Names in the News
Everyone has something to say…and so do I.
Rob Manfred-Commissioner of Baseball will give a full hearing to Pete Rose reinstatement application. He has served his 25Y-suspension, I would reinstate him so that his name can appear on the Hall of Fame ballot, where, in Cooperstown, his memorabilia is located. I would never let him back in the game. What he did as a player deserves respect. What he did, betting, means disbarment. Honor him as a player, not as a person.
Barry Bonds-Disgraced Giants slugger asks “Why all the hate in baseball” directed at Alex Rodriguez? The baseball record book is sacred. A-Rod has stained it with multiple drug suspensions and admissions. Bonds was never convicted but in the public-minds eye, he was a gross cheat. His sentence, outside of San Francisco, everyone boos him still, and he will never get to Cooperstown. That’s why the hate.
Randy Gregory-Nebraska LB and once regarded as a high first round pick, admits he used marijuana alot with the Huskers, and then tested positive at the combine. Teams are still looking at him, but maybe he should be suspensended for part of his rookie year, a-la Terrell Pryor. Either he is an idiot for smoking weed right before the combine, or he is an addict. Why is San Diego wasting time with him?
Brandon Shanahan-President of the Toronto Maple Leafs wants character on his team. The Sunday night massacre, the firing of 24-hockey ops people, including the GM, Head Coach, the assistants, and virtually the whole scouting staff is the beginning. The players are next to go. The richest team in hockey has not won the Stanley Cup since 1967 despite all that wealth. Somewhat of a bad-man’s version of the Yankees.
Adrian Peterson-the chronic unhappy Vikings running back, likely to boycott the off season workouts, still wanting the Vikings to trade him. Stop the ‘woe is me’ whining. The only crying was your 4-year old son, whom you beat with a stick. Here’s the solution. If I am Minnesota, I trade you once you give me back the $7.5 M you collected in union protected salary while you were on the Commissioner’s exempt list.
Aaron Hernandez jury sits-meets-no decision. This is scary stuff, he could walk free in this case, even with all his DNA around the Odin Lloyd murder scene. The jury has to be unanimous and that doesn’t appear likely to convict. The big issue to me, if the two thugs, Hernandez friends, were in the SUV with him, why were they not called to testify against the Patriots player if he was indeed the triggerman?
Darren Sharper, the legendary Packers safety and NFL-Network employee, convicted of 9-counts of date rape, may only get 10Y in prison. But the information now about terms of his probation amazingly stiff. Registered sex offender, must wear GPS device, barred from consuming alcohol, in depth 5-years counseling, and notification any type of crime, from a speeding ticket to worse, will leave to an additional 14Y in the hole. Bet he doesn’t survive it.
Ray Rice, the disgraced Ravens running back, cannot find a job. Some say the Domestic Abuse Video is the reason, but likely more so, used-up talent, who lost a step and had injury issues the final two years he played. He probably deserves a second chance because he was a model player most of his career, but the video of him knocking out his fiancée probably has knocked him out of a contract, with people saying, who needs the trouble if he cannot play.
Lawrence Phillips..once upon a time, a star but star-crossed troubled running back at Nebraska, now serving 31Y-in prison for attempted murder, kills a cellmate at Kern County Prison. Troubled person, troubled past, a menace to society, will die in prison. Wasted talent but a worse person…
The Green Jacket
It was a weekend that brought us an unveiling, a comeback, and a coronation. It was the Masters Golf tournament at its best.
21-year old Texas sensation Jordan Spieth became the second youngest ever to win the Green Jacket. In the process he blew by some amazing records set by legends over the years there in Georgia.
When he was done, Spieth had led wire-to-wire, a victory like that had not been performed in the last 39-years. He shattered the all time record, with a red number that read at (-18) under par.
More impressively, he never wilted when all the big names made runs at him on the back nine, and there was pressure non-stop.
Spieth was even-keeled, steady, cautious, not erratic, took no risk shots, and just seemed mature beyond his years.
He was atop the leader board from breakfast on Thursday thru the appearance at Butler Cabin. It was the arrival of possibly the next young phenom on the tour, a welcome sight considering our greatest now seem to be in the twilight of their career.
If Spieth was the unveiling, then Phil Mickelson was the comeback story. Lefty had only two top 10-finishes in the last 33-tourneys he played, but he kept the heat on the leader, twice pulling within 4-shots on the back nine. Phil was Phil putting balls in bunkers, but he scrambled to get a birdie on one and save par on another.
Justin Rose was hot down the stretch, reeling off 3-straight birdies in a duel with Mickelson right to the final hole.
Rory McIlroy, the globe’s top star, survived a pot-bunker opening round on Thursday to go 15-under par in the final 45-holes and be in the late hunt.
It was a comeback weekend for Tiger Woods. Though he scared everyone by jamming his wrist and shoulder hitting a ball out of a pine-grove, he rallied and wound up at 5-under. He survived not hitting a green for 12-holes, but he looks like he is headed in the right direction, health-wise and golf-wise.
It was the best weekend of his career for Charley Hoffman, who ran out of gas late, but finished in 9th place, a superb weekend for the Poway veteran.
A star is born, a fierce rivalry may be blooming, and a couple of legends have shown they are not done.
And now we have a US-Euro rivalry about to move into the spotlight, Spieth-McIlroy
Jordan Spietch, looks good in Green, and made much of that happen at the Masters.
Great Games – Not So Great Endings
The Padres are just (1-3) out of the gate, this first week of the baseball season.
All the things we thought might happen, have so far, against the Dodgers and Giants, some good, some not so good, some expected, some not expected.
They are hitting, no doubt. They are a team that can hit the ball out of the park with the likes of Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Derek Norris at the plate. We hoped that would be the case.
Yonder Alonso is healthy and is hitting, and that is a real plus. What is not, is the continued struggles of 2nd baseman Jed Gyorko, coming off last year’s sophomore slump season, and the surprise sub-200-average of Wil Myers.
And there was an edginess to it all last night. A Craig Kimbrel first pitch fastball was up and in to Angel Pagan; and that led to words; stares-glares, and an umpires warning to both benches, and it wasn’t even a bean ball. Just a little hate out there for the renewal of this rivalry.
What everyone feared would be part of this new-look Padres team, is right there infront of us. Lots of strikeouts, nearly 10-per game so far. And last night alone, they rapped into four double plays, left 10-on base, and stranded six at third.
And then there is the defense. Some flyballs that turn into adventures in the outfield, near collisions, and then last night’s drop that cost them the Giants game. Communication is a bit of an issue right now.
The stunner, and it is a small sample size, is the shakiness of the bullpen. Nick Vincent has given up runs in each of his three outings. Joaquin Benoit has given up a homer and has put men on base too.
The Friars don’t need another pitching injury, but they have one, in Ian Kennedy, limping off the mound last night early with a hamstring. The insurance policy Odri Despaigne now moves into the rotation, after a sparking 4.1-no hit innings last night.
The Padres have played 3-exciting games against the Dodgers and Giants this first week. The crowd for the home opener was electric at Petco. For the first time in a long time, there wasn’t very much orange (Giant fan) in the building with a crowd of (45,150). And the fans were into it. They booed the Giants, booed the umpires who were struggling with balls and strikes, even booed the home team with all the double play balls.
These battles vs the Dodgers and Giants have almost had a playoff-atmosphere tinge to it. The Stadium is roaring right now, much like it has for Chargers home games when the team was really good just a few years back.
This is an interesting weekend ahead of us. Three more large crowds expected. What the town needs is a little winning streak to make sure this group of fans, wearing Padres blue, and throwback brown, keep coming back.
A little bit of everything in week one of the season, just not many wins, yet.
Masters Era Over
They tee off early in this slice of Americana, the Masters Golf Tourney at Augusta National.
There are so many storylines starting with this first round, and the spotlight is not on the hottest golfer this weekend, but rather the one who has been hurt.
Yes this tourney will be about the greatness of the young gun Rory McIlroy, going for his 3rd major in a row.. It will be to track the growth of another young star, Jimmie Walker. It will be to see if Jason Day is ready to make the jump and win a major. We will watch to see if Bubba Watson and his long game can defend the title. Or if Jordan Spieth is ready for stardom.
That would be a golf bag full of great stories, but no, all that is surpassed by Tiger Woods return, once again, from the calamities of his life. And it is also about whether “Lefty can get it Right”, Phil Mickelson’s attempt to stop the erosion of a great career, with just 2-top 10-finishes in his last 33-tourneys since winning the British Open a couple of years back..
For Tiger, stalled in his chase of Jack Nicholson’s mighty grand slam record, his career knocked off track by a fire-hydrant and a messy divorce; a forever stained personal life because of his philandering ways, blockaded by injury after injury, and detoured by coaching and club changes.
Some will say his life as an icon forever ended, when the lies in his life surfaced, that Thanksgiving weekend. Women, strippers, porn stars, waitresses, blonde trophy prizes. End of marriage, end of endorsements, end of image.
But the real end was on the course. The broken leg, the Achillies injury, the calf problems, the injured elbow, and then the back surgery.
The stare and glare may still be there; the fire still burns, but that seems all that is left.
9-weeks ago he walked off the course at Torrey Pines, his game broken, his body battered, and his spirit doused. He hasn’t played in 9-weeks, though he shot some decent practice rounds in Georgia leading up to today.
Since January 2014, Tiger Woods has played just 10-tournaments in 15-months, has completed only three. There was a 35th place finish, a 69th finish, a round of 82, and a flurry of missed cuts, and withdraws because of bad aches and pains, and bad scorecards.
He carried the sport for decades, as he tees off in his 20th Masters. He was good for the tour, brilliant for television, and a salesman extraordinaire. But all has since changed.
The European invasion no longer feared him on the course. He was mocked off the course for his messy marital affairs. He lost legions of fans and millions of dollars from virtually all his sponsors. No one was willing to buy the lie of the man, family man, great golfer, when they found out who he really was, a sex addict, a cheat,and a condescending creep. The old ‘money and power corrupt syndrome’ had overtaken him.
Now we watch the golfer to wonder if he can make a rush back, recapture his game and his celebrity status. Respect maybe for the comeback of the player, but doubts the rest of the world will ever respect him, the man.
In a strange sort of way, he has become a sympathy case, an example of one who had it all, and lost it. Is his game gone forever? Will he ever remake his image? Does anyone feel sorry for him? Is this more of a pity party than rooting for a pro?
It will be a fun four days at Augusta beginning this morning. Watching the leaderboard, and wondering what kind of statement weekend it is for Tiger Woods. A jumping off point for a comeback, or a fall-off-the face of the earth weekend, end of a career episode, if he shoots horrible golf again.
So many storylines to pay attention to, great golfers coming, and watching a once-great golfer too.
