From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

Anybody read Jason Whitlock's latest column? He suggested that if Serena Williams would lose some weight and take her game seriously, she could be the greatest female tennis player ever. . . . Excuse me? That's a little harsh coming from a blimp like Whitlock, especially when you consider that Williams already has won 11 Grand Slam events.

From: Jensen, Mike
To: Fitzpatrick, Frank
Cc: McKee, Don
Subject: RE: ... yo ...

If Serena had devoted more of herself to the game, she would have won more tournaments, but not necessarily more Grand Slams. I think the approach the Williams sisters have taken to the game has probably extended their careers and maybe resulted in more Grand Slam titles. They blow off most of the season, trying to have some semblance of a real life, then get geared up for the Slams. Sounds remarkably like what Tiger Woods does and Jack Nicklaus always did. If you don't play it that way, the worldwide travel will wear you down and shorten your career.

From: McKee, Don
To: Fitzpatrick, Frank
Cc: Jensen, Mike
Subject: RE: ... yo ...

I think the second part is true, although if she devoted herself to tennis the way, say, Roger Federer does, she'd win 11 more in the next three years. . . . As far as her weight goes, it's not politically correct to mention a female athlete's anatomy, but if it was, say, CC Sabathia, he'd be fair game.

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank
To: Jensen, Mike
Cc: McKee, Don
Subject: ... yo ...

Since when has Talkin' ever been politically correct? Or, for that matter, just plain correct? Now that Ashley is on leave, female tennis players are fair game. So let's switch our focus to Anna Kournikova.

From: McKee, Don
To: Fitzpatrick, Frank
Cc: Jensen, Mike
Subject: RE: ... yo ...

Actually, Kournikova was nothing more than a novelty who hit the world scene at Wimbledon when she was 15.  Nobody knew then that that was her career peak. She never again got to the semis of a Grand Slam. But she was purely a media creation. She wasn't even that good-looking.

From: Jensen, Mike
To: Fitzpatrick, Frank; McKee, Don
Subject: RE: ... yo ...

While trying to ignore everything that Don just typed, I will say that I'm shocked that World Team Tennis arranged for a photo-op with Anna even though she wasn't playing here this week, and shocked that our paper went out and took her photo instead of photographing the actual match.