A big tennis fan, I never felt the urge to attend the U.S. Open.
For one, New Yorkers are the greatest tennis fans in the world - at least that's what we're told ad nauseam year after year - and I wasn't sure that I could match up.
Also, the television coverage was so complete and entertaining that I didn't feel the need to be there in person. In fact, I knew that if I were there I would miss out on a lot.
But that was when the USA network showed the Open. This year ESPN2 is handling it (as well as the Tennis Channel, starting at 11 a.m., though ESPN doesn't tell you that).
ESPN is a sports company and approaches the game through the eyes of an athlete; most of its announcers are former players. This does not mean they're not articulate, but it ensures that, for the most part, they fail to see the sport as entertainment.
John McEnroe and Ted Robinson make up one of the finest teams in broadcasting: the grizzled, irreverent veteran paired with the wide-eyed, West Coast swooner. Not only do they constitute an odd couple, they provide - like Madden and Michaels, Morgan and Miller - the insider AND outsider perspectives.
ESPN has McEnroe teamed with his brother Patrick, another former player (and coach) and a fine announcer in his own right. But the only chemistry is that of siblings, and you don't want sharing the same booth two people who used to share the same house. You want tension, even if it's cordial.
But the biggest loss this year is Michael Barkann, who used to roam the stadium and talk to celebrities between points, and then appear on the court for the post-match interview. They're still doing the interviews, though last night they annoyingly cut away from the one with Kateryna Bondarenko after she upset Ana Ivanovic. They did show Brad Gilbert (ex-player, ex-coach) talking to Andy Murray after his straight-set victory over Ernests Gulbis, but it had none of the fine quirkiness of Barkann's interviews. (Even though Gilbert tried, desperately, asking the dour Scot about the ballboy's spill in the third set.)
Barkann never played on the ATP tour, and so was able to bring a charming Everyman quality to the moment. Two years ago, after Andy Roddick beat Justin Gimelstob, he handed the microphone to the loser (who now can be found on the Tennis Channel) and had him interview his friend and opponent. Barkann talked so long with Novak Djokovic after one match that Djokovic asked him: "Do you want to sit down? Have some coffee?"
Nobody's going to invite Gilbert for coffee.
