This year at the U.S. Open we saw both the past and the future of tennis played. The men's final featured the last hurrah of two of the greatest players ever, while the women's final foreshadowed events of the future.
Pete Sampras is the greatest champion in the history of tennis, but the time has come for him to retire. Many opponents and writers called for his retirement earlier this year, but I don't think that Sampras would ever retire with a whimper. He was too good to retire while getting beaten up by the also-rans of the tennis world. Now, with one last major title under his belt–to make a record setting 14 in all–he can make a graceful exit from the game.
Andre Agassi is also nearing the end of his career-although I believe that he still has a few more good years left-and this may be a match that effectively sums up his career. Agassi was and is a more versatile player than Sampras, with his ability to win on all surfaces; but when going head-to-head, it seems that Sampras has always held the edge. I would expect Agassi to hold onto a high ranking for a few more years, and then retire, unless his wife and children become more of a distraction.
On the women's side of the game, Serena Williams has firmly entrenched herself as the number one player in the world. No longer is she just the kid sister, she has now proven that she is much better than Venus. Serena has won the last three major titles-this year's French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S.-and she shows no signs of letting up.
For Venus, I think that a career of frustration is beginning. She was beaten to the punch in winning a major title by Serena, and now Serena is clearly the better player. When she made her professional debut, she was supposed to be the next great player, but it looks as if her greatness is fleeting. Sure, she could remain the second best player in the world for the next five years, but that is a bitter pill to swallow when the number one is your younger sister.
A's get an A
This week the Oakland A's finally lost a game, after running off an unbelievable streak of 20 consecutive wins; but it seems that many pundits argue that the Yankees are still the frontrunners for the world title. While there is merit to many of the arguments against the A's chances of beating the Yankees, I think that the doubters will be proven wrong when October comes around.
The A's are seemingly everyone's favorite team. They are a young bunch of players in a fraternity-like clubhouse that receive fairly little in their paychecks but make the game look fun. Throw in the fact that they are a small market team and that the approach taken by their management has revolutionized baseball, and they look like the perfect franchise. Unfortunately, their last two seasons have ended in defeat to the Yankees in the playoffs.
Amazingly, I think that this year will be different, even with the loss of Jason Giambi to those dreaded Yankees. Giambi was the glue that held the A's clubhouse and lineup together; but even with his loss, the maturation of several key players has kept the Athletics near the top of the league.
The left side of the A's infield is not only extremely talented, but it is also very young. Miguel Tejada does not have the same reputation as the American Leagues "Big 3" shortstops do, but he has numbers that fit right in. Tejada is putting together an offensive season that is worthy of an MVP award if the voters overlook Alex Rodriguez again. At third base, Eric Chavez is a Gold Glover, while also carrying a big stick. Already this year he has more than 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in, and the scary thing is that at 25 he is already in his fourth full major league season. If Tejada is re-signed next year, these two should make up an All Star infield for years to come in the Bay Area.
But as good as the left side of the infield is, it is the A's starting pitching staff that makes them dominant. Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito belong in any discussion of the best pitchers in the major leagues. Two years ago, Hudson reached the 20-win mark, last year it was Mulder and now Zito is making a good run at it.
To go along with these three starters, the Oakland A's have quietly added Cory Lidle and Ted Lilly. Lidle just recently finished a month in which he did not allow an earned run and Lilly has been dominant when healthy since the A's shrewdly acquired him from the Yankees.
The postseason is very different from the regular season, but I think that the A's have what it takes to go all the way. Their starting pitching gives them an advantage over every team that they will face, and they have the offense to capitalize on other teams' weaknesses as well.
NFL Fever
With the NFL season opening last weekend, we will be inundated by the usual over-reactions of both fans and writers alike; but I do think that there is one thing that can be said about the first weekend of play: the NFL is exciting.
I have always been a baseball fan first and foremost, and I always will be, but the athleticism of the NFL game astounds me. Anyone that weighs close to 300 pounds, can bench press 500 and runs the 40 in less than five seconds is a freak of nature. Athletes like that are found in no other sport in the world.
And what is most impressive is that these athletes fill the rosters of every team in the league. From the Super Bowl Champion Patriots-I had to throw that in somewhere-to the expansion Houston Texans, every team is made up of freaks. That is what makes the pro game so exciting and what really separates it from the college game.
The Florida-Miami game on Saturday showed some outstanding play, but only a fraction of the players on that field will ever make it to the NFL, never mind make an impact once there. The college game may make up for its lesser talent with more intense rivalries, but nothing beats the NFL for sheer athleticism.