While we celebrate Venus Williams’ astounding victory at Wimbledon today, her fourth career Wimbledon title, it seems fitting to remember that yesterday was the gold anniversary of a ground-breaking moment in sports history – Althea Gibson’s victory over Darlene Hard in the 1957 women’s final at Wimbledon. It was the first time that a black athlete, male or female, won at Wimbledon, and it marked the triumph of a career that it is no exaggeration to say was to tennis what Jackie Robinson’s was to baseball. From paddle tennis on the streets of Harlem to victory at the world’s most prestigious tournament, Gibson changed our idea of what this sport was and who it was for, a paradigm shift that most certainly paved the way for the emergence of the Williams sisters four decades later.

Wimbledon
ESPN2, 8 a.m. (NBC at 12 p.m.)
A lot of exciting results already – Venus past Kuznetsova (what happened to her anyway?) to make the semis, with that Henin/Venus final looking likely, tasty, and grudge-licious. Nadal endured another five-setter – he seems ripe to stumble into the final and get flicked by Fed like a tired mosquito. Great win for Baghdatis today over Davydenko, with the Baghdatis crowd of Greek hooligans stoking the atmosphere. Still to play today are two men’s quarters – Fed/Ferrero and Roddick/Gasquet. Not that I think the Rod has a chance against Sir Fed, but I gotta say… he’s looking good.

The Legend of Drunken Master
Spike, 11 a.m.
The true sequel to Drunken Master, not nearly as good as the original, but the last fight scene is completely amazing and should be studied by everyone who has ever fought a drunken kung fu battle to the death in their mind.

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
ESPN Classic, 1 p.m.
Oh yeah. A movie about a team from Pittsburgh, called the Pythons, composed solely of Pisces? How much more 70′s can you get? Throw in the good Doctor J and, of course, the young Monty Burns, and you got yourself some serious shit.

Ken Norton v. Muhammad Ali
VS., 8 p.m. & 11 p.m.
One of two men to defeat Ali in his prime (I’m leaving the Leon Spinks debacle out of this consideration), Ken Norton famously broke Ali’s jaw in this 1973 slugfest. Norton is also, with Frazier, one of two men that Ali fought three times, and he gave him nearly as good a trilogy as Smokin’ Joe did, winning the first and then losing two decisions, one a rematch right after this fight, and one in 1976. This is a great fight, often left out of the Champ’s bibliography because he lost it, and got beat up, but it’s an early exhibit of one of the astonishing traits of Muhammad that is frequently ignored – his ability to withstand immense pain.

The Palestra: Cathedral of Basketball
ESPN Classic, 10 p.m.
An hour doc on the temple of Philly basketball and it’s role in the city’s epic Big Five rivalries.

British Open Highlights
Golf Channel, 12:30 a.m.
This hour takes you back to the 1989 Open Championship at Troon. Mark Calcavecchia won his sole major in a playoff against Greg Norman and Wayne Grady. The British Open leg of what is known as the Shark Slam – losses in playoffs in all four majors.

Twenty-six years ago today, John McEnroe ended Bjorn Borg’s streak of five consecutive singles titles at Wimbledon by beating the Swede in the men’s final and capturing his first of three Wimbledon championships. This was of course just a year after what is probably the most famous match ever played at Wimbledon, the 1980 men’s final between Borg and Mac that included the epic 34-point fourth-set tiebreak (for my long-winded exegesis of that classic, click here).

Revenge was indeed sweet for Mac in ’81, although there was already ample evidence that the tide had turned in this rivalry. The first match that they played after the ’80 final was just two months later in the men’s final in Flushing, another five-set classic, but this one won by Mac for his second straight U.S. Open title. They only played once in ’81 prior to their Wimbledon showdown, and Mac won that as well, beating Borg in two sets in the final at Milan.

The American clearly was ready to upend his cool rival in 1981, and in retrospect his primary challenge was the war he was waging with himself at the time. The ’81 Wimbledon tournament was the venue for some of Mac’s most infamous outbursts – “you’re the pits of the world,” and of course that agonized cry to the gods, “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” He was christened “McNasty” and “The Brat” by the British press, he was penalized numerous points, and there was some talk of banishing him from the tournament altogether. This was not American-bashing or jealousy either. Mac’s conduct that year was simply despicable – when you go back and watch the tapes it actually boggles the mind. How could someone repeatedly behave like this and still be allowed to compete?

His greatness, however, ultimately outshone his awfulness, and he breezed through to the final where, in seeming respect for Borg and the rivalry between them, he had nary a tantrum. Instead, he was near-clinical in his approach, and serve-and-volleyed the Swede to death, with a precision that clearly deflated even Borg’s famously unflappable temperament. After losing the first set 6-4, Mac won the next two in tiebreaks and then took the fourth at 6-4 to get at least one monkey off his monkey-crowded back. Borg and Mac would only play one more major-tournament match against each other, the 1981 U.S. Open final, another four-set victory for Mac, and that one a bit easier than the last. This was the match that led Borg to deduce that it was time for him to get out of the game.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, we here at No Mas have commemorated Mac’s victory at the 1981 Wimbledon with the most awesome t-shirt pictured over there on the left. It might be the perfect gift for that special someone if you’re feeling, oh, I don’t know… all patriotic today for that great morning 26 years ago when we finally conquered the evil totalitarian dynasty, Sweden.

“These hallowed lawns have seen many courageous performances,” Dick Enberg said after Serena Williams disposed of Daniela Hantuchova today in three sets, “and this deserves a place among them.”

Oh come on. She had a bloody muscle cramp for Christ’s sake. I’ve had a million of them – so have you. Yes, they hurt like hell, but then you straighten them out, have a banana and a couple of salt pills, and off you go about your business. No autopsy, no foul, etc.

Not Serena, though. The diva routine was in full force, complete with screaming and writhing and near-weeping before she somehow managed her “courageous” comeback.

Look, I’m a Serena fan, and no one loves a good “playing with pain” story as much as I do, but as far as I’m concerned, the old girl laid it on a bit thick out there today. Whatever – I’ve come to expect it of her. She is Tennis Diva, hear her roar. But why do the announcers feel so compelled to take the bait? Mac, Mary Carillo – these are former pro athletes of the highest order. They’ve had their share of cramps in their day, and they both seem to pride themselves on telling it like it is, on giving us the straight dope. How I would have loved someone on the air today to have the audacity to suggest that “you know, I think she might be over-selling the swindle a little… it is just a muscle cramp after all.” Instead we got the “courageous performance for the ages” routine, which I must confess had me rooting for the Slovakian.

With the Wladimir Klitschko/Lamon Brewster rematch set for this Saturday in Germany, this edition of the No Mas Knockout of the Week is a layup. Brewster, the former WBO heavyweight champ, won that vacant title by stopping Wlad in the 5th round of their bout in April, 2004. The fight has been shrouded in controversy ever since, an early entrant in what has become a familiar genre – the “I was drugged” excuse. This bone, however, does seem to have some meat on it – check out this piece on Boxing Insider and I’m sure you will at least raise an eyebrow. The most compelling clue is the sudden drop in odds from 11-1 to 7-2 right before the fight. Throughout the history of the sweet science, a huge pre-bout influx of money on an underdog has always been a sign of some hanky-panky.

Wlad dominated the first four rounds and then got leg-weary in the fifth, leaving him open to the two leaping, Joe Frazierian left hooks that put him half a mile down queer street. He tries to battle through the remainder of the round after a standing-eight count, but he’s out on his feet, and collapses on his face at the sound of the bell. His rubbery condition is definitely bizarre given his showing in the earlier rounds – then again, Wlad was known then as a fighter who tired early, and was only a year removed from his second-round destruction by Corrie Sanders. Myself, I tend to think that Klitschko will easily avenge his loss this Saturday, but it won’t be because he was drugged the first time around. He’s just a much better fighter now.

Wimbledon
NBC, 10 a.m. (ESPN2 takes over coverage at 1)
Rain is really getting up Wimbledon’s ass this year, and yet the gods have once again favored Lord Fed on that score – with a walkover from Tommy Haas, he’s through to the quarters while much of the draw is still trying to make its way to the fourth round. On the women’s side, the match of the day already has come and gone, as Venus navigated a tightrope three-setter over Akiko Morigami. Sharapova awaits her in the fourth round, and I’m afriad that won’t go too smoothly for our Venus. Her Sharpness is looking extra sharp over there in Blighty.

Hoop Dreams
Sundance, 11:30 a.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Recently I reviewed a horse-racing movie in which the producers announced to us in a post-film Q&A that they had set out to make “Hoop Dreams at the racetrack.” Basically, ever since its release, Hoop Dreams has been the shadow in which almost every sports documentary is cast.

The Junction Boys
ESPN Classic, 1 p.m.
A movie about what in any other country would have qualified as a severe violation of the Geneva convention, but here in America just passes for some good ole boys playing ball. Tom Berenger stars as Bear Bryant torturing his Texas A&M squad in Junction, Texas.

Demetrius Hopkins v. Michael Warrick
ESPN Classic, 8 p.m.
Classic reruns this 2006 bout in which Bernard’s nephew, Demetrius Hopkins (a.k.a. The Gladiator… get it?) KO’ed Michael Warrick. It’s his most impressive and high-profile victory so far in his ballyhooed career. Lot of buzz around Demetrius, mostly because of his royal connection of course. Myself, I am unconvinced that he is the rilly-dilly, which is saying a lot, because you know I want my Philly boys to rise. If you’ve never seen him, check him out tonight and tell me what you think.

Monday Night Raw
USA, 9 p.m.
Featuring outings from John Cena, Bobby Lashley, and Candice Michelle (I presume the latter of this trio is a chick… if not, I don’t want to know…)

An infamously useless no-hitter in baseball history was hurled on this day in 1990, as Andy Hawkins pitched a no-no for the Yankees and yet lost the game to the White Sox 4-0. Hawkins was of course one of George’s disastrous free-agent signings in his no-luck run of the late 80′s and early 90′s. With only one really dominant season under his belt, and that season four years behind him, Hawkins nevertheless earned himself a ridiculous payday from Big Stein that made him, if not quite as glaring a target as the great Ed Whitsun, still a noted symbol in the Big Apple of ill-advised Steinbrennerian excess.

Certainly, Hawkins must have felt cursed in the Bronx, saddled with attention and expectations that his prior performance did not warrant in any way. And undoubtedly, that cursed feeling reached a catharsis seventeen years ago today, when he took a no-hitter into the eighth of a 0-0 tie at Comiskey Park. He retired the first two batters of the inning and then all hell broke loose. Sammy Sosa (in his second season) reached first on a throwing error by Yanks’ third-bagger Mike Blowers. Hawkins walked the next two hitters, and then Robin Ventura hit a high fly to left, where Jim Leyritz, a rookie 3rd baseman at the time playing out of position, fumbled the catch. The bases were cleared. Ivan Calderon was up next for the Sox, and he hit a fly to left, which Jesse Barfield lost in the sun, allowing Ventura to trot home. Sox 4, Yanks 0.

The Bombers failed to get on the board in the top of the 9th and that was all she wrote. A no-hitter and a notch in the loss column for Hawkins. Ironically, the very next year Fay Vincent’s rules commission enacted a new statistical statue whereby a no-hitter only qualified as such if it involved a complete nine innings of no-hit ball. Thus Hawkins officially lost his ignominious claim on history. I can’t imagine he gave a rat’s ass.

*As a final note – the losing effort no-no is a rarity, but it does happen. Depending on what set of rules you apply to what constitutes a no-hitter, there have been over 300 in the history of the game, and by my count only 12 of them have been in a losing effort, including Hawkins’. The other 11 are listed below, including the most legendary of the genre, Harvey Haddix’s 13-inning Alamo in 1959:

1992
Cleveland 2, Boston 1
Matt Young

1991
L.A. 1, Montreal 0
Jeff Fassero, Mark Gardner (combined, broken up in the 10th)

1965
NYM 1, Cincinnati 0
Jim Maloney (broken up in the 11th)

1964
Cincinnati 1, Houston 0
Ken Johnson

1959
Milwaukee 1, Pittsburgh 0
Harvey Haddix (broken up in the 13th)

1956
Cincinnati 2, Milwaukee 1
Johnny Klippstein, Hersh Freeman, Joe Black (combined, broken up in the 10th)

1934
Boston 2, St. Louis 1
Bobo Newsom (broken up in the 10th)

1917
Cincinnati 1, Chicago 0
Hippo Vaughn (broken up in the 10th)

1910
Cleveland 5, NYY 0
Tom Hughes (broken up in the 10th)

1909
Brooklyn 3, NY 0
Red Ames (broken up in the 10th)

1901
Chicago 4, Cleveland 2
Earl Moore (broken up in the 10th)