round. Thats when Goffin got to face Federer, his idol, and even took a set off the owner of the most career major titles before losing the match. "He has a good chance to have a good future," Djokovic said. "He likes playing here, obvi | Forum

Bernie Ecclestone may have turned 86 today (Happy Birthday, Mr E), but I wont use that as a reason to offend octogenarians by offering it as an excuse for some of his statements -- even more absurd than usual -- that hit the headlines yesterday. Nike Basketball Shoes Wholesale .Actually, hitting the headlines is probably an appropriate phrase. Apart from Ecclestones devious pleasure in creating box office appeal for F1, it strikes me that the increasing number of sound bites in recent weeks is an indication of a faintly desperate need to prove that he remains the focal point of a business that previously had his name above the door.It must be difficult, after 40 years, to suddenly face the fact that the only thing of consequence outside your family is about to be forcibly removed for good. And not on your exact terms. Forget the new three-year contract. Ecclestone is wise enough -- and certainly old enough -- to realise that his desk will be metaphorically eased into the corridor alongside the water cooler as soon as the new bosses fully understand the complexities of this unique business and feel ready to take complete charge.Bernie is free to say what he pleases, of course. The problem here is that safety is a sensitive subject, particularly when the speaker appears to make light of it by helping create headlines that shout for more crashes to spice up F1. Theres no point in Ecclestone complaining his words were taken out of context; he knew full well the selective sensationalism likely to result from his flippant remarks.The contradiction comes if you agree there is thread of truth running through some of his statements. Building walls is impractical -- not to mention stupid -- even if their presence would bring the need for 10 times more precision than is necessary when the penalty for a misjudgement is the minor inconvenience of a high-speed detour across an asphalt run-off. I get the theory behind what he says just as much as I go along with the call to have Charlie Whiting make a track limit exactly that. Install kerbs, add gravel (where safe to do so without causing a car to dig in and roll); just do whatever is necessary to increase the challenge.But for Ecclestone to suggest that in an incident such as Fernando Alonsos massive shunt in Melbourne, it would be a bit of showbiz to put big sheets around the scene, bring in the ambulance, take the driver away and string out the drama by not announcing the relatively uninjured driver is okay until much later: if this is not tongue in cheek, then it is Birthday Boy who needs carting off for urgent medical attention. Cheap Nike Basektball Shoes Online . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Nike Basketball Shoes Discount . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.nikebasketballshoesclearance.com/ . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.PARIS -- Always so avant-garde, Serena Williams started this years French Open fashion of addressing the Court Philippe Chatrier spectators in their language. Rafael Nadal followed suit after his first-round victory, as did Roger Federer, whos done it for years. And Novak Djokovic also got in on a ritual thats become de rigueur, telling fans in French at the end of a rain-disrupted Day 3 at the clay-court tournament, "The ambiance was awesome." Thats certainly one way to endear oneself to the locals. "I really wanted to finish tonight," Djokovic said after wrapping up his match shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, "although I know the crowd wanted to watch a little longer." Because of the wet weather, there was not much tennis to see -- only two of the four matches originally scheduled for Tuesday in the main stadium actually began. So Djokovic spent much of the afternoon wondering when he would wind up taking the court for what turned out to be a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-5 victory over David Goffin in the first round of the only Grand Slam tournament the Serb has yet to win. "It was a difficult day, because we have been waiting for hours and hours. I think I warmed up five or six times today," Djokovic said. "In these conditions ... you need to adjust your game and tactics, because its quite different than comparing to the conditions when its dry and sunny." Unlike Wimbledon and the Australian Open, Roland Garros does not have a roof at any court. Unlike the U.S. Open, though, at least there is a definitive timeline to build one. French Open officials said last weekend they would proceed with plans to put a retractable roof over centre court despite a judicial ruling in March that put the project on hold. The roof would be completed in 2018 as part of a $440 million renovation. Last years final between champion Nadal and runner-up Djokovic was halted in the fourth set Sunday because of rain, and they resumed Monday, the first time since 1973 the French Open didnt finish on time. Djokovic was pleased to learn that a cover is coming to the main court in Paris, and he also is eager for them to install artificial lights. Both of those improvements would have contributed to a more stress-free evening Tuesday for the man ranked and seeded No. 1. He and the 58th-ranked Goffin, a Belgian who was one of the revelations at Roland Garros a year ago, did not begin until after 6:30 p.m., even though theirs was the second match of the day. They finished as light was fading. "It was a long day," Djokovic said. At least he got to play. Because of showers that began in the morning, there was a delay of more than 2 1/2 hours at the start. Then, after only 1 1/2 hours of action, another stop of more than an hour came. In the end, 26 of 40 scheduled singles matches were completed, three were suspended in progress, and 11 were postponed entirely. That means players such as Victoria Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, was slated for first-round action Wednesday, the fourth day of the tournament (when, by the way, the forecast called for more rain). That sets up a ssituation where Azarenka, for example, would need to win seven matches across 11 days to take home the trophy, while 2002 champion Williams -- who got to begin the tournament Sunday and was scheduled to play in the second round Wednesday -- would have her seven matches spread over 14 days if she goes the distance. Cheap Wholesale Nike Basketball Shoes. . Also among those who had yet to play a real point heading into Wednesday was 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. The Day 4 program featured second-round matches for 2009 champion Federer and 2012 runner-up Sara Errani. Tuesdays winners included 2010 French Open runner-up and 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, who beat 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan 6-0, 6-2. "It was spitting a little bit when we went out there," Stosur said. "You think, Oh, are we going to start or are we not? Lucky for me, I was able to finish the match before this last downpour came." Another Australian, Bernard Tomic -- whose father was barred from Roland Garros after being accused this month of head-butting Tomics hitting partner -- stopped because of a torn right hamstring while trailing Victor Hanescu 7-5, 7-6 (8), 2-1. Three other men retired during matches: No. 28 Florian Mayer (right thigh), Alejandro Falla (stomach problems), Simone Bolelli (right wrist). No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 12 Tommy Haas and No. 16 Philipp Kohlschreiber and No. 26 Grigor Dimitrov advanced, along with 20-year-old American Jack Sock in his French Open debut. If Dimitrov -- he and Maria Sharapova are an item, so he was asked Tuesday about dealing with paparazzi -- reaches the third round, he could face Djokovic. That would be an intriguing matchup, given that Dimitrov defeated Djokovic on clay at Madrid three weeks ago. "This is the kind of matches Id always want to play in," Dimitrov said. "I feel good on the big courts and playing against good players." Djokovic found Goffin in possession of that same attitude. In 2012, Goffin got into the French Open field as a "lucky loser" -- someone who loses in qualifying but is put in the main draw because another player withdrew -- and made it all the way to the fourth round. Thats when Goffin got to face Federer, his idol, and even took a set off the owner of the most career major titles before losing the match. "He has a good chance to have a good future," Djokovic said. "He likes playing here, obviously. He likes playing on a big stage." Perhaps. But Tuesdays key moment came in the first-set tiebreaker, with Goffin serving at 5-all. After he faulted once, a fan yelled, "Allez, David!" The 22-year-old Goffin then proceeded to miss his second serve, too, for a double-fault that gave Djokovic a set point. Goffin looked in the direction of the offending shout with palms up, as if to say, "What did you do that for?!" "Thats what happens sometimes. When you play in Davis Cup, you see that on every serve, basically," Goffin said. "Anyway, it was up to me to focus my mind. This is the type of thing that can happen, and can happen to anybody. So tough luck." 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