Quite a weekend in Augusta and reaction from all angles and perspectives followed today. A few observations:
I was rooting for Phil, but not because his wife was battling cancer. I felt like Phil was the guy I knew best in the field and I was not rooting for Tiger.
I wasn't necessarily rooting against Tiger, but I did not have my arms raised in exultation like he did on his Sunday eagle.
It was amusing seeing the middle-aged white women cheer Tiger on. I'm not a woman nor have I ever been (and I have the medical records to prove it) but it seems to me Tiger is the last person I would be cheering on to win eternal glory. Yet those women might say Tiger's harem had just as much blame in this whole mess and they don't divide their morals along gender lines.
Jim Nantz and Francesa had a spat today about the reason the fans gave Tiger a break. Francesa said it was because they were mostly rich white people who had been grandfathered their tickets and did not want to lose their spots. Nantz said it was because the people who attend are the salt of the earth kind of folks who respect the game. Either way, Tiger will catch worse when he ventures into the world of domestic can beer-toting galleries.
photo via our friend Walter Peck
Monday, April 12
Last Golf Post For Awhile
Friday, April 9
It's Friday
Whether you are welcoming Tiger back with open arms like the crowd at Augusta or passing judgment on him from afar, everyone has their opinion and the attention he draws is unparalleled in the sports world or the media in general. Enjoy the weekend.
Thursday, April 8
The Non-Tiger Masters Pick
It's time to revive our time honored tradition of picking someone other than Tiger to win The Masters. Sure the blog has only been around long enough to do it once before, but it really has become a tradition unlike any other. It is fun to pick out a semi-unknown from the field and back him as the horse to surprise the field and dissapoint the viewing audience. Lucas Glover and Y.E. Yang did an admirable job in last year's majors at that. Our pick last year of Dustin Johnson was not too far out of the ballpark, but he finished tied for 30th.
This year our pick is none other than Thongchai Jaidee. His name is awesome and although ESPN has him 69th in their rankings, we have faith. Let's get to know more about Thongchai. He was born in Thailand, plays on the Asian and European tour. He was the first Thai to play in all four major championships. His first was the Masters in 2006 where he did not make the cut, but he finished 13th in the British Open last year. He holds the record on the Asian tour for victories and earnings. I assume he has achieved Manny Pacquiao status in Thailand. Maybe?
He was once a paratrooper in the Thai army and although he is only 138 pounds(!), it seems that the guy is unflappable. While everyone pays attention to and some root for the Cablanasian, the Asian tour master is going to bring it home. Go get em Thongchai!
As always, picks for entertainment purposes only.
Wednesday, March 17
Wednesday Links Returnith
Hey there, random internet link list. Haven't seen you in awhile. In between joinnig the regular American workforce and still finding quoting Dave Chappelle funny, things have been going on in what the Germans call "das interenet". Let's start things off with pure internet win(audio NSFW)...
via
Reggie Bush a Seahawk? It would give him the opportunity to cost Pete Carrol another title by pitching a dumb lateral. [Rumors and Rants]
Staying on the NFL topic, some underrated moves from Free Agency. [TBL]
It's trivia Wednesday! Honestly it kills me not to be able to play trivia at the grad every hump day. Can you name the cities that have hosted tournament games the most? [Sporcle]
Tiger returns for the Masters. Television execs at ESPN and CBS rejoice. Golf fans dance. White trash sluts pack suitcases and descend on Augusta. And some gambling site is picking him to win. [Sportress of Blogitude]
Say what you want about soccer players, they can get awfully creative when they score a goal. [Sportige]
Friday, February 19
Tiger Does Not Owe Me An Apology, But I Want One Anyway
In a little over an hour Tiger Woods will take the podium and face America. He will face the whole world. He will not face the media. That has the media upset, as if they should expect something more from a person who has up until now picked and chosen when he talks to the media and how much he gives them. Tiger has been prepped by his PR team and will deliver a carefully thought-out and written statement. It will be dissected and examined by all forms of media outlets: network and 24 hour news, blogs, major sports networks/websites, and certainly by the general public.
We have generally stayed away from all Tiger talk on our blog, even before the Thanksgiving incident up until now. We did do one post on how Tiger apparently thought tipping was for the birds, and referenced his skill on the golf course. Other than that, we left it up to others to make judgments about what drives Tiger, how good he really is, or what went on in his personal life. However, everyone and their mother has an opinion on this topic. Seriously, we all have thoughts on what Tiger did and what he should do.
A common theme among the media yesterday was that Tiger does not owe us an apology, he owes his wife, his family, and his sponsors an apology. While what Tiger did affects those parties a lot more than any of us, it does not mean he has not dropped a bomb in the middle of the American sports landscape. He does not owe me an apology, but I want to hear him say it anyway.
Speaking of his wife, I cannot believe she is staying with him after all of this. I know there are those that disagree but in my mind the man repeatedly and willfully banged anything that would serve him pancakes while you gave him two children and stayed behind. At this point money should not be an issue, Elin will get paid either way, this is about recognizing that the person you married had no intention of being faithful. How do carry on an intimate realtionship with this man? The time for those two having any kind of romantic connection has come and gone, unless Elin can deprogram her brain and shove enough prescription drugs down her throat to be okay how with she has been treated. It seems that those who are trying to save the marriage have found a scapegoat in the form of sexual addiction and lay the a large part of the blame on that instead of Tiger. The sexual addiction excuse is beyond a joke. I am not saying sexual addiction does not exist, I am saying it was not the cause of Tiger's behavior. An addiction is something that cripples your life and prevents you from functioning. Ever watch the show Intervention? That, my friends, is addiction. Tiger was still able to play golf, and quite well mind you. He was able to do his charity work, keep himself in shape, grab a shave with Roger Federer, and keep his wife in the dark for years. He may have a problem, but not an addiction. I liken this tactic to the trend of coaches getting caught at on-campus parties and pulled over for DUIs suddenly coming out and saying they were alcoholics to soften the blow. For the most part it works, the public takes sympathy and accepts the apology; is it any wonder both Eustachy and Huggins are employed coaches right now?
The problem lies in many layers underneath the stoic face we know of Tiger's. It has to do with his past, the way he has been deified in sports culture, and the manner in which wealthy men/athletes conduct themselves. Basically it is the way business is done for the super rich, Tiger just had it blow up in his face. He may have been more blatant and less discreet about some of his choices of partners, but once he became a super athlete he had no reason to feel constrained by what the general masses consider proper social sexual etiquette.
You may ask why I post this right before the actual reading of the statement, and the answer is I don't care what Tiger says. I know he will apologize, act contrite, and make it clear that he wants to move on and get back to golf. In this case I accept Tiger's apology and I am glad he gave it. It is something he should have done long ago in my opinion. Sooner or later if you want to get back to where you one stood among the titans, you have to own up to your transgressions. The media will not be satisfied because once again Tiger will not entertain their pointed questions. Others will not be happy because they feel Tiger never needed to apologize to them and just want to see him play golf. I am perfectly fine with whatever Tiger says, because he will say he is sorry and that is all I needed to move on.
Monday, June 8
Weekend Recap
I have decided job searching is only as stressful as you allow it to be. Therefore I welcome my oncoming unemplyoment in a little over 3 weeks, it will give me a chance to do some figurative and literal housecleaning. I hope your weekend out there was enjoyable. I can't decide what the highlight for me was, witnessing cookie-tossing at Waffle House at 2:30am, or the girl being carried out An Officer and A Gentleman style from the bar and the EMTs flowing in soon after.
Tiger Woods won a golf tournament yesterday, consider yourself warned. [Rumors and Rants]
I thought this girl winning the Texas state title in Track and Field was impressive, but Catfish was quick to point out, "It's only class A, isn't that the worst division?" [Deadspin]
I get the feeling the Stanley Cup Finals may be over tomorrow night after the way the Wings looked with Datsyuk back. [Yahoo]
Where was the security at Roland Garros on Sunday? [TBL]
Now I just think the Nationals are doing this stuff on purpose. [DC Sports Bog]
Ian Kinsler gets my vote for best player on a good team no one is talking about. [Dallas Morning News]
Southern Miss defeated Florida to advance to the College World Series. The Noles lost too so a win-win this weekend as far as I'm concerned. [CBSSports]
I have a feeling that the Courtney Lee missed lay-up is going to be the most memorable moment from the finals this year. Now where did I put my broom? [Ball Don't Lie]
Thursday, April 9
The Non-Tiger Masters Pick
The Masters begins today and you can watch live! The smart money is on Tiger Woods to win. Well I am going to abandon intelligence mainly because there will be no money on it and pick another, slightly more obscure golfer to win. Of course everyone is rooting for Tiger to at least be in the hunt on Sunday, especially CBS. After the clunker that was the national championship in college basketball, the network is certainly praying/hoping/sacrificing small goats in order that El Tigre is wearing that red shirt with pride on Sunday. I have to think the odds are with them.
Yet, sometimes there is a Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Mike Weir or even a Gay Brewer (no making that up he won in '67) who comes along and takes the focus away from the favorites. So with that in mind I am picking Dustin Johnson. Dustin is a young golfer with two career wins including Pebble Beach this year. He is not an incredible long shot since he is ranked 9th in the FedEx Cup and 40th in the world. Johnson is 24, has had a few brushes with the law including a recent DUI so hopefully golf will be an espcape for him.
Johnson attended Coastal Carolina University where the mascot is the Chanticleer. What is a Chanticleer (pronounced shaun-tuh-clear) you ask? It is the name of the rooster character from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which came from fables surrounding Reynard the Fox. Oh that Reynard. Anyway, Coastal used to be a sister school of the University of South Carolina so in a way to have a link back to their siblings they created a similar mascot. South Carolina is of course the Gamecocks, so Coastal chose the wise, cunning Chanticleer from the fables. There is a tremendous opportunity for inuendo with the mentioning of two roosters, but I will let you imagination do the walking on that one.
In the mean time, I am rooting for Johnson to represent the Chants and the Big South and spoil everyone's hopes that this is going to be a Tiger cake walk.
Wednesday, February 4
Tiger Woods Apparently Agrees with Mr. Pink
According to a New York Post source, Tiger Woods thinks tipping is for the birds just like his Reservoir Dogs counterpart. A woman who accompanied Woods and his entourage while they were in Las Vegas says that Woods would pay the full bill for their time spent on the town but would not even spare a dime for a tip. This left her being obligated to leave one since she was a local and did not want to ruin any good relations she had.
Being a notorious bad tipper is one thing, but leaving nothing for people that have provided service to you on a multi-hundred and perhaps even thousand dollar bill? That is lame, even if you are the best golfer ever and have donated millions to charity. Shame on you Tiger. I have worked in the service industry as a caterer and a bartender and nothing bothers you more than people who do not tip you when you give them quality service, especially when you know they have the money. I always make sure I tip at least 15 percent even if the service was below average. If the service is horrible due to plain negligence by the employee, then I consider fair game not tipping or give a small one. The standard should be to take care of the people who serve your food and drinks. Quentin Tarantino explained the importance of tipping beautifully through Steve Buscemi in the following scene from Reservoir Dogs(audio NSFW).
