Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video we talk to tennis star Nadia Petrova who tells us why she is more popular in the United States than in her homeland, Russia. We also learn why it's not wise to get in the way of any serve unleashed by this tennis powerhouse. Around 1:15 into the video Nadia tells us why Russia produces so many talented tennis players.


AOL Video link. Youtube link.

Tennis: Nadia Petrova From Russia With Love originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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He experienced a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open, which was causing him the pain, and ultimately the doctors feel that he needs ACL surgery and rest to get him back to 100%.

Sources added that Tiger is in great spirits and wants to ensure that he comes back even better at the start of the 2009 season.

Although his playing schedule is going to put on hold, he will continue to make numerous appearances and fulfill his sponsor and charitable commitments over the next five to six months.

Report: Tiger Woods Needs Another Knee Surgery, Won't Play Again Until 2009 originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CBS's Bobby Clampett Apologizes for Calling Liang Wen-Chong 'Chinaman' at Masters originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So it was back to the drawing board, and the menu remains a work in progress with only a couple of weeks before his mid-March deadline. Surf and turf is about as concrete as it gets so far.

"We're trying to piece some things together and see how that works out," Johnson said... "I have a feeling it's going to be some Midwest food with some Florida flair."

Phil Mickelson, 2007: Barbecued ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork, with cole slaw.

Tiger Woods, 2006: Stuffed jalapeno and quesadilla appetizers with salsa and guacamole; green salad; steak fajitas, chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans; apple pie and ice cream for dessert.

Phil Mickelson, 2005: Lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce, Caesar's salad, garlic bread.

Mike Weir, 2004: Elk, wild boar, Arctic char (that's a fish), Canadian beer.

Tiger Woods, 2002: Porterhouse steak and chicken with a sushi appetizer.

Vijay Singh, 2001: Seafood tom kah, chicken panang curry, baked sea scallops with garlic sauce, rack of lamb with yellow kari sauce, baked filet Chilean sea bass with three flavor chili sauce, lychee sorbet.

Mark O'Meara, 1999: Chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, sushi, tuna sashimi.

Tiger Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries, milkshakes.

Nick Faldo, 1997: Fish and chips, tomato soup.

Ben Crenshaw, 1996: Texas barbecue.

Jose Maria Olazabal, 1995: Paella (a Spanish rice dish) and hake (whitefish), plus tapas.

Bernhard Langer, 1994: Turkey and dressing, black forest torte.

Fred Couples, 1993: Chicken cacciatore.

Sandy Lyle, 1989: Haggis, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips.

Bernhard Langer, 1986: Weiner schnitzel (breaded veal).

Thank God Zach Johnson Isn't Serving Fried Chicken, Collard Greens at Champions Dinner originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sabbatini didn't let the year end without getting under Tiger Woods' skin one last time. In a move that left players shaking their heads, Sabbatini withdrew from the final round of the Target World Challenge on Sunday because of "personal reasons," making him the first player in the nine-year history of the event to leave early.

Rory Sabbatini Is Getting on Tiger's Last Nerve originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiger Woods, Gatorade: $100 Million Deal originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"The way I see it, if you don't play all four events, you shouldn't be eligible," said Sabbatini.

"If they played one event for the playoffs in the NBA or baseball or football, you play one [game] and if you decide, OK, I'm going to skip this week, that's a forfeit," he said. "That's the way I see it."

"Waaaah! Tiger's too good! Tiger can win the FedEx Cup when he's not trying as hard as I am! Waaaaaah! Tiger makes me feel like an ugly little girl with a unibrow! Waaaah! I want Tiger to hold my hand and take me to get ice cream and tell me I'm a pretty little princess, but he won't, because he's mean! Waaaah!"

I think maybe it's time that Rory Sabbatini stopped talking out loud.

(Also at the bottom: ... I do not feel good about Stephon Marbury or the New York Knicks right now ... the ladies love Najeh Davenport ... and I didn't know this, but Andrew Walter is still alive ... )

Your Nifty $15 Kicks Are Made By An Apparent Dirtball ... I wish those whole Knicks/Isiah Thomas/Anucha Browne-Sanders trial wasn't happening ... I mean, I hope justice is served, and I'm glad that the woman's having her day in court ... but I could have done without the reminder that the culture in sports can be so ... disgusting. Stephon Marbury took the stand yesterday, and admitted he called Browne-Sanders a "bitch," and also that he had sex with a Knicks intern who was working under Browne-Sanders ... and that's not what bothers me. What bothers me is that Marbury can admit that he did those things ... and that he still considers the whole lawsuit a joke. That means Marbury not only sees nothing wrong with what he did, he finds it completely laughable that anyone else might object, either. I guess it's not a surprise ... that an extremely sexist culture exists in a professional sports organization is not exactly earth-shattering news. It's just that when the occasional reminder comes about, like this one, I feel dirty for rooting for these people. The trial is just getting started, and Isiah Thomas still has a chance to defend himself from the bizarre allegations made against him, too ... and obviously, I'm not declaring guilt or innocence here. But at the very least, it sounds like Madison Square Garden was a miserable place for a woman to work. No matter what else is proven or disproven here, clearly there was a culture where it was seen as perfectly normal and okay for male employees to refer to female employees as "bitches," and where female interns were in a position where they felt like they "had" to accept the sexual advances of star players. Maybe it's a good thing this is happening ... maybe it'll help to shine a light on the sexist culture that exists within the Knicks organization (and I'm pretty sure they aren't alone in that) and can be a starting point towards helping eliminate it. Maybe that'll be what comes of this ... but I doubt it.

On Bill Belichick's Apology ... ... it was about the most meaningless five minutes in the history of sports. It was an apology issued for the sole purpose of allowing Bill Belichick to say, "Well, I apologized." There was no admission of wrongdoing, he clearly feels accountable to no one, and it was the very definition of "smug." It was straight out of the Jeremy Shockey Big Book of Apologies.

There's Just Something About A Man Who Will Dump In Your Hamper ... A recent study shows that Pittsburgh and Green Bay have the largest base of female fans in the NFL. I was trying to figure out why ... and here's the one common link I could come up with: Najeh Davenport. Davenport, pictured to the right fighting off some bush, as he is often forced to do, has played in only two NFL cities ... Pittsburgh and Green Bay. He has to be the link here. Why the women love Najeh ... I don't know. He isn't very good-looking, he's never been tremendously productive ... the only thing he's known for is the excretion of his bodily waste into your laundry. I guess that works with the ladies these days. I feel so out of touch ... I still send flowers. I'm going to save so much money this way. Seriously, I think it's just because Pittsburgh and Green Bay are the cities where the community and the football team are most closely tied together. If you're in Green Bay, and you aren't a Packers fan, really ... male or female, what are your other options? You can only visit the National Railroad Museum so many times. It's kind of similar in Pittsburgh ... especially in the '70s, when the Steelers were beating the hell out of everyone. Everyone loved the Steelers then, and I think a lot of that's carried over to today. Have a gander at the women pictured in this MSNBC article ... and yeah, they look more like carryovers from the 70's than gals who jumped on the Ben Roethlisberger bandwagon. They also look more intimidating than the Cleveland Browns offensive line.

David Ortiz

Andrew Walter

"I have great confidence in all our quarterbacks, especially the first two in Josh and Daunte."

The Debriefing: I Would Like It if Someone Hit Rory Sabbatini in the Face With a 7-Iron originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sabbatini's reaction was particularly inappropriate given his own lack of decorum. The sheriff's grandson was among those who heard multiple Sabbatini F-words when Woods chipped in on the ninth hole to essentially seal the win.

Rory Sabbatini: OK for Me to Drop F-Bombs, Not OK for You to Ask Me a Question originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Important Was Natalie Gulbis' Win to the LPGA Tour? originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 22:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"I took an oath prior to him telling me -- I won't tell you where -- but he told me what he did, and I could see this massive change in him," Player said. "And somebody else told me something, that I also promised I wouldn't tell, that verified others had done it."

"I might be way out [on the guess of 10 players using steroids]," Player said. "Definitely not going to be lower, but might be a hell of a lot more."

1. Brad Faxon.

4. Craig Parry.

Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL: Brazilian swimmer Rebeca Gusmao celebrates his record in the women 50m freestyle competition 18 July 2007 during the Pan American games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gusmao clocked 25.05s.

I Wish Oliver Platt Was Burning ... I didn't get to watch Episode 2 of The Bronx is Burning until today ... and I'm sorry to report that there was no progress made. The problems I had with the first episode were no better ... in fact, they were exacerbated. I was hoping that Week 2 would pull some things together, and bring the negatives up to the level of the positives, but that didn't happen. It sort of did the opposite ... the good things got better, and the bad things just got worse. Here's a list of the good things: John Turturro. And here's a list of the bad things: Oliver Platt as George Steinbrenner is as one-dimensional as the Miss Elizabeth poster I had hanging on my wall in 1990 ... and way less enjoyable. The problem is more the writing than the portrayal ... Steinbrenner's a bombastic, blowhard, temperamental, manipulator. I get it. But that's all I get. There are no subtleties about the character, there's nothing sympathetic or relatable about the man ... there's nothing to make someone think that the character, to this point, has even required any great amount of acting skill. The Son of Sam murder and the mayoral race scenes are, quite unfortunately, still around ... I had to fight the urge to fast forward through them. By episode four, I'm guessing that I won't be able to resist that urge any longer, and I'll cut these things down to sitcom length. The show tries to make you care about how Thurman Munson hates Reggie Jackson, and as soon as you start to ... hey, let's watch a quick murder and then see what's on Mario Cuomo's mind. It's freaking maddening. It's like if The Natural stopped every 10 minutes to give you an update on the Works Progress Administration. They could have done it ... but why? One night a week, you've got 44 minutes to make me care about Billy Martin, George Steinbrenner, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, the Son of Sam, a few murder victims, three mayoral candidates, and Kevin Arnold's dad. That's about 4.4 minutes each, tops. Good luck gripping me. Two episodes in, it just feels like too ambitious a project, by people not quite skilled enough to pull it off. Ultimately, it's an 8-week miniseries with one good actor, produced by a network that isn't yet very good at producing this kind of thing. So far, it's no better than your average Lifetime movie starring Meredith Baxter-Birney. I'm sorry you have to be a part of this, John Turturro.

Let's Just Make This Simpler ... And someone let me know when the Tour de France finds a rider who isn't doping the bejeesus out of himself.

Nike's Getting Jayson Williams On The Other Line ... As of right now, Nike says they still plan to go ahead with the release of a Michael Vick shoe on August 23rd ... how can this be? Are they going to modify the shoe so it has a special razor blade on the toe, allowing you to easily and efficiently slice a pitbull's throat? From ESPN's Wayne Drehs: But Nike, to this point, has stood by Vick. In fact, Vick's signature shoe, the Nike Zoom Vick V, is scheduled to be released in stores on Aug. 23 for a suggested retail price of $100. Though Nike spokesman Brian Facchini declined to comment on the Vick charges -- he chose to read a statement that said, "We are aware of the indictment and are reviewing the information and have no further information at this time" -- he did confirm that the Vick shoe is still scheduled to be released. Innocent until proven guilty and all, but ... I dunno, at this point, the evidence seems pretty damning. Pacman Jones hasn't been convicted for anything that happened on that rainy night in Vegas, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea for General Mills to call him up and say, "Hey, we'd like to launch a national cereal called Pacman-O's. Whaddaya say?" I'm not saying let's put him in jail right now, but if I'm a Nike executive, I'm saying, "Aren't there non-dog-murdering quarterbacks out there who we could get to push our shoes?"

Your Extremely Early British Open Update ... The British Open is actually underway as I type this, and you'll never guess what the weather's like. It's cold and rainy. So rare for this event. The might as well schedule this thing in India during monsoon season. KJ Choi and Michael Campbell, at 5:46 a.m. Eastern, are tied for the lead at -3. Tiger is -1 through 4 holes. This tournament's pretty much over.

I'm Joining The Starbury Movement ... I gotta tell ya, Stephon Marbury's starting to win me over with his blogging this week at the New York Post. I'll never like his basketball game, and I don't think I'll ever have an overwhelming desire to be in the same room with him, but at the same time ... clearly, he's not just all about basketball. Now, whether he's the visionary he believes himself to be or not ... that's up to you to decide. You can go read about how much he loves Italy, how he's going to play there when he retires, blah blah blah ... it's all a little wacky. But it is passionate, and I respect that. He won't be a Michael Jordan ... lifeless, bland, corporate, and greedy off-the-court. I respect that, too. Of course, I also respect "islesfan" who left the first comment under his blog entry ... Cocaine is a helluva drug. You're so far gone, it's hopeless. Scientologists wouldn't accept you because you're too crazy, even for them. Since money isn't everything, how about you ask the Knicks to let you out of the last 2 years of your contract and you can leave for Italy tomorrow? That way the "Starbury Movement" can start touching the rest of the world even sooner. After all, poor Italian youth are notorious for using basketball shoes as status symbols. They're just begging for a 10 Euro basketball shoe, so they don't have to shell out for the expensive Gucci ones. While you're over there, maybe the Pope will finally make you a Saint. Arrivederci Looney Tunes. I'm also joining the islesfan movement..

Julio Franco

"Julio knows his role, and he's going to get a lot action here," third baseman Chipper Jones said. "He'll be first or second off the bench and start quite a bit. He wasn't getting used a lot up there. He's going to get used a lot here."

Yao Ming

"No matter how lofty public welfare activities are, they can't be allowed to take first place in a player's life,'' the China Sports Daily, a federation-owned newspaper, said in an article appearing Tuesday.

"No matter how sweet personal life is, it can't be compared to the exultation of capturing glory for one's nation,'' the article said.

The Debriefing: My Best 7 Guesses at the PGA Tour's Steroid Abusers originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"I just kind of woke up, and it was really sore," Wie said. "But it was OK. It held up. ... I tweaked it. And then after that it kind of went downhill. I don't remember hurting this much again."

Michelle Wie Withdraws -- Again originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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