Tweet
Stereotypes can be harmful, but they make it easy to categorize things, too.
Think of "The Breakfast Club," with Molly Ringwald as the princess, Emilio Estevez as the jock and Michael Anthony Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy as the nerd, the rebel and the space cadet, respectively.
Didn’t matter how much of a stretch some of those roles were, the stereotypes spelled things out for the for even the dimmest of viewers.
Stick a sleeveless jacket on Nelson, have him punch a locker and presto, he’s a badass.
Same thing with Sheedy. Tousle her hair and feed her a Cap’n Crunch sandwich and the audience really believes she’s off her rocker.
So for the sake of simplifying the undervalued and the overrated at Wimbledon this year, Covers.com presents the stereotyped cast of The Breakfast Club II: Strawberries and Cream.
All odds courtesy Bet365.com.
The Champ
Roger Federer (-225) is the three-time defending champ on the verge of breaking Bjorn Borg’s record for consecutive wins on grass. Some tough early matchups, but he deserves his status as heavy favorite. Little value in Federer for bettors.
The Bridesmaid
Andy Roddick (+1000) lost to Federer in the last two Wimbledon finals. He says his ankle is healthy again after withdrawing from the French Open and is 35-4 on English grass since 2003. He’s 1-10 against Federer lifetime though, his sole win coming on the hardcourt.
The Clayboy
Rafael Nadal (+1400) is the second seed but is nursing a sore shoulder. As for Wimbledon, Nadal says “My only objective is to improve my play on a surface I still find difficult… and I don’t expect to go far, much less win.” Not much value here.
The Momentum-builder
Lleyton Hewitt (+1000) won last week’s Wimbledon warmup, the Queen`s Club, for the first time since 2002, when he also took top prize at Wimbledon. He just ended a long-running spat with ATP and is playing with great focus.
The Major-less Star
David Nalbandian (+2200) is 29-9 this year and is 6-6 against Federer in his career. It should be noted, however, that five of Nalbandian’s wins were in 2002-03 and that the two have never met on grass. Nalbandian’s odds have dropped from +1600 over the last three days.
The Specialist
Mario Ancic (+1600) is the last man to beat Federer at the All England Club, though that was back in 2002. He’s 36-12 this year, with six wins against top-15 opponents, and just won the Ordina Open on grass for the second year in a row. Ancic is this year`s seventh seed and should intrigue bettors looking beyond the superstars.
The American Dream(er)
James Blake (+2000) made it to the recent Queen’s Club finals in London, but admits that he’s still learning to play on grass. He`s never made it to the third round at Wimbledon.
The Dark Horse
Ivan Ljubicic (+4000) is having a monster 2006 with a 40-10 record. He’s already won two tourneys this year and enters as the fifth seed, but is only 2-6 in his Wimbledon career.
The Youngster
Tomas Berdych (+6600) took a set from Federer in the recent Gerry Weber Open final and defeated Federer in three sets at the 2004 Athens Olympics. This 20 year old could go deep into the draw.
The Forgotten Man
Juan Carlos Ferrero (+20000) is usually known as a clay or hardcourt player, but he’s 8-3 in his last three Wimbledon tournaments and is a former world number one. He’s only 26, though it seems he’s been around a long time.
The Old Master
Andre Agassi (+10000) sacrificed the clay court season to prepare for his last Wimbledon hurrah. He’s rested, but has only beaten one top-20 player in the last calendar year.
The Hometown Hopeful
Tim Henman (+6600) has won 40 matches in his last 10 Wimbledon tourneys, but he drew a potential second-round matchup with Federer. Don’t expect another appearance in the semi-finals from Henman.
Think of "The Breakfast Club," with Molly Ringwald as the princess, Emilio Estevez as the jock and Michael Anthony Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy as the nerd, the rebel and the space cadet, respectively.
Didn’t matter how much of a stretch some of those roles were, the stereotypes spelled things out for the for even the dimmest of viewers.
Stick a sleeveless jacket on Nelson, have him punch a locker and presto, he’s a badass.
Same thing with Sheedy. Tousle her hair and feed her a Cap’n Crunch sandwich and the audience really believes she’s off her rocker.
So for the sake of simplifying the undervalued and the overrated at Wimbledon this year, Covers.com presents the stereotyped cast of The Breakfast Club II: Strawberries and Cream.
All odds courtesy Bet365.com.
The Champ
Roger Federer (-225) is the three-time defending champ on the verge of breaking Bjorn Borg’s record for consecutive wins on grass. Some tough early matchups, but he deserves his status as heavy favorite. Little value in Federer for bettors.
The Bridesmaid
Andy Roddick (+1000) lost to Federer in the last two Wimbledon finals. He says his ankle is healthy again after withdrawing from the French Open and is 35-4 on English grass since 2003. He’s 1-10 against Federer lifetime though, his sole win coming on the hardcourt.
The Clayboy
Rafael Nadal (+1400) is the second seed but is nursing a sore shoulder. As for Wimbledon, Nadal says “My only objective is to improve my play on a surface I still find difficult… and I don’t expect to go far, much less win.” Not much value here.
The Momentum-builder
Lleyton Hewitt (+1000) won last week’s Wimbledon warmup, the Queen`s Club, for the first time since 2002, when he also took top prize at Wimbledon. He just ended a long-running spat with ATP and is playing with great focus.
The Major-less Star
David Nalbandian (+2200) is 29-9 this year and is 6-6 against Federer in his career. It should be noted, however, that five of Nalbandian’s wins were in 2002-03 and that the two have never met on grass. Nalbandian’s odds have dropped from +1600 over the last three days.
The Specialist
Mario Ancic (+1600) is the last man to beat Federer at the All England Club, though that was back in 2002. He’s 36-12 this year, with six wins against top-15 opponents, and just won the Ordina Open on grass for the second year in a row. Ancic is this year`s seventh seed and should intrigue bettors looking beyond the superstars.
The American Dream(er)
James Blake (+2000) made it to the recent Queen’s Club finals in London, but admits that he’s still learning to play on grass. He`s never made it to the third round at Wimbledon.
The Dark Horse
Ivan Ljubicic (+4000) is having a monster 2006 with a 40-10 record. He’s already won two tourneys this year and enters as the fifth seed, but is only 2-6 in his Wimbledon career.
The Youngster
Tomas Berdych (+6600) took a set from Federer in the recent Gerry Weber Open final and defeated Federer in three sets at the 2004 Athens Olympics. This 20 year old could go deep into the draw.
The Forgotten Man
Juan Carlos Ferrero (+20000) is usually known as a clay or hardcourt player, but he’s 8-3 in his last three Wimbledon tournaments and is a former world number one. He’s only 26, though it seems he’s been around a long time.
The Old Master
Andre Agassi (+10000) sacrificed the clay court season to prepare for his last Wimbledon hurrah. He’s rested, but has only beaten one top-20 player in the last calendar year.
The Hometown Hopeful
Tim Henman (+6600) has won 40 matches in his last 10 Wimbledon tourneys, but he drew a potential second-round matchup with Federer. Don’t expect another appearance in the semi-finals from Henman.
Comment