Could He Be Anymore Australian?

I can't even explain how much I love this clip!

Watch this battle of "wits" between Dr. Foreman and Dr. Chase.

US OPEN TENNIS 2006 CHAMPIONS

US Open 2006 CHAMPIONS

2nd set roddick 2-1 challenges his own serve hoping that it was out. Roddick believed his serve was out and federer returned and roddick stood there waiting for a call and then challenged his serve and it was in. The Roddick we have seen in this US Open reminds me of the old Roddick only a bit matured. His brother and Jimmy Connors as his coaches has paid off. Roddick certainly had his mojo this year. He is doing everything better, serving well, hustling, returning big…his passion of the game is back as when he first began his professional career.

This was a great final and ending to the US Open 2006. They both played solid. Federer gave up a set but came back 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, to reclaim his US Open Championship for the 3rd consecutive year. This game was close and at the third set it was anyone’s game. Andy Roddick improved his game but seemed to let frustration get the best of him in the 4th set. He is being compared to Jimmy Connors now in the way he manages to win each point. Federer is unstoppable and was calm the whole time and as always is the one to beat and the one tennis players are afraid of. Tiger Woods and wife were there today supporting Federer along with his girlfriend. Tiger and Roger talked before the match and Roger was finally glad that he had met Tiger woods. They are both constantly compared because they are both dominant in their sports. I am proud of Andy Roddick just like Roger Federer because he has come a long way and he has had a rough year…his team has really helped him out. As for Roger Federer congratulations on your BIG WIN!!!




Maria Sharapova surprisingly got to the finals of the US Open 2006 and won the Grand Slam. She exceeded expectations and swoop Justine Henin-Hardenne with scores of 6-4, 6-4. This was a great game with great shots. Maria’s power just overtook Justine’s. This game was very close and Justine could have taken it with her but due to unforced errors and Maria’s unstoppable power and grunts there was no way to stop her. Maria can now be crowned as the princess of tennis…literally.

CONGRATULATIONS SHARAPOVA AND FEDERER!!!

SOURCE: USOPEN.ORG, CBSSPORTS

Suri Cruise

Well the day that Billy Bush has been waiting for has finally arrived. Vanity Fair has released a photo of Suri Cruise and her parents Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes. The issue hits stands September 6th in NYC and LA and everywhere else the 12th.

Source via ONTD

House Season Premiere Review

Top left: House & Wilson chatting at the top of Janns Steps. Top right: Foreman, Cameron & House discussing the patient with Powell Library in the background. Bottom left: Foreman & Cameron with the Humanities Building behind them. Bottom right: House & Powell in back.
Photos from Fox website.



Well the EXCLUSIVE scoop I gave was a gross exaggeration.

An UCLA-centric view of the episode:

I had no idea that hours and hours of filming only occupy about a total of 5 minutes on the screen. There were lots of extras and crewmembers the day that I was on the set. The extras spent hours walking at specific times and waiting around and they just became distant blurs in the background. Oh the glamorous life of actors!

House (Hugh Laurie) was running through the hills that of the UCLA campus and up the famous Janns Steps during the night scene. Both of his powwows with Wilson (Sean Robert Leonard) and his team of Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Chase (Jesse Spencer) and Foreman (Omar Epps) took place in front of the Shapiro Fountain, which is located at the top of the Janns Steps. The fountain is also where House has his epiphany about the patient. The crew added the sculpture and the extra spouts of water for dramatic effect. The buildings that were in the background were the Powell Library, Royce Hall and the Humanities Building.

For those of you who wonder if Hugh Laurie can add great skateboarder to his resume, a stunt skateboarder was used in for some of the scene. Hugh can skateboard and even had some kneepads on under his suit. Some other things you may not have known is that he smokes and he ate a banana in between takes.

During House's solo skateboarding scene, Omar Epps was seen riding a bike around UCLA to get to and from his trailer. His wife was also on the set and sat in his chair during takes. The more delicate Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer had a van take them from the trailer, which they shared. No they aren't sharing to save money, but Jennifer and Jesse are a couple in real life. During rehearsals Jennifer used an umbrella to shield herself from the harsh sun and protect her fair skin. A funny tidbit: Jesse's stand-in was a woman...go figure.

Review

I think I was expecting more from the highly anticipated season premiere. It just wasn’t like the other episodes that we have seen in the past. Perhaps that was the intent of the writers to give a sense of disorientation to the viewers and allow them to adjust to the “new” House just as he was adjusting to his new pain-free leg.

Everything was just off tonight and healed House just is not the same. There were some good laughs that included House’s imitation of the paralyzed guy’s talking and Chase sucking up to House, but his usual hilarious snarky remarks were absent. I am skeptical that his cane will be gone all season, but I can’t wait to see what happens next with New House. How do you think it will take until “This Old House” returns?

House Premieres Tonight

For all you West Coasters, it is less than 2 minutes away from the 3rd Season Premiere of HOUSE.
Exclusive scoop: A lot of the episode was shot at the UCLA campus in Westwood.

Enjoy it! Review after the show.

Agassi says Goodbye...

Tennis’ Best Friend: Agassi Goes out in Glory
by Matt Cronin
Posted Date: Sunday, September 3, 2006

It was nearly an hour before Andre Agassi stopped crying and it could be a decade before the sport stops wiping away its tears.

The 36-year-old legend bowed out of the US Open and tennis on Sunday in a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 loss to Germany’s Benjamin Becker, but there was no real defeat on the day, as all 23,712 fans in attendance stood and cheered in unison, saluting the most popular tennis player of all time.

While other players have come close to Agassi in international recognition, none have been as widely loved, and as Agassi wept courtside, in the locker room and in the players lounge, the world took a bow – just like he did eight times in front of the highly emotional crowd.

With tears running down his cheeks, Agassi still had the courage to take the microphone and thank fans for inspiring him to succeed, even during his lowest moments. Early in his career, Agassi had fought against the world. Later in life, he learned to how to lean on his supporters’ shoulders.

“They've pulled for me,” he said. “In many cases, how they pulled for me on the court has helped me in life. In other cases, how they've pulled for me in life has helped me on the court. Over the years, it's been hard to separate the tennis from the relationships. They got me through a lot.”

Even outside of Ashe Stadium, fans gathered together closely outside of the big screen and shared warm applause and salutation. Even the sometimes cynical media engaged in a long, heartfelt press conference with him and as a group, told him they were sincere in how much they will miss him.

His peers stood up and applauded him throughout the players lounge and outside the shower stalls, one of the most macho and competitive places in the athletics.

Agassi is the quintessential giver, and people want to give back.

“The greatest applause that any person will ever receive in their life is that which comes from their peers,” he said. “ It's not like we're a company who's working together to accomplish something. We're people that succeed, in some cases, at the demise of the other. To have them applaud you is the ultimate compliment.”

As his older brother Philip, said later, Agassi’s last moment in the sun in front of his adoring fans was second to none.

He won two US Open titles and competed in countless classics, but Sunday represented his signature moment– all hearts in the stadium seemed to beat as one and applauded what he meant to the sport, not whether he has put up another “W”.

Agassi represents a successful transformation from boyhood to manhood; from a stubborn teenage brat to a considerate, middle-aged sage. In the past decade, his journey as a player and person has been so closely watched because he was willing to share most of that experience with that world.

Few players of note have been willing to do that. Few players would be willing to step into the 2006 US Open when they should have retired months ago due to an excruciatingly painful sciatic nerve injury, just so he could pay homage to the fans by competing as hard as he could.

He did not come to the 2006 US Open to merely wave goodbye, but to put himself on the line once again and show that through hard work and dedication to one’s profession, that minor miracles can happen.

In his three and half hour first round victory over Andrei Pavel, in his nearly four hour, five set classic win over Marcos Bagdhatis, and then in his three hour loss to Becker, he epitomized the warrior mentality that is evoked in nearly every US Open champion.

He chose to retire in New York, because it was at the Open where he found himself.

“This is the last sort of window to the whole series of windows throughout my career,” he said. “I just feel like the color on the last one can affect how you see the rest of them. I didn't want it to be tainted with a lack of desire or preparation. I'd rather just be inside the lines. …This is the place that's given me the most over the years, have the most memories that has touched me in a way that I haven't experienced anywhere else.”

Agassi has learned to show tremendous respect for a sport that had taken so much away from his normal youth, but that has also rewarded him in countless ways. He personified the positive life lessons that tennis can teach a person, even when he or she is pushed into playing.

The concept that tennis is the “Sport of a Lifetime” is not one that just teaches that in good health, you can play through your 90s. It also means that by frequently engaging in tennis, you learn a lot about how to negotiate your off-court life.

“You're out there alone,” Agassi said. “You're playing a sport that requires you to problem solve. It requires you to do it in a somewhat emotional state. It's a bit of life there. You learn to trust yourself and you learn to push yourself.”

Eight time grand Slam titlists Agassi should go down in history as one of the top 10 US players of all time. He’s the only man to have ever won Slams on all four surfaces, and that statistic alone puts him right there with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, but still under his great rival, Pete Sampras.

Each of those other men was popular in his own right, but in different ways. Connors was the lunch bucket competitor who got get the everyday Joe charged up; McEnroe was a temperamental New Yorker who brought out the artist in everyone; Sampras was the classic retro player who had everyone in awe with his near perfection.

But Agassi was a different sort, the only one of the group who could play bruising, take no prisoners, inside the baseline tennis and still have everyone in the crowd want to come down a give a warm hug. He became the best tennis friend that everyone in the sport never had and for that alone, he should be saluted.

“Well, I was sitting there realizing that I was saying good bye to everybody out there, and they were saying good bye to me,” he said of his on court tears. “It's saying good bye. It's a necessary evil. But we were getting through it together. That felt amazing.”

FAREWELL INTERVIEW
An interview with: ANDRE AGASSI

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andre.

Q. What was the walk like as you left the court for the final time? Was it emotional?
ANDRE AGASSI: Was it emotional?

Q. What emotions were going through you?
ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know. I couldn't make sense of any of my emotions, to be quite honest.

Q. What are your feelings now?
ANDRE AGASSI: Still not terribly sure. You know, it just felt amazing out there. It felt amazing. Nothing I've ever experienced before. Overwhelmed was overwhelmed with how they embraced me at the end. You know, they saw me through my career. They've seen me through this, as well.

Q. When you walked off, did you get closure? Can you feel closure on the walk through the alley?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, for sure.

Q. How was it compared to what you imagined?
ANDRE AGASSI: I tried not to imagine too much. I didn't know how much would be emotional, how much would be sort of disappointment or sadness or how much I would feel, in a sense, liberated. You know, I mean, I don't know. I wasn't sure what to anticipate.
I don't think it was sadness. It was a beautiful feeling combined with a real excitement for the future.

Q. Have you ever expected to lose against someone called B. Becker?
ANDRE AGASSI: I've lost to B. Becker before (smiling).
I was proud to shake anybody's hand today.

Q. As much as it's hard to separate this emotion from the actual tournament, can you go through the last couple of days and the physical pain you went through just to get ready for this match. Do you really think you could have got through this and come back again tomorrow had you won, physically?
ANDRE AGASSI: After my second round match against Baghdatis, that was the worst I've ever been. I just credit the doctors that I was able to get out there today. It's been such a day by day battle. It was such a telling sign the way I felt after my last match that I didn't expect a whole lot physically.
Sure enough, it was real early where I wasn't feeling so good. That all doesn't matter any more (smiling).

Q. What were the first things that Steffi said after the match and what did you say to her?
ANDRE AGASSI: Oh, I'll just take a pass on that one, sorry.

Q. Did you get a shot of antiinflammatories before the match today?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah.

Q. What was it?
ANDRE AGASSI: You could ask the doctors to confirm. I don't remember the name. Torburol (phonetic). I don't know.

Q. I imagine you heard the comments your father had shared about wishing that you had announced your retirement after the Baghdatis match. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind talking about why that wasn't the choice you made and if you've had a chance to talk with him about it.
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, because if I wanted to quit, I would have done that a long time ago. I didn't come here to quit.

Q. After all these comings and goings, this long journey, are you a man now that's at peace? Have you left everything out there?
ANDRE AGASSI: I've spent a lot of time over the last few months knowing that this would be the end, this tournament. I've had a lot of time to think about it from many perspectives.
I look at young guys who are talented who make us aware of life's endless cycle. I look at the life ahead of them, the journey ahead of them. It's so evenly balanced between me seeing how many great things they have to look forward to, at the same time how much I wouldn't do it again.
It feels like a balance that leaves me very clear and at peace.

Q. In what ways wouldn't you do it again?
ANDRE AGASSI: Because I did it (laughter). Because I did it.

Q. Are you at peace right now?
ANDRE AGASSI: I strive for that every day. I don't know how I'll be tomorrow, but right now I am.

Q. For 36 years you've known tennis. It's been your life every single day. Can you tell us what the new challenge will be in your new life?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I don't know. You know, I mean, it's hard to say specifically how things will play out. I can say that it's nice to sort of do things now without a sort of built in cost, whether that's time with the foundation or whether that's time out with your friends. It always comes with a cost. You're not doing something. You need to be resting. You need to be training. You need to be going somewhere. Everything you do has come with a sacrifice, it's come with a price tag, whether it's physical or mental. You've always had to be somewhere and be thinking about being somewhere else.
I look forward to being wherever I am.

Q. Everybody is aware of your great humanitarian efforts, your school. Can you step back and talk about why tennis as a sport is a great paradigm to the lessons you need to know in life, following rules, trying your best?
ANDRE AGASSI: You're out there alone. You're playing a sport that requires you to problem solve. It requires you to do it in a somewhat emotional state. It's a bit of life there. You learn to trust yourself and you learn to push yourself.

Q. You said before you weren't sure if it would feel more like sadness or liberation. Do you feel any sense of liberation that it's over? In those moments where you were sitting there in the chair, hearing everything, soaking in that moment, were you feeling more about this moment or were you kind of running through your career in your head at that moment?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I was sitting there realizing that I was saying good bye to everybody out there, and they were saying good bye to me. It's saying good bye. You know, it's a necessary evil.
But we were getting through it together. That felt amazing.

Q. Do you feel any sense of relief, liberation? Is it more sadness right now?
ANDRE AGASSI: Let me put it this way: I don't care how I feel physically (smiling). I haven't felt that before.

Q. You won half your Grand Slam titles in Australia. Can you talk about what that tournament did for your career? Would you have liked to have played it earlier on?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I missed a lot of Wimbledons, but I missed more Australians. That turned out to be my most productive surface. So I would have I wish I would have played it more.
But, boy, every time I was down there, I felt so comfortable. The people there just make the whole journey worth it. You fly a long ways, but you're glad you did it.

Q. Close ties to an Australian. What has he done for your career?
ANDRE AGASSI: He's given me some Aussie ways of getting through some of the pains (smiling).

Q. Why was it so important for you to come here and compete at the high level, pay the price with the shots? You could have come in and obviously not taken the shots, maybe been out a round earlier. Why was it important for you to go out like this?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, this is sort of the last sort of window to the whole series of windows throughout my career. I just feel like the color on the last one can affect how you see the rest of them, you know. I didn't want it to be tainted with a lack of desire or preparation. I'd rather just be inside the lines.

Q. How much more happy are you knowing that it ended here in New York?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, that's what I planned on. I mean, it's for a very specific reason. This is the place that's given me the most over the years, have the most memories, that has touched me in a way that I haven't experienced anywhere else.

Q. Is it special for you that not only the fans give you this respect and love, but all the other players, your competitors, give you this enormous respect?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, when I went into the locker room afterwards, they all were standing, applauding me. I tell you, you know, the greatest applause that any person will ever receive in their life is that which comes from their peers. It's not like we're a company who's working together to accomplish something. We're people that succeed, in some cases, at the demise of the other. To have them applaud you is the ultimate compliment.

Q. Were you startled, even disheartened, by his coming up with the big shot, the ace on the biggest points? Did you think, This is just not to be?
ANDRE AGASSI: It obviously wasn't to be. Nothing was very recognizable out there when it comes to the tennis side of it. I was struggling early on. Then he seemed to be playing patchy tennis, as well.
You know, he came up with the goods. I've seen it maybe about 400 times (smiling).

Q. How much pain were you in when you got on the court versus how much at the end? Can you talk about that extraordinary speech. Had you in your mind planned what you wanted to say to the fans?
ANDRE AGASSI: I went out there not feeling terrible pain, but sort of pretty still tight from everything that had transpired a few nights earlier. The pain came quickly. It can do that, and it did (snapping fingers). I know I was in trouble at that point. You immediately start cutting corners that you know are going to come back to sort of haunt you. Then you know it's going to gradually get worse, sometimes very quickly get worse.

Q. Then the speech?
ANDRE AGASSI: Listen, I think I've prepared for that speech for 21 years. I mean, it's just one of those you think about what you what you want to say, what really touches the things that are important to you.
There's a thousand things that were going through my mind.

Q. When you said in your speech that the fans have been an inspiration, have you sensed this has gone far beyond fans rooting for an athlete to a quality of love that's really unique?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, that's what I said. You know, they've rooted for me not just on the court, but also through many, many low points of my life. They've pulled for me. In many cases, how they pulled for me on the court has helped me in life. In other cases, how they've pulled for me in life has helped me on the court. Over the years, it's been hard to separate the tennis from the relationships, you know.
They got me through a lot.

Q. You competed against many generations. How do you look back at these match ups against many champions?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I take pride in competing against so many great champions. It means a lot. It's been a great experience over the years. I don't know what to say, but it's pushed me to be better. You can play a great career and you're not guaranteed to play the best ever. I've hung around long enough to do that.

Q. Looking back at the whole career, can you name the three best things in your whole career, most memorable moments?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, French Open, my first win in Wimbledon, and probably winning here for the first time.

Q. What do you plan on doing for the remainder of your stay here? When will you be going back home?
ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know and I don't know (laughter). Who cares what I do, right? Doesn't matter.

Q. If this had been any other tournament, any other match, was there any chance you would have played today with the pain you were in?
ANDRE AGASSI: There would have been no chance I would have gotten through my first two. I don't think I could have gotten through those.
The way it was, no, I would have it's like this summer. I was playing pulled out of two events over the summer because I was literally thinking to myself, If I have this much left, I want to spend it here. I'm glad I did that because pulling out of two tournaments allowed me the chance to play two matches. I know it doesn't give me the great prospect of doing something spectacular in hindsight, but those two matches were worth a difficult year. I'm glad I did it.

Q. If a 16 year old tennis prodigy at the US Open asked you for some words of wisdom, what would you tell him?
ANDRE AGASSI: What would I tell him? Just use every day as an opportunity to get better, not just on the court.

Q. Your first title in Brazil, how important was that?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, that paid a lot of bills (smiling). $90,000 prize check. That's all I was thinking about. God, I can play next year without worrying about a whole lot.

Q. Have you heard from the former people you played over the years who have retired? Have you heard from many over the past couple days?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, yeah, I see a lot of people here. I spend a lot of time with Jim Courier over the last few weeks. He came to Vegas. Yeah, you have friendships that transcend sort of the tournaments and all that, hear from people, absolutely.

Q. How are you going to explaining to your children what their daddy did?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, my first goal is to explain to them why I was crying. It was pretty upsetting to them to see me cry because I suppose they don't realize that dads do that.

Q. You think a lot about the points in the matches that you've played, you recall a lot of that. When you step away from this Open and the game, what will you remember the most about the Open? The Baghdatis match? Today saying good bye? What stands out?
ANDRE AGASSI: It will be that applause, the applause from the fans, the applause from my peers. That was the greatest memories I've ever had, memories I'll keep with me forever.

Q. How do you see your legacy to the sport of tennis? What would you like it to be?
ANDRE AGASSI: I don't have an objectivity on that. Like I've answered this before, you know, it's important for me to leave this game better off. I hope they're better off for having me, because it's me being much better off for having them. So that's my hope. I don't know what it is. Everybody needs to see it through their lens. You know, for me it's been about trying to give more than I take.

Q. Where is the future for your back? Are you going to need surgery? Will stopping the tennis take pressure off?
ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, if I'm not sort of trying to mix it up with 21 year olds and stuff like that, I'm okay. I mean, normal life. Once the nerve gets irritated, it's impossible to recover, while at the same time you're putting yourself through that sort of trauma.

Q. Will you need cortisone to recover from this?
ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know. I mean, I don't know. It's possible. I do have the option of surgery and clearing out the space so the nerve is less affected. Worst case scenario.
They've told me when the intensity of what I do drops, so will the ramifications. But, you know, if I can't be normal, if I can't have fun with the kids, do all the things that we all enjoy doing, then I'll have to assess it from there.

Q. What role has Steffi played in recent years for you?
ANDRE AGASSI: Overall, she's been the reason why I've been able to do this over the last six years. Certainly since we had children. She's given me a lot. When I met her, I think I went 27 1 in Grand Slam matches (smiling).

Q. Do you have a sense of why you've had such a rapport with the public? There's a lot of champions that have not developed that.
ANDRE AGASSI: No, I can't speak to their perception of things. But, you know, I mean, for me, I feel like I try to take it in. I mean, it's hard to overlook. Everybody out there in those seats has a story and a life. They're sharing it with you. Yeah, I've always found that pretty amazing.

Q. Are we going to see you at tennis tournaments in the future? How much are you going to be visible?
ANDRE AGASSI: Are you worried about that (smiling)?

Q. Different champions have chosen different paths regarding that. How close to tennis do you think you will stay?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I hope I can be involved in this game in a way that makes a difference to it. I mean, I'm not going to force that issue. At the same time, I'm going to be very receptive to how I can help the sport.
Me helping the sport, or trying to over the years, has not just been a function of me playing, it's been a function of me caring about it. I'll still care about it. I don't know how it's going to manifest itself.
I hope I get to see you guys more. Come to Vegas, track me down. One place or another, either here or there.

Q. Although you summarized very well your feelings in the last speech, what happened when you were at your seat and the Baghdatis match and today almost 23,000 voices were saying Let's go. What was the feeling for you?
ANDRE AGASSI: It's very unique. I've never seen that even in Davis Cup play really. To have them stand for a match point in my first match, I haven't seen that. Like today, as well. I haven't even seen that in Davis Cup.
It's amazing. It's overwhelming. I mean, I try to find more words to convey it. You know, at the end of the day, you just marvel at it and you thank God for it.

Q. Do you remember the 17 year old who wasn't really thinking about helping the sport back then?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, unfortunately I'm forced to remember at times (smiling).

Q. What would you say to that 17 year old?
ANDRE AGASSI: I would say, I understand you a heck of a lot more than I want to be you (laughter).

Q. Do you ever step back and stop feeling humble and say, I'm really proud of myself, I've done a lot, I've attained a lot of goals?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I don't think my pride comes from the accomplishment. The pride comes from the striving, what's in front of you, how you're going to get through it, how you're going to connect to it, care about it. I take pride in that.
I take pride in people saying they're going my peers telling me they're going to miss me. I take pride in that. But I also aspire to live up to that.
You know, I can't sort of take too much stock in it because I feel like you miss out on what's happening right now. That's the good stuff.

Q. What do you think about this next wave of U.S. players? Repeated question, but a question that becomes more pronounced now that you're gone.
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, first of all, there's not a whole lot of room at the top right now. You know what I mean? Federer has made it slim pickins for everybody else. And then Nadal has cleaned up anything left over.
Whatever standard we're dealing with, it's a different ballgame when you're used to generations that are competing for Grand Slam titles. I'm afraid most of them are going to Spain and Switzerland for a little while. That's the difficult part coming off a few generations.
You know, Andy's gotten there before. Seems like he's playing well. You know, James still has I think his best stuff ahead of him. I got to believe we have things to look forward to. It's just going to be compared to a pretty rough standard.

Q. What did you say to Benjamin right after the match? Did you say something in German that you learned through Steffi?
ANDRE AGASSI: Nothing in German.

Q. What did you say to him?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I congratulated him. He kicked my butt (smiling).

Q. Do you remember what he said to you? Can you imagine what it must have been like for him out there?
ANDRE AGASSI: I would need some time to look at it through his lens. I don't know what he said. I really don't. I don't know. I don't even know if I heard it, to be honest. But I felt, you know, it was my own sort of experience out there that was taking over at that point.

Q. Has this experience given you a greater appreciation for what Pete was able to accomplish here four years ago? Did you at any time in the last week allow yourself to entertain an ending like Pete had?
ANDRE AGASSI: Listen, what Pete did was incredible. We knew it then. We know it now. There's no question about that. At the same time you're talking about apples and oranges. It's one thing to win a title and then to decide, hey, that was great, I'm not playing any more. It's another thing to say, okay, this is it, that's my shot over there, and that's what I'm going to do for the next few months. It's apples and oranges.
But what Pete did is incredible. For me, it was never about winning and stopping, it was always about getting the most out of myself for as long as possible because I felt like there was a lot of benefit to the work I was putting in for not just my life and my experiences, but also for my foundation and also hopefully for the sport of tennis. Those became my motivations. That's an entirely different approach to winning and saying no more. It's just apples and orange.
But what he did was amazing. Any time to win here is amazing. To do it at 30 was incredible.

Q. During your speech, you said there were low points in your life. At one point you were ranked in the 140s. What was the source of motivation to make you come back? Seems like the fans attached themselves to you after that.
ANDRE AGASSI: My motivation was just wanting it to be on my terms. I didn't know I would be able to get back to the top. I knew that I would try to get the most out of myself every day from that day forward. That was my commitment.
That never stopped. That's probably something I take the most pride in.

Q. I don't know if you're going to take your kids out to hit tennis balls. When you look back at your father, such a young age, instilling this game into you, some way say in a very obsessive way, do you reflect back that as hard as it was you probably wouldn't be sitting here today if he hadn't?
ANDRE AGASSI: That's for sure. There's no question about it. What we've gone through, our moments of not seeing things eye to eye, it has been his journey and it has been my journey.
The pride I take in everything I've experienced has to do with what I've poured into it, not necessarily what that experience was. I mean, I think tennis is one vehicle. I think we can find excuses in life or we can find inspirations. I've always tried to find inspirations. I am thankful for my father giving me this game.

Q. Do you think it's going to feel strange to just wake up like a normal person and not have to do this? How are you going to fulfill? You've been so zoomed in on one thing, now the whole world is completely open to you.
ANDRE AGASSI: It's like you're talking dirty to me now. I like it (laughter).
Sorry, did that come out? Did I say that?
I hope it feels strange. I hope it feels really, really strange because that would reflect a lot of assumed responsibility, pressure and commitment that is no longer on my shoulders at least in the same nature. Yeah, I mean, I'm going to wake up tomorrow and start with not caring how I feel. That's going to feel great. And then I'm imagining for a long time, any time somebody asks me to do something, I'm going to go, Sure, why not.

Q. Can you address the transformation from a 17 year old with bleached long hair, maybe bratty kind of guy, to the guy you are today, the man who is a humanitarian, champion? To take it a step further, has tennis been a vehicle for you to reach the masses? Do you feel it's been your destiny?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I think there's been many things that I feel like I haven't asked for that I've had to carry and I've always benefited from. It's been a lot of both. There's been a lot of difficulty that has come with this journey and there's also been a lot of rewards, which as I've gotten older I've realized that most of us experience those things, just in different ways.
Who I was at 17 is most likely not far off how most of us were at 17, except I was just expressing it a little differently (smiling).

Q. Destiny, your destiny, the role you played?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I don't I don't know. I don't know. I can't really see it that objectively. I wish I could.

Q. You seem quite happy that it's over now. Is that true?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yes, it is. You know, it's a transition. There's been a feeling, like I expressed, of a bit of sadness saying good bye. I mean, the part that makes this so good over the years is the fact that it will come to an end, the fact that there is an end and a good bye makes you really take in what you get to share and experience. The pain of the good bye really lifts the joy of the experience. I'm very much at peace with that.

Q. I know you just stopped, but have you given a thought about the senior tour at all?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I actually think it starts tomorrow, right? They're playing. I might just yeah, we might have another press conference after (smiling).
No, I'm not quitting tennis, retiring, to immediately think about playing again. I'm going to be very shrewd and take some time.

Q. Your work with your academy, has that ever prompted you in going back to school yourself?
ANDRE AGASSI: No, no (smiling). Listen, I think everyone else should go to school (laughter).
It's about opportunities for children. For me, I feel like my opportunities, I've been blessed with so many of them and have them. I enjoy learning on different levels. I'm not sure I would particularly connect with the routine of sort of going back to school. It hasn't really ever crossed no, no (smiling).

Q. I know it's still a few weeks away, October 7th is a big night. Can you imagine this will be the most emotional moment of your retirement?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, listen, if I could leverage anything I'm going through here to make more money for the children, to bring them more opportunities, I'm open to ideas. If I can inspire people to give more as a result of anything, that's a good thing. That night is a huge night.
I think actually this will be the first event, because that's a perfect example of what I look forward to. In years past, I'm not playing in Europe because I'm doing this for the foundation. I'm not training, I'm not playing, but I'm doing something I really care about.
This year I'll get to just do what I care about without that sort of price tag with it. It will be great.

Q. Do you think it will be a bigger event as a result, though?
ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know. Last year we raised $10 million. A couple years ago $12.6 million. Those aren't easy numbers. I don't lose appreciation for how much money that is and what happens with those children's lives as a result of that money.
We're talking about millions of dollars that are going to get raised. I'm going to be thankful for each one.

Q. Over the years you talk a lot about inspiration. Have there been any scripture verses or quotes from people that you admire that you keep tucked in the back of your mind?
ANDRE AGASSI: You know, my mind grinds gears when I have to recall stuff like that. I'm not good at sort of memorizing and repeating.
Yeah, I'm inspired by a lot of different things that I see every day.

Q. Pete said after a couple of years of retirement he got really bored and started playing World Team Tennis. Does that seem crazy to you about being bored in retirement?
ANDRE AGASSI: I think it's an individual experience for sure. A career is individual to every given person, how you choose to go about it, and so is retirement. I can't speak to what his journey has been, how he's perceived his life through tennis or after.
If I'm bored, I feel like I've done a thousand things differently than I anticipate.

Q. Having been with Steffi when she was going through her transition into retirement, do you think you can take anything from that in your road now? She didn't embrace a lot of what's out here as you did.
ANDRE AGASSI: No, she did. Maybe you just didn't sort of see it or it wasn't communicated in the same way.
You know, the reason why I can't sort of learn a lot from her, I just have to sort of sit on the sideline and admire it, is because she's very resolved in everything she does. She treated retirement and that decision with such sort of grace and ease that it makes you marvel at her strength, her clarity.
I'm a completely different animal than that, you know. It's not so easy for me to trust myself.

Q. Looking at the number of media here, do you really want us to track you down?
ANDRE AGASSI: It depends if I liked you or not (smiling).
No, I would love to see all of you again.

Q. When you do leave these things over the years, as you walk down the corridor, do you think, What are these people about? Do you think about some of the questions you're asked. Do you have any memory of questions you were asked particularly?
ANDRE AGASSI: Oh, wow. Yeah, that's I never want to be prepared for a question. That's a question I wish I was prepared for. I wish I would have thought about that. I probably could have given you a whole list. My mind doesn't work well that way. I can't just kind of call on something.
I've had some shockers over the years, for sure, to say the least.

Q. Do you have any questions for us?
ANDRE AGASSI: Are you guys going to really miss me or are you just acting like that?
(Standing ovation.)


He put up a fight...goodbye Agassi...thanks for all you have done and all the great memories!!! Enjoy every moment!

Serena Williams, Sharapova, Roddick, Blake, Nadal, and Federer move on to the next round.

SOURCE: USOPEN.ORG

RAIN DELAYS

Rain Delays for the US OPEN 2006...all matches have been postponed until tomorrow. You will get to see Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi, and Roddick battle it out. Action begins 11 am EST on CBS...check your local listings.

James Blake played a great game yesterday. CONGRATULATIONS Blake on your win!!!

Patrick McEnore was asked who he thought would win the US OPEN 2006 and he said Andy Roddick will get to the finals because he is bringing his all-around game. I do agree that Roddick has made some improvements and he is getting to those balls at the net but the problem with Roddick is that he lets his emotions get the best of him and they clearly show on the court. If Roddick has the right mentality lets say like Sampras, or Federer, to show no emotion, to let your opponent wonder how you feel that is how he would get to the finals.
John McEnore believes Maria Sharapova will win the Grand Slam because she grew and she wants it badly ever since her Wimbledon win.

We will see who wins next week. I really want Agassi to win because it is his last Grand Slam, this is where he will retire and winning would be icing on the cake like I said before, so I am really rooting for him, I am a big fan, go AGASSI!

I am also a Roddick fan but to tell you the truth his game hasn't been that great in the last couple of years. He dropped to #11 in the ATP races, now that is not bad because he is still in the top 20. Roddick is just a big baby...hahahaha...I like watching his games to see the drama he brings. He always has a reason to argue with the chair umpire or with the line judges and I think that is so entertaining and funny. He just needs to control those emotions because who knows maybe one day he will be kicked out of a match...I wouldn't doubt it. I played tennis for many years and my coach always said not to argue with the opponents or the umpire or line judges, she said to be a good sport and not tell them what they are not doing. I think that good sport etiquette should be something Roddick gets trained in. The chair umpires and the line judges have been doing their jobs for longer than he has been a tennis pro so there is no need to argue, just cool it!!!

Agassi does it again and is named PLAYER OF THE DAY...CONGRATS!!!

DAY 4
Agassi has managed to move on past Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5, to get closer to what could be his last Grand Slam Title. Agassi struggled throughout the matches but redeemed himself in the fifth set. He wasn't going to go home without a fight. Agassi has been criticized for his age but he still manages to surprise his fans and players and people all over the world. I am glad Agassi is fighting for this title and you can truly see his passion for the game while he plays. GoodLuck Agassi and winning this title would be icing on the cake!


Agassi Keeps Dream Alive, Outlasts Baghdatis
by Neil Schlecht
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Andre Agassi seems to have decided that in his final US Open appearance, he will give his fans their money’s worth—even if that comes at the price of more than a few ulcers and nails bitten down to the quick.

As if his resume weren’t littered with enough epic matches and insane drama, Agassi added another improbable chapter to his storied career, with a thrilling 3-hour, 40-minute, 5-set victory over eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. Even though this one was only to advance to the 3rd round of the US Open, with no title on the line, it ranks with the greatest of all his victories.

Agassi outlasted Baghdatis, a player 15 years his junior and possessing a ranking 29 spots higher, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5.

Attempting to assess the match’s significance and drama, Agassi said, “It's a whole sort of Jacuzzi of emotions.”

Early on, it looked as though the match would be a blowout for Agassi, who raced to a two-sets-to love lead. With an injection of cortisone propping up the ailing discs in his back, Agassi looked confident and surprisingly energetic, skipping to the sideline after an early break of serve. Throughout the match, he struck the ball cleanly and convincingly. Late in the match, after holding serve at a critical juncture, Agassi jumped up and down on court like his 4-year-old son Jaden Gil.

Baghdatis, a charismatic shot-maker who has rocketed up the rankings in the past year, came back to win the third set and eventually forced a fifth. After falling behind 4-0 in the fourth and looking like he was again out of the match, Baghdatis suddenly began to crack winners and outwit Agassi with dropshots and topspin lobs.

The final set was a classic, with both players slugging it out in long rallies that looked like high-voltage hitting practice and mixing in drop shots to devastating effect. After hitting a lunging volley for a winner to get to 4-4, Baghdatis slumped to the court with leg cramps. He hobbled through the next two games, occasionally slapping winners and even earning four break points on Agassi’s serves.

But two games later, at 5-5, Baghdatis had ceased to limp. Serving at 5-6, Baghdatis held a 40-15 lead and was on the verge of reaching a fifth-set tiebreak, but he committed two double faults to allow Agassi back to deuce.

With the capacity crowd of 23,000 screaming Agassi’s name, their hero broke serve and grabbed the win when Baghdatis hit a backhand over the baseline. The crowd erupted, and on court John McEnroe called it “One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen.”

Source USOPEN.ORG

THURSDAY's RESULTS

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Lindsay Davenport (USA)[10] def Jelena Kostanic (CRO)
6-0 6-0

2. Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2] def Luis Horna (PER)
6-4 4-6 6-4 6-2

3. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Serena Williams (USA) def Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)[17]
7-5 6-3

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Virginie Razzano (FRA) def Martina Hingis (SUI)[8]
6-2 6-4

2. Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Andre Agassi (USA) def Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)[8]
6-4 6-4 3-6 5-7 7-5

1. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[6] def Lauren Albanese (USA)
6-1 6-1

2. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL)[2] def Vania King (USA)
6-1 6-2


3. Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[15] def Jan Hernych (CZE)
6-4 6-2 6-2


4. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Maria Sharapova (RUS)[3] def Emilie Loit (FRA)
6-0 6-1


5. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)[1] def Meghann Shaughnessy (USA)
6-4 6-3

6. Men's Doubles - 1st Rnd.
Bob Bryan (USA)[1]/
Mike Bryan (USA)[1]
def Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)/
Andreas Seppi (ITA)
6-1 6-2

1. Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Tommy Robredo (ESP)[6] def Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR)
3-6 6-3 6-4 6-1

2. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4] def Emma Laine (FIN)
6-4 6-0

3. Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Novak Djokovic (SCG)[20] def Mardy Fish (USA)
7-6(5) 6-4 3-6 7-6(3)

4. Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Mary Pierce (FRA)[13] def Eva Birnerova (CZE)
6-3 6-4


5. Women's Doubles - 1st Rnd.
Martina Navratilova (USA)[10]/ Nadia Petrova (RUS)[10] def Lilia Osterloh (USA)/
Ahsha Rolle (USA)
6-1 6-1