Former tennis star Andre Agassi wore a wig held together with pins in his first Grand Slam final, excerpts from his autobiography have revealed.
The hairpiece – in his famous mullet style – had fallen apart the night before the 1990 French Open final, which Agassi lost to Andres Gomez.
Before the match he prayed "not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off", he writes in Open.
Earlier excerpts revealed his use of drug crystal methamphetamine in 1997.
The 39-year-old, who retired in 2006, admits that – in order to escape a ban – he lied to tennis authorities that his drink had been spiked with the highly addictive drug.
Clamped together
Further excerpts describe his distress at the hair loss which led to him wearing a hairpiece.
"Every morning I would get up and find another piece of my identity on the pillow, in the wash basin, down the plughole," he writes.
But after the wig fell apart in the shower the night before the Paris final, his brother helped him clamp it together using about 20 clips.
Agassi writes: "Of course I could have played without my hairpiece, but what would all the journalists have written if they knew that all the time I was really wearing a wig
"During the warming-up training before play I prayed. Not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off.
"With each leap, I imagine it falling into the sand. I imagine millions of spectators move closer to their TV sets, their eyes widening and, in dozens of dialects and languages, ask how Andre Agassi’s hair has fallen from his head."
Agassi went on to win eight Grand Slams during his career and is one of only six men to win all four major titles.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Pat Robertson And CBN Friends Are Tripping Again
Too bad I'd already selected my Shut Up Fool! award winner for this week or televangelist Pat Robertson and CBN contributor Kimberly Daniels would have snatched the prize.
Pat posted an unhinged commentary by Daniels on his Christian Broadcast Network website as part of his anti-Halloween crusade.
His Hateraid for Halloween goes back to 1982. Back in the day he called it a “Satanic ritual” and said on his 700 Club TV show, “I think we ought to close Halloween down.”
On Oct. 29, 2007, Robertson called Halloween a “festival of the devil” and added that celebrating the holiday is “a mistake for Christians.”
Kimberly Daniels took it a step further by stating in the piece that has subsequently been taken down from the CBN website, “[M]ost of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” Daniels wrote. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, urged Robertson and Daniels to lighten up.
“I’ve heard of the devil being in the details, but to think he’s lurking inside a Snickers bar is a little too much,” Lynn quipped. “Pat Robertson has always peddled some scary stuff, but this is over the top.”
Added Lynn, “I hate to see all of that candy go to waste. I wish Robertson would send it to me, because I’m throwing a Halloween party and could use it.”
I agree, Rev. Lynn. A chocolate bar is a terrible thing to waste. That's why I eat as much chocolate as I can stand and revel in every delicious minute of it.
It would also be a travesty to let those gummi bears, gumballs, malted milk balls and other delectable confections that hardworking people created go to waste as well.
“I think Pat has been watching too many scary movies. Still, if he doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween, that’s fine with me, but he should quit trying to spoil everyone else’s fun.”
No kidding, Rev. Lynn.
Yo Pat and Kim, if you have any candy corn, send it my way. I'll be glad to scarf it up for you or any candy you're not using tonight.
But seriously, y'all need to stop tripping over there at CBN.
Pat posted an unhinged commentary by Daniels on his Christian Broadcast Network website as part of his anti-Halloween crusade.
His Hateraid for Halloween goes back to 1982. Back in the day he called it a “Satanic ritual” and said on his 700 Club TV show, “I think we ought to close Halloween down.”
On Oct. 29, 2007, Robertson called Halloween a “festival of the devil” and added that celebrating the holiday is “a mistake for Christians.”
Kimberly Daniels took it a step further by stating in the piece that has subsequently been taken down from the CBN website, “[M]ost of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” Daniels wrote. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, urged Robertson and Daniels to lighten up.
“I’ve heard of the devil being in the details, but to think he’s lurking inside a Snickers bar is a little too much,” Lynn quipped. “Pat Robertson has always peddled some scary stuff, but this is over the top.”
Added Lynn, “I hate to see all of that candy go to waste. I wish Robertson would send it to me, because I’m throwing a Halloween party and could use it.”
I agree, Rev. Lynn. A chocolate bar is a terrible thing to waste. That's why I eat as much chocolate as I can stand and revel in every delicious minute of it.
It would also be a travesty to let those gummi bears, gumballs, malted milk balls and other delectable confections that hardworking people created go to waste as well.
“I think Pat has been watching too many scary movies. Still, if he doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween, that’s fine with me, but he should quit trying to spoil everyone else’s fun.”
No kidding, Rev. Lynn.
Yo Pat and Kim, if you have any candy corn, send it my way. I'll be glad to scarf it up for you or any candy you're not using tonight.
But seriously, y'all need to stop tripping over there at CBN.
Serena and Venus Williams to face in Sony Ericsson Championships final
The Williams sisters saw off their semifinal opponents to reach the final of the $4,550,000 Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009.
Jelena Jankovic entered the semifinals more due to luck than anything else. She lost the matches she played against healthy opponents, and won two thanks to injured Dinara Safina and Caroline Wozniacki. Today she won the first set but eventually lost to defending champion Venus Williams 5-7 6-3 6-4, who has thus moved to the finals.
Venus will next play sister Serena Williams, who had a 6-4 0-1 retirement victory when Caroline Wozniacki pulled out with a left abdominal strain after just 45 minutes of play. It is yet another unfortunate injury for Wozniacki this week, who had been troubled by a leg injury throughout the tournament.
Serena leads an all-time record against Venus 12-10, and is coming into the encounter with three successive victories over her sister, including the extremely tight one here in Doha a few days ago.
Jelena Jankovic entered the semifinals more due to luck than anything else. She lost the matches she played against healthy opponents, and won two thanks to injured Dinara Safina and Caroline Wozniacki. Today she won the first set but eventually lost to defending champion Venus Williams 5-7 6-3 6-4, who has thus moved to the finals.
Venus will next play sister Serena Williams, who had a 6-4 0-1 retirement victory when Caroline Wozniacki pulled out with a left abdominal strain after just 45 minutes of play. It is yet another unfortunate injury for Wozniacki this week, who had been troubled by a leg injury throughout the tournament.
Serena leads an all-time record against Venus 12-10, and is coming into the encounter with three successive victories over her sister, including the extremely tight one here in Doha a few days ago.
‘Caring’ mosque leader dies in a shoot-out with FBI agents in Detroit
THE FUNERAL took place earlier today of a radical Detroit mosque leader who was shot in an exchange of gunfire with FBI agents this week.
Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, was fatally shot inside a suburban warehouse on Wednesday after firing at agents while resisting arrest. According to this report, the FBI wanted him on charges of weapons violations and conspiracy to sell stolen goods. He was one of 11 people named in a criminal complaint.
According to the FBI, Abdullah was a leader of a national radical Sunni group that wants to create an Islamic state within the US.
That Islamic state, investigators said, would be ruled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H Rap Brown, who is serving a life sentence for killing two Georgia police officers.
Cop-killer Jamil Abdullah Al-Aminwho was named as the coming supremo when the US falls to Islam
But members of Abdullah’s mosque claim that was a caring man who followed the tenets of his Islam faith. They dismissed as “utterly preposterous” the allegations that he was part of a radical group.
Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of New York told mourners at the Muslim Center in Detroit:
We ask Allah to reward him with the promised reward of those who are martyred.
Meanwhile, the last two of the 11 defendants wanted in connection with the investigation were arrested today in Windsor, Ontario. Authorities said Mohammad Philistine, 33, and Yassir Ali Khan, 30, were taken into custody without incident.
Both are charged with conspiring to sell stolen goods.
Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, was fatally shot inside a suburban warehouse on Wednesday after firing at agents while resisting arrest. According to this report, the FBI wanted him on charges of weapons violations and conspiracy to sell stolen goods. He was one of 11 people named in a criminal complaint.
According to the FBI, Abdullah was a leader of a national radical Sunni group that wants to create an Islamic state within the US.
That Islamic state, investigators said, would be ruled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H Rap Brown, who is serving a life sentence for killing two Georgia police officers.
Cop-killer Jamil Abdullah Al-Aminwho was named as the coming supremo when the US falls to Islam
But members of Abdullah’s mosque claim that was a caring man who followed the tenets of his Islam faith. They dismissed as “utterly preposterous” the allegations that he was part of a radical group.
Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of New York told mourners at the Muslim Center in Detroit:
We ask Allah to reward him with the promised reward of those who are martyred.
Meanwhile, the last two of the 11 defendants wanted in connection with the investigation were arrested today in Windsor, Ontario. Authorities said Mohammad Philistine, 33, and Yassir Ali Khan, 30, were taken into custody without incident.
Both are charged with conspiring to sell stolen goods.
Abdullah expected to boycott Afghan run-off as U.S. combat injuries sharply rise
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah may pull out of next week’s runoff election against President Hamid Karzai, due to concerns about the credibility of the poll. After the fraudulent August 20 elections, a recount left Karzai with less than 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff, to which Karzai agreed last week. But Abdullah’s demands for the resignation of top officials including the head of the Independent Electoral Commission to avoid fraud in the second round of voting November 7, have not been met. A senior campaign aide said if Abdullah’s conditions were not met, “we will not participate in an election which is not transparent and fraud-free.”
Abdullah is expected to make his announcement at an address in Kabul at 9:30 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, which the media have been invited to attend. Karzai is holding last minute talks with Abdullah, trying to head off a boycott. Under the Afghan Constitution, the run-off could go ahead with Karzai as the only candidate, but it would have a serious impact on the new government’s legitimacy, which is already highly in question.
President Obama has been holding off on a decision to send more troops to Afghanistan even with 68,000 troops currently installed, until the election dispute is resolved, citing concerns for stability. Meanwhile the past months has been the deadliest period in the Afghanistan war for American soldiers, and in the last three months the number of wounded troops has escalated as well. Over 1,000 troops have been injured in the past three months, a number that accounts for one-fourth of the total number wounded since the war began in 2001. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell acknowledged that the casualties in Afghanistan have surpassed Iraq surge proportions.
Abdullah is expected to make his announcement at an address in Kabul at 9:30 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, which the media have been invited to attend. Karzai is holding last minute talks with Abdullah, trying to head off a boycott. Under the Afghan Constitution, the run-off could go ahead with Karzai as the only candidate, but it would have a serious impact on the new government’s legitimacy, which is already highly in question.
President Obama has been holding off on a decision to send more troops to Afghanistan even with 68,000 troops currently installed, until the election dispute is resolved, citing concerns for stability. Meanwhile the past months has been the deadliest period in the Afghanistan war for American soldiers, and in the last three months the number of wounded troops has escalated as well. Over 1,000 troops have been injured in the past three months, a number that accounts for one-fourth of the total number wounded since the war began in 2001. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell acknowledged that the casualties in Afghanistan have surpassed Iraq surge proportions.
Cleveland Police Go to Arrest Sex Offender for Rape & Find 6 Bodies at Home … Anthony Sowell Arrested By Police
Here is something that police did not expect and talk about your ghoulish and heinous crimes. They go to arrest a convicted sex offender for rape and discover their suspect is a serial killer.
On Thursday, Cleveland, OH police went to the home of convicted sex offender Anthony Sowell to arrest him on charges of felonious assault and rape. However, upon entering the home police found three bodies and expect to confirm three more. Police found two badly decomposed bodies on the third floor of his home on Thursday and a third was discovered Friday afternoon in the basement’s dirt floor. The possible remains of three more people were found in Sowell’s house and backyard. Sowell had lived in the home since 2005.
Police say Sowell spent 15 years in prison for a 1989 rape. As we always say, there is no such thing as a one time rapist and they cannot be rehabilitated.
In 1989, Sowell lived on Page Avenue in East Cleveland. That’s where he lured a 21-year-old woman into his bedroom, choked her and repeatedly raped her, prosecutors said. That led to his prison sentence from 1990 until 2005.
This case once again brings up the question as to why we let serial rapist out of prison? Why are they not at least forever on probation? Since Sowell was no longer on probation, police needed a search warrant to get in.
Once released, Sowell had to register as a sex offender. He was required to report to the sheriff’s office once a year until 2008, when a change in the law caused him to report every 90 days.
He last checked in on Sept. 2. On Sept. 22, deputies did a spot check on him to verify he lived on Imperial. Sowell answered the door, but deputies did not enter the home. Since Sowell was no longer on probation, they needed a search warrant to get in.
Maybe the discovery of these 6 bodies can put some family’s pain to some rest in the case of any missing persons cases?
On Thursday, Cleveland, OH police went to the home of convicted sex offender Anthony Sowell to arrest him on charges of felonious assault and rape. However, upon entering the home police found three bodies and expect to confirm three more. Police found two badly decomposed bodies on the third floor of his home on Thursday and a third was discovered Friday afternoon in the basement’s dirt floor. The possible remains of three more people were found in Sowell’s house and backyard. Sowell had lived in the home since 2005.
Police say Sowell spent 15 years in prison for a 1989 rape. As we always say, there is no such thing as a one time rapist and they cannot be rehabilitated.
In 1989, Sowell lived on Page Avenue in East Cleveland. That’s where he lured a 21-year-old woman into his bedroom, choked her and repeatedly raped her, prosecutors said. That led to his prison sentence from 1990 until 2005.
This case once again brings up the question as to why we let serial rapist out of prison? Why are they not at least forever on probation? Since Sowell was no longer on probation, police needed a search warrant to get in.
Once released, Sowell had to register as a sex offender. He was required to report to the sheriff’s office once a year until 2008, when a change in the law caused him to report every 90 days.
He last checked in on Sept. 2. On Sept. 22, deputies did a spot check on him to verify he lived on Imperial. Sowell answered the door, but deputies did not enter the home. Since Sowell was no longer on probation, they needed a search warrant to get in.
Maybe the discovery of these 6 bodies can put some family’s pain to some rest in the case of any missing persons cases?
Corzine Campaign Aide Busted on Drug Charges?
Well, I figure you have to be high on something to support Jon Corzine. But who knew his campaign aides were so heavy into the drugs?
A man who identified himself as an official with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign was arrested last night after cops found found ecstasy tablets wrapped and ready to be sold in his car, police said.
Jason Shih, 25, was pulled over by East Rutherford cops at about 11:30 p.m. last night because he was talking on his cell phone on Route 17, said Lt. Chris Conforti of the East Rutherford police.
Officers wound up finding 19 "blue star" ecstasy tablets in Shih's car, each wrapped in its own little plastic bag.
Shih -- who was stopped within 100 feet of Becton Regional High School -- also had had "several hundred" empty plastic bags in his car, Conforti said.
Maybe he was so whacked out he's spinning stories.
Corzine spokeswoman Elisabeth Smith said Shih is not on the payroll of the campaign or the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and that the campaign doesn't know who he is.
Shih was charged with possession of drugs, possession of drugs in a school zone, intent to distribute drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged with two motor vehicle violations -- driving while using a cell phone and having drugs in his car.
A man who identified himself as an official with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign was arrested last night after cops found found ecstasy tablets wrapped and ready to be sold in his car, police said.
Jason Shih, 25, was pulled over by East Rutherford cops at about 11:30 p.m. last night because he was talking on his cell phone on Route 17, said Lt. Chris Conforti of the East Rutherford police.
Officers wound up finding 19 "blue star" ecstasy tablets in Shih's car, each wrapped in its own little plastic bag.
Shih -- who was stopped within 100 feet of Becton Regional High School -- also had had "several hundred" empty plastic bags in his car, Conforti said.
Maybe he was so whacked out he's spinning stories.
Corzine spokeswoman Elisabeth Smith said Shih is not on the payroll of the campaign or the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and that the campaign doesn't know who he is.
Shih was charged with possession of drugs, possession of drugs in a school zone, intent to distribute drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged with two motor vehicle violations -- driving while using a cell phone and having drugs in his car.
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