Re: T-ball and B-Ball (re: Tennis, Sharapova, Baseball) From Oliver Bronsen JRL #9232, Aug. 25, 2005
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/9232-17.cfm
Oliver Bronsen takes issue with Maria Sharapova being rated the top female tennis player. Sharapova, Vogue Magazine and the Russian Tennis Federation didn't set the standards for rating the top player. As per those standards, Sharapova clearly qualifies for number one rating based on the number of tournaments played so far this season, relative to her results when matched against other players. A player winning two matches and then not finishing in the top ten in other tournaments or not playing in as many tournaments as Sharapova isn't worthy for top ranking.
Mr. Bronsen makes a snide remark that Sharapova's number one ranking is on par with Vladimir Putin somehow manipulating an otherwise undeserving Russia into the G-8. Actually, Russia was in the G-8 prior to Putin's presidency. As for Russia's G-8 membership, one can ask why Italy and Canada are in that organization of supposedly leading world economies?
Contrary to Mr. Bronsen - Sharapova is very much a Russian who acknowledges herself as such. Unlike some past and present players on the tour, the number one rated Russian chooses to be listed as representing the country of her birth (there's a top rated "French" player who is Russian born). During the period of Russia's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics - Sharapova accepted the role of the lead Russian athlete used to promote that now failed bid.
Mr. Bronsen suggests that Sharapova gets more coverage than others because of her good looks. In supporting this contention, he appears to make reference to another Russian player Anastasia Myskhina. Myskhina is quite attractive in her own right. Tennis experts universally agree that Sharapova is the more talented of the two.
Mr. Bronsen openly questions why the families of the Russian Little League team were denied visas to see their kids play in Williamsport. Perhaps there's a growing authoritarian and anti-Russian streak permeating in the US. Just look at the shameful display of journalism ABC News NightLine displayed in its Chechen separatist friendly feature with terrorist Shamil Basayev. As I noted in a recent article at intelligent.ru Behind the ABC-Russian Government Dispute
http://english.intelligent.ru/cgi-bi...text_e0072.htm,
NightLine was far more accommodating to the Soviet view during the Cold War when compared to how it mutes out post Soviet mainstream Russian views (instead preferring the likes of Masha Gessen and Pavel Felgenhauer).
Michael Averko
http://averko.blogspot.com