Zoom-in Online

My alternate program during the rain delay of the Wimbledon men's championship match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was Casablanca on TCM. During my usual Wikipedia/IMDB background search, I stumbled across this tidbit: Bogey was reportedly the first actor to ask, "Tennis, anyone?" on stage in one of his early Broadway performances. Aha! I knew there was a connection between one of the greatest love stories of all time and the epic tennis match going down at the All England Club. Here's a little analogy to help you choose your winner, aided by Nora Ephron's witty pop crit from When Harry Met Sally: Roger Federer is to Victor Lazlo AS Rafael Nadal is to Rick Blaine THEREFORE, if Federer wins, you get to be the queen of Czechoslovakia; if Nadal wins, you get the best sex of your life So here's one for Rafael Nadal...Viva la Espana! 1. "Game Set & Match" - The Herbaliser featuring More or Les What's more appropriate for a Wimbledon mix than a Brit hip-hop outfit? 2. "To Serve With Love" - Black Spade This song is about getting someone pregnant. But I like the sentiment of the title, like Nadal & Federer are actually not wanting to kill each other during the fourth-set tie-break. Plus, once the song settles in, its a groovy little thing. 3. "Deuce" - Kiss Deuce: what a great word. It carries connotations of tennis, cards, cars, and taking a dump. So whenever it pops up in a song (Beastie Boys, "She's Crafty," por ejemplo), I get happy. It's just cool. 4. "Section 32: The Championship" - The Polyphonic Spree I decided I hated these guys when I saw them on an episode of Scrubs. They are hella annoying to look at, but sound kind of okay. So in lieu of Queen's "We Are the Champions" or something as obvious, I chose this ditty instead to commemorate Nadal's impending victory. 5. "Housewives Play Tennis" - Come On I can't find anything online about this band except that they were once on a label called Heliocentric. They sound like a neo-'80s Devo-esque dance-prog band. Basically, they are awesome. 6. "Double Faults and Dirty Deeds" - Raspberry Tortoise Who the hell are Raspberry Tortoise? Again, I can't find any information about them on the Internet. But really, who cares, when they have a song called "Double Faults and Dirty Deeds?" 7. "Retired Tennis Pro" - Freezepop The inclusion of this track is dedicated to the 98 close-up shots of Bjorn Borg (he's at the match to witness Federer possibly tying him in consecutive Wimbledon championships--six) and the always-sparkling commentary by John McEnroe 8. "Rain Delay" - Marah Rain delays suck but listening to this song might bring you a small amount of joy while you wander around in a yellow poncho. 9. "Match Point of Our Love" - The Beach Boys This is Beach Boys disco. WTF. How come nobody told me about this before? I feel like I've been left out of a secret club or something. Come to think of it, I might be okay with this. 10. "Grazing in the Grass" - The Friends of Distinction I needed to include a song about grass, the hellish surface that poses a serious challenge to some of tennis' all-time greats (Nadal included--he hasn't won Wimbledon yet largely because the tournament is played on grass courts). So, when I came across this completely insane song (one that my sister and I used to laugh at/sing along to), I had to choose it over some worthy contenders. Enjoy. Bonus Tracks "Rally" - Bad Brains Some dub to keep the boys going through the second rain delay. "Break Point" - The MelTones And some surf music, to erase the memory of the disco Beach Boys. Let's hope the boys can resume play tonight and finish up the fifth set (current score: 2-all in the fifth).