Speaking of Tennis, Want a Beer?
PLATO ONCE SAID, "He was a wise man who invented beer," a sentiment apparently shared by Andy Roddick.
• Roddick on facing Justin Gimelstob, who was playing in his final U.S. Open (Aug. 2007): "I want to send him into retirement and then buy him a beer."
• On what he'd be doing were he not a tennis player (Aug. 2007): "I'd probably be in my eighth year of college, trying to qualify for my third Beer Olympiad."
• On coach Jimmy Connors's reaction after Roddick lost in the Australian Open semifinals (Jan. 2007): "He gave me a beer."
• On his first interaction with Connors (Sept. 2006): "We'd practice, he'd come home, kick his feet up on my couch, have a beer. It was pretty surreal."
• On whether he was disappointed that he wouldn't be accompanying Maria Sharapova to the Wimbledon ball (July 2004): "I just want to know how long her skirt's going to be. Is it going to be short? Is it going to be long? Disappointed I won't get to see that. I might just sneak in and crash the party. I'll bring the beer, man. Let's go."
• On whether he intended to share birthday cake with Marat Safin (Jan. 2004): "I'm not going to share a cake with him. I don't know, maybe if he's going out, maybe a beer."
• To the Centre Court crowd after losing to Roger Federer at Wimbledon (July 2005): "I'm more in the mood for a beer right now. This guy is the best for a reason.... Maybe I'll just punch him or something, I don't know."
• On winning a match at the U.S. Open that ended just after midnight on his 21st birthday (Aug. 2003): "I've been 21 for nine minutes now. I think I deserve a beer."
Hitting 300
Indians ace C.C. Sabathia hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last nine starts. But he won just three of those games, a reminder of why—regardless of how well a pitcher pitches—it's so difficult to win 300 games. Was Tom Glavine (left), who joined that club last month, the last of the 300-game winners? Check back around the year 2020, when some of today's young hurlers could be nearing the milestone. A look at the active wins leaders at ages 30 and younger as of July 1 shows that three pitchers, including Sabathia, are ahead of the pace Glavine set.
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RODDICK PHOTO DIGITALLY MANIPULATED BY SI IMAGING
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PAUL ABELL/US PRESSWIRE (CLYDESDALE)
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DAVE G. HOUSER/CORBIS (BEER MAID)
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ALLEN FREDRICKSON/REUTERS (MASCOT)
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LESLIE BILLMAN/WIREMAGE.COM (RODDICK)
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FOX/PHOTOFEST (BARNEY)
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CHUCK SOLOMON (GLAVINE AND OSWALT)
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AL TIELEMANS (BONDERMAN AND SABATHIA)
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SIMON BRUTY (WILLIS)
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ANDY ALTENBURGER/ICON SMI (GARLAND)
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JOHN BIEVER (BUEHRLE)
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KEITH SRAKOCIC/AP (VAZQUEZ)
CHART
