So I was browsing around and.....ooooh!

Big babe tennis.

Daniela Hantuchova from Slovakia. I have been a fan of hers for a while, starting when she was around 19 and won Indian Wells in 2002, beating Martina Hingis in the final. Big serve, lethal backhand. Not exactly fleet of foot though, probably due to her nearly six foot lanky frame. Daniela has struggled pretty much ever since that first big title. She got too thin after reaching the spotlight and being hailed as a glamour girl (I resisted the glamour shot, but google...there are plenty!), and then actually got a little chubby trying to recover from that. She appears to be very fit right now, but with Daniela, a lot of the time the struggle comes from between the ears.

Daniela is an excellent doubles player with a couple of Slam titles to her credit there. Despite her height, she has remarkably "soft hands", meaning her net game - where volleying comes into play - is very good. Doubles play will develop that, as it is a fast game with lots of volleys, but generally you have a real talent or you don't.

Anyway, she'll face Serena Williams in the next round of Wimbledon, where I'll definitely be rooting for her. She's very capable of producing the upset in that match.

ADDED: Oooh...forgot to mention the drama involved the last time these two played each other at Wimbles. Dani was playing a spectacular match and then Serena sustained a cramp in her leg and was looking finished, but hobbled through - sometimes just laying on the court clutching her leg - until a rain delay suspended the match. Some thought that was a bit of gamesmanship, and it (natch) got into Dani's head and she fell apart, losing the match after they resumed play. Come on, Dani! Revenge time.

Something.

See? ;-)

Say hello to Gisela Dulko. She beat Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon today. Although Maria has been struggling since returning from shoulder surgery, she is still tough as nails to put out of a tournament. The relatively petite Argentinian stood up to the big babe tennis today admirably, and I'd still call it a great win and an upset.

The Championships at Wimbledon begin tomorrow!

I've been in "waiting impatiently" mode. Last year, Federer went into this tournament a 5 time in a row champion (tying Bjorn Borg for the record). He then faced Rafael Nadal for the third time in a row in the finals. I've said before that the matches between these two have always caused great anxiety in me, and this last Wimbledon final proved to cause more than that for me. In a long 5 set match which ended in near darkness, Nadal finally succeeded in wresting the prized crown from Roger's grasp, and it was incredible and heartbreaking to watch all at once. I haven't been able to watch this match again.

Since 2005, Roger had gone into The Championships at Wimbledon carrying disappointment from Roland Garros (the French Open), and each time as a result of being defeated by Rafael Nadal. As a fan of Roger's, I'd been watching Nadal chase Roger for years, succeeding in preventing him from claiming the one title he was missing to round out his career. You see, there are four major tournaments in the tennis season - called Grand Slam tournaments or Slams for short, and Roger had won all but the French Open. Many tennis analysts and fans considered the lack of a French Open title to be a major hole in trying to proclaim Roger the greatest tennis player ever. And there was Nadal, in the Wimbledon 2008 final, taking what I saw as Roger's last refuge. So you can see how, after losing his prized title at Wimbledon last year and then finally capturing the Roland Garros title this year, the drama was building for a possible rematch at Wimbledon - with me hoping for him to get some revenge, right?

It ain't gonna happen. Roger can still reclaim the title, but Rafael Nadal, defending Wimbledon champion, will not play due to...well, I'll let you be the judge. Is it an "injury" when you have pain but doctors say you can play without further risk? Is it too much mentally to play through the pain, so in effect, more like he's mentally unfit? I'm wondering how I'd feel if this were Roger and he pulled out of a tournament of this magnitude like this? Thankfully, I haven't have to wonder so far. He hasn't missed a Slam for injury or otherwise in his entire career and has played several at below his best, including one where he had undiagnosed mononucleosis.

I'm still very excited about this tournament. A win here for Roger would be huge and no less a feat than if he were to face Nadal here, in my opinion - and he'd not only reclaim his title, but the number one ranking! I'll be on the edge of my seat.

Alrighty! What now?

So...last I left things, I was a wee bit upset at a major sporting disappointment. But remember how I hinted at having some other sports to fall back on? Yeah...like my Tigers, right? Well, they're getting ready to lose three in a row now as I'm watching the Cards have a field day in only the sixth inning, ahead 11-1. Not lookin' too promising there, guys! (And I am not mentioning the name of the team that scored the previous two wins, either. That city is now on my list, if you know what I mean. Heh.)

And then there is Roger. So you can kind of forgive me for posting the hot pic, right? A girl needs some inspiration right about now.

Speaking of Roger Federer...Wimbledon is right around the corner. I'd really like Roger to take back his crown there. He lost it in a tough, heartbreaking, instant classic five set match against Rafael Nadal (remember him?) last year. Dare I ask for another sports dream to come true this year? Yeah. I dare. To dream, anyway.

Penguins win the Cup

Congrats to them. And didn't I say they were scary? Yeah, well I knew they would be tough. It's hard enough to get back to back championship wins, but when you face the team you denied the Cup to the year before? You'd better bring something special.

I'm not sure if the Wings couldn't bring it, or the Pens just didn't allow them to - though I think I'm leaning toward the latter. In the last two games the Wings seemed pretty off, but honestly, the Penguins seemed to be everywhere. I think that's just a good indication of great hockey being played.

I couldn't watch the end. I'm like that. I get too emotional seeing the looks on the players' faces, to be honest. I love those guys! I don't watch Roger lose much, either. When I sense it coming, I turn it off. But it's never about being disappointed in my team or player - or disgusted with the winner. Heck, even when my team or player wins a big game or match I find it tough to look at the loser.

So again, congratulations to the Penguins and their fans. And congrats to my Red Wings for a great season. I'm so proud of them.

Hockey chick out.

What is your favorite sports memory?

For me, it was attending a Detroit Tigers playoff game with my mom and 2 of my sisters in 1984. You see, my mom was the sports nut in the family. She was not only a big sports fan, but basically an athlete herself. Whatever sport my mom "dabbled" in, she tended to do very well at, though golf was really her main sporting hobby. And boy, was she good. So good that my sisters and I never beat her, even into her 70s. Not that we were very good, but sheesh.

But back to the Tiger baseball game...my brother's friend owned season tickets right behind the Tigers dugout. He generously gave them to us. I can't remember which game it was, but I do remember that they won it and how excited my mom was to see her Tigers up close. I remember her waving to Aurelio Lopez. "Hi, Aurelio!", my mom said, as he approached the dugout. He smiled and she giggled like a schoolgirl. What a magical day that was! Sitting with my mom, under the lights, five feet away from some of our biggest sporting heroes.

I really think that had to be one of my mom's biggest sports dreams come true. Well, that, and the Tigers winning the World Series that year. I'm so glad I got to share that dream with her.