Scotland in the Finals!

The missus and I (and the missus' father) are very excited about the official arrival of Andy Murray to the international tennis stage. Yesterday, he completed a shocking upset over #1 seed Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open to go to the first Grand Slam Final of his young career.

Now, followers of tennis have been vaguely aware of the temperamental Scot for some time. After all, he is the current #6 player in the world (and will be #4 after the U.S. Open).

But Andy's not what one would call a "crowd favorite" (unless you're a Scot or married to a Scot). His early matches at the Open were played in the Grandstand, since they save Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong (who was one hell of a tennis player) Stadiums for the popular kids.

He's a cocky S.O.B., but that's part of the charm. He'll flex his biceps after victories. He's moody as hell, and gets very angry with himself, something those of us who are hard on ourselves appreciate. He states unabashedly that he only plays for himself (and perhaps the Royal Bank of Scotland, his sponsor).

Much to the chagrin of the Wimbledon crowd (especially the well-mannered English, who like their heroes polite), Andy flatly states that the U.S. Open is his favorite tournament. After all, where else do you get to play in front of the stars of your favorite television program (Entourage) and your favorite comedian (Will Ferrell)?

He's not going to feel the pressure of being the first Brit with a legitimate chance at winning Wimbledon in 750 years (or however long it's been). He plays for himself, not for the country. He's not falling into the Tim Henman trap.

The missus and I watched him play at the Open last year, when he was coming back from an injury. He really didn't look good, but the worst part of his game was his head. He muttered "fuckwit" to himself when he'd back bad shots and wallow in the points that could've been. (We had our front-row Grandstand seats and could hear the mutterings.)

And that's been the biggest turnaround in his game. Not only is he 100% physically, but he's also much cooler. He's calm under pressure.

Alas, whether he likes it or not, this evening, Andy plays for the Scots. He may think he plays only for himself, but try telling the missus' father, who speaks to his daughter after every match. We're actually a little concerned about the missus' father's health.

The U.S. Open Final begins at 5:00 p.m. EST. You better believe that I'm rushing home from work to watch Andy take on Roger Federer in the final. This Roger fella is sort of like the Yankees of tennis. So maybe this will be his year to fall.