Miami, July 1, 2002 - In a big Brazilian City the Sunday mass was postponed for an hour. Presumably, no one would attend to the Lord while the World Cup Final was in progress. I believe that when Brazil won no one attended the mass.

    Here in South Florida the party continues. In South Beach, for instance, the Police found it easier to block traffic and divert it than to stop the street party.

    American commentators said that during the first half the Germans were "Physical". This is an understatement for "dirty". In the final analysis, however, German size and brute force succumbed to Brazilian talent and finesse.

    I am very proud of those Brazilians. Most of that pride relates to the fact that, overwhelmingly, and in neutral circumstances, they would be classified with us as "BLACK" people. By the same criterion, I find current day West Indian Test Criketers a pain in the brain and plain embarrassing. But cricket is a different ball game.

    Argentina was over-rated by some as a potential favorite to win the Cup. But they bowed out early and hardly gracefully. Their plight was very probably a symbol of the economic situation in that country; a manifestation of capitalism at its worst.

    "You give the invisible hand free rein. Then one morning you wake up to find that same invisible hand far up your ass". This is from the private utterances of an otherwise decent Caribbean economist whose name I withhold.

    I am sorry for the masses who suffer; yet I will not cry for Argentina. She had that repugnant habit of playing white country until the war for the Falkland Islands; when Britain more than killed her butt. Argentina then sought support, and even neutrality of the United States, who promptly declared support for Great Britain.

    A couple of decades have passed since the War for the Falkland Islands. This means that Gabriella Sabatini would have been, say a teenager at the time. Her recent remarks concerning the sisters Williams suggest that old attitudes and dogma do not readily disappear. Sabatini and her kind seem possessed by an undying jealousy and contempt for those black people whose talent is superior to their own.

    Sabatini laments to the effect that the tennis played by Serena and Venus is monotonous and boring. She believes that they depend on power rather than on finesse. But she should be reminded that, unlike hockey, or boxing, or even soccer, tennis remains unlikely to become a tackle or contact sport.

    You acquire your racket and you take to the court. Your opponent does the same. Your opponent cannot wrestle you to the ground; nor vice versa.

    A few years ago, an European teenager called Martina Hingis came on the tennis scene. She dominated everybody else, abused her racket violently into the court when she made an error, and spoke with singular lack of civility or respect for those elders over whom she become triumphant. Curiously, Sabatini expressed no boredom about Miss Hingis winning all the time.

    Before too long, Venus and Serena burst on the scene. Hingis even won over them, but not for long. Today, far from finding it monotonous, I enjoy even the knowledge that sisters Williams have the capacity to power their way over every other female in tennis on the planet.

    One sports commentator (ESPN, PARDON THE INTERUPTION) suggested that Sabatini should shut up: she herself had tried to build some muscle to win more matches, but had failed. When I heard this, a disturbing feeling settled over me. I felt that Sabatini may have been setting herself up to make a more grave allegation against the muscles of Williams and Williams.

    But Sabatini would have a serious obstacle in her path. A few weeks ago, a renowned tennis player, now commentator, told the world: when Serena Williams was a child, she noticed the power of the Serena forehand. "It was the first time I ever got intimidated by a ten-year old", she declared.

    All things considered, jealous Gabriela should not wish to continue to pursue her argument. Be that as it may, may the Williams dynasty prosper and may the Queens reign for a very long time; from Wimbledon to New York; from Sydney to Paris.

    One last point: Caribbean athletes should note the facility with which the Williams Sisters handle media people. Last week, for example, one interviewer asked Venus why was Lennox Lewis sitting with the Family Williams watching at Wimbledon. Of course, that was the media way of asking, "Is Lennox Lewis your man or your sister's man?"

    Venus responded: "I don't know. Perhaps he loves watching tennis". It was her mildest way of saying, "That is none of your business".

    By the way, the media and Corporate America should come out and explain their unending love affair with Anna Kournikova. She has never won a single major tournament; I predict she never shall. So, what besides her race renders her a favorite in the advertising business?