'Bama Calling

Well, here we are in Birmingham, and so far it's everything I had expected - friendly, spacious, easygoing. This morning, I needed to make a convenience store run, so I inquired about cabs at the front desk of the Embassy Suites hotel where I'm staying. Michael, one of the desk clerks, offered to drive me down in the hotel van. Easy. Anything you need, just let me know,  Michael said, as we chatted about life in Birmingham, rolling through a nice neighborhood of small, well-kept homes with sprawling lawns. I'm not accustomed to getting livery service as part of my hotel stay, but there you go. . .

Last night, Chris Widmaier of the USTA invited me out to dinner. He's staying at a different hotel, so he came by in a cab. Our driver, it turned out, was new on the job (having lost his previous gig as a carpenter thanks to the housing bust), and he didn't seem to know much more about town than we did. But he sure was friendly. At one point during what was becoming a wild goose chase to find the Sol y Luna restaurant in the Lakeview district, Chris got a little testy (and who could blame him, the meter was running!) but Dave, our driver, assured him that he had no intention of charging us by the meter anyway. . . When we eventually found the restaurant, Dave gave us his number and told us to call if we needed a ride back. He was supposed to go off duty, but wanted to make sure we'd get transport home.

After a long, excellent dinner of something like Mexican tapas (the lobster tacos were awesome), we adjourned to a local landmark, Lou's tavern/bar. It's a combination package store and a small bar, with fluorescent lighting and a crew of staff who managed to be sardonic and friendly at the same time (Is there anyone more seemingly world-weary than the lifelong bartender?. Lou's was the epitome of the neighborhood bar; trendy need not apply.

It was close to midnight when Chris called Dave, who showed up - despite our deep doubts -  about 15 minutes later. When we clambered in, Dave presented each of us with a brown package, a "welcome present" he called it. Chris got an Auburn beer glass, and mine celebrated the Crimson Tide (University of Alabama). BTW, any doubt I may have had about the towering role of football here was dispelled by a black SUV I saw parked out front of the hotel. It had a "Roll Tide" vanity plate, and sitting on the otherwise spotless, broad dashboard was a perfect replica of the houndstooth-checked fedora that was the trademark of the Crimson Tide's legendary football coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant - who went to his greater reward almost three decades ago.

I'm at the arena now. It's part of the impressive if no-frills Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (I'm trying to get a good image of the place, and will post it when I do). The walkway around the arena is lined with cherry trees, and I didn't see a single piece of litter or urban detritus as I made my way inside. Things move pretty slowly here; a mother with three kids confused about what entrance to use is taken care of by a ticket-taker patiently and graciously, even though some visiting press folks standing behind her are tapping their feet and wondering, What's the hold-up?

The hold-up is the way of life; the stubborn refusal to rush, push, hurry. I'm really comfortable here, there's warmth and. . . personal engagement.  Forgive me if I sound dewy-eyed. I know it's not the entire story, but it's the chapter I'm living at the moment and I'm enjoying it.

Anyway, this morning I'm trying to track down the president of the ITF, Francesco Ricci Bitti. You may have seen Andy Ram's comments criticizing the ITF's apathy regarding the potentially explosive Israel vs.Sweden tie. I want to see how Ricci Bitti justifies the ITF allowing  this situation to develop. . . If and when we speak, I'll post right away - at Tennis.com.

Also, Ken Solomon of Tennis Channel told me this morning that TC is making every effort to secure the tapes of the Israel-Sweden tie for broadcast, ASAP. So there's all the intel I have for you this morning.

Enjoy today's tennis everyone, thanks Rosangel, for your help this weekend!

-- Pete