Episode 6

Ben and Courtney recap the action in Miami, where up until an hour ago, the women of the WTA offered the more compelling storyline (Rafael Nadal has since withdrawn from the tournament due to a left knee injury). We talk about Venus Williams’ incredible comeback to competitive tennis, why Marion Bartoli was the perfect woman to end Victoria Azarenka’s 26-0 streak, and the complete Fish flop that left the ESPN commentators audibly shaking their heads. We also take you behind the scenes into the dark and smarmy world of the conflict-of-interest-laden tennis media (it’s not dark, and it’s not smarmy) and — WHOA, did you guys see this Odesnik commercial? Go! Go! Go! and give it a listen before everything we discussed is no longer timely. Links mentioned on this week’s episode:

• Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim discusses the conflicts of interests inherent in the tennis industry. [SI.com]
• Serena Williams on Home Shopping Network, introducing the word “comfortability” to fashion. [YouTube]
• Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch listed Eleni Danilidou’s win over Magdalena Maleeva in Athens as one of his best 2004 Olympic memories. [SI.com]
• Wayne Odesnik’s Genesis commercial. [YouTube]
• Wayne Odesnik’s Facebook page. [Facebook]