Miami Bound

Well, I've got those red Speedos and my Ricky Martin pomade all packed and ready to go; I'm off to blog the NASDAQ 100 starting tomorrow evening (my plane gets into Ft. Lauderdale at around 6:30 P.M., so I'm not sure how much of the night session I'll be able to catch).

There's been a lot going on while I've been distracted with Tennis magazine grunt work, and I look forward to posting on various issues ranging from Nicky Davydenko to the Williams sisters.

To me, the suspiciously high number of early round losses by top players plays right into a theme I harped on a lot at the end of last year, and which I never got a chance to return to at the (WTA) depleted Indian Wells event - the increasing impunity with which players choose to ignore their ethical obligations to support the pro tour and give tennis fans their money's worth.

However, I don't want to get sidetracked by focusing inordinate attention on political or dry, administrative issues - not while live, Masters-grade tennis is being played for just one more week in the U.S. until the post-Wimbledon hard court season.

To those of you who want to try to hook up with fellow TW readers as per our dialogue in the Comments section of the post, "Time Out" (below), stay tuned. I'll be posting any meeting place/time we come up with, and I'm taking along a mustard-colored Tennis magazine hat that will enable you to find me if and when we do arrange a rendez-vous.