I know I said I would only post once more but two events have transpired that I need to talk about.















First is the sad passing of my favorite animal enthusiast: Steve Irwin. It seems ironic that a sting ray is what killed him after spending his last 20 years tackling fifty foot crocodiles. I have been watching him for almost 10 years now and I never got tired of his willigness to confront animals that I wouldn't touch with a 50 foot pole. In fact I would most likely run from everything he looks for. Apparently he was filming something for his 8 year old daughters new tv show which makes the situation all the more tragic. He will surely be missed...






Second, and not while not nearly as tragic as dying, was still sad nonetheless. Andre Agassi has been a fixture in the tennis world for my entire life since I could remember. Watching his three matches this last week was the most excited I have been about tennis since he and Sampras played in the Open FInals a few years ago. If you ever watched tennis or played tennis then you understand what I am talking about when I say that I cried when he lost. I cannot recall a loss ever being so sad. Last year when the Pistons lost, it hurt but in a different way. That hurt because the Pistons came out with the audacity to believe that the championship was theirs and they didn't have to play, of course when it came time to beat Miami, they didn't show up and didn't put up the heart needed to win another ring. Agassi is a completely different story. Never have I seen someone want it so bad despite so many obstacles. His first two matches could have very easily been losses and somehow, despite being over a decade older and slower than his competitors, he still pulled out a win. Watching him cry after losing to Becker was the saddest thing I have seen on tv period. I can't recall the last time so much was one the line. In teams sports when you know someone on the team will retire after the season, for example Reggie Miller in the playoffs in 2004, there are still 4 other starters that will be there to remind you of him and other players you are familiar with who will replace him in the lineup. When Agassi lost though, that was it. That was the end of his career. There is no one else, he has no contemporaries left. Him losing was almost the end of my childhood and it was extremely sad. He will most definitely be missed...














Anyways thats all for the moment, more to come later today as I'm not sure if I will have time to blog tomorrow (my last day in Mi.)

-M, p & z