Technology turning tennis pros into bombing baseliners

The U.S. Open nears conclusion and Roger Federer is poised to win another Grand Slam title, which would be his sixteenth. He's just adding to his own records now, but here's hoping that if he indeed captures another Slam, Federer won't don a post-match jacket with the number 16 on the back, as he did after his classic Wimbledon final against Andy Roddick two months ago (a rare occurrence of Federer not letting his game do all the talking).
I admire Federer's style of tennis, he's more of an artist than a slugger (although he's quite good at that, too), a style we haven't seen since racket technology turned every pro into a bombing baseliner, and removed much of the subtle and beautiful nuances out of the sport. Serve and volley? Not bloody likely, as the Brits say - the ball moves too fast these days, too fast to allow a server time to rush the net, where the possibility of angles give room for creativity, for those who possess it (not to mention great hands). It's too much smash, crash and flash these days and, if you think that's just nostalgia, you're probably too young to know what you missed when John McEnroe or Stefan Edberg were in their primes.
I remember rallying on the west side courts a couple of years ago with Eric Knoester, the New Glasgow native who teaches the game in B.C. "These have almost ruined the game," he said, holding up his space-age ball-busting racket, light years past wooden rackets. They're good for average club players - they allow Joe and Jane Shmoe a chance to hammer a huge serve or forehand once in awhile - but on the other hand wooden rackets were just fine for a hundred years or more until technology took over.
McEnroe is on record as stating he'd like to see tennis revert to wooden rackets and frankly, I agree with him. It won't happen, though - equipment manufacturers would whine and sue to high heaven, but it'd sure be nice to see.
Golf is the same way now, with advanced technology making the game easier (not for me, but apparently that's the case for a lot of others). The PGA Tour will be clamping down starting in 2010 and will be backed by its strongest voice: Tiger Woods has said new club technology has taken shot-making out of the game; they just bomb it now, and if you get yourself in trouble, fancy-pants clubs get you out of trouble easier than they should.
(Note on Eric Knoester): He was teaching tennis at a resort down south one time and one of his pupils was Regis Philbin, who if I may be honest, deserved a Nobel Peace prize for sitting beside Kathie Lee Gifford year after year, and not throwing his morning coffee in her face (cheap shot at Kathie Lee, tacky but enjoyable and guess what wins out?). Knoester said Regis was the exact same guy you seem on TV: friendly and "up" with lots of energy.

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In an odd bit of MJAHL scheduling, the Junior 'A' Crushers don't play the Halifax Lions (and ex-coach Troy Ryan) until Jan. 19, here at JBM Stadium.
That's four months into the season before playing a division rival.
Non-Sports Thoughts of the Week: Just so I understand: local MP Peter MacKay says a federal election this fall would be wasteful, something Canadians don't want.
Whereas a year ago, as the economy was just starting to tank but before the masses began to notice, the Tories called an election no one wanted.... that's how it went, isn't it? Pretty much the story there?
Okay, then.

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Similar to Cindy Lou's hubby on Race Day, I don't want to be bothered Sunday afternoon. It's Week 1 of the National Football League and that means the remote is mine; that means I don't want no yappin' and carryin' on, this will a stressful three hours and I cannot overstate this.
The perennial-rebuilding Browns will be getting after old geezer Brett Fare, whom I hope will throw two or three interceptions for the Minnesota Vikings and if he breaks his freaking hip, that won't bother me either.
Pick 2: In week 1, Tom Brady (the best QB since Joe Montana) and the Patriots should stomp Buffalo on Sunday; the Bears will win at Lambeau over the Packers. Gut Feeling: the Washington Redskins will be the surprise team of 2009.