European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 32 the stars and stripes sports thursday. November 17,1994 no the Best there Ever was by Steve Jacobson How often do we get to see an athlete play outa career and say without hesitation this was the Best there Ever was we saw Martina Navratilova an she was the Best there Ever was. She was bold and she was smart and she dared Todo things the others before and since could Only imagine. She won More Tennis matches and More tournaments than any woman. She won More Money. And that was hardly the stuff and substance of the person who played the game before our eyes for 22 .years./. ,.-. It s been a hell of a run she said tuesday Nightie new York and that was no exaggeration. She played her final singles match at Madiso Square Garden and lost to Gabriela Sabatini. Navratilova clapped her hands politely As the red and Gol Banner bearing her name was raised to the rafters of the building in the company of the greats of the new York kicks and new York rangers. When the baby pictures were played on the big overhead screen her Mother and father beamed through the darkness. She went out the Way she always played the game challenging her opponent herself and the court charging the net. She was a step slower and her bests hot was a foot Shorter but she was herself. She was the player who made herself and then the Mold was lost. ,-." she s 37 years old. I will miss this game she said but i m ready for my new life an she wept. As dynamic a player As she was she was always vulnerable always with her emotions near the surface. She lived and played with attitude As the late Ted tinting put it that ranged from arrogance to panic with nothing in Between. / what she did was take the boundaries and limitations of women s Tennis and shove them higher and wider. She discovered she could be More athletic than any women s Tennis player and she discovered she could make herself stronger and better conditioned than anyone before her. There had never been a better athlete or a More aggressive player in women s Tennis. To say she trans formed Tennis is a misstatement. Unlike champions in other sports who pull All the copycats along in their Wake Martina stood virtually alone to the end. It was pointed out that no other woman had been so honoured in Madison Square Garden and the building was filled with the sound of female cheering. The fact that the Banner will come Down at the endow the week to be raised again for Tennis matches is darkly appropriate. Her game is too elusive. Obviously i did t change the game because everybody is staying on the Baseline she reflected recently so what s my legacy commentary Martina Navratilova acknowledges standing ovation Good question. The others Are still out there on the Baseline where it s Safe hitting the Ball Back and Forth and advancing on the failing of the  Lieberman the basketball player pushed and pulled her to a new level. There was Mike Estep the male coach challenging her and a nutritionist and the others of team Navratilova. And together they dominated the game. It s hard to play the kind of game she did. Her legacy is she showed it was possible. What impresses me More than anything is the Way she made herself an american. Athletes come to this country and use it As a tool for their careers. Martin Learned american geography and history and Litera Ture and pop culture. Remember How she stepped Forward at the . Open this wide eyed 18-year-old from Czechoslovakia and said she wanted to  Story at the time was the czechoslovakian sports federation had been tipped by the secret police that she was planning to defect. So they denied permission for her to leave for the . Open. Jan kodes the czech Ace talked the authorities into granting the visa saying she might win and it  Tennis. She was 18 and she recalls she was t planning defection. It would mean she would t see her family again. But when i Learned about the report i knew d better leave for Good if i Ever got the Chance she said. " "., it was t Long after that she appeared Wear ing a to shirt proclaiming and on the eighth Day he created the Dallas  it was the americanization of Martina in leaps and Bounds. She wore a necklace bearing a Check Mark with a cancelling slash through the Tail she was an  she read books in English. She quotes from american politics and Mark Twain and makes comparisons to the nil. Maybe that s her greater legacy. In 1989 the soviet domination of Czechoslovakia was ended. She did t end it but she played her part. While she played ten Nis Czechoslovakia s strained to get a glimpse of her wherever they could they would read Between the lines. Or a a a a Wimbledon is the colossal event All across Europe the czech press would be there and the people would look to see How she did. After a while the newspapers would write about everything but Martina s matches. And when she was winning Wimbledon nine times the papers had to dance around that an the people knew. They would drive to the Corner of the country where they could pick up German television. /.  She didst change the politics but she embarrassed the politicians. The people at Home knew there was something More out there beyond the barriers. Life could never be the same. She had dared. She dared to defect and she dare the game with her style and she dared to live her life her Way. And she paid a Price. Athletes who Domi Nate the game reap fortunes in endorsement  got next to none because first she was widely rumoured to be a lesbian and then she had thyself Confidence to confirm it and became an advocate for Gay rights. She took up other causes. She was an athlete but first she was a person. She was a great Tennis player. Her Long running rivalry and Friendship with Chris Evert was a Joy. Mar Tina s Success on the court was stunning. From 1982 through 1986 she played 441 matches and lost 14. She could hang around and beat almost All of the others but that s not what she wants. She s ready to go. How can we know there will be another like her coming soon Sale starts november 25, 19941 acoustimass-7 Home theater speaker system special $649 save $100.00 acoustimass5speaker system special $499 save $100.00 better sound through research feutamc338c ask for a demonstration today available at participating cafes sound centers quantities Are limited Amy tar fore  1996 olympic tickets go on Sale May 1 Atlanta a tickets for the 1996 Atlanta olympics will go on Salemay 1, officials confirmed monday. Tickets for the opening ceremonies will sell for up to $600. Prices for athletic events will Range from $6 to $250, and every sport will have at least one session with tickets available at $25 or  Date of the Sale will be officially announced during Macy s thanksgiving Day Parade along with details about How to obtain the 48-Page ticket  Date was confirmed Early in part because Billy Payne head of the local organizers let it slip last week at olympic meetings in Nashville  brochures will list prices locations and sessions for the 271 olympic  with a record Supply of More than 11 million tickets More than Tholos Angeles and Barcelona games combined Competition for the Best events will be fierce. As you can imagine there s a goodnews bad news scenario Payne said. There Are tickets for everybody but some of the events we know today will be immediately Over subscribed. There willbe some disappointed