US Open: A champion goes down

I was watching the Open today and watched my favorite player in the draw, Marat Safin, go down in straight sets to Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6, 3-6, 3-6. The commentators noted that it must be tough for Safin to have all that talent and not be able to harness it all the time. I think Safin is secretly Jean Grey.

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Now the similarities are nowhere near those between Nadal and the Geico Caveman. But there is one key factor that makes this comparison valid. Both Jean Grey and Marat Safin have unlimited talent and neither has been able to harness it effectively. Instead they prove to be dangerous opponents every time they engage in battle, but nobody knows who will show up. Will it be Jean Grey, member of the X-Men, student of Professor X? Or will it be the Dark Phoenix with unlimited yet uncontrolled power and ability? The same Jekyll and Hyde presents itself with Marat Safin when he walks onto the court. The two time Grand Slam champion could be silenced at any moment by the self destructive maniac with no control of his emotions or forehand.


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I still think Safin has the most talent of anyone on tour, even more so than the Titan that is Roger Federer. Safin just cannot seem to keep a cool head when things go south. Opponents go from fearing the shots coming off his racket to the possibility of getting hit by shrapnel coming off his racket after it hits the court. I can only hope that Safin starts Tai Chi and/or meditation and comes back a new person in 2008. Fat chance.

In other US Open news, everyone is waiting for someone to challenge Roger Federer. That probably will not come until well into next week considering Federer's side of the draw is filled with wild cards/qualifiers. Depending on whether or not Novak Djokovic pulls out a five set victory against Radek Stepanek, Lleyton Hewitt might have an easier route to the final weekend. On the women's side, the draw is so lopsided that the second week should have a ton of great matches. I still like Justine Henin as the favorite. Serena looks sluggish. Sharapova's shoulder has not been tested and she's struggled against the top players. Venus looks good at this point in the tournament but she has not had much preparation for the Open.

Finally, Sharapova's dress is just ridiculous. I actually think that there should be some sort of dress codes. Now don't get me wrong, I like to see the tennis skirts like the next guy, but the light reflecting off Sharapova's dress has to be distracting to her opponents. I'm starting to like Sharapova less and less: her interviews are pretty boring, her game has broken down against the Williams sisters, especially in Grand Slams, and her dress plus black jacket with see-through sleeves is just a hideous outfit. Plus, she's definitely not as good looking as Anna Kournikova. I actually like Venus' new line of clothing so far and Serena has been less obscene than usual. Maybe it's just that I'm annoyed by Sharapova.

Life is not Fair for Michael Vick

Michael Vick is stupid. He's dumb for getting involved with dogfighting, he's dumb for getting caught, he's dumb for many reasons. But for some reason, I find myself feeling sorry for the man. Thus far Vick has seen a range of responses to the charges and his subsequent plea bargain. Some are still calling for him to be banned for life from the NFL and others, like the ever-so-eloquent Stephon Marbury, are less offended by his crime.

While driving my brother to the airport, we were talking about our perspective, as vegetarians, in the Michael Vick case. It would seem to make sense that I should feel strongly against Michael Vick returning to play football. However, the more I consider his position, the more I am convinced that he should be imprisoned for his crime and after serving his sentence, he should be allowed to return to football without any further suspension. Although this may be counterintuitive, I feel that there is a good explanation for this. At the foundation of my reasoning, I find it hard to really differentiate dogfighting from dairy farming, veal farming, hunting, and other forms of animal cruelty. Executing dogs after a dogfight is no different than forcing a baby cow to sit in a cage so that its muscles stay tender.

In no way to I condone what Vick has done and he has knowingly involved himself in illegal activities. His charges include conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. Now, ignoring the details of how the dogs were killed, these charges do not look like heinous crimes deserving extensive suspensions. Comparatively, Mike Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and after serving his time in jail was in the boxing ring within two years of his release in 1995. In retrospect, perhaps Tyson did not deserve the second, third, fourth, etc chances that he received but at the time, even a convicted rapist was given an opportunity to rehabilitate himself. More specific to football, Pacman Jones is involved in a shooting that left several people injured and one man paralyzed. Despite all of his incidents and misbehavior, Pacman was given a single year's suspension from the league.

I think the trick in this case, for animal lovers and non-lovers alike, is to separate the details of the crime from the severity of the felony committed. The lawyers and judges will use the details to determine the appropriate punishment for Vick. And yes, he will spend time in jail. But remember that jail is the way people pay their debt to society. Michael Vick has not been an angel in the NFL but at the same time he has not had any other major incidents on his file. There would be no precedent as a base for a lifetime ban against Vick.

Roger Goodell, however, might chose to make Michael Vick into an example. He might be given another year of suspension beyond his jail sentence just to make a point to the rest of the league. But I think Goodell should be careful in handing out such severe penalties. Ray Lewis was let off the hook lightly, despite being charged with murder. Jamal Lewis only got 2 games after attempting to sell Cocaine. Tank Johnson was given 8 games only after repeatedly violating the conduct policy and violating probation, not to mention, he had assault rifles sitting around his house. All in all, I expect Vick to miss a total of two years of football. He could potentially come back sooner, but hopefully no later.

What makes this situation more difficult is the fact that Vick is an easy target. In the same way that Bonds is an easy target for baseball's steroid problems, Vick is a wealthy, successful, black athlete and people want to see him fall. His story is one of perseverance and success from humble beginnings. He might have just walked himself into a trap that will take away from everything that he has done right and focus on what he has done wrong.

Throwback Thursday

Yesterday was a big throwback day because three former NBA all stars were in the news for considering or making comebacks. The biggest story is Reggie Miller contemplating a comeback with the Boston Celtics. Penny Hardaway already signed with the Miami Heat while Allan Houston is looking at several teams as he considers a return to NBA action.

But before I jump into the NBA comebacks, I'd like to make a little Throwback Thursday dedication to Pete Sampras. He came out of retirement to play team tennis and senior events but does not seem to want to return to the regular ATP tour. I was browsing YouTube last night and stumbled upon this video.



For anyone who has become enamored with Roger Federer and amazed by what he can do, just remember that Pete Sampras is the best ever. He made Agassi look like a fool! Of course I'm not trying to take away from Federer's consistent dominance of the sport in recent years because that would be more foolish than Agassi's strategy in the video clip. Although no strategy could have been effective against Pete at that point. But I digress. Federer is great, but Sampras was the best against some of the best of all time. Nadal doesn't measure up to Agassi, Roddick doesn't measure up to Ivanisevic, and Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin don't play at the level they did six or seven years ago.

Now that we're clear on that, let's move on to basketball. Starting with Penny Hardaway, I suppose from the Miami Heat stand point he replaces Eddie Jones who was recently signed by the Dallas Mavericks. He also may play a larger role if James Posey goes elsewhere via free agency. But from Penny's standpoint I think the decision to come back is based on not wanting to end his career with a bitter taste in his mouth left there by the futility and frustration of playing for the New York Knicks. He gets a chance to reunite with Shaq and with a healthy Dwyane Wade, a chance at an NBA title. All around, not a bad move for either side, as Penny is only 36 and might be fresh after taking a year and a half to rest those creaky knees.

Let's move on to Reggie Miller. My friends all know me as the biggest Reggie Miller fan in existence. It would be hard to see Reggie in anything but Indiana blue and yellow. But does this make sense for Reggie? It's understandable for a player who spent 18 seasons in the NBA to miss the atmosphere and camaraderie of an NBA locker room. Reggie was offered a deal last year from the Mavs and smartly rejected that offer. Although Reggie would not have been intimidated by Steven Jackson's defense in the playoffs and probably would have lit up the Warriors. But Reggie made the right choice. He retired with dignity and respect and he should probably stay retired. The only thing that might justify him coming back is if he hit the game winning shots that clinched the NBA championship for the Celtics. Otherwise he would be thrown into the Karl Malone-Gary Payton category. Whether that criticism would be just or not is irrelevant because the similarities would be too obvious to overlook. So Reggie, we loved you for what you did and you have nothing to prove to anyone else. If Reggie wants to play for the love of the game, I would not protest. Jerry Rice is my all time favorite football player and I respect that he continued to play because he loved what he was doing. But there is no reason to play if winning a championship in one season is the goal. The Celtics chances with or without Reggie are good, but at 42 years old, how many seasons can Reggie offer to the Celtics?

Now, Allan Houston. Oh Allan Houston, the streakiest of shooters, the overpaid, the injured, the retired. I think Allan Houston wakes up every morning and wishes he was Grant Hill. I'm not sure, but I think I'd rather have Grant Hill's ankles than Allan Houston's knees. But an old Allan Houston means a less reliable shot and therefore a streakier shooter. There are plenty of young guys in the league that can provide that service. He was never much of a leader because the Knicks always had Patrick Ewing. I doubt he can jump very high anymore. Why are we even talking about this? STAY RETIRED ALLAN!

Shut Up, Sign the Contract, and Play

It seems we go through the same story every year with one or two players. Usually, it's a rookie quarterback or receiver who is trying to get more guaranteed money out of his first deal. This year, JaMarcus Russell has yet to sign with the Raiders and sources say negotiations could continue into September. Also, Brady Quinn held out until he signed a contract with the Browns on Tuesday. A few year's back, Eli Manning forced his way out of San Diego and into the hands of the New York Giants. So far, Manning has done little in the way of winning games to justify his tantrum as an NFL toddler. He could not even win a playoff game with Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, and Jeremy Shockey on his team. There's no need to mention what Philip Rivers did last season.

Why do rookies, particularly quarterbacks and receivers, come into the league thinking they have already accomplished something that lets them decide where they play and how much they get paid? In reality, they are getting an entry level job and should be treated as an entry level employee. The ones like JaMarcus Russell and Calvin Johnson are talented athletes from good programs in the same way a graduate from a top school is in the finance world. Although if I were JaMarcus Russell, I would not be terribly excited about playing in Oakland. But it should be his job to prove he can play at a high level before demanding a high contract. If Daunte Culpepper is healthy this year, Russell might end up riding the bench the whole season.

Brady Quinn is another example of someone who lost an opportunity to make an immediate impact on his team. The Browns are bad. Mostly, however, due to weakness at the quarterback position. Brady Quinn expected to be treated as a top ten pick but by dropping to 22nd in the draft, his first contract became considerably weaker. Because he whined about it by means of contract negotiations, he prevented himself from having a shot at the opening day starting role. The Browns will likely end up handing the quarterback position over to Quinn by the end of the season, but he took one step backwards by not having the chance to gel with teammates during training camp. No matter the skill of the quarterback, blockers, receivers, and running backs all need to be on the same page in order to make the offense work. With Quinn in camp, this season could have been much more constructive for the lowly Browns.

Opportunities come and go quickly in the NFL and one injury could make or break a player's career. Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Marc Bulger are prime examples of players who made the most of their chances before people thought they would be ready. So if you are a first round pick, especially quarterback, and have a chance to start your first season, get into camp, get better, and if you are confident about your abilities, you will succeed and get paid.

Perhaps I am being naive about the NFL. It is a business and players should look out for their long-term financial security in the same way people in other careers do. There are probably 50 stories of failure for every story of success in the NFL. However, for these first round picks, they are already going to get paid millions of dollars over at least two or three years, regardless of how well they play. Those with football on their minds will do what it takes to get good and let their play help write their paychecks.

When it Rains, it Pours

It looks like no sport is immune from scandal this summer. Officials are investigating a possible betting scandal involving the match between 4th ranked Nikolay Davydenko and 87th ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello in an ATP tournament in Poland. Massive bets were placed for Arguello to win a match in which he entered the huge underdog. No accusations against Davydenko have been made but a British betting company nullified all bets pertaining to that match because of "suspicious betting patterns."

The ATP tour has avoided the substance abuse scandals endured by MLB and the Tour de France by dealing out harsh punishments to the likes of Guillermo Canas who was banned from the tour for a year for violating the policy. However it now looks like Tim Donaghy has some friends on the tennis circuit. Expect officials to be extra-sensitive in this case in light of the NBA's troubles this summer. I personally wouldn't be surprised if Davydenko was involved. He has had a thus-far disappointing season and has had to fight his fair share of injuries. Davydenko has not even made it to the finals of a tournament in 2007, let alone winning a championship. His play since Wimbledon has been downright awful. So perhaps he thought he could make some money on the side by overplaying an injury and throwing the match. Regardless, this does not affect tennis in the same way betting affects other sports. One corrupt player can be kicked out, a bad linesman can be overruled, and an incorrect chair umpire can now be questioned by players. Tennis has a better system of checks and a less subjective system of umpiring that protects the sport well from corruption.

On the women's side of the tour, Maria Sharapova quickly disposed of Sania Mirza, who until this match, had been playing her best tennis of the year. Mirza looked sluggish, hopeless, and lost on the court. She also could not get a serve to fall in. Admired by fans in India, Mirza has done a lot for women's tennis and for sports in India, but she will never amount to anything more on the court. She does not have the skills on her backhand or serve to be successful against a top player such as Sharapova. While Indians and people around the world alike can appreciate what she represents, she does not seem focused enough on tennis to be ranked in the top five.

Maria Sharapova, however, should be doing much more with her 2007. Three disappointing slams and like Davydenko, no tournament victories, should have her plenty motivated for the US Open. But she will have to start elevating her game if she has any chance of salvaging a season that can be considered a step backwards for a player that ought to have one major this year. Even against Mirza, winning 6-2, 6-1, Sharapova looked timid at times. Her serve has been, to say the least, unreliable over the summer and though she does not lack the focus, she seems to lack the mental toughness this season. Now, she's playing with expectations unlike the young woman who had nothing to lose when she won Wimbledon. I liked Sharapova then, but she might be drifting toward the land of Marat Safin, a fellow Russian whose full potential could never be realized because of faulty wiring between the ears.