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The Picker Makes Your Day, Week, Month and Year
Published: 7/9/2007 3:04 PM
Last Modified: 7/9/2007 3:04 PM

Question: Is Roger Federer the best tennis player ever?


The Picker Answers: What are you, silly? No, he is not. Here's why. To date, Federer is a grass ace. Big serve, BOOM, walk to the next square. That's not best-ever tennis, that's target practice. Federer has a great serve, the best forehand around, a puny back hand that I could return with ease.


To be best ever, he has to win on clay, period, close the book on that question.


And Federer and Tiger forming their own Best Ever Club, pass the barf bag.


Q: Besides the Picker's stuff, what is a must-read this week?


A: A story about the Balco steriod king that was in USA Today on Monday. He says at least half of major league baseball is on either seroids in the fall, undetectable human growth hormones all the time, or some other performance-booster.


The high attendance numbers at baseball games this year prove it isn't about the players anymore, it's about the fans, and their need for entertainment, no matter the names on the uniforms or the names on the arrest warrants.


Q: What would it take to make you watch The Sports Blitz top to bottom?


A: This weekly sports show is a venture between CBS affiliates in Oklahoma City and Tulsa whereby a state-wide sports report is attempted. But instead of anything balanced, it's mostly about OU football and the next rinky-dink NBA team to come to Oklahoma City. If the anchors would quit grinning at everything the other says, we'd probably watch it in its entirety for $100.


Q: What's the best thing about OU's football team this fall?


A: The schedule. It is a dream schedule, a top five schedule, with an offensively foul Miami team at home early. The toughest road game is at the gimmicky Tech, which survives on the pass and second-team all-conference guys. The key game is, as always, Texas in Dallas. All things being close to equal this time around, best coach wins!


Q: Odom, bust or bonanza?


A: Closer to a bust. He may not be a brick layer, but he is a brick collector, a dunker and a shot blocker with no jumper. The ex-Texas player is much, much better.


Q: What don't you want to hear this college football season?


A: That a major goal of a team with tons of talent is establishing the run game.

Listen, better talent can establish a run game without trying. Against chumps, that's when you need to practice what really matters, the pass. Establishing a running game over an inferior talent means nothing. An established run game will get a great team to 10-2, sometimes even 11-1.


But here's what wins a national championship: Completing a pass on third and ten.


You waste time establishing a run game against Pudunk Tech, you lost the big ones.


Name the last national champion that didn't pass often and with great skill.









Reader Comments 14 Total
TAB (6 years ago)
Seems like Ohio State won an NC a couple of years back without a quarterback -- Krenzel wasn't much better than a cold bucket of drool. The LSU team that really won the national championship (AP doesn't mean squat if the conferences agree to thet BCS) didn't have much better.

Run game, defense, and luck win out every year. And let's not forget those great Nebraska teams that laughed at the run.

worldpicker (6 years ago)
It's probably been a while since you were so wrong, TAB. Nebraska? When was that, the fifties? You see any great teams that can't pass now? You want to try to recruit great linemen who can't pass block? TAB, TAB, TAB, you sound like what's his name, guy back in the day with the Sooners. Switzer, that's the one.
Jen (6 years ago)
TAB greatest dream=giving Switzer massages!
Mark (6 years ago)
Saying Federer is only good on grass is wrong. You can't be in the French Open final two consecutive years without knwoing something about clay courts. That would be like saying that Borg was only good on continents that share the Atlantic Ocean, just because he never won in Australia.
TAB (6 years ago)
Jen -- huh? I don't give massages -- to Switzer or crazy chicks on message boards, so don't get your hopes up. I'm not an OU homer by any means -- if anything, I'm a TU homer. But if you see what I write about TU below, I'm hardly a yeahhoo. If my team is playing OU, you should see the heinous things I say.

Nebraska won two titles back to back in the 90's. That wasn't that long ago -- it just seems like Callahan has been there forever because of how miserable they've become. Not sure what I meant when I said they "laughed at the run," so I'll apologize for that stinker of a sentence.

Bonus comment: the "N" on the Nebraska helmet stands for "knowledge."

tennisfan (6 years ago)
Picker you must be consulting the idiot Jay Cronley again. You have "picked" the wrong expert. The only tennis info he knows is that the current #1 player in the world has come in second at the French the past two years. Federer beat Nadal on clay in the tournament before the French. Compairing players in today's game to those who play years ago is just stupid. One of the reasons Borg did not play in Australia was therre was no up front $ for the great players like today.
PICKER PICK A BETTER SOURCE NEXT TIME
Kurt (6 years ago)
Picker: You are right on. Not only does Federer not win on grass, he only has one opponent. Get by Nadal and you have another trophy. No competition.
worldpicker (6 years ago)
Tennis people: Some points, refute them if you can:


1. You can't run around 1,000 backhands per match and be considered the greatest ever.


2. You can't be considered best ever for winning on a surface that is like playing on ice: serve and skate. You're that great, it's simple, win one on clay.


We'll see in New York, New York about pavement play, won't we. And another thing, there's no crying in tennis. Wait a minute. Yes there is.


We consult numerous people for theories that confounded pretenders far and wide.



You think Tiger and Roger have a secret handshake?



Guess what, Tiger isn't the best ever yet.



Hang in with us, Jen, some of these characters are easy.
Dion (6 years ago)
Picker, I don't always agree with you, but you must be saying something right to get all these idiots to hate on you.
worldpicker (6 years ago)
Thank you Dion, was thinking the sme thing.
BLS (6 years ago)
Whose is this Odom guy The Picker is referring to?

Lamar who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers?

Dave who coaches men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina?

Cliff who played 14 seasons in the NFL?

John who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball?

Perhaps William, a former director of the National Security Agency?
tennisfan (6 years ago)
13 Grand Slams Finals-11wins. WHO HAS A BETTER RECORD.

Cant play all surfaces--His titles are: 32 hard court, 9 grass, 6 CLAY, and 2 carpet.

His career is far from over, before he retires Roger Federer will be the greatest tennis player ever.

Mr Picker do you even play the game?
worldpicker (6 years ago)
Is this: Newtennisfan?
What would Tiger be like without all the majors?
Where's the French, Newtennisfan?
RR (6 years ago)
I love your comments about the Blitz. If I wanted to watch an Oklahoma City sportscast, I'd move to OKC! If I wanted to watch talking heads more interested in being comedians than sportscasters, I'll turn the channel to comedy central. If I need the latest sports news, I'll need to watch something other than the blitz. You are asking for $100?? I can't participate in the complete viewing for any less than $1500!!
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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