Simple Addition:

PLUS +++
PLUS++++

PLUS++++ (hint, that is Tucson, not St. Paul)
PLUS++++
EQUALS ==== HAPPY ME...See ya in a week!

Fed has some fun in the FUN HOUSE
Poor Andy. This is old but still fun to watch.

The Fed won today 3-18-08. Business as usual.

PAC LIFE OPEN/INDIAN WELLS


QUIZ TIME: The first person to guess who these stats belongs too, gets to get out of work to catch the 3pm CST matches on FSN. Hint: We recently learned this person has had MONO. And like a champ didnt mention it in Australia or in Dubai, bc he didnt want to detract from the "oh so rare" wins his opponents had over him.



Birthdate: 8/8/1981
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland


Height: 6-1
Weight: 177


Turned Pro: 1998
Career Money: $37,470,388


Plays: Right
Back Hand: Right


Career Singles: 553-136



Rank: 1



Wins Notes: SINGLES CAREER TITLES (53): 2001--Milan; 2002--Hamburg TMS, Sydney, Vienna; 2003--Dubai, Halle, Marseille, Munich, Tennis Masters Cup, Vienna, Wimbledon; 2004--Australian Open, Bangkok, Canada AMS, Dubai, Gstaad, Halle, Hamburg AMS, Indian Wells AMS, Tennis Masters Cup, US Open, Wimbledon; 2005--Doha, Rotterdam, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami , Hamburg, Halle, Wimbledon, Cincinnati AMS, US Open, Bangkok; 2006 -- Doha, Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Halle, Wimbledon, Canada Masters (Toronto), US Open, Tokyo, Madrid Masters, Basel, Tennis Masters Cup; 2007 -- Australian Open, Dubai, Hamburg, Wimbledon, Cincinnati TMS, US Open, Basel, Tennis Masters Cup



Notable Notes: FINALIST (17): 2000--Basel, Marseille; 2001--Basel, Rotterdam; 2002--Miami TMS, Milan; 2003--Gstaad, Rome TMS; 2005 -- Tennis Masters Cup; 2006 -- Dubai, Monte-Carlo, Rome, French Open; 2007 -- Monte-Carlo, French Open, Montreal TMS, Madrid TMS


Pacific Life Open
3rd round..today... tune in. I have posted enough pics, that if you dont know who i am talking about you gotta start over.

2nd round WIN = BEATING=TOYINGWITH+TIME IN THE FEDERER FUN HOUSE:
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
W
6-3, 6-2

Lime Popsicle shoes...makes me think of summer.

Sunday Fun.... Can you feel the VERVE?

4/11's of my team (do the math, that isnt an easy decimal to figure out) Lets see ...
Less than half of my team but more 1/3rd of it...anyways...we rode today.
We were accompanied by Manion 1 and Manion 2. Thanks guys, nice to have you along!
At this point in the ride we were nearly in Hastings, having almost hit to Prescott but decided we had better stick to the plan. Which had been Afton to begin with...there was talk of Winona too but... Pretty nice day, and pretty drama free ride. Fun to ride by the Vineyards (Bailey) and also to have our future team car drive by us in Cottage Grove:The Pink metallic caddy SUV. Team Mary Kay. I will explore that option for 2009. Until then no team car. And I am kidding.

Wait, where are we again? Hats off to the ride leader (S).
Riding back on Rich Valley we saw Jimmer and Jordan (man his legs are long) and i am not sure who was with them. But it was good to see everyone out soaking the rays up. I dont have a computer on my bike so you dont get any fancy mileage/downloads this time around. I think the st paul folks got 60+ and the mpls got over 70. Just a guess. I will say that hauling up the "belgian" onto summit(full cross bike with fenders) was not fun, but it seemed shorter ( and steeper) than going up Grand.

Happy Palm Sunday to you all, and thanks "peeps," for the nice ride.

Cats in Boxes...compliments of my sister.
Daisy eyes the toy mouse. Practicing her "stare down."
Yeti makes good use of the tangelo box (complete with green foam as a cushion) from Christmas time Florida fruit. Now you have seen Albino squirrels, here is your Albino cat. Yea he is deaf, but he is totally a sweet cat. But i never thought i would be signing to a cat.
Dogs rule....even if they are stuffed and are eyeing the Pinneapple Shrimp Fried Rice.
Too bad we werent in Oahu eating it.

Olympic Games Qualifier:

I wonder WHERE he went to college?? Following in the steps of class of 1988's (and Hopkins native) Bob Kempainen, The Big Green have another Olympian. Not in Track and Field but in Triathlon.
read on.




-->
By Nate Herpich, NBCOlympics.comLast weekend Jarrod Shoemaker was a surprise qualifier for the Beijing Games in the men's triathlon by taking home an automatic selection reserved for the top American finisher in the Beijing BG Triathlon World Cup. Shoemaker stayed strong in the water, then rode hard on the bike, ultimately outpacing two former Olympians among his teammates, to finish 11th overall. The 25-year-old from Sudbury, Mass., talks to NBCOlympics.com about the mask he wore during his stay in China, partying on the Great Wall, his friendship with Alan Webb, and his beloved Red Sox. N.H.: First off, congratulations on qualifying for the Olympics.

J.S.: Thank you. I actually just got off the phone with my coach. We're planning out the year in advance.N.H.: Have things changed now that you've qualified for Beijing?

J.S.: No, we're not going to change any of the events for the rest of the year. Mostly we're working on my swimming, which I need to continue to improve on.

N.H.: You're fairly new to the sport, yet you've already made your mark as a triathlete, winning the U23 World Championship in 2005, and now, you're going to the Olympics. To what do you attribute your meteoric rise to the top?

J.S.: I really do not know how quickly I was able to rise through the ranks, but I think a lot of it had to do with my athletic background. I started the sport in 2004 directly after I finished at Dartmouth. I jumped into training and raced my first professional race at the end of July. Ever since I started I have done my best to learn from every athlete I talk to. I try to learn as much as possible and become a student of the sport.

N.H.: You were competing against two former Olympians for the first spot on the American team. What were your expectations coming into the race?

J.S.: My real goal coming in was just to get top three. One of our qualifying criteria was that you have to place in the top three Americans in one of the races to be eligible for selection.* I knew that with five other great American athletes in Beijing it would be tough to come in the top three, but it would get me one of the criteria I'd need. I also knew that being top three at this race would boost my confidence as three Americans are selected for the Olympics.

N.H.: Take us through your pre-race routine.

J.S.: I don't necessarily have a routine, I just try to stay relaxed. The more negative thoughts going through your mind before a race the harder it is to feel good. I try to stay relaxed and keep my thoughts positive remembering all of the hard work I have done to get to this point. I also like to stay relaxed because if you stay tense your body wastes more energy.

N.H.: How does one approach a qualifying event, strategy-wise? All six American men were fast in the water. Are you working together at that point?

J.S.: No, not in this race. (laughs) There's never any doubt who you're competing against. But in the greater picture, we've got a great group of guys.... One of the great things that the U.S. has is a great group of swimmers. My biggest limiter over the past three years has been my inconsistent swim. I knew that the other Americans would be out in the top pack of the swim. Andy [Potts] usually leads the swim and Brian Fleischmann and Hunter Kemper are usually out within the top 10, so if I wanted to have a chance at making the team I knew I would have to swim with the front pack. Over the past two weeks we have been training in Korea and during that time it was great to see how fast the other U.S. athletes were swimming.

N.H.: Tell us about the Beijing course -- obviously, you were very successful. Did you expect this course to be especially suited to your strengths?

J.S.: For most of our races we do swims that are two loops of 750 meters. The course in Beijing is one 1500-meter loop with an opening leg of 580 meters. The advantage to this is that it allows more time for people to sort themselves out at the correct speed before hitting the first turn buoy. I usually get caught up in the chaos around the turn buoys since my swim is not as good as somebody like Andy Potts; however, on this course I had more time swimming and less time worrying about running into other people. I did not alter my training at all, but I feel it allowed me to swim, instead of worrying about getting caught up around the buoys.

N.H.: There's so much talk about the air quality in Beijing. Does this come into play at all?

J.S.: The USOC sports science staff has been working hard on how the pollution affects our performances in Beijing. They recommended that we wear a mask to help filter out the pollution and keep our lungs clear before our race. I wore the mask every time I was outside and even when I was training outside. It took a while to get used to, but I really felt the difference it made. The air quality seemed to be much better this year, although that might have been my use of the mask for the few days I was there. Last year I had a hard time breathing after the race, but this year it seemed better. However, over the past two years when we raced there were days when you could see the sun, and that was not the case this year.

N.H.: Did you get a chance to check out the city? Tell us where we have to go when we visit.

J.S.: Go to the Great Wall of China. The organizers held the post-race party on the Great Wall again this year. It is so beautiful, especially at night when the wall is lit up. Two years ago we all went and climbed the Wall after the race and I was amazed at how they built it. It goes straight up the side of mountains and is so steep in places it is very hard to walk up. When you finally get to the top of a section the view is amazing.

N.H.: Talk about the importance of coming from a family of triathletes. Both you and Laura Bennett, the first American woman to qualify for Beijing, grew up surrounded by triathletes. Your uncle competes in Ironman, while your sister Jenna also competes.

J.S.: Right, my uncle competed in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in 1998, and my sister is a professional triathlete. My parents always encouraged us to play sports growing up, so it was a competitive household, and I played every sport you can imagine growing up. I played baseball, soccer, basketball, wrestling, swimming, hockey on my pond in my backyard, and lacrosse. I enjoyed learning different sports and just being athletic. From an early age I watched my parents run every day and compete in the Boston Marathon every year. They never made us compete in sports, but have always been supportive of our goals.

N.H.: As a senior at Dartmouth you competed at NCAA Nationals in the 5K. Any runners you've met or hope to meet at Beijing?

J.S.: Alan Webb and I have known each other for awhile. I sent him an email after he set the American record [in the 1500 meters this past July], and we go back and forth, he sent me an email congratulating me on qualifying for Beijing. My senior year, we actually ran against each other in high school at the Foot Locker National Championships in the 5k.N.H.: Do you ever share training tips?

J.S.: (Laughs) No. I'd love to be able to run [an American record 1500], but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.

N.H.: Like any good New Englander, you're a huge Red Sox fan. Size up their chances in the playoffs.

J.S.: One of the things I miss the most about being on the road is not being able to follow U.S. pro sports. I am a huge Red Sox fan and while I am away I try to watch as many Red Sox games online as I can. Luckily in Beijing the time change is 12 hours, so 8pm games start at 8am over there. I usually get on my computer and turn on Gamecast as I make calls to home and plan out my training day. It helps keep my mind off of racing. We've got good pitching this year, so I like their chances. (*Note: The first two members of the Olympic team are the top finishers at the Beijing test event, and then at the U.S. Olympic trials. A third member will be selected based on best two out of three finishes for those two races and the Hy-Vee Triathlon Olympic Selection Event in Des Moines, Iowa.)
Also: Read Q& A with Laura Bennett

Women's Tennis Moves Up In National Rankings
Courtesy: Dartmouth

Release: 03/06/2008
Courtesy: Dartmouthhttp://www.dartmouthsports.com/

The Dartmouth College women’s tennis team shot up to No. 48 in the latest Division I national rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on March 4. In the previous rankings they were tied at No. 75 with Boston College, a team the Big Green beat 4-3 in late January. The only undefeated team in the Ivy League, Dartmouth was also the only Ivy team to appear in this week’s rankings. “The team has been working really hard as a unit, pushing each other to improve, and that's contributed a lot to our success,” said sixth-year head coach Bob Dallis, who led the Big Green to a No. 53 ranking last year. “This is an exceptionally motivated, talented, and driven group of young women and their goal is to win an Ivy League title.”The 7-0 Big Green have bested two Big East teams and two ACC teams this spring, including a 5-2 win over the University of Maryland. Molly Scott (Trabuco Cyn, Calif.), who leads a freshman class that was rated No. 22 in the nation by tennisrecruiting.net, defeated Maryland's No. 1 player, Michal Amir, who was No. 102 in the latest national rankings. Sophomores Mary Beth Winingham (Carmel, Ind.) and Jesse Adler (Winnetka, Ill.) are undefeated at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, freshmen Ryan Reichel (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) and Georgiana Smyser (Houston, Texas) are 5-0 and 4-0 respectively, and senior tri-captain Maggie Suydam (Marblehead, Mass.) is 3-0.The Big Green return to action on March 15 when they take on No. 53 University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, at 11 a.m.

one more note:
Roddick fired Connors and then beats Nadal.
Correlative effect or causal?

Sad day; The Fed lost.

I dont have much to say other than it was too bad he lost to Andy Murray, who is coached by Brad Gilbert. Kind of a pill, both of them.

It is also sad that Fed gets a headline that says "Fed loses AGAIN." Let the guy go under the radar for a bit. He even said he isnt expecting a whole lot from himself, so let it go. And time will tell, as Roland Garros nears you know he isnt going to win on clay.

I would love to see him step it up for Wimbledon, but time will tell.

In the mean time, the race is on with the Flames. (and maybe the Canucks, too)

The Time is NOW for Gaborik to get scoring...

GO WILD!

Tag I Am it...
I had to think about this one for a bit. I am still thinking. "I think anyone who cares knows all they care to know about me." Lets see if i can burst that bubble:)
1) I used to eat mayonaise (Hellmans real stuff) by the spoonful when i was a kid. Then i would wrap it up in olive loaf and eat it like a cannolli (spelling?) Obviously I have never had a real canolli, not to be mistaken for cannolonni. I dont eat much of that either.

2)I used to sleep with my tennis racket.

*** Steve, see this is really boring stuff. nothing too odd, really....

3)About the age of 10 I had my first and last (maybe??) brush with OCD. For a whole summer i wouldnt eat anything i had touched. I had to hold it in a napkin. I really thought i would be poisoned by something, I dont know what.

4)I thought Fondue was "Fon-too." What a fun food to eat. We had a Fon-too set and we each had our own fon-too fork. I wondered why there wasnt soy sauce and chowmein noodles to go with this asian delight.

5) We had our own language. ( Like i am sure other families did, maybe?) Funny thing is that we still talk in that speak. Well 3 of us do and my oldest sibling, well, she was adopted you know.
Lets test the reader, what do you think this phrase means. BTW this is an easy one.

" I forgot my baby-doot, I cant go to bim now."

I think i need to consult my siblings. I am sure they could be up to 20 tagged items by now. So stay tuned.

Top-ranked Federer to play No. 12 Murray in 1st round at Dubai Championships
AP
Posted: 2008-03-01 11:27:27
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Top-ranked Roger Federer was drawn to play the 12th-ranked Andy Murray of Britain in the opening round at the Dubai Championships.Federer, a four-time champion, has lost only two matches since playing in Dubai for the first time in 2002 - to Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the round-of-16 in 2002 and Rafael Nadal in the 2006 final.Federer and Murray are 1-1 in head-to-head. The Briton won their last match, in the second round of the 2006 ATP Masters in Cincinnati.The tournament starts Monday at the Aviation Club.The second-ranked Nadal was drawn Saturday to play Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany. If he wins, Nadal will then meet either UAE wild card Nader Mahmoud or a qualifier in the second round.Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic opens against Marin Cilic of Croatia. The Serb could then play Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, who lost to Federer in last year's final.Sixth-seeded Andy Roddick will make his Dubai debut against former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.The top six ranked players are in in the field of 32 with the winner collecting $US300,000 (198,000).
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
03/01/08 11:26 EST

4 weeks to go:

Honey is gearing up for the madeira canyon ride. I know he wants to get revenge on me and he is even taking his lighter bike so he can hold on over that last steep mile climb. I wont give up the title too easily, but if he deserves it, he gets it.
Our favorite Chicken must know we are coming back for more pics.
Do you ever notice how many random towns have plastic chickens? I have had to stop honey from pulling over bc i think one chicken pic is enough.
Looks like a city limit sign and a sprint, but actually it is just open road, no ice, no SALT and no fenders on a cross bike. Cant wait.

I know that steve tagged me but i just rode 4 hours outside and ate some good food so i need to pass out for a bit then i will get my seven tagged items on the screen. Here's to the open road!Even if it is windy like last year, today it was windy and one bank said 22 degrees. No wonder my feet were clubs at the end. And dont youwonder, those foot insert heaters that claim to be good for 5+++ HOURS!!! Seem to run out on me in under 2. Whatever. I hope the lady at the Kwik Mart in Rosemount appreciated me cleaning her floor as i sat on it, trying to swap warmers and get the guts to ride back home. We bought some stuff so i dont think she cared.

HAPPY MARCH 1st!