Wimbledon – The Sports Fan Project

Inside Baseball – October Edition

October 14, 2026October 14, 2026DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{I’ve been to a lot of ballparks, but I’m unsure the view is any better than this one from the final Saturday of the regular season at Oracle Park in San Francisco.}**

(Reminder: You’re receiving this edition of Inside Baseball because you’re a subscriber to The Sports Fan Project. It’s my way of giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what’s happening [and being planned] here and on our podcast, Conversations with Sports Fans. If you know of others who might enjoy our content, please invite them to subscribe. The link is in the right-hand column on the website.)

Charlie Brown on Halloween — **^{I feel ya, Charlie Brown.}**

Lately, it seems as though I’ve been collecting rejection notices from various ticket lotteries/ballots I’ve entered at about the same rate that Charlie Brown received rocks when he trick-or-treated.

The 2027 Masters? Hello Rae’s Creek!

The 2027 Open Championship at St. Andrews? My entry was, apparently, out of bounds on the “Road Hole!”

The 2027 NCAA Men’s Final Four (in my home city, no less)? Airball!

The 2027 Wimbledon Championships? That’s a double-fault, my friend! It doesn’t even notify you if your entry was successful (or rejected) until just before the tournament begins.

The only good news I’ve received in the past few months has come from the 2027 NCAA Women’s Final Four, where I’m now the proud owner of a pair of tickets to the Friday semifinals and Sunday championship games in Columbus, OH.

So it’s off to the secondary market for that Men’s Final Four, hoping to keep my dream of attending both Final Fours simultaneously over four consecutive days in April.

Screenshot of the NCAA letting me know I was drawn to receive two 2027 Women's Final Four Tickets. — **^{Some success! The NCAA Women’s Final Four is accepting my presence:-)}**

Other Ticketing Trends and News

As someone who’s devoted an inordinate amount of time trying to secure tickets to sporting events across the globe for the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, I’m discovering a new trend.

The NCAA did it for each of its Final Fours this year (a full deposit several months in advance to enter the lottery), and now I’m seeing The Open Championship doing something similar.

Shortly after I received word about losing out on the 2027 Open at St. Andrews, I received an email from The Open inviting me to secure tickets to the 2028 Open at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s for the mere price of 99 Pounds Sterling, which will allow me to skip the ballot and buy tickets and accommodations in advance. Graciously, if, in 21 months, I determine that I’m unable or unwilling to buy said tickets and lodging, they’ll refund by deposit … but I’m sure they’ll put that money to good use between now and then.

I have secured seats for a few more events on my journey to 80: the Battle of Alberta in Edmonton, the Maui Invitational, Duke vs. South Carolina women in Cameron Indoor Stadium (as part of what’s becoming a Tobacco Road Hoops Fest), the Daytona 500, and the Kentucky Derby (and Kentucky Oaks!).

The current get-in-the-door price for Super Bowl LXI is over $5,500, which is (well) outside my price range, so I’m holding out hope that my research on the best times to buy will deliver.

I Can’t Believe What I Did!

^{Our Waymo experience, clockwise from upper left: Mike going to retrieve his car; we were kept abreast of what was happening by the large display; the wheel makes it clear who was driving; clearly the robots had fun with the playlist for our ride; my view from the backseat.}

Late last month, as my friend Mike and I were finding our way from the Union Square part of San Francisco to Oracle Park for our second Dodgers-Giants game, we decided to try out a Waymo self-driving taxi. A first for both of us.

Surreal is probably the best way to describe it.

Mike did the heavy lifting by downloading the app and requesting the ride. On its first attempted pickup, traffic in the area was too heavy, so it took a lap around the block before stopping for us. After climbing in, we were given a tutorial by the disembodied voice and encouraged to sit back and relax.

A couple of observations:

As a passenger, you’re able to control the temperature and audio from the app. We chose to do neither, as it was a comfortable 70 degrees inside. The music selections, we felt, were a wink-wink, nudge-nudge moment. Check out the playlist during our 20-minute ride:
- “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum; “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew; “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell; “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat; “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon; and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House.

There was a point during our ride where our car found itself in a left-turn-only lane. With a crowded lane to the right, it began to signal, but not finding a willing driver to let us in, it pulled up next to another Waymo and – I’m guessing here – the two vehicles communicated with one another, and we were allowed to change lanes. It was fascinating and probably more of a courtesy than would be afforded by a human driver.

I Can’t Believe What I Saw!

Nake Bike Riders — **^{Imagine our surprise when we saw all these cyclists passing in front of the Sey Hey Kid statue, many sans clothing!}**

Shortly after our Waymo dropped Mike and I off and as we approached Oracle Park, we both noticed a phalanx of bicyclists preparing to turn off of 3rd Street onto King Street in front of the Willie Mays Entrance.

Nothing seemd out of the ordinary until we did a double-take as we crossed King Street and noticed that the riders were naked!

Yes, easily 20 bike riders were tooling through the bustling streets outside Oracle Park devoide of clothing.

It was not until I was comfortably seated that I was able to find out what was happening.

It was the San Francisco World Naked Bike Ride that invited riders to “bare as you dare” and ride to promote the following:

Environmental Protest – The global movement aims to highlight human vulnerability and protest against oil and fossil fuel dependency, advocating for alternative, clean transportation
Traffic & Cyclist Safety – By stripping down, cyclists creatively illustrate just how exposed and defenseless riders and pedestrians are against automobile traffic
Body Positivity & Freedom – The event serves as a celebration of body acceptance, individuality, and the freedom of self-expression

Time Out for a Video … or Three

ESPN’s NHL Lead In … Chef’s Kiss!

^{While I’d love to have access to my neighboring nation’s hockey coverage, I must say ESPN consistently does a lovely job showcasing the game during and, as was the case in this lead-in to opening night, prior to the action.}

Baseball vs. Football

^{It’s October which means we have a confluence of all the sports, but mainly it’s baseball post-season and NFL regular-season that most are focusing on these days. George Carlin’s stand up bit comparing the two is still unrivaled. (Many thanks to my first cousin once removed, Barb Lawrie, for remindming me about Carlin’s routine.)}

Who is on First?

^{In my opnion, this is still one of the best pieces of wordplay … ever! That it also happens to use baseball as a subtext only makes it more enjoyable. There is a TV in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, that runs this on a loop. Each time I visit I make a point of watching the entire routine by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.}

Year-End Podcast Guests Sought

My goal is to host another year-end Conversations with Sports Fans bonus episode (here’s a link to last year’s) that features several voices that discuss one of the following topics (your choice):

Your best sports fan moment from 2026? Why was that?
Your goal, as a sports fan, for 2027? Why is that?
If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about sports/the sports fan experience, what would it be and why?

I’d love to start with you, the subscribers and supporters of The Sports Fans Project. If you think you might have a spare 10-15 minutes between now and mid-December, please email me at hilldouglast@gmail.com so that we can set up a time to record.

The Most Touching Thing I’ve Read Recently

Mason Van Der Heyden and his Matthew Mayich Jersey — **^{St. Louis Blues’ fan Mason Van Der Heyden poses with the Matthew Mayich jersey he purcahsed in 2024. (Photo by Jeremy Rutherford/The Athletic)}**

I know, the last thing you probably want from me is something else to read, but I aim to fuel your frustration;-)

In August, an Arizona State University men’s hockey player, Matthew Mayich, collapsed during a grueling, military-style outdoor workout in the 104-degree heat. He remains unresponsive in a hospital. (If you’re unfamiliar with the story, this Yahoo!Sports article can bring you up to speed.)

Mayich, a defenseman, was drafted by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in 2023’s sixth round. As is common with hockey draftees and other prospects, he participated in a handful of prospect games with the Blues. A St. Louis fan was shopping the clearance rack at the team authentics’ store in 2024 and purchased a Mayich game-worn jersey.

The rest I’ll let you read for yourself in this Athletic article here. (A tissue or two might come in handy as well:-(

TSFP’s Christmas in July Giveaway – Day 1

July 20, 2026July 18, 2026DouglasTHill

A Sporting Good English Holiday

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026DouglasTHill

The Fan Teaser: Week 142 Solution

July 13, 2025July 8, 2025DouglasTHill2 Comments

**^{A now golden moment to be sure. Who’s}**
**^{shaking hands here and why?}**

Sometime today, the All English Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will crown its 2025 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Champion. And, for the 50th consecutive year, it will not be a black man.

On July 5, 1975, American Arthur Ashe became the first and to the moment, only, man of color to win this prestigious tournament.

Ashe defeated top seed and defending champion, Jimmy Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, and 6-4, to claim the final of his three Grand Slam singles titles (also the U.S. Open, 1968, and Australian Open, 1970).

Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe — **^{Jimmy Connors, left, shakes Arthur Ashe’s hand following Ashe’s 1975 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Championship. (Photo from Mirropix/Getty Images).}**

The photo for this week’s Fan Teaser was captured at the net following Ashe’s victory. It was the first all-American men’s final since 1947.

As defending champion and nearly 10 years younger than Ashe, Connors was a heavy favorite. In fact, he’d never lost to Ashe in their prior head-to-head meetings and Connors had not lost a set in any of his six Wimbledon matches leading up to the final. Tennis observers have long said Ashe played an almost perfect match from a tactical perspective.

Additionally, there was bad blood between the two players. Connors was embroiled in a $10 million “restraint of trade” lawsuit against the American Tennis Professionals (ATP) – of which Ashe was president at the time – for its refusal to allow him to participate in the 1974 French Open as a contracted member of the World Team Tennis organization. Adding more fuel to the fire, Connors filed a $5 million libel suit against Ashe two days before Wimbledon began. The libel suit was for comments Ashe had written to ATP members in his role as president criticizing Connors’ derogatory comments toward Davis Cup Captain Dennis Ralston as well as Connors’ “unpatriotic boycott” of Davis Cup after he was not selected for the team in 1972. In the video highlights of their 1975 finals’ match below, you’ll notice Ashe wore red, white, and blue wrist bands as well as his USA Davis Cup warm up as a not-so-subtle rebuke of Connors.

^{Highlights from the Arthur Ashe-Jimmy Connors 1975 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Championship.}

^{A look back at the importance of Arthur Ashe.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

The Fan Teaser: Week 91 Solution

July 21, 2024July 5, 2024DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{Hard to believe this fella with a}**
**^{.222 career minor league batting}**
**^{average will be in Cooperstown.}**
**^{Who is it?}**

The kid from Perrysburg, OH, was a scrapper, but when it came to hitting catcher Jim Leyland just couldn’t keep up. He spent parts of seven seasons in the Minor Leagues in the Detroit Tigers’ system, advancing as high a AA, but finished with a .222 batting average over 446 games. He had but 36 extra base hits and only 102 RBIs over those seven seasons.

What he could do, it turns out, was manage a little bit.

Beginning as a 26-year-old with Detroit’s Rookie League Bristol team, Leyland spent the next 11 seasons the Tigers system before Tony LaRussa brought him to Chicago to help with his White Sox. Leyland then found his way to Pittsburgh (1986-96), Florida (1997-98), Colorado (1999) and Detroit (2006-13. All together, he managed 4,897 games over 33 seasons, including 3,499 in the Major Leagues (22 seasons).

He was manager of the year three times (1990, 1992, and 2006), won three Pennants (1997, 2006, and 2012), and the World Series in 1997 with the Marlins.

Now, after a lifetime in baseball, Leyland will have a plaque haning in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY, after being voted in by the Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee. His induction, along with the other three members of the Class of 2024 (Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer) is July 21.

Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

The Fan Teaser: Week 90 Solution

July 14, 2024July 2, 2024DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{Between them, these two hands have held nine Wimbledon}**
**^{championship trophies. Who do they belong to?}**

Before they became a couple, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi were pretty decent tennis players. Between them, they won Wimbleon nine times. OK, Graf won eight and Agassi one, but they’re both career Golden Slam winners (all four tennis Grand Slam events and an Olympic Gold Medal). Graf actually won all five in 1988 making her the only tennis player to have accomplished that feat.

The duo combined to win 30 Grand Slam singles championships (Graf 22 and Agassi 8) and began dating shortly after Graf won her final, the 1999 French Open. They wed October 22, 2001, with only their mothers attending as witnesses. Together have two two adult children.

^{Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, played a charity mixed doubles match in May 2009 against Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman on Wimbledon’s Centre Court to test its newly installed roof. (Photo by Chris Eason/Wikimedia Commons)}

The photo from which this week’s Fan Teaser was created occurred when the pair were playing an exhibition mixed doubles match on May 17, 2009, as a way to christen the renovations to Wimbledon’s Centre Court which then debuted its retractable roof.

Back in Time #6 – 1980 Wimbledon Final Borg-McEnroe

November 6, 2023November 12, 2023DouglasTHillLeave a comment

(About the Series: Based upon my Conversation with guest Derek Meinecke, I’m going back in time to be in the stands at 10 sporting events. This week, it’s #6. You’re able to find links to the previous installments below.)

**^{Bjorn Borg celebrates the final point of the 1980 Wimbledon Championship against John McEnroe.}**

I’ve written previously about the special place the Wimbledon Championships hold in my heart. It’s neither because I’ve ever been there nor because I’m a hardcore tennis fan. Basically, my fondness was borne of tennis being about the only thing on the television each Fourth of July weekend at my grandmother’s lake cottage in northern Indiana before frolicking in the water was allowed.

Strawberries and cream nothing; more like Fruit Loops and 2% milk for me!

Anyhow, on July 5, 1980, I was a 13-year-old rising eighth grader. I may have been camped in front of my grandmother’s 19-inch color RCA TV along the shores of Oliver Lake, watching Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe battle for the Championship. Honestly, I can’t remember.

^{Borg celebrates the win on his knees while McEnroe laid out in an effort to salvage a point in the fourth-set tiebreaker.}

The point is, I wish I was. Heck, I wish I was at Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club which is why I’m climbing into the way back machine to head back in time to witness this epic 3 hours, 53 minute 5-set masterpiece.

As much as anything, I want to be there for the fourth-set tiebreaker that McEnroe won, 18-16. The tiebreaker alone lasted over 20 minutes. It was like watching the final round of Rocky on repeat. McEnroe fended off championship point after championship point before ultimately prevailing to force the fifth set.

^{Check out the fourth-set tiebreaker seen here in its entirety.}

I’ve never been a spectator at a professional tennis match, but I suspect this one would’ve kept me in my seat and engaged. Seeing two future Hall of Famers at the height of their game playing in a Grand Slam final on what has to be considered the sport’s most iconic venue on the planet (sorry, Roland Garros) seems a no-brainer for me to head back in time to witness in person.

^{The full final match of the 1980 Wimbledon Championship.}

Previous Installments

Number 10 – 1972 NLCS Game 5
Number 9 – 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics
Number 8 – 2007 One Hall of a Trip
Number 7 – 1973 Secretariat’s Triple Crown Run

Get Off My Lawn!

July 17, 2023July 17, 2023DouglasTHillLeave a comment

As I slowly got sucked in for all 4 hours and 42 minutes of the Wimbledon Men’s Championship this weekend, a random thought crossed my mind.

Is the groundsman at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club reacting the same way to the huge swaths of dirt patches that have developed in their treasured patch of grass the same way our parents did when, through repeated front yard summer baseball/Wiffle ball games, similar dirt patches developed where the batter’s box was?

And, if so, what are the consequences for the players? Do they need to change their position for service/return as we did for homeplate? Are they obligated to help with reseeding/regrowing next spring?

Just wondering:-)

Cheers to Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova on their victories and helping provide the viewing world with a remarkable fortnight.

The Fan Teaser: Week 38 Solution

July 9, 2023DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{Back when headbands were a thing.}**

The headband game was strong with John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club back in the day.

John McEnroe & Bjorn Borg — **^{In many ways, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were Wimbledon for the better}**
**^{part of a decade.}**

Between the two they won eight of the nine Wimbledon Championships contested between 1976-1984. (Borg won five straight [’76-’80]). Perhaps the most memorable of all the matches contested (they met in only two Wimbledon finals, 1980 and 1981) was the fourth-set tiebreaker of that 1980 championship. With Borg leading the match two sets to one, McEnroe prevailed 18-16 in this epic 20-plus minute tiebreaker, before falling 8-6 in the decisive fifth set. (See the entire tiebreaker below.)

Just for fun, here is John McEnroe’s commencement address to the Stanford University Class of 2023 from last month. It is, shall we say, on brand for Johnny Mac.

Collecting Rejections

May 1, 2023DouglasTHillLeave a comment

I’ve written in this space before about my repeated rejections from the fine folks at Augusta National in my annual sisyphean pursuit to win the drawing for The Masters tickets.

In an effort to enhance my chances of seeing one of these “must see” events I added to my annual lottery pursuits the “Wimbledon Ticket Ballot.”

Last week I received the image below and, in the words of Ian Eagle – the new voice of NCAA March Madness on CBS and Turner: “Rejected!”