Looking forward to enjoying the weekend. Touched base with Tarver, Anber, Nava, Fujioka and Iole last night at the Turning Stone and will be bringing copies of "Muhammad Ali: By the Numbers" to the grounds. Those who buy will also get autograph and inscription -- but only if they want them. :-)

Great! Happy for him.

Made it to Canastota safe and sound. My first stop was the gift shop, and, of course, me being me, I had to visit the original @CompuBox computer that is located on the apron of the MSG ring. When I sent the photo to Bob, he said "looks better than ever." I think he meant the computer. :-)

I come back to this speech every once in a while: “in the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches … what percentage of points do you think I won in those matches? only 54%.”

So happy for @AnikaNilles. I've seen and heard the clips and she has won over so many and so quickly with her obvious talent, skill and attention to detail. I am very impressed by the clips I've viewed. Rush fans are demanding, engaged, smart and passionate; they not only know the lyrics by heart but they know how each member sang and how they performed every tune. No errors are tolerated because authenticity is so important to them. She knew all of that when she accepted this assignment, and she still chose to go forward. And for her to fill the shoes of Neil Peart....what a high bar he set! By all accounts, she nailed everything and the kudos have been pouring in. Congratulations to her, and best wishes going forward!

I can name him, and I'm happy for him.

Yes, I'm known as a boxing guy but I also became a fan of tennis partly because of @JimmyConnors and Bjorn Borg. The contrast in styles and on-court personalities during that era blended so well and they gifted us with so many compelling matches. Thank you for those memories!

As I write this, I'm preparing for my latest trek to Canastota for the annual Induction weekend, and I'm bringing several copies of "Muhammad Ali: By the Numbers" that combine fight-by-fight narratives, punch counts for 47 of his 61 fights and judges' scorecards for many of his matches. If you see me, I'll likely have a copy or two in my laptop bag, so feel free to say hello and purchase this one-of-a-kind book on "The Greatest"!

We can only guess what thoughts were going through @AlexZverev's mind as he held this trophy. When he woke up this morning, he was considered by many as the best player never to win a Grand Slam. He bore the weight of having lost three previous finals. He bore the pressure of sky-high expectations after Alcaraz (injury) and Sinner (heat) were removed from this tournament's equation. He was the top seed remaining in the field and his opponent on this day was a young Italian who was the number-10 seed and who benefited from not even having to play a semifinal match because his opponent was ill. To many, he, not Zverev, was the sentimental underdog. Although popular with his peers, Zverev wasn't the darling of everyone for various reasons. There were doubts about whether he could handle the physical, mental and emotional weight of a Grand Slam final in general, much less wrestle with those factors as the betting favorite. He won the first set overwhelmingly, but the following four sets were a physical and mental struggle that tested the core of his competitive being. But when it counted -- really counted -- he ultimately came up with the goods. When the final shot of the match landed out, a massive weight was lifted from his shoulders. He finally stood at the pinnacle of his profession. His name was added to the trophy as well as to the wall of champions. His place in history was finally secure. One can only imagine the rush of accomplishment and the unqualified satisfaction that he was feeling at the moment this photo was snapped. Those who saw potential in him were vindicated. Those who loved him from the start were proud of him. The happiness -- and the relief -- must have been off the charts. I, for one, am happy for him. I rooted for him to succeed, and now he has. As he was nearing the end of today's match, I couldn't help but have a flash of memory about the very first time I saw him play. Years ago, I randomly came across a clay court match on @TennisChannel and seeing this tall, skinny teen smashing serves with incredible speed and accuracy. He impressed me so much that I made sure to plant his name in my memory bank. His talent and his potential were obvious, and his success in the following years confirmed that he was no flash in the pan. Now he is a Grand Slam champion, and perhaps this victory will unlock the mental chains that had ensnared him. He may well have to go through Sinner, Alcaraz or both to get his next Grand Slam championship, but thanks to today, I believe he will be even better equipped to tackle that challenge. I congratulate him for today's triumph and wish him the very best going forward.

By the way, the title of the documentary is "Rafa." :-)

I'm not usually one to watch an entire series in one sitting, but when I learned that Netflix had released a four-part series on @RafaelNadal, I simply had to do so because (1) I am a fan of tennis and its history, and (2) I so admire his tenacity and talent. What I learned from this series is that Nadal competed not just against his opponents, but against his own body and his unconquerable will to compete for competition's sake. Against all of these opponents, seen and unseen, he chose to fight until the bitter, bitter end. He said that his will to persist against his adversities earned him an extra 10-12 Grand Slam championships, and those championships vaulted him to the very top rungs of the GOAT conversation. His accolades would have been amazing in and of themselves had he achieved them while completely healthy, but for him to do so while in chronic pain is something that is beyond description. All he wanted to do was to find out what his absolute limit was, and, in the end, he earned the satisfaction of getting that answer. Because of that, he was able to retire with a clear mind and with the peace that comes with ultimate finality. Nadal is an athlete to be admired, and the effects of his legacy will be felt for as long as time exists. I'm glad I spent the last several hours learning more about this great champion, and I recommend that you should do so as well. Enjoy!

Kudos to the person who made this....it's perfect!