Recently, there's been a raging debate on a website I frequent as to what condition the UT is in and whether he is better or worse now than he used to be.  Its been quite an incendiary topic, but that's because its one of those questions that has either no answer or both answers and either way you answer leaves the question unanswered .

Of course it is obvious that Taker's age and injuries have made a difference in the way he performs now compared to when he started.  That's a given with any athlete.  Any long-term performer necessarily makes changes to preserve their advantage. But herein lies the debate: who is the better performer - the guy who has the athleticism or the guy who has the wisdom? Of course, there's another variable: the guy who has both.  But for most athletes, that happens for only a short part of their career and only if they're lucky and hard-working. And you almost always gain more wisdom after you're out of power, at least if you want to stay competitive.  For the time being, let's leave that possibility out of our debate.  So who is the better pitcher: Bret Saberhagen or Joba Chamberlain? Joba has the power.  Saberhagen, at the end of his career, wasn't gonna blow anyone away.  Joba can.  But Joba still has issues locating his fast ball.  And guys can figure out his timing.  When they do, they can beat him.  Saberhagen could still beat you without power, because he knew how to mix his pitches and keep hitters off-balance.  Who is the better rider: the talented green kid who can sit on a raging buck? Or the Old Master, who sits on much less of a buck because he foresaw it and made adjustments to minimize it?

There are only two answers: a) you can't compare because they are apples and oranges or b) they are both good, but in different ways.  Neither response really resolves the question.  But I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl and I was taught to think "both/and" not "either/or".  So my answer is both.  The UT we watch today may not quite compare in height of moves, in extension, in hyperbolic execution to the UT we've seen before. But he is smarter, savvier, better at psychology and infinitely superior at using those strengths to his advantage.  Is he equally enjoyable to watch? That one has a definitive answer: hell freakin' yeah.

(c) BE 2008