The Sharapova effect

My cats watch tennis on television. Actually, they watch just about everything I watch. This morning, it was a pretty noisy affair. Maria Sharapova is, of course, rather vocal in her matches, what with the "Come on!"s and the screaming. According to Ben Rothenberg, the Russian was so intense in her semifinal that--at one point--she was actually softly grunting whenever Genie Bouchard hit the ball.

One of my cats really likes to scream; the other one likes to chat profusely. During the Sharapova match, however, they both began to scream and yell at a high level. Finally, I just looked at them and said "Shara-pOva!" and they went crazy. It went on for quite a while.

The tabby already has a habit of screaming back at Victoria Azarenka, but she hasn't had a chance to indulge in this activity for a while, so I guess she had to let loose with 'Pova. And--as if you didn't already know this--the household got quiet when Simona Halep and Andrea Petkovic stepped onto the court.