With the mesmerizing level of tennis displayed in Novak Djokovic’s 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 Australian Open final win over Rafael Nadal, it’s hard to believe it lasted a record 5 hours, 53 minutes. Here are the top five other things that take just as long and aren’t nearly as fun. 5. Driving from the District to North Carolina’s Outer Banks » The stretch of I-64 from Richmond to Hampton Roads is dreadful at speed and even worse if there’s traffic. I-95 through Fredericksburg on the weekends now rivals the Beltway during a normal rush hour.
4. A game of golf on most public courses » It used to be you could get through two rounds in six hours with a bit of hustle. These days, if you get to Hains Point after the sun is up, you might not get home until it’s already gone down.
3. Any Yankees-Red Sox game » Every pitch matters, so much so that it takes five minutes to decide which one to throw. Just a reminder: They play each other 18 times this season.
2. Driving home in a D.C. snowstorm » Actually, six hours would be a joy. Around here, it takes 12 hours if the white stuff is falling.
1. Super Bowl pregame » You know you’re going to turn it on. Even if you desperately don’t want to pay attention, by the time kickoff comes, you’re not sure when the lesser pregame commercials ended and the “good” ones during the game actually begin.
– Craig Stouffer
