Advertisement

3 Stories: SF Giants, Bartolo Colon, Another 'Battle Of The Sexes'

08:30
Download Audio
Resume
John McEnroe (right) recently said Serena Williams is the best female player of all time -- but that she'd be ranked 700th on the men's circuit. (Rob Tringali/Getty Images for DirecTV)
John McEnroe (right) recently said Serena Williams is the best female player of all time -- but that she'd be ranked 700th on the men's circuit. (Rob Tringali/Getty Images for DirecTV)

John McEnroe has reopened the debate on how the best female athletes in the world would fare against the best male athletes.

In an interview with NPR, McEnroe said Serena Williams is the best female tennis player ever, but he ranked her just 700th in the world on the men's circuit.

That story and more, on this week's edition of "3 Stories You Should Know."

The Ringer's Claire McNear and NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra joined Bill Littlefield.

1. What's Gone Wrong For The San Francisco Giants?

From three World Series wins in five years to the second-worst record in baseball, it's all gone horribly wrong for the San Francisco Giants. Claire McNear is looking for answers.

How does a team get so bad so fast? And if you're the Giants, what do you do to turn things around? How can you be the best team in baseball a year ago, and then be this, just, garbage fire? Nobody should feel too bad for the Giants — they've had more than their fair share of success recently. But I think it's, sort of, a cautionary tale for championship teams, maybe.

2. Colon's Career Coming To An End?

Veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon has been designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves, leaving some wondering if this is the last year in MLB for the 44-year-old fan favorite. Craig Calcaterra is feeling his age as the fate of Colon's career hangs in the balance.

You watch the guys who are your age leave the game — Nomar Garciaparra, Todd Helton, all these guys now younger than me, or my age, leaving baseball. Every one of us is gonna have somebody — some of us might already have had lots of somebodys — that are younger than us retire. But it definitely tells you about how the game doesn't stop for anybody —  and Father Time is undefeated.

3. John McEnroe And Serena Williams

John McEnroe has refused to apologize for his comments about Serena Williams, reigniting the age-old debate of how women would fare if they played against men in tennis. Bill Littlefield asks us to look past this debate, and jokingly suggests an alternative.

I remembered this event that I covered out in Chicago years ago. It had to do with teams of athletes. And they had to climb tall buildings and ride bicycles and find their way through the woods and do all sorts of other things in and around Chicago. And the teams that were made up of  women and men together did much better than the all-male teams. And they also did much better than the all-female teams. And so, recognizing that tennis would become exclusively a doubles sport, I present a model for the future.

More Stories You Should Know

This segment aired on July 1, 2017.

Advertisement

More from Only A Game

Listen Live
Close