Would it kill those three to cheer a little louder? Opposite styles almost always make for interesting matchups in a sport like tennis. Most of the great rivalries have featured two players who go at the game in very different ways. In the old days that usually meant a serve-and-volley […] Read more
Where was it that nice guys supposedly finish? I can’t really write a Baby Steps post on this of all Sundays without acknowledging the events at Wimbledon, and not the ones in the OP either. It was another heartbreaking final Sunday in London as Roger Federer once again fell short […] Read more
Baby Steps has always been this good, but it’s kind of nice to see popular opinion starting to catch up. I’m not sure if Baby Steps is the most consistent series of the last few years, but it’s got to be pretty close. There just aren’t any lulls here – […] Read more
Enter the tennis mom. “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have.” – Andre Agassi Given that Baby Steps is probably the most comprehensive look at youth sports in manga history (I would place only […] Read more
Once more, Baby Steps puts on a sports anime clinic. Apart from the animation, of course… That episode seemed to last about eight minutes, in the way these kinds of episodes often do in sports series. And as is so often the case, the most powerful matches can be the […] Read more
Once you get to this level, nothing comes easy. Once more in watching Baby Steps, I’m struck by how much Ei-chan as a player is reminiscent of Greg Maddux – not only one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, but possibly the cleverest. This was a topic of discussion in […] Read more
Dear Maruo: I feel your pain. Love, Roger A hearty congratulations to Stan Wawrinka, who once again stunned the Number 1 player in the world to win a major. This time around there were no health issues – Novak Djokovic was healthy and seemingly at the top of his game, […] Read more
Well – if the relationship can survive this… It’s interesting watching Baby Steps while one of the grand slams is going on, as the French is at the moment. The players here are obviously at a very different stage of their journey, but there are a lot of elements from the real […] Read more
Perfect sports anime – 100.00%. That’s how you do it, right there. There have been a few episodes of Baby Steps that have been the perfect storm – everything comes together and the result leaves you breathless and completely riveted (the way only great sports anime can). This is one […] Read more
That’s the problem with scouting reports right there. You have to feel a little sorry for Nishimura Kouji, Araya-kun’s kouhai at his tennis club and Maruo’s first-round opponent in the Kanagawa Junior. Araya surely meant well with his answers to Kouji’s inquiry about wha kind of player Maruo was – […] Read more