Roland Garros, France – The stars have aligned, bringing together the Top 2 women in pro tennis to battle it out at the French Open. Preacher Collins’ own favorite and defending French Open Champion #2 Maria “Sugar” Sharapova vs #1 Serena “I’m The Better Sister” Williams. Sorry, Venus. She’s right.
Set up to be one of the most dramatic battles in modern sports history, these 2 former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models will face off after only a few weeks from competing at the Madrid Open on May 12th. Serena came up the victor then and carries a dominating 13-2 career edge over Sharapova. But what is telling here and favors Sugarpova (see former Preacher’s Row about Maria’s Candy line) is that they will be playing on a clay court. And Serena sucks on clay. I don’t mean to say that she is dating a guy name Clay, nor that ‘red dirt’ in particular gets her going, I mean that she has not won in over a DECADE at the French Open. Maria is coming off a tough and very boisterous win over #3 World Ranked Victoria Azarenka where fans in the stands were said to go deaf from the Banshee-like wailing on every down stroke. While Serena comes into the finals with a 30-match winning streak and a relatively easy win over #4 World Ranked Sara Errani. Whats the Preacher Collins’ call? Why my lovely Sugarpova in 3 sets.
Since the Braves are still tops in their division with the largest lead in the majors (6.5 games over the Phillies) and 2nd best record in the league heading into the halfway mark soon, there’s no need for me to say anymore and I can focus on a new and hopefully exciting feature for Preacher’s Row… Hero & Villain of the Week.
Hero of the Week: Brett Favre
Brett came clean this week and finally humbled himself to admit that his Green Bay Packer’s hugely upsetting exit in 2007 was, shall we say, less than admirable…simply admitting:
“It’s over and done with. I was at fault,” Favre said.
Brett Favre was one of the most looked-up-to Sports Heros of his generation; restaurants were named after him, little children and their overweight cheesehead wearing dads admired and wanted to be like him. And that fateful decision to play the “retire me or retire me not” game and sloth around with the Jets and then the Vikings led to a tragic demise to what was such a valiant career in the NFL. Brett played in 302 games and had 508 TDs, and now the best statistic of his career is his admitting his own mea culpa. Great job Brett. I hope they still name a pizza after you.
Villain of the Week: Alex Rodriguez
In sharp contrast to our Hero of the Week, Mr. Rodriguez released a statement this week that made my blood cringe and gave new meaning to the phrase “deflect, deflect, deflect.” That’s the phrase all high-priced public relations pros coach their famous clients on how to avoid blame and slither out of a tough situation. Regarding the upcoming decision by MLB’s Commish – Bud Selig – on potentially suspending A-Rod for up to 100 games (making it a 2nd offense since he first initially denied involvement) on the continuing PED Balco fiasco, here’s what ‘ole Alex had to say:
“I will monitor the situation and comment when appropriate. As I have said previously, I am working out every day to get back on the field and help the Yankees win a championship.” Alex Rodriguez said.
Alex, seriously, man up and admit that you cheated, cut a deal, and start clean. You’re headed to a Barry Bonds type career-end and you “whorely” ignore all the thousands and thousands of fans who adore you so you can continue your own self-induced fantasy that “velcro” is your middle name. I’m here to say that you should fess up, stop being such a wuss and explain what really happened and let the judges decide. Salvage what still can be a great and admirable career. Don’t cop out like Mark McGwire and fade into irrelevance, or continue to deny that something really did happen at Balco. So, you are the Villain this week, but you’ve got a chance to be a Hero in the future. Preacher Collins’ just hopes it doesn’t take too long or that too many other innocent people and fans are hurt.
That’s all for Preacher’s Row today, be kind, be safe, and stay tuned for Cheesy Bruin tomorrow!
