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Tiger
Who? How good was Rory McIlroy at the US Open? He blitzed the field by putting on a golfing display that we will not soon forget. Simply put, the kid was awesome. He made the US Open and Congressional look like another one of those nondescript Buick Opens on the PGA Tour. It was a non-contest....and it was also the best thing that could happen to the sport. The game and the PGA Tour had become so dependent on Tiger Woods, that nobody else was able to step out of the shadow and make a name for themselves. Ever since Tiger's off-the-course issues, the sport had been floundering with very little pizzaz at the top. It seems like a handful of Euros all taking turns being the #1 ranked golfer in the world.....Westwood, Kaymer and Donald.....yawn. Mickelson just turned 41 and he's certainly on the downside of a brilliant career....and then there's America's top ranked player, Steve Stricker.....double yawn. Watching McIlroy lap the field was incredible....while there was very little golf drama from a competitive standpoint, the 22-year-old's performance gave us a reminder of what Tiger used to do against the best in the world. And while Tiger has seen his image and golf game fall from grace, McIlroy is a new wave of fresh air and hopefully the dawn of a new era in golf. I'm not looking to put dirt on Woods' grave, because I expect him to eventually get healthy and win again.....but watching McIlroy's performance gave you reason to believe that for the next 15-20 years, he will be a major factor in the world of golf. Based on his incredible skill and humble demeanor....we can only hope and pray that it happens. UNC football continues to be in the news for all the wrong reasons. While there is no doubt that the Buckeyes have stolen the headlines and monopolized the conversation with all of their problems, closer to home, the Heels have been the leader in the off-season mess of Southern Fried Football™. While the university awaits word from the NCAA, it was released last week that a handful of Tar Heel football players ran up over 13,000 bucks in unpaid parking tickets. I can only imagine that Butch Davis' response was that he "didn't know". The Heels' head coach has mastered the answer....and if the school gets off with a slap on the wrist, every school and coach in America should take after Butch. Just plead...."I didn't know". One publication reported that one UNC player received tickets on 8 different vehicles. Even Terrell Pryor had to be impressed with that feat. I have no idea how bad the Heels will get penalized by the NCAA.....they've already suffered enough by watching the potential of a 2010 season dissipate into another year of mediocrity which was highlighted by the resignation of an assistant head coach, multiple suspensions and "Nanny-gate". Given all the NCAA attention, you would have thought the Heels would have more to show for it other than a Music City Bowl win. At least when Southern Cal and Ohio State got caught cheating, they had national and conference titles to show for it. In the four years he's been coaching in Chapel Hill, Butch Davis has delivered a ton of players to the NFL, but he's yet to be above .500 in the ACC during any season. Who knows when the mess in Chapel Hill will end? Speaking of college football......I read this week where we will be able to witness 35 bowl games this year......but not a single one will be played on January 1st. New Year's Day used to be the ultimate day of college football......all the big bowl games on the same day. Now with the BCS and the inclusion of so many "who cares?" bowl games, January 1st might as well be July 1st. I love college football, but I swear to you we would be better off eliminating 25 of these useless games featuring too many 7-5 and 6-6 teams. It is ridiculous. The Florida Marlins enter Monday night's game against the Angels with an impressive 1 - 18 record in June. That's not a typo. The Fish have lost 18 of 19 games in the month of June. It's so bad that manager Edwin Rodriquez has stepped down. If I owned the Marlins (and I'm glad that I don't), I would tell the first Puerto Rican born MLB manager that he isn't going anywhere. You put this team together....you figure it out. If you think LeBron disappeared in the NBA Finals.....you need to check out how quickly the Fish have dropped in the NL East standings. Speaking of guys leaving the scene of a crime.....how about Manny Ramirez? After failing another MLB drug test, he decided to quit the game and retire. Let me tell you how good life is for Manny.....while he cheated the game, he is still owed over 8 million bucks by the LA Dodgers next week. Of course, the cash-strapped Dodgers are having some serious financial issues, but they are on the hook in the deferred payment to Manny-wood. The stupid Dodgers even owe him another 8 million in 2012. But that's not all....the Boston Red Sox owe Manny 2 million bucks a year for the next 16 years. If my math is correct, that is a grand total of 48 million dollars coming his way for not being in uniform and contributing to any team in MLB. What a deal.....as I always state...."the American dream should be to be suspended with pay". |
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