Officially Caring about Tennis: I Admire Sprem Too

Looks to me like Serena and Andy need to stand the hell down. It simply isn't up to any competitor during any event over which there is officiating to make such a call. Certainly, it is up to the competitor whether they decide to argue, be it in their favor or not. Whether it was in or out, the official is supposed to be the one making that call, not the athlete.

And it's pretty damn disingenuous for either Serena or Andy to be making statements like "no way would I have done that." What a large load of garbage. You tell me the first time either of them questions a call that goes in their favor and I'll be happy to take it all back.

Sprem deserves as much credit for staying mum as Venus. Neither one of them would be able to do a damn thing about the call anyway. As soon as officials start changing their mind, they lose what they need to make the call in the first place, and that's absolute authority.

When was the last time you saw Roger Clemens come charging off the mound after a called third strike, screaming, "No goddamn way, ump. That was obviously wide." And as lousy a free-throw shooter as Shaq is, I don't recall him ever getting into a ref's face with anything akin to "that was not foul, you idiot . . . he never touched me." As entertaining as those scenarious might be, it simply will never happen, and it never should.