Roddick Rocks London!

by patienthornsfan on Jun 17, 2007 11:11 AM CDT

Austin resident Andy Roddick finally pulled together a good string of games here in London this week, and won the title at the Artois Championships at Queens Club today in an amazing 3-set final (tie-breaks in the last two) over unheralded Nicolas Mahut. This was a much better result than the French Open, where he went out in the first round.

Recap

I was lucky enough to get a returned ticket for Centre Court for Andy's semi-final victory over Dmitri Tursonov, and also got to watch Andy warming up on one of the side courts before the match, with his legendary coach Jimmy Connors at his side. If none of you have ever seen Andy live, you just have no idea how amazing his serving motion is. It's like a machine - an absolute blinding flash of motion and power that looks like a blur to the naked eye. Never seen anything like it. It's unbelievable that anyone can ever return one of them.

So this wasn't Wimbledon, but it was still great fun to actually go to a live sporting event that most of us would only have seen on TV before. Nothing like attending the two Rose Bowl games, but it's yet another sporting venue to tick off my list of "must see" in person.

In the comments section, I'd be interested to hear from other BON'ers about places you'd like to go to watch sports before you die. On my list is a National Championship game at the Orange Bowl (Texas demolishing Notre Dame too much to ask?), Michigan home game (maybe one day, against the Horns???) and a soccer game at Wembley here in London, among many others.

Let's just hope Andy can carry this momentum into the real thing in two weeks. And I hope I'm just as lucky with getting tickets there!

All comments, FanPosts, and FanShots are the views of the reader-authors who create them.

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Never gonna get better than...

UT vs. USC at the Rose Bowl for the title for me, but maybe we can do it again and if so, the Orange Bowl wouldn't be bad, I just need better seats...

The Wish List (for me the venue is often just as important as the event itself):

Superbowl at Jerry World (That'll be big)
World Series at Wrigley (Right Field Bleachers)
NBA Finals at MSQ (Not a Knicks fan but that'd be the place to be)
Final 4 (Probably in Indianapolis or New Orleans, UT there of course)
College World Series (UT there of course, can't believe I still haven't been there)
NHL Finals, has to be Game 7, Edmonton
English Premier League Championship (Man U vs. Liverpool)
Kentucky Derby (Churchill Downs somewhere near the finish line though the in-field is supposed to be something tantamount to Mardi Gras)
Indianapolis 500/Daytona 500
The Masters (Amen Corner)
US Open (Definitely Pebble Beach, but it'd be nice to be at Oakmont right now)
The Players Championship (#17 at Sawgrass)
World Cup (I did Germany, but I want to go back for South Africa and when ever it goes to South America)
Wimbleton (Never been a big Tennis fan, but Centre Court with Strawberries and Cream would be fun, though I'd rather watch Maria than Andy)
Tour de France (Alpe d'Huez)

College Football UT Travel List: Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State (Happy Valley), Georgia, Washington, Tennessee, and USC (Colisseum)

Odd ones:
Iditerod (Nome), Paris-Decar Rally (Africa side), Olympics (Bobsled, Scandavia) and of course:

The Miss America Pageant at the Hollywood Bowl

Yeah, I may have thought about this question before.

Be nobody but yourself in a world that desperately wants you to be like everybody else.

by 54b on Jun 17, 2007 12:28 PM CDT reply actions

good list, b

I've only got a few:

Masters
Infields of Daytona 500 and Kentucky Derby (with an RV of course)
World Cup in South America and some kind of championship match in Wembley
Penn Relays
Olympics (for the sprinting track events)
Final 4 in San Antonio (in which UT is involved)
Yankees-Red Sox in Fenway's monster seats

and my UT travel list: every SEC school except for the mississippi's, vanderbilt, and kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, Va Tech, USC in the Colessium, and Nebraska.

...til Gabriel blows his horn

by BigTexBD on Jun 17, 2007 1:19 PM CDT reply actions

hey hey

"Superbowl at Jerry World (That'll be big)" Ditto.

Sadly, I can never afford RRS tickets to the Cotton Bowl. So one of those ASAP for me.

I'd like to go to the Superdome for a game now that it is redone. Also, most other major NFL venues. I've only been to Cowboys games.

A premier league match for Man U. Which means going back to Europe. While there I'd like to also see a Real Madrid game. Also, a London Irish game (where they win). They were such underdogs while I was there. Any world cup too.

Would really like to see Tampa Bay's field. Anyone I know who has been say it is very cool.

A very modest list. I know there are tons more, but I like attainable goals. I have only recently been able to afford some games. Honestly can't travel much, but hope to someday.

Destroyer!

by DestroyerUT on Jun 18, 2007 2:18 PM CDT reply actions

My list is pretty predictable, I guess.

Without a doubt, the best live event ever was the Rose Bowl against SC. The Rose Bowl the year before was none too shabby, either. I want to do Yankee Stadium and Cooperstown. We did the Final Four in New Orleans, but basketball in those huge stadiums just doesn't work so well (I just knew once Brandon warmed up, we'd be OK.) Left field bleachers at Dodger Stadium is on my list. Lastly, to play at Pebble and Pinehurst #2 (damn the greens fees) would be awesome as well as the Old Course and others on the Open rota. We walked Royal St. Georges and chatted up the pro and the caddymaster the week before the Open a few back. Super nice folks.

Idle Thought: We ought to investigate a program where BONers who are members of different golf clubs could get other BONers on if they're in town and looking for a game.

I never will forget ol' what's-his-name.

by Horntod on Jun 18, 2007 2:58 PM CDT reply actions

Lots of golfers in these parts

I'll try to think of a creative way to do this.

And if AW would quit working so much, maybe we could get some tourney previews again.

--PB--

by Peter Bean on Jun 18, 2007 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Cooperstown will not let you down

It was awesome. I went when I was 16 and still remember it to this day. If you grew up playing baseball, like I did, this is a must visit. All the childhood heros, all the innocence of the game. Even if most of the players in the hall did actually cheat, they're still heros.

by GoHorns on Jun 19, 2007 7:21 AM CDT up reply actions