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Open
Season The US Open gets underway at Congressional Country Club this week....and it will take place without Tiger Woods in the field. This will mark the three-year anniversary since we last witnessed Woods winning a major championship. Three years ago, when Tiger defeated Rocco Mediate to capture his 14th major, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Jack's record of 18 was easily obtainable. Not anymore. Tiger will be on the couch like the rest of us, watching the play at Congressional....it's amazing, how sports gives us great drama and sideshows. I still contend that Woods will get healthy and get back to winning again....but I also thought he would be able to catch Jack's record, too. I'm more leery of that thought than ever before. Golf is tough enough...but if you can't get and stay healthy, it's virtually impossible to compete at the ultimate level against the world's best players. It is ironic that the one golfer that started the fitness wave on Tour is the one guy that can't seem to get healthy. Maybe Tiger needs to load up on a few cheeseburgers and BBQ sandwiches? Only time will tell if Tiger can get his act together, but in the meantime this week's major championship should be renamed the "US Wide-Open". It's virtually impossible to pick a favorite, even though there are probably 20 guys with a legitimate shot at winning at Congressional. Even without Tiger in the field, the tourney should provide great drama this Father's Day weekend. When I was hosting the "College Sports Saturday" show on Sirius/XM last week, I couldn't believe how many juicy topics there were to talk about in the middle of June. I can't remember a week in which you had virtually one high-profile school from each BCS league have a major issue......Think about it:
Somehow, the Big XII survived being called out, but you could make a semi-issue given Colt McCoy's wife calling into ESPN Radio and discussing how certain Texas players received gifts from boosters. Either way, you get the picture....but amazingly, all of that happened just last week. I can't remember a more bizarre week in college sports, given the so-called "off-season". I really enjoyed seeing Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki claim the NBA championship. I know a lot of folks think Cuban is a blowhard, and I don't always agree with some of his takes and tantrums.....but I do like the guy. I've had the chance to spend a little time with him, whether it was in-studio or during a speaking engagement, and one thing that you cannot say about Cuban is that he's a dummy and he doesn't care about the game or his team. The guy has great passion for what he does....and that includes the Mavericks, HDNet or any other business venture. He's smart....and wealthy....and that's normally a good combination. I also thought Cuban showed a touch of class during the post-game celebration, when he allowed original Mavs owner Donald Carter to join him on the platform to receive the Larry O'Brien trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. It was a smart move. As for the Miami Heat, and more specifically LeBron James....times are tough. Much of the nasty anti-LeBron sentiment was brought on himself, for acting the fool. I think some of the hate coming his way is over the top, but some it is well-deserved. LeBron simply didn't perform on a "superstar level" when it mattered the most. People remembered his comments about winning five, six, maybe seven titles during his stint in South Beach. He was cocky, brash and arrogant. America didn't forget. You can run your mouth all you want, if you've actually won something.....but LeBron failed miserably. I use a term all the time...."Stay low and keep moving"....I would suggest that LeBron do the same. I saw this week where the Charlotte Bobcats have hired another GM....this time, it's some guy by the name of Rich Cho. Cho is the guy that took Michael Jordan and his first GM, Rod Higgins, to the cleaners on the Gerald Wallace trade. When Cho was fired in May after 11 months in Portland, I guess MJ figured the Bobcats needed to add him to the roster of suits. I'm not convinced that hiring a former attorney and Boeing engineer is what the fledgling franchise needs....unless Jordan wants Cho to design a new plane for his team. The Bobcats need players.....and with the NBA Draft coming up next week, MJ and his new collection of GMs better find some talent that is ready to contribute right away. The team has the 9th &19th picks in the opening round.....but the picks better be good. Given Jordan's track record in the draft....I'm not optimistic. But now that we've got another lawyer in the room...what can go wrong? I like the idea that Major League Baseball is kicking around about creating equal distribution of teams in both leagues, along with 5 playoff teams. I wonder which person gave Bud Selig that idea? It makes sense and I like it. I just wonder if MLB will have the guts to follow through with the concept? There has been some talk that either Houston or maybe Arizona jump from the NL to the AL. It makes no difference to me.....well, I'll take that back. As a SF Giants fan, I'll give up Arizona and will pick up Houston in the NL West. Given the Astros' current condition, that sounds like a great trade to me. Either way, I hope MLB makes the move.....I think it's a win-win for everybody. Finally......Happy Father's Day! |
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