Winners Are Grinners

The Greatness Of Pete Sampras

Believe you me, one of the greatest talents to ever walk the earth was Pete Sampras. Okay, so he never won on clay at the French, but he had everything going for him. Speed, power, accuracy, tactics, the serve and volley, the instinct, the endurance, the mental toughness. If you ever were going to create a perfect player, Pete Sampras at his prime was a good template with which to start. Of course his greatness is about to be eclipsed sometime soon by Roger Federer when he accumulates 3 more Grand Slaam titles. Federer actually is a very similar type of player who just happens to come to the net a little less. There is very little difference between the two men in terms of their command of the game.

Recently, the two men have been playing a series of exhibition matches. Naturally, Federer being the current world no.1 won the first comfortably in 2 sets, 6-4, 6-3. The Second also went to Federer 7-6, 7-6. The second result augured the Pete Sampras at 36 was finding something. In the third match, he beat Federer 7-6, 6-4.

Sampras never faced a break point and converted one of two against his opponent as he handed Federer a 7-6 (8), 6-4 defeat at the Venetian Macao arena, wrapping up a three-match Asian exhibition series between the two tennis greats.

Sampras downplayed his victory, noting Federer was coming off a long season and that he was helped by his big serve and the fast indoor carpet surface. He had only aimed to win one set during the three-match series.

"Let's not get carried away," he said at a news conference.

Sampras ruled out a comeback from retirement, telling the audience after the match, "I had my time in the 90s."

Federer tried to put on a positive spin on the loss, saying he wasn't embarrassed to lose to his idol, but still showed some disappointment.

"It's been tough beating my idol the last two times. I'm happy that he got me at least once," he said, but adding, "I hope we can do it again in the future. I'd like to get him back."

The two players have won a combined 26 Grand Slam titles, but Sampras, 36, retired five years ago after winning the U.S. Open in 2002. Twenty six-year-old Federer is fresh from another stellar season as he won three Slams and last week's Masters Cup in Shanghai in compiling a 68-9 winning record.

"I'm sort of surprised. This guy can play tennis, you know," the Swiss player said after his loss Saturday.

Play enough games between 2 great players and you would get such results, but Sampras has been retired 5 years. He obviously was short on match practice in the first game, but by the third, he must have had his form back. It doesn't prove *anything*, but it gives us a glimpse and reminder of just how good Sampras was at his prime. Nice to see you in action at the top of your game one more time, Pete.

Kevin '07
I still don't know what to make of Kevin Rudd. The man used to be a career diplomat and then somehow went political. I do note something interesting: His son-in-Law is Asian, and he speaks Mandarin. Nobody in their right mind is going to accuse this man of the kind of racism that John Howard never could shake.

The other notable thing about this victory for him is that he did it on the basis of a Presidential election. In the past, these sorts of election stratgies were an anathema, but clearly Australia has changed. It pays to be a media slut as well as a diplomat. If not but for the fact that Kevin Rudd essentially (and most diplomatically) delivered a message: "It will be just the same except it would be me running it instead of him" speaks volumes about where Australia is at. We're still about the money, the mortgages and real estate value.

Other than that, I feel we've elected some kind of Duracell Bunny over the Eveready Energiser. Something that's a little fluffier than the other sales pitch.

The End Of The Line For John Howard
As I noted a few days back, John Howard and the Coalition got spanked in the election. Jeff Kennett and his Mo-vember mustache pronounced that the "It's Time" factor had a lot to do with it. I think it was more like the, "We've had enough, now fuck off and die John" factor had a lot more to do with it.

This is a man who had to lower the nation's lowest common denominator to his level of pettiness, hatreds, intolerance, ignorance and fostered so much greed while letting people walk away from their best instincts. This is a Prime Minster who didn't mind appealing to the worst instincts in the electorate to shore up his office. This is a man who continuously ignored the most burning ethical and environmental issues of his time in the name of Conservative Politics.
If that truly were conservatism, Winston Churchill would be spinning in his grave.

My father who is an arch-conservative once said that John Howard was contrary to the expression, not a man you could be proud of under any circumstance, but a man you could be embarrassed for under any circumstance. We shall feel that embarrassment no more.

However, to give the man his due, he did deliver a great concession speech. I know I was overjoyed to know he was done and gone at that moment, but I have to concede it was the best speech I'd ever seen him deliver. He looked the most prime ministerial, majestic and equal to his office in his very last speech. It was as if he finally got to the point of gravitas and dignity on the very last moment.

John, you won't be missed. You may now fuck off and die. And even that is being too kind.

About The Angry Fat Man
Something occurred to me about the Angry Fat Man.
He's never voted in his life. I've voted every time (as is the law, but actually with great enthusiasm) ever since I've been eligible. I've participated in every democratic event that I have been able to.

He's not even an Australian citizen. In all that time, he's never done a thing. Never cast a vote. Not even for the US election. How the hell can he get worked up about all this when he's trying to establish his US citizenship, his Permanent Residency status in Australia, and then try and put himself on the dole?