Wookee at Wimbledon!

No, I don't mean Chewbacca was spotted at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club today. Actually, I was attempting a childish form of humor - one often used by this author: Elmer Fudd/Tweety Bird Speak.

It is no secret that Tim Henman was a big disappointment today. He seemed to just ... go away. I honestly thought he had a chance late in the 5th. There seemed to be a steely resolve in his facial expression. Little did I know that resolve was one of defeat. God love him, Tim has been quoted as saying he feels he can play the tournament for another five years. Yeah.

The good news is Andrew Murray. I think the Brits, fickle and hateful as they are, will drop poor Tim for this new hope. I find it funny that England is claiming this 18 year old powerhouse. Murray himself claims he is a hope for Great Britain, not just England. He is, afterall, from Scotland! The Brits seem all too willing to overlook that fact in lieu having no hopes in the near future.

Serena Williams has been an interesting study. Her body is definitely on the court - more conservatively than usual - but she's there. I wonder about her heart and mind, though. Sure, there is talk about the ankle injury that has kept her off the circuit for the past 8 weeks, but that could be an excuse. Both Serena and Venus have varied interests off the court. Is retirement at the age of 22 or 23 unheard of?

Pat has asked me about my picks for the US Open. What?? Wimbledon hasn't completed its first week, yet! The problem is this: he cannot find anyone betting on Wimbledon, so he no longer sees the value of time and effort spent on this tournament. This much is certain: it is a very good thing I didn't put money on any of today's matches!

Someone told me they thought the tournament ran mostly "with the numbers" today. I was quick to point out the number of seeded players who fell, and I fear more will walk off the court in short order.

I seem to have gotten into a groove when it comes to the ladies' side. I did well today, predicting 12 of 16 correctly. I'll spare you the math-trouble: that's .750! My picks for day five are: Davenport, Clijsters, Maleeva, Kuznetsoa, Mauresmo, Likhovtseva (who is this girl, anyway?), Myskina, and Dementieva. Dementieva needs to get her act together and quickly if she wants to make it much further.

The accuracy of my predictions for the men's side have been sliding over the past couple of days. I am going to assume Roddick will get his act together and finish out his match with Bracciali succesfully. That victory will give me a dismal .500 batting average on the day. Tomorrow's picks: Federer (duh), Gerrero, Johansson, Bjorkman, Hewitt, Dent (I'm proud of this cutie!), Ancic, and Safin. With the exception of Bjorkman, I'm running straight with the numbers on this one.

And now for my disclaimer: These predictions are being made without the benefit of much tennis being observed. I have been listening to the commentary on Centre Court via Radio Wimbledon, but until today I haven't actually seen any tennis. I'm doing pretty darn well, aren't I?