That?s it. We?ve had it.

We, the proud members of the “X” Generation, have had it. We are tired of hearing from the “older” critics that athletes these days aren?t as good as those of yesteryear. Athletes today are lazy with no work ethic; they just talk trash and show off and show no respect for the game.

You?ve heard it, and I?m not just talking about how, back in my day, I had to walk to school uphill in the snow both ways. I?m talking about coaches and fans complaining about how bad college sports are today and how parity has ruined the pro leagues.

If athletes today are not fundamentally sound, isn?t that the coaches? fault? Aren?t they responsible for teaching? Sure, we grew up in an instantaneous world dominated by Nintendo and MTV, but we still can play. And play better than any generation before us.

Never has there been an era of athletic ability as the era we are enjoying now. Baseball players are hitting homeruns at a Nintendo-like pace and hitting for average as well. Look at the crop of young all-stars led by the Texas Ranger shortstop Alex Rodriguez, already a 40/40 man. One of only three players in baseball history, at age 24, he is set to become the first 50/50 man in baseball history

.But of course the older “experts” explain this entire offensive explosion is due to poor pitching that inhibits the big leagues. If true, who is to blame? If the pitching is poor, then the coaching must be poor.

Basketball is no different. Just last April, the first two picks in the NBA draft were kids straight out of high school. The fundamentally sound, quiet-mouthed, respectful athletes never could make such claims.College football has never been so competitive. The gap from the top schools to the bottom schools has dwindled immensely in the past 10 years. The reason: a bigger pool of athletes across the country gives smaller schools the chance to compete. Look at California State University, Fresno. They can compete and beat bigger schools because of the wealth of athletes available in California. After University of Southern California, Stanford University and UCLA get their blue-chippers, there are still enough to go around.

Women?s tennis has reached the popularity it enjoys today thanks to its young stars like Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Martina Hingis. Oh yeah, I can?t mention tennis without mentioning her name. She?s just too fine: Anna Kournikova.

And golf, the traditional sport reserved for the older generation. A game too intricate for the dumb undisciplined athlete. Tiger Woods, 25, is so far ahead of the competition, there is no second best. He already can be argued as the greatest golfer in history.

We are a generation that plays hard but plays to a different beat. We like baggy shorts, headbands, no stir-ups and showing off. We want the opponent to know that they were beaten. When we score a touchdown, we act like we?ve been there ? we dance.

Do it with style and substance. Andre Agassi said it best, “image is everything.”If we can?t shoot a jump shot as good as Larry Bird or box out as good as Bill Russell, there are alternative ways. We can crossover and dunk. As far as rebounding, who needs boxing out when we can jump over it?There are more young future Hall of Famers playing now than ever before. So, “experts,” don?t hate, congratulate.

It?s a different era, a different time. Athletes are bigger, stronger and quicker today. Blame it on evolution, blame it on the hormones in the chicken. Just as long as you believe it.