The Hunting Heart

I'm heading up to the farm in game-rich Andes this afternoon, for the opening of New York deer season, an event that has special and not entirely happy significance for me this year - it concerns the health of a friend, a guy younger than me, and I think that's all I want to say about it.

I won't be blogging until the middle of next week, but Steggy, the Hillbilly Princess, has a full menu for y'all, starting with great scene setters for The Game this weekend (Ohio State vs. Michigan!) by guest posters and regular comment posters, AmyLu (aka The Petite Shoe-Thrower) and most outstandingly gracious Tari. I'm inviting both of their families to come and join the fun. . .

Steggy may have many surprise posts of her own, and we have Mikey in Shanghai, as well as a new member of the tribe, Chinese journalist Bendou Zhang (he loves going by his posting name, BD, BTW). In other words, an embarassment of riches - enough to take us well into next week.

I've never been a David Nalbandian KAD, but my heart - like most of yours, I know - goes out to him because of the recent family tragedy he suffered (Lautaro Nalbandian, his nine-year old cousin and godson, was crushed to death just two days ago in a terrible elevator accident). It seems an odd time too start handicapping tennis, but I have a strong gut feeling that Nalbandian is going to defend his Shanghai title. Why?

Note Mikey's observation in the post below (Madrid Madrigal) on Nalbandian's level of play and, more to the point, his frequent communications with family and extended-family members in the Player's Guest Box.

This tells me that Nalbandian is playing on some kind of emotion, and I doubt that he would have continued in the tournament if he hadn't made up his mind to express his sorrow with a symbolic gift to his family.

Emotions are powerful motivators and they lift even the most calloused and self-involved among us to heights we might not otherwise attain. It is Nalbandian's time, even though I'm sure he, like the rest of us, wishes it weren't so.

Have a great weekend, folks, I'll be watching the tennis in the wee hours, and often thinking about you - and  David Nalbandian. No comments accepted here today.