Did We Witness History and other Philosophical Thoughts

I feel like there's not much to report today. No big deal for Ryan Miller yet, no signing of Danny Paille, and Teppo Numminen is still unsigned (are you listening, Darcy?).

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. I went to the driving range for the first time, and I discovered that there may be a sport that I'm not totally inept at after all. Also, I took my sister to the movies, and we saw Pixar's Wall-E. I'm not going to say run out and see it now, but...run out and see it now. It was funny, intelligent, and beautiful.

He's almost cuter than Jason Pominville...haha

Now, onto the title of this post. In a time when we long for great rivalries in sports, so many of which seem concocted by the media, I feel like there is now a genuine combination of two men who have the potential to produce drama and athleticism of its finest every time they meet in competition. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two athletes at the top of their games, and they proceeded to give fans of tennis and casual viewers alike a match for the ages - and then some.

I'm a pretty big tennis fan myself. It all started with a high school crush on Andy Roddick, but it developed into a huge appreciation for the power and grace of the game and those who play it. I've seen some pretty impressive matches in my short few years following the sport, but I feel as if the 2008 Wimbledon Men's Final on Sunday was something more than impressive.

It was historic.

It was two champions giving literally everything they had to defeat the other. It was a marathon of endurance, the longest Wimbledon final ever. It was the coronation of a new king of tennis, but it left the feeling that the former king will be back stronger than ever. It proved the strength and poise of Nadal, fighting to keep Federer from gaining momentum. On the other side, it also proved the resiliency and heart of Federer, who could have bowed out in the third set, but battled through tiebreak after tiebreak, to five sets, to show what a true champion he is.

My father told me that someday I'll be 50, sitting on the couch with my kids, and I'll tell them that I saw that match happen. "People will remember this for years," he said.

I know what I'll remember. I'll remember the appreciation for the game's history in little things like Federer's embroidered sweater. I'll remember the look on the faces of Nadal's family as the years of sacrifice paid off, and their son proved he could win on grass.
If I forget everything else, though, I'll remember the class shown by both the winner and the runner-up. Roger Federer was as graceful in defeat as he is exuberant in victory. Rafael Nadal was so humbled by the fact that he beat the man he considers the greatest ever that you couldn't help but feel proud of him. I'll remember that, in an age of egos, this event put on display two men who made me proud to say that I watch sports.

I'll remember last Sunday's match for a long time. Does anyone else agree?