Tiger Woods apologized Friday. He did not answer questions and most reporters felt that this was a travesty. By now we all know about Tiger's transgressions. Clearly he made many mistakes, clearly a high percentage of athletes are assumed to be doing the same thing that he did.
Tiger Woods does not owe me an apology. I long ago stopped considering athletes as role models. This does not mean some are not, some are, and at times I feel that some are good role models. However, even before these transgressions coming to light Tiger Woods was not, in my view, a role model. His behavior on the golf course which has been well documented relieved him from any obligations as a role model.
He is an excellent golfer. One of the best of all time. Cursing, throwing clubs etc made clear however that he was also a prima donna.
In his apologies for his many transgressions Tiger as an aside also promised to show more respect for the game. One can assume that this reference means that Tiger's behavior will improve on the course.
This is the apology that Tiger owes golf fans. Let us hope he means it.
Any other apoligies are owed only to Tiger's sponsers and more importantly to his wife. I am rooting for him here too. He is just a man like all of us, he makes mistakes and he deserves forgiveness.
Accepting a bad shot with grace will be a good start for me.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Baseball
So much has been done to destroy baseball. It cannot be done however. Baseball is fathers and sons, little league, breaking in a glove and the passing on from generation to generation.
Baseball is the red dirt, marking the baselines, bemoaning a bad call and then tossing the umpire a water between innings, the coming of spring. Any sport which announces the coming of spring has a built in advantage.
As our children get thier first uniforms, baseball pants and markings of " real" baseball players we realize both how much they have grown from infancy and yet how little they still are.
Grown men feel the same way about baseball. Every year when they days grow longer, the light gets different in the afternoon, when the birds start waking us in the morning and we get our gloves we all are reborn.
Baseball is like the Easter of the Sports world. It is rebirth and renewal
Baseball is the red dirt, marking the baselines, bemoaning a bad call and then tossing the umpire a water between innings, the coming of spring. Any sport which announces the coming of spring has a built in advantage.
As our children get thier first uniforms, baseball pants and markings of " real" baseball players we realize both how much they have grown from infancy and yet how little they still are.
Grown men feel the same way about baseball. Every year when they days grow longer, the light gets different in the afternoon, when the birds start waking us in the morning and we get our gloves we all are reborn.
Baseball is like the Easter of the Sports world. It is rebirth and renewal
The Gap in Sports
It has been described as the biggest gap in the Sports Calender and I think that might well be true. The period between the Super Bowl and the NCAA College Basketball tourney is indeed one that for many is that rare time where no sporting event captures the imagination.
This is not universally true of course. For fans of NASCAR last weeks Daytona 500 was the beginning of another exciting auto race season. For even those with just a passing interest the fact that Jimmie Johnson wins the season championship year after year is certainly something worth knowing.
This year we have had the Olympics taking place as well. We have watched some of the events in our home. They are interesting. I think for Americans in particular however the Olympics have nowhere near the importance that they do in other countries. I want the Americans to win. The sports themselves though are sports I only have interest in during the Olympics. It is hard under those circumstances to have any real connection to the sports being played.
The good news is that we are just three weeks away from College Basketball's selection Sunday, less than two weeks away from the beginning of College Conference tournaments and the general euphoria of March Madness. Many state that the first 2 weeekends of the College Basketball tournament are the best events in the calender year.
The best news is that we are close, very close to baseball. Camps are open, pitchers are throwing and all along the northern tier we are convinced that baseball announcers and any of those who can accompamy the clubs to Florida and Arizona have a very good gig indeed.
For myself baseball is the sport that makes me feel young...more to follow..but with the start of the season all that is good in the world will soon be back
This is not universally true of course. For fans of NASCAR last weeks Daytona 500 was the beginning of another exciting auto race season. For even those with just a passing interest the fact that Jimmie Johnson wins the season championship year after year is certainly something worth knowing.
This year we have had the Olympics taking place as well. We have watched some of the events in our home. They are interesting. I think for Americans in particular however the Olympics have nowhere near the importance that they do in other countries. I want the Americans to win. The sports themselves though are sports I only have interest in during the Olympics. It is hard under those circumstances to have any real connection to the sports being played.
The good news is that we are just three weeks away from College Basketball's selection Sunday, less than two weeks away from the beginning of College Conference tournaments and the general euphoria of March Madness. Many state that the first 2 weeekends of the College Basketball tournament are the best events in the calender year.
The best news is that we are close, very close to baseball. Camps are open, pitchers are throwing and all along the northern tier we are convinced that baseball announcers and any of those who can accompamy the clubs to Florida and Arizona have a very good gig indeed.
For myself baseball is the sport that makes me feel young...more to follow..but with the start of the season all that is good in the world will soon be back
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Saints Win
On Sunday the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31 to 17. The game was decided when with less than 4 minutes to play Peyton Manning through an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Until that moment we in our house were trying to figure out if the Colts would tie the score too early, allowing the Saints to score before the time out.
The interception changed that.
The game was well played. The Saints played a perfect game. No turnovers. The Colts played well too. What I did not foresee, and what was not foreseen was that with both teams having such long drives and all those completed passes the number of possessions for each team were limited. Each one became magnified. Sean Payton understood that, his attempting to get the touchdown not the field goal, the onside kick these were very big plays that understood that.
Underrated and perhaps the difference in the game was the nine points put on the board on 40 yard plus field goals by Garrett Hartley.
The next discussion is does this loss diminish Peyton Manning and his career. He is 9 and 9 now in the playoffs. These are not great numbers. Does his talent diminish, or do his teams and their unbalanced offense become more exposed in the playoffs?
I believe Manning is a great quarterback, the best in the game. An interesting measure of Manning would be to find out his won loss record against teams that eventually make the playoffs that year. The next question is Manning and his lack of a handshake after the game. This is an especially big subject for me personally, we make a big deal about sportsmanship in our house. I have criticized Tom Brady for his disappearing act after losses. I have always talked about Manning being the opposite. So when Manning pulls his disappearing act I was not pleased.
The field is a wreck after the Super Bowl. Brees was mobbed by cameras. It would have been very difficult for Manning to reach him. It simply does not matter, Manning did not try. He was up the tunnel. Certainly the sea would have parted for Manning had he tried to reach Brees. He did not try. It does not matter if Brees understands, what matters is that so few of the times that athletes have a chance to show class that they actually do. Manning failed. It is not a drug conviction or a criminal case, but it is still disappointing
The Saints won. They deserved it. Brees was fantastic. Manning made one mistake in the game and it cost him. For me however the biggest mistake was after the game.
The interception changed that.
The game was well played. The Saints played a perfect game. No turnovers. The Colts played well too. What I did not foresee, and what was not foreseen was that with both teams having such long drives and all those completed passes the number of possessions for each team were limited. Each one became magnified. Sean Payton understood that, his attempting to get the touchdown not the field goal, the onside kick these were very big plays that understood that.
Underrated and perhaps the difference in the game was the nine points put on the board on 40 yard plus field goals by Garrett Hartley.
The next discussion is does this loss diminish Peyton Manning and his career. He is 9 and 9 now in the playoffs. These are not great numbers. Does his talent diminish, or do his teams and their unbalanced offense become more exposed in the playoffs?
I believe Manning is a great quarterback, the best in the game. An interesting measure of Manning would be to find out his won loss record against teams that eventually make the playoffs that year. The next question is Manning and his lack of a handshake after the game. This is an especially big subject for me personally, we make a big deal about sportsmanship in our house. I have criticized Tom Brady for his disappearing act after losses. I have always talked about Manning being the opposite. So when Manning pulls his disappearing act I was not pleased.
The field is a wreck after the Super Bowl. Brees was mobbed by cameras. It would have been very difficult for Manning to reach him. It simply does not matter, Manning did not try. He was up the tunnel. Certainly the sea would have parted for Manning had he tried to reach Brees. He did not try. It does not matter if Brees understands, what matters is that so few of the times that athletes have a chance to show class that they actually do. Manning failed. It is not a drug conviction or a criminal case, but it is still disappointing
The Saints won. They deserved it. Brees was fantastic. Manning made one mistake in the game and it cost him. For me however the biggest mistake was after the game.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Super Bowl
The two weeks before the Super Bowl is a slow zone in sports. It is only slightly better than the time after the SuperBowl before Spring Training. Not much goes on.
Couple this with the fact that the Bruins are trying hard to become the worst team in hockey, the Celtics have become ancient before our yes and college basketball is weeks away from any truly meaningful games...and you get the idea
Indianapolis by 10 is my pick. When in doubt pick Peyton. I do not believe the Saints defense is that good and I think he is the best there has ever been.
Football is well down on my list of sports. I won my fantasy football league but unlike some of my friends I do not sit and think about draft day and the 3rd pick the Pats got from Kansas City. I love college football much more, but of course will enjoy the Super Bowl.
I hope the commercials are better this year and I for one and looking forward to The Who
Couple this with the fact that the Bruins are trying hard to become the worst team in hockey, the Celtics have become ancient before our yes and college basketball is weeks away from any truly meaningful games...and you get the idea
Indianapolis by 10 is my pick. When in doubt pick Peyton. I do not believe the Saints defense is that good and I think he is the best there has ever been.
Football is well down on my list of sports. I won my fantasy football league but unlike some of my friends I do not sit and think about draft day and the 3rd pick the Pats got from Kansas City. I love college football much more, but of course will enjoy the Super Bowl.
I hope the commercials are better this year and I for one and looking forward to The Who
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