May 2007 - Posts
Sunday, we get the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. That's too much.
I have three rules for living.
1. Close cover before striking.
2. Skip movies featuring animated cats, David Spade, or Whoopi Goldberg.
3. Don't watch more than 1,000 miles of auto racing in a day.
This is excellent advice, and it's free. However, if you'd like to help pay for the cost of this blog, checks can be sent directly to me. Thank you, and have a splendid Memorial Day.
When he still had eight holes left to play Sunday at the AT&T Classic and was one shot out of the lead, I was convinced Zach Johnson would win the tournament.
That's not said to boast. It's said because Johnson was playing very well and with confidence. The player ahead of him, meanwhile, had never been in the lead on the back nine on Sunday on the PGA Tour. Ryuji Imada is a fine young player who Johnson said will do great things on the Tour. Just not Sunday.
Imada blinked in the playoff and Johnson did not. Thus, the Masters champion is now a two-time winner this year. Were the season to end today, the Tour's Player of the Year would be Tiger Woods. But only by a hair over Johnson and Phil Mickelson. Woods has three wins, and a tie for second in the Masters. Johnson has two wins, like Mickelson and Vijay Singh, but Johnson's won a major.
Johnson, in no small part from playing well under grueling pressure at the Ryder Cup last September and then winning at Augusta six weeks ago, now has hit a higher level in his sport. He has the confidence and comfort of knowing he can cope when in contention for a championship. It makes a huge difference in his or any other sport.
He has never lacked for confidence. It, along with a lot of talent, is why he won several times on the Hooters Tour. It's a big reason he was the 2003 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year, and it was a factor in him winning the BellSouth (now AT&T) Classic as a PGA Tour rookie in '04. It's why he played so well in Ireland last year at the Ryder Cup when many of his U.S. teammates faltered.
But it's one thing to be confident, talented, and able to handle pressure. It's another to be a consistent threat to win. Which he is now. Lots of players win tournaments in the course of a PGA Tour season. Not many win more than one. This year so far, the group consists of Woods, Mickelson, Singh and Johnson. The first three are the top three ranked players in the world. The fourth guy may not be all that far from deserving to be listed in the world's best foursome.
CHICAGO -- I'm not getting paid for this by any of the following companies, but here is a list of some of the companies that have signage at the Chicago White Sox' U.S. Cellular Field:
Pontiac
Miller Genuine Draft
XM Radio
State Farm
OfficeMax
ComEd
Motorola
Chevrolet
Murray's Discount Auto Stores
Pepsi
Miller Lite
Walgreens
Holiday Inn
Resorts Casino
Athletico
LaSalle Bank
WCIU-TV
Volkswagen
Ownacondo.com
DHL
Best's Kosher
Jim Beam
United Airlines
Majestic Sportswear
McDonald's
And, of course, U.S. Cellular.
Usually, minor-league baseball franchises steal ideas from big-league teams. But when it comes to cluttering up a ballpark with ads, it looks like the White Sox and most other teams have borrowed all too liberally from their little brothers. I don't like it. I'm headed to Wrigley Field tomorrow for the White Sox-Cubs game. Hopefully, words haven't been cut into the ivy on the outfield brick wall to help sell junk food or SUVs.
Phil Mickelson won The Players Championship Sunday. He's a very fine Player.
Brett Favre is unhappy that his Green Bay Packers didn't swing a deal for Randy Moss. Moss, who is now a New England Patriot, seems fine with it.
I'm offering $300 for Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball.
Jeff Gordon has won three of the last four NASCAR Nextel Cup races. "What an amazing year we're having," Gordon said. The Milwaukee Brewers, Golden State Warriors and Sanjaya are saying the same thing.
The WNBA season has either started or will start soon. It's one of those two, and it doesn't matter which.
All right, I'll pay $325 for Bonds' 756th home run ball.
How would I know? I've never experienced them.
It was a thrilling two minutes and two seconds. Street Smart is pretty sharp on dirt, too.
Cowtown Cat finished dead-last. I should have known better than to pick horses simply by their names. Tony Soprano did the same thing last week, and it cost him a bundle.
If you don't watch "The Sopranos," Tony bet on a horse with the word 'Meadow' in its name. His daughter is named Meadow. For more information about the show, go to hbo.com.
Good night, everybody. Please drive safely.
It's 12 minutes until post time.
Your winner-to-be: Nobiz Like Shobiz
Second place: Scat Daddy
Third: Cowtown Cat
Why? Cool names.
End of transmission
Today, May 4, brought us the annual "Smackoff" on Jim Rome's radio show. I was in my car and heard about 20 minutes of it.
I couldn't understand a word.
In a couple years, the International Olympic Committee will choose the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Chicago is the United States' candidate. So periodically, I'll tell you how much time remains between now and the 2016 Games. As it stands now:
Nine years.