There was a period during my junior and senior years of high school when I played tennis 698 out of 700 days while on the McKinley High School tennis team. We did lose to Punahou (their players began training at the age of five), but beat Iolani, Kamehameha, Mid Pac and all public schools. I actually in my senior year edged my Punahou opponent after losing the first two sets 6-0, 6-0.. That was no doubt the highlight of my athletic career, for I'm a hopelessly mediocre golfer with a 20 handicap who announced to my golf partners a month ago that I would drop down to 14 by the end of the summer, a low I've never reached in my life. This is my last chance because I can already see the end of the tunnel.
For record I have never watched an entire tennis match on TV in my life, but this a contorted way of indicating that Andy Murray was the first British Wimbledon (which is located in England, and is considered to be the premier professional tennis tournament) men's singles champion since 1936, won by Fred Perry (left). A grounds pass then cost about a quarter. It is $12 today. Queen Elizabeth was only a princess and 10 years old. Their Prime Minister then was Stanley Baldwin, followed by Neville Chamberlain from 1937 to 1940, who was replaced by Winston Churchill until 1945. People generally don't remember that Sir Winston Churchill returned as prime minister from 1951 to 1955. I smoke the churchill sized cigar named after him. It is 7 inches long with a diameter between 47 and 50 mm. Why? Because my cigar filter only holds this size. He smoked 10 of them per day, or it is said, a quarter million in his lifetime. I might have one a week and usually on a golf course. Churchill especially preferred the Cuban Romeo y Julieta kept in a tube. My-Cuban-Cigars.com sells ten in aluminum tubes for $200. 
The whole point to the above is that 1936 was a long time ago. During that period, there were 39 champions from 12 other countries. Seventeen Americans and nine Australians won that championship, even a Czech who defected to Egypt (Jaroslav Drobny, right). In 1937, sixty-four Brits qualified for this tournament. This year, only three...out of 128 competitors!
The USA? From 1981 to 2000, American men won 12 titles. This year, 11 qualified, and no one advanced past the second (there are six) round. The highest ranked player from the U.S. is John Isner at #19, Sam Querry at #21 and Mardy Fish at #61. What happened to us? #1 is Novak Djokovic from Serbia, who lost in the finals to Andy Murray, #2. Anyone know who is #3? David Ferrer from Spain. Who? I honestly never saw that name before. Amazingly enough, aside from Murray, no other player from his nation is in the top 100. Incredible. He is their only hope, and he prevailed. Amazing.
Murray grew up in Scotland and was taught the game by his mother. Eerily, when he was eight (left) in 1996, Thomas Watt Hamilton walked into Murray's elementary school and killed 16 children and one teacher. Murray and his brother hid under a desk and survived. Twenty six children and six teachers were shot by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Murray sent messages to the parents of those killed in Newtown.
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Typhoon Soulik is now up to 100 MPH and will attain Category 4 status very shortly:
The track remains largely unchanged from my reportage yesterday, but perhaps will now affect northern Taiwan.
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