Homodox

Padraig The Second

All cheers to Padraig Harrington for winning back-to-back British Opens.  The stories are already flying with comparisons to Tiger, the last person to win back-to-back majors, including the Open Championship (2005-6).  Like Tiger, Padraig was injured with a sprained wrist but prevailed anyway.

I have to agree with Alex Massie in his posts here and here.  U.S. golf writers are a rum bunch.  Greg Norman was outstanding.  It should be noted that not only had Norman not won a major in 15 years, but he hadn't won on the PGA tour since 1997.  Jack Nicklaus, on the other hand, had placed twice in majors between 1980 and 1986 (U.S. Open in 1982 and PGA in 1983) and was still a presence when he won his record-breaking sixth Masters.  Norman, really has come out of nowhere back to the highest level of golf.  It's incredible.  He also earned a ticket back to Augusta in 2009.  How about a Shark v. Tiger Sunday.  Wow.

A-Rod?

It's schadenfreude in Boston Red Sox territory over the tabloid stories surrounding Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, or A-Rod as his moniker is known.  So, in all the sexual escapades are rumored with the headlines blaring A-Rod, has anyone but me wondered if he has an A-Rod?  I'm guessing it no more than a B-Rod, perhaps even a C+Rod.

Rafael Nadal de McEnroe

In 1981 I graduated from high school.  I remember watching Wimbledon that year to see if Bjorn Borg could win his sixth straight title or if John McEnroe would overcome the 1980 five-set heartbreaker he lost.  In four sets, McEnroe prevailed and won his first of three titles.  

Little did we know that in 1981 Roger Federer would be born.  Today, I spent most of it watching to see if Roger could eclipse Bjorn or if Rafael Nadal would take his first title at Wimbledon after last year's five set heartbreaker.  This time it took another five sets and tennis overtime, but Nadal won.  What a match!  So what great tennis player will be born in 2008 that will thrill us in 2035?

Tiger Toughness Part II

He won the U.S. Open with a torn knee and two stress fractures??  How much did he want that championship?  Maybe too much, because he's now out for the rest of the season.  That means no British Open; no defense of his PGA Championship; no Ryder Cup; no defense of the Fedex Cup.  It also means that his assault on golf's records books is stalled at 14 majors and  65 Tour wins.

A few thoughts:

• By winning his third U.S. Open, he now is in a tie for first place in USGA wins with Bobby Jones (each with 9).  Tiger has three U.S. Junior Amateurs, thee Amateurs, and three Opens.  That's one more than Nicklaus (two Amateurs, 4 Opens and 2 Senior Opens).
• The next two U.S. Open venues are Bethpage (2009) and Pebble Beach (2010) where Tiger won in 2002 and 2000, respectively.   Do you think he was eyeing a three-peat of U.S. Opens which is why he went to the wall at Torrey Pines?  Possible.
• Tiger's 14 majors is second only to Nicklaus's 18 majors.  Among current PGA players the most majors is a paltry three shared by Mickelson (two Masters, one PGA), Singh (one Masters, 2 PGAs), and Els (2 U.S. Opens, one British Open).  If you take the current World Rankings you have to go down to #23 Angel Cabrera to add up to 14 majors among the players ranked from Tiger on down.  #24 is Justin Leonard whose British Open win pushes ahead of Tiger.  So Tiger v. the next 23 players.  Wow.

Drunken Sports Fans

This week the Celtics won the NBA Championship and naturally, Boston sports fans do what drunken sports fans do, trash property. It's sad that something celebratory needs to turn ugly. Matt Yglesias notes this is why Boston sports fans, in short, suck. Well, we live in the Youtube Era so it's easy to relive such nasty moments. We also live in the Boston championship era where this town has been to the Superbowl four times, winning three times, won the World Series twice and now an NBA Championship all in just six years. It is indeed mind boggling and for a sports town, that suffered a severe drought, it's been wonderful. Yet, I remember other sports towns doing just the same thing. Unfortunately it all predated Youtube. It's not the same when you read in the newspaper that fans trashed cars and vandalized businesses. However drunken sports fans are universal (Europe's soccer fans come to mind) and I don't understand Yglesias's particular dislike over Boston as opposed to what has happened in the past in Montreal, St. Louis, LA, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City. It doesn't excuse sports fans, but Boston doesn't have a monopoly on stupidity while drunk and reveling.

Hub Of The Sports Universe

Boston home of the World Series Champions Red Sox, AFC Champions Patriots, and the NBA Champions Celtics.  'nuf said.

Tiger Toughness

He wanted it so badly.  It was his course: Torrey Pines.  He's won there six times on tour, including the last four years in a row.  It's a public course and all his U.S. Open wins have come at public courses (Pebble Beach (2000) and Bethpage (2002)).  Despite doctor's orders not to play with his recovering knee, he endured pain and won his third U.S. Open.  His third career Grand Slam.  His 14th major.  His 65th tour victory.  He has now a major in four consecutive years twice (1999-2002, 2005-2008).  He's only 32.  

He's won back to back Master's, PGAs, and British Opens.  Next year the U.S. Open returns to Bethpage, so I'll already predict that he'll defend his title in 2009.  He is simply amazing.  Tiger's genius, outside of athleticism, is to zone in and produce results when he needs them.  Total concentration.  Wow.

Big Sports Weekend

It could have been a huge sports weekend with history being made but:

• Big Brown failed to win the Triple Crown 
• Roger Federer failed to get the career Grand  Slam (again) at the French Open
• Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa both stumbled and lost the LPGA Championship

On the other hand:

• The Celtics are 2-0 in the NBA Finals
• The Red Sox sit in first place

Hey life doesn't get much better than that.

Boston Sports Dream

Within one year Boston sports teams have won the World Series, played in the Superbowl, and now advanced to the NBA Finals.  We need to remember 2007-08 down the road when we go through the next and inevitable sports drought.

Annika Retires

Annika Sorenstam announced today that she would retire from competitive golf after this season.  During her 15-year LPGA career to date she has won 72 tournaments, 10 majors, and was the leading money winning for 8 seasons.  However, at age 37, she wants to get married and start a family.  Like many high-powered career women, Annika has to make a choice that, frankly, men don't have to make.  Pregnant women rarely play pro golf.  This is what she is giving up.  In 2008, she has already won 3 tournaments and is back in form.  She will likely finish third on the all time LPGA career wins list behind Kathy Whitworth (88) and Mickey Wright (82).  If she wins no more majors she will end up in a tie for fourth in the all-time majors list with 10 (along with Babe Zaharias) and behind Wright, Louise Suggs, and Patty Berg who has 15.  If she were to win just three before age 40 and three thereafter, she'd finish in first with 16 majors.  Remember that Juli Inkster won 4 of her majors after turning 38.

Annika has $22 million in career earnings compared with Tiger Woods' $81 million.  Tiger became a pro in 1996 after Annika had already won 2 U.S. Opens.  Tiger became a father last year and since then has won another major, the Fedex Cup, and a half dozen tournaments.  He stands at 64 wins, a tie for third all-time with only Nicklaus (73) and Snead (82) standing in his path.  He has 13 majors, second only to Nicklaus's 18.  However, he can stay in pro golf, still be a dad, and go for those records.  Annika had to make a choice.