Vera Zonareva and Bud on the Stage
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – It was tennis atmosphere at its best. Even the palm trees of Crandon Park seemed to be clapping their fronds as two brilliant shotmakers dashed and bashed for almost 3 ½ hours on their stage, a blueberry-toned asphalt court.
Rafa Nadal came to this beach town as No. 1, and looked it in crushing Roger Federer in the semis, 6-3, 6-2. But the guy who glowed with a No. 1 sheen in Sunday’s heated Sony Ericsson Open title showdown wasn’t Nadal this time. It was the Serbian who had fallen to Nadal in the last US Open final – the scrappy Novak continue reading »
April 03 2011 | Key Biscayne | 3 Comments »
Anita and Bud at the Collector's Club
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Roger Federer has heard his name shouted appreciatively in arenas across the world. But it was different this time as the full-house crowd at Crandon Park vocalized a tsunami of sound –
“ ROGER! ROGER! ROGER!” over and over so boisterously it may have been heard in Switzerland. They were mighty roars from most of the 13,800 throats, but not the usual sounds of commendation. No. It was midway through the second set, and his people were sending a message. The cheers were a mixture of love, respect, great memories and belief. continue reading »
April 02 2011 | Key Biscayne | 1 Comment »
With Chris Evert and Gabriela Sabatini ... at a WTA reunion
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Is Andy Murray lost in a London fog that enshrouded him on this sandy, sunny isle?
How can you explain his brief appearance as a staggering soul, allegedly No. 5 on the planet, being chased from the Sony Ericsson Open by a hustler unknown to almost all: Alex Bogomolov, a local qualifier ranked No. 118. continue reading »
March 26 2011 | Key Biscayne | 1 Comment »
Bud with Butch Buchholz
KEY BISCAYNE, FLA — Like Ponce de Leon, an earlier adventurer in Florida, Butch Buchholz out of St. Louis arrived a quarter century ago, looking for a treasure. The Spanish explorer sought the Fountain of Youth. Buchholz searched for a place where talented youths swinging tennis rackets could charm the locals and acquire some treasure for their bank accounts. continue reading »
April 01 2010 | Key Biscayne | No Comments »
Ollie Rochus
KEY BISCAYNE, FL — Maybe no man is an island, but a little man owned an island called Key Biscayne — at least for a day as the Transcontinental Double set up shop on an East Coast beach after a fortnight in a California desert. continue reading »
March 27 2010 | Key Biscayne | No Comments »
Roger Federer with Bud's book, which Bud presented to him after his win over Roddick.
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Zing went the strings of his racket – along with the frame, his composure and hopes of reversing the reverse trend in his career. Can we be talking about Roger Federer, the paragon, clearly the most beloved player in today’s game??
Afraid so, folks. He has lost his way, and it’s no fun to watch him unravel as he did against Novak Djokovic in the semis of the seaside convention called the Sony Ericsson Open. It didn’t end with a bang – nor a whimper, although there were tears.
The bang heard ‘round the world, or at least anywhere within TV range occurred in the second game of the final set when Roger did his Marat Safin impersonation, mangling his instrument against the court’s purple pavement. This stroke left the racket as twisted as Roger’s route lately. He was in the midst of something unheard of in the land of Federer – a streak of 7 lost games on the way to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 defeat. continue reading »
April 03 2009 | Tournaments | 5 Comments »
We stay at a throwback to the old Florida, a charming hostelry, Silver Sands, mere feet from the beach in Key Biscayne. Among the features are scores of colorful iguanas who are fed by some of the staff.
March 28 2009 | Photos | No Comments »
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Tricky Dick and Bebe – was that a sitcom with the laugh on us? – are gone. But that doesn’t mean the island has lost its appeal.
Of course, that depends on what appeals to you. Federal government employee Richard Nixon, the trickster, and his pal Bebe Rebozo had Key Biscayne homes, and were the darlings of many. They often communed in the presidential bunker for such vital affairs of state as cheering the televised feats of Nixon’s beloved Washington Redskins – whom he coached in his fantasy life – or adding names to his storied Enemies List. Most of those listed (such as the Globe’s storied writer, George Frazier) rejoiced in their guilt by disassociation with the trickster’s style.
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March 05 1999 | United States | No Comments »
