HE SHOOTS... he wakes up

I have a reoccurring dream - In it I am the world's greatest sportsman. Whatever sport I try i am the greatest. It usually becomes complicated when my various teams start complaining that I'm not playing enough for them - but when I'm playing hockey for Toronto Maple Leafs at 7pm on a Friday, football for Newcastle United at 3pm on a Saturday, winning the Wimbledon Final on Sunday and back to the states to play Basketball for the Raptors it all starts to weigh on a person. Still its only a dream.

I admire sports people greatly, despite, or maybe because I lack even an ounce of skill or fitness myself. I used to be quite a good goal keeper when I was playing football (aged12) and a brief love of ice hockey rekindled my fortunes between the posts. But I know I will never be the next Jacques Plante.

We live in a special moment of history - not because of politics and wars on terror - we live in a special time because, for a short time, we can watch true sporting greats. Tiger Woods, the greatest ever golfer; Roger Federer, soon to be the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen; Michael Schumacher, a true champion, if a little unloved at times. Yesterday I saw three of them in person, well, on TV (next best thing.) Schumacher was announcing his retirement after storming to victory in yet another Italian Grand Prix; Woods was hugging his wife and cheering on Roger Federer as he won yet another US Open at Flushing Meadows. This is the third time he's won the US open. He's is the only person to have done that along with winning three Wimbledons. He's won a grand total of nine grand slams... and he's only twenty five! It seems a safe assumption that Pete Sampras' record total of 14 grand slams will soon be under threat. Britain's great hope, Andy Murray, must be so glad he's come along at a time when Federer is not only dominant but could continue this dominance for a decade.

Yep, I love that dream, its the one place I can meet Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, George Best, Lance Armstrong... and beat them all. I wonder does Murray have a similar dream.