Monday, August 30, 2010 @ 6:23pm
Will the next "Phenom" please stand up?

Terrible news this week when it came out that Washington Nationals' rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg will require Tommy John surgery to repair (i.e. reconstruct) his ailing right pitching arm. I'm not sure who feels worse after hearing the news - Strasburg, the Nationals' organization or the brass at ESPN. Seemingly every pitch Strasburg hurled plate-ward was cause enough to cut-in live from previously scheduled programming and before that, the days leading up to his MLB debut were so thoroughly saturated with coverage that LeBron James and Brett Favre were tired of hearing about it.

Now that Strasburg is on the shelf for 12 to 18 months, who will the Boys of Bristol, Connecticut, turn to next? How about minor league pitcher and former Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman? The lanky lefty is rumored to be getting the call to "the Show" tomorrow from the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds, I remind you, outbid the Red Sox, Yankees and a host of other suitors earlier this year for Chapman's services. At triple-A Louisville, he has not disappointed. He started the season in the Riverbats' rotation but with the organization's young starting pitching depth (and the big club's aging back-end of the bullpen) Chapman was moved to the 'pen. Overall, Chapman is 9-6 with 125 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .218 against him. Not impressed yet? How about this...... three nights ago, pitching against Columbus, Chapman was clocked on consecutive pitches at 100 miles per hour, 102 mph, 101, 105 and 104. Understanding that minor league radar guns can be the subject of justified scrutiny, fast is fast and 105 on any gun is crazy fast.

So what does this mean to the Reds, to MLB and to ESPN? The Reds need a fresh arm in the bullpen. Closer Francisco Cordero has rebounded well from control issues earlier in the year but left handed specialist and 2010 all star Arthur Rhodes is faltering. The Reds are in the pennant chase for the first time in eleven years and have a big series against division rival St Louis this weekend. It also ensures that the "Cuban Missile" will be eligible for post season play. Remember David Price and what he did for the Tampa Bay Rays as a rookie in their playoff run a few years ago?

Major League Baseball will love the new story line in what is fast becoming one of the more heated rivalries (Reds v. Cards) in the game. And ESPN will now be able to water down their coverage on ESPN Deportes as well as the main network.

Thursday, August 26, 2010 @ 8:56pm
This Weekend Should Clarify Ryder Cup Picture

This weekend's PGA tournament, The Barclays, and European Cup tournament, the Johnnie Walker Championship, could provide answers to much of the lingering issues surrounding final Ryder Cup rosters. Both the USA and the European teams have question marks in the six weeks leading up to the Big Event in Wales. But hopefuls on both sides are hoping to erase all doubts from the minds of their respective captains - Colin Montgomerie for the host Euros and Corey Pavin for the visiting Yanks. Monty has said that he would like to make his selections after the weekend and Pavin is looking at the first week of September to set his squad.

The biggest story surrounding the selection of the "captain's picks," possibly the biggest on-course story in golf for the last month, has been the Ryder Cup status of Tiger Woods. Corey Pavin has been trying to remain non-committal, despite the best efforts of Jim Gray, when the topic of Woods comes up. But let's be honest, here, Tiger is on the team if he wants it. And if today's round is any indication, he wants it. Tiger currently sets atop the first round leader board after a nearly mistake-free 65. But Tiger has posted low numbers at other points this year, including early rounds at both the Masters and the US Open, without being able to follow it up as the weekend progressed. That's not what you want at the Ryder Cup. If Tiger strings together three more rounds like today's effort, it's a slam dunk for Pavin. If he falters like he did at Augusta and Pebble Beach (or God forbid like he did at Royal St. Andrews) then it's going to continue to be a highly scrutinized gamble.

Aside from the Woods storyline (believe it or not, there are other story lines), there are a handful of the world's greatest golfers that have something to prove before being selected to represent their country at Celtic Manor. For the Americans, Anthony Kim, currently ranked ninth in Ryder Cup standings, has to prove that he's healthy enough to play effectively. Kim has the game for the event- his riverboat gambler style of play suits the event and there is no denying his talent. But he's only played in nine tournaments this year, the product of mid season wrist surgery. Before the injury, Kim was playing very good golf and it's hard to not root for a guy who literally scheduled his surgery and rehab around being ready for this event.

Lucas Glover (10th in RC standings), Zach Johnson (11th) and Stewart Cink (14) have all won majors and have played very well at times this year. Of the rest of the field playing for the four remaining US spots, these three may have the least to prove that they belong. A talented group of American players are just entering their prime, are playing good golf and have the type of game well suited for Ryder Cup play. The big question for this group, which includes Bo Van Pelt (13), Ben Crane (15), Ricky Barnes (16), Nick Watney (17) and Sean O'Hair (18), is what sets them apart from the others being considered. This weekend may be the stage for each of them to make their move and state their case for Pavin.

While he doesn't have the spotlight storyline, European captain Colin Montgomerie has several intriguing choices to make himself. Monty, the consummate Ryder Cup veteran and his "three musketeer" co-captains have three open spots to fill. It would be hard to imagine a European team without Sergio Garcia, but the one time wonder kid from Spain has not had the type of year that his fans have become accustomed to. His play has been steady (13 out of 15 cuts made) but unspectacular (only one top ten finish). But Sergio plays with a fire and a passion that lifts his play and that of his teammates at this event and he always seems to bring his A game to Ryder Cup play. It doesn't look too promising for Sergio though. He is currently taking a break from the game, a decision made after shooting 78-83 to miss the cut at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and Monty didn't seem too positive when discussing Garcia's chances two weeks ago.

Like Sergio Garcia, it would be hard to imagine this year's Ryder Cup without Padraig Harrington on the European roster. Harrington is one of the premier names in the sport and as a multiple major winner, he has proven he can excel at the highest level. But also like Garcia, Harrington has had a very a-typical year for him. At the peak of his game two years ago, Paddy changed his swing and he's scuffled a bit since. But in baseball terms, Harrington is a big game pitcher and I can't imagine Monty not giving him the ball.

Harrington will be trying to prove he belongs on the Ryder Cup team while playing at the Barclays but he's one of only a few Euros who will be teeing it up at Ridgewood CC this weekend. The aforementioned Garcia, Eduardo Molinari and most of the other top European players are not joining Paddy and Rory McIlroy in New Jersey. The Johnnie Walker Championship at Glen Eagles will feature the other top Euros (minus Garcia) looking for one of the final three spots and you can bet that Monty will be watching.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 @ 1:43pm
Of Brett, the Hit King and the Rocket....

Before I get too far into this post, let me first thank Brett Favre for returning to the NFL and his beloved teammates in Minnesota. By the way, he came back for you, fellas. To say that he came back for the um-teen million dollars the Vikings brass will shower him with or that he came back to feed an insatiable ego would be cynical, even if it's pointed out that if he really felt like he "owed" it to his purple-clad brethern he probably would have reported on time and would not have put his team, his coach and the rest of the organization through this recurring circus. I'm sure this had nothing to do with the fact that Favre (once again) probably just didn't feel like going through a full training camp. Good to have you back Brett and thanks once again buddy.

In case you haven't heard, Major League Baseball has agreed to allow the Cincinnati Reds to honor Pete Rose at Great American Ballpark on the upcoming 25th anniversary of his becoming the sport's all time hits leader. But alas, Pete has other plans that night - he's making an appearance at a local casino. If it weren't true, it would be difficult to even make this up.

Speaking of fallen heroes, Tiger's divorce went final yesterday and Roger Clemens will challenge evidence that includes testimony by not only his former trainer but also his buddy Andy Petitte that he abused steroids and HGH (then allegedly lied to Congress about it). Throw in alleged traces of his DNA on a steroid-tainted syringe and it doesn't look too good for the Rocket.

Perhaps it was the poet laureat Charles Barkley who put it best when he said "just because I play sports doesn't mean I'm a #@*% role model."

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 @ 11:55am
Extraordinary Year for Dustin Johnson

To say that Dustin Johnson's 2010 season on the PGA Tour has "had its ups and downs" is like saying the federal tax code is "complicated." In fact, Johnson's year has had so many highs and lows that Disney should name a ride after him.

Sunday's two stroke penalty while leading the field by one stroke on the 72 hole of the PGA Championship is just the latest chapter in an extraordinary year for Johnson and the PGA Tour. His 2010 success started out strong with a win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's continued that strong play throughout the year - so much so that he currently sits eleventh in FedEx Cup points and despite the penalty and subsequent drop from first to fifth at the PGA, his finish at Whistling Straits secured him his first Ryder Cup invitation.

Johnson has been strong all year and his stats are among the best on tour: 3rd in driving distance, first in eagles, fifth in par breakers, etc. He's made the cut in 16 out of 19 tournaments in which he's played and has five top ten finishes to go with his win at Pebble.

The lows have been less frequent yet more publicized. In addition to the incident at Whistling Straits, earlier this year Johnson took a three shot lead into the final round of the US Open, only to shoot a final round 82 and drop to a tie for eighth. Playing the same venue at which he beat the field months before, the hallowed grounds of Pebble Beach, Johnson couldn't keep his Ruthian drives in fair territory, missing fairways and greens on his way to carding bogey (or worse) on 8 out of 18 holes.

Johnson was obviously disappointed by the outcome Sunday but has handled the situation with poise. His post round comments were a combination of regret and encouragement, saying “I hit some really good shots coming down the stretch, made some birdies to get a one shot lead going into 18. Other than the unfortunate incident on 18, I played really well all day. I'm definitely happy with my play.” (pga.com)

Despite the notable setbacks, Johnson, 26, has to be considered among the next generation of golfing elite. He's proven he can win (his three career victories are tied for tops among the under 30 crowd on tour) and he's proven that he can handle the adversity. He'll get another chance to win on the big stage in six weeks when the US defends its hold on the Ryder Cup in Wales. It's a chance for Johnson to finish the year as he started it - on high ground.

Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 10:28am
PGA Championship through round 2

While some of the big names (Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Furyk) are poised near the top of the leaderboard, the story of the PGA Championship so far appears to be the other (less known) names at or near the top of the list. Earlier this week during TNT's round one coverage, Ian Baker-Finch hinted at a "changing of the guard" on Tour. I think Baker-Finch is right on with that analysis. Several months ago I blogged about the "young guns" on tour, notably Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Ryo Ishikawa. Add to that list some of the names atop the PGA Championship standings - Kuchar, Watney, Holmes, Dustin Johnson - as well as recent Tour winners Mahan, Poulter, Scott, Day and Rose and you can catch a glimpse into the future of the Tour.

Having said all that, it would be foolish to count out the "old guard" just yet. Despite having an erratic putter for several seasons running now, Vijay Singh proved that he's still one of the best ball strikers on Tour when he dropped a 66 on Whistling Straits yesterday. Tiger being at -3 through 2 rounds puts him in the thick of it and Lefty, bad back and all, can never be counted out of any tournament in which he plays.

Another story line is the re-emergence of Americans at the top of the leaderboard. It's no secret that the US born players have, for the most part, been outplayed by their European counterparts this year. That pattern has reversed through 2 rounds at Whistling Straits. Ten out of fourteen players within 3 shots of the lead are "Yanks." All of us on this side of the pond hope that trend continues going forward into October when Ryder Cup play begins in Wales.

Final thought (for now) on the PGA Championship: Bubba Watson's story is great - his family has battled health issues for the past year and Bubba's emotional presser after round one was heart warming. On the course, I am just absolutely amazed to see a guy attack a 600 yard par 5 with driver / pitching wedge and drop it on the dance floor in two. How is that even possible? Absolutely amazing stuff.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 8:27pm
Pavin's Ryder Cup Dilemma

Will Tiger Woods make the Ryder Cup team? Should he? I know Corey Pavin has to at least consider the biggest name in golf as one of his "captain's picks" but watching Woods launch drives into the trees and chili-dip greenside irons at Firestone has to be on Pavin's mind. There is no shortage of more deserving candidates right now (Dustin Johnson, Ben Crane, Sean O'Hair just to name a few) and Tiger's head obviously just isn't right. But we're not talking about just anybody here. We're talking about Tiger Woods. A tough year to say the least and Tiger even admits that he is absolutely scrambling right now on the course. But he's the best player of his generation and it was just a year ago that he carded 17 top ten finishes in 19 tournaments entered. Of course, this is the Ryder Cup and Tiger historically has been good, not great, in Cup play. And don't forget, the Americans' big win at Valhalla in 2008 was without an injured Woods on the team. Pavin most likely has a whole bunch of voices in his ear giving him advice on what to do with his captain's picks and those voices, undoubtedly, will speak loudest on the topic of Tiger. A victory for the US will put any second guessing to rest but when Pavin announces his decision, it will be the subject of plenty of discussion. And a US loss would carry with it the blame of Pavin's choice - no matter which choice he makes....Tiger? Or no Tiger?

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By now you've probably seen Tim Tebow's hideous haircut. The new 'do is an example of how a training camp rite of passage can turn into a hot mess. Tebow's new "friar tuck" look is apparently compliments of Bronco linebacker Wesley Woodyard. If you're wondering what would inspire one teammate to follically disfigure another teammate, I submit that revenge was a factor. You see, Woodyard played his college ball at Kentucky. Tebow's Florida Gators beat the Wildcats by an average margin of 44-14 during Tebow's tenure, including 41-7 and 63-5 the last two years.

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Now that the Don Wakamatsu era is over, rumors of who will take over for "Wak" are starting to swirl. I have absolutely no inside (or outside for that matter) information but just a hunch: Say hello to the M's new manager......

Although Bobby Valentine is rumored to covet the opportunity to take over for the retiring Lou Piniella in Chicago, I'm going to stick to my hunch.

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Did anyone else watch the most boring football game in the history of the sport? The Cowboys/Bengals "Hall of Fame Game" Sunday night was an absolute yawn. I know it's preseason - game plans are vanilla and starters hardly even break a sweat. But to have that game played that way while in the presence of all the hall of famers in attendance was abysmal.

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010 @ 8:23pm
Is it August already Mr Favre?

Let me know if you've heard this one before (my guess is that you have). A professional athlete with superlative credentials and a Hall of Fame resume as long as a Minnesota winter tells people that he's going to retire then won't confirm reports to that effect (or even return reporters' voice mails). Immediately the national sports media pounces on the story and one particular network mobilizes its top reporters to the team's offices, the training camp facility and even the player's hometown. Meanwhile, video highlights go from clips to montages, documenting the highs and lows of the player's illustrious career. Experts throw in their two cents, teammates are interviewed and "man on the street" segments are beamed across the air. My reaction? Shrug.

Of course you've heard it before. It is training camp season, is it not? Brett Favre's annual study in (you choose) self absorbtion / indecision / boorishness / etc. is here once again. I don't know if Brett really is contemplating retirement or he's like the rest of us and just can't stand the constant Albert Haynesworth coverage. Either way, the only thing missing at this point is Brett crying in front of a room full of cameras.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not upset by any of this. I'm just "over" it. To say this has gotten old is an insult to geritol, "early bird" dinners and driving with a turn signal on. This story is Methusaleh. A decade ago I went to a Packers road game so that I could see Favre play before he retired. My buddies and I spent a good part of the game arguing about who was the best QB of all time but all agreed that it was great to see Favre play before he hung up his cleats. Now I just want him to go away.

Favre is a tremendous quarterback - a great football player. His first ballot Hall of Fame status is etched in stone. And perhaps the problem isn't so much Favre as it is the relentless pursuit of over-saturation by a certain sports network. But after five years of this monotony aren't we all ready for closure?

Saturday, July 24, 2010 @ 6:35pm
what did i miss?

For a variety of reasons, I had to put the blog on hiatus for a couple of weeks. What did I miss?

LeBron James, compliments of ESPN, rewrote the book on self importance. I know the guy is the second best player in the world right now but did anyone outside of northern ohio and/or south florida really care to watch that drivel? who knew that a circus could be so boring?

Isn't it about time to completely overhaul the voting for the MLB All Star game? We can argue all we want about whether or not the fans should vote but who exactly voted Omar Infante onto the NL squad? A good utility man, yes, but Infante doesn't even start most games. At least the fans got it right with the final vote and put triple crown threat Joey Votto on the roster. My vote is for the sportswriters to vote for the all stars every year. They are impartial, they do their homework and as members of the media they're easy to blame anyway.

Training camps are due to begin this week marking the beginning of "Favre Season." The whole "will he / won't he" conjecture will make all of us miss the "where will lebron go?" saga. Okay, no it won't.

Terrell Owens remains unsigned. What the heck, I hope he signs with the Miami Heat too.

Louis Oosthuizen cruised to victory at Royal St. Andrews to win the British Open. Once again, Tiger Woods failed to challenge the leaderboard.

Wimbledon finished with a yawn and now the Tour de France is wrapping up with a whimper.

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the World Cup. The athleticism of the players and the passion of the fans are amazing. Now imagine what will happen when the US puts out a legit contender. It will happen someday and when it does people will recognize guys like Landon Donovan as the ones who laid the ground work.

Lawrence Taylor in trouble with the law? No way. Michael Vick hanging out with the wrong crowd? Your kidding!!! Major college football players and programs being raided by sports agents? I can't believe it. Next thing you know there will be steroid allegations surrounding baseball's top sluggers and America's favorite golfer will be caught cheating on his wife. Impossible!

Rest in peace George Steinbrenner. He's probably driving Billy Martin crazy somewhere. And vice versa.

Saturday, June 19, 2010 @ 6:47pm
Remember Tiger Woods? He's back.

Getty Images

Tiger just put the golf world on notice. After stumbling briefly out of the gate, Tiger roared back into contention. The back nine, which is giving the best golfers in the world fits all week, was the stage for Tiger's march up the leaderboard. Tiger bogeyed two and three and faced a deficit of nine strokes off the lead. Over the next fifteen holes, Tiger birdied eight of them, more birdies than he's ever had in a single round of a US Open. He capped off his amazing round with birdie/birdie/birdie on 16, 17 and 18.

Johnny Miller, NBC analyst and a great golfer in his day, mused that Tiger's back nine 31 may be the best nine holes of Tiger's life. Tiger, for his part, referred to it as "a nice little stretch of nine holes." I guess that's another way of saying that it's another day at the office for Mr. Woods. Tiger finished with 66 and moved up 22 spots in the standings in the process. With the leaders now making the turn and facing the challenges of the back nine, Tiger has certainly played himself into contention heading into tomorrow's final round.

Saturday, June 19, 2010 @ 12:06pm
Will this be Lefty's year?

Getty Images

Phil Mickelson has finished runner up 5 times in the US Open. Nothing against Graeme McDowell, but you can't help but think that this is Phil Mickelson's year to win it McDowell holds a two shot lead going into the third round at Pebble Beach today but Friday's 66 by Phil not only reminded the golf world who is the best at his game right now (sorry Tiger) but it also may have provided a clear blueprint of how to play this course in these conditions. The mere fact that the 66 is the lowest score posted by any player so far does not tell the whole story. Phil attacked the front nine, posting birdie on five of the first eight holes on his way to a 31 at the turn. Despite bogeying number nine, Phil survived what many believe is the toughest three hole stretch- 8, 9 and 10 - at even par. Phil kept pace with "old man par" for much of the back nine, which is playing as the notably more difficult nine. His birdie on eleven preceded seven straight pars. Ask any pro and they will tell you that the key to winning the US Open is to make par, avoid anything double bogey or worse and take advantage of any birdie opportunity that the course gives you by hitting putts. Phil himself put it best when he summed it up by saying "If you want to stick with the leaders at the US Open, keep getting pars." The course, especially this course, does not allow you to be overly aggressive and post low scores.

So the difference between Friday's 66 and his opening round 75? Putting. After Thursday's round, Phil called his putting "horrific." He was tied for 116th in putting on Thursday. By contrast, he was tied for first in putting on Friday. Every clutch putt he needed, he drained. Padraig Harrington, who knows a little bit about good golf (and winning majors) played in the same group as Mickelson and called it the best he's ever seen Phil play. If Phil keeps hitting fairways (forget that wicked block Phil pushed into the fescue on 18) and drains putts and follows the same formula as he did on Friday (go after it on the front; stay out of trouble on the back) then this one might be all but wrapped up....with all due respect to Graeme McDowell.

*****
McDowell (-3) and Mickelson (-1) have company near the top of the leaderboard. Ernie Els, an elite player for many years in his own right, sits tied with Phil at one under. Els has already won twice this year and appears to have rediscovered his game after a few "off" years by his standards. Dustin Johnson, who won the AT&T championship at Pebble Beach earlier this year, is at one under as well. Also at one under is teenage phenom Ryo Ishikawa. Ishikawa plans on being aggressive, to "go for it," which on this course sets up a very interesting "risk/reward" scenario. The last ten US Opens have been won by the player either leading or within 2 strokes of the leader after the second round.

But, of course, you can't count out Tiger Woods. Even at seven shots behind the leader, Tiger is feeling pretty good about his chances.