Busted Racquet's five favorite photos of the week

Busted Racquet selected our five favorite photos from the past week in tennis.

5. The Bryan Brothers

You could teach a pretty solid lesson on symmetry with this picture. Both brothers are hitting backhands, but because Bob is left-handed and Mike is right-handed they look like mirror images. Also nice: the wristbands they wear on their dominant hands and the fact the the "P" stencil on their rackets are also flip-fopped.

4. Kim Clijsters and a huge check

Good thing they wrote "SAMPLE" on the bottom of Kim's winner's check from the WTA Championships. She would have had a tough time depositing it at her local Bank of America location otherwise.

3. Janko Tipsaravic

Janko is baffled that you're not following him on Twitter. 

2. Kim Clijsters does the splits

Good gracious. I tweaked my hamstring just uploading this photo

1. Caroline Wozniacki, Piotr Wozniacki and a giant bag of ice

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

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Is Laval's dominance bad for the CIS game?

The Laval Rouge et Or made some history today with an ugly 29-2 beatdown of the Calgary Dinos before a crowd of 16,223 in the snow at Stade PEPS. With the win, the Rouge et Or claimed their sixth Vanier Cup (which team president Jacques Tanguay is pictured raising at right with co-captains Pascal Baillargeon, centre, and Mathieu Picard, left), tying Western's record of six university football championships (some of Western's came during the period when the Vanier was still known as the Canadian College Bowl). Incredibly, Laval's football program only started in 1995, but they won their first Vanier in 1999 under current B.C. Lions' offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine and have gone on to win five more under current coach Glen Constantin (who earned his second CIS coach of the year nod earlier this week). By any metric you care to use, they've established an incredible dynasty.

The question is if that's a good thing for CIS football, though. For one thing, one-sided blowouts like today's game can't be good for the TV ratings. That's hardly Laval's fault, as they turned in an incredible game (and were very restrained in the second half, only adding one field goal). The Dinos had played well all season and there were indications the conditions might even favour them Saturday, suggesting things might be close. If Laval played perhaps their best game of the year, though, Calgary certainly played their worst; their high-powered offence only gained two points, which came off a Laval safety. Still, Laval's strength means they often are involved in a lot of lopsided games. There's nothing wrong with a dynasty per se, but one with this much longevity does make the rest of CIS pale somewhat by comparison and causes some denigration of the university game by casual observers. The Montreal Alouettes face some of the same criticisms thanks to perennially being in the Grey Cup, but they've only won it twice since 1999; Laval has six Vaniers in that time. Parity is helpful for a league's success, and at the moment, the CFL has much more of that at the top than CIS does.

What's more concerning, though, is the way the Laval program interacts with outsiders. There have been rumblings coming out of Quebec all week about the Rouge et Or's efforts to dodge the English-language media that did make it to the game (see this tweet from The Calgary Herald's Allen Cameron for one example). I'm not saying that teams need to go out of their way to be friendly with the media, but Laval's efforts in the other direction certainly don't help the profile of the CIS game. It's quite amateur of them, which is unusual for a program that does so many other things professionally.

The Rouge et Or also appear to wield a disturbing amount of influence. They've managed to host the Vanier two years in a row despite never delivering the promised stadium improvements (including lights, which would have allowed a more reasonable kickoff time for this game than 11:30 a.m. Eastern)*.

*Clarification, Nov. 28: Yahoo!'s Neate Sager informs me lights weren't installed thanks to a dispute between the university and the provincial power authority, as well as the construction of an indoor soccer facility behind the stadium. So that's not all Laval's fault, but it's still disappointing.

Laval's influence seems to extend beyond CIS circles as well; at CFL commissioner Mark Cohon's state of the league address Friday, he cited the presence of the Rouge et Or as one of the key reasons the league isn't looking at expansion to Quebec City. Laval fans are great, and it's terrific to see the kind of presence they've developed in that town, but should a CIS team really have much say over what the CFL does? The CFL and CIS teams seem to get along just fine in Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina and Montreal; it's disappointing that Laval has apparently vetoed any idea of a similar relationship.

Laval does a lot of things right, and they deserve full credit for that. They've developed a strong relationship with their local business community, built a tremendous fan base almost from scratch, became a key presence on the local sporting scene, secured the funding they needed for a solid stadium and have used their wealth to put a tremendous coaching staff in place. There are a lot of CIS athletic departments that could learn from their example, and it might be good for university football if more schools followed Laval's model and really invested in athletics.

However, there are things Laval could learn from other schools too, such as working with the CFL and promoting the CIS game. There's nothing necessarily wrong with playing the heel, as even heels can draw interest (look at how much more attention the Miami Heat have in their current League of Evil iteration), but heels have to fall sometimes too. Laval has done that at times, notably in last year's semifinal against Queen's, but this year shows they're still at the top of CIS football. Given some of their actions, that has to be at least a bit concerning for those who'd like to see the university game grow.

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The continued ascension of Dustin Johnson

Last week, I was walking towards The Kingdom, the given name to TaylorMade's driving range mecca, to meet up with a golfer most hadn't heard of a year ago. As I was headed over there, a female mentioned, "I don't care what people say, he's really hot." The other female in the group sheepishly agreed.

And there you have Dustin Johnson, a young man that sports a soul patch, a sweet swing, and a swagger that even basketball players might envy. Taking the corner, Johnson was pegged in the back of the driving range, smashing driver after booming driver with the new white TaylorMade driver set to release in 2011.

Dustin's story isn't exactly a fairytale type of deal, but until 2010, he was the forgotten star of America's young generation. While names like Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan had been talked about for years, Johnson was just doing what most had hoped they would; win multiple tournaments.

He qualified for the PGA Tour in 2007, and won the following year, at the Turning Stone. He then took home the first of two Pebble Beach Pro-Am trophies in 2008, and battled for player of the year this season with two wins and two close calls at major championships.

The closest call obviously came at the PGA Championship, when a bizarre rules infraction on the 72nd hole cost him a place in a playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson. What does Johnson remember from that?

"What a lot of people forget is I did a lot of things right to get in that position. I birdied 16 and 17 to take a one-shot lead," Johnson said while leaning back in a chair, going over stats of the new driver.

The heartbreak at Whistling Straits might have cost him a major, but the way he handled it, with the "aww, shucks" mentality he gave in the post-round interview, gained him a ton of fans across the country. Johnson could have whittled away after that, but he stuck to it, winning the BMW Championship later that year, his biggest victory to date.

So why does such a long hitter (third on tour last season at 308.5 yards per swing) play so well in these tough events?

"I like hard courses," Johnson admitted. "Most people think since I'm a long hitter that I like easier golf courses, but I like playing tougher courses."

Does that mean Augusta National, not far from his old Coastal Carolina digs?

"Augusta sets up really well for me," he said, matter-of-factly. "I just need to get the greens."

So where would he like to see his name atop next, heading into 2011?

"The Masters for sure," Johnson said. "I had the opportunity to play Augusta a few times [before turning pro], but never did. I wanted to earn my way on the course."

He has done so, and if you're looking towards a young golfer that has the mentality and game to take this next season by storm, don't forget about the slender man in the white pants.

I know those two ladies won't.

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Garcia jokes Montiel may have second thoughts about facing Donaire

Nonito Donaire passed his latest test with flying colors. The 115-pounder moved up a weight class, to prep for his eventual jump to 122 pounds, and steamrolled Wladimir Sidorenko with a fourth round TKO.

Donaire, a 28-year-old powerhouse, planted Sidorenko three times before the Ukranian simply could go any longer late in the fourth round. Fernando Montiel is next for Donaire on HBO in February. Donaire's trainer Robert Garcia is worried Montiel might find something else to do that night.

"You know what?" Garcia asked, "I know Montiel is a true warrior. He’s proven that. He went to Japan and beat a great champion. We were just joking around. He’s a true Mexican warrior and I respect him for that."

Garcia was happy Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) focused on the task in front of him.

"His talent is just unbelievable," Garcia said. "His dedication, especially to this fight, was amazing. In the ring and he was just so happy to be [through this] because he knows he has the big fight after. It was just big motivation for him."

It could be a huge year for Donaire in 2011. Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole points out that fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao was 28 when his career took off. 

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Couture uses Twitter to 'kind of' retire

Randy Couture's in the land of indecision right now. He's caught between making movies and stepping back into the Octagon at the age of 47.

While on location for his latest movie role in a Bruce Willis film, Couture Tweeted Tuesday night that he's done fighting.

Multiple sources from his gym in Las Vegas, Xtreme Couture, confirmed that Couture has been talking about retirement but were unaware of the Tweet.

Josh Gross from ESPN.com exchanged text messages with Couture and the former UFC light heavyweight/heavyweight champ said he's still open to fighting.

Sources say that Couture was offered Lyoto Machida, but then the offer was rescinded.

Couture wants either Machida or Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

The Rua fight won't happen. After beating guys like James Toney, Brandon Vera and Mark Coleman, Couture still isn't at the front of the line for a shot at Rua's light heavyweight title.

A Machida fight is problematic because there are some within the promotion who worry about the fact that the Brazilian has lost two straight. A third loss in a row would be crushing for "The Dragon."

Couture was offered Quinton "Rampage" Jackson but has his heart set on Machida or Rua. Plus, can you fight someone like Rampage when you're "mixing" a training camp into all of your other endeavors?  

Couture's lawyer also told Mike Chiappetta from FanHouse that the Tweet was "not an official announcement."

The Tweet also sounded very similar to what he told ESPNRadio1100 at the start of the month and what he told RawVegas.tv in early November. 

It appears the UFC needs to talk Couture into fighting Jackson or Couture needs to convince the promotion that he should get Machida next. Couture seems to be much more intrigued stylistically by a bout against Machida. 

UFC president Dana White was unavailable for comment. He and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta are in Brazil. 

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Why do we shrug at Crawford's deal while sneering at Werth's?

Don't get me wrong: I like the positives of the big contract that Carl Crawford signed with the Boston Red Sox late Wednesday night. As Joe Lemire of Sports Illustrated sums up in a much longer article, the ex-Rays speedster will solidify the top of Boston's lineup and its outfield. The Red Sox can afford the seven years and $142 million because a lot of salaries have either come or are set to come off the books. Plus, they were able to kill the New York Yankees' Plan B if they're unable to land Cliff Lee later this offseason. If you've got a big stick — and the Red Sox certainly do — you should swing it.   

At the same time, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of me that feels like we've been trained to view each long-term deal done by the Yankees and Red Sox in a positive light while the default viewing mode for every other team is to start with the negative.

It turns out that I wasn't the only one who woke up feeling that way. My big bossman Jamie Mottram — an invested Washington Nationals fan — says he feels irked over the reaction after watching Jayson Werth's similar deal get roundly mocked and criticized earlier in the week. 

Writes Mr. Mottram over on Mr. Irrelevant:

Last night, Boston signed 29-year-old leftfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million deal. The reaction to this has generally been, "Good for them. I thought the Yankees or Angels were gonna get him."

On Sunday, Washington signed 31-year-old rightfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million deal. The reaction to this has generally been, "TEH NATS HAVE SIGNED THE DEAL OF DEATH!!!1!"

Crawford's career slash line is .296/.337/.444. Werth's is .272/.367/.481. Crawford is considered to be great on the basepaths and in the field. Werth is considered to be good in those areas. Neither has much star power, and their performance will almost certainly decline over the seven-year term.

So why the difference in the reactions? And why the outrage over Werth?

Indeed, just as there are positives to the acquisition of Crawford, there are positives to the Werth acquisition. And just as there are reasons to doubt a commitment to Werth for seven seasons, there are reasons to do the same for Crawford. The difference, Mr. Mottram believes, comes in our Pavlovian response to love everything a "have" team does while we're automatically set up to mock the "have nots." We'll see the same thing at play if Cliff Lee — who's 32 years old — signs with the Yankees. (Again, Lee would be a great add, but there are enough areas to immediately cast doubt if we really wanted to.) 

Look, Crawford is definitely the better pickup of the two. He's younger than Werth and has a longer track record of success. Also, the Red Sox and Yankees are much better equipped, budget-wise, to get out from a contract if it somehow turns bad (ie: John Lackey).

But the difference between Werth and Crawford — the top two position players in this year's free-agent crop and two men who were made rich by two fantastically rich ownership groups —  shouldn't be enough to cause this big of a disparity in the reactions to their signings.

Update: Here's a pretty negative (and well-written) piece on Crawford's deal from John over at Only Baseball Matters.

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Newcastle's Enrique gets in trouble for tweeting injury status

As if Newcastle didn't have enough problems already, now they have one more thing to worry about -- the secret-spreading menace that is Twitter. Ahead of Tuesday's match against Spurs, defender Jose Enrique mentioned on his Twitter feed that he wouldn't play due to a hamstring injury. This did not please new manager Alan Pardew. 

From the AP:

Pardew had hoped news of Enrique’s hamstring setback wouldn’t be discovered until the teamsheet was handed in at White Hart Lane, where Newcastle lost 2-0 in the Premier League.

But more than four hours before kickoff, the Spanish defender wrote in broken English on Twitter: “Sorry lads i have a test this morning and we decide is better dont play if no im in 100x100. Im so hungry because this game is nice to play … my hamstring is so stiff today.”

Pardew will now order his players to withhold such revelations from social networking accounts, although he accepts that “it’s difficult to police” and won’t impose an outright ban.

“I got a text message that the press knew,” Pardew said. “Did he tweet it, did he? It’s something as a club we need to look at. Players can’t be giving that sort of information out … we need to make it as a club policy that it has to stop.”

Asked if Enrique would be fit for Sunday’s match against West Ham, Pardew quipped: “I’ll check his tweet.”

Pardew apparently gave Enrique a talking to because later in the day, the player gave yet another update on the matter, saying:

"And sorry i want to delete twetter just get me problems. I have some followers they speak after i say something on the papers.thanks"

It was only a matter of time before something like this happened -- especially the way even respected media outlets desperately comb Twitter for things they can pass off as news. While the honesty and hilarious normalcy many footballers show through their Twitter (or "twetter") feeds has been refreshing in a lot of ways, the countdown to the day when they are all run by clubs' PR departments to mirror the mind-numbing blandness of post-match interviews begins. 

Photo: Getty Images

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