No Wimbledon Return for Saint Pete June 29, 2008
Posted by Paul in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
Quite a few months ago, a good friend of Your Sports NightCap, Managing Editor of Inside Tennis, Matt Cronin broke a rather strong declaration on our airwaves: if Sampras were to do well in his exhibition match series against Federer at the end of the year, then he could see the former #1 lacing them up at next year’s Wimbledon. My jaw dropped after a quick radio double-take. The rumors had been around for some time now. Pete Sampras, like other retired athletes with a singular focus on their craft, doesn’t necessarily have side interests/hobbies when he did decide to call it quits. These athletes’ lives all of sudden seem bland; as it lacks the day-in-day-out obsession on bettering oneself to keep up with the rest of the field. The competitive juices aren’t called upon anymore. Former pros can usually take a few years off, before getting restless again (See Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds). Their “llfelong” chosen trade has been taken away from them. They can’t quite find the same kind of passion or achievement in other disciplines. Some people close to Sampras have said that Pete needs something to occupy his days. (Pete even confirmed that to us, during his sole press conference at the SAP Open, this spring).
After a 5-year exile from the game, he’s started to play exhibitions and senior events this past year. Apparently his serve is still as heavy and precise as it was in its prime. His movement and stamina may be lacking; but he was able to hold his own, at his home court against the man that took over for him as the mainstay atop the men’s game: the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer. Sampras lost the only set they played, by a small margin 7-5. And that doesn’t even begin to factor in the 3-match Asian Exo Series–where Pete went 1-2; or the 3-set follow-up they played at Madison Square Garden, in March. We were in the court side press box, here, in San Jose, when he routinely dismantled a sub-par Tommy Haas in straight sets (6-4, 6-2), in the headlining event of the entire tournament: a Monday Night Exhibition in front of a packed house.
These results have many clamoring for Pete’s return, most particularly for one more run on his favorite grass surface at SW19. Pete had been trying to put those rumors to sleep saying that he can’t foresee himself coming back, even for one tournament. Now that they’ve been tucked away and put to bed due to the fortnight’s debut without Sir Peter in attendance, let’s engage in a little tennis fantasy. Let’s just let our imagination wander for a few moments and ponder the possibility of Pete stringing up a few rackets for Wimbledon 2008. How would he fare? How deep would he get in the tournament? How many players should we consider superior to him, at this point, on grass?
1) Andy Murray: while the Scotsman may still be getting over his serious wrist injury, by the time Wimbledon rolls around this year, he’ll be more than ready and incredibly hungry to make a deep run at SW19. Andy has recently performed some spring cleaning on his camp—purging it of Brad Gilbert’s ego—and declaring that it was time for him to step out on his own, and away from the LTA’s financial help. Backed by a partisan crowd, expect his stellar return game and all-court prowess to present Pete with all types of match-up problems.
2) Mario Ancic: the lanky Croat is one of the last few of an endangered species: true serve-and-volleyers. He could certainly present some issues to an elderly Sampras; as he would be sure to put the tennis dinosaur on his heels from the-get-go. His fresher legs would certainly be an advantage if the match got drawn out to five sets.
3) Nikolay Davydenko: currently embroiled in the sport’s biggest gambling scandal ever, Nikolay has seemingly been able to keep his laser-sharp focus on his game thereby continuing to produce winning tennis. His sharp return, all-court prowess, and Grand Slam consistency would certainly pose a significant threat to an aging Sampras.
4) Marcos Baghdatis: “Bags” has often showed more zeal during the Grand Slams; which has made him tougher to beat in best-of-five encounters. His adaptability to grass the last two years, with his all-court game (Quarterfinal and Semifinal Results the last two years), has been nothing short of spectacular. Pete would certainly be no exception to the Cypriot’s onslaught.
5) Roger Federer: do we really need to get into this one? Despite some tennis pundits’ stating that Sampras’ 7 Wimbledons are out of Federer’s reach, Roge has his sights set on that record among many others. Count on a drubbing from the Swiss Maestro, as he has more tools in his repertoire, on an even slower grass surface…
6) Lleyton Hewitt: the Aussie brat had been a victim to a lull some attribute to recent fatherhood. Very recently, he’s recommitted himself to his fitness, with grueling workouts in Las Vegas with former Agassi fitness guru Gil Reyes. And some fruits have come out from his hard labor, this past summer. He’s had very solid results during this US Open Series leading up to Flushing Meadows: Quarters in Montreal and Semis in Cincy (7-6 in the 3rd thrilling loss to Federer). If he continues on this upswing, combined with his tip-top return game, he should have no problem dulling Sampras’ service deliveries on the evermore backcourt-friendly Wimbledon lawns.
7) Andy Roddick: despite his Grand Slam drought, you can certainly expect A-Rod to serve many of his fellow competitors off the court at SW19. Pistol Pete would not be an exception to that treatment, as Andy would “make it rain” with aces and prevent the elder American from breaking him throughout.
8)Tommy Haas: Now that we’re comforted that he hasn’t been poisoned during a Davis Cup tie, we continue to be amazed at the freak incidents and other odd health troubles that seem to have plagued the German’s long career. Despite those, when at 100%, nobody can deny his immense talent and all-court ability. In the past couple of years, he’s come the closest to taking down Federer, at the places the Maestro never loses: the non-Roland Garros Slams.
9) Novak Djokovic: No Joke-ovic wowed us with his charisma and sense of humor during this latest fortnight at Flushing Meadows. His all-court game, flexibility, court coverage, and youthful enthusiasm have certainly translated on every surface. And he confirmed his hard court prowess on Melbourne Park’s PlexiCushion, where he took home his first Slam title. This past year, at SW19, he worked his way to the semis; before finally running out of gas against Nadal, and retiring from the encounter in the 3rd set. The stronger point on his grass court proficiency are the men took down on his trajectory to the Final Four. Nicolas Kiefer, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis—no slouches on this surface—all fell prey to the young Serb.
10) Rafael Nadal: The Majorcan has now made two straight finals at the All England Club, coming up one match short from a declared dream we had all scoffed at, way back when. With Nadal’s stress facture, it has become clear that his second best surface is one that is watered and manicured. Many have pointed at this year’s Championships as the time where he steels one from the All Mighty Fed.
11) Richard Gasquet: With rumors swirling about his sexuality and lack of Davis Cup commitment, Gasquet has gradually become a force within the men’s game. His one-handed backhand is the most potent on Tour; and his all-court game has always brought him success on grass (deep runs at Queen’s). Even a few psychological letdowns couldn’t derail this young Frenchman from taking down Ol’ Man River.
12) Tomas Berdych: Despite this big man’s inconsistencies, as a young stud, on the Tour, he would certainly give Pete fits with his overpowering strokes and gunslinging ways. Tomas has showed constant progression, at the All England Club by making the quarterfinals last year, after a round of 16 appearance in 2006. And his list of victims are certainly no slouches, with names like Llodra, Santoro, Bjorkman, Hyung-Taik Lee, and Haas rounding out his all-star scalps.
13) Fernando Gonzalez: While Roger dons his elegant white Wimbledon jacket, this man should always wear a Kevlar vest, each time he takes the court, as he always brings the heavy artillery with him. Gonzalez hasn’t had huge results at SW19 in the past, but they’ve been decent. If he’s hot the day you face him, take your Claritin, because a John Deere will be coming at you, and mowing you off the courts.
Okay, let’s stop at lucky number 13, out of respect for Pistol Pete. Let’s face it, I haven’t exhausted my list of people that would certainly have an edge over the Hall of Famer if they were to be pitted against one another today. Names like Tsonga, Ginepri, Tipsarevic, Mathieu, Stepanek, and Monfils would have to be thrown into the mix. We’re not taking anything away from Pete’s legend by thinking this through. We’re paying him the greatest compliment in the world by even undertaking this mental exercise.
So let’s once-and-for-all put these return rumors 6-feet under, and bury with them the tennis geek fantasies that have Sampras making the semis at Wimbledon with a good draw. Despite the fact, that the man didn’t always look human on the court during his heyday, he’s aging quickly and not training enough to remain a competitive equal to the top touring pros of today. Again, no knock on the King of Swing…just a little hot air let out of that romantic balloon of yours and another dose of reality injected into your day…
A Shelling for Schilling June 23, 2008
Posted by Neil in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farI despise Curt Schilling. A large part of my wanton disdain for the pompous righthander admittedly stems from my blind allegiance to the Yankees and his legendary pitching performances against the Bronx Bombers in the 2001 World Series and 2004 ALCS. However, I also dislike the guy because he doesn’t shut up about issues he has no business discussing, and he is as arrogant an SOB as I have seen in MLB over the past decade. I cringe everytime I hear about one of his new blog entries or a forgettable appearance he may make on WEEI. As a human being I may not have much respect for him (granted I have never met the guy), but I do have the utmost respect for his clutch performances that should have him enter Cooperstown about 5 years from now.
Is Schilling a Hall of Famer? That has been one of the biggest questions in the sports world over the past week. While as a Yankee fan there is certainly enough ammo for me to craft an eloquent and valid antithesis to those who advocate his enshrinement into baseball’s collection of immortals in upstate New York, I feel he is absolutely worthy of a place among the greats that ever played the game.
While baseball is a game of statistics more than in any other sport, it is also a game of seminal moments and Schilling has provided numerous indelible momentos for baseball fans (more like Yankee haters) to cherish in many a postseason. If you like to go strictly by the regular season numbers, then every Yankee fan should rest assured that Curt will not ever be able to stand at a podium in Cooperstown to address his peers. His subpar (by Hall of Fame standards) win total of 216 would normally prohibit him from discussion, especially when compared to the 254 wins of Jack Morris (also a postseason hero) , 287 wins of Bert Blyleven, and 288 wins of Tommy John. None of these guys have yet to be deemed Hall worthy (although I think all should).
There are some regular season numbers that do support the righthander. If you look at numbers since 1992, Schilling leads all right handers in K/BB ratio (4.38) and complete games, and is 3rd in strikeouts and WHIP. However, none of these numbers matter to me. If I had a vote for those yearning to be enshrined in baseball’s pantheon of greats, I would address the applicants by my own intuitive feeling test. While sure you have to have adequate numbers, the most important thing for me is whether or not this player/pitcher was dominant in his era and was able to deliver championships and provide memorable performances en route to these glories.
This is the area where Schilling stands equal to Roger Clemens and above his contemporaries Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson. All of these legendanry hurlers have rings, but Schilling (along with Clemens to a certain degree) have left us with defining performances in October that are unforgettable. When Schilling combined with Johnson to deliver a knock out blow to Aura and Mystique (the Yankees, not the nightlife ballerinas) in 2001 to bring a title to the Desert, he was magical. However, this was only the stepping stone to him gritting out a win in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS with the Red Sox down in the series 3-2 heading back to the Big Ballpark in the Bronx with his legendary bloody sock (or ketchup, tabasco sauce, or tomato juice).
While Hall of Fame voters may put his numbers to the ultimate test and seriously debate his merits, there is no doubt in my mind that Schilling was one of the top 5 pitchers (when it mattered) of the last 15 years. He was the most dominating postseason starter over this stretch. While Schilling may have suffered a few more shellings in the regular season than his other Hall of Fame worthy brethren during this era, his numbers when the chips were down in October were more flossy and miniscule than anyone else. While it pains me as a Yankee supporter to claim this, Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer and if he never pitches again, I will exclaim good riddance, but tip my cap to a hurler who deserves to be with the other dominating twirlers of his era.
Tiger’s Loudest Roar June 19, 2008
Posted by Neil in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farIt is hard to appreciate the historical significance of a moment while it is occuring. We look back with romanticism at Babe Ruth calling his home run at Wrigley in the World Series, Joe Namath’s guarantee of a Super Bowl III win for the Jets over the Colts in Miami, and even have been able to get perspective on Michael’s “Sick Game” performance at Utah in the NBA Finals. These moments defined some of the most legendary athletes to grace the Earth.
While Tiger Woods is still in the midst of the prime of his career, I am supremely confident that we just experienced his “it” moment this weekend at Torrey Pines. Sure, he has had and will continue to provide us unbelievable times ahead. He has blessed us with the magical birdie on 16 at Augusta, the playoff win over Bob May and many other defining momentous occasions. However, when the legend of Tiger Woods is discussed two centuries from now, the greatest golfer ever will have made his defining brush stroke on the canvas of Torrey Pines in June of 2008.
Tiger was really hurt. Not just sit out a couple of weeks and I will be back for the British Open hurt, but had injuries to the extent that he really should have been under a knife instead of carving and etching his place as the greatest modern athlete in any sport. It has been revealed in the days following Tiger’s playoff triumph over Rocco Mediate that the former Stanford star tore his ACL about 10 months ago. He had played through this injury and won the PGA last August and dominated the golf world even on one bum knee. He had surgery after the Masters on April 15, but suffered a setback by sustaining two stress fractures in his left leg just two weeks before his nation’s championship.
Almost all other mortal men would have sat out the Open and had either season-ending surgery or would have at least waited for the stress fractures to heal and perhaps try and come back to play by the PGA Championship. However, the exact reason that makes Tiger the most special athlete in modern sport got him on the course and allowed him to win his defining major.
You could tell Tiger wasn’t himself at the Open. Despite some heroic eagles on #13 and #18 to give himself the overnight lead on Saturday, the way he winced in pain over the last couple of holes that day really made all pundits question whether he could win on Sunday as he has every time he has ever been tied or held a lead going into Sunday in a major. Rocco Mediate played like a star on Sunday (and Monday), but will merely be a historical footnote in Tiger’s finest novel. The most clutch athlete of our generation sunk a clutch birdie on the 18th on Sunday that was akin to a winning putt. Or so we thought.
Woods pulled to a 3 stroke lead at the midpoint of the 18 hole Monday playoff, but then Rocco stole the show with three consecutive birdies that eventually gave him the opportunity to walk up to the 18th green with a one shot lead and thoughts of putting an epic muzzle on what everyone assumed would be Tiger’s most prolific roar. However, this is where Tiger got clutch and Rocco showed why beating Tiger has proven impossible in major championship play. Unlike Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal who get to stand in front of their opponent and must be beaten by them, Tiger does not usually get to exert direct control over his competitors. However, when he is paired in the final group of a major with someone or in Mediate’s case a one-on-one battle for all the marbles, his control over his competitor is ten times as powerful as either of tennis’ kings wizardry over their opponents. While he can’t play offense or defense directly having an effect on the ball his opponent will play, the aura he carries makes even the most strong-willed professional golfer wilt in his presence.
Mediate had a birdie putt to win the tournament on 18, but we all knew he would miss and he complied with the golfing gods who had ordained this to be Tiger’s greatest day in the sun. Tiger made his birdie on 18 and then won on the first playoff hole. As I was witnessing this weekend’s event culminated by Tiger once again willing himself toward a major win, I found myself thinking, this is Tiger at his best.
Tiger is going to get his ACL repaired and get ready for what I predict will be a huge 2009 season for him. He is going to shatter Jack’s record of 18 majors and will have some glorious moments en route to being one of the iconic athletes in history. However, when someone asks about Tiger’s career decades and even centuries from now, everone will go back to the weekend when he was hobbling at Torrey Pines. While his able-bodied competitors like Phil Mickelson (he has a whole lot of able body) crawled into the fetal position, Tiger let out his greatest roar. Everyone else better try and win the British and PGA this year in Tiger’s absence, because he is going to clean up the major championship jungle in years to come.
Maxim “Hot” 9, “Warm” 22, “Room Temperature” 68, and “Lambeau Field in January” 1 (v 2.0) June 12, 2008
Posted by Todd in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so far(Edit…after some serious soul searching, I had to make some changes in my top 10) My personal writer’s strike is over, and I am fired up to be back. I apologize to all my loyal reader (thanks Mom) for the long layoff, and I hope to contribute on a much more consistent basis. The motivating factor of my return was the travesty that is Maxim’s Hot 100 list. I used to subscribe to the magazine and ate it up, but after ready this joke of a “Hot” list, I will never again taint my eyeballs with such nonsense. I decided to put my money where my mouth is and make up my own lists as an ode to women’s beauty, and also point out where Maxim royally screwed up. There are a few disclaimers before we get started:
1. My criteria is based mostly on 2 questions: “Would they look good in the morning after a big night and no makeup?” and “Would they still be considered hot if they weren’t famous?” So natural beauty counts big time and someone who relies more on being in magazines than contributing to movies, music, or sports are discounted (get a job Kim Kardashian).
2. I am somewhat biased towards brunettes and athletes.
3. I do have a girlfriend, but I am writing this as if I am single and ready to mingle, so no need to alert my significantly better half to my sexist comments.
Without further ado:
1. Jessica Biel - total package of body, face, athleticism and breeding material. Almost flawless,
but I would have to examine her entire body before I pronounce her perfect. If her agent is reading, I am ready to perform that examination when she is.
What does Justin Timberlake have that I don’t?
2. Megan Fox - the sexiest woman in Hollywood and looks a lot like Angelina Jolie but without the psychosis and 8 kids.
3. Anne Hathaway - absolutely beautiful, a woman I could bring home to the folks, and I think I might actually have a shot with her if we were to meet, which makes her hotter.
4. Marissa Miller - hot and athletic…Maxim and I actually agree here.
5. Erin Andrews - tall, athletic, hot, not to mention she likes sports, knows sports, and could get me into sporting events. Any girl that can get me sideline passes to any NCAA game scores serious points.
6. Jennifer Connelly - gorgeous and a Stanford girl, so she might actually be able to compete with me in jeopardy while she cooks my dinner.
7. Gabrielle Reece - in her prime, one of the most naturally beautiful women in the world and would guarantee professional athlete children. Still smokin after all these years.
8. Salma Hayek - body, accent, face – once those caterpillars over her eyes are tweezed – has it all.
9. Monica Bellucci - great looking older woman and the accent is hot…plus, she helped Neo.
Don’t sleep on Monica… even if those do look like pillows
10. Famke Janssen - tall, an ex model, an X-Woman, and plays a smoking hot/hard up friend of Mikey McDermott in Rounders. Any woman who can use telepathy to flop the nuts and happens to be drop dead gorgeous is OK in my book.
Just missed the cut:
1. Scarlett Johannson - great body, but for some reason just doesn’t do it for me as much…not that I would kick her out of bed.
2. Heidi Klum - as good as it gets, but tough to include super models on the list. Same with Molly Sims and Gisele. That would be another Top 10 list because I believe they are not 100% human
Hi, I am from Mars.
3. Dita Von Teese - super sexy, but was married to Marilyn Manson, so I don’t think I am her type.
4. Christina Aguilera/Jennifer Love Hewitt - originally made my top 10, but I realized they just didn’t meet the criteria of no make-up and non celeb hot. Aguilera would pretty much just be a short skank out in the real world, and JLH has a great body, but just doesn’t seem to bring very much to the table in the real world.
5. Rachel McAdams - super cute natural beauty, but she is Canadian. I would have to hear about health care and maple syrup all day, and there is only so much I can hear about America’s Hat before I lose interest.
6. Eliza Dushku - so close with the athletic/brunette combo, but she has fallen off a bit and I can only include “it” girls…get a job and you have a chance.
Overrated list:
1. Jessica Alba - completely talentless, over exposed, slight cankles, and appears to be dumb
as hell. As my dad would say “Todd, you read books…she reads magazines”.
2. Brittany Spears - overweight, bad skin, drugged out…not offering too much.
Do some calf raises while reading a book.
3. Natalie Portman - too skinny, not very pretty, and had a hand in ruining two Star Wars movies with her horrible acting.
4. Eva Longoria - definitely one of the “hot because she is famous” category because I personally know 5 girls hotter than her, and she couldn’t be more annoying if she tried. She has a great publicist and definitely came on at the right place and time, but she will not be around in 3 years. Mark it, dude.
By the way here are some other atrocities on that Maxim list:
1. Mischa Barton at #22? Hag without makeup and horrible legs.
2. Avril Lavigne at #24? Any non-Emo male over 24 would tell her to scram if she tried to bum a cigarette off of them in a bar.
3. Ashanti at #37? She is performing at halftime of a San Jose Sabercats game (the arena football team). Sorry, but that automatically takes you off.
4. Drew Barrymore at #40? Ummmm, no. Chubby, sloppy, not even cute. If you were at a bar in a southern California on a Friday night, she wouldn’t crack the top 40 of best looking girls in the room. 
5. Tila Tequila at #100? She is a disgusting human being and is only attractive when compared to other midgets with potato heads. Get outta here. Would not make my top 1 billion.
I cannot find you attractive if you have a head the same size and shape of Stewie Griffin’s.
I understand that they are trying to sell magazines and as a result will intentionally create some controversy, but some of their picks are indefensible. It they are going to do it, take some pride and do it right. Rank the top 20, and ensure that no riff-raff enters, only put on ladies that people know and add something positive to society, provide some explanation of your criteria and you can’t say “her publicist called and promised favors for a top 50 appearance” because that is the only explanation for this.
Until next time, which will be sooner than later.
