Weekend Thoughts

The holiday weekend got off to a bang with the return of Manny Ramirez to the Dodger lineup. In his second game back, he went yard for the Dodgers even though the team lost the game to the Padres. It will be interesting to see how well he plays the rest of the season, now that he's off the woman's fertility drug he tested positive for back in May. I can hear it now...the next time he has a dust up with an umpire, the announcers will say, "perhaps it's that time of the month for Manny." The drug was also known to delay puberty in boys, which clearly explains why he hasn't grown up yet.

The unfortunate shocker over the weekend without question was the murder of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. So many thoughts run through your mind when you hear, "he was killed." Was it an accident? Wrong place, wrong time? However, as this story began to unfold, the shock became greater and greater. McNair was one of the most respected players in the league and by all accounts, a community guy and family man. Once word got out that he was quietly "dating" a 20 year old waitress he met at a Dave & Busters, it was like a blow to the gut of everyone who thought they knew the real Steve McNair. I feel terrible for the pain and suffering the family is going through right now. What makes it worse is on top of that pain is humiliation. This story is going to unfold through the media and I get the sense the details are only going to be more sensational with each passing day. Whenever I hear about stories like this I can't help but think about the proverb: "You're judged by the company you keep." Just tragic all around....

On a much more positive note, the Wimbledon Gentleman's Championship Sunday morning (and well into the afternoon) was one for the ages! I set my alarm for 9am sharp to watch American Andy Roddick battle living legend Roger Federer. I wasn't anticipating much of a fight and quite frankly thought I'd be out of the house in time for Sunday brunch. However, Roddick was on his game and his 1st serve was spot on. Roddick will look back 10 years from now and remember that 2nd set tiebreaker, in which he held a commanding 6 pts to 2pts lead (it's the first one to 7pts by the way). All he needed was one big serve to go up 2 sets to 0. This would have certainly increased his chances against Goliath. However, proving why he is as mentally tough as anyone to ever play sport (yes, the same level as Tiger and Jordan), Federer rallied and went on to win the 2nd set tie break. I will give Roddick credit. He could have easily mailed it in the rest of the match, but this was a different Roddick over the past 2 weeks in London. He stayed toe-to-toe with Federer all the way to the final game of the 5th set, finally falling 16-14. Roger Federer has certainly made his case for "best ever" in the sport. It's always tough to compare players from one generation to the next, however, it's clear that for this generation, Federer reigns supreme. We probably never thought another Sampras would come around and break his record of 14 grand slam titles, however, it's the old cliche in sports - records are meant to be broken. The question is, might there be some young kid out there right now, whether it be in the States or in Europe, who could be the Federer for the next generation. One things for sure, Federer isn't done winning Slams!

Manny, McNair and Federer. Three greats in their respective sports. All in the news this weekend for different reasons. In sports, sadly, image can be everything. Manny is looking to rebuild his, McNair's is slowly unraveling, and Federer's continues to grow.

Have a great week. I'm on vacation this Thursday through next Monday. I probably won't be updating my blog, unless of course you want to hear about St. Maarten!