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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

What Encarnacion Means to the Jays

Posted on by Mark Modeski

Consistency has finally paid off for Edwin Encarnacion. The first baseman/designated hitter was locked down for the next three years today by the Toronto Blue Jays for $27 million with a one-year $10 million option at the end of the deal. This is a huge step up from the two-year $5.5-million deal he signed just a few years ago.

The questions that now remain are: Did he deserve the extension and is he worth the money?

Undoubtedly Encarnacion earned this extension for his recent play on the team. As a Blue Jays fan, I will be happy to see him staying in the Big Smoke. Edwin has been hitting a solid .295, complemented by 23 home runs and 58 RBIs; great numbers for a team that does not have a single .300 hitter on their squad. When the Blue Jays offence went dormant earlier in the season, Encarnacion was a consistent producer, oftentimes contributing the game winning run.

At the time Encarnacion was picked up I personally had some hesitation. While he was the crown jewel of a trade, the Jays had to give up Scott Rolen. I had always felt that Rolen had the star power that the Jays needed, and could break-out at any time. In hindsight, the trade worked out beautifully for Toronto. Rolen at the time was an under-performer (and still is, hitting .178) and commanding a salary similar to what Encarnacion is being awarded now. The added bonus to that trade is that the Blue Jays also received two solid pitching prospects in the process (Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart).

The question that will linger in the minds of Jays fans is whether or not Encarnacion will be another Vernon Wells. The echo and lesson learned from the Wells deal still has a bad taste in the mouths of Blue Jays fans. Fans will still remember the seven-year $128 million contract that was signed by Wells some years back; Wells lost his swing after he signed his contract and never morphed into the perennial MVP candidate the Jays hoped for.  Soon thereafter, Wells found himself gift-wrapped and shipped off to the Angels (where he is now batting .244 with 6 HR and 12 RBIs).

I do hope that Encarnancion can keep his swing and leadership presence intact.  He is one of those types of guys who may find himself a franchise player in years to come. He may not have the same off-field presence as a guy like Vernon Wells (who was well-known for his charity work in Toronto), but he does inspire the team on the field – and right now, that is just what this Toronto Blue Jays need.

… and that is the last word.

Football at Night or During the Day?

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

[poll id=”52″]

Having grown up watching live football, for me I love watching games at night.  I’ll take it one step further – I love watching night games late in the season, when everything is on the line, with late kick-offs.  There is no better live spectacle than two teams dueling it out under the lights with a raucous crowd screaming, cheering and sometimes jeering.

That’s not to say that I don’t also love afternoon football, however, I get the draw of that as well.  Arriving at your favourite parking lot, unpacking the cooler, chairs, tables and whatever other game-day traditions you have, then setting up the barbecue and cracking your first cold one.  We all have those memories.

Several months ago I wrote about my experiences with season tickets to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills , which I shared with fellow blogger, Ben Kerr. Along with a third friend, Brett Bullough, over the course of a season we learned so much from our fellow tailgaters who were much more experienced.  It was these guys, whose names escape me, that showed us how to make a day of it. Of course you can tailgate before a night game, but if you want a full-day experience, you need an afternoon kick-off.

After spending the entire morning, more or less, tailgating, these tailgating vets returned to their supped-up custom school bus to spend the next four hours watching the evening and night games, while enjoying  a second meal and another round.  This is where afternoon games are advantageous.  They literally spent the entire day tailgating, broken up in the middle by an afternoon Bills home game.

No doubt you all have your opinions as to which is better, afternoon or night games.  Certainly there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

…and that is the Last Word.

Follow me on twitter – @LastWordOnCFL

Stupid Musings From Around the Premier League, Vol. 2

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

Right, you know it’s a particularly slow day when we read the same stories today as we did yesterday and the day before, and the day before that, and so on (tell me when Terry is guilty or not and be on with it!).  What makes it exciting for me is the fun I have reading football headlines on days such as these, which I first wrote about in Volume 1.  You would be surprised, actually you probably aren’t at all, with the stories footy journalists come up with.  Have a look:

My grand prize today goes to the Independent for several of their pieces.  The first is called, “Manchester United Defender Rio Ferdinand Reveals Sleepless Nights Over Loss to Manchester United”.  Really, it’s come to discussing a player’s sleeping difficulties almost two months after the season concluded?  In the article Ferdinand claims that he is haunted by the memory of losing the title to cross-town rival, Manchester City.  Get over it!  What do you think the other 19 teams think each year they don’t win?  I love how they, journalists, use the word “reveal” as if they have just uncovered some profound treasure.

Not to be outdone, a second Independent article claims that John Terry voiced anger of verbal taunts directed at him in a match with Liverpool.  Says Terry, “My mum dated a guy from Liverpool for a while and the Liverpool fans made up a song that my mum loves Scouse c**k.”

WHAT?  The man is on trial for racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, and he is comparing it to fans making jeers about his mom’s sexual appetite?  I don’t condone what the fans did – it’s just not nice, kind of like a school yard bully, but for JT to publicly discuss the issue seems a wee bit hypocritical, no?

So you don’t think I am just picking on the Independent (who has some quality writers to be fair), there was an article from a different site that almost had me in stitches.  Give Me Football has an article called, “Will Manchester City Money Keep Top Stars”.  Seriously, are we actually going to consider whether players can be bought?  Of course they can.  And what’s more, they are defending Premier League champions, will play Champions League football, and if reports are any indication, they are only getting better through transfers.  They only way money won’t buy them is if City land Robin van Persie, who significantly would eat away the striker minutes.

Anyway, I guess I have to be thankful that I at least have something to read, whether it’s about a man’s sleeping habits, a hypocrite, or naivite at its finest.  Jeez, mid-August can’t come soon enough.

until tomorrow, lads.

Rick Nash: Will he stay or will he go?

Posted on by Maksim Vasilyev

NY Rangers, San Jose, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Detroit have all something in common. Rick Nash wants to be traded and they make up his short list of approved teams. So if the deal gets done (but for safety reasons please do not hold your breath), it will require only a nod of approval from Nash if it’s with the teams I mentioned above. Unless the big winger changes his mind and at that point says, “Oh, what the hell”.

Since we really can’t tap into the brains of Columbus’ front office to harvest some life saving information of our own, nor have we heard anything from @HockeyyInsiderr (A highly recommended hockey insider who usually isn’t far off in his predictions) what can we do?  We could accept that fact and carry on with life; drink, work, go see a movie, and other mundane things in our day-to-day lives. We both know that’s not happening.

A more interesting choice would be to hunch over or lean back in our favorite computer chair and discuss an nausea what team has assets, and needs Nash badly enough to make a deal happen.

NY Rangers is the first team on his supposed short list. The Rangers lacked scoring in the playoffs. I can hear the cries already “but..but..LA was bad at scoring and still won”.  True, but LA had no problem scoring in the playoffs and the Rangers did. LA had 3 guys with 8 goals and one of them they got at the trade deadline from Columbus. Remember the dreadful and disappointing season Mr.Carter was having as a Blue Jacket? 25 points in 39 games with a minus-11? He had 8 goals and 4 on the PP for the Kings in the playoffs while helping them win the big boys trophy. You can see how bad of an influence Richards and Carter are in the locker room, with their drinking and partying distractions, right Philly fans?

To me, I see the same thing happening to Nash. Glenn Sather tried to extract the prize-worthy winger from Columbus before the trade deadline to no avail. Sather/Torts sees that Brad Richards is starving to have a bromance (ugh, hate that word – sorry) with someone. Gaborik can score on his own and has proven that. Brad needs Nash and the Rangers need goals to help Henrik out. The problem with the Rangers is that they really do not have pieces that they can move. Kreider is not going anywhere and Columbus will not be happy with only draft picks. Scott Howson will need to bring the price down a bit to be able to make a deal here. Maybe Del Zotto, two first round picks, and two prospects?

For the French fans my amazing mspaint skills.

Philadelphia’s strategy during the off-season seems to be “Gotta Catch Them All”. Nash provides scoring help, but what Philly really needs is to fix the gashing back-end. They do not possess the best goaltending in NHL (that was meant as a joke… it was dreadful). Chris Pronger may never play again and now Matt Carle was lost to free agency.  That is two top-4 defenders in one calendar year gone. Ouch! This is why I do not see them giving up much for Nash. Scoring was not exactly an issue for them during the playoffs and so this would seem less of a priority. I just do not see any major pieces being moved here. Philly is not going to move young talent like Couturier and Read. Maybe something like Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and 2 first round picks?

The Detroit Red Wings did not really have an issue scoring throughout the regular season, but sort of fell into a black hole during the playoffs. The Nashville Predators exposed the lack of depth, mostly due to injury, and not-so-ready young bucks, and only allowed the Wings to score 3 goals once during a 5-game series. A big winger like Nash would solve that issue. His talent can really shine with not having to carry the load of a team on his shoulders. The problem here is what Howson is asking. Detroit has no problem trading 1st round picks, but trading prospects? I am not sure Holland will be willing to do so given his track record.  The Wings also need to improve the back-end, and for me this is a bit more important than getting Nash. Two first round picks, Helm, and Tatar would be a possible price for Nash. It might get inflated since the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are divisional rivals.

What is the price to pay for Nash? Who knows. If you’re a team like the Rangers, the time to win is now. Nash is a proven talent now and NYR are really close to being the best team in hockey. Pull the trigger, Glen, we all know you really, really want to. Philly should back out of the Nash sweepstakes as they need to fix their defensive corp first. Detroit will not part ways with too much of their future talent (especially Helmer) for Nash, as the team feels comfortable with their top-6. Columbus is clearly looking for young offensive core, to rebuild the Carter/Nash size hole. I am not sure the deal can be done at all this off-season. I agree with Ben Kerr as he mentions here, that Howson needs to sell Nash on the team. They got a new goalie and a healthy defensive corp. Try and push the trade back to the trade deadline even, where GM’s triggers get extra shaky. The lesson learned from this past season that a trade deadline deal, a good one, can push you over the top and help you secure a championship.

What would your offer be for Nash?

Oh, and in-case you forgot who Rick Nash was…here is a quick reminder.

…and that is the Last Word.

Feel free to comment below.

Top Shelf Prospects: Which Route is Best, Major Junior or College?

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Last summer we watched many NHL drafted prospects give up commitments to play at various NCAA Universities, and instead decided to play major junior hockey in the CHL.

The changes of heart of players like Reid Boucher, J.T. Miller, John Gibson, Connor Murphy, Jamie Oleksiak and others were major blows to their respective schools.  Then during the season we watched other players like Charlie Coyle leave school in favour of playing in the QMJHL for its Saint John Seadogs.  This summer’s exodus has already begun, with Tyler Biggs, Stefan Matteau, Patrick Sieloff, Seth Jones, and Miles Koules all choosing the CHL route over the NCAA route.

This has created much debate.  Is playing major junior hockey in the CHL a better and faster route to the NHL for top-end hockey prospects?  Should all players who have the opportunity choose the CHL?  What about 16-year olds who have a particularly difficult decision on which route to take.  Should they maintain college eligibility, or, if they are indeed drafted, play in the CHL?  Due to NCAA regulations, once a young player plays a single CHL hockey game (even an exhibition game) he is no longer eligible to play in the NCAA.  Due to this rule it isn’t an easy decision, and if a player chooses the CHL route there is no turning back.  So what should a youngster do?

Personally I do not think there is any right answer here.  It all comes down to a personal decision for each individual prospect.  There are prospects where the NCAA may be a better choice to hone their craft, and there are prospects who are better off in the CHL.  A quick examination of the differences between the two systems can be useful in deciding which route is better for each prospect.

Education

Obviously education is an important factor and life after hockey should be considered.  Not all prospects will make the NHL, and a great number bust.  So having a quality degree from a quality school can certainly help in the transition back to the real world if their NHL dreams need to be set aside.  Most NCAA hockey programs offer high quality education at a respected university and the opportunity to work towards a degree.  However, the Major Junior route is not something that we should think of as a place where athletes are unable to get an education.  The CHL has one of the best education programs of any minor league in any sport in the world.  While players are playing in the CHL they are highly encouraged to continue their high school and university education, and scholarship programs are offered.  In addition, the CHL funds education for its alumni after they are done in the league.  For every year that they have played in the league a player is entitled to one year of CHL-funded education.   As such we shouldn’t consider the CHL as a second class league in this regard, and there is no reason that going the Major Junior route means that a player’s education takes a back seat.

Schedule

The CHL has much more of a pro-style schedule with upwards of 70 games per season in each individual league, as well as a long playoff format featuring four rounds of seven games in each of the three leagues leading to the Memorial Cup.  This can help a young player build endurance and get ready for an NHL or AHL-style schedule and the grind that comes with that throughout the season.  There are long bus trips and weeknight games.  In this way the league prepares players for pro hockey.

Meanwhile, NCAA schedules are much shorter, and almost all games are played on weekends.  Teams play approximately 35-40 games per season.  Playoffs are often best-of-3, or in some cases single game eliminations.  Even if a team wins its conference championship and goes all the way to the Frozen Four one can expect to play an absolute maximum of 50 games that season.  As a result we often see NCAA players who enter the AHL and NHL seem to “hit the wall” in the second half of their rookie season.  They reach a point where they pass their maximum endurance level and need to adjust to the pro-style schedule.

There is an advantage for some prospects for the NCAA schedule.  For a player who is undersized, or underdeveloped physically, there is more time to fix that issue in the NCAA.  The heavy concentration of games on weekends and the much fewer number of games allows a young player to spend more time in the weight room and to bulk up.  This must be a huge consideration for many young players.

Competition

A young prospect improves the most when playing against top-notch competition. Players who go the Major Junior route are able to face a higher level of competition at a younger age.  At the age of 16 or 17 there quite simply isn’t any other league in the world that can provide a player with a higher caliber of hockey.  Major Junior is such a highly competitive league for 16-20 year old hockey players, and quite simply cannot be duplicated anywhere.

At later ages the level of competition in top NCAA conferences such as Hockey East, CCHA, WCHA, and in 2013 the newly created  Big-10 Hockey conference and National Collegiate Hockey Conference, can challenge and in some situations even surpass the level of competition in the CHL.  Because players in the NCAA are quite a bit older, they are also typically bigger and more physically mature at the ages of 18-24, which increases the level of competition.  Quite simply, older, bigger, and stronger prospects means that top teams in those conferences are at a higher caliber than the top teams in the CHL.  This may be a controversial opinion for CHL fans, but its only natural when you compare the ages of the players.  Think of how valuable the over-agers are in the CHL, then add two, three and in some cases four years onto a similar player as a senior in an NCAA power conference (depending on when their freshman year was, and if they had any redshirt years).

 

In the end, each individual is different and a player should weigh these three major factors (as well as others, which are more on a player-by-player basis) when deciding which route is best for him.  There is no “best” route for every player, only the one that is best for each individual.  The best advice I can give is to involve family members as well as trusted coaches and advisors who have experience in the game at a high level in deciding the best route.  It’s an important decision to think about early, because there are many players who made a choice they later regretted, but could not change it due to NCAA rules.

 

Please feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @LastWordBkerr.

Stampeders' Big Set-back: Queue Kevin Glenn

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

Well, look at the positive side of things Stampeders fans, Kevin Glenn is certainly more than capable.

Drew Tate, Calgary’s young star pivot, has re-injured his non-throwing shoulder.  What seemed like a horrendous injury at the time, which was made worse considering Tate missed some big time last year for virtually the same time, turns out not to be so bad.  Calgary’s medical team has said they expect Tate to miss just 4-6 weeks, just in time for the second half of the season.  We can only assume the Stamps will still be in the playoff picture at that point.

And the man who will lead them in the interim is Kevin Glenn, a seasoned veteran who has had several successful stints around the league.  Really, could there be a better guy to have as back-up?  He is only two years removed from a 5000+ yard season.  He has seen everything any defensive coordinator could possibly throw at him.  He will not rattle under pressure, but will instead do everything in his power to persevere and show that he still has it.

While KG hasn’t had much time in Calgary to get completely acclimated with his new teammates in a game situation, expect him to become comfortable sooner rather than later.  Glenn has all the tools to succeed, and I for one am glad he has the opportunity to show what he can do in red and white.

…and that is the Last Word.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordOnCFL

Hammer Radio: Episode 101, UFC 148 Review, Strikeforce Preview

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Its Wednesday Night, so the Hammer Radio show is back, and available in Hamilton on 93.3 CMFU FM, and archived on the internet at http://thehammar.libsyn.com

The Boys at the Hammer feature weekly coverage of all things MMA. This week they are back with their 101st episode and you can listen to the archived podcast by clicking here. Hammer Radio 101

“UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 is now in the books, and Anderson Silva is still the UFC Middleweight Champion. We analyze the fight, including the wild finishing sequence, and then try to figure out where both of the fighters go from here.

Then we run down the rest of the card, preview Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, and discuss a bit of news, including Rampage Jackson’s next fight”

The Hammer features lastwordonsports’ own writer Greg Persson, long time internet superstar Steve Jeffrey, and is hosted by Dave Abraham.

The Hammer has had interviews with some of the biggest names in MMA over the years, including BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Sean Sherk, Mark Coleman, and others. They continue to bring unparallelled, independent coverage of all things MMA to fans of the sport.

We highly recommend that you check them out.

NHL Offseason Musings: Player Movement Grinding to a Halt

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Most analysts, including myself, guessed that following the signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter that after a slower than normal first 4 days of free agency, player movement in the NHL would pick up, with the remaining big free agents signing, and with a number of trades occuring.  This has not happened.  It has now been a week since the signings with little in the way of off-season transactions.    While I don’t claim to be an insider, and I think I can speculate on what is slowing down some of the various moves.  Feel free to agree or disagree, but here are my musings on what may be slowing things down for many of the rumorred NHL offseason transactions.

 

Shane Doan:  All reports indicate that Doan and his family are very happy living in Phoenix.  He has been part of the team since their inaugural season in the desert in 1996-97.  He is settled in the area and is happy with his large ranch style home.  I believe that Doan would love to re-sign with Phoenix and continue his career.  However the future of the Coyotes is far from settled, due to the murky ownership situation and continued threats of litigation from the Goldwater Institute.  I believe that Doan is delaying as long as possible to see if a resolution to the Coyotes’ situation can be reached, as he would love to stay in Arizona long-term, should that be possible.

 

Alex Semin:  Max Vasilyev wrote an excellent piece on Semin on Tuesday.  He is a player who certainly has offensive ability, however other aspects of his game are questionned.  One issue if the fact that in 3 of the last 4 years Washington was eliminated from the playoffs in a hardfought 7 game series (Pittsburgh 2009, Montreal 2010, New York Rangers 2012).  In those 21 games, Semin has scored 2 goals.  This certainly calls into question his ability to score goals when it matters most.  Semin was paid $6.7 million last season.  It is becoming obvious that teams are not willing to give him a comparable salary going forward.  However something has to give here; either Semin will accept less money to remain in the NHL, a team will get desperate for offence and up their offer to Semin, or he will leave for big money in the KHL.    I predict Semin will eventually sign another 1 year deal in the ~$5 million range to prove his value and try to earn a big long-term contract next summer.

 

Rick Nash:  Scott Howson has been trying to deal Nash since the trade deadline, but has been unable to do so.  Today, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reported that Nash’s list of teams he will accept a trade to includes the following six teams: The Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.  Some of these teams have reportedly made significant offers, both at the deadline and this summer, however Nash remains a Blue Jacket.  With Howson’s demands reportedly including such talent as Logan Couture from the Sharks, Del Zotto and Kreider from the Rangers, Schenn and Couturier from the Flyers, and previously Jeff Skinner from the Hurricanes (despite them not being on the list), I begin to wonder if Howson really wants to trade Nash.  Some of these demands, such as Couture, a younger cheaper player who actually outscored Nash in 2011-12 are preposterous and would not be agreed to straight up by any sane GM.  Yet Howson is reported to have asked for Couture plus prospects and picks.  Is Howson going to try and convince Nash that no trade could be worked out and he has to play 2012-13 in Columbus, or will this blow up at training camp, and Howson will be forced to deal Nash for less than full value, like the Senators did with Dany Heatley a short time ago.

 

Roberto Luongo:  With Luongo’s contract I think that many teams believe the Canucks will trade Luongo for pennies on the dollar merely to free up cap space.  However Mike Gillis has assembled a near full roster, and one with no gaping holes or obvious needs at that.    Sure the Canucks could use an upgrade on their third line, but who couldn’t?  Gillis really is in the driver’s seat here.  There is no rush to deal Luongo, and he can wait for one of the Leafs, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, or other NHL team to get desperate for a goalie and be willing to meet his asking price.  Until someone is willing to pony up real value for Luongo, I don’t see the pressure on Vancouver to trade him.

 

CBA Talks:  As of today there are 13 NHL teams below the projected $54.2 million salary cap floor.  Some of these teams will obviously reach the floor through signing their own RFAs.  However there are several teams that would need a new acquisition just to reach the floor.  However, with the CBA expiring on September 15, 2012; no one is quite sure what the floor would be under a new CBA.  A reduction in the cap and floor numbers is certainly possible, and many teams may be waiting for this to resolve itself and to assess the new economic landscape of the league before committing to sign new players, or making a trade.

 

Please feel free to leave your comments below on these situations, or other heavily rumored transactions, and follow me on twitter @LastWordBKerr.

 

Roger and Serena Secure Their Places in History

Posted on by Greg Persson

Wimbledon 2012 was a tournament to remember for a variety of reasons. One would think that hometown hope Andy Murray becoming the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final in over 70 years should be the story of the tournament. Murray’s success, however was eclipsed in the minds of many tennis fans by two history making performances.

Serena Williams earned her 13th Grand Slam victory, encompassing each of the four majors, placing her amongst the all-time greats in tennis and all of women’s sports. In late 2010, it seemed Serena may be through dominating the game and whispers of her career being over were rampant.  A major foot injury caused her to miss the second half of the 2010 season and in early 2011 the frightening news surfaced that Williams had suffered a pulmonary embolism (an arterial blockage in the lung which can be fatal). Questions surrounding her future began to swirl and many tennis fans were beginning to adjust to tennis without Serena Williams.

However, after fighting through her injuries and illness Serena made her return at Wimbledon 2011 making the round of 16 and then the final of the US Open that September.  Serena was back, but still many doubted she would ever hold a grand slam trophy again. After a disappointing start to the 2012 season, which included a first round exit at the French, Serena arrived at the All England Club on a mission.

Williams blasted through the competition losing only two sets on the way to the finals and decimating world number-2, Victoria Azarenka, and defending champ Petra Kvitova. A 3-set victory in the final over Agnieska Radwanska would give Serena her 5th Wimbledon championship and more importantly would silence the tennis critics who had been saying for the better part of the last two years that she would never reach the top again. A doubles title with her sister ,Venus, served as ‘icing on the cake’ later that day topping a truly outstanding run.

The queen of tennis had reclaimed her throne, but what about the King – Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time.  But at the age of 30 and going without a major in 2011 (breaking an 8-year streak), doubters arose saying that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had taken over.  Not many gave Federer a chance at Wimbledon given that he had made Quarter-Final exits two years running.

Federer had a 5-set scare against Julian Benneteau in the third-round, and seemed poised to bow-out in the quarters yet again.  But he persevered, reaching the semi-finals against the incredibly talented Novak Djokovic. Despite being the clear underdog, Federer surprisingly handled Novak in four sets and faced Andy Murray in the final.  Federer eventually emerged victorious after dropping the first set.

The Wimbledon title for Roger was important for many reasons. First, it showed that he could beat Djokovic off clay at a major, which was an Achilles heel for him over the past two years. Impressively, this Wimbledon title is Federer’s seventh, tying him with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the most all-time. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this victory returned Roger to the number-1 overall ranking, a place that no one gave him a chance to return to since losing it to Nadal in 2010. Not only is Federer still a threat, he is still the best in the world at what he does.

Although some tennis fans will counter with names like Borg, Connors, Sampras, Agassi and Laver, in my opinion they all come up short when compared to the King. The big question now is how long will Roger continue? He now has 17 grand slams, the most all-time, and with this win many are setting ’20’ as a magic number. I for one hope he gets there – and beyond.