By Jackie Roe, TW Social Director
Hey there, TWibe! Are we getting used to waking up at the break of dawn (or staying up 'til then) to catch the action in Asia? Yeah, me neither. Still, the past couple of weeks have seen some fun (well, fun for some, wonky for others) matches and results, worth sacrificing sleep over.
As much as I'm enjoying the tennis, though, baseball has replaced it as my favorite sport - for the month of October, anyway. That's right, the postseason has arrived ... and I'm pumped! I've been looking forward to the postseason for months now, as I do every year; I won't miss a single postseason game, and I'll wish for extra innings in each, just to prolong the end of the day's coverage. I suppose it's tantamount to my experience watching Grand Slams, especially the US Open. During the night sessions, you'll usually find me rooting for one player in one set and his/her opponent in the next, just so the match'll go the distance! (My sleep schedule takes its fair share of hits, doesn't it?)
I know I'm not the only one around here who's gone baseball-crazy (I see those Tweets and Facebook statuses, guys!), so I invite you to share your division series thoughts and predictions. I dare not mention that I'm rooting for the Yankees, right? Crap, I just did ...
Postseason baseball is also meaningful in that it signals the arrival of fall. I dread saying goodbye to the warmth of summer, but the beauty of the fall season almost makes up for it. This is no more apparent than in today's photo; that's Pete's adorable son Luke at the farm, set against a glorious autumnal backdrop. It almost looks unreal, doesn't it? That's quite a shot, Pete - thanks for sharing!
Now on to today's off-topic topic ...
Remember the YouTube series we started back in July? I thought that more than enough time had passed since our last YouTube-related post, so here's your third installment!
We kicked off our series with a YouTube music festival (click here to relive it), then we followed that up with a post on tennis videos (check that one out here). I thought this post, then, could be a mix of the two. Pete actually came up with the idea during the music festival. Here's what he said: Found Los Lobos doing "La Bamba" live, knew I would: http://tinyurl.com/knlj7f. For some reason, I've always thought of this as the soundtrack to Rafa. Some other time, we'll have to pick songs that define players. I think what you come up with will tell you how you feel about the player in question.
Songs that define players ... let's do it!
In need of some inspiration? Start off by checking out some of those "Un jour à Roland" videos (I know many of you have already seen 'em, but they're worth a second - or third or fourth! - look). A little background: At Roland Garros a couple of years ago, a French program ran segments of various players singing karoake; not only are the clips hilarious, but the songs are actually perfect examples of player "soundtracks." (Note that Pete's pick for Rafa, "La Bamba," was his chosen karaoke song! What is it about the song that's so "Rafa," you think?) Here are the top 10 performances: http://tinyurl.com/yf47u9e.
Want more examples? Here are a few of mine, off the top of my head:
Whenever I hear Common's "Universal Mind Control," I think of Serena (because they're dating - but perhaps some of her opponents would agree with the "mind control" part). I always associate Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" with Andy Murray after seeing him enthusiastically sing along to it during a changeover. Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" seems like it could work for Maria. Maybe "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon for Marat? (I just opened up a can o' worms, didn't I.)
Now it's your turn. Choose a song that best fits a player, sort of like his/her "theme song." How does it define him/her? If that's too difficult, feel free to go in a different direction, like I did with my Serena and Andy picks. You can select a song that reminds you of a player ... a song of a player's favorite artist (come on, you know you've looked it up!) ... a song by an artist who looks like a player ... anything!
And please try to follow these guidelines:
- This is part of our YouTube series, so duh!, make sure to post your song selections as YouTube videos. TinyURL is appreciated but not necessary.
- Include a brief description of the clip, so we'll know what we're clicking on, and don't forget to explain why you chose it (how is it related to the player in question?).
- Have fun!