Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Rich Get Richer


"Written Friday"

I have a lot to talk about today. First some sad news to report. My dog Arfa was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. The good news is we caught it early so there is a 60-70% chance it won't come back. It is so sad watching her now. She has to wear a plastic cone on her head to prevent her from licking the spot where the tumor was. Arfa is a very strong dog and I know she will pull through.

I want to start off today talking about Wimbledon. Roger Federer advanced to his 20th Grand Slam final today beating Tommy Haas in straight sets. Federer will look to break the men's grand slam championship record against American Andy Roddick. You have to feel for Roddick. In another era he may have won 3 or 4 more slams, but with the domination of Federer he has been looked at by many as a dissapointment. I expect Federer to win in 4 sets.

Federer is such an incredible player. Tennis is all about winning big points. Think about it, in professional tennis, especially on the men's side, they hold serve 90% of the time. Winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 is considered practically a blowout, but a few points here or there and the score could've been reversed. What makes Federer so great is his ability to come up so huge in big moments. I think that is what makes professional sports so incredible. Their ability to come up huge when the pressure is on is unbelievable. Can you imagine serving for a Wimbledon title, shooting a free throw to win the NBA Finals, kicking a last second field goal in the Super Bowl. Us normal people would pee in our pants, but the pros do this on a consistent basis.

Now onto NBA trades. Ron Artest verbally agreed to a contract with the Lakers yesterday, which is scary. While they lose Ariza, Ariza was still just a guy who had one good year. Artest is a proven great defender and overall great player in this league. As a Celtics fan my only hope is Artest implodes at some point and screws up their team chemistry. Unfortunatelythat is doubtful with Kobe on the team. Hedo Turkoglu going to the Raptors was an interesting choice. Like I said before I thought a lot of times Turkoglu was the best palyer on that Magic team during the playoffs. Even though the Magic got Vince Carter it doesn't necessarily mean they are better.

I first heard the reports of the Celtics trying to acquire Rasheed Wallace yesterday and was ecstatic. They've sent the Big 3 out there to convince him, and I hope his friendship with KG, and the fact that he wants another title will bring him to Boston. There is a common misconception that Wallace is a bad guy. Sure he yells at refs, but his teammates love him, and that matters a lot more. Though he underachieves sometimes I still see this as a poor mans Randy Moss deal. With the right team and with Garnett at his side, Wallace would play to his full potential. Talent wise there are few better big men in this league. Unfortunately it looks like he may be going to the Spurs instead.

Like I said in the title the rich are getting richer and though that is bad for society, it is generally good for sports in my opinion. The league has too many teams as it is, and I want to see the best teams stay great and compete year after year for a title. Think about how good the final 4 could be next year with the Celtics, Cavs, Lakers, and Spurs all improving. It is going to be quite an interesting year.

I wrote this blog yesterday so I will analyze Serena Williams's win and the men's final tomorrow. Happy 4th of July everyone!

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