and they come back with a handful of lint, again.

I don’t care what his MRI says, The Yankees brought Derek Jeter back too early, again.

You heard it here first, Miguel Cabrera will win back to back Triple Crown’s this year.

Yasiel Puig not being an All-Star makes about as much sense as an Interstate Highway in Hawaii (they really have those).

Dwight Howard to the Rockets?

So he wants to continue NOT filling the shoes of the game’s all-time great centers?

Want the list?

You got it: Shaquille O’Neal, George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and now Hakeem Olajuwon.

Yeah, that shouldn’t tarnish your already sterling legacy.

You all realize that Anderson Silva still believes he won that fight on Saturday night right?

How happy does it make you to watch someone so cocky and so full of themselves get knocked the bleep out?

If you haven’t seen it just click here:

Who knew you could be fat and still win Wimbledon?

Apparently, Marion Bartoli was the only person who possessed such knowledge.

Andy Murray wins his first Wimbledon and then proceeds to high five and hug like 85 people before forgetting to acknowledge his own mother.

Way to man up with those bulls Rex Ryan.

I’ve never seen Rex move that fast before, he looked like a cheetah chasing down his prey the way he skyrocketed up that fence.

Nice face Nick Swisher.

How about you do your job that you get paid millions for and trot down to first base there chief.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Sir Andy Dubbed Wimbledon Champion

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

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On 7/7, Andy Murray ended a 77 year drought with his victory at Wimbledon. He became the first player from The United Kingdom to win Wimbledon in 77 years. Murray has come close before, losing in the championship match just 365 days prior. This year however, Murray was victorious by a score of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. It was a straight set victory over Novak Djokovic that lasted just over 3 hours. Djokovic no doubt is a tough opponent, as this straight set win had the feel of a 5 set marathon. The final game of the match lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Djokovic fought off match point after match point, until finally, on his 5th championship point, Murray prevailed. Seconds after Djokovic put a backhand into the net, a roller-coaster of emotions ran through Andy Murray. He immediately turned to his coaching box and through his adrenaline felt excitement beyond his wildest dreams. He put his arms in the hair and clutched them with a powerful feeling that he came within inches of just a year earlier. He then turned and embraced Djokovic and congratulated him on a fine effort. From there it was a surreal moment that I’m sure even Murray can’t put into words. He fell to his knees and put his head in his hands on the grass. He had done it. He had reached the pinnacle of his tennis career, and all he could feel was pure elation. This certainly was a fine year for Mr. Murray. Since his loss at Wimbledon last year, Murray has won a Gold Medal, he was the runner-up to Djokovic at the Australian Open, and he won the U.S Open. I’d say it’s pretty good to be Andy Murray right now.

With Roger Federer starting his long overdue decline and Rafael Nadal constantly being injured, it seems like it has become the Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic show. For today though it is Andy’s world, and we’re all just living in it. Murray will head
into the U.S. Open as the defending champion and will look to improve on his already stellar year. Behind Murray’s vast improvement and breakthrough at Wimbledon has been one man; Ivan Lendl. Murray hired the former tennis great on New Year’s Eve of last year and since then has taken his game to the next level. The relationship between Lendl and Murray appears to be solid and should last slightly longer than that of Connors and Roddick (haha). How has Lendl helped Murray take his game to the next level you ask? Well, one thing Ivan Lendl will never be confused with is a circus clown. What I mean by that is Lendl is all business all the time. With Lendl there is no time for fun, there is only time for winning. He has helped Murray keep his emotions in check. See, it is easy with the talent of an Andy Murray to make it to the quarter finals or semi finals of Grand Slams consistently, but it is another thing to win multiple Slams. That aspect of championship tennis is strictly mental (and it is also has a little bit to do with your conditioning). What fans don’t always realize is how important the mental component is at the professional level. Lendl has apparently found a way to clearly illustrate this to Murray. The only question now is can Lendl and Murray have continued success as a coach-player tandem? It is also fair to ask if Murray will repeat as U.S. champion? Tell me what you think in the comment section below. Thanks!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

One Liner Friday’s

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 3 Comments

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Hello and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you’ll find the wide world of sports from the past week wrapped up in One Line and One Line only. Enjoy!!

Yeah so I decided to sit down and eat 70 hot dogs in a little under 12 minutes yesterday.

Is that a lot?

How cool would it be to be a competitive eater?

No?

Just me on that one huh?

Dwight Howard is about as irrational and indecisive as a pregnant woman.

Listen up Dwight (you moron), go to Houston or Golden State because they are the closest to winning a championship and that’s all that should matter.

Yasiel Puig for President!

Seriously though, Jonathan Pabelbon should shut his mouth and Puig SHOULD be an all-star this year.

Also, Met’s pitching sensation Matt Harvey should start the All-Star Game at Citi Field this year.

If Harvey didn’t play for the worst team known to man he might be in the CY Young race right now.

Need a good laugh?

The New York Islanders will pay Rick DiPietro, that’s right RICK RIPIETRO, $1.6 Million per year for the next 15 years (hahahahahahaha).

The NBA made history when The Boston Celtics hired a middle schooler as their head coach.

Oh wait sorry that’s Brad Stevens.

With the acquisitions of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett by the Brooklyn Nets, the Yankees won’t be the only team in New York with an old timers day.

Speaking of the Yankees, you know they’re in dire straits when they are broadcasting a washed up, over the hill, controversial, injury prone A-Rod’s rehab at bats in the Minor Leagues.

Although he is their best option by far at 3rd base (oh 1998 how I miss thee).

Why is it that most of these are about my New York teams?

This is not a sign of good things to come (I hope China doesn’t read this one).

Andy Murray vs. who?

His name is Jerzy Janowicz and doesn’t always drink beer, but when he does he drinks Dos Equis.

No, he is the 24th ranked player in the world, and as long as Murray can bounce back from his 5 setter on Wednesday he’ll mop the floor with him.

Enjoy the rest of your 4th of July weekend everyone! Be safe!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Let The Wild Wimbledon Continue

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

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This is my 2nd post of the day, so if you want to read about the disaster that is the New York Knicks, scroll down. The Knicks traded away a little bit too much for the likes of Andrea Bargnani. To read about it simply slide on down the page. Thanks!

They should officially rename Wimbledon. They should call it The Wild World of Wimbledon. Just after 10:00 a.m. EST Serena Williams was defeated by Sabine Lisicki. Who? Yeah, you may not have heard of her, but she is the 23rd ranked Women’s tennis player in the world. The match in the round of 16 went the distance. Lisicki won the match by a score of 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. The score was fairly even as we’re the match statistics. Obviously Serena on her best day can beat anyone in the world, but on this day she didn’t have enough. The only difference in this match was Serena’s missed opportunities. Both Williams and Lisicki converted 5 break points, however Williams had 16 break point opportunities (31% conversion) to Lisicki’s 8 (63% conversion). Lisicki also had 10 more winners than Serena. Overall Lisicki simply played better and more efficiently. With Serena out the draw is wide open. Maybe Serena Jr. (Sloane Stephens) can make a push deepinto the tournament. Or will it be Li Na, who seems to have had the easiest path to the quarter finals so far? Only time will tell. With the way this tournament has played out so far a prediction would be silly, but I’ll give you one anyway. I am going to go out on a whim here and pick Li Na on the Women’s side and Mr. Andy Murray on the men’s side.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

What In The Wild World Of Wimbledon Is Going On Here?

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It must have been the shoe change that was forced upon him by Wimbledon officials that threw Roger Federer off his game. I’m obviously kidding, but here’s the thing about this major upset that is so unbelievable: Roger Federer didn’t play that badly. Sergiy Stakhovsky simply outplayed the great Roger Federer. Stakhovsky handed Federer a 2nd round loss Wednesday, adding to the already wild early rounds at this years Wimbledon. Earlier in the day, Maria Sharapova was ousted by Michelle Larcher De Brito (the 131st ranked player in the world). This was following a first round loss by Rafael Nadal as well. While Nadal and Sharapova losing this early in a Grand Slam is major news, the magnitude of Federer’s loss is difficult to comprehend. Let me attempt to put this loss into perspective. Wednesday’s loss broke his streak of 36 consecutive appearances in at least the quarter finals of a grand slam. Do you understand how insane that is? Not to mention that he won 16 of those grand slams in the process. That is absolutely insane!! Now, maybe you have a better grasp of how historic this loss was. On top of Federer’s decorated past, Stakhovsky (the 116th ranked player in the world) was 0 for 20 against top ten players in the world heading into this match. Welcome to the big stage fella. I doubt you’ll be able to handle it but good luck. Now listen up Mr. and Mrs. Casual Fan: This is not a red flag that should suggest the beginning of the end for Roger Federer. He simply was the second best player on the court on Wednesday.

Hello segue, and speaking of these courts, have you ever seen so many professional tennis players slip and fall during a match? I don’t know exactly why we are seeing a huge difference in the grass this year opposed to prior years. I do know that elite players in top physical shape are dropping like flies due to injuries. Is this somehow Wimbledon’s fault? That would be quite an accusation to make at tennis’ oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam now wouldn’t it? Yeah, I think I’ll toss that matzah ball out there (Seinfeld fans anywhere?). I’ve never seen so many players slip and fall and/or have to retire due to injury. The amount of upsets that have occurred so far this week is also unprecedented. It feels like we’re watching March Madness in June. Do the playing conditions have anything to do with the amount of major upsets taking place? I doubt it, but the playing conditions certainly need to be looked at and improved. As for the major upsets, I believe that there needed to be a longer break between the French Open and Wimbledon. This could have allowed injured players such as Rafael Nadal or John Isner to rest longer and be at full strength for the biggest tournament of the year. This extra rest wouldn’t have hurt Roger “old man river” Federer either (I kid the Federer, he’s my favorite player). But, a once deadly bracket filled with Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray is now looking like a jigsaw puzzle that is missing pieces. At this rate I don’t see how Andy Murray doesn’t make it to the finals, but this tournament has been so crazy so far, who knows what to expect? You can watch the rest of this wild Wimbledon coverage on ESPN2 starting at 7 a.m. EST. Enjoy.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Who Said There’s Nothing To Talk About?

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

The NBA Finals have come and gone, and baseball hasn’t hit its full stride yet. Within the dog days of summer lie a time with very little to talk about in the world of sports. However, Monday brought about an eventful day of sports news and action. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals crowned a champion, while a former Wimbledon champion fell unexpectedly. A window of opportunity has opened for the much deserving Brian Shaw. And lastly, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, Aaron Hernandez has himself in some hot water.

With Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals being played in Boston, it was almost a certainty that the Bruins would force a decisive Game 7 in Chicago. This series had been so closely contested (with half of its games going to overtime), that a Game 7 seemed inevitable. With just under a minute and a half to play that looked like the case, but the Chicago Blackhawks had other ideas. The Bruins were winning 2-1 after Milan Lucic scored the go ahead goal midway through the 3rd period. They looked like they were going to cruise to a series tying victory until Brian Bickell put in the game tying goal with 1:16 left in the game. Boston had to be deflated but at least they had a chance to win the game in overtime, right? Oh No, no no, they were not granted that opportunity. Just 17 seconds after the game tying goal came, the game winning goal by Dave Bolland followed. And just like that, victory was snatched right out of Boston’s hands. Players are used to losing, but to be so close to victory and lose in heartbreaking fashion is never easy to get past. I’m sure the Bruins players will need some time to fully recover from a loss of this magnitude. Doesn’t it seem eerily similar to the Game 6 loss by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals? When there is a loser there must also be a winner. Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the 2013 Stanley Cup.

An absolute stunner is the only way to describe Rafael Nadal’s first round loss at Wimbledon. This is the first time he has EVER lost in the first round of a Grand Slam. His loss came in straight sets at the hands of the 135th ranked player in the world, Steve Darcis. Who? Exactly, I’ve never heard of him either. If you watched the match, the camera continued to follow Nadal’s taped up knee, and the commentators kept harping on the fact that he couldn’t track down balls he once called routine gets. Yes, I’ll admit that Nadal did not look his usual gritty self, but injury or not a player of his caliber should NEVER lose to Steve Darcis. Nadal simply did not have any fight in him on Monday, and he simply mailed in his performance once he was down 2 sets to none. While I’ve never personally been a Nadal fan, it still would have been nice to watch the great Roger Federer spank him in the quarter finals. I guess we’ll have to settle with Federer mopping the floor with John Isner in the quarters. Will there be anymore shocking upsets in Wimbledon? Only time will tell, but I see Roger Federer and Andy Murray playing a hard fought semi finals to see who has the right to lose to Novak Djokavic in the finals. Enjoy the tennis.

To the hardwood we go. The second the NBA season ends, head coaches get the ax (deservedly or not). As the off season progresses, those coaching vacancies slowly get filled. Monday, the Denver Nuggets filled their coaching vacancy with a name that has been floating around the rumor mill for quite some time. Brian Shaw, the former assistant of the Indiana Pacers, is now the new head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Shaw’s name has been on many executives lists for coaching possibilities over the past couple of years, but Denver has finally pulled the trigger. Denver just cur their tenure with George Karl short in the same season he won Coach of the Year, so I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were Shaw. Good luck Brian, you deserve it.

And last but certainly least, we move on to Einstein himself. Nope, sorry, I meant Aaron “the rocket scientist” Hernandez. Aaron Hernandez has been a very good tight end for the New England Patriots, and had a very bright future ahead of himself (emphasis on the word HAD). Rather than use his potential to enjoy his future, he decided to entangle himself in a murder mystery. No, not the make believe Law And Order type of mystery, but the hey I actually murdered someone and tried to cover it up type of mystery. As of right now Hernandez has not been convicted of a crime or has even been arrested, but there has been the possibility of an arrest warrant hanging over his head for about 5 days now. See, Hernandez intelligently destroyed his home surveillance system, smashed his cell phone to unrecognizable pieces, and had a professional cleaning crew come leave his house spotless. Yeah, this should end well. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I will. Hernandez obviously either murdered this guy, ordered the murder to take place, or has proof of the murder and is trying to cover it up. Either way his life is in shambles, and I highly doubt it’s going to get any better anytime soon. Man, don’t you wish you, an intelligent responsible person, had the talents these numbskulls have? You surely wouldn’t waste it and throw your life back into the sewer that they most likely came from to begin with. It’s such a shame. You can follow ESPN for daily updates on the Hernandez situation.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!