G.O.A.T. PASTURE — The Weekly Opine

How much longer will the greatest of all time chew up their competition? (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Enjoy them while they last

If you are a sports fan, enjoy the competition in 2020. Whether from the comfort of your home, the neighborhood sports bar or a prized seat in the stadium, this year can be extra special for those of us who welcome sports as a respite from 9 to 5, 3 to 11 or 11 to 7.

Across several sports, the opportunity to witness the greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T) is still before us. However, they are now in the twilight, and no one knows how much they have left. Like long-running Broadway plays, eventually the curtain comes down on every athlete’s career.

Cue up Kool and The Gang’s “Celebration” and toast whatever Tom Brady has left. (Photo credit UPI)

Doin’ it for a long time

The past two weekends, Super Bowl-bound Patrick Mahomes, the new face of the NFL, put on a marvelous display of talent and leadership. Mahomes’ 27-yard TD run was one of the greatest post-season plays in recent memory.

As excitement deservedly brims around the uber-talented Mahomes, we should relish Tom Brady next season; I say root for him!

If you are a New England Patriots hater, let it go and acknowledge, yes celebrate the greatness of Tom Brady. Six Super Bowl titles. Four Super Bowl MVP awards. The NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback. He’s won a record 30 playoff games. Several years ago, only an amazing, fluke catch by the New York Football Giants’ David Tyree prevented Brady from an undefeated season and another Super Bowl title.

The debate about who is better, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees or Brady is a stale debate. Brady has more titles than the combined total of Manning, Rogers, and Brees. Manning retired with two Super Bowl wins. Rogers and Brees are stuck on one Super Bowl win, as time runs out on their illustrious careers.

After watching Michael Jordan leave the Chicago Bulls for the Washington Wizards, performing as a shell of his former great self, one hopes Brady will play out his career in New England.

Wherever he is next fall, any chance you get, watch and treasure football’s G.O.A.T. quarterback, Tom Brady.

Tiger Woods still draws the biggest galleries. And highest TV ratings. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Appointment viewing

I can attest to the proven fact that when Tiger Woods plays, TV viewership is higher. Because when Tiger plays, I watch intently. But, when Tiger is not in a tournament, I just take a few peeks here and there.

Everyone knows what happened in 2019. Tiger broke through last spring at the Masters, winning his 15th major championship. But his summer amounted to fits and starts, mostly fits. The other three majors were not kind to Tiger. He was out of sorts at the PGA Championship (missed the cut), the U.S. Open (tied for 21st), and The Open, aka the British Open (missed the cut).

But when fall arrived, Tiger’s balky back and old man knees responded. In October he won his 82nd tour victory, tying Sam Snead for most wins of all-time. In December Tiger captained the U.S. team to a come-from-behind victory at the President’s Cup, played in Australia. Tiger’s former rival, Ernie Els, captained the world team and as usually happened when Tiger and Els competed on tour, Tiger won.

Questions abound as the 2020 tour gets underway. How is Tiger’s health? How is Brooks Koepka’s health? Koepka has a knack for winning majors, collecting four in just the past three seasons. However, Koepka, one of the few players on tour not intimidated by Tiger, had knee surgery a few months ago. A healthy Koepka may be all that stands in the way of Tiger’s quest to equal and surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships.

Another question surrounds Tiger’s schedule. Can he play enough to be sharp, and on top of his game, when majors come around? Due to Tiger’s unpredictable health status, you should tune in whenever he competes.

Because golf’s G.O.A.T. is Tiger Woods. And that’s the truth.

Serena Williams appears ready to win big again. (Photo credit New York Times)

A matter of focus

No one epitomizes the global ‘era of women’ more than Serena Williams. She speaks out on social issues, seeking fairness and justice for women. And she happens to be the best tennis player ever. Not just the best female tennis player. Serena is the best, period.

Yes, the “Big Three” of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic win nearly all the major titles, and provide great rivalries over in the men’s bracket. But the gem of the sport is Serena. (I’d say she’s the queen but, given heightened sensitivities with Serena’s friends Harry and Meghan splitting from royal Britain, we won’t go there.)

To finally tie - and pass - Margaret Court’s record 24 major titles, my suggestion for Serena is to have total focus. And conserve energy.

She has gone 0 for 5 in her last five major title matches and has not looked good. The younger generation is not intimidated by Serena like her peers, e.g. Maria Sharapova. The younger women run Serena ragged in finals matches and have administered hard to watch beatdowns.

To eliminate tired legs when she makes it to the championship match, Serena should forgo playing doubles with her sister, Venus. Her major finals oh-fer, following her 2017 Australian Open victory, demands an adjustment to Serena’s tournament schedule.

Another example; at last year’s U.S. Open Serena said she was exhausted, in part from having to chase her toddler around the hotel between matches. Hire a nanny. Total focus on winning the championship match.

Another example; debuting her fashion collection at New York’s Fashion Week, just days after the U.S. Open. Likely, an unnecessary distraction that played in the back of her mind during the tennis tournament.

To her credit, Serena amazingly made it to championship matches while still not fully in shape after giving birth and returning to the tour. She is, without question, one of the most dominant athletes in history.

Regardless of whether she wins major number 24 or not, her place is secure. Serena Williams is tennis’ G.O.A.T.

A dominant pair; Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz. (Photo credit Marriott Traveler)

Hiding in plain sight

Lewis Hamilton is the greatest you’ve barely seen. Partly because race driver’s faces are hidden by their helmets. But, also because Formula One TV directors – when Hamilton is leading a race - have an annoying habit of spending most of the race showing viewers drivers “battling” for eighth or ninth place.

Other racing league broadcasts do not shove mid-pack racing at its viewers the way F1 does when Hamilton has the lead. Watch IndyCar or NASCAR and you see the leaders. Watch F1 and, if Hamilton is leading, you are treated to mid-pack racing. When Hamilton’s rival Sebastian Vettel is leading, presto, the TV cameras are trained on Vettel.

No matter, Hamilton now owns six world titles - including five of the last six years. His 88 pole positions are more than any driver in Formula One history. He has more total points than any driver in history. Only the great Michael Schumacher has more F1 titles (7) than Hamilton.

Same as Tiger Woods’ pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and Serena Williams’ pursuit of Margaret Court, whether Hamilton catches Schumacher doesn’t matter. Lewis Hamilton is Formula One’s G.O.A.T.

This season watch F1 races on TV to get a glimpse of Hamilton. Better yet, attend in-person. That way you can watch him lap after lap, without the whims of TV directors keeping you from seeing him scorch the field.

A black Briton, Hamilton is an environmental activist and, like Tiger and Serena, has expanded the fan base of his sport. A trailblazer, Hamilton epitomizes global modernism.

Will Simone Biles strike gold in Japan? (Photo credit RespectAbility)

Ms. Dynamo

Look up the word determination and there should be a photo, better yet a video, of Simone Biles negotiating the 4-inch wide balance beam, summersaulting off to a perfect landing. In a sentiment shared by many others, Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton, arguably the most popular American gymnast ever, flatly says Biles is the greatest gymnast ever. Makes sense.

Biles has won five all-around world championships (most ever by a female) and is the world’s third most decorated gymnast ever. The top two are from Belarus and Russia, which means they likely cheated using performance enhancing drugs.

Practically speaking, Biles has won more medals than anyone who played by the rules. Included are 4 Olympic Games gold and a staggering 19 World Championships gold medals.

Set your DVR to women’s gymnastics during the summer Olympic Games, coming to us from Japan in 2020. You’ll want to catch performances by gymnastics’ G.O.A.T., Simone Biles.

Where’s LeBron?

What about LeBron James, you ask? Undoubtedly, LeBron is a great player - statistically a better all-around player than Michael Jordan. But LBJ is not the G.O.A.T. When factoring in intangibles like championships and a ferocious will to win, the G.O.A.T distinction belongs to MJ.

Legendary Coach Morgan Wootten passed away this week at the age of 88. (Photo credit Thunder Mountain Media)

A significant loss

Tuesday, we lost high school basketball’s greatest coach of all-time with the passing of Morgan Wootten. The late John Wooden, the G.O.A.T. of college coaches, once remarked he stood “in awe” of Wootten, who coached at Dematha Catholic High School, near Washington, D.C.

From 1956-2002, Coach Wootten won 1,274 games at Dematha, including five national titles. He coached 13 players who went on to play in the NBA. An innovator as a coach, he was among a handful of people instrumental in guiding the McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Games from fledgling all-star game to its status today, the premier high school sports event in America.

When I worked at McDonald’s corporate headquarters, I had the privilege to serve as director of the McDonald’s All American Games from 2011-2016. My tenure included the honor of working closely with Coach Wootten. He was an extraordinary human being, a graceful man of wisdom and humility.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, Coach Morgan Wootten was a giant, and gentleman, in his sport and in life.