Sports Shorts Sept. 1

Checking my (sports) shorts wondering whatever happened to Anna Kournikova…

* If the US Open tennis tournament is going on and no one knows about it, do the results still count? The only must see tennis for me is the US Open. It is very cool to see a match under the lights with an energetic crowd and intriguing story lines. They are already four days into the tournament and I just realized that this morning. The lack of star power and interesting story lines is hurting the biggest annual tennis event in the country. While Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are great players, they are not very interesting. Andy Roddick is still a big draw and has had good runs the last two years in Flushing, but he has struggled this year going only 24-11. He will need a past his prime Jimmy Connors type run to make this year’s draw watchable. On the women’s side, Serena Williams is not considered the top player, but if she too makes a run, this could get interesting.

* If last night’s Syracuse vs. Wake Forest college football opener is what we have to look forward to this season, every Saturday will be Christmas. Missed PAT’s, blocked game-winning field goals, a 15-point deficit overcome to force OT, a diving catch for touchdown to take the lead and the game ends on a 4th down offensive pass interference in the end zone. Lots of drama, I’m hooked!

* Reason #376 why I despise Twitter: Titans RB Chris Johnson slamming his own fans for calling him greedy. His tweet from the other day: “Can these fake Titan fans STFU on my timeline I don't have a regular job so don't compare me to you and I can care less if u think I'm greedy.” News flash: you held out and did not honor the contract YOU signed originally. Then you demanded QB money which is way more than he is worth. If Johnson wanted a new deal, he could have handled this much better and of course not diss is own fans. I don’t blame Titans fans for being upset. Johnson got overpaid and will surely not live up to this contract. If Johnson has any less than 2,000 yards this season or if he does and the Titans win less than eight games, he should give the Titans a rebate. Yes, he is a good player, but he is not a difference maker that makes a lousy team better. P.S. NFL players, listen to Herm Edwards, DON’T PRESS SEND!

* There was a big stink last week when Michael Vick revealed he wanted to sign in Buffalo or Cincinnati in a magazine article, but the league and namely Roger Goodell urged him to go to Philadelphia to play for a more stable organization and coach. Locally, this led to a lot of Bills fans revisionist history. I do remember last year, just about all Bills fans I talked to or heard on radio shows, did not want anything to do with the former dog fighter. But, after Vick had a Pro Bowl season in Philly, Bills fans were crying that the NFL pulled one over on their team and that the NFL compensate the Bills somehow. Typical Western New York reaction when things don't go their way after the fact (as a side note, can WNYers stop whining about Brett Hull already? It has been 12 years!) Personally, I have nothing against Vick and I did not want him as a Bill then and I still don’t want him as a Bill ever. For the record, may I be one of the few that predicts he comes back down to earth as an average QB in 2011.