Oh Roger

After 7 years of unwavering devotion, you leave me hanging at the US Open, missing 2 match point opportunities and letting Djokovic steal the title right out of your hands! Oh, Roger it hurts. 

Roger Federer and tennis are as close as I get to reaching 'sports fanatic' status, and I'm keeping it that way, because I really don't think I could take the highs and lows these teams/players put us through. Rearranging my schedule to watch a match, sitting tensely on the edge of my seat, and occasionally yelling a spirited "YES!", or an incredulous "Noooo!" are as far as I take it. Sports are so entertaining, but when your team/player isn't doing so well... not fun anymore!

Obviously, there are much much bigger fanatics out there than me and my love of professional tennis. I remember I was in Vegas, and we were passing some time in the sports book watching football in one of the major casinos (which at the moment is escaping me), but I encountered possibly one of the biggest football fans ever.
This guy and his wife, who were definitely my age, were sitting near us watching the Colts. Being from Indianapolis, this guy was your typical psychotic fan. All decked out in his Peyton Manning jersey, he was screaming at the wall-size TV like he was coaching the team himself. Any time they scored, intercepted, or made a great tackle, he did this leap frog victory lap around all the leather chairs in the entire seating area, high-fiving everyone from the waitresses to people walking in off the street. He also had a bottle of vodka, fresh from the hotel lobby store, and poured everyone a shot for every TD they scored. Absolutely entertained by his antics, I started talking with his wife, who I honestly asked "Is he like this for every game?" She gave me a knowing smile and answered "Yup. Every game and has been since high school." Wow. You go girl, marrying your Colts-crazed HS boyfriend. Have fun dealing with that... forever!

Back to tennis. I'm not throwing in the towel on Roger. Not yet. What I don't want to see happen is 2 or 3 years with little to no major titles, and him becoming a has-been, someone who was 'once great' until their career took a downturn and they didn't know when to call it quits. I had that discussion with someone the other day. There's a big difference between 'quitting' and 'knowing when to quit'. Where Roger is concerned, I think it's the perfect storm of maturing, having a family and other priorities besides tennis, and the younger players coming up fast and furious under you, making the competition even tougher. I hope he can turn it around; and if not, know when to gracefully bow out and be satisfied to be one of, if not the best, player to ever play the game.

Given today's date it doesn't seem right if my post is filled with tennis talk, and I don't comment on the 9/11 anniversary. This morning I watched 'Flight 93' on A&E, which basically shows what happened that morning on the hijacked flight which crashed in Western PA. Besides all the obvious heroes from the FD and police at the WTC that day, these people on that plane knew they were being held captive and knew the plane was on a suicide mission straight for a major building. Imagine the panic and feeling of utter dread. They had time to make their phone calls home, and eventually get a plan together to overtake the hijackers which, unfortunately, was not successful. They did succeed in preventing more deaths and an even bigger disaster in Washington where the plane was headed, but no one made it out alive from that flight, despite all their effort. Props to them for stepping up, when death was staring them right in the face, and giving one last big effort. They deserve every accolade given, and then some.