Charly and Me: A Berlocq Story

What a journey it’s been for Charly and Me.  Although we don’t talk after every tournament, I’d say we’re pretty close. But as I watched Carlos Berlocq dispatch a resurgent Fernando Verdasco to win his first ever ATP title in Båstad, Sweden [pronounced BAH-shtod], I knew things were about to change.

Leading 6-5 in the first set, Charly played a prototypical point at 30-All. Tracking down every ball. Never giving up. His hard work earning him yet another set point.

Later, on his sixth set point, Charly put his new found doubles skills to work [he also advanced to the doubles final in Bastad with partner Ramos]. First he fought back a tough half volley and then stabbed a pure reflex volley into the open court. Charly was only one set away from the title and his place in tennis history.

Ok, so a 250-series clay court title won’t punch Charly’s ticket to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but he will certainly shake his underdog status. That was one thing that drew me to the journeyman. I also have a soft spot for one-handed backhands. However, it was something more that cemented my fanhood.

I voted. Did you?

Where’s my “I voted” sticker, Major League Baseball? There should totally be a sticker just like the one I wear to shame family and friends on election day every two years (Uh, local elections are cool too, guys).  For MLB’s “I Voted” sticker, I can picture a baseball in place of the letter “O” and intersecting mini-baseball bats for all the other letters. (My wife helped this vision become a reality.)

But unlike government elections, baseball’s equivalent of a popularity contest needs stickers to shame people into voting less.  As it stands, anyone registered on MLB.com can vote up to 35 times for their favorite players in both leagues.  

Here are my issues with this setup.

First, I don’t get the feeling that these are 35 of the most unbiased votes. Let’s be honest, most people simply choose to vote a Straight Party Ticket. I mean who hasn’t SPT’d an election or two? Come on, nobody’s ever heard of some of these district judges before. But with the all-star ballot, the old SPT can get a bit ridiculous. I would say in certain instances it is downright shameful to vote for certain players because they are on your favorite team.