My first thought was, hey, just like the old days with guys in their short-shorts throwing rackets and screaming.

And I don't recall any of those guys ever groveling at a press conference, so I think Ms. Harding has a point. Is it possible there's more sexism than racism though? That she was 'unladylike'? Or maybe sexism opens the floodgates for all sorts of -isms. Hmm

Seriously, we can only handle one scandal at a time and Serena's time in the spotlight of shame is mercifully at an end. And while her behavior was not justified, it was understandable. I know that when I saw it I was thankful that there are no TV cameras around recording the times I lose my cool. She lost the match and she was fined. I think that's plenty.

...in Salon, written by Ms. Harding...supporting S. Williams.

Here is what I have observed: many large women are bullies. Ms. Williams is a bully (I have personal experience). I have not met Ms. Harding--but I have read much of her work on Salon and her blog.

Without meeting her in person, I speculate that she, too, is a bully. Certainly both women are large.

Ergo, her support of Serena and her simply intolerable outburst/threat.

This support is misguided. Mary Carillo said it best last night: Serena should not be allowed to play doubles today...the transgression was that serious.

because she lives in a world mostly composed of hypocrites who love to see humans squirm interminably when they fuck up.

This goes for ANY normal personal shit people fall prey to depending on their idiosyncratic composition.

The hypocrite masses will feed on anything failed; in some cases the collective massacre will draw its life from the public outing of sexual liaison while an entirely different situation will offer fresh meat in the form of a temper blast-off on national tube.

People don't like bare humanity. It makes them squirm and then lust to crush it.

Kate Harding--thanks for summing up this sorry situation. Talk about overblown, racially tinged incidents. The double standard is breathtaking. The judges should be the ones we're all talking about today. There is an overwhelming amount of hostility directed at the Williams sisters for crimes unspecified (but we can guess). This little outburst by Serena has unleashed the hounds.

Tennis sportscaster Mary Fernandez should be ashamed for not standing up for her.

... satisfactorily completes an anger management course.

And fire the official: she clearly got that foot fault call wrong.

You're in the middle of physical competition, full of adrenaline - a possibly bad call, suddenly you lose your temper and yell.

She lost the game because of it! The correct punishment, it could really happen to anyone, the world is full of honestly evil people, this is no big deal.

What do you know? A star athlete, groomed from birth and trained for no other useful role in life by a worthless parent than to be a money-making machine, pitches a world-class tantrum and .....so what. Really - who cares? Have YOU ever been a ref? I have, and it is a thankless, stressful, ulcer-creating job, and every call you make is considered "questionable" at best, and more often than not is rewarded with a profanity-laced, threat-filled tirade by someone whose entire ego is consumed by their ability to in some way influence the motion of an inanimate object through space. Jeez. When this woman is too old to play on an international competetive level, what will she do with the 40 or so remaining years of her so-far pointless existance? Write her memoirs? "Comment" on yet-another blather-fest sports channel? Look - she DID foot-fault - anyone reviewing the video can see that. Was the "call" controversial because, in the end it cost her the match? No, her asinine reaction did that, and that in itself was enough. I don't want to see her "apologize", because it would be insincere anyway, and lead some deluded people to speculate further on the racism/sexism/class--ism whatever that lead to this unremarkable, pointless, baseless "controversy". Selah.

I'm willing to be convinced that you are correct. However, the video you included of John' McEnroe's fits did not include any scenes of him threatening to shove a ball down the throat of any of the umpires.

I think threats of physical violence are over the line and she does owe the judge an apology.

Noteworthy that the worst of the McEnroe tantrums involve calling a judge horrible or foolish but without descriptions of violent attack. There is probably something to what you are saying, Kate, but I think you're also downplaying the uniqueness of Serena's comments. I'm no tennis scholar, so tell me -- is there a history of other players describing fantasized violent attacks on a line judge? And in such a high profile game? If not, this observation may explain some, and maybe most of the hooplah.

what BS drivel....neither McEnroe, nastasie, conners or anyone else I can remember physically threatened a line judge. it has absolutely nothing to do w/ race or gender, absolutely NOTHING.

Serena has always been a bit of a narcisist, on the other hand her older sister has been a picture of comportmant and grace , whether winning or losing. Serena's disgusting outburst should cost her dearly and $10,500 is a proverbial slap on the wrist for this multi-millionaire, she should lose her winnings from the Open and be suspended from play for an amount to be determined by what steps this self absorbed Jehovahs Witness does to apologize for her actions ...which she (like joe wilson ) has yet to do ...

Might want to rethink that. Am guessing you didn't catch Serena introducing Pink last night, while slyly making light-hearted comments about being "over-the-line."

I posted about her behavior in a piece titled "Serena Gets her thug on."

Whttp://open.salon.com/blog/bonnie_russell/2009/09/13/serena_gets_her_thug_on

What's up with these women? Another female thug was the singer who torched her boyfriend's home in Atlanta. (Girl on girl violence is growing.)

So as Serena's not sorry, when did it become our job to forgive her? I'm thinking....not. Mainly because it's up to the woman Serena attacked to forgive her.

Too bad Serena hasn't asked.

I dunno, maybe Serena should send Kayne over. Kayne's really terrific at offering unapologetic apologies.

Interestingly, that seems to be where his true talent lies.