New #1

Last week, Justine Henin, the number one rockin' hardcore tennis star who is my size amidst a bunch of giants, retired. The WTA rankings have officially (and finally) acknowledged this fact and Henin is no longer listed in the rankings. The former number two, who trailed by something along the lines of 2000 points, has now claimed number one. She is none other than Maria Sharapova. And though she bugs me as a player (see any of Novak Djokovic's impressions), I fully respect her game and her new ranking. But...I wonder....

....if you gain the number one ranking by default, what is the celebration like?

Excitement? I'm sure. A party? Eh, the training appropriate type. But it cannot be the same as if she had earned it. And, in saying that, if it has come off sounding like I mean that she did not exactly earn it, it's true. She didn't. Granted, she was playing better than Henin. She earned second place and first place quit. Have you ever gotten second place in a contest, athletic, scholastic, or otherwise, and then had the first place person resign from the competition? That person was better than you and yet you end up walking out with the first place title and a second place feeling.

Sharapova has to feel ecstatic and displeased. She's a competitor. She has a drive that says she wants to earn it. She wants to work for it and receive credit when credit is due. Does she deserve the credit yet? Frankly, it doesn't matter. She's got it.

Why KT Rocks

On Monday night, Marni and I went to the Wiltern for KT Tunstall's LA show and we had a blast! It's not the first time we've seen KT live but it was the biggest production we've seen starring the Brit pop artist. We last saw her at a Tower Records, before she had made it in the States, where it was just her and her echo box (which was freakin' awesome!) performing songs off of her first album. This go-round, we got to hear some of the old stuff and some of the new goodies, too. And she's still as rockin' as ever. Here are just a few reasons why KT rocks.....

1. She wears glow-in-the-dark Ghostbusters tees.
2. Her signature boots. I want them.
3. Her witty and entertaining banter. There were brief diatribes on plastic surgery, jazzercise, and the Salvation army. Plus, when someone in the audience yelled, "Take off your shirt!" There was no time for breath before she responded, "Why? I love this shirt."
4. She dances as she plays.
5. Her sound, obviously.
6. She's got the power to be, the power to give, the power to see. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
7. And, in non-concert-related awesomeness, her album notes for Drastic Fantastic are in comic form.

On the Road Again

In one of the few home games this year, and even fewer televised matches, the WNT took on Australia in Birmingham this weekend. I had heard good things about the changes being implemented by new coach (does "new" still apply?), Pia Sundhage. The weekend's game was my first chance to see it.

And I like it.

It's not quite to where I expect they would want it to be (rather obvious with a 5-4 final tally) but what I'd heard appears to be true. Once again, there is a transition in American women's soccer. It's not a direct attack strategy but something that requires possession and a bit of (dare I say it?) finesse. And, at least for the first half, that game plan looked quite good. Midfielder Carly Loyd controlled the game and everything seemed to flow through her feet. The players switched the field often and took chances to pass the ball when traditional thought would say shoot. It caught the defense off-guard and caught several balls in the back of the Aussie net, two belonging to my favorite player, Lindsey Tarpley.

The defense obviously had some holes, which I attribute to more than just the defensive line but the combination of the middle and back lines. The change in team dynamics towards a more progressive offense hasn't fully developed in its defense. So far, it has left it rather vulnerable.

Things are looking good. They're not perfect; they're not even great. But there is time yet to improve and correct in the next three months. I think it's safe to say, "The team is in good hands."