T1B

I'm watching this 36 year old Andre Agassi in his swan song battling with some guy I never heard of named Pavel.

Quite a match. Tied at a set a piece, and both went to tiebreakers. Andre was down 0-4 in the 3rd set and just rallied back to get it even.

This other guy doesn't appear to want to give an inch though, despite the over whelming support against him. Hell, the crowd cheers when the dude faults on his 1st serve.

Rack the US Open. Great theater.

3rd set tiebreaker goes to Andre.

Man, these guys are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at each other.

Dude has the heart of a Lion.

You may not care for tennis, but this is some great stuff.

RACK Andre Agassi. This guy is a freaking god in Vegas.

A truly excellent tennis match-up is among the greatest theatre that sports has to offer.

Not unlike a terrific boxing match.

The Assassin wrote:RACK Andre Agassi. This guy is a freaking god in Vegas.

I'd say that they think pretty highly of him in New York, also.

Pretty classic stuff watching Johnnie Mac doing the post match interview.

Agassi was f-ing nails! Down 4-0 in the third set and fought for every single point. Plus he still looked fresh at the end. Incredible match, guts on the court tennis about as good as it comes. Great play by Pavel also, but he wasn't the news. Gotta feel halfway bad for the guy playing a first round match like that and basically ending up as a sideline for Agassi's first round win.

The cool thing about Agassi is that he appreciates it all. He still works on his game (at least until he retires soon) and loves the fans, and knows how much the game has given him along with how much he has given. We hear more recently about his charter school and all his work for youth, but he has been doing that for years. Nice to see a good guy do so well all those years and in his last hurrah.

He has Bagdaddy (my spelling, can't remember the correct version) next. That will be a tough match.

I read a US Open preview article and it said that Agassi is definitely among the top 10 players of all-time.
I'm not sure that's the case.
Perhaps the greatest testament to his greatness is that he joined Rod Laver, Bill Tilden, Roy Emerson, and Fred Perry as the only players to win a career grand slam.
This demonstrates a rare versatility that really DOES raise his stock among the elites to have played.
Still, I would rank him among the modern top 10, but hesitate to put him among the all-time top 10.

Oldies Bill Tiden, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Don Budge, Rod Laver .... and maybe some others, can make strong cases for having established themselves more significantly than Agassi.

Among 'modern' (US Open Era) players I would have a top ten that looks as follows:

1. Pete Sampras - most 'slams'
2. Bjorn Borg - 5 straight Big Ws, 6 French's ... phenomenal
3. Ivan Lendl - Machine .... 8 straight US Open finals
4. John McEnroe - his doubles & Davis Cup exploits elevate him
5. Jimmy Connors - Ultimate bulldog, and had tennis politics not prevented him from playing the '74 French he would have likely won the Grand Slam that year.
6. Andre Agassi - career slam, great longevity, GREAT player
7. Roger Federer - rising QUICKLY, and in a short time he will move up on this list, and perhaps all the way to the top
8. Stephan Edberg - won 3 of the Grand Slam events 2 times
9. Mats Wilander - 3-time French winner, US Open champion, Aussie champ
10. Boris Becker - Multiple 'Slam' winner, ushered in the modern 'monster' serve' phenomenon.


I give Agassi MAJOR props for bringing himself up from the trash bin in the late 90's when everyone had basically written him off as an underachiever (which he was). He put his ass to work and had himself a much greater second half to his career than his first half.

I might give pete the nod over Bjorn only because bjorn walked away from the game at his peak. He absolutely fukking pwned wimbledon. And anyone who says that the bjorn/johnie mac matchup isn't the best mano a mano matchup in the history of sports with the possible exception of ali/fraizer needs to be buttfukked in the mouf, repeatedly.

Borg v. McEnroe was classic stuff.

Hey, McEnroe himself was a funnay man.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYLb4gzo ... ch=McEnroe


...... how bad everyone is, you know that? You're a disgrace and everyone here
is a disgrace who can't get a call that's even THIS far out right. It is absolutely
UNacceptable. I want to punch somebody in the face so bad right here. I want
to SO bad. Make my day. Put up with people like you for ten years.

poptart wrote:A truly excellent tennis match-up is among the greatest theatre that sports has to offer.

Not unlike a terrific boxing match.

Fuck you!

sincer,

Jim Lampley


*****************

I remember watching Jimmy Connors' last US open. Dude was some how harnessing the crowds energy on every serve.

poptart wrote:I give Agassi MAJOR props for bringing himself up from the trash bin in the late 90's when everyone had basically written him off as an underachiever (which he was). He put his ass to work and had himself a much greater second half to his career than his first half.

Oh, you mean after Johnny Mac taught him about hitting the juice?

Yeah, major props on becoming a roid freak to slow the aging process.

dinsdale gets it!

I question any dude who gives up this ...




for this ...

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote:

^^^^^All that fancy paints as fair



Just remember...regardless how hot a woman is, she's still a woman, and will eventually drive you up the fucking wall...because that is how they roll.

True Dins, but to give up Brooke for a German he/she (also his likely source of steroids) ... "ponderous" doesn't begin to explain that one.

Barbara Sreisand, Brooke Shields, Steffi Graf. Dude has been an A-List celebrity for years, did he ever score any decent tail?

Ahh, the '90's...
.
.
.

Goober McTuber wrote:Barbara Sreisand, Brooke Shields, Steffi Graf. Dude has been an A-List celebrity for years, did he ever score any decent tail?

Goobs,
If you don't think Brooke is "decent tail" then I'm gonna seriously reconsider your status in the T1B hetero club. Not that there's anything wrong with you being a fag, we're just trying to keep our list up to date so we save on postage costs.

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote:True Dins, but to give up Brooke for a German he/she (also his likely source of steroids) ...

Probably hit the nail on the head, right there.

Us Druggies tend to gravitate towards their own kind. Why did Johnny Depp hang with Kate Moss for so long? Because they had the same "interests," that's why. Same with Pam and Tommy(and Pam and KR), and so on and so forth.



This post brought to you by my desire to use the new BBCode toys.

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote: "ponderous" doesn't begin to explain that one.

Maybe Andre thought that by ditching the hottie and taking up with a tennis player, he might revive some of his lost marketing.

It might have all been for material gain.

Because after all...


some will rise, some will fall, some will climb to get to Terrapin.


This post brought to you by my desire to hijack another shitty/gay thread with GD resets

Dinsdale wrote:

This post brought to you by my desire to use the new BBCode toys.

And decades of alcohol & drug abuse had nothing to do with it right?

Spent the weekend in Philly and finally got TS out of my head long enough for Franklins Tower to replace it.

Rack Philly and it's historical treasures, a Constitution loving guy like yourself would appreciate the place.

TWIS perhaps you should apply to be on Amazing Race, see the world and get the chance to win a mil.

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote:Spent the weekend in Philly and finally got TS out of my head long enough for Franklins Tower to replace it.

Freaking'A, Twiz...that's almost Hunteresque in its subtlety.

But, you're not sneaking that one past me, you wildman, you...


You ask me where the four winds dwell
In Franklin's tower there hangs a bell
It can ring, turn night to day
Ring like fire when you lose your way


Roll away... the dew . . .


God help the child who rings that bell
It may have one good ring left, you can't tell
One watch by night, one watch by day
If you get confused just listen to the music play





Gee, I wonder why a trip to Philly got you stuck on Frankin's Tower...Hmmmmmm..... I wonder?

dinsdale you ever heard the appleseed cast?

Not now, Jess -- Between posting Dead resets and getting ready to run off a troll who decided to start dropping the ultimate in unfresh shit, I'm a little busy.

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote:

Goober McTuber wrote:Barbara Sreisand, Brooke Shields, Steffi Graf. Dude has been an A-List celebrity for years, did he ever score any decent tail?

Goobs,
If you don't think Brooke is "decent tail" then I'm gonna seriously reconsider your status in the T1B hetero club. Not that there's anything wrong with you being a fag, we're just trying to keep our list up to date so we save on postage costs.

She had the Lolita thing going when she was an adolescent, but she grew to be every bit as manly as Steffi.

Goober McTuber wrote:

The Whistle Is Screaming wrote:

Goober McTuber wrote:Barbara Sreisand, Brooke Shields, Steffi Graf. Dude has been an A-List celebrity for years, did he ever score any decent tail?

Goobs,
If you don't think Brooke is "decent tail" then I'm gonna seriously reconsider your status in the T1B hetero club. Not that there's anything wrong with you being a fag, we're just trying to keep our list up to date so we save on postage costs.

She had the Lolita thing going when she was an adolescent, but she grew to be every bit as manly as Steffi.

That was quite Freudian.

Not sure what you’re getting at, but as I recall she was marketed in a certain way in Pretty Baby and Blue Lagoon. As an adult, her facial features got a little harsher, and she’s anything but petite. She has never done a whole lot for me.

Goober McTuber wrote: She has never done a whole lot for me.

Neither has any chick that you didn't meet via a 1-900 prefix...


your point?

Now Dinsdale, you might want to stick to things you know something about. Which, of course, includes any subject other than my sex life.

I'm not reading all of that.

We could all go on about Agassi's wives, but the fact remains....

Agassi is the only player in the open era to have won every Grand Slam singles title, the Masters, the Davis Cup, and an Olympic gold medal.

Other mens singles players (4 others) have won as many majors, but this guy has also gone everywhere else in tennis where there isn't always the media exposure and has won it all.

It's a good point, Ang.

Agassi has the most 'complete' resume of any modern player.

Sampras never won the French, Borg the US Open, Lendl - Wimbledon ..... and on and on.

Agassi has climbed every mountain.

poptart wrote: I give Agassi MAJOR props for bringing himself up from the trash bin in the late 90's when everyone had basically written him off as an underachiever (which he was). He put his ass to work and had himself a much greater second half to his career than his first half.

Brad Gilbert deserves a chunk of that praise.

and your point is that someone who has basically won everything in tennis had a good coach? well....Doh!

No, my point is that his big turnaround and most of his success was largely due to having Gilbert in his corner. He had other coaches before him who were also decent.

No one doubted his abilities from a very early age, but his ambition, drive, and focus were always in question up until Brad got involved. Prior to be being coached by Brad, he had won wimbledon only once I believe and had done well in Davis cup, but had really hit the shits after that.

Gilbert timed things just right by getting in Agassi's corner when he did.
I don't know exactly what Gilbert 'did' for Agassi, but there is no denying the results.

Gilbert also nurtured a young Andy Roddick and was in his corner when Roddick had his major breakthrough by winning the US Open in 2003.
At that point it looked as if Roddick was poised to be among the top 2 or 3 players for a long time to come.
Roddick dumped Gilbert not long after and his game went down the tubes.
Roddick has not advanced his game at all since he split with Gilbert.
In fact it's actually deteriorated.

Coincidence .... ?


I think Gilbert must have a pretty good way of getting a lot out of a guy.


It'll be interesting to see how the Connors/Roddick thing works out.
My guess is it'll be a short term thing.
A lot of ego involved with Jimbo.

We'll see.

Connors may get roddick to be more agressive, which won't hurt him, even if its just mentally more agressive.

But I agree. That coaching gig probably won't last long.

Ya can't teach red ass.

Mister Bushice wrote:Brad Gilbert deserves a chunk of that praise.

Rack that, Brad Gilbert was an average player in his day but one helluva tennis strategist & coach. He taught Agassi how to make his opponents lose points rather than try to go for huge forehand winners all the time. He & Gil Reyes (Agassi's strength trainer) were very influential in his success during the late 90s. Back before he coached AA, Gilbert wrote a great book called "Winning Ugly" which pretty much outlines his philosophy on the mental game of tennis.