Die Macht » under Mike Whan continues, but he still

LONDON -- If Serena Williams?defeats?Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final (Saturday, 9 a.m. ET on ESPN/WatchESPN), she will equal Steffi Grafs modern-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles.However, the German has stopped that from happening once already, beating the world No. 1 in the Australian Open final in January. Here are five reasons Kerber could stop history from being made again:Melbourne memoriesUsually, its Williams who has the psychological advantage before a Grand Slam final. This time? Not so much. This is one of those rare occasions when a player can take great encouragement from a recent encounter with Williams at a major.Kerbers first Grand Slam triumph came at the Australian Open, when she defeated Williams in three sets. That was on a hard court, and Wimbledons 4-seed experienced a first-round clay-court blip at Roland Garros, but she ought to be feeling assured of her game.Williams woeSerena hasnt won a Grand Slam for a year, and twice already this season she has faltered in a major final when strongly favoured to win.Achieving a tally of 21 titles is special, but Williams seems stuck there. After that disappointment against Kerber in Melbourne, she lost to Spains Garbine Muguruza at Roland Garros last month.Add those two most recent Grand Slam defeats to the almighty shock in New York last season -- when she lost to Italys Roberta Vinci in the semifinals at the US Open -- and you can see a pattern emerging.One of Williams great strengths is her mental fortitude -- her will to win has won her countless matches and titles -- but she can also be prone to self-doubt and nerves.If Williams goes down a set, and Kerber is playing well, how will the American respond?Misleading matchupWilliams lopsided semifinal victory against Elena Vesnina is no guarantee of success in the final, even though she needed just 48 minutes to defeat the unseeded Russian 6-2, 6-0 in the fastest-ever Wimbledon semifinal.Recall what happened in Melbourne, where Williams was in command of her semifinal, beating Polands Agnieszka Radwanska for the loss of just four games, including one bagel set, only to then lose in the final to Kerber.There is a huge jump in class between Vesnina, the worlds No. 50, and Kerber, ranked No. 4 and a Grand Slam champion.Left-field dangerA good southpaw serve is always awkward for opponents, but never more so than on grass, where the ball skids away from the receiver.Kerbers view is that her left-handed delivery could be more of a weapon on the grass of Centre Court than it was on the hard of Melbournes Rod Laver Arena. I can serve a little better, and that makes me much more dangerous than on hard, she said.Williams has faced only right-handed opponents this fortnight, so she hasnt had any recent match practice against a lefty serve.Steffi sparkIts not just Williams who could take inspiration from modern-era Grand Slam record holder Steffi Graf on Saturday. On both sides of the net, the finalists will be thinking about Fraulein Forehand.The German has long been an important and influential figure in Kerbers tennis life. For years, she idolised Graf and watched her whenever she could. She has also studied some of the 47-year-olds highlights on YouTube.The connection between them was only strengthened by victory at the Australian Open, which made Kerber the first German woman to score a Slam since her idol won at Roland Garros in 1999.Kerber savours her opportunities to spend time with Graf. Now she will want to emulate Graf by becoming her countrys first female champion here in 20 years.Ryquell Armstead Jersey . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Josh Oliver Youth Jersey . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Ryquell-Armstead-Elite-Jersey/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Jawaan Taylor Jaguars Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Nick Foles Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.As 2016 rapidly comes to a close, lets take a look at a few highlights (and lowlights) of the year and then a peek at what the new year might have in store.1. Remembering The King. No look at 2016 should start without thanking Arnold Palmer for what he did, not only for the game of golf, but for putting golf on the map of sports business. Being in the ESPN studios on Sept. 26, the morning after Arnold passed, was one of the hardest, but also happiest times Ive had in TV.It was a morning of remembering the easy laughter of a friend while at the same time knowing golf would never be the same without that easy laughter. Arnie simply loved golf and loved people, and they loved him right back.2. The United States won the Ryder Cup against Europe, 17-11, for the first time since 2008. The Americans were buoyed by victories in seven of 12 Sunday singles matches. The win re-energized an event that was beginning to lose a bit of its luster due to the recent European domination.3. Four different major winners in mens golf. The year was highlighted by the battle between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at The Open, one that Jack Nicklaus deemed to be even better than the Duel in the Sun between him and Tom Watson at Turnberry in 77.The lowlight came with the controversial ruling involving Dustin Johnson, the eventual champion, during the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Thankfully, due to a local rule change issued earlier this month by the USGA and R&A, such accidental movement of a golf ball will no longer result in a penalty. It was a long overdue dose of common sense, especially when green speeds are crazy fast.4. Time to show some love for Bernhard Langer. The 59-year-old German is simply a golfing machine. For the third time in six years, he won the year-end race for the Charles Schwab Cup and also earned nearly twice as much money (more than $3 million) than his closest pursuer, Colin Montgomerie.5. Lets show some love for Thailands?Ariya Jutanugarn, too. A year ago she missed 10 straight cuts on the LPGA Tour and now is a five-time winner, including a major championship and is player of the year. Amazing what playing with joy instead of fear can do.6. Lydia Kos housecleaning. Caddie Jason Hamilton was the first to get a pink slip, but then about a month later, David Leadbetter and Sean Hogan were also dismissed. Im not going to judge the personalities involved, but I will always be critical of over-involved parents/spouses as well as students and teachers who dont arrive at tournaments with their preparation complete.Tournament time is when you put your work on auto pilot and play golf, not try to reinvent the wheel with a teacher stuck to you like cellophane. Leadbetter (and hes not alone in this) constantly shows up at the biggest events and is over-involved with the student, not just applying a bit of polish and a pop of confidence. I also found this particular case fascinating because Hogan was Lydias day-to-day coach, not Leadbetter. But when the biggest events rolled around, Leadbetter was the one present.Advice to Lyddia: Take ownership of everything in your life and do your preparation in the quiet of your home, not in the public eye.ddddddddddddAs we are just under three weeks until the PGA Tour season resumes in Hawaii, lets look ahead to the New Year.1. Tiger returns. Although his first event back in more than a year wasnt exactly a home run, it did have many positives. Woods played four rounds without any apparent physical setbacks, got the competitive juices flowing again and into the routine of tournament golf, plus made 24 birdies, best in the field.On the flip side, he continued to show signs of the chipping/pitching yips that surfaced in 2015 and the two-way miss was still problematic. It was also an extremely limited field. Well see how that plays out when he is in full-field events, perhaps as soon as Torrey Pines in late January, where he has won eight times. He has committed to playing in February at Riviera in Los Angeles, where he made his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old, an event now benefiting his foundation.2. Jay Monahan takes over as PGA Tour commissioner. Tim Finchem did an incredible job in more than two decades as commissioner, but Im excited to see the influence and direction under Monahan. New ideas already seem to be flowing and coming to fruition with a big change at the New Orleans PGA Tour stop (a team format), talk of schedule changes that would see the season end closer to Labor Day and before football really gets cranking, as well as rumblings of a possible LPGA/PGA Tour mixed event.3. LPGA changes. Speaking of the LPGA, big things are happening in 2017, including Lorena Ochoas event moving earlier in the year with a match-play format and expanded field, this weeks announcement of the Senior LPGA Championship (81 players, no cut, Monday-Wednesday televised event) and the Solheim Cup in August in Des Moines, Iowa.The positive growth of the tour under Mike Whan continues, but he still needs a boost from Americans winning to grow the tour even more. Only two American victories in 2016 are not going to get it done.4. The return of injured players. That includes world No. 1 Jason Day, No. 15 Justin Rose and Masters champion Danny Willett. While Rose withdrew after one round of the Hero World Challenge, both he and Willett posted 72 hole scores last week in Hong Kong on the European Tour, with Willett finishing in the top 10. Good signs for sure.5. Equipment changes. Rumors are that the USGA will begin limiting the length of drivers, rolling back the maximum from 48 inches to 46.5 inches. Wouldnt it be easier to just admit the golf ball that has rendered so many classic courses around the world irrelevant is the biggest issue and roll that back instead of the length of the driver? There goes that uncommon common sense again.Thanks to all of you for spending your time with us on the golf page at ESPN.com again this year and best wishes for a happy, healthy and blessed holiday season. ' ' '