Now that Danika Patrick has won an open wheels event ESPN has another excuse to plaster images of Anna Kournikova all over your t.v. screen.  As in Danika - yes she's pretty, and she actually won, unlike Anna who never did.  And now let's see some footage:  of Anna in a tight skirt, of Anna in an extremely tight skirt made of spandex, of Anna in an extremely tight skirt made of spandex straining, straining, straining oh so deliciously.  And then there will be the mandatory comments about how she is famous only for being pretty.  Have I said anything yet about the hypocrisy over at ESPN?

And anyway, Anna did win.  She won 16 doubles titles, including 2 grand slams and she was ranked as high as 8th in the world in singles.  Have you ever been ranked 8th in the world?  At anything?  8th best sports blogger?  8th best administrative assistant (your day is coming)? 8th best house painter?  To be 8th best requires effort and dedication and inherrent skill and a desire to improve.  The 8th best painter, for instance, knows the difference between louisberg green and sherwood green and can offer cogent advice on which works best with that creamy trim you're considering.  And if the weather happens to be good on sunday the 8th best painter works.  Just like the 8th best tennis player.  When Anna was competing she worked every day; it was more than a full time job.

So when you see the upcoming and inevitable footage of Anna straining and then hear the lamentations about how she never won and never tried and never met her potential (an ugly word) and was ultimately a failure, don't you believe it.  Because to think of her as just a pretty face is - well, pretty tragic.