Posted Tuesday, June 09, 2009 12:03 PM
When assessing sports, June and July are generally referred to as the dog days. After seeing the performances of Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, I would say you are doggone wrong in that statement, at least in 2009.
Let's start with the most deserving of the winners, and thats Federer. Last July he lost in what could be the greatest match of all time to Raphael Nadel in the Wimbledon Final. With the way Federer struggles on clay, some saw this match as a changing of the guard. I am sure Federer was questioning if he was no longer the best in the world. Looks like he didnt question himself too long, as he won the US Open the following month to become the first player ever to win five consecutive Wimbeldons and five consecutive US Opens. Remarkable. So what does he do in his next grand slam, he has the intestinal fortitude to eek out two 5 set wins and claim his first ever French Open title. Now he is tied with Pete Sampras with 14 career slams. I cant wait till Wimbledon man.
Kobe Bryant is probably the most misunderstood guy playing in the NBA right now. Growing up, he had to travel all the time overseas until he was 13, so that has to be tough on him to develop socially. Based on that I can see why he keeps a low profile for himself and his loved ones. We take this guy for granted, partially because he's been the best player in the game over the past 10 years. Kobe has been stellar so far in Finals, getting his teammates involved early, and t... [More]