^
'Nova over Georgetown? Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson? Team U.S.A. over Russian hockey's Big Red Machine? Eli's Giants over Brady's Pats?
I don't think it's exaggerating at all to put unranked Roberta Vinci's stunning U.S. Open semifinal victory over No. 1 Serena Williams on the short list of Greatest Upsets In Modern Sports History.
Williams, probably the greatest female tennis player ever, came in needing to win only two more matches to become the first Grand Slam winner since 1988 -- a fact that made Friday's action (and outcome) all the more riveting.
While Serena spent much of the match screaming at herself -- usually her trademark, "Come on!" -- Vinci remained almost unbelievably calm. However, she did provide one magically emotional moment midway through the third set.
It was 3-3 with Serena serving at 40-30, one point away from finally taking control of the match. She fired one haymaker after another, and Vinci kept returning the ball. Vinci made a nice cross-court shot that Williams chased down, leading the New York crowd to cheer. But Vinci followed with a great play to win the point and make it deuce.
With the crowd still roaring, Vinci put her hand to her ear. She then raised both hands and pumped her arms, as she repeatedly said, "What about me? What about me?"
In other words: Enough with Serena and the Slam. I'm here, too, and I'm not going anywhere!
And she wasn't. She ended up breaking Serena's serve and then holding hers to go up 5-3. After Williams held serve to make it 5-4, Vinci calmly served out the match.
As was the case most of the final two sets, Vinci just kept putting the ball in play and letting the overanxious Williams make mistake after mistake after mistake. I swear, I would have easily returned a few of the second serves Vinci lobbed in there, but Williams kept firing the ball into the net or beyond the baseline.
When it was over and she had received a quick handshake from Serena, Vinci sat down and buried her face in her hands. She was overcome by the enormity of the moment.
Eventually, she agreed to talk to ESPN in an interview broadcast live in the stadium. I will say it is one of the most stirring, most honest interviews I have heard in many a year.
Take a listen HERE if you haven't heard it already.
One of the great parts of it was Vinci admitting that, before the match, she never thought she could possibly beat Serena Williams.
This is why we love sports, folks, especially championship-level sports. Anything really CAN happen.
---
I wanted Serena to win because I enjoy watching history in the making. She didn't win the Slam, so now she'll go for it again next year.
One thing I am tired of hearing about, though, is "the Serena Slam" -- winning 4 straight majors over the span of two seasons. Even she calls it that and talks about how special it was. Tiger Woods did the same in golf and folks called it "the Tiger Slam."
Because those terms suddenly became common, it led some in the media to call what Serena was chasing "the Calendar Slam."
But please.
It's the Grand Slam. Serena might claim that "the Serena Slam" is every bit as special -- because she no longer can win the REAL Slam.
There was a reason she was as uptight as she was, and that's because she had a chance to make real history.
Calling something else "historic" doesn't make it equally historic.
Serena had a great run, but she fell short. There's no shame in that.
^
Showing posts with label U.S. Open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Open. Show all posts
Friday, September 11, 2015
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Nadel is back, Nadal is out
^
Softball players ... baseball players ... cricket players ... whoever:
One thing you most definitely do NOT want to do is copy this batting stance!!
But I do have the legs for those shorts, no?!?!
It took me 6 1/2 weeks and two tries, but I finally made my triumphant return from shoulder surgery a few days ago as our defending champion Sons of Pitches cruised to an 18-6 victory. I had a couple of hits, including a two-run single as we broke open the game.
I actually had returned one week earlier but we lost in extra innings, and I even struck out ... which isn't easy to do in slow-pitch softball. But hey, I had an excuse!
It's great to be back with the best teammates in the world, and we are now 4-1 in Fall League play.
-----
In totally unrelated news, the U.S. Open just got a little less fun for me, as Rafael Nadal -- a.k.a. My Rich Son -- was eliminated by some Italian dude named Fabio Fognini in a stirring third-round match that kept me up until nearly 2 a.m. Friday.
Rafa had been 151-0 in majors when holding a two-set lead. He also had won at least one major title in 10 straight years. Both of those distinctions are now history.
Obviously, age has done more than creep up on my man. It has ambushed him and left him in the gutter.
Yep, it's no fun turning 29!
^
Softball players ... baseball players ... cricket players ... whoever:
One thing you most definitely do NOT want to do is copy this batting stance!!
But I do have the legs for those shorts, no?!?!
It took me 6 1/2 weeks and two tries, but I finally made my triumphant return from shoulder surgery a few days ago as our defending champion Sons of Pitches cruised to an 18-6 victory. I had a couple of hits, including a two-run single as we broke open the game.
I actually had returned one week earlier but we lost in extra innings, and I even struck out ... which isn't easy to do in slow-pitch softball. But hey, I had an excuse!
It's great to be back with the best teammates in the world, and we are now 4-1 in Fall League play.
-----
In totally unrelated news, the U.S. Open just got a little less fun for me, as Rafael Nadal -- a.k.a. My Rich Son -- was eliminated by some Italian dude named Fabio Fognini in a stirring third-round match that kept me up until nearly 2 a.m. Friday.
Rafa had been 151-0 in majors when holding a two-set lead. He also had won at least one major title in 10 straight years. Both of those distinctions are now history.
Obviously, age has done more than creep up on my man. It has ambushed him and left him in the gutter.
Yep, it's no fun turning 29!
^
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Today's High Five: U.S. Open and other endings
^
5. Martin Kaymer reminds me a lot of myself.
No, I'm not talking about his wire-to-wire victory in the U.S. Open, his incredible putting, his bunker play, his 310-yard drives, his good looks, his physique or his overflowing bank account.
I'm talking about his apparent disdain for using wedges around the greens. Like me (and many other high-handicappers), the man putts everything he possibly can.
On one hole, Kaymer could have tried a tricky chip from a tight lie over a bunker into a pin near the edge of the green. Instead, he actually putted backward through the fringe, leaving himself with a long par putt from off the green. He two-putted from there for a bogey, and seemed quite happy to get it.
With a huge lead over the field, he knew that the only way he could lose the tournament was by experiencing a few horrific holes. He knew that the best way to avoid that was to stick with the club he trusted most. I loved it because I do the exact same thing. (And not only when I am leading the U.S. Open.)
What I didn't love was Kaymer lapping the field. I dig fantastic finishes, and watching dramatic U.S. Open battles has become a Father's Day ritual. So Tiger being hurt, Phil stinking up Pinehurst, Rory failing to find any magic, Bubba missing the cut and everybody else being unwilling or unable to challenge Kaymer turned the tournament into the Who S. Open and ruined my Father's Day.
Ruined it, I say!
Actually, that's not close to being true. I had a lovely, relaxing day. Roberta, Simmie and I took a long walk and visited with some goats and a donkey at a nearby hobby farm. I saved nearly $40 on a $12 grocery store bill - I am not making this up! - and even received a $10 instant rebate for buying a $5 pie. That's right: They paid me 5 bucks for taking a key lime pie off their hands! Later, I thoroughly enjoyed the Copper River salmon I grilled on a cedar plank for dinner. (And pie for dessert!) Of course, I also took several moments to fondly recall my many happy times with my father, truly a great man.
Kaymer even saved an otherwise anticlimactic U.S. Open for me by putting from off the green - well off the green - on at least a dozen occasions.
The next time I'm playing with my buddies and they scoff at me for putting from 15 feet off the green, I'll just smile and say, "It worked for the Who S. Open champion!"
4. And speaking of anticlimactic, it sure would have been nice if the Heat had bothered showing up for the last three games of the NBA Finals.
You know what? Instead of totally ragging on the losing team, let's give a big thumbs-up to the winners.
The Spurs were the NBA's best all season and they underscored their dominance in the Finals. They are talented and savvy and well-coached and deeper than the Grand Canyon. They wore out LeBron & Co., outplayed them, outclassed them and outscored them by 20 points per game after the series was tied 1-1.
There was a lot of talk about players' legacies going into this series, specifically revolving around LeBron James and Tim Duncan.
Despite all the haters' blah-blah-blahing, LeBron's legacy is fine. He has won two titles, has carried two organizations to a total of five Finals appearances and already is one of the top 10 basketball players ever.
Duncan? You know, he's pretty good, too!
3. The U.S. Open and NBA Finals weren't the only things to end Sunday. I already miss Game of Thrones.
It might be time to put my HBO subscription on hiatus for a little while.
2. And while we're on the subject of endings, this weekend marked the end of my Little League umpiring season.
Here in Charlotte, it is too hot and humid to make the kiddies play all summer, so they have spring and fall seasons.
I had a lot of fun in my first full season behind the plate and in the field. And hey, I only ejected one coach all year - and I let him hang around for at least three innings of whining longer than I should have.
My highlight: During a brief time-out while one of his teammates was tying a shoe, a 10-year-old catcher turned around and asked me: "Do you umpire MLB, too?"
I was so stunned, I didn't even have a clever retort. I probably even blushed. Umps don't get compliments very often, especially one quite like that!
1. The weekend's first ending, the L.A. Kings' clutch performance against the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, served as a happy reminder of something that happened to me 20 years earlier.
That memory actually started 21 years ago, when Wayne Gretzky and the Kings lost in the 1993 Final to the Canadiens. I was the lead hockey writer for AP back then, and my coverage earned the Will Grimsley Award for best body of work.
Flash forward to '94. This time, the Rangers were in the Final, and prevailed over the Canucks in a thrilling seven-game series to break their 54-year championship drought.
About two weeks after covering that series, Roberta and I were flown to a resort in southern California, where I received my '93 award at the Associated Press Sports Editors conference. Because I happened to be the first AP writer called to the podium, I had the stage to myself for about a minute while my peers applauded.
Twenty years later, I still consider that minute to be the pinnacle of my AP career ... and one of the great things to happen to me in what I acknowledge has been a very lucky life.
^
5. Martin Kaymer reminds me a lot of myself.
No, I'm not talking about his wire-to-wire victory in the U.S. Open, his incredible putting, his bunker play, his 310-yard drives, his good looks, his physique or his overflowing bank account.
I'm talking about his apparent disdain for using wedges around the greens. Like me (and many other high-handicappers), the man putts everything he possibly can.
On one hole, Kaymer could have tried a tricky chip from a tight lie over a bunker into a pin near the edge of the green. Instead, he actually putted backward through the fringe, leaving himself with a long par putt from off the green. He two-putted from there for a bogey, and seemed quite happy to get it.
With a huge lead over the field, he knew that the only way he could lose the tournament was by experiencing a few horrific holes. He knew that the best way to avoid that was to stick with the club he trusted most. I loved it because I do the exact same thing. (And not only when I am leading the U.S. Open.)
What I didn't love was Kaymer lapping the field. I dig fantastic finishes, and watching dramatic U.S. Open battles has become a Father's Day ritual. So Tiger being hurt, Phil stinking up Pinehurst, Rory failing to find any magic, Bubba missing the cut and everybody else being unwilling or unable to challenge Kaymer turned the tournament into the Who S. Open and ruined my Father's Day.
Ruined it, I say!
Actually, that's not close to being true. I had a lovely, relaxing day. Roberta, Simmie and I took a long walk and visited with some goats and a donkey at a nearby hobby farm. I saved nearly $40 on a $12 grocery store bill - I am not making this up! - and even received a $10 instant rebate for buying a $5 pie. That's right: They paid me 5 bucks for taking a key lime pie off their hands! Later, I thoroughly enjoyed the Copper River salmon I grilled on a cedar plank for dinner. (And pie for dessert!) Of course, I also took several moments to fondly recall my many happy times with my father, truly a great man.
Kaymer even saved an otherwise anticlimactic U.S. Open for me by putting from off the green - well off the green - on at least a dozen occasions.
The next time I'm playing with my buddies and they scoff at me for putting from 15 feet off the green, I'll just smile and say, "It worked for the Who S. Open champion!"
4. And speaking of anticlimactic, it sure would have been nice if the Heat had bothered showing up for the last three games of the NBA Finals.
You know what? Instead of totally ragging on the losing team, let's give a big thumbs-up to the winners.
The Spurs were the NBA's best all season and they underscored their dominance in the Finals. They are talented and savvy and well-coached and deeper than the Grand Canyon. They wore out LeBron & Co., outplayed them, outclassed them and outscored them by 20 points per game after the series was tied 1-1.
There was a lot of talk about players' legacies going into this series, specifically revolving around LeBron James and Tim Duncan.
Despite all the haters' blah-blah-blahing, LeBron's legacy is fine. He has won two titles, has carried two organizations to a total of five Finals appearances and already is one of the top 10 basketball players ever.
Duncan? You know, he's pretty good, too!
3. The U.S. Open and NBA Finals weren't the only things to end Sunday. I already miss Game of Thrones.
It might be time to put my HBO subscription on hiatus for a little while.
2. And while we're on the subject of endings, this weekend marked the end of my Little League umpiring season.
Here in Charlotte, it is too hot and humid to make the kiddies play all summer, so they have spring and fall seasons.
I had a lot of fun in my first full season behind the plate and in the field. And hey, I only ejected one coach all year - and I let him hang around for at least three innings of whining longer than I should have.
My highlight: During a brief time-out while one of his teammates was tying a shoe, a 10-year-old catcher turned around and asked me: "Do you umpire MLB, too?"
I was so stunned, I didn't even have a clever retort. I probably even blushed. Umps don't get compliments very often, especially one quite like that!
1. The weekend's first ending, the L.A. Kings' clutch performance against the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, served as a happy reminder of something that happened to me 20 years earlier.
That memory actually started 21 years ago, when Wayne Gretzky and the Kings lost in the 1993 Final to the Canadiens. I was the lead hockey writer for AP back then, and my coverage earned the Will Grimsley Award for best body of work.
Flash forward to '94. This time, the Rangers were in the Final, and prevailed over the Canucks in a thrilling seven-game series to break their 54-year championship drought.
About two weeks after covering that series, Roberta and I were flown to a resort in southern California, where I received my '93 award at the Associated Press Sports Editors conference. Because I happened to be the first AP writer called to the podium, I had the stage to myself for about a minute while my peers applauded.
Twenty years later, I still consider that minute to be the pinnacle of my AP career ... and one of the great things to happen to me in what I acknowledge has been a very lucky life.
^
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Today's High 5: Asking politically correct golf fans and Game of Thrones nerds to chill out
5. Those who believe the PGA should have suspended, fined or punished Sergio Garcia in some other way for his racist "fried chicken" remark aimed at Tiger Woods, get a clue.
Garcia already has been punished in the court of public opinion. With his muted reaction, Tiger came off as classy while Sergio merely sounded assy.
And then there's this: Garcia punishes himself every time he plays a major by choking like the dog he is. The U.S. Open figures to be yet another failure for the whining Spaniard -- an "athlete" who is the diametric opposite of countryman Rafa Nadal.
Pro sports leagues shouldn't legislate political correctness. Society does a great job deciding these things.
4. I'm pretty sure the Spurs just made a half-dozen more 3-pointers. Which is incredible because, as I write this, Game 3 has been over for about an hour.
Look, the Spurs made every shot they launched toward the basket and the Heat pretty much stunk. Kind of the exact opposite what happened in Game 2.
LeBron & Co. are in no more trouble than the Spurs were after they were routed two nights earlier.
Now, if the same thing happens in Game 4 ...
3. The Sons of Pitches, the oldie-but-goodie-league softball team for which I play, closed out the regular season Tuesday with our fourth straight victory.
We are hitting the ball, making most of the plays in the field and taking care of business on the mound. We were especially sharp Tuesday, overcoming our few bad plays by playing sound fundamental softball and delivering timely hits. Afterward, nine of us went out for a beverage -- which is about three times as much as the typical turnout last season. That's what I call camaraderie!
The playoffs start next week and we have as good a chance at the title as anybody does. We will be missing our shortstop and best player, Tom, for the first couple of postseason games, but I still feel really good about this team.
We have fun, we like each other and we're playing well. That's what this is supposed to be about.
2. The Cubs and White Sox owe the Blackhawks big-time.
Chicago is ga-ga over its hockey team's second Stanley Cup Finals appearance this decade. The Blackhawks play the Bruins in a series that will last almost until the Bears start training camp. Baseball hasn't mattered this little in the Windy City since Mayor Daley was handing the Sox taxpayer money for Comiskey Park while telling the Cubs they couldn't spend their own to upgrade Wrigley.
On Monday, both the Cubs and Sox played home games in heavy fog.
A perfect metaphor, my friends.
1. Yet another fantastic season of Game of Thrones has concluded, and, speaking on behalf of all of us dummies who are watching the HBO series without having read all gazillion G.O.T. books ...
Hey, book-reading nerds: Stop telling us what is going to happen next!!
From what I understand, the show is quite faithful to the novels, which means every G.O.T. reader already knows all the stunning developments before each episode airs. I guess these folks just want to see how HBO pulls off the best scenes, but as a sports guy who will not watch a sporting event I have taped if I accidentally find out what happened, I like to be surprised.
Game of Thrones has had some of the most shocking scenes in recent TV history. Again, speaking for us television-watching dopes, I want to keep being shocked going forward.
Is that too much to ask for?
^
Garcia already has been punished in the court of public opinion. With his muted reaction, Tiger came off as classy while Sergio merely sounded assy.
And then there's this: Garcia punishes himself every time he plays a major by choking like the dog he is. The U.S. Open figures to be yet another failure for the whining Spaniard -- an "athlete" who is the diametric opposite of countryman Rafa Nadal.
Pro sports leagues shouldn't legislate political correctness. Society does a great job deciding these things.
4. I'm pretty sure the Spurs just made a half-dozen more 3-pointers. Which is incredible because, as I write this, Game 3 has been over for about an hour.
Look, the Spurs made every shot they launched toward the basket and the Heat pretty much stunk. Kind of the exact opposite what happened in Game 2.
LeBron & Co. are in no more trouble than the Spurs were after they were routed two nights earlier.
Now, if the same thing happens in Game 4 ...
3. The Sons of Pitches, the oldie-but-goodie-league softball team for which I play, closed out the regular season Tuesday with our fourth straight victory.
We are hitting the ball, making most of the plays in the field and taking care of business on the mound. We were especially sharp Tuesday, overcoming our few bad plays by playing sound fundamental softball and delivering timely hits. Afterward, nine of us went out for a beverage -- which is about three times as much as the typical turnout last season. That's what I call camaraderie!
The playoffs start next week and we have as good a chance at the title as anybody does. We will be missing our shortstop and best player, Tom, for the first couple of postseason games, but I still feel really good about this team.
We have fun, we like each other and we're playing well. That's what this is supposed to be about.
2. The Cubs and White Sox owe the Blackhawks big-time.
Chicago is ga-ga over its hockey team's second Stanley Cup Finals appearance this decade. The Blackhawks play the Bruins in a series that will last almost until the Bears start training camp. Baseball hasn't mattered this little in the Windy City since Mayor Daley was handing the Sox taxpayer money for Comiskey Park while telling the Cubs they couldn't spend their own to upgrade Wrigley.
On Monday, both the Cubs and Sox played home games in heavy fog.
A perfect metaphor, my friends.
1. Yet another fantastic season of Game of Thrones has concluded, and, speaking on behalf of all of us dummies who are watching the HBO series without having read all gazillion G.O.T. books ...
Hey, book-reading nerds: Stop telling us what is going to happen next!!
From what I understand, the show is quite faithful to the novels, which means every G.O.T. reader already knows all the stunning developments before each episode airs. I guess these folks just want to see how HBO pulls off the best scenes, but as a sports guy who will not watch a sporting event I have taped if I accidentally find out what happened, I like to be surprised.
Game of Thrones has had some of the most shocking scenes in recent TV history. Again, speaking for us television-watching dopes, I want to keep being shocked going forward.
Is that too much to ask for?
^
Monday, June 11, 2012
Casey Martin rides again!
^
Remember the caterwauling more than a decade ago, when Casey Martin won the right to ride a golf cart in professional tournaments due to the rare circulatory condition that renders his right leg almost useless?
Dozens of players will start claiming medical reasons to ride, ruining the very fabric of the sport! Golf has an endurance component to it, and this will give Martin an unfair competitive advantage! Walking is traditional; golf is tradition-bound; ipso fatso, this will end tournament golf as we know it!
"Someone else along the line will use this, I promise you," Jack Nicklaus warned after a court order allowed Martin to use a cart lo those many years ago. "It will happen. There will be another mess someplace."
When it comes to golf, Jack isn't wrong often. But he and the many other top golfers of the time who argued against Martin were dead wrong about this.
Not one other championship-level golfer has tried to gain the right to use carts during tournaments. Nobody has suggested that carts be used in events on brutally hot days. It's a non-factor, a non-issue.
Somehow, golf has done just fine despite Martin's attempts to "ruin" the sport.
Martin is back at the U.S. Open, his first competitive event in five years. He got the right to play this week in San Francisco the hard way: He earned it through qualifying. (And, yes, he did use a cart to get around the course.) He is now a 40-year-old golf coach.
I'm rooting for him to at least make the cut.
---
On a completely unrelated note ...
I wrote another financial article for the Seeking Alpha site last week. Here's the link:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/646301-johnson-johnson-yielding-4-lockheed-martin-5-not-so-fast
No guarantee that reading it will make you a billionaire.
Or even a hundredaire like me.
Remember the caterwauling more than a decade ago, when Casey Martin won the right to ride a golf cart in professional tournaments due to the rare circulatory condition that renders his right leg almost useless?
Dozens of players will start claiming medical reasons to ride, ruining the very fabric of the sport! Golf has an endurance component to it, and this will give Martin an unfair competitive advantage! Walking is traditional; golf is tradition-bound; ipso fatso, this will end tournament golf as we know it!
"Someone else along the line will use this, I promise you," Jack Nicklaus warned after a court order allowed Martin to use a cart lo those many years ago. "It will happen. There will be another mess someplace."
When it comes to golf, Jack isn't wrong often. But he and the many other top golfers of the time who argued against Martin were dead wrong about this.
Not one other championship-level golfer has tried to gain the right to use carts during tournaments. Nobody has suggested that carts be used in events on brutally hot days. It's a non-factor, a non-issue.
Somehow, golf has done just fine despite Martin's attempts to "ruin" the sport.
Martin is back at the U.S. Open, his first competitive event in five years. He got the right to play this week in San Francisco the hard way: He earned it through qualifying. (And, yes, he did use a cart to get around the course.) He is now a 40-year-old golf coach.
I'm rooting for him to at least make the cut.
---
On a completely unrelated note ...
I wrote another financial article for the Seeking Alpha site last week. Here's the link:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/646301-johnson-johnson-yielding-4-lockheed-martin-5-not-so-fast
No guarantee that reading it will make you a billionaire.
Or even a hundredaire like me.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tiger is golf, but he's still not "back"
^
While working at the golf course yesterday, I parked my cart in front of the pro shop and went inside to use the men's room. On my way back, I stopped briefly in front of the small TV in the shop. Seconds later, one of the club members walked next to me and asked, "How's he doing?"
I didn't have to ask who "he" was, and the member didn't need to say a name.
Even though it has been nearly four years since he won a major tournament, and even though he pretty much fell off the golfing map for the better part (or worse part, in his case) of two years, Tiger Woods is golf.
Sometimes people complain that he gets too much hype or that ESPN focuses on him too much or that golf writers can't write any golf story without mentioning him -- even if he didn't play in the tournament about which they are writing. There's a reason for all that:
Because he's Tiger Freakin' Woods.
Whether you are a Tiger fan or whether you are a Tiger hater ... whether you are a huge golf fan or barely even a casual observer ... whether you enjoyed Elin taking a 9-iron to his head or thought she should have used a wedge ... his name resonates.
He is golf.
I do not care if Tiger Woods wins or loses, but I prefer that he be a factor whenever he plays. If Tiger is contending on Sunday, a tournament is more interesting. It simply matters more.
In winning Jack Nicklaus' tournament on Sunday -- thereby tying Jack for second on the all-time wins list -- Tiger made a high-risk chip shot so incredible that Nicklaus himself called it "the most unbelievable, gutsy shot I've ever seen."
That's two wins this season after a long dry spell for Tiger, and many have declared that he is "back" just in time for the U.S. Open, which takes place in two weeks.
Sorry, but I'll believe he is back only if he wins the U.S. Open.
He impressively won Arnold's tournament on March 22, leading many observers at the time to say he was back. His next three events: tied for 40th; missed cut; tied for 40th.
He wasn't back.
Tiger himself measures success by the majors. He has been sitting at 14 major titles, four behind Jack's all-time mark, since winning the '08 U.S. Open.
By his own measure, he has failed for four years. Why should us mere mortals measure him any other way?
I'm glad this year's U.S. Open is San Francisco, because that means Sunday's final round will be on in prime time on Father's Day. I'll be home from work and sitting on my La-Z-Boy, watching the entire final round, a bowl of guacamole on one side and a platter of pita chips on the other.
I hope I'm watching Tiger Woods at his best, because the entertainment will be better if he is.
Oh, I'll enjoy it whether he wins or loses. The U.S. Open just about never disappoints.
But if he wins, I'll lift my glass to the TV and say: Tiger is golf ... and now he's finally back.
^
While working at the golf course yesterday, I parked my cart in front of the pro shop and went inside to use the men's room. On my way back, I stopped briefly in front of the small TV in the shop. Seconds later, one of the club members walked next to me and asked, "How's he doing?"
I didn't have to ask who "he" was, and the member didn't need to say a name.
Even though it has been nearly four years since he won a major tournament, and even though he pretty much fell off the golfing map for the better part (or worse part, in his case) of two years, Tiger Woods is golf.
Sometimes people complain that he gets too much hype or that ESPN focuses on him too much or that golf writers can't write any golf story without mentioning him -- even if he didn't play in the tournament about which they are writing. There's a reason for all that:
Because he's Tiger Freakin' Woods.
Whether you are a Tiger fan or whether you are a Tiger hater ... whether you are a huge golf fan or barely even a casual observer ... whether you enjoyed Elin taking a 9-iron to his head or thought she should have used a wedge ... his name resonates.
He is golf.
I do not care if Tiger Woods wins or loses, but I prefer that he be a factor whenever he plays. If Tiger is contending on Sunday, a tournament is more interesting. It simply matters more.
In winning Jack Nicklaus' tournament on Sunday -- thereby tying Jack for second on the all-time wins list -- Tiger made a high-risk chip shot so incredible that Nicklaus himself called it "the most unbelievable, gutsy shot I've ever seen."
That's two wins this season after a long dry spell for Tiger, and many have declared that he is "back" just in time for the U.S. Open, which takes place in two weeks.
Sorry, but I'll believe he is back only if he wins the U.S. Open.
He impressively won Arnold's tournament on March 22, leading many observers at the time to say he was back. His next three events: tied for 40th; missed cut; tied for 40th.
He wasn't back.
Tiger himself measures success by the majors. He has been sitting at 14 major titles, four behind Jack's all-time mark, since winning the '08 U.S. Open.
By his own measure, he has failed for four years. Why should us mere mortals measure him any other way?
I'm glad this year's U.S. Open is San Francisco, because that means Sunday's final round will be on in prime time on Father's Day. I'll be home from work and sitting on my La-Z-Boy, watching the entire final round, a bowl of guacamole on one side and a platter of pita chips on the other.
I hope I'm watching Tiger Woods at his best, because the entertainment will be better if he is.
Oh, I'll enjoy it whether he wins or loses. The U.S. Open just about never disappoints.
But if he wins, I'll lift my glass to the TV and say: Tiger is golf ... and now he's finally back.
^
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Today's High Five -- 9/11, tea party and lots of sports
^
5. If you didn't know much about the tea party, you learned all you needed to know about it during one particular moment in Monday's tea-party sponsored GOP presidential debate:
Ron Paul was talking about personal responsibility (an admirable goal, of course), when moderator Wolf Blitzer presented him with an example of a 30-year-old man who chose to stop paying hundreds of dollars a month for health insurance. In Blitzer's example, something happened to the man and he needed expensive treatment in ICU. Would the man be entitled to hospital care? As Paul, a physician before he was a congressman, again tried to talk about personal responsibility, Blitzer interrupted and asked: "So you'd let him die?"
Several of the tea partiers in the audience shouted: "Yes!" or "Yeah!" and then dozens more clapped and cheered.
Paul then twisted uncomfortably as he avoided a direct answer. (Later, tea party darling Michele Bachmann also completely avoided answering the question, one of her favorite debate tactics.)
This was not a trick question by the "gotcha" media. This was an example of something hospitals face multiple times every single day: uninsured patients needing serious medical care. Currently, taxpayers foot the bill -- a hefty bill because neither market forces nor the government keep health costs low.
The tea party, remember, wants government out of the lives of every individual. Personal choice is the thing. Hmmm. I wonder if most tea partiers feel the same about women's reproductive choices?
(And let's not forget that the single loudest cheer at the first GOP debate came in support of Rick Perry's declaration that he was proud of being the governor who has executed the most criminals. Never mind that today's science has produced numerous cases of wrongly accused people on death row being exonerated years later by DNA evidence. Rick Perry and his ilk are not about to let science trump the pitchforks-and-torches emotion that fuels much right-wing dogma.)
4. An inordinate number of football fans, be they rabid followers or casual observers, actually believe Rex Grossman is one of the worst QBs ever. Please.
Statistically, he actually has been mediocre, with slightly more career TDs than interceptions and slightly more wins as a starter than losses. And he has had flashes of excellence.
When the Bears went to the Super Bowl a few years ago, they got off to a great start in great part because Grossman arguably was the league MVP that September. He went on to have several horrific games before making some big plays in two playoff victories and then playing poorly in the Super Bowl.
Grossman often makes stupid decisions but he does have some talent, as he displayed again in leading the Redskins to an enormous season-opening upset of the Giants with 305 yards, 2 TDs and zero picks.
Look, I'm not saying Rex Grossman ever will be confused with Peyton Manning, Dan Marino or the guy to whom he once -- ridiculously -- was compared, Brett Favre.
All I'm saying is that there have been hundreds of QBs worse than Grossman -- a disproportionate number of whom have played for the Bears.
3. The most interesting story so far this college season has been Notre Dame's ability to lose in the most inventive, exciting fashion.
2. Brave of tennis' governing body for coming down hard on Serena Williams, who repeatedly and unjustifiably berated an umpire during the U.S. Open women's final. The penalty:
A $2,000 fine.
Let's see ... 2 grand to Serena Williams is the same as how much to you and me? A penny? Maybe less?
In the famous words of John McEnroe: You cannot be serious!
(By the way, McEnroe might actually be a better TV commentator than he was a tennis player. And those of us lucky enough to have seen him play know that is a supreme compliment.)
1. I spent the weekend in Asheville with my wife. We took in some sights, did a lot of walking, ate well, enjoyed a beverage or three and just enjoyed each other's company.
The subject of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 did come up, but we didn't talk about it much.
Some would label me unpatriotic for admitting this.
Fact is, just as I don't wait until my wedding anniversary to think about how much I love my wife, I don't need the anniversary of a terrorist plot to make me remember that horrible day or to think about how lucky I am to be an American.
I feel for the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people affected by the events of 9/11/01. The best way to honor their memory would be by fixing what ails our country now.
^
^
5. If you didn't know much about the tea party, you learned all you needed to know about it during one particular moment in Monday's tea-party sponsored GOP presidential debate:
Ron Paul was talking about personal responsibility (an admirable goal, of course), when moderator Wolf Blitzer presented him with an example of a 30-year-old man who chose to stop paying hundreds of dollars a month for health insurance. In Blitzer's example, something happened to the man and he needed expensive treatment in ICU. Would the man be entitled to hospital care? As Paul, a physician before he was a congressman, again tried to talk about personal responsibility, Blitzer interrupted and asked: "So you'd let him die?"
Several of the tea partiers in the audience shouted: "Yes!" or "Yeah!" and then dozens more clapped and cheered.
Paul then twisted uncomfortably as he avoided a direct answer. (Later, tea party darling Michele Bachmann also completely avoided answering the question, one of her favorite debate tactics.)
This was not a trick question by the "gotcha" media. This was an example of something hospitals face multiple times every single day: uninsured patients needing serious medical care. Currently, taxpayers foot the bill -- a hefty bill because neither market forces nor the government keep health costs low.
The tea party, remember, wants government out of the lives of every individual. Personal choice is the thing. Hmmm. I wonder if most tea partiers feel the same about women's reproductive choices?
(And let's not forget that the single loudest cheer at the first GOP debate came in support of Rick Perry's declaration that he was proud of being the governor who has executed the most criminals. Never mind that today's science has produced numerous cases of wrongly accused people on death row being exonerated years later by DNA evidence. Rick Perry and his ilk are not about to let science trump the pitchforks-and-torches emotion that fuels much right-wing dogma.)
4. An inordinate number of football fans, be they rabid followers or casual observers, actually believe Rex Grossman is one of the worst QBs ever. Please.
Statistically, he actually has been mediocre, with slightly more career TDs than interceptions and slightly more wins as a starter than losses. And he has had flashes of excellence.
When the Bears went to the Super Bowl a few years ago, they got off to a great start in great part because Grossman arguably was the league MVP that September. He went on to have several horrific games before making some big plays in two playoff victories and then playing poorly in the Super Bowl.
Grossman often makes stupid decisions but he does have some talent, as he displayed again in leading the Redskins to an enormous season-opening upset of the Giants with 305 yards, 2 TDs and zero picks.
Look, I'm not saying Rex Grossman ever will be confused with Peyton Manning, Dan Marino or the guy to whom he once -- ridiculously -- was compared, Brett Favre.
All I'm saying is that there have been hundreds of QBs worse than Grossman -- a disproportionate number of whom have played for the Bears.
3. The most interesting story so far this college season has been Notre Dame's ability to lose in the most inventive, exciting fashion.
2. Brave of tennis' governing body for coming down hard on Serena Williams, who repeatedly and unjustifiably berated an umpire during the U.S. Open women's final. The penalty:
A $2,000 fine.
Let's see ... 2 grand to Serena Williams is the same as how much to you and me? A penny? Maybe less?
In the famous words of John McEnroe: You cannot be serious!
(By the way, McEnroe might actually be a better TV commentator than he was a tennis player. And those of us lucky enough to have seen him play know that is a supreme compliment.)
1. I spent the weekend in Asheville with my wife. We took in some sights, did a lot of walking, ate well, enjoyed a beverage or three and just enjoyed each other's company.
The subject of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 did come up, but we didn't talk about it much.
Some would label me unpatriotic for admitting this.
Fact is, just as I don't wait until my wedding anniversary to think about how much I love my wife, I don't need the anniversary of a terrorist plot to make me remember that horrible day or to think about how lucky I am to be an American.
I feel for the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people affected by the events of 9/11/01. The best way to honor their memory would be by fixing what ails our country now.
^
^
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hoping 2012 U.S. Open comes down to Tiger-Rory playoff
^
The Bald Truth
I miss Tiger. Really.
Sure, I was in awe of Rory McIlroy, both his incredible swing and his can-do demeanor. And I'll admit I was rooting for him to keep going more and more under par.
But as was the case when Tiger Woods was winning tournaments by double-digit totals, I grew a little bored as I watched McIlroy's runaway U.S. Open victory. I'll take a nail-biter of a tournament that goes down to the final putt over a record-setting rout every time.
I mean, how many times should one have to listen to Johnny Miller chuckle at the absurdity of McIlroy's near-perfect shotmaking?
McIlroy certainly looks like golf's next big thing. Wouldn't it be delicious if the sport's last big thing got healthy, got his game back and took all this adulation being heaped on McIlroy personally?
Wouldn't it be great if Tiger Woods acted like his buddy and role model, Michael Jordan, who used such challenges to motivate himself and amaze us all?
I covered the PGA Championship at Medinah in 1999, when a baby-faced Sergio Garcia almost stole the show from Woods. At the time, we all assumed we'd be treated to Sergio vs. Tiger for the next two decades. Unfortunately, Sergio lost his copy of the script.
Now that Tiger is the hunter instead of the hunted, will he be able to play his part? Can he be the Arnie to McIlroy's Jack?
Wouldn't that be something?
The Quote
"He lapped the field, and for such a young age, how mature he is." -- Jason Day
The U.S. Open runner-up is 23, an old man compared to the 22-year-old champion.
The Balder Truth
My favorite thing about McIlroy -- and there are lots of favorite things with this kid -- is how quickly he plays.
He doesn't stand there for five minutes trying to figure out how a 2 mph breeze will affect his next shot. He doesn't examine every putt from 14 different angles. He doesn't agonize for 30 seconds after every miss or pump his fist 20 times after every make. He doesn't confer with his caddie for 10 minutes and change clubs three times before addressing the ball.
He walks up to his Pro V1, hits it and gets ready for the next shot.
All of us would be wise to copy McIlroy's picture-perfect swing. All of us also are wise enough to know we can't.
One thing we can copy is his desire to play the game quickly.
The more time under 4 hours a round can take, the more time there is for the 19th hole.
Who's No. 1?
If it's too early to say for sure that it's McIlroy, we don't really know who No. 1 is. But we know who it isn't.
Luke Donald has to be one of the great pretenders in recent sports history.
THE BALDEST TRUTH
Americans aren't winning golf's majors. They aren't contending at Wimbledon, either.
Which means ... what? ... we're supposed to be ashamed to be Americans or something?
Our elected leaders do plenty to make us ashamed. What happens in our sporting venues is immaterial.
It's only sports, you know?
^
The Bald Truth
I miss Tiger. Really.
Sure, I was in awe of Rory McIlroy, both his incredible swing and his can-do demeanor. And I'll admit I was rooting for him to keep going more and more under par.
But as was the case when Tiger Woods was winning tournaments by double-digit totals, I grew a little bored as I watched McIlroy's runaway U.S. Open victory. I'll take a nail-biter of a tournament that goes down to the final putt over a record-setting rout every time.
I mean, how many times should one have to listen to Johnny Miller chuckle at the absurdity of McIlroy's near-perfect shotmaking?
McIlroy certainly looks like golf's next big thing. Wouldn't it be delicious if the sport's last big thing got healthy, got his game back and took all this adulation being heaped on McIlroy personally?
Wouldn't it be great if Tiger Woods acted like his buddy and role model, Michael Jordan, who used such challenges to motivate himself and amaze us all?
I covered the PGA Championship at Medinah in 1999, when a baby-faced Sergio Garcia almost stole the show from Woods. At the time, we all assumed we'd be treated to Sergio vs. Tiger for the next two decades. Unfortunately, Sergio lost his copy of the script.
Now that Tiger is the hunter instead of the hunted, will he be able to play his part? Can he be the Arnie to McIlroy's Jack?
Wouldn't that be something?
The Quote
"He lapped the field, and for such a young age, how mature he is." -- Jason Day
The U.S. Open runner-up is 23, an old man compared to the 22-year-old champion.
The Balder Truth
My favorite thing about McIlroy -- and there are lots of favorite things with this kid -- is how quickly he plays.
He doesn't stand there for five minutes trying to figure out how a 2 mph breeze will affect his next shot. He doesn't examine every putt from 14 different angles. He doesn't agonize for 30 seconds after every miss or pump his fist 20 times after every make. He doesn't confer with his caddie for 10 minutes and change clubs three times before addressing the ball.
He walks up to his Pro V1, hits it and gets ready for the next shot.
All of us would be wise to copy McIlroy's picture-perfect swing. All of us also are wise enough to know we can't.
One thing we can copy is his desire to play the game quickly.
The more time under 4 hours a round can take, the more time there is for the 19th hole.
Who's No. 1?
If it's too early to say for sure that it's McIlroy, we don't really know who No. 1 is. But we know who it isn't.
Luke Donald has to be one of the great pretenders in recent sports history.
THE BALDEST TRUTH
Americans aren't winning golf's majors. They aren't contending at Wimbledon, either.
Which means ... what? ... we're supposed to be ashamed to be Americans or something?
Our elected leaders do plenty to make us ashamed. What happens in our sporting venues is immaterial.
It's only sports, you know?
^
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Heimlich, anyone?
^
You know it's a crazy sports Sunday when the Cubs don't choke but Tiger, Phil and Ernie do!
A double celebration on U.S. Open Sunday
^
Tiger, Phil and Ernie are in the hunt ... and I'll be watching from my recliner, enjoying guacamole, chips and iced tea all day long.
For all the dads out there, here's hoping your Father's Day will be as great as mine.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Kobe to Ubaldo and everything in between
^
Of course, Kobe Bryant isn't the player Michael Jordan was, but maybe now we can say Kobe is 5/6ths Michael's greatness level, right?
Phil Jackson = Best Coach Ever (regardless of sport). If anybody has some kind of objective measurement to prove otherwise, I'm all ears.
Ray Allen choked. If only he had asked: "What Would Jesus (Shuttlesworth) Do?"
Great run by a great guy, my old Marquette compadre Doc Rivers.
Life isn't fair. How else to explaim a knucklehead like Ron Artest winning a championship in his one L.A. season but Karl Malone failing to do so?
Now that the NBA has gotten its annoying championship series out of the way, the official Kiss LeBron's Rump season can start in earnest.
Meanwhile, at the U.S. Open ...
Methinks it's time for Ryo Ishikawa to give that outfit back to the retired Florida grandma he stole it from.
I'd really like to play Pebble Beach someday. I just want somebody else to pay for my round. And for the two dozen Pro-V1s I'd lose. Is that asking too much?
While many golfers wore short sleeves for Round 1, Tiger Woods donned a long-sleeved fleece. Not that I'm calling any man who has been known to have sex 10 times a day with 10 different women a wimp or anything.
Other stuff:
Saying there is no need for four or more preseason games per team, the NFL finally is admitting it has been fleecing fans for decades.
The White Sox swept the Pirates! For the Cubbies' benefit, I repeat: The White Sox swept the Pirates!
I thought I was watching the World Cup, but the game on my TV actually had a score that wasn't 1-0 or 0-0, so I now realize it must have been something else.
I wouldn't have believed that Kosuke Fukudome led the Cubs to victory if I hadn't witnessed it for myself. (READ THE STORY I WROTE FOR AP.)
Both the coolest first name in sports and the most talent at his position. I mean, how lucky is Ubaldo Jimenez?
Monday, September 14, 2009
What would J.C. do? Throw 4 picks!
^
The Bald Truth
Believe me, I'd be saying this even if Bears Savior J.C. had thrown four TD passes to beat the Packers by 20:
It's too early to judge Jay Cutler.
Yes, Bears Savior J.C. threw four interceptions, would have thrown four more if Green Bay DBs weren't wearing oven mitts, couldn't rally his new team to victory at the end and spent most of the game looking as if he hadn't taken part in a single preseason practice.
Yes, he contributed to the Bears having to waste all three second-half timeouts.
Yes, he was bad. Not quite Jonathan Quinn bad, but certainly Cade McNown bad.
BUT IT'S ONLY ONE FREAKIN' GAME!
It was J.C.'s first game with a new team, new coaches and new receivers. Not to mention new expectations that are stupidly high.
If he's still playing like this in October, though ... well, do the Bears still have Moses Moreno on speed-dial?
The Quote I
"How funny is it that you see Kyle Orton in Denver chillin' right now at 1-0?" - Rodney Harrison, NBC studio analyst.
Indeed, K.O. leads J.C., 1 miracle to none.
The List
Ten observations from the Bears-Packers game:
1. Just a few minutes after he was called for a phantom penalty that kept Chicago's go-ahead drive alive, Al Harris picked off Bears Savior J.C. to launch Green Bay's all-the-cheese-you-can-eat celebration. This is what's called poetic justice.
2. Give Bears Savior J.C. credit for his sticktoitiveness. Two times he tried to throw passes right to Tramon Williams. Two times the Packers' DB dropped passes that hit him in his hands. But doggone it if J.C. didn't finally hit Williams in stride late in the first half.
3. How nice of Adewale Ogunleye to emerge from his two-year hibernation now that he's in a contract season.
4. I'm a big fan of NBC's Cris Collinsworth ... but if he pointed out one more time that the Packers looked much sharper in preseason than they did Sunday, I was going to climb aboard Air Nadel, fly to Green Bay and go all Serena Williams on him. The preseason means zilch because opposing defenses show nothing, and Collinsworth is smart enough to know it. C'mon, dude!
5. Remember Nate Vasher?
6. How wild that Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly thought he was Peyton Manning and called an audible, with the bungled fake punt handing the Packers a gift field goal. How crazy that the Bears give their long snapper such autonomy. And how desperate of Lovie Smith to give away a precious time-out by challenging the number of players the Packers had on the field. I mean, if the Bears wanted to go 0-for-3, they would have acquired Milton Bradley, not Jay Cutler.
7. Whether he's overrated, underrated or just plain rated, Brian Urlacher is important to the Bears, and if his dislocated wrist isn't located real soon, they have little chance of contending in a very tough division. Hunter Hillenmeyer? What, it isn't incredible enough that 3/11ths of the Bears' starting offense played at Vanderbilt?
8. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers wasn't very good, either, but he came through when it counted and didn't throw any interceptions. That he twice missed long TD passes to receivers who had beaten Bears DBs by several yards should make any honest Bears fan plenty worried about the D.
9. On the decisive snap - Rodgers' winning 50-yard heave to wide-open Greg Jennings on a third-and-1 play-action pass with 1:11 to go - Lovie's defense was bamboozled by Mike McCarthy's offense. And now that he's calling the defensive plays, Lovie has no scapegoat except himself.
10. If Collinsworth, a former star receiver, was right about inept Chicago wideouts costing Cutler dearly because they couldn't make proper adjustments on the fly, then GM Jerry Angelo was wrong about Bears Savior J.C. being able to turn a chickenspit receiving corps into chicken salad.
The Quote II
"It was a tough night for Jay. And when you're gonna be the franchise quarterback, how do you respond in tough situations? First play interception in the two-minute drill. That's not what Chicago gave up two number-one draft choices for." - Tony Dungy, NBC studio analyst.
Welcome to The Bears Savior J.C. Bandwagon, folks. Easy-on, easy-off.
THE BALDEST TRUTH
When calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-11 from your own 26 in the fourth quarter of a two-point game on the road, Mannelly can't just think the opponent has too many men on the field. He must be absolutely, positively, 100 percent certain.
See, NFL teams don't hire long snappers because they're deep thinkers.
Of course, if the play had worked, Mannelly would have been Snappy McGenius to all the fanatics who reside in Bear Country.
But it didn't. So he isn't.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Serena's effin' bedtime tales
^
Just a quick bedtime story, kids.
Once upon a time, there was a great tennis player named Serena. She didn't like a call that the line judge made in her U.S. Open semifinal match against another great player named Kim, so Serena huffed and she puffed and she screamed:
"If I could, I would take this (effin') ball and shove it down your (effin') throat ... "
Serena then was penalized a point, which ended the match.
And Kim lived happily ever after.
The End.
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