Ty! What’d you shoot today?
Oh, I don’t keep score, Judge.
Oh well, how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
By height.
Yep, first round of golf in something like 11 years, and only second round in 15 years.
It went about as you would expect. I picked my ball up on three holes, so I did not finish with an official score. It would have been well above 100 had I completed my scorecard, though. Hell, it was above 100 anyway.
I was the tallest member of our foursome, though.
We played at the Montclair Golf Club in Montclair, NJ. They have four nine-hole loops you can choose from, based on how busy each one is. Our host, K, is a member and he hooked us up with caddies and a fourth that he plays with often. K and the fourth are both really solid players and spent much of their rounds well away from me.
I was busy blasting it from side-to-side, duck hooking on one hole, power slicing on the next. Or taking four shots to chip onto the green from about 25 feet.[1] I was playing with loaner clubs,[2] but let’s be honest: they could have put me in thousands of dollars worth of gear and it would not have mattered.
I did have a few highlights. My caddy was kind of a dud, but the guy who was doubling up on K and the 4th’s bags was a green-reading savant. He had a lilting Caribbean accent and braids halfway down his back. He was also about 5’7” so looked kind of silly with bags slung over both arms. But he knew those greens. As each player lined up a putt, he’d grab the flag, point at a spot to aim at, and give you a speed. On the fourth hole I had a 35-foot putt that had a big left-to-right break in it. He pointed at a dead spot well away from the line I would have chosen and told me to hit it firm. Moments later the longest putt I’ve ever hit rolled into the cup. I pumped my fist, my playing partners cheered me, and then pointed at the caddy. “Nice read!” He threw his arms up in the air and said, “THAT’S WHAT I DO!!!”
Good times.
I also hit a 25’ putt and left three putts that were between 20–40 feet less than two inches from the hole. All credit to the caddy, although I was rolling it ok.
The rest of my clubs though…yeeeesh. I did go to a local driving range twice last week to hit real balls instead of the practice balls L and I had been hitting in the yard. Thursday I felt really good about my swing. But, of course, as a high handicapper who hadn’t played in over a decade, there’s a big difference between hitting ball after ball from a mat and getting into a rhythm vs. going out to a nice course that has lots of rough, elevation changes, etc.
Back when I played a fair amount of golf, I was notorious for hitting an absolutely terrible shot and then hitting a nice recovery shot. There were elements of that Sunday, although it often took 2–3 terrible shots before I could find the good shot.
My best hole was the fifth, a long par four that doglegs to the right. Instead of hitting a severe slice off the tee, I absolutely crushed a slight fade that went right at 300 yards and landed dead center in the fairway. It was on this hole that I rolled in my 25’ putt. However, in between my best drive of the day and that putt were four terrible shots.
Oh well.
I lost six or seven balls – I kind of lost track – most in an brutal stretch around the turn. My final lost ball of the was a big, majestic slice that easily cleared a stand of trees that protected a parkway that ran by the course. We all strained our ears and clearly heard my ball bouncing off pavement in the midst of traffic. Always drive quickly and carefully near golf courses, folks.
It was a gorgeous course, not terribly long but with lots of changes in elevation to challenge players on a normal day. Throw in ground that was completely saturated from all the recent rain in that area and the course was even more challenging. It was also a bitch to walk. My calves are still sore because each step meant your feet sank an inch or two into the soft turf. It was by far the nicest course I’ve ever played. Although that’s not really saying much as I specialized in crappy muni courses back when I used to play.
Regardless of the results, to was fun to get out and play again. I’m going to continue to hit balls for awhile and try to get my swing together, and then see if I can round up a friend or two to get out and play again before the fall season ends.
In me defense from deep rough on a steep incline. ↩
I remember hating how much my stepdad and other guys his age loved Jack Nicklaus winning the 1986 Masters. I couldn’t believe they wanted some washed-up, has-been like Jack to win instead of the brash, exciting, much younger Greg Norman.
If my stepdad was still around, he would have been laughing at me yesterday as I watched most of Tiger Woods’ final round at the PGA, hanging on to every shot like it was 2002 again.
Before we get to that, I should note that after a long, long time not having any interest in golf I’ve regained at least some of my love for the sport lately. I’ve been watching the Golf Channel a lot. I bought L a kids club and some foam balls to hit in the front yard. Unable to hit with her, I decided to go buy a super cheap set of starter clubs for myself. I checked out a couple golf books at the library. I discovered there’s a driving range close by I may actually go hit some balls at this week. Whether I actually start playing again is another thing. But I at least have some interest in the sport, both as a participant and spectator, again.
Before Tiger started doing his thing this weekend my attention was drawn by KU alum Gary Woodland leading after the first two rounds. I figured he wouldn’t hold on; no one wins majors wire-to-wire. He had a rough opening nine Saturday but righted the ship enough to play with Tiger on Sunday. As cool as it would have been for Woodland to win, as soon as Tiger started dropping birdies I was pulling hard for him.
When I pumped my fist after he dropped back-to-back birdies to close his front nine I realized I had become my stepdad in 1986, rooting for the old, washed-up, has-been guy.
M was hanging out in the kitchen and started asking questions.
“Why is everyone so excited for that guy? Hasn’t he been good forever?”
I explained, in very broad terms, that Tiger hadn’t won a major in a decade and had barely played over the course of several years because of injuries.
“How do you get injured in golf?!?!”
“When is this tournament over? Will you stop watching golf then?”
When I saw Tiger birdie again at 15 to go to –13, I let out a cheer before we had to leave for a neighborhood gathering. Although I set the DVR to record the rest of the day, I figured Tiger would probably come up just short. Not so much because of his age or his recent history, but more because Brooks Koepka just didn’t look like a dude who was going to lose. He looked a lot like a young Tiger, in fact, overwhelming the course and the field.
While at the party, I checked the scores and let out a groan when I saw Tiger had finished two strokes back. I remembered that putt on 11 that stopped right on the edge of the cup and somehow didn’t fall. Or the one at 14 that was inside the hole before spinning out for a bogey. Two strokes right there and maybe it’s a different end result. More likely Koepka finds another stroke somewhere down the stretch. It was his weekend, after all.
Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. In recent years I’ve pretty much just watched the weekend parts of the Masters and then the same for the US and British Opens if we were home. Other golf tournaments I had no interest in watching. Partially because Tiger was gone. Partially because I hadn’t touched a club in ten years. But with L showing an interest in the sport that may pull me back in at least casually.[1]
We’ll see how long L’s interest lasts. The first day she swung a club she was hitting the practice balls pretty well. We hit twice over the weekend and she was really struggling. I told her that golf is super hard and it takes lots of work, so she shouldn’t get frustrated. With soccer starting soon it may be a struggle to keep her engaged until late October. ↩
One of the odder aspects of my life is how, although I love sports and have written about them for money over the past 7–8 years, I watch a lot less sports than I used to. I still watch a lot of football and basketball, but significantly less than I did a decade ago. I watch/listen to probably 80% of Royals games. But I almost never watch the NBA or golf anymore. So a bit of an odd day yesterday when I watched some of both.
First, the NBA finals. I’ve never been a LeBron hater, but I’ve also never really loved him. Admired him? Yes. Appreciated his game? Yep. Defended him against the doubters? Absolutely. But he’s never been my favorite NBA player, either. While I was pleased when he chose to go back to Cleveland two summers ago, I also fell in love with how the Golden State Warriors played ball. The game had long moved toward the perimeter – witness large, rare talents like LeBron, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony who were slashers and jump-shooters, not low-post guys – but the Warriors took that idea to a whole other level. So each of the past two Finals I’ve been pulling for the Dubs to win.
Last night’s finish, though, was the capper on LeBron’s career. It wasn’t always pretty; the last 3–4 minutes were ugly all around. But his three-straight massive games, topped off by his iconic block of an Andre Iguodala layup attempt, should end any doubts about LeBron’s place in history. He won a title without Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh next to him. Yeah, Kyrie Irving is pretty incredible at times, and Kevin Love has his moments. But there’s no way you can say LBJ’s supporting cast in Cleveland was superior to what he had in Miami.
For years the haters have ranted about LeBron not being cold blooded enough to be great on his own. You have to chalk some of that up to the Hot Take era we live in. People deliberately say stupid stuff to get airtime, page clicks, and occasionally even sell a paper. I’m not convinced all the idiots who have railed on LeBron for over a decade really believe their shtick.
What this year did was both prove that he can be as cold-blooded and single-minded as any other all-time great in leading a team to a title, and also show just how unique he is.
This series was over[1], and LeBron, through the sheer force of his personality and immense talents, somehow pulled the Cavs to three-straight wins against the best regular season team in NBA history. A team that had just pulled off its own epic 1–3 comeback in the conference finals. It was Jordonesque, Kobe-like, Bird-ish. The best player both raised his game and took everyone around him up enough notches to change history.
The uniqueness comes in how he has always been willing to share the spotlight. He’s not egoless; no professional athlete is. But I don’t think there’s ever been an all-timer like him willing to set teammates up, to do the dirty work, to play the occasional supporting role, if it meant his team won. Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kobe were all taking the biggest shot of the game in their primes. LeBron always seemed comfortable letting someone else take that shot, not because he was afraid of the moment, but because SOMEONE ELSE HAD A BETTER SHOT. It was the ultimate good fundamental basketball view of the game, and people have shit on him for it his entire career. Besides, when LeBron wasn’t taking the game’s biggest shot, he was often setting it up, or making the steal/block/rebound that made the shot possible.
The most impressive aspect of the Cavs win, to me, was the emotion LeBron displayed after the game. I think that was a very genuine display, all the frustrations and baggage of every moment since his infamous “Taking my talents to South Beach” coming out at once. Despite being a long-suffering Royals fan who just unloaded 30 years of angst, I have no special affinity for Cleveland fans. It sucks they waited so long, but I would never pull for a Cleveland team to win just because of some shared, Midwestern, inferiority complex. But I thought LeBron’s reaction was great.
Now I did have a problem with him saying that he always gets the toughest path. They were the #1 seed in the East! They roared through the Eastern Conference bracket! Yes, they fell down three games to one in the Finals. But it’s not like they were the eight seed and had to win a bunch of game sevens on the road just to get to the Finals. And let’s not ignore how he has maneuvered to have the roster built to his liking and had a coach he didn’t like fired.
I still don’t really love LeBron. But I admire him more than I already did after his performance over the last week. I’m sure he has some skeletons that his handlers have kept from going public. But, for the most part, he seems like a pretty solid guy. He cares about winning, but also cares about his teammates and the image he displays. He’s taken some strong social stands where other great players refused to. Of all the great players of my lifetime, I’d probably want my kids to most emulate him simply because I think he understands the need for balance in life, and that as important as winning games can be, there are things beyond that.
And a quick note about LeBron’s coach, one of the few athletes from my high school to go on and do great things at the professional level. Tyronn Lue did not have a great series: the latter part of game four in particular was embarrassing. But he adjusted and did what LeBron said, errrrrrrrrr, empowered his players to believe in themselves to make an epic comeback. My only complaint was that he gave his hometown, Mexico, MO, two shout outs in his postgame interview and had none for good, ol’ Raytown High School.
As for the Warriors, that was an epic collapse. Whether it was panic, the Cavs pressure, or just the grind of the last two seasons, they were often awful in the last three games. To use a tennis term, they had the game seven on their racket late and could not close it out. That happens, though. Especially when you’re facing a force of nature like LeBron. I still love their style and hope we have a few more years of the Splash Brothers inspiring awe.
On to golf. I only casually follow the game anymore. I’ll watch some of the Master’s, Sunday of the US Open, and then bits of the British Open. I read enough to know Dustin Johnson’s story, though. I was watching when he pissed away the US Open last year. I like his outwardly languid approach to the game. He looks like a guy who doesn’t get rattled easily based on the way he carries himself. I hate the whole “Best to never win a major” stamp, because it’s not always up to you whether you win or not. You can go out and shoot five under for the weekend at a major, but if someone else goes –8, that doesn’t matter. But I did think it was cool that Johnson shut his critics up.
Even more, it made the current Golden Era of golf, which is just getting going, even more interesting. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Johnson are a pretty good core. Then there are 5–6 guys right behind them that could bust in with their own win at a major. Not sure I’ll watch much more golf, but at least there are plenty of storylines when I do. And they are proving golf can still be interesting, exciting, and entertaining in the post-Tiger age.
A lot happened while I was away from the computer last week. Not everything demands comment. But four events in particular do require a few words.
The Final Four
I didn’t watch much of any game. I was astounded by Villanova’s destruction of Oklahoma in the semifinals. I’m not good at math, but that was like a 172 point turn-around from when the teams played last December.[1] I got to see bits during the run when the Wildcats blew the game open. I said in my mini-prediction for the Final Four that ‘Nova had the feel of a team that might be destined to win it. That 23–0 run, or whatever it was, was further proof of that. OU had shots that looked pure spin out and fall right into Villanova rebounders’ hands. Then ‘Nova would throw up a shot that would clank off the rim, kiss the backboard, and crawl in. I was not surprised that ‘Nova won. But, man, to destroy a really good team like Oklahoma in that manner? That was a performance for the ages.
They followed up with one of the greatest winning shots in tournament history. I watched zero minutes of the final, and was in bed well before the final shot went in. With how it turned out, I’m bummed I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to watch the entire thing.
So much credit to Villanova. They were the best team of the tournament. Their style wasn’t always pretty, but style points don’t matter. They imposed their will on each of their opponents, taking them out of what their strengths were and forcing them into what ‘Nova wanted them to do. In a year that was a bit of a throwback, with all the excellent seniors that anchored the best teams and Ben Simmons being the only Can’t Miss One-and-Doner, Villanova was the perfect cap. They don’t have a superstar. They may not have a first round draft pick. But they were an excellent team – better than the sum of its individual talents – that played so well together. I hate that they beat KU, but I loved the way they played.
Josh Jackson Commits To KU
OK, this was last night, not over break, but since we’re speaking of Can’t Miss One-and-Doners, I should slot him in here.
For the third time in the last seven years,[2] KU has nabbed the top high school senior. For the second time in that span, it comes in a year where there’s not a super-duper-star in the class, so there is some argument about whether Jackson is/will continue to be the best player in this class. But, still, he’s ranked #1, it was a fairly intense battle to get him, and he’ll be wearing Crimson and Blue for his one year of college basketball. Which is better than him picking Arizona or Michigan State.
I’m excited Jackson is going to be a Jayhawk. I’m also a little worried. First, there’s his name. One of the other two #1 players KU got was also a Josh, and his one year at KU was a profound disappointment. Jackson has holes in his game and is ranked #1 largely on the dreaded P word (potential) and his ferocious competitiveness. I worry about his ability to shoot and whether he’s strong enough to slash/drive at this level to balance that out. I also worry that since he is so similar to Wiggins in size, people will expect him to be Wiggins version 2.
But that fiery side is promising. KU fans have long complained about how the Jayhawks’ highly-touted freshmen are often laid-back Betas[3] instead of ass-kicking Alphas. Jackson is all Alpha. Between Jackson and Devonte’ Graham, this may be the loudest KU team since Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson left. And as a number of observers have pointed out, many of Wiggins’ struggles were because his year at KU coincided with the Jayhawks not having a great point guard. Seriously, he would have been 25% better if he had played with even a flawed point like Elijah Johnson, who could throw a lob 800 times better than Naadir Tharpe. Jackson is going to play with Frank Mason and Graham. They’re going to find him behind (and above) the defense.
Jackson also fills a big hole with Wayne Selden and Brannen Greene leaving. He and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk[4] should divide up those minutes nicely, and even play together often. Jackson is a great defender and relishes shutting people down. He seems like a kid who can contribute to the final result even on nights when he can’t get it going on offense.
KU was going to be very good again next year. Jackson keeps them in the conversation for national title contenders. Hopefully he wins more tournament games than Josh Selby and Andrew Wiggins did.[5]
NBA Draft Declarations
A couple years back I wrote that college players should have the right to declare for the NBA draft as often as they like. So I’m down with the new system that allows exactly that. I think it benefits everyone. Players can get honest critiques of their games at the official combines and make decisions on their futures based on input from basketball experts instead of what their mom or cousin or summer league coach wants them to do. It’s good for the college game because some guys who want to explore their options will take their names out of the draft and return for another year of college seasoning. With so many transfers in the modern college game, just about every school will be able to plug holes left when kids wait until late in May to announce they’ve signed with an agent and are staying in the draft.
As for the KU guys, it’s been obvious since the Kentucky game that Wayne Selden was declaring. I’ve worried all year that Cheick Diallo would declare, despite barely seeing the court for most of his brief time at KU. Sometimes kids come in with a plan, not always of their creation, and have to follow it regardless of how their freshman years went. And, who knows if he would have been eligible next year after the disaster that was his initial eligibility fight. Finally, I’m shocked Brannen Greene declared. It was no secret that he would not be back at KU for his senior year. And while the kid has a beautiful shooting stroke, he is so limited otherwise that I don’t see him as an NBA guy right now. I figured he’d transfer to a D2 school where he could play immediately and light it up every night, then try to build on that for next year’s draft.
I think both Selden and Greene are D-league/Europe guys. Selden especially seems like a guy who could follow former KU great Keith Langford’s path and spend a decade being one of the best, and most highly-paid, players in Europe. Some team will take a flyer on Diallo, but he seems destined to spend a year or two in the D-League before he gets a shot. Maybe it pays off and he turns into a rotation guy at some point. But he has a long, long way to go both in how to play and getting his body strong enough before he can entertain being an NBA regular.
Oh, and John Calipari is a douche for turning this new system into yet another path for self-promotion.
The Masters
I hardly watch golf anymore, but I do still enjoy watching The Masters. It’s a sign that spring has arrived, even if roughly every third year we’re watching with the furnace on here in Indy.[6]
I turned the tournament on for the first time just as Jordan Spieth was making the turn Sunday. I figured I was about to watch some history as he ran away with his second-straight green jacket.
Clearly I am a jinx.
That got ugly quick. It was shocking to see Spieth fall apart, especially on 12. I was never a good golfer – or even a mediocre one – and haven’t swung a club in years. But I think I could have played that hole better than he did.
Which is both the beauty and terror of golf. It’s so damn hard to play, even for the absolute elite.
Credit to Danny Willett for seizing the moment. It would have been easy to work so hard to fight back into the tournament and, upon seeing you were shockingly in the lead, either get flustered or let up. He closed out his round wonderfully and forced Spieth to have to play almost perfect golf to attempt to tie.
But perhaps my favorite thing about watching Sunday was the flashbacks to 1996, when Greg Norman melted down in his final round and Nick Faldo roared back to win his third Masters. I loved it because of the contrast in fashion. In those mid–90s shots, the guys all wore pleated, almost blouse-y, pants. Their shirts featured wacky, geometric designs. Clothes were generally black and white with splashes of earth tones. In the post-Tiger era, though, most golfers are super fit and wear tight pants and shirts with tailored sleeves that show off their cut arms. And many of them wear colors that harken back to the garish golf fashions of the 1970s.
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Force Awakens Arrives
I never could quite find the time to get L to the movie theater to see The Force Awakens. She breezed through the original trilogy without any issues so I figured she could handle the slightly more intense latest installment. The timing just never worked out. So I pre-ordered the BluRay/DVD back when it was first announced. Of course it was set to deliver while we were in Alabama. It came with our held mail yesterday but this week is incredibly busy, so we may not get to pop it in until Friday night. Which is kind of killing L. And me.
By the way, the Rogue One trailer looks incredible. I’m fully onboard with this new, all-encompassing, Disney-led Star Wars push.
I rarely watch golf anymore. Mostly because I haven’t swung a club in over eight years.1 And when Tiger flamed out I suddenly had no real rooting interest. The wave of new, young players all seemed like only slightly different versions of the same guy. Which, to be fair, is always kind of the case in golf.
But I did watch healthy doses of Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open. I always like it when professional golfers are bitching about the conditions at the Open, for starters. And the late start meant I could watch into the evening.
I was able to watch the last half-hour or so uninterrupted. Which was a solid 30 minutes of televised sports drama. Jordan Spieth has the tournament won, leading by three strokes with two to play. Then, suddenly, he’s tied with Dustin Johnson as he walks to the 18th tee. Then he calmly birdies and heads to the clubhouse to watch Johnson hit a massive drive and perfect approach to give himself an excellent shot to win, and a nearly 100% chance of forcing a playoff. So of course he three-putts to hand the Open to Spieth.
Wacky, wild stuff.
Like I said, I don’t know much about these guys. I know Spieth won the Masters but gets very little credit from other golfers because his game lacks any “Wow” factor. I know Johnson is engaged to Paulina Gretzky, has tons of talent, but may have some self control issues. But if those two, and Rory McIlroy, who I know plenty about, are always in contention in majors, I just might start watching golf a little more.
NBA Finals/LeBron
First off, a pretty entertaining Finals series this year. I love the way both teams made the most of their talent and relied on ball-movement, motion away from the ball, and outside shooting to win. And I really like how NBA referees call the game compared to college refs. There wasn’t a whistle every single possession and replay reviews were much brisker than in college.
I was pulling for the Warriors, because how can you not like Steph Curry and the rest of the Splash Brothers,2 but would have been fine with Cleveland winning, too.
Which brings us to the biggest issues following the series: the criticism of LeBron.
Man, people be crazy.
How can you criticize a guy who lost his two best teammates during the playoffs and still willed his team to a 2-1 lead in the Finals? A guy who was a triple-double machine in every game, often before the third quarter had ended. How is he supposed to do more than he did? Yeah, he wilted in the fourth quarter of game six. But it’s shocking he didn’t fall apart sooner given all he was asked to do. Replace him with a second-tier NBA star, and the Cavs were a lottery team after Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went down.
But because LeBron isn’t the ruthless competitor that Jordan and Kobe were, because he seems to actually treat his teammates with respect and give them the chance to succeed, because he still has moments of humility. Because of all of that, and our Hot Takes media environment, he gets blasted for being 2-4 in his Finals career.
Please.
Oh, and it was very amusing to listen to the ABC broadcasting team tiptoe around the difference in the Warriors this year. Sure, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green developed into key contributors. Steph was the MVP. And Klay Thompson rivaled Russell Westbrook for the league’s best sidekick.
But the real difference was the coach. Firing Mark Jackson, who returned to ABC, and replacing him with Steve Kerr was the biggest factor in Golden State’s improvement. I loved the way Kerr ran his team, made adjustments both within and between games. And I loved how he gave credit to his coaching staff for coming up with ideas for how to change their attack. As a broadcaster, you could always tell he had a great understanding of the game. It’s been cool to see that he can turn that knowledge into great coaching.
It’s a shame that Jackson’s presence on the ABC team kept them from acknowledging Kerr’s effect on the Warriors.
Women’s World Cup
L. and I stayed up to watch the sloppy 2-1 U.S. win over Colombia last night. That was hardly an inspiring effort. Although L. thought the whole thing was pretty cool. She put on her Stars and Stripes hat from her school program and found a red pompom she waved around. She also told me she was going to play in the tournament one day. Although that was only after she said she wanted to play in the MLS. I told her that was only for boys, which was stupid. Since professional women’s soccer can’t seem to survive in the U.S., why shouldn’t she dream of playing in the MLS?
I gave my clubs to a nephew a couple years back. So even if I had the urge to go swing the sticks at a driving range, I have no sticks to swing. ↩
Turns out there may be more to Tiger Woods’ return to prominence than anyone initially believed. There was Dropgate at the Masters. He may or may not have taken another incorrect drop while winning the Player’s Championship this past weekend. And now at least one marshall who was with Tiger Saturday is countering Woods’ claim that he was given an all clear when he grabbed his club and, allegedly, distracted Sergio Garcia as he took a swing.
Well, when they heard that remark from Woods, the marshals were surprised. One of them, Gary Anderson, said on Sunday, “He didn’t ask us nothing, and we didn’t say nothing. We’re told not to talk to the players.”
Hmmm. Now this is Tiger we’re dealing with, so that marshall could be full of shit.
But let’s explore the possibility that he is telling the truth. What if Tiger has come back to competitive golf with an even fiercer competitiveness than he had before. He burns to get to 18, and then 19, major titles to catch and pass Jack Nicklaus. And he knows his physical skills aren’t what they were 5-10 years. He needs every edge and angle he can get.
What if he’s come back as a WWE-style bad guy? He’s going to fudge his drops to get an advantage. He’s going to make noise while a competitor is swinging. He’s going to comment on the green conditions while his playing partner is lining up an important putt. Basically treat other golfers the way his dad treated him when he was a kid and trying to learn how to sharpen his concentration on the course.
Tiger was never really a good guy. People loved him because of the way he played and how often he won, not because he was a lovable guy like Arnold Palmer or a fundamentally decent and honorable guy like Nicklaus. Tiger spent most of his career being a complete dick, but he got away with it because we loved seeing him lap the field at Pebble Beach when no one else could play the course.
But he was never overtly bad, either.
There’s no evidence that Tiger has turned into a cheater and dirty competitor. But if things like this keep happening when he’s on the course, I’m going to start thinking he is. True or not, it will make golf a lot more interesting.
Some kids on campus called me “Sir” last week. I thought my short hair made me look younger, too.
Since I had M. to myself Friday and Sunday, I ended up watching more of the President’s Cup than I cared to. I came to the conclusion that there’s nothing in sports sillier than fans at these “international” golf tournaments. Actually, I should clarify that it is generally the American fans at these events who are silly. The European fans tend to take these events for what they are: exhibitions in which golfers who play together every weekend are divvied up into teams and asked to play in a team format for three days. We Americans, God bless us, take the President’s and Ryder Cups way too seriously. Things nearly got out of hand Friday after a lengthy weather delay, or as fans like to call it, mid-day happy hour. Those fools were amped up. Sports nationalism has it’s place. But come on, all these guys play together on a weekly basis, most of them live in the same handful of neighborhoods in Florida, many of them went to college together, regardless of their nation of birth. Compelling golf at times. Lots of fans who need to get a grip, though.
Tiger Woods was doing his 1980s baseball All-Star game imitation. He had some crazy dye-job going on in his hair and a goatee. Kind of like Frank White and others busting out the white spikes for the mid-summer classic back-in-the-day.
Why is Good Will Hunting always on? Don’t get me wrong, great movie and tons of fun to imitate their accents, but does it need to be on every night? Shouldn’t the rights owners be trying to see/rent DVDs instead of giving it away for free 28 times a month?
Bravo to the Colts and Browns, who played a regulation NFL game in two hours and 40 minutes Sunday. National League pace!
Byron Leftwich is becoming the new Steve McNair. He’s not happy unless he’s limping, bleeding, and barely conscious. Dude doesn’t start playing until his ribs get bruised.
Thumbs down to ESPN Sports Reporter “personality” Michael Kay, who Sunday morning mentioned that the New England-Pittsburgh game was vital because the Patriots can’t make it to the Super Bowl without having home field advantage in the playoffs. None of his fellow panelists, Mike Lupica, Jason Whitlock, and John Saunders, called him on the fact the Pats have won two of their three AFC title games on the road. Idiots.
Kudos to CBS for their ad campaign for The Amazing Race. I’ve heard from many people it’s actually a tolerable show, but shouting that it has won the Emmy for Best Reality Show 15 times during every NFL game isn’t exactly the highest of praise. Kind of like King of the Dorks, to use a Farmer Ted term.
AMC showed that American movie classic Fletch Sunday night. I always find it amusing that anytime I see Tim Matheson, I think of him in the role of Alan Stanwyk. Most people just a couple years older than me probably think of him as Otter from Animal House first.
