'Have they lost their minds?'

When I heard the rumor that Andy Roddick was pursuing Jimmy Connors as his coach, my first thought was, "Oh my." And when Roddick confirmed Monday that Connors is his coach, I didn't even know what to think, other than, "Have they both lost their minds??"\nTo me, it seems that Roddick should choose someone calmer and someone who has been around the game more recently than the 53-year-old Connors, who retired back in 1992 and hasn't really done anything professional tennis-related since, aside from playing senior tennis and trying to create an all-star exhibition doubles match in 2004. Still, I guess the key word in the previous sentence is calmer.\nCall me crazy, but I can't picture Connors patiently analyzing Roddick's strengths and weaknesses and intently working with him to hone his streaky backhand and net game. And I certainly can't see Connors helping Roddick work out his mental issues. In fact, Connors was about twice as volatile during his prime as Roddick is now. He was known as the "brash basher of Belleville" because he frequently threw insane temper tantrums on court, yelling at line judges, chair umpires and anyone who would listen. He refused to play for the Association of Tennis Professionals (the men's side of the pro tour) when it was formed and brought lawsuits against the ATP and its president, Arthur Ashe, though he eventually dropped them. He also refused to admit he had been beaten after losses.\nRoddick also throws these tantrums, which often bring him down during matches and usually anger the chair umpire and the crowd. I've always thought that if he could get someone to help him become more mentally stable, he would win more matches, and I don't think Connors is the one to help. If anything, I think he could make Roddick more unstable than he already is. And if that's the case, spectators should look out for a barrage of flying racquets at upcoming tournaments. \nAlso, there's the fact that Jimmy Connors has never actually coached a pro tennis player, so he doesn't have the experience of a seasoned coach like, for example, Andy's former coach, Brad Gilbert. This doesn't bode too well considering Connors has said in a press conference that he wants to help Andy regain his No. 1 ranking, which hasn't looked possible in the past few years regardless of Roddick's coaching staff. More than 2,000 ranking points separate Roger Federer, the current world No. 1, and Rafael Nadal, the current world No. 2, and almost 6,000 points separate Federer and Roddick, currently ranked No. 10 in the world. (In fact, Roddick just re-entered the top 10 after his runner-up finish at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis last week, and he's no longer the top American player -- James Blake took that honor after Wimbledon.) Translation: Unless Roddick wins every tournament for the next few years and Roger Federer either dies or loses in the first few rounds of every tournament he plays, Roddick will never take his place. To me, the odds are stacked against Roddick, no matter who his coach is.\nSure, Connors may be able to teach Roddick a little bit about longevity and love of the game (he played his last tournament at 39 years of age and finished his career with eight Grand Slam singles titles), but I don't think it'll be enough to get Roddick permanently out of his so-called slump. \nWhat Roddick really needs, in my opinion, is someone who's an experienced coach, patient and willing to work. To me, Gilbert was the perfect choice for Andy. Gilbert has coached many young tennis stars, including Andre Agassi, and Roddick hit the height of his career (a U.S. Open title and a No. 1 ranking) during the year-and-a-half he was with Gilbert. So my advice to Roddick is this: Go back to Gilbert before another young Andy (19-year-old Andy Murray, to be exact) snatches him up, or before he continues his bleak broadcasting career as a commentator for ESPN.\nIn fact, Roddick would do us all a favor if he took Gilbert away from ESPN, since he just glances awkwardly at the camera, talking in a foreign language of odd sports metaphors, and probably frustrates the wardrobe people who constantly have to dress him because he doesn't own anything that isn't black. And I bet ESPN could easily hire someone else to take Gilbert's place, someone more exciting and perhaps a bit crazier. Hey, how about Jimmy Connors?