A Sporty Day

Steve here. This was a day I was really looking forward to, as I planned to visit Wimbledon and then catch a soccer match in nearby Fulham. It rained off and on all day, but I tried to not let that dampen my spirits.

I started with a morning run through Hyde Park, which is about 1.5 miles from our apartment. There was some sort of race going on, so I tried to avoid the official runners with bibs.

Then it was a half hour tube ride to Wimbledon, where I visited the museum and gift shop before taking a 90-minute guided tour of the grounds. In the museum, they had the outfit that Bjorn Borg wore when he beat John McEnroe to win his 5th straight title in 1980 (unfortunately, my picture of said item didn't turn out so hot). I can remember watching that match with my brother, as well as the 1981 final, when McEnroe finally got his revenge.

Okay, let's cut to the chase . . . Center Court! The scoreboard still showed the result from the 2015 men's final (Djokovic over Federer in 4 sets). And they were treating the grass with artificial sunlight, which explains the contraption you see spanning the court.

They also took us through the main interview room where the top seeds meet with the press after their matches. I sat in one of the interview chairs, which has doubtless been graced by such dignitaries as Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, and a kindly attendant took my picture.

After backtracking a couple of tube stops, I made my way to "Craven Cottage," home of the Fulham Football Club. Apparently, the Fulham squad is variously known as the "Whites" and the "Cottagers," and I can't imagine that either nickname inspires much fear in opponents.

Unfortunately, their play was rather uninspiring also, as they fell to Sheffield Wednesday 1-0. Here the Cottagers are attempting to score from a free kick, a bungled effort that proved to be a harbinger of things to come. I sat by a Fulham fan who impressed me by applauding Sheffield's goal, a laser-like strike from well outside the penalty area. Of course, he also instructed the referee to "sod off" a couple of times.