Beanie Books

The intention of this is to look at the top men's tennis players of all-time. One can make a great case for more than one player as the greatest of all-time. The oldest player here is Jimmy Connors. It’s awfully hard to compare tennis players going back to the time of Laver and Emerson and Budge and all those guys. Grand Slams are important. However, back in the 70s and 80s, the French and Australian Opens were not as important as Wimbledon and the US Open. Winning is very important but there is a lot to be said for coming in second, too. ------ Rafael Nadal Points for: -Has six grand slam titles and two runner-ups -Nadal is one of only two male tennis players to own three grand slam titles on three different surfaces at the same time Points against: -His resume needs work as he only has the six titles -Has yet to win a reach the finals at the US Open -Nadal has injury struggles that may prevent him from more wins ------ Boris Becker Points for: -Becker has six Grand Slam titles an

Point: Yes, their music does not stand the test of time nearly as well as most people think. Counterpoint: Are you crazy? Their music holds up quite well. P: Most opinions are influenced by the mythology that surrounds the Beatles. We have been conditioned to like them. CP: It could be that. On the other hand, they have that tremendous collection of great songs, too. P: The Beatles are a band that created some catchy tunes. Those tunes were played over and over to everyone. CP: Isn't that a sign of greatness? P: Familiarity does not equal greatness. CP: So, if they had played Jonas Brothers songs over and over, we would be having the same discussion about them? P: That is a little extreme but people have been trained to love The Beatles. CP: Most successful bands made a name for themselves with heavy radio rotation. All bands that fit that description are not highly regarded like the Beatles. P: True but I find that The Beatles songs are predictable and quite basic. CP: Simplicity