You're either very bad or I am underestimating your ability...

So said the greatest whiner in sports this week, Andy Roddick.

While in Rome to play the Italian Open, a fire broke out in the hotel he was staying, and whether it was out of really good intentions or to cash in on the free publicity (and for the sake of giving him the benefit of doubt, I will accept good intentions) he helped rescue people, at the expense of his progressing beyond the first round at the tournament. And we all read about his exploits in the media, and I for one, appreciated his being a good human being.

And now it has come to this...in a second round match against a random 18-year old kid (I think Rafael Nadal it was), the chair umpire called a let when he saw a ball had slipped out of the pockets of Roddick. Yes, the umpire noticed it after about a shot or two were played. Yes, the umpire could have let it slide. Yet, he called a let...and that was enough to start Roddick going off on the umpire in the most unsportsmanlike conduct I have seen at the US Open 2004 so far.

If you are still miffed at Justine Henin-Hardenne for her controversial point against Serena Williams in the French Open 2003 semi-finals, consider this...Roddick started to whine and berate against the umpire in a match that he was "leading" and was well on his way to winning as well. I mean come on, it was not like he was freakin losing...he was manhandling that kid, serving up 152 mph bombs that sometimes smacked the kid in the face or had that kid dancing away just to dodge getting hit by those serves. And yet, Roddick chose to whine.

Thank goodness he did because his power game never appealed to me, and now he has given me a legitimate reason to root against him.

What is so painful is that he is a successor to the great tennis lineage of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Well, good for us...we will never have to confuse abilities with being great human beings. The Roman helpfulness that he displayed notwithstanding, Roddick has proven once and for all to me that he is not worth my support.

Thank you Roddick for saving me my precious time..and have a happy career whining away at chair umpires while serving for the match at 6-1, 6-2, 5-3 40-0.

Good luck!