An event took place last night at Madison Square Garden that has not received as much media attention, whether it be local or national, as it should have, and no, it wasn't a Knicks game. Instead it was an exhibition tennis match between arguably the two greatest players of all time, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. 19,690 people made their way to the Garden, including many stars like Tiger Woods and Donald Trump, and according to people who work at MSG, there were more ticket requests for this event than any in recent memory.

So often with events like these, they fail to live up to expectations. Yet last night, it did so and more. I have to admit that I did not watch the match live, rather I DVR'd it, and began watching it at 12:30am. So I thought to myself, "OK, I'll watch the beginning and then watch the rest tomorrow." Well, I found myself so entertained and interested that I stayed up until 2:30am to finish watching the match and the postgame interviews.

What I saw were two guys, one active and one retired, who did a great thing for the sport they love. Sure, Federer pocketed one million dollars for the event, but that's not the reason he played, after all, I'm pretty sure he's OK financially. He played because he saw this as an opportunity to not only play against his boyhood idol at MSG, but more importantly as a chance to help grow the sport and get it back on the public's radar. While it hasn't gotten the attention from the media I think Federer and Sampras would have hoped for, I do believe it was a step in the right direction for tennis.

Some quick thoughts on the match:

• Both guys are classy individuals. At one point in the match, Federer hit a ball that was clearly out but the line judge ruled in. Sampras argued playfully but to no avail. Federer, knowing the ball was out, said give him the point. Later in the match, the roles were reversed and Sampras returned the favor.

• Knowing this was an exhibition and that people paid a LOT of money to watch them, both guys, at different points, tried to entertain the crowd. Federer hit balls to a bunch of kids prior to serving, and Sampras had some fun with Tiger Woods. Following a point, Sampras went over to Woods (who's a very good friend of Federer's), gave him his racket and gestured for him to come out and play the point. Woods obviously refused, but when Sampras won the next point, he gave the ol' Tiger fist-pump and directed it right at Woods. Needless to say, everyone had a good laugh.

• It's pretty amazing how sports brainwash us. Pete Sampras is 36 years old, yet when we think of him, we think he's ancient. He's 36, not 76! He hasn't even reached middle age yet.

• Staying with Sampras...one thing I loved seeing was how he still has those competitive juices. There were times when you could see the frustration on his face after missing a shot he knew he should have made. It just goes to show you that once you're an athlete, you're always an athlete, especially when you're as good and accomplished as someone like Sampras. Awesome.