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Andre Agassi learned an interesting lesson some time ago on Parents Day at his childrens school. After describing his tennis career, he realized neither the parents nor the kids in the audience were very interested in hearing the way he was able to return the rumbling power of Pete Sampras serve or how he completed a career Grand Slam.They were more mesmerized by the gold medal than anything else, Agassi told ESPN.com on the 20th anniversary of his 1996 Summer Olympic Games triumph in Atlanta. It has this power. Thats why some athletes who have one carry it around with them. Because so many people just want to see it. Some display it. Others hide it or put it in a safety deposit box so it cant get lost or stolen.An Olympic gold medal is the ultimate athletic talisman. It is the unqualified symbol of a competitors victory at a moment that will forever be protected. Theres nothing beyond it.Gold is among the heavier elements, but Agassi still reaches for his medal as if it were a buoyant lifesaver as his darkest days approached. For that reason, his win in Atlanta is as important to him as any of his eight major titles.Early in 1995, Agassi had beaten Sampras in the Australian Open final, and in doing so, he snared the No. 1 ranking for the first time. Agassi flew wild and high that summer, amassing a 26-match winning streak at one point.He finished the year with a sterling 73-9 record and bagged seven titles, but it was one loss in late September that gutted him for years to come. Agassi had navigated his way to the US Open final, but the fearsome ball striker fell to rival Sampras in four sets. A summer of celebration had turned into anguish. Agassi crashed. He had nothing left.By the end of 1995, Agassis life was unraveling like gut strings in a racket that had been played for too long. Demons that lay dormant were coming awake and closing in as the next season began.The bottom was starting to come up at me and my [first] wife [Brooke Shields] in 1996, Agassi said. I took the loss to Pete at the Open hard. My achievements didnt cure the disconnect I felt from the game. I was struggling with meaning and purpose.Agassis youth was a handsomely illustrated catalog of conflicts and poor decisions. But even as a rebel and wild child, he had the patriot gene, as his Davis Cup exploits attest. He always held the Olympic Games in like regard. So while his resentment of tennis by mid-1996 was at a fever pitch, he clung to his Olympic ambitions. He found the will to train for the intense heat of Atlanta with laser-like focus.I was really clear, Agassi said. Difficulty is guaranteed, but clarity is gold. It was the first time I felt passion and focus after my struggles started in 95.Still, various burdens coursed through Agassis nervous system like strains of virus as the Games began. Agassi did not always handle pressure well, at least not in his early years. He was a vulnerable top seed in Atlanta.Olympics is in its own category, Agassi said, noting that its the only time a tennis player truly is competing on behalf of his country as an individual.Agassi and Croatian?Goran Ivanisevic were seeded Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in Atlanta. The treacherous nature of Olympic tennis kicked in immediately as Ivanisevic was eliminated easily in the first round.Agassi foundered, barely getting by Jonas Bjorkman, always a tough out on hard courts, in two close tiebreakers. In the third round, Agassi was down a set and a break before he recovered to beat Italian Andrea Gaudenzi. Wayne Ferreira of South Africa served for the match in the quarterfinals, but Agassi came up clutch. In the best-of-five final, Agassi ran Sergi Bruguera to the ground in signature fashion, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.Some critics will note Sampras, Boris Becker and a host of other Grand Slam contenders did not play Atlanta for various reasons. Most of them never won Olympic gold, either -- even when they chose to compete. Bear in mind, Nicolas Massu has a singles gold, and so does a Swiss player not named Roger Federer. Marc Rosset won the singles competition at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Thats Olympic tennis.I never needed an opponent to lose, Agassi said. But there were also times that it didnt matter who I played. I was going to win. My pride in getting over the line in Atlanta isnt affected by any considerations.Agassis gold medal sits at the very center of the display of his Grand Slam trophies, in the gym he built in Las Vegas some decades ago with great friend and long-time trainer Gil Reyes. Invariably, aspiring athletes visiting the facility wonder where the medal fits into the greater scheme of things.How somebody perceives the challenge or importance of the Olympics is kind of their business, Agassi said. I just look at that medal and say, I wish every person in the history of our game who was great at what he did had one. Phil Rizzuto Jersey . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Custom Paul ONeill Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/custom-adam-ottavino-jersey-large-1624i.html . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Custom Bernie Williams Jersey . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Babe Ruth Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Seattle MarinersOverall: 78 Title track: 115 Ownership: 85 Coaching: 88 Players: 95 Fan relations: 73 Affordability: 86 Stadium experience: 14 Bang for the buck: 65 Change from last year: +26Another year, another October without a postseason for Mariners fans. But at least 2016, under new general manager Jerry Dipoto and new manager Scott Servais, provided a winning season with real playoff possibility into the final weekend. Of course, it looks like the fans who bumped the Mariners up 26 spots in the standings this year have short memories: The past three times Seattle just missed the postseason, it completely collapsed the next year.Whats goodSafeco Field is still one of the best parks in the game (14th in stadium experience), with Lookout Landing in particular providing some of the most picturesque views in the game. While Seattles promotional schedule is great -- this year included a beard hat, BBQ tongs and a moose bank -- the best souvenirs at Safeco come from the likes of Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano (the roster combined for 223 home runs this season, third in MLB). This year, hitting coach and beloved former Mariner Edgar Martinez provided a boost to the offense and helped the Mariners go from an average of fewer than 3.4 runs per game when he took over midway through 2015 to nearly five runs per game this year.Whats badThe Mariners have the dubious honor of holding MLBs longest active postseason drought, currently at 15 seeasons (which explains that title track ranking of 115th, second-worst in MLB).dddddddddddd Although they came close to ending that frustrating streak this year, the challenge might not get any easier as their best players age. Cano and Cruz had great seasons in 2016, but they turn 34 and 36 years old, respectively, next season. Ace Felix Hernandez will be (relatively) younger, at 31, but his pitching has been in decline. Hernandez is still one of the best in the game, but having spent his entire career in Seattle, he has never been to the postseason. To end that drought -- and help improve a 95th-place ranking for the roster -- the King and his Court need to be in top form in 2017.Whats newA 20-point jump in ownership might seem odd since Nintendo, which bought the Mariners in 1992 and likely saved them from leaving the city, actually sold its majority ownership this summer. The buyers? Seventeen local owners, making them the first ownership group since 1981 that actually lives in Seattle. Thats important. While Nintendo did good things for the Mariners (such as signing team legend Ichiro Suzuki), the new local owners will care much more about winning -- because they will want to avoid taking considerable heat for losing. New CEO John Stanton, who recalls crying when the Seattle Pilots left in 1970, will be far superior to former CEO Howard Lincoln.Next: Cincinnati Reds?| Full rankings ' ' '