Edition 46 “Give the Pistol his due!”

So in Andre Agassi’s new autobiography, the tennis megastar comes clean on taking crystal meth during 1997, the low point of his career.  All I have to say is, I am not surprised at all.  This will not tarnish his legacy or take anything away from his career and his 8 grand slams..if anything it may make fans like him more sadly..

I mean think about what Agassi was like as a pro.  He once sported the ridiculous long hair.  He once refused to wear white at Wimbledon and skipped the biggest tournament in the world.  He had some inconsistency midway through his career and dramatically dropped in the rankings.  Then all the sudden, he shaved his head, got married and became a good family man?

Honestly, I have never understood the infatuation with Andre Agassi.  Most people who do not really understand the game of tennis love Agassi because they love his entertainment value.  They love the old antics he used to pull on and off the court and his many women.  From somebody who really follows tennis, sure the man completed some amazing feats in his career, but he should not even be put on the same playing field as Pete Sampras who recently defeated Agassi again in another charity exhibition match.

Sampras had it all.  He was clean on and off the court.  He won at the time a record 14 grand slam titles.  He was number 1 for 6 consecutive years.  He was the model of consistency who almost always checked his emotions, minus the time his coach passed.  It is Sampras who deserved all the hype and hoopla.  Not only did he have a much better career than Agassi from a raw winning perspective, he also always showed a very modest, and reserved demeanor and handled the glory in stride.  He never was flamboyant or ostentatious.  Sampras acted as a great tennis champion in my eyes should act.

I guess Agassi just has that likeability factor that Sampras may have been lacking.  Either way, Pistol Pete should have been a overwelming fan favorite over Agassi all along and Agassi’s use of crystal meth does not surprise me one bit.  Remember the man slipped to #141 in the rankings in 1997..he was a model of inconsistency at times.

So please do not applaud Agassi for coming out about this.  People should just be neutral and think nothing of it.  Now Agassi was one of the best tennis players of our generation, but he definitely should not be thought of as an emblem of this past generation of tennis..that my friends is the Pistol Pete Sampras..please give Pete his due for once..

Stay tuned for Edition 47.

-Kraze

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Edition 45 “October Fun”

What a time of year the end of October is.  College Football and the NFL are both in full effect.  The MLB playoffs are at the final Series.  The NBA season has tipped off.    College basketball scrimmages are going on as the teams prep for their first games in November.  The NHL is twenty games in.  I mean really, as a sports fan, what else could you want? 

The hardest part of this time of the year can at times be deciding what to watch.  So how do you decide on what to watch?  There are definitely going to be conflicts.  Well really it just comes down to simply prioritizing.  Here is the Kraze method on how to determine what to watch in late October:

1.  Throw out the NHL right away.  Though it can be very entertaining, the majority of the regular season, unless you are a die-hard fan, just goes on with too much else taking place that is important.  So the NHL goes at the bottom of the list right away.

2.  College basketball scrimmages are fun, but they cannot be watched on television.  So this eliminates them immediately.

3.  Though the glamour and lights of the NBA are awesome, it is a long season that will have the playoffs going on in June.  So be patient to watch the Kobe and Lebron show.  This is destined to be an awesome season in the NBA as all the top teams got stronger.

3.  This is where things start getting tough.  College Football has gotten to the point where the BCS standings have been going on for a couple of weeks and the National Title race is really heating up.  The NFL is nearly halfway through their season.  And obviously the MLB, is down to the Fall Classic.  So really the way I look at it is, if your team for College Football is not playing, then definitely watch the World Series.  Same goes for the NFL.

4.  The World Series is the culmination of a grueling 6 month season and nearly month-long postseason.  These guys are playing for their lives and struggling through the cold in cities like New York and Philadelphia.  Now many say well baseball games take too long.  College Football games and NFL games go just as long ranging from 3 to 4 hours.  So thumbs up to watching the World Series over anything else, unless your favorite College Football team or NFL team is playing.  And even if these teams are playing, if they are out of contention already, put on the fall classic.  It is sure to be phenomenal series.

I mean really, what could be better than watching a game go to the bottom of the 9th, two outs, with Derek Jeter up having a chance to win the game for the Yankees in the new Yankee stadium?

So enjoy the October fun..

Stay tuned for Edition 46.

-Kraze