A Legg Up

I got in my ever popular middle of the week nap yesterday. I hit the pillow right around 1:30 and was up, groggy, but awake at 2:30. I looked at myself in the mirror, but it wasn't me. Looking back at me with a confused glazed expression was a cross between carrot top and Lyle Lovett. What do you do? Is it time for the baseball cap? I ran the brush through my hair and it looked passable. By now my son Trevor was asking if I was ready to go.





We left shortly after 3pm. We had tickets to Legg Mason. The tennis started at 4pm. Trevor wanted to be there for it all. Of course traffic on the beltway got in the way of that. We arrived around 4:20. Still plenty of time to take in some great tennis.

We were like the rest of the audience, pulling for the hometown favorite Paul Goldstein. Every shot that he was able to sneak by Radek Stepanek would be greeted with calls from the crowd, "That's it Pauley". In the end he didn't have enough to pull off the upset. He went down to defeat.


Up next the flamboyant Frenchman, Arnaud Clement. . He with the orange shirt and orange bandanna. The orange was just like Sampson's hair. Once he took the orange off his game went with it. So the upset the crowd wanted so desperately would come now. As Thomas Johansson beats Clement. The guy sitting next to me says in a hushed tone, "This is the last thing they want." They being the people putting on the tourney. The last thing you want to see is the stars dropping like flies, unless of course it's Pauley getting the win.

It wasn't just talk, but tennis at the Legg Mason Tennis classic. The evening provided a little levity. The ever engaging Diane McGraw held court telling one funny story after another. McGraw a luminary in the sports entertainment industry for more than two decades.

The best story dealt with her first foray into tennis. Just starting out she was organizing and promoting a tennis tourney in New York. She admits she knew very little about the sport. "I put on a party at Studio 54" She's telling the story with a broad smile.

She invited all the heavy hitters to the party, and everything was in order. "So a couple guys walk in looking all scraggly, and dressed poorly, and I go up and say I'm sorry this is a private party and you are going to have to leave." They looked at her with a stunned expression and agree to leave. Only then did someone run up to her with a panicked expression. That's when they told her, "You just kicked out John McEnroe and Peter Fleming."

Diane laughs and talks about how she chased after them. Running out into the street and pleading with them to return. Her story made me feel good because as I watch this parade of tennis stars making their way out on to the court I had to admit I didn't recognise a big chunk of them. I kept asking my son who is this guy? Who is that? At least I could leave knowing that I could spot John McEnroe in a police lineup. But then again you have to know now at least Diane can too!