I’m not usually a fan of three-set matches – I’d prefer some drama and some intrigue in my Grand Slam tennis.

But I was more than happy to see Rafael Nadal dispose of Robin Soderling in three sets, regaining the French Open championship and the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Rafa struggled badly last year – with injury and personal issues. There was so much talk that he might be done – that he couldn’t possibly sustain a long career with the way he plays. It was suggested that one of the great rivalries of our time – Federer vs. Nadal – was over.

Not so fast. Rafa looked fantastic at Roland Garros. He seems hungry, refreshed and on Sunday was purely delighted to be back on top.

Soderling is a good-verging-on-great player, knocking off  Nadal last year and Federer this year. He seems to have grown up in recent years, but his introduction to many tennis fans, at Wimbledon in 2007, was unfortunate. He came off as a bad sport and mocked Nadal in a long, dragged out, rain-delayed match.

On Sunday, Soderling was gracious. As was Nadal. He praised Soderling in English, thanked the crowd in French then reverted to his native Spanish. For a kid who was uncomfortable a few years ago speaking publicly, he’s grown into a self-assured champion. He told John McEnroe (in English) how thrilled he was and was honest about the problems he faced last year.

Everything is right in the men’s tennis world. Nadal is back on his game. Federer – despite losing to Soderling – regained his form last year. Here’s to many more years of the best, classiest, rivalry we have going in sports.

D-day for the 49ers is Tuesday. By all indications, Measure J will pass. As I wrote in my SI.com column this week, I don’t really think the vote will decide anything concrete: a yes vote could force an investment by the Yorks that they’re not really prepared to make. Don’t expects shovels in the ground anytime soon.

But, that being said, I still find it troubling that such a small group of voters are being asked decide the direction of such a historic franchise.  Projections are for a very light turnout: Santa Clara is a Democratic town and this primary isn’t a big draw for Democrats.  So maybe 20,000 people will turn out.  The 49ers have spent an enormous amount  ($3-4 million) on convincing those 20K people – one insider called it “carpet bombing the community.”

Twenty thousand Santa Clarans and a team front office/management structure that is – for the most part – removed and clueless about the 49ers hisotry get to decide the future of a team that most of the people I grew up with consider their own?

I know there’s no room for sentimentality in the big business of sports. But the whole thing just seems wrong.

Yesterday, after the Tour of California Time Trial was finished, I left the TV on. And soon found myself watching Lance Armstrong power up L’alpe d’Huez in 2001, giving Jan Ulrich the look back. And then another stage from 2002. And Versus may have aired more past stages late into the night, though I finally switched the channel.

It’s as though Versus was trying to prove the point I made in my SI.com column last week: that without Lance there would be no Versus (which was OLN back when Armstrong was giving Jan the look).  When in doubt trot out the Tour de France reruns. I can’t say that I mind – those of us who are huge TdF fans never get tired of watching (awesome French countryside, cool competition, what’s not to like?).

But it also seemed that Versus was choosing its programming based on the context of the last week: Hey, Floyd Landis said he and Lance were transfusion buddies back in the early 2000s. So let’s take a look at Armstrong then.

From that perspective, the reruns were even more interesting.

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Floyd Landis, borrowed a page from Mark McGwire and Marion Jones, but took it to a Jose Canseco-type of level. He felt the need to ease his guilty conscience, just like the other lying drug cheats McGwire and Jones. But he decided to strafe his entire sport in the process, like Canseco.

Landis is quickly becoming the creepiest drug cheat in history.  First he came up with the lamest excuse ever after he tested positive at the 2006 Tour de France (shots of Jack Daniels? puh-leeze).

Then he took money (up to a million by some reports) from sympathetic cycling fans for his own legal defense – playing up his nice guy Mennonite background in the process. Way to trample on your family history, Floyd.

Next, in his USADA hearing, it was revealed that his manager tried to blackmail former champion Greg LeMond by threatening to reveal that LeMond was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

And now, Landis has opened fire on his own sport and every big-name American cyclist in the middle of cycling’s biggest American moment.

Nice timing.

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