The Greatest Player Of All Time... In My Book

So, over the past three months since I put this question out there, I have had people stop me, Facebook me, and write to me with their nominations. I list a few below and the validity of these nominations are truly excellent.

Jimmy's matches were always something special!

Jimmy Connors - Did you see the ESPN movie about the 1991 US Open in which Connors at the age of 39 defied the experts and beat Aaron Krickstein in probably the best remembered match ever in US Open history? Someone asked me this just recently. It changed Krickstein's career forever and was perhaps the greatest match of all time. I was outside the stadium in Flushing Meadows and hearing the electricity in the crowd was unreal. But one match and a comeback at 39 does not make Jimmy the greatest player of all time.

Martina Navratilova some of you have said. She's right there. What a player - going for broke and changing the way women played our lovely game by approaching and coming to net. One of the matches I remember most as a young player was the US Open final in which Martina lost - to Hana Mandlikova. Probably the greatest women's match ever played. But Martina's story behind her tennis is simply amazing. Leaving her communist heritage, moving to the States, breaking the homosexuality border in our sport. We have her to thank for a lot in our sport and in our world. Her persona is one of the biggest in sport. All this while winning 59 Grand Slam titles. Are you kidding me? Oh yes, and 18 singles grand slam titles - that's one more than Big Rog folks.

Oh but wait, Chris Evert has 18 Grand Slam titles as well. Can we include her in the conversation. You sure can. But, for me, she's not the greatest to ever pick up a racquet. She was a grinder from the baseline who outlasted opponents rather than beat them. But, she was a fierce competitor and a truly great champion.

Pistol Pete Sampras - Perhaps the most efficient player ever to play tennis and having just been surpassed by Roger Federer regarding Grand Slam singles titles ever, he is up there in my book too. His rivalry with Andre Agassi was one of the greatest in the history of all of sport. I can remember watching Pete win Wimbledon during my college years and just amazed at how he changed his entire game to win that coveted title.

This is a never-ending debate and I have thought long and hard about it as naming the greatest person to ever hit a ball in your sport is actually quite terrifying in a way!

So who's left?

You've probably guessed it. Serena Williams.

Best Player Ever...In My Book.

Serena has, like Martina before her, simply changed the game of women's tennis. Singlehandedly. We had all heard back in 1996 and 1997 that the younger Williams sister was going to be the better player but, rightfully, many questioned her stamina and desire to win at that young age. Would she live up to the hype and the reputation she was assuming? A big assumption.

She did and she continues to do so. Ok, so she's only 7th on the all-time Grand Slam honor roll with 32 titles to her credit. She's tied with "Fed" at 17 singles titles. I do think she has a few more singles wins in her. But, in this era of open tennis with massive qualifying events, the growth of the WTA over the past 20 years, and tennis rising once again to be one of the most popular sports in the USA and the world, Serena has been at the top of her profession since she turned professional at 14. And honestly, I don't see her grip of the "racket" sliding much. In fact, 2013 was probably her best year ever.

But in reality, her grip should be sliding. Let's put it this way. She won her first professional title in 1998, five years before Roger won his first. She's 32, same as Roger. He's spent more time at the number one spot, true. So has Steffi, Martina Navratilova, Evert, and Martina Hingis. But none of them took years off to fight injury or depression after the murder of a sister. In fact, after her break from tennis and restarting in 2011 after a pulmonary scare, she is 158 wins with 11 losses.

But Serena, and partly her sister Venus, have changed the face of tennis. One-third of all new junior players are either African-American or Hispanic. Television ratings for Serena are some of the highest ratings any sport has ever seen, including American football.

Serena, like Navratilova, had her own demons to overcome. Fighting racial hatred among the predominantly white juniors on the USTA junior tour while living in California and Florida, Serena also fought with her emotions. Personally, I am not a big fan of her personality, but how can you deny she's one of the fiercest competitors to ever take the stage on a stadium court - male or female.

But the main reason for Serena being the best that ever played? Well it's just that. When she is at the top of her game, she simply is untouchable and unbeatable. No one comes close. There is no one who can even come close. Her serve is up there with most male players at 125 miles per hour. Sharapova, Clisters, Henin, Capariati - all of her rivals pale in comparison. Sharapova, for all the love we have of her and how we think she is great, has just won one set since 2008 against Serena. Since 2004 Sharapova has this hallowed record against Serena. 1 win, 14 losses. Hello?

For Serena to be this dominant in a sport (even with her loss yesterday at The French Open) and with all that she has gone through... to accomplish her goals and be the highest paid sports woman in history... in all of sport...it just makes her the greatest all round player of all time.

This week in Paris will be interesting in that if both Venus and Serena win another round, they will have to play each other on the red clay of Roland Garros. Well, my pick will be Serena. But, Venus might have something to say. She has the best record against Serena although it's not a winning record. But I think little sis is just too good.

Racism, Donald Sterling and a Zero Sum Game

It's been a bad week for race relations in the NBA. With the country focussed on a recording of LA Clipper owner Donald Sterling, the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, came down hard on the owner meting out a $2.5 million fine along with a ban for life for Donald Sterling.

Much has been said about this iconic, yet racist, tactless, and repugnant owner. Sterling, in fact, is the longest tenured owner within the NBA. Sports writer Bomani Jones eloquently went on the record asking why the NBA hadn't looked into his past racist behavior prior to this recording? He had been continuously fingered for racist behavior, business practices, and speech. Why only now should the NBA act? Jones is right in his thoughts and words.

The additional idea put forth at the news conference was that the Board Of Governors of the NBA, which is comprised of the 30 team owners, is that Sterling be forced to sell his team under the authority of the Board of Governors. This is where the sentiment of "doing the right thing" in terms of rebuilding race relations and interfering with business and property start to cross lines and make issues quite messy. Owner of the Dallas Maverick's Mark Cuban has put it that interfering with such business by the NBA is the beginning of "a very slippery slope." And he might be right.

Granted that in this day and age of phones, Twitter and Facebook, the world can literally hang on any syllable of any given individual, we are left wondering how we as a society can make better our environment as a business person or, even as a citizen of this world, with so many obstacles. Once an association we are a part of comes down against us and forces us to part with property that is our business, where do we draw the line? A home owner's association putting a lien on a home for example if not adhering to code comes to mind. Does the association force a sale? Does the National Basketball Association force an involuntary sale of one of the most profitable franchises now?

We as a society want to punish those who hurt race relations or the advancement of our country at its core. But in so doing, we might be hurting others that we do not realize. For within California's tax code 1033, there is a provision that says if property is taken away by force (eminent domain and involuntary conversion, for example) there are no taxes payable. As Nick Lum of the Daily Beast writes, the NBA forcing Sterling to sell will create a $200 million shortfall in tax revenue to the US Treasury and $123 in tax revenues for California - a state that sorely needs it. Basically, if the NBA forces a sale of the LA Clippers, they could be saving Sterling $323 million.

Life seems to be a zero sum game and it's no different in sports or business. The question that is out there is where do we, as a society, draw the line between condemnation and punishment. It will forever be a question without a black and white answer.

The NFL Comes To Grips With Human Resources and Not Being Incognito

Last year, The NFL and Roger Goodell had their hands full with the pay dispute over the referees. We, as viewers and players, were happy to see the referees return to the field and bring the season back to normality. Big business always has labor disputes - it's part of the territory. Big business also has Human Resource issues and none bigger than what is transpiring in Miami.

I sit in bewilderment when I hear people and pundits on radio and television say - along with fellow NFL players - that there is an attitude one has to bring to the game of football. I heard something akin to this: To play football professionally, you really have to have an attitude that other people or athletes just don't have or understand. Well quite frankly, I couldn't disagree more on two separate fronts.

On the sport front, it really is a ridiculous statement. Football players are no grittier than rugby or ice hockey players or race car drivers who dash from death weekly on the Nascar or Grand Prix tours. Having played both rugby and football myself, I found rugby ten times more grueling without having any stoppage in play, having to play offense and defense, and hitting just as hard all without any padding or head protection. Rugby players rarely question the referee - they play a mean game with tact, sportsmanship and brutality. I am sure hockey players would say their game is brutal too. To sail around the world solo is grittier than I can imagine.To play 162 games in one season, as major league baseball professionals do, is unrivaled. Night after night, traveling and playing and then traveling again. Brutal on the mind and body. The NFL, folks, is just another game and sport.

But more importantly, we are all football players. We, as Americans, work to provide for our family and maintain an economy in a moral-based environment and country. And there is never an excuse to racially slur or humiliate a fellow worker. It's a sad day to see a team effort debased by offensive behavior.

Football is one of America's biggest exports in reality with games now watched across the globe. It's big business. And this "attitude" that one has to bring is brought into a significant workplace - the locker room and on the field. NFL players are employees and are paid to perform. They cannot make the workplace hostile to fellow colleagues, players or coaches. If they do, they should be dismissed like any other employee. NFL players are just like the rest of us workers: working hard in a stressful environment. No different. No one should ever use the "N" word, as a person or an employee. Nor should any football player at any time for any reason. Neither can Richard Incognito. To even start defending him is callous and wrong.

This is a human resources issue which could lead to criminal charges, and the NFL needs to get on board and stamp on this harder than they are stamping down on helmet to helmet hits. How can we improve our own workplaces here in our cubicles or are classrooms when our "idols" in the NFL are using the "N" word? We can't. We have to show the world how wrong this is and in order to do that Incognito must become incognito - terminated by the Dolphins and banned from the NFL without severance or benefits and without a glowing reference. Anyone in any other office environment or workplace would be treated, hopefully, in the same way. The NFL is no different and they had better understand that point sooner rather than later.

Don't Burn Your Bridges... In Golf, In Sport, or in Life.

As I watch the drama of the President's Cup unfold, I am reminded as Tiger Woods plays with Adam Scott that Burning Your Bridges is never a good idea in life or in sport.

By Burning One's Bridges, which is an idiom of course of American English, we really mean more than just disliking someone or something. Burning Your Bridges, really comes from the military and the strategy in which one army would burn the bridge or bridges to prevent the pursuing army from chasing. However, what about being outflanked?

That's what happens in life. Being outflanked. It happens in sports too. It happened when Steve Williams started bad-mouthing his former employer, Tiger Woods, in 2011. We were led to assume that Williams was fired for working with Adam Scott while Woods was injured. But there were deeper secrets than that and Williams learned quickly how the media can turn a jest or a joke into a context about a former employer. And when Scott won his first tournament with Williams as his caddie, Scott retorted that it was the pinnacle of his career as a caddie - debasing the years he had worked with Woods and won so many titles. Williams was quoted saying to David Feherty of CBS: "I’ve caddied for 33 years — 145 wins now — and that’s the best win I’ve ever had."

That's Burning Your Bridges...

It's taken more than two years to build the bridge between Woods and Williams. Williams actually has gotten off pretty lucky. His employer, Adam, has been top three in the world for the majority of the past few months and Tiger, forced to take the high road anyhow following his own scandal, really didn't say much in retaliation.

But think about where these two might be without two years in the doldrums. That's why it's hard to retreat once you've Burned That Bridge. No tension would have ensued. Perhaps Tiger would have played better and Williams' book might have sold better. One doesn't know.

So, today was refreshing not for Tiger's win but the handshake afterward. With Matt Kuchar and Tiger winning the match today, Williams was in a position to shake Tiger's hand first and he did just that - no hesitation between the two men. Life is short so keep those bridges built.

Part Two: Number Two Greatest Player All Time...

So, as my friend Ron put it in the gym the other day: "How can we rate your third choice Ed without knowing the other two?" He's right! So, I have been hard at work thinking and rethinking my top two slots of Greatest Player Ever...

The Era In Which We Play Clearly Creates A Bias

I am constantly reminded I am still just in my 40s. I feel like youth has followed me since I was a kid: "Ed, you're just a teenager..." has turned into: "Ed, your just in your mid 40s." Perhaps I hang with an older crowd? I know I did as a toddler but infants, disregarding the Etrade advertisements, couldn't hold a conversation with me. So I went for older kids when looking for friends. Maybe that trend has never changed.

Whatever the reason, it came up today once again as I toweled off between games. As I got into the car, I thought about the greatest players of all time and how it is so hard to compare a Rod Laver whom I saw play once to an Andre Agassi, with whom I have hit balls and watched play hundreds of times.

The Open Era changed the game in terms of competition in the 60s. Television coverage and popularity of the sport brought masses to the sport in the 70s. Racquet advancement and technology have changed the game in more recent years. Can you imagine Rod Laver with a Wilson Spin? Interesting to think about.

Needless to say, I finally put all the facets of the game and its players in place. The second slot, all time, greatest... and here comes the double whammy:

Rod Laver and Margaret Court

Rod Laver really was an immense presence in the game. He is even to today. Respected by his peers as well as those great players to follow like Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

But his peers, especially in his native Australia, were some of the greatest players the sport of tennis has ever seen. These were the golden days of Australian tennis with players like Roy Emerson, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Fred Stolle, Tony Roche, Neale Fraser, and Frank Bromwich among others. Has a country ever dominated a sport as the Australians did through the 50s and 60s? Maybe the All-Blacks in rugby? But then again not too many Word Cups to their country's team. Maybe America with Lance Armstrong and cycling? But we know what happened there. Maybe British rowing with Sir Steve Redgrave? But the Aussies in tennis surely dominated.

With all this said, Rod Laver, with this incredible group of countrymen competing against him at every turn, was able to win two Grand Slams - all four majors in one year. Yep, he did that twice. Never done since. I doubt it will be done again.

Had I been Australian, I think perhaps Rod Laver and Margaret Court would be tied for Number One all time. For as Laver was completing his domination of the sport, Margaret Court took 62 Grand

Slam titles - 24 Singles titles with 19 Ladies Doubles and 19 Mixed Doubles. Yes, 24. We are in awe of Roger's 17. Court has 24! Add the doubles. You can't discount those numbers.

In addition, we often forget about those doubles titles when we talk about the greatest player ever, but the talent required to play both singles and doubles, in my opinion, is a true test of the greatness of any player. I've said it before defending McEnroe and I'll say it again. Talent and mental toughness for two different games.

Margaret stands atop the professional tennis world with the most Grand Slam Championships to her name in the sport. And who said the Greatest Player Of All Time was limited to just the men? I didn't.

So, who is the greatest player of all time? I've taken out of my mix: Federer, Laver and Court. Who's left? Your call! I know my vote.

Roger Federer - The Best Player Ever?

One of my colleagues, Mary, said that she has to hand it to the ESPN commentators covering the US Open. "What other sport can last up to 4 hours with just 2 people to talk about? How can they fill all that time?" You're right, Mary. And, of course, while we were watching the Roger Federer's US Open at the hands of Tommy Robredo two nights ago, the issue whether Roger was the best player was discussed for at least 3 of the 32 games.

I love making lists, and on my list Roger is third. You may ask why. Here's why.

Number One, All-Time Primary Reason. Each and every great player in a sport has a rival, someone who brings the best out of his or her game. One thinks of Ali and Frazier, Bird and Johnson, Nicklaus and Watson. These are storied rivalries. In tennis we've had Navratilova and Evert, Sampras and Agassi... for Federer, that rival is Rafael Nadal. Between the two gentlemen, they have held the top two rankings in the world for close to 4 years, roughly 2005 through 2009. And in such great rivalries it is usually the case the two have close head to head records: Navratilova led Evert 43-37 for example.

Nadal 21 Wins, Federer 10 Wins

This is remarkable. Nadal really has Federer's number. And before you say anything: on each surface. Nadal has won 13 of the 15 matches they've played on clay, 7 of the 13 matches on hard courts and one of their three encounters on grass - that one win in the perhaps the greatest final at Wimbledon... ever.

One can argue with me that you can be the greatest player of all time based on number of Grand Prix wins, based on a sport's domination for 9 years, based on his or her game. I take all those into consideration and they are important. But I would also argue that if one were to be the greatest player in the world that we've ever seen, one needs to have a closer record against a rival. To have lost more than half the encounters begs the question: How can Federer be the greatest player of all time if he can't even beat the rival of his own era?

With Roger's career coming to a close I am sure in the not-too-distant future, I think this question is at the heart of the debate and a great debate it is. Keep thinking about it and perhaps it might help you to come up with your own list of the greatest of all time. I'll let you know who my number one and two are soon - and maybe there's a new one coming down the pike. Let's hope so. We're gonna miss The Fed more than we know once he hangs up his racquet.

Hewitt and Longevity and What Could Have Been...

As Lleyton Hewitt wore down Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro who finally double faulted the match away in a fifth set, I heard a statistic that made me think. The statistic was that it was 12 years ago that Hewitt won the US Open! 12 years ago. For 12 years, Hewitt has been running around, grinding, hitting and playing at the top level. And, he did it again last night.

He moved Del Potro from side to side. He took advantage of his speed and showed Del Potro low ball after low ball for which the tall Argentine had to bend and bend again. Once Del Potro's legs got tired, he started bending from the waist in the fifth set and that was that. 

We forget the longevity of this Australian. 12 years ago. Nadal was 15. Federer hadn't even won his first Grand Slam, and following the horrible events of 9/11, President Bush created the Office of Homeland Security.

Part of this is that Hewitt holds the distinction of being the youngest Grand Slam Champion of all time in the Open era as well as being the youngest player to ever be ranked No. 1 in the world. Few players can last 12 years in a sport which perhaps has the longest professional season and grueling schedule. Hats off to this Australian who has maintained, through injuries, a game that is one of the best in an era.

What is scary to think is how many titles Hewitt would have won over this long career had a certain Roger Federer not showed up and won Wimbledon in 2003. Maybe as many as someone who has been around even longer and has more singles, doubles and mixed titles since her 1999 win at US Open 14 years ago: Serena Williams.