Random Rumblings: When Tiger loses, so does golf

• Something I realized this weekend while watching the Masters: As exciting as it is to watch Tiger Woods win, it’s equally as boring to watch him lose. And that, even more than Woods never having a real rival, is the biggest problem with the sport of golf. It doesn’t matter if the Yankees are losing to the Marlins or the Red Sox; they’re still entertaining. Same goes for the Cowboys, Lakers or Duke Basketball. The best teams provide compelling stories either way.
  
  But when Tiger is failing, the sky is falling for golf. Rather than appreciating those playing better than him on the sport’s biggest stage, we attempt to figure out how he could persevere, constructing what-if scenarios more complicated than the BCS. Woods didn’t just need to be perfect to reach the top of the leaderboard on Sunday; he also needed a number of guys to fall flat on their face, which is actually quite similar to college football’s system.
  
  But once it was clear that he wasn’t going to be good enough this time around, we didn’t continue to watch those who bested him; we turned off our televisions. And the only reason we even know who beat Tiger is the three-way playoff - guys could be captivated by the Westminster Dog Show if it went to overtime. Otherwise, we would have had no clue who won golf’s Super Bowl in 2009.
  
  
• For the record, had Tiger or Phil Mickelson managed to make the comeback from down seven strokes heading into Sunday, it would have been equivalent to coming back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven game series.
  
  But it still wouldn’t have been the best come-from-behind victory of the weekend. That honor belongs to Boston University, who won the NCAA hockey championship by scoring two goals in the final minute of the third period to tie Miami University, and then a goal in overtime to clinch it.
  
  
• It has been a rough couple of days for the baseball world, first with the tragic death of Nick Adenhart and today losing Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas and former Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych. But while it may have just been Kalas’ time to go and Fidrych’s death appears to have been a freak accident, it’s hard not to just get angrier at what happened to Adenhart as more details emerge.
  
  Adenhart and two of his friends were killed when a drunk named Andrew Thomas Gallo ran a red light and plowed into their car. But this was no accident. In the past three years, Gallo has pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was also arrested for public intoxication. Gallo is clearly a man with a serious illness, but that problem is alcoholism, not driving under the influence. People aren’t addicted to drunken driving and we tend to forget that.
  
  That’s why we need even stricter drunk driving laws and we need them to be enforced more. If you make the decision to get behind the wheel after having too many drinks, you should go to jail and you should never be allowed to drive again.
  
  That’s a statement, and maybe it will scare some folks straight.
  
  
• Call me crazy, but I really like the idea of Isiah Thomas as a college coach. His players will love him and he’s sleazy enough to make a good recruiter. By all accounts, he’s a pretty charming guy so he’ll win over boosters. And best of all, he’s not dealing with money…unless you know, the kid is that good.
  
  
• The opening week of baseball season was great because Verizon was offering the Extra Innings package for free. It was so interesting to listen to the announcers of teams playing the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox. They see things much differently and clearly can’t stand the big market franchises. For example, at one point during a Royals/Yankees game, Andy Pettite fired a questionable strike and you just know that over on the YES Network, Michael Kay was calling him a gritty veteran who has worked for that call.
  
  But there was Royals announcer Denny Matthews offering up this slice of brilliance: “Some might say Pettite has earned that call, but not me.”
  
  
• Jacoby Ellsbury has about a month to start hitting. If he doesn’t, I think he’ll join Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy on the list of overhyped young ball players who only reach “top prospect” status because they play in a big market.
  
  
• Yes, I picked those Mets to win the World Series, the team with guys dropping routine flyballs, the team with one trustworthy pitcher, the team with a closer who is either unwilling or incapable of throwing strikes. Yes I picked those guys.

Click here to read the rest of this entry >>

Random Rumblings: Sabathia has the option to just go home

• When Alex Rodriguez signed that $252 million contract eight years ago, the Texas Rangers were crucified by baseball people for giving the then-shortstop almost $100 million more than any other team offered. But for a franchise with no real history of winning, that’s the only type of bid that was going to land the game’s best player, especially with at least one northeastern team in the mix.
  
  Now, C.C. Sabathia is in the same situation, about to sign with one team for significantly more than anyone else was willing to give. Only this time, it’s not a second rate team from out west ponying up the extra cash; it’s the Yankees, the world’s most famous sports franchise, who had to do everything but literally kiss the extra large ass of their new ace to get him to come to the Bronx.
  
  It’s finally clear just how little interest Sabathia had in New York. Not only did he need $60 million more, but also the right to opt out in three years if things become too hard, if the pressure is too much for the cool California kid to handle. Say what you want about how poorly ARod handles everything in his life, but he does face the media every day and the guy wants nothing more than to succeed under the biggest spotlight in sports.
  
  Sabathia can learn a lot from the most scrutinized athlete in the country. He can learn how to say all the right things when everything is going well and how to handle himself if/when Tony Bleacherseat starts calling him a bum. Or he can just run away.
  
  The Yankees have given him that option.
  
  
• By the way, would it be too much if the Yankees asked LeBron James to throw out the opening pitch at the new Yankee Stadium?
  
  
• Why is that Kevin McHale, a man responsible for one good thing (drafting Kevin Garnett) in the last 13 years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, continues to get a pass from those that cover the NBA when Isiah Thomas is lucky to even be allowed into any building in the league?
  
  
• Spare me all the nonsense about what a good guy Jason Varitek is now. Here’s a guy that didn’t hit .250 in batting practice last season, who was unwilling to accept arbitration from the Red Sox. If he actually believes he’s worth more than the $10 million he probably could have made, then he is just as clueless as the fans who gave him a pass for hitting like the right fielder on your son’s little league team last season.
  
  
• You ever see those NFL/United Way active generation commercials. Part of the reason our children all look like mini-C.C. Sabathia’s is because ESPN has made it cooler to say “all-in” than “I got next.”
  
  But the World Wide Leader can remedy the situation. It just needs to push Speed Pool down our throats the way it does the WSOP. Think about it: Pool hustlers that actually hustle.
  
  Now that’s a generation of kids that I want to meet.
  
  
• It really sucks to be the UConn football team. Not only do they have to celebrate the New Year in Canada (yes fellas, New Year’s Eve is December 31 everywhere) but they’re also getting screwed when it comes to the gifts the International Bowl provides. This year, all Connecticut and Buffalo players will receive: A Timely Watch Co. watch, Two-piece Armor Gear rolling travel duffel bags and computer backpacks. In comparison, a number of other bowls are giving iPods or “Best Buy Parties” where players can spend up to $400 on electronics.
  
  One star gifts for one star recruits, I suppose.

Click here to read the rest of this entry >>

Isiah’s a Sensitive Man

ESPN analyst and former Knick Greg Anthony was absolutely blasted by current Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas because of the way the network treated his team on draft day.

Thomas apparently singled out Anthony’s criticisms as worse than… oh say… the rest of the world’s.

Thomas probably does deserve some blame here. I mean he did draft Renaldo Balkman. But he’s basically saying that Anthony wasn’t a good enough player himself to call out anyone.

"Greg Anthony should never ever be in a position to question myself on anything about basketball," Thomas said. "I do remember the kind of player he was. I'll leave it at that."

Whether Balkman works out to be the 8 point, 8 rebound star that Zeke wants him to be or completely flops, that doesn’t really matter. The point is that Thomas’ comments gives a slight glimpse into what the great players, current or past, think of all of the guys who weren’t very good and now spend their time ripping into others on television.

Maybe he just set a trend.

I would give anything to hear Terrell Owens tell Sean Salisbury that he wasn’t good enough to even speak his name or see someone tell John Kruk that a 21 homerun season doesn’t make him an expert.

Anyway, we all know that this whole Knicks situation is going to end up bad and Isiah is going to lose his job. Let’s just hope he at least leaves with some pizzazz, calling out as many ex-role player analysts as possible before he goes.

Click here to read the rest of this entry >>