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Post by janie on Oct 11, 2006 10:16:27 GMT -5
Yes, finally I understand your mysterious refusal to add her to your "Brinyi's 10,000-favorites" list!
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Post by Lee on Oct 11, 2006 19:36:18 GMT -5
The sorry state of Canadian tennis. I was looking at the entry list of Rimouski, Canada (men's challenger) and no Canadian on the entry list. Only Steckley on the alternate list. I looked up the ranking list. *sigh* *sigh* *sigh* 86 Dancevic, Frank (CAN) 288 Niemeyer, Frederic (CAN) 514 Steckley, Rob (CAN) 623 Gubenco, Philip (CAN) 631 Duclos, Pierre-Ludovic (CAN) 718 Bester, Philip (CAN) 865 Polansky, Peter (CAN) 961 Esmail, Rahim (CAN) 1013 Pokrajac, Milan (CAN) 1013 Shamasdin, Adil (CAN) Frank is playing ATP events and Niemeyer looks like MIA. There's no top 500 players after them.
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Post by janie on Oct 11, 2006 20:46:24 GMT -5
Okay, that does look bad -- but hey, one Canadian, at least, has escaped the Hidden World this year. Who'd've thought that'd happen? And just you wait: young Pete Polansky will be the next Dancevic!
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 8, 2006 7:32:07 GMT -5
Canadians Rise to the Top at Super-Seniors World Individual Championships Canadian Lorne Main had himself a busy week at the Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in Antalya, Turkey. Not only was the world No. 1 crowned World Champion twice in both the 75 singles and doubles categories, but he also wrote a blog on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) website offering fans a closer glimpse into a day in his life as a tennis player. Competing in his 21st consecutive World Championships, a historic milestone, Main won the singles title for the second consecutive year and tenth time in his career after defeating his doubles partner, fellow Canadian Ken Sinclair 6-1, 6-1 in the final. Main and Sinclair then teamed up on the same side of the net to capture the 75 doubles title. On the women's side, Canada's Inge Weber was the runner-up in the 70 singles category while the Canadian duo of Rosemarie Asch and Joyce Jones were finalists in the 75 doubles category. The 2007 Super-Seniors will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand before returning to Turkey in 2008 for the Seniors and Super-Seniors World Championships, which will be the largest international tennis event ever staged. To read what Lorne had to say about his experience, check out his daily blog entries at: www.itftennis.com/seniors/news/newsarticle.asp?id=17074
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 13, 2006 14:08:55 GMT -5
WOZNIAK, ALEKSANDRA checks into the top 100, at #91.
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Post by janie on Nov 13, 2006 19:16:48 GMT -5
Hope Steph will be next!
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 10:31:06 GMT -5
Canada's future stars? Here's a list of this year's Canadian Eddie Herr participants* (thanks CharlesDa): [*some have already lost ... the tournament is so huge & unwieldy it's a pain to find out who! but I looked up a few, mainly the girls 18s] Blouin Jean-Michel Boys' 14 Qualifying Bouchard Eugenie Girls' 12 Main Draw Bovet Frederique Girls' 16 Main Draw Chan Brittany Girls' 14 Qualifying Dabrowski Gabriela Girls' 18 Qualifying [seeded 2, but lost in qr1 to a wild card 26 36 ]Dandik Michelle Girls' 12 Main Draw du Toit Trudie Girls' 18 Qualifying [not ready for prime time; lost in qr1, 16 06]Gingras Laurie Girls' 14 Main Draw Gordon Mia Wyn Girls' 18 Alternates [got in; lost in qr1]Huet Marie-Pier Girls' 18 Alternates [got in; WON 1 Q match but lost in qr2]Jodoin Marianne Girls' 14 Main Draw Krainik Pavel Boys' 14 Main Draw Lavoie-Perusse Felix Boys' 14 Qualifying Lavoie-Perusse Simon Boys' 16 Qualifying Lazarevic Sara Girls' 18 Qualifying [lost in qr2, 26 06]Marcotte David Boys' 18 Alternates Marino Rebecca Catherine Girls' 18 Alternates [withdrew]Ormond Taylor Marie Girls' 18 Alternates [successfully qualified, then stunned Chloe Jones in Main Draw r1!] Paliivets Katarena Girls' 14 Main Draw Paradis Jr. Benoit Boys' 14 Qualifying [seeded 2, but lost in qr3]Paradis Pamela Girls' 14 Qualifying Pola Laura Girls' 16 Main Draw Polansky Peter Boys' 18 Main Draw Smith Nicole Crystol "Don't call me Anna" Girls' 18 Qualifying [withdrew]Verdi Fortin Hugo Boys' 16 Alternates Wowchuk Brittany Girls' 16 Main Draw
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 12:33:22 GMT -5
Thank you Janie Herr. I see that Nadja Gilchrist, who took out Gaby, is not a piker. She was runner-up in the Herr 16u last year. She lost in Q2R but hey. She is from Rochester NY, which is pretty unique.
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 14:12:59 GMT -5
What's a piker?
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 14:37:03 GMT -5
What's a piker? A piker is someone who doesn't fit the description of Nadja. Brinyi misused the word.
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 15:09:59 GMT -5
Definitions of 'piker'
(pīkər) - 2 definitions - The American Heritage® Dictionary piker (n.) Slang A cautious gambler. piker (n.) Slang A person regarded as petty or stingy.
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Post by janie on Nov 29, 2006 9:09:50 GMT -5
Today we will catch up with the Girls 16s, and Boys 16s and 18s: Bovet Frederique Girls' 16 Main Draw [lost r1 in 3 sets]Pola Laura Girls' 16 Main Draw [lost r1 in 3 sets]Wowchuk Brittany Girls' 16 Main Draw [5th seed; won r1 in 3 sets] Marcotte David Boys' 18 Alternates [don't think he got in]Polansky Peter Boys' 18 Main Draw [r1 d. Takanyi Garanganga 61 62] Philip (WC) Bester Boys' 18 Main Draw [r1 d. Giacomo (WC) Miccini 76(5) 64]Lavoie-Perusse Simon Boys' 16 Qualifying [retired injured in qr2 ]Verdi Fortin Hugo Boys' 16 Alternates [don't think he got in]
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Post by janie on Nov 29, 2006 9:20:35 GMT -5
So in the 16s and 18s, there are 4 Canadians still standing after 1 round of main draw action. Those four, Ormond Taylor, Bester (sorry! Bester didn't appear in the CharlesDa list I posted, maybe because he's a WC), Polansky, and Wowchuk all play 2nd round matches today. Now that it's down to just four, it'll be easier to follow them. As for the 12s and 14s, I don't normally pay any attention to them, but I hope we'll hear if any Canadians reach the semis. For info on their results so far: www.tennisinformation.com/tourny/5/1/6/9/9/6/8/results.asp
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Post by janie on Nov 29, 2006 11:09:40 GMT -5
Update on: " Dandik Michelle Girls' 12 Main Draw" Dandik was the top seed , so she's worth reporting on. Too bad she lost in the round of 16.
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 29, 2006 12:11:26 GMT -5
Update on: " Dandik Michelle Girls' 12 Main Draw" Dandik was the top seed , so she's worth reporting on. Too bad she lost in the round of 16. The thing about the 12u draw is that there are seeded players but they are not ranked, so all the seeds are #1!
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Post by janie on Nov 29, 2006 15:18:03 GMT -5
Update on: " Dandik Michelle Girls' 12 Main Draw" Dandik was the top seed , so she's worth reporting on. Too bad she lost in the round of 16. The thing about the 12u draw is that there are seeded players but they are not ranked, so all the seeds are #1! Oh! Thanks. Well, I agree they shouldn't be ranked at that age. It was nice for this Dandik kid that she got a couple of wins at such a prestigious event.
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Post by janie on Nov 29, 2006 19:04:08 GMT -5
The 2 Canadian girls both lost today. Oh well! Ormond Taylor still had a great event, coming in as a lowly qualy Alternate and tearing through 4 matches. She's got to be happy with that (despite her 06 06 loss today!) And she's just 17 / you know what I mean.
But Canada's 2 guys both won, including a nice win for Bester over the 2 seed.
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Post by janie on Nov 30, 2006 15:30:58 GMT -5
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Post by janie on Nov 30, 2006 21:51:36 GMT -5
Paliivets Katarena has advanced to the Girls 14s qfs. She's the top seed there; who knew? I also did not know this thing is held at Bolliettieri's.
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Post by janie on Dec 1, 2006 12:11:53 GMT -5
Girls 14s QF: (1) Katarena Paliivets d. Jo-Jo Sanford 4-6;6-4;6-3
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Post by janie on Dec 2, 2006 8:19:57 GMT -5
December 1, 2006 If Aleksandra Wozniak can get a good night's sleep, her position in the Santaluz Open is an enviable one. The 19-year-old from Canada is the No. 1 seed, the next four seeds in the USTA's $50,000 Pro Circuit event at the Santaluz Club have been eliminated, and Wozniak has been steeled by representing her country in Fed Cup competition, in which she is 10-0 this season. Strong stuff. Still, Wozniak was complaining after her 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat of Bettina Jozami of Argentina yesterday that she had not slept in two nights. Her problem, she said, is her bed. “Too high,” she said. “At home,” she explained, “I sleep on a flat bed. They're too comfortable for me, these beds.” The tennis she seems able to handle. A winner of three of these Pro Circuit competitions this year, Wozniak clearly is the woman to defeat in an event in which the quarterfinals have been shaped. Remaining are two Russians, two Canadians, a Croatian, a German, a woman from Paraguay and a New Zealander. Nary an American made it through the second round, four trying yesterday and four failing. How the quarterfinals, beginning today at 10 a.m., are arranged: Wozniak vs. Ekaterina Afinogenova of Russia, Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada vs. Ivana Abramovic of Croatia, Rossana De Los Rios of Paraguay vs. Sabine Klaschka of Germany, and Lioudmila Skavronskaia of Russia vs. Leanne Baker of New Zealand. The rangy Skavronskaia, who had been living in Florida for 10 years before she recently relocated to Paris, had too much experience and assortment of shot for former USD player Emma Murphy, Skavronskaia winning 6-3, 6-0. After Wozniak, the highest seed still around is Abramovic, No. 6. She stopped Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia 6-2, 6-3 and said rankings generally can be disregarded in women's tennis at this level, players being largely equal. The player whose game might have been most arresting yesterday was Baker, a big woman with a big left-handed serve and a world of athleticism, having played rugby with the boys in school in New Zealand. She dismissed Hilary Barte, the last of the Americans to depart, 6-2, 6-2. Earlier, De Los Rios, who is making San Diego her training base, handled Story Tweedie-Yates of Redmond, Wash., 2-6, 6-2, 6-2; Pelletier sent off an ill Mary Gambale of Boston 6-2, 6-3; and Klaschka eliminated Julie Ditty of Ashland, Ky., 6-3, 6-2. At the Santaluz Club monitoring Wozniak's activities was Bill Belser, Canada's Fed Cup captain. He saw Wozniak play something less than her best tennis. Jozami was playing with such nonchalance that Wozniak admitted she was put off by it.
“She didn't seem to be trying,” said Wozniak. [BOO BETTINA! ] At length, however, she adjusted and began offering the type of play that swept her to victories over Gisela Dulko and Mariana Diaz-Oliva during Canada's Fed Cup conquest of Argentina. Wozniak is using this week's event to prepare her for the Australian Open and other tests in Australia. She contends that 2007 “is going to be the biggest year of my life,” explaining, “because I feel I can do some damage.” [and she's already the top Woz!]
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Post by janie on Dec 2, 2006 12:02:42 GMT -5
Canada's last Eddie Herrite hits the wall at the SF stage in the 14s:
(3) Hanna Orlik d. (1) Katarena Paliivets 67(5) 62 60
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 12, 2006 19:57:55 GMT -5
Wozniak, Dancevic have finally arrived TOM TEBBUTT This is a great time for world-class tennis players. They finally get to relax after a long season, and to look forward to next month's Australian Open, the sunny, fun start to the new year. One proviso is that they be ranked high enough to get into the Grand Slam event. For the first time since 2001, when Sonya Jeyaseelan, Jana Nejedly and Daniel Nestor got in based on their rankings, Canada has guaranteed starters in both the women's and men's main draws at Melbourne Park. Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., and Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., have cracked the top 100 at Nos. 93 and 88, respectively, to earn direct entry. After a slow start, partly because of a virus that sapped her energy for several months from February to May, Wozniak, 19, came on strong in 2006. At 5 foot 9, she is not the most nimble of players but she packs a potent wallop from the baseline that allows her to keep opponents too busy chasing down her weighty drives to think about launching attacks of their own. The highlights of 2006 for Wozniak were Challenger event victories in Hamilton, Ashland, Ky., and Pittsburgh in the second half of the year. She defeated eight top-100 players, including No. 33 Gisela Dulko of Argentina during Fed Cup in Edmonton in July. "I feel I matured a lot," Wozniak said of 2006, when her world ranking jumped from No. 190 to No. 93. "Now, even when I lose, I know I can pull myself together and do better the next time. I'm not the kind of player who loses and cries for days and days. I just let it go." Whatever her emotions, Wozniak can express them in any of the six languages she speaks -- French, English, Polish, Spanish, Russian and German. After travelling a bit with her mother, Jadwiga, in 2006, her father and coach, Antoni, will be on the road with her next year. Wozniak's sister, Dorota, who played pro tennis briefly, is married and living in Tyler, Tex. Recently, Dorota, 30, gave birth to twin girls, so her mother is now with her helping out. Dancevic, 22, also has a tennis-playing sister, Monika, 19, who is on a tennis scholarship at the University of Georgia. Looking back on a year in which he moved up from No. 188 to No. 88 in the world, Dancevic was quick to mention Canada's Davis Cup captain Martin Laurendeau, who has been with him at many events since the spring. "Marty has helped me a lot," Dancevic said. "I've been coming in [to the net] more and really improved my volleys. I've also played a lot more weeks -- 28 -- which is something I've never done before." Dancevic won the Challenger tour event in Waikoloa, Hawaii, in January and Granby, Que., in July, and was runner-up in Besançon, France, in February and Atlanta in May. His emergence is viewed by some such as Yi Brin as overdue, considering he had his big breakthrough win over No. 44-ranked Flavio Saretta of Brazil in a memorable fifth, and deciding, Davis Cup match in Calgary in September of 2003, when Dancevic was ranked No. 207. "Things happen at certain times," Dancevic said about his progress since the Saretta match. "This year, I started maturing more. I had matches then when I played as well as I do today. I had the ability but I didn't have the consistency and maturity to keep it up." He leaves Christmas Day to play the following week in Adelaide, Australia, while Wozniak heads off Boxing Day for an event in Auckland, New Zealand. A week later, both hope to be in the qualifying for the pre-Australian Open tournament in Sydney. Both had the same goal in 2006 -- to break into the top 100 and get direct entry into the Australian Open. A top-100 ranking is like a free pass to the big leagues of tennis. Wozniak and Dancevic are in the door and now hope to consolidate their positions starting next month Down Under.
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Post by janie on Dec 12, 2006 21:57:16 GMT -5
Wow! I'm a whole-hearted Wozzy fan now. In fact I'm her biggest fan! Who cares how she moves, how she plays: she speaks SIX languages!!! and to top it off, she beat an energy-sapping virus! I'll never call her Woz.2 again. She's THE Woz. She's not only my favorite Canadian tennis player now; she's my favorite human being in the whole world! As for Frank: just stay in that top 100 all year, will you. That will be quite an achievement. (But how many languages do YOU speak, Frank?)
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Post by janie on Dec 19, 2006 19:50:56 GMT -5
a janie-fave update: ANNE-CHRISTINE VOICURepentigny, Canada born Aug. 7, 1990 favorite player: Justine Henin Only Jr. tournament she played in 2006, don't know why (she's the anti-Julia Cohen?) Nov 2006 Guayaquil, Ecuador, ITF G5: G18 Sgles Winner, Guayaquil, Ecuador, ITF G5 As a wild card, Voicu lost only 3 games in her 3 matches combined.
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Post by janie on Dec 19, 2006 19:53:00 GMT -5
by the way, in 2004, A-CV was Canada's #1 player in the Girls 14s.
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 29, 2006 18:59:06 GMT -5
Top 50 or bust for Blainville tennis ace Wozniak Teen sets loftier goal after becoming first Quebec woman to crack WTA's top 100 STEPHANIE MYLES The Gazette Friday, December 29, 2006 If it seems as though the pro tennis season just ended, that's because it did. Yet late last night - this morning over on Australia's Gold Coast - Blainville's Aleksandra Wozniak kicked off 2007 with a first-round qualifying match against Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia. Her goal of reaching the WTA Tour's top 100 - something no Quebec woman had done - was accomplished in 2006 despite a strength-sapping virus she caught in February in Japan, and needed four months to fully shake. This year, it's top 50 or bust. And Wozniak will be going after it without her omnipresent father and coach, Antoni. During the Rogers Cup in Montreal last summer, the plan was for Antoni Wozniak to take a leave of absence from his job and begin travelling with his daughter in October. By the time Quebec City's Bell Challenge rolled around in early November, that timetable had been pushed back to December. Now, it won't happen at all. The father isn't at all happy about it. His 19-year-old daughter is more than ready. "It's really my career now, and I just need to do what I need to do," Wozniak told The Gazette before leaving town, first to Texas to see her sister Dorota's new twins, then Down Under the day after Christmas. "I know what I need. And he doesn't understand sometimes, which is difficult, and we argue." Antoni Wozniak, a pussycat in comparison to some of the tennis fathers on the Tour, but a man who has had his run-ins with Tennis Canada and some bad experiences when he coached Dorota about 15 years ago. "He was giving her to everyone, and he doesn't want to make the same mistakes with me," Aleksandra Wozniak said. "But he doesn't always want to take (advice) from others, because it mixes up what he does. And if I start with someone new, he doesn't want to know what I do." Wozniak took a big step during her brief offseason. She began working with Tennis Canada fitness coach Andre Parent, who is based at the Jarry Park Tennis Centre. Lack of fitness has always been a knock on Wozniak, the general consensus being that if she were even reasonably fit, she has the physical tools to already be in the top 50. Papa Wozniak is not a big fan of Parent, and he told The Gazette last week that there was no time for his daughter to hit the gym because she played 27 tournaments in 2006. But Aleksandra had the final say. "Especially now, when I'm going to play bigger tournaments, and every day you have to keep up with the older girls who have more experience, and are stronger because they're older," she said. "I've been working really hard, and Andre is going to give me a program to maintain during the tournaments so I don't lose it. It'll get me used to all the hard work, and I can improve when I come back home." Wozniak is convinced she should have won in Quebec City, where she went down to American Lilia Osterloh in a desultory effort in the quarterfinals. "I do better, much better, alone at tournaments," she said. "Sometimes I don't always want to hear orders from him. In Quebec, I was on a roll, playing unbelievable. But the day before, we got to arguing, and I just wasn't into the match." The week after Quebec City, Wozniak travelled alone to a $75,000 event in Pittsburgh, and won it all. No doubt that was a catalyst. She will be seeking the professional advice she thinks she needs to jump to the next level, something she doesn't think her father, who was a professional soccer player, but not a tennis player, can provide. "I'm at that age, I guess," she said. "Parents are great for protection, security and advice. But I know what's right and wrong. Dad wants to be in charge, to be there always. I think he doesn't understand a girl needs freedom. He knows I'm responsible and organized, and I'll never sleep around like a lot of girls on Tour." reg /me thinks a list should be provided here. Wozniak will work with Tennis Canada coach Bill Belser, who will be at most of Wozniak's tournaments and also will help out Laval's Stephanie Dubois. Belser can build on the solid foundation Antoni Wozniak established. Her ranking of No. 93 puts her straight into the main draw at the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 14, without having to go through the qualifying. It will mark her Grand Slam debut. The ranking will probably get her straight into the major U.S. events at Indian Wells, Calif., and Miami during March. That's a huge step up from tennis's minor leagues, where Wozniak found herself much of last year, building up her ranking in dribs and drabs, small town by small town. Bigger events mean more points, which mean bigger jumps in the rankings - if she can step it up. The first half of the season is a great opportunity for Wozniak to make that splash. She only has 56 WTA ranking points to defend between now and the start of the French Open in June, her poor results during that period a year ago a direct result of attempting to come back too soon after contracting the virus. Just by winning her first-round match at the Australian Open, Wozniak would already have those points covered, and more. Whatever else she does will only move her up the ranks. "My goal for 2007 is to stay healthy all year and moving, hopefully, into the top 50," Wozniak said. "I want to come out strong in the beginning of the year, earn as many points as possible, and rise in the rankings so at the end of the year, I can have a longer rest, like a month and a half. That's going to be time to add more conditioning. Beyond that, I just want to learn to deal with the pressure better." smyles@thegazette.canwest.com © The Gazette (Montreal) 2006
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Post by janie on Dec 29, 2006 19:48:53 GMT -5
That's great stuff! Thanks for posting that, Brinyi. The more I learn about this kid, the more I love her. She recovered from a strength-sapping virus, fired her Bad Dad, speaks many languages, shares a coach with Steph, and wants to get fit (finally!) -- what's not to like?? Go Woz!
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Post by janie on Dec 29, 2006 19:52:46 GMT -5
Ha, I see I posted the exact same thing 3 weeks ago. Oh well, the bad-dad firing and the fitness campaign at least are new to me. Add another new element or two and I will probably post the same reaction in another 3 weeks. C'est le fun!
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 29, 2006 19:57:01 GMT -5
Oh well, the bad-dad firing and the fitness campaign at least are new to me. Since they were the most important parts of the article, you get no apologies from me.
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