I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Always tough coming to work the Monday after a holiday, but bills need to be paid. What a great weekend of tennis at Wimbledon. Serena Williams beat sister Venus for her 11th Grand Slam championship, proving that when they are on their game, the Williams sisters are still the most dominant players in women's tennis. It's really incredible what they have done. They are one of the few tennis players, man or woman, who have lives and careers outside of tennis. Still, they seem to always be there on the final weekend of major tournaments. I think that says something about taking some time off the tennis court. Just look at Rafael Nadal. His over scheduling of events cost him a chance to defend his Wimbledon crown.
What more can I say about Roger Federer? The match yesterday was a true classic and I really feel for Andy Roddick. Through 77 games he lost his serve once, but unfortunately for him it was still not enough to beat the mighty Federer. The thing about Federer now is he doesn't dominate like he used to, but he beats his opponents with a sort of calculating coolness that must be so frustrating to opponents. The reason he wins and won yesterday is his ability to win big points. The match with Roddick really turned when he missed the backhanded volley at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. Even if he had made that though, I still think Federer would have found a way to win. Like I said before tennis is not about who plays better overall in the match, but who plays better during the big points. The US Open in August could be a classic with a healthy Nadal, a rejuvenated Roddick, and Federer looking to win 3 out of 4 grand slams in the calendar year.
The greatest player of all time is Roger Federer without a doubt. Pete Sampras is my favorite player but never came close to what Federer has accomplished. It's not just that he has won the most majors. It's the fact that he has been in 16 of the last 17 finals. He is the surest thing in all of sports. To those that say he is not the best because Nadal has gotten the better of him, that is ridiculous. The fact is, Nadal has never even made a US Open final, has won two majors outside of the French, and will probably be off the tennis circuit in 3 or 4 years because of his style of play. I love the Nadal-Federer match up, but just because a person has a poor record against one person, doesn't discount what they've done to everyone else, especially in a sport like tennis.
In other news, the Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace! I was so excited when I heard the news because this puts the Celtics back in the championship hunt. Wallace can be a bit of a headcase, but his teammates have always liked him. Plus he has playoff and championship experience. For those that say they should've concentrated on keeping Big Baby, that is ridiculous. Davis had a great year last year but Wallace is a 4 time All Star and proven player in the league for over a decade. It is like the Ariza thing. One good year does not mean you are going to become a perennial all star. The fact is Big Baby is undersized and plays below the rim. He would probably never be more than a role player in this league.
Also, I like that the Celtics are trying to win now. There is no guarantee when you will get another chance at a title, and I think it shows dedication by the Celtics management that they realize their 2-3 year window is closing, and they need to go for broke now. Too many times in sports, teams try to look and build to the future. The fact is by looking toward the future you forget the present, and before you know it your in the lottery every year. As a Celtics fan in the 90's and for much of the millennium I know this feeling. With Turkoglu gone I think the Celtics are the team to beat in the East once again. In fact, I think the Magic losing Courtney Lee and Turkoglu, even while getting Vince Carter, means they got worse. If the Celtics can sign Grant Hill and keep either Powe or Davis that will further solidify the team. Can't wait for next season.
I want to touch briefly on the tragic news of Steve McNair's death this past weekend. McNair was a great player in the NFL and my condolences go out to the family. However, it is very sad that he was dating a woman almost half his age when he had a wife and 4 kids. Not only willhis family have to deal with the fact he is gone, but also with the shame of knowing he was being unfaithful. It is just a very sad situation overall.
Thanks for reading everyone. As always, any comments are appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment