Pete Sampras and the family tennis dynasty

He was the most overpowering tennis player of his generation and perhaps of all time.

Unlike his fiery predecessors, such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, he worked with the quiet efficiency that made his wins seem inevitable and almost “boring.”

“Sampras is boring—and a menace to the game with his domination,” says Pete Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slam single titles and had seven Wimbledon and five U.S. open wins in a storied 15-year career. “I stood accused of playing brilliant tennis that won minds, but not hearts. After one of my matches a tabloid ran the simple headline SAMPRAZZZZZZZ.”
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Ecumenical Patriarch visits Ukraine - The aftermath

In May 1994, I met Archbishop Michael (Mudyugin), a prominent Russian Theology professor at The St. Petersburg Theological Academy. During an interview he said that "talking about Orthodoxy, one can say that it finds itself in a state of illness. And this is not only my opinion. As early as 1960, while I was in Geneva, I heard these words from one figure from the Church of Constantinople who was in those days representing the Patriarchate of Constantinople at the World Council of Churches. This bishop told me: ‘Orthodoxy is sick!’ And even then, I agreed with him. Nowadays - all the more!"

His Eminence, Archbishop Michael, was an open-minded and far-sighted Christian. Recent events in Moscow, during the Bishops’ Convention last June, and in Ukraine in late July, confirmed his observation. (view entire article)