New York Observer Article: Does Rafael Nadal Have The Game To Win The US Open?
Rally Round Nadal, Boys
At last year’s U.S. Open, we saw a glimpse of the future: Roger Federer finally losing his grip on the tournament he’s owned for the past seven years (crumbling to the languid, loose-limbed 20-year-old Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro). It wasn’t easy to watch. King Roger, now 29, has been New York’s adopted son. We’ve been happy to claim him—with Anna Wintour by his side, his two-week residence at the Carlyle, his trips to Oscar de la Renta shows and that shiny, sleek Swiss hair—as our own. This is a man who can sell a luxury watch!
But Federer has won only once since his triumph at the Australian Open earlier this year, and we’ve got few other places to turn. Forget women’s tennis. Without Serena Williams—who’s been moonlighting as a manicurist and will miss the Open due to a mysterious foot injury involving glass—that’s a wasteland. As for the men, the glory days of McEnroe, Connors and Agassi-Sampras are long over. For the first time ever, for a few weeks this summer, there were no American men ranked in the top 10.
Instead of having dinners with Robert De Niro or making trips to Le Bernardin, he’s been known to take his days off in New York and quietly head to the ESPN Zone to nosh on some chicken fingers.
Nope, we’ve got little choice but to start rallying behind the guy who has never won here before: that brooding and brutal 24-year old Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. Rafa is coming in healthy; he’s got both the Wimbledon and the French Open in the bag this year—which puts him at eight Grand Slam victories, three more than Federer had at the same point in his career—he has a compelling, counterpunching game; and he’s the world’s best right now. He seems due.
But while Rafa offers all the stuff that makes him the obvious new favorite—his No. 1 ranking, his relentless tenacity, his muscular frame—there’s something about that makes him so, well, Na-Dull.
He’s never made it to a men’s final here. He’s never brought the passion he’s displayed in other tournaments. He always seems to arrive in Flushing either hurt or exhausted. It’s questionable how much he even likes New York. Instead of having dinners with Robert De Niro or making trips to Le Bernardin, Nadal has been known to take his days off in New York and quietly head to the ESPN Zone to nosh on some chicken fingers while watching the European soccer league. In lieu of royalty or the requisite celebrity quotient, Nadal’s player’s box at Arthur Ashe usually consists of a coterie of publicists, friends from Spain and that deadly serious Uncle Tony. Even his girlfriend—Maria Francisca “Xisca” Perello—keeps such a low profile (see sidebar) that it’s hard not to yearn for Boris Becker’s gorgeous ex-wife, Barbara Feltus.
MORE > Meet The Top Tennis Seeds’ Main Squeezes
IT’S HARD TO explain why we’ve never taken to Rafa, or why he’s never seemed to have taken to us. Maybe it’s the language barrier, maybe it’s the injuries, maybe it’s the low expectations that he’ll win—but there never seems to be any buzz around him.
“Globally, he’s huge. He’s adored,” said Jon Wertheim, the Sports Illustrated tennis writer who wrote a book about Nadal’s victory in the 2008 Wimbledon over Roger Federer, titled Strokes of Genius. “But you get here and people are like: ‘What’s the big deal?'”
Every year, reporters convene in Queens and ask the softballs that make for good curtain-raising copy: Why do you love New York and the Open? Veterans like Federer know how to play it. It’s the celebrities! The night matches! The vibrancy of the city! Even Scottish-born Andy Murray, a hometown hero at Wimbledon, has called the Open his favorite tournament (perhaps not incidentally, he got the Vogue treatment in the run-up to the Open this year).
But Rafa rarely takes the bait. Last year, when a reporter asked Rafa what it would mean to win here, he shrugged: “For me, have the title here doesn’t change my career.” He said that winning the Open would be an important milestone—that means he’ll have all four Grand Slams—but he has referred to it, somewhat dismissively, as “another Grand Slam.” Three years ago, when asked to rattle off the things he loved about the Open, he mentioned a renovated men’s locker room. And when he was asked whether he preferred a small town or a big city, he said, “I prefer the same like always. I prefer be at home with the family, with the friends, my closer friends. I know my friends from the school. So I am very, very happy living in Mallorca. Is a very nice place, very quiet place.”
While lots of tennis players have shown some cosmopolitan interests—think of McEnroe (art!), Serena (fashion!)—Rafa has said that when his career is over, he’d like to buy a “normal-sized boat” so he can “go fishing in the sea.”
A cosmopolitan lifestyle this is not!
“Players always come in and talk about how they went to Barneys and Nobu, and people love that,” said Mr. Wertheim. “But when [Rafa] says he’s doing nothing special, maybe get some room service and have a light hitting session? This is not a guy who gives a shit about Fashion Week or meeting Wintour.”
That would be fine, of course—if he’d ever won here. Though Rafa has chewed up the other Grand Slams, and is quickly entering the “Greatest of All Time” conversation, right up there with Federer, he hasn’t been able to master the tempo of the blue courts of Queens. Despite the fact that he’s made the semifinals each of the past two years, his performance in each of those semifinal matches has been oddly lifeless. Commentators rarely even float the possibility of a Rafa-Roger final, which is a surprise considering it might be the best sports rivalry of our time.
“Rafa’s never played his best tennis in New York,” said Mary Carillo, the former player and tennis analyst who does work for CBS, HBO, NBC and ESPN. “Those courts are too fast for him.”
Rafa has won on hard courts before (it’s a particularly sore point for him when reporters accuse him of struggling on hard courts), but Ms. Carillo points out that it’s a different game here. The courts are, simply, much faster at the Open.
“The big problem for Rafa is the big boys can knock him off a fast hard court,” she said. (Nadal is 6-foot-1.) “A guy who is six-four or six-five and who has a two-handed backhand especially can just take that stuff and fire it back at him and hurt him. And hurt him early on. See, what makes him so tough on clay is you can’t hurt him early in a point and the longer and more protracted the rally the more he’s gotcha. On grass, Rafa’s serve is really wicked. It’s the lefty serve, and he knows how to spin it. The grass takes his speed and adds more to it. A fast hard court, it’s … It was hard for Borg to win a fast hard court, and it’ll be hard for Rafa.”
Moreover, Ms. Carillo pointed out: “New Yorkers want a show.”
IT’S NOT LIKE Nadal’s performances here have lacked for possible theatrics. In 2007, he lost in the fourth round to David Ferrer at the ungodly hour of 2 a.m. (thanks, U.S. Open late-night matches!). But for the past two years, he’s arguably been screwed by the schedule. His second-week matches have been delayed by rain, forcing him to play the same match over the course of a few days in front of small, awkward crowds.
And then there are the injuries. It’s always something! In 2007, banged-up knees. In 2008, mental exhaustion after playing a full schedule and winning gold in Beijing at the Olympics. Last year, an abdominal tear (which Nadal referred to, hilariously, as “I broked my abdominal”).
Aww, why doesn’t he just Nupe it, like Jimmy Connors?!
For all that’s held Nadal back in the past, there are plenty of reasons to believe that he’s due to hoist the Open trophy, and that this is the year. For one thing, he is relentless. Early on in his career, he looked like yet another Spanish clay-court specialist who could do little else. Then he became the best clay court player ever. Then he began to crack the grass at Wimbledon, where he has won twice. He began to figure out the hard court in Australia and won last year. You can feel an inner steel—unlike the similarly mild-mannered Bjorn Borg, who finished his career without a victory here.
“In a way, he’s Connors-like,” Ms. Carillo said. “He tries to win every single point he’s a piece of. Every single point! I gotta think if he really gets on a run, the New York fans are going to like that. They like someone who is willing to throw themselves around and grind and burn. I agree with you he’s never shown his best stuff in New York. But I don’t think he’s like Borg, who just didn’t like the chaos of New York. Borg never really warmed up to the noise and the traffic and the airplanes and the blimps! Ha-ha! That did not fit his personality and his sensibility. I think Rafa wants to be good everywhere.”
There is hope! After the French ended this year, Rafa told NBC, “See you in the U.S. Open! Because it is the one that remains for me, and I have special motivation for that.” And he smiled. (He has an adorable smile.)
But can he win here, even without the crowd necessarily behind him?
“Yeah, eventually, yeah,” Mr. Wertheim said. “I don’t think he’s ever going to tell us about the great smoked fish he had at Russ & Daughters and the great runs in Central Park, but Barney Greengrass can wait. Tennis-wise? It’ll click.”
And when you consider that Federer might be on his last legs, and the second tier of players—Murray, Djokovic, Roddick—aren’t even close to cracking through to the top (and that last year’s champion, del Potro, is not playing due to an injury), we might as well hand over our support to Rafa as fast as we can.
After all, the options are few.
“It took New Yorkers a while to like Connors,” Ms. Carillo put in. “Remember when he wins at the Open in ’78?”
Actually, we weren’t even born then, but go on, Mary!
“He has that great speech, ’cause he was a never a fan favorite, really, at Forest Hills, and he comes and wins and”—now her voiced turned hoarse—”says, ‘You may not like me, but I like you!’ And from there on out, he owned the joint! He owned it!”
So give us a roar, Rafa! Give us a reason to cheer, and we’ll be right behind you.
Ny Times Article: Female Athletes Are Still Upset About Caster Semenya!
On Track and Field
Semenya Is Back, but Acceptance Lags
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
Published: August 23, 2010
BERLIN – It was a potentially awkward moment. I had just spent part of a Sunday afternoon listening to the 800-meter runners Jemma Simpson and Diane Cummins examine and question the fairness of being forced to race against Caster Semenya.
Johannes Eisele/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The South African runner Caster Semenya, who was only cleared to compete in July, says she maintains only positive thoughts.
Now, I was in the indoor training area at Olympic Stadium, sitting across a table from Semenya, her coach, Michael Seme, and her agent, Jukka Harkonen.
In walked Simpson and Cummins to grab their gear. They looked at me with surprise, but eventually Cummins, now a Canadian but once a South African, began bantering with Semenya, teasing that she, like Semenya, was focusing on the Commonwealth Games in October.
“O.K., I will train for you,” Semenya teased back, unleashing one of the better smiles in sports.
The tension, for now at least, had been defused, and perhaps there was a lesson in that exchange for all who will race and lose against Semenya in the meets and seasons ahead.
Like it or not — and many elite runners clearly do not — track and field’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, has ruled, after an excruciatingly lengthy process, that Semenya may compete as a woman.
Barring an intense and unlikely legal counterattack, it is difficult to imagine the association backtracking on Semenya now. Not after being justly pilloried for allowing news of her initial gender tests to become public; not after taking 11 months to clarify and confirm her eligibility, leaving her in a brutal state of limbo.
“I can’t celebrate coming back to athletics because for me, it’s normal,” Semenya, 19, said Sunday after winning the 800 here and breaking the two-minute barrier for the first time since her comeback last month. “Sitting at home and not running is what’s not normal.”
It thus seems wise at this stage for her rivals to make peace with a far-from-ideal situation. That noise you hear may be the sound of some of them galloping toward the track to train for the 400 or 1,500 instead.
“I’m going to the Commonwealth Games, and then I’ll probably be retiring,” said Cummins, 36, who is based in Missoula, Mont. “So, really, this is the younger athletes’ battle. I want Caster to run as fast as she can, and if she turns out to be a 1:49 or 1:51 runner, it’s good for her. I think it’s just unfortunate for the other athletes who have to compete against her who may never, ever go home with a gold medal.
“I mean, we’ve had this before. Maria Mutola has been an athlete up there for a long time who on the circuit had a high testosterone, but she was still within the levels of what was acceptable to compete as a female. I think the problem is just where do you draw the line? Where do you draw the line as far as what is required to be a female athlete?”
Referring to Semenya, Cummins added: “You can’t say no to her and then say yes to a transgender athlete or say yes to her and then say no to a transgender. It just goes on and on.”
But track’s governing body has indeed drawn a line, and it should have minimal interest in making any new sketches.
“Those athletes who don’t want to run will stay away, but those who do want to run with her will keep on running, because there are many athletes who do,” Seme said.
“I have found out that the organizers are very strong. If they invite someone and the person says, ‘Is Caster there?’ and then they say, ‘No, I’m not coming,’ then the organizers invite somebody else who says, ‘I’m coming,’ without asking who’s there. So it’s good.”
The next stop for Semenya is the final Diamond League meet of the season on Friday in Brussels. The field will be the strongest she has faced since winning the world title here last year. Most of her competitors are weary after a long, continent-hopping season, but Semenya is just starting hers after resuming serious training once she was cleared to compete in July.
Brussels will be her fourth meet of the season, and the plan after that is to race twice in Italy and perhaps once in South Africa before heading to New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games as part of the South African team.
“I’m on the list; what they need to do is just to announce the team, that’s all,” Semenya said.
If all goes well, Seme said, he expects Semenya to run 1:57 at the event, which would put her much closer to the 1:55.45 she ran to win her world championship.
“That’s the coach talking,” Harkonen said, turning to Seme. “Michael, you don’t need to run 1:57 there. It’s October. All the athletes are tired. They just want to go home, all except a very few.”
Wherever Semenya goes from here, the gender issue that made her a global figure will continue to travel with her, and it will be intriguing to watch as Semenya continues to grow up in the spotlight whether she also grows into the role of advocate. For now, despite her obvious resilience, she appears more like an innocent whom her handlers are still eager to protect. When she joined our group Sunday, Seme and Harkonen immediately ceased all discussion of other athletes’ reaction to her return. Clearly, they want the accent on the upbeat, even if negative vibrations remain in abundance. (Harkonen thinks the issues will dissipate as her rivals get to know Semenya, who remains shy among her peers.)
“I cannot say the athletes are negative, because I never meet some of the athletes, so yeah, what I think is only positive things,” Semenya said. “In athletics, we all support each other. No support, no athletics.”
If Semenya truly thinks that, she has much to learn. The track circuit is a traveling circus, full of genuine friendships and romances.
But the doping scandals of the last 25 years have undermined trust, and in a sport in which only the very best in a handful of disciplines earn an excellent wage, there is a survivalist backbeat, too.
Semenya’s return only makes the psychological challenges more complex.
“I think publicly, everyone is happy, and nonpublicly, people have got their own personal issues with it,” Simpson said. “You’re not going to say to the media necessarily what you deep down feel. When you’re all trying to compete for a gold medal, there’s only one gold medal, and so you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do to try to get it. You can’t really influence what other people do. We don’t decide who can and can’t compete. You have other issues to contend with like drugs in the sport and this kind of thing and just everything put together, it’s just a battle. It’s a battlefield out there.”
Fan House Article: Masculine Butch Tennis Commentator Mary Carillo Says Women Tennis Players Should Not Complain & Don’t Deserve Equal Pay As The Men!
8/27/2010 10:48 AM ET By Milton Kent
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- Milton Kent
- General Sports Writer
That’s why any tennis tournament in which John McEnroe and Mary Carillo are in the same booth is worth watching, even if you can’t tell a lob from a smash.
On a conference call Thursday, organized by CBS to gin up publicity for the network’s coverage of the U.S. Open, Carillo and McEnroe, who won the French Open mixed doubles title in 1977, were in semifinal form.
Their debate focused on whether the top women’s players play in enough tournaments, and while the Williams’ sisters were the focus of the discussion, the debate was not limited strictly to them.
It was McEnroe who advanced the view that rankings that rely on how many tournaments a player takes part in do a disservice to the players and to the game.
In McEnroe’s view, Serena Williams, who withdrew from the Open because of a foot injury, and Venus Williams, seeded third at Flushing Meadow, should be ranked No.1 and No.2 because of what they’ve done on the big stages, even if they haven’t done it that often.
“If a person can play eight or 10 tournaments a year and could win two or three majors, I think that person should be No.1,” said McEnroe, adding that the Williamses might play more if there were fewer tournaments and a tighter schedule.
Carillo, meanwhile, believes the men’s tour is healthier now in large part because the top players play each other more often, thus strengthening the game.
“That’s the bottom line,” said Carillo. “And because of it, the quality of tennis goes up, the interest in the level of the tennis goes up. There is more name recognition because these guys are out there all the time. I really wish that was true in women’s tennis.”
And that’s when things got a little surreal. McEnroe then suggested that it was asking too much to require women to play in more tournaments and that they shouldn’t be playing in as many events as men.
McEnroe’s comments were broken up by an unexplained absence of sound, but on a follow-up question, McEnroe refined his answer to say that both the men and the women are overtaxed by the tour schedule, adding that there should be an extra week between the French Open and Wimbledon and that the Australian Open should be moved back as well.
“I think it’s both (whether women players suffer from mental or physical frailty),” said McEnroe. “I think the game is more physical than it’s ever been. I think it’s very difficult for a man or a woman to be out there by themselves and be able to deal with what’s being thrown at them, not only from their opponents but the expectations they have for themselves.”
“Look at all the stories we’ve seen in the women’s game, whether it’s a father, a domineering father that’s put incredible pressure on them and it’s caused all types of problems to other players. You could go down the list. You’ve got to address those issues more seriously. They’re just not players losing it a little bit.”
Carillo was incredulous.
“I hate the idea that we have to judge women on a curve, to say that this is too much for them,” said Carillo. “If you’re saying that the women can’t maintain the same kind of schedule as the guys, then they don’t deserve the attention, they don’t deserve equal prize money, then they don’t deserve a whole lot of stuff all of a sudden.”
“I have a real hard time as a middle-aged woman who’s seen a lot of progress through the years in women’s sports to think that that’s the truth.”
To which McEnroe responded: “To pretend that things are OK on the women’s tour or that this is the type of schedule that they need, I just don’t agree with that.”
A word of warning to Dick Enberg, who is coming East from calling San Diego Padres games to referee, er, call play-by-play between the two: bring your flak jacket and be sure and duck from flying shrapnel.
Article: Is Tennis Commentator Mary Carillo A Butch Lesbian & Does It Really Matter?
Mary Carillo lesbian?
I’ve been getting a huge number of hits on my blog from people trying to find out if Mary Carillo, the CBS tennis commentator, is lesbian, married or divorced, or transgender. I see nothing to indicate she is lesbian (and I spend a fair amount of time with lesbians. My sister (and sister-in-law) is lesbian.). Carillo is certainly not transgender.
As far as I can tell, she is just a divorced mother of two, who is an assertive, excellent television commentator. She won’t play the meek, deferential to men, role with her colleagues. That does not make her, or any woman, a lesbian.
22 comments (click to add one):
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alwilliams06 said…
- I was wondering the same thing last night as I watched real sports. She certainly comes across as a lesbian with limited make-up, low style haircut and you always see her in a pants suit. If she is not a les then she certainly can be mistaken for one. It doesn’t change my opinion of her either way I think she is great at what she does and may God bless her. Lesbian or not!!!
- Wed Feb 20, 06:51:00 PM EST
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caprice said…
- There are far more straight women who dress that way than lesbians. And I know plenty of lesbians who are quite comfortable in skirts, heels, and significant make-up.
Carillo’s mode of dress indicates nothing as to her sexual orientation.
- Fri Feb 22, 01:05:00 PM EST
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Anonymous said…
- Caprice,
That’s just not quite true. Naturally, there are more straight women who dress in pantsuits than there are lesbians who do so. But this should come as no surprise, given that straight women outnumber lesbian women by a large percentage. Logically, therefore, many more straight women (in terms of raw numbers) would be expected to wear pantsuits.
The question really has to do with percentages. What percentage of straight women wear pantsuits vs. the percentage of lesbians who generally do? Compounded with what percentage of women sports commentators are lesbians, are assertive, etc. (and any of the other qualities Ms. Carillo possesses).
By the way, I’m a huge fan of Mary, and find her both insightful and intelligent. And there’s nothing wrong with women in pantsuits, obviously. But choice in clothing attire can often be influenced by many things, including sexual preference.
- Sat May 31, 04:02:00 PM EDT
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caprice said…
- It seems what you’re getting at is that if she were straight she wouldn’t dress in such a stereotypically lesbian fashion, because she wouldn’t want people to think she’s gay. Maybe she just doesn’t care what people think.
- Sat May 31, 11:15:00 PM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- Does her sexuality change her accomplishments?
Does who she may have an intimate relationship with cloud your opinion of her as a sport’s commentator?
Well actually it may unfortunately in this homophobic country of ours were jobs and careers are hurt some permanently harmed by such a personal question!!
What business is it of any adult who another adult may share a loving relationship with?
- Thu Jun 05, 01:43:00 PM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- Who cares about her sexuality. What I would like to do is eliminate her from the airwaves for being a disrespectful (of tennis) motormouth who cannot be made to SHUT UP–even during points. It’s crazy-making! I have to turn the sound off! Shut up, Mary!
- Fri Jul 04, 05:58:00 PM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- freedom of speech, baby, allows her to say what she wants to say and you to say what you want to say. frankly, i’d rather hear what mary has to say.
she rox!
- Tue Aug 05, 09:41:00 AM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- I just assumed she was a lesbian and haven’t given another thought to it. Kind of like Jodie Foster or Ellen DeGeneres, when they finally did come out the news hit with a resounding “duh!” from most people.
- Sun Aug 10, 10:51:00 PM EDT
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caprice said…
- Has Jodie Foster ever really come out? I don’t know. But unlike Foster and DeGeneris, Carillo did live as hetero. She was married for quite some time. This doesn’t mean wasn’t bisexual. Or she may have realized she was bi or gay at some point. But I see no evidence of that.
I think most people only know her from her career as a broadcaster. But I remember her from before that, when she was a tennis player.
- Mon Aug 11, 01:24:00 AM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- She is definitely one of the funniest people in the business of sports. I’m really enjoying her Olympic Specials between events.
The sports world is lucky to have her. Anyone who doesn’t get her didn’t come equipped with a sense of humor. That’s all.
- Thu Aug 14, 10:52:00 AM EDT
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caprice said…
- I agree. Watching her pretending to eat the scorpion was hilarious.
- Thu Aug 14, 12:33:00 PM EDT
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Anonymous said…
- It’s a man, baby!
- Thu Aug 14, 09:51:00 PM EDT
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caprice said…
- Absolutely not. She has given birth to two children.
As I said before, I’ve been familiar with her career for many years, long before she became a broadcaster. She won the French Open mixed doubles with John McEnroe in 1977.
- Fri Aug 15, 03:34:00 AM EDT
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Stuart said…
- Just been watching the ozzie open and she is terrible. You can tell the other commentators don’t like her especially P Mac. She takls over everybody and finds herself a lot funnier than anyone else does
- Wed Jan 28, 12:43:00 PM EST
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timqueenie said…
- I know Mary and her girlfriend Sarah and their combined family (total of four gorgeous kids 11-20 years old I’m thinking) and you could not ask for a better family blend. Mary is most definitely a woman as you proclaimed Caprice as she has given birth to two of four. Sarah gave birth to other two with her ex hsuband. I never wanted to be rude and ask if the second (younger) two children were theirs togehter, but it does seem that way. This is the most delighful family I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Polite children and excellent parents and so who cares that they happen to be Two Mommies? Mary travels wihle Sarah takes care of children. Mary’s older two are in college or almost in college. Works out wonderfully well for them. I think the world of them and that’s why I’m void of some detials becaues I would never insult their parenting by asking rude questions. But yes, Mary is a woman thru and thru and has life partner, female youngish looking woman. Very admirable couple and family.
- Wed Apr 01, 07:23:00 AM EDT
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caprice said…
- I have no way to verify if any of the above is true. “Timqueenie” just joined Blogger today–apparently in order to post this comment.
BTW, Timqueenie, giving birth, or having the ability to do so, does not make one a woman.
- Wed Apr 01, 01:19:00 PM EDT
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Robert Y. Doppel said…
- Even considering the gender binary as spectrum, Caprice, one could validly assert that giving birth is clear evidence that a person either is (or once identified as) a woman. Perhaps Timqueenie was only (unnecessarily) verifying that Ms. Carillo is not someone who transitioned to her current identity.
- Sun Feb 21, 02:49:00 AM EST
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caprice said…
- I’m not sure Thomas Beattie or Scott Moore, or any of the dozens of other men who have given birth, ever identified as women. I repeat, giving birth is not evidence of a person’s gender.
- Mon Feb 22, 03:05:00 AM EST
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Cole said…
- Mary Carillo is a neighbor of mine in NYC. She is a class act and has the intestinal fortitude to tell it like it is when nost who work in her field are too worried about hurting feelings. She is the bravest person I know and there have been rumors about her sexuality and allegedly ebing a lesbian. I do not know if the rumors are true or doI care. All I can say (as a man) that if I was a woman I would be a lesbian. That being said I hope that she continues to be the BEST sportscater in the world (man or woman) and continues to be as beautiful as she is inside as well as out. Love you Mary C.
Yours, CS
- Thu Feb 25, 02:58:00 AM EST
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Woody said…
- Not that it much matters, but yes, she is. If she were born a male figure skater her name would be Johnny Weir, if she were a male comic book character, her name would be the human torch and her favorite saying would be “flame on”. She is the prototypical bear. She has taken a decidely masculine persona and here is the litmus test for homosexuality, does that person if male act more feminine than a woman, if lesbian act more masculine than a male. What I’ve noticed about homosexuaity is that some individuals go out of their way to denounce gender roles, yet they go out of their way portray a particular “gender role”, kind of ironic if you ask me.
- Thu Feb 25, 09:36:00 PM EST
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caprice said…
- Sorry Woody, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. You are totally confusing gender expression and sexual orientation. I know lesbians who are totally feminine (they’re called femmes) and gay men who are extremely masculine.
Sexual orientation is solely a question of what type of person one is attracted to.
- Thu Feb 25, 09:43:00 PM EST
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Portland Church Blogger said…
- Regardless of her sexual preferences, Mary has a grating habit of starting a sentence with either a pronoun or no subject at all, then adding it at the end, sort of like this: “He just hit an amazing backhand down the line — Federer.” She does it constantly – over and over with various permutations. Then, without realizing it, Dick Enberg or Johnny Mac start doing the same thing. But she started it. All she would need to do it THINK for a second and start the sentence with the player’s name. Really annoying habit. It’s almost Yoda-like the way she talks – Carillo.
- Mon Aug 09, 07:58:00 PM EDT
Gayblackcanada 
