More and more, I feel like a stranger to my own society. I don’t understand people. I don’t understand how they can be entertained by the things they watch, nourished by the things they eat, enhanced by the things they buy, or enriched by the gossip they read. But more than any of these behaviors, I am most mystified by the things that cause us to be surprised.
In a society where celebrity and fame are acquired by the whim of the public’s reaction to image and profile, and not necessarily from an appreciation of actual talent, we act surprised when grown animals bite off their opponent’s ears in the ring, when childhood stars, robbed of their youth, continue into adulthood to carry on like children, or when guy-liner wearing American Idols are captured by the tabloids making out with other men. Why are we so surprised? Fame comes about more so from the titillation of the public, which encourages bad behavior because it makes for a juicier story. As a result, our “stars” get to where they are by acting the way they do. Why should they stop now?
Yet, this week, columnist Rick Reilly, a good writer, I think, criticized Tiger Woods for his tantrums on the golf course at the Open. Says Reilly, “Tiger Woods has outgrown those Urkel glasses…the crazy hair…(and) a body that was mostly neck…When will he outgrow his temper?”
Tiger Woods is a winner. He always has been and likely always will be. The numbers don’t lie, you know how often he has won, and you know that he is the greatest golfer to ever walk this planet.
You don’t become the best by making winning a priority. You become the best by making winning THE priority. You carry in your gut a desire and passion to win, so strong that the idea of being unable to win would make you want to quit altogether.
The intensity with which Tiger Woods plays the game is exactly what brought him his celebrity in the first place. The 330-yard cannons, 3-woods over water, cutting two irons out of fairway traps, 50-foot eagle bombs, with fist pumps to finish, and yes, unfortunately, the driver slams into the tee box are the good, and bad, images of a game played with the utmost passion. The PGA Tour is what it is today – a behemoth industry with yearly purses soaring from $70 million to over $250 million - largely because Tiger Woods has elevated the level of play and boosted the passion meter, virtually singlehandedly. And the correlation between Woods’ involvement in modern golf and enhanced TV revenue and sponsor involvement is undeniable. Nothing demonstrates this better than to consider that when Tiger went on hiatus for knee surgery last year, television ratings sagged by an astounding 50%. Tiger Woods’ image as the Nike Golf Poster Child is earning Nike Golf more than $500 million per year. It’s possible that Nike is almost as concerned with Tiger’s foul mouth as they were with Michael Jordan’s gambling.
Speaking of Jordan, let’s not forget that Tiger isn’t just another guy on the PGA tour. He is one of the best athletes in history. His peers are not Vijay Singh, David Toms, or Mike Weir. His peers are Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Ty Cobb, Jim Brown, and Muhammad Ali. Ali, Brown and Gretzky toiled in sports that involved the infliction of physical pain upon opponents, so commending them for their good behavior would be a bit unfair. Jordan used to yell at his teammates and the referees. Everyone who ever met Ty Cobb hated him for being the jerk he was unanimously reported to be, and The Red Sox traded The Bambino after his bad boy behavior - a drunk driving accident with a woman who wasn’t his wife, and a thrown punch at an umpire that resulted in a nine game suspension - began to raise resentment in the clubhouse. Yet Reilly condemns Tiger for yelling at himself after poor shots?
In modern sports, bad behavior is a cottage industry, even among the big stars. One need only to think of George Brett running at the umpire over pine tar, Jeff Van Gundy trying disgracefully to hold back Alonzo Mourning, Ron Artest punching out fans in the stands, Tanya Harding clubbing Nancy Kerrigan, Roberto Alomar spitting in the face of umpire John Herschbeck, Bobby Knight throwing the chair, Bobby Knight choking his player, Bobby Knight assaulting Jeremy Schapp, - wow, how ‘bout that Bobby Knight - Roger Clemens throwing Piazza’s bat, Dennis Rodman kicking the photographer. Where into that line of admirable behavior do we insert Tiger Woods yelling at,.......well,.......at...... himself?
There is bad behavior that flows from questionable character, and bad behavior that comes from caring too much. Tiger never steps on anyone’s line, rolls his ball in the fairway, or elbows a spectator on a trip into or out of the wayward rough. He doesn’t typically shout during Phil’s back swing. And when I was serving him at a club in New York five years ago, he drank water and sat quietly talking with his friends, Jeter and Jordan, while they took turns passing the half-dozen gathered glamorous models from lap to lap.
True story.
Next year, around this time, go to any public golf course in America. Ask any ten guys you meet there to name the winners of this year’s US Open and British Open Championships. Do you think that half would be able to name both Lucas Glover AND Stewart Cink? Both are great golfers, and, by all accounts, great guys. The PGA Tour and the American President’s Cup team are better for having them this year. But, for cryin’ out loud, who are more boring than Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink? And if these guys typify the type of intensity the PGA Tour will be counting on 20 years from now, when Tiger is otherwise busy walking Sam Alexis down the aisle, golf may be in for a real popularity collapse. When Ivan Lendl rose to the forefront of professional tennis, taking the mantle from John McEnroe, McEnroe himself noted that the tennis world must be missing him, having instead to watch “the human robot, Ivan Lendl.” Does Lucas Glover, himself, yet know that he won the US Open?
Reilly makes the point that more kids watch Tiger than any other golfer, and more kids mimic Tiger than any other athlete, and bad behavior makes for “role model” issues. The kids have no choice but to watch Tiger, the TV programmers see to that. They make sure every single one of his shots is televised. Who knows, maybe Stewart Cink snapped a putter over his knee last Thursday. But the kids wouldn’t have seen it, because ABC’s Mike Tirico was too busy gushing over Tiger, and commentator Andy North was otherwise unavailable, glued to Tom Watson’s Titleists.
For Tiger, “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” If winning isn’t important to you, involve your children in arts and music, because golf is a competition, and the object of the game is to win. And Tiger Woods has now given a fifteen-year clinic on overcoming adversity, performing under pressure, and, well, winning.
To do everything that Tiger Woods does, and there is little he does half-heartedly, there has to be some separation. Family time is for Elin and the kids, practice time is for Hank Haney, Tiger Woods Foundation time is for the children of the world, and Major Championship time is for Tiger. Hell, Major Championship time is for all of us out here in the world of sports. It’s his opportunity to be selfish and his opportunity to be the superhero, at the same time.
Why should we be surprised when he behaves just as he always has, especially if he lets himself down while also letting all of us down, too?
It’s too bad Reilly doesn’t seem to get it. It’s right in front of his nose, particularly when he cites in his very column the anecdote that explains it all, the essence of Tiger Woods:
One day, when Tiger was just a kid, he was throwing his clubs around in a fuming fit when his dad said something like "Tiger, golf is supposed to be fun." And Tiger said, "Daddy, I want to win. That's how I have fun."
The Cheese Whizard is back. And before I can even begin to apologize for the absence, we must discuss a crucial off-season incident.
Philadelphia will get you. Just when you’re not looking, out of nowhere, like it’s very own Rocky Balboa, it’ll hit you with a jab, and you’ll be wounded.
The only nuisance for the Phillies in their otherwise trouble-free run to perfection and a world title was a man, in Manny Ramirez, amongst boys. He was brilliant.
So how would Philadelphia retaliate? Oh, you thought winning the big one was the end of this battle? Think again.
Just about 67 miles northwest of Broad and Pattison (address of the world champions) is a town called Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading is the home of the Reading Phillies, the AA affiliate of the big-league squad. Reading also just happens to be the hometown of Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitcher Chad Billingsley.
Billingsley is a 24 year-old ace-in-the-making. As the number-two starter on their staff, he had a 3.14 ERA this year, and although he folded in the National League Championship Series, his 16 wins will need to anchor this pitching staff (having recently lost Derek Lowe) again in 2009. Or, will it?
On Thursday, parts of Pennsylvania got a wintery mix of snow and freezing rain, all too familiar to residents of that area. Vanessa Ciccarella from Upper Dublin said, “Yeeaa it wuz comin down real hard, and hittin’ the roof and stuff, but like it wasn’t wutter, it was like frowzen.”
The next morning, Chad Billingsley, while home in Reading during his winter hiatus, lost his footing while walking on his frozen driveway, and suffered a spiral fracture of the fibula in his left leg. Oops.
Gotcha…just when you weren’t looking.
Doctors put a plate in Billingsley’s leg and said he should be, “…able to throw by spring training.” Able to throw? If I’m Joe Torre, and I’ve been through the pitching nightmares that he went through in New York, I’m not buying it. I’m not confident with a recovering Billingsley, a Hiroki Kuroda who went 9-10, and a decent pick-up.
I’m buying something big.
C.C. Sabathia is big. He is far and away the best pitcher in this year's free agent class.
I know Sabathia will probably go to New York. I know the Yankees just offered him enough money to make Henry Paulson blink. I know Sabathia is ready to win, and the Yankees win (or, they would, and they did when they had good pitching). I know Hal Steinbrenner (the owner of the Yankees) wants to make his mark on this new team, in this new ballpark. I know a rounder man of Sabathia’s size and stature looks much better in vertical patterns, and thus, is well suited for the Yankee pinstripes.
But, the Dodgers have money to spend.
The Dodgers are sick of Scott Boras. They’ve taken their money off the table with Manny, and their number-two pitcher just broke his leg.
They might not be able to match the Yankees $137 million, but they have a core of young, talented players, who just got a whole lot of playoff experience. They could make a few moves, make an offer, and let Sabathia’s desire to return to his native sunny California (after what must have been a miserably cold stretch in Cleveland and Milwaukee) do the rest.
In that case, Manny’s out.
And just when Manny wasn’t looking, Philadelphia’s icy mix took out the Dodger’s number-two pitcher. And that might make Manny a certain number-two priority to finding a new ace.
Hey, Manny, see you in Anaheim.
Los Angeles has plenty to talk about.
Ned Colletti, The Dodgers’ GM, and Scott Boras, Satan’s personal assistant and Manny Ramirez’s agent, are locked up in an old fashioned game of “Remember when you screwed us on the J.D Drew deal?” And it’s just oozing with testosterone.
This morning, on ESPN Radio, Colletti said, “I haven’t talked to Scott this morning…but I’m sure I’ll hear from him on Christmas day.”
This afternoon The Dodgers pulled their offer off the table. Don’t look for this one to end anytime soon.
But, Manny or not, The Dodgers are looking to spend money, and that’s exciting.
The Lakers are good. Great, even. Some say 70-wins-great. That is yet to be seen.
What is plain to see however is that the addition of Andrew Bynum is taking the defensive pressure off of Pau Gasol (averaging 15.5 ppg). And, the combination of Odom, Radmonovich, Farmar, Walton and Vujacic (the Lakers’ bench) could probably win half of their games as a starting 5.
The Angels are making big moves.
UCLA basketball, despite an early season scare from Miami (OH) is ranked 4th in the coaches poll, and is loaded with talent.
The northwest winter swell is rolling into Malibu, and Southern California’s coastal waters are packed with the world’s best surfers.
Gossip Girl is hot.
Warren Sapp doing the Tango is way hotter.
So, why on earth? Why, is it? WHY, I ask you? Why must Los Angeles spend every waking minute pining over every last minute detail of USC Trojans Football?!?!
As I sat there watching this team get out-thought, out-coached, out-manned, out-hustled, and flat out out-played by Stanford for three quarters of their game today, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “This is a mediocre USC team.”
This isn’t a mediocre team. This is a mediocre USC team.
The defense is the best in the country. No question. Before the game today, they were giving up an average of 6 points per game. They had only given up 7 touchdowns. The next best team in that category had given up 13 – almost twice as many.
But this is a team searching for an offensive identity.
This is a team ranked 21st and 24th respectively in rushing offense and passing offense. They’re ranked 15th amongst scoring offenses in the country.
This is a team that is without the Lendale White/Reggie Bush backfield combo of 2004. When the 2004 team defined itself as a running machine, the White/Bush tandem ran for 2011 yards. The best the 2008 squad can muster is a combined 943 yards from C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson.
This team is without a go-to receiver like Dwayne Jarret, Steve Smith or Mike Williams. When this was an offense with an aeronautics nametag in 2003, Williams caught for over 1300 yards. Another Williams, Damian, leads the 2008 team with 518 receiving yards.
This is a team that lost to Oregon State, had trouble with Arizona, crawled past Cal, and barely outlasted Stanford (the 22 point margin is an aberration).
This isn’t some great story about an underdog, or a phoenix rising from the ashes. This is a story about the perennial favorite; the 6-time national champion; and the schoolyard bully. But this year the bully didn’t get picked to play and so he has to sit on the side and watch.
For USC to make it to the BCS National Championship, at least 4 of the following 5 teams must fall.
1. Alabama…must lose to Auburn next week, or to Florida in the SEC Championship. And, even if they lose a close game to Florida, there is no guarantee that they’ll fall below USC at the 6 spot.
2. Texas Tech…must lose to Oklahoma next week, or to Mizzou in the Big 12 Championship. Despite their enormously exciting offense, and the best college football player in the country, in Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech seems to be the most likely of these teams to fall.
3. Texas…must lose to Arkansas or to Texas A&M. Texas will not play in the BIG 12 Championship because of their head-to-head loss to Texas Tech, and this could be their saving grace. Colt McCoy is still the Heisman leader, and every coach with a ranking sheet knows that.
4. Oklahoma…must lose to Texas Tech next week, or Oklahoma State the week after, or to Mizzou in the Big 12 Championship. If Bob Stoops can coach them to three wins through that stretch, this team will play in the BCS National Championship game.
5. Florida…must stop being the best team in the country. Florida tackles The Citadel, and a Florida State team (that just lost to Boston College), before going at it with #1 ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship. If they win those three games (and they will), The Gators would even leap frog a one-loss Texas team and play for the National Championship.
So, if you’re a USC football fan, you can do one of two things.
Your first option is to sit here and pray that everyone else chokes. You can hinge your every breath on the demise of everything that has been good in college football this year. You can hold on for dear life and hope that this mediocre Trojan team can falsely recreate the excellence of 2003, 2004 and four other terrific seasons.
Or, you can stop being ridiculous, enjoy what the SEC and BIG 12 have to offer, and buy a ticket or two if the NFL ever gives you another shot at a professional football team.
There are things to comment on.
For me, there are many things to comment on.
And then there are those events, those plays, those comments, those actions, those moments, that one moment, that leaves us speechless. It isn't a loss of words. Its a fear that this moment is bigger than who we are, more powerful than anything we're capable of, too perfect to be tarnished by our words. And so we say nothing.
What transpired in the hours between 8:37pm EST on Monday, October 27, 2008, and whatever time you finally got to sleep in the wee (morning) hours of Thursday, October 30th left me speechless.
I will not mar this moment with my words.
The Phillies are World Series Champions, and I am celebrating.
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The Cheese will be back soon with ...
1. The BCS debacle part 47
2. Questions for Joe Dumars and this brilliant trade he just made
3. 1,049,392 reasons the NFL has got it going right, in every way.
Sunday night my lady friend and I paid twelve dollars each to see ‘W,’ Oliver Stone’s latest stab at mediocrity. For two hours, the film careened through obvious scenes, and worn-out Presidential blunders that you couldn’t have missed were you living under a rock, or better yet – for my loyal Taliban readers – in a rock, for the last eight years. The only redemption came in the form of Josh Brolin’s masterful performance (as ‘W’ himself) that carries Stone’s work in much the same way that Manny Ramirez did Joe Torre’s, after July.
But, despite the predictable jokes, the seeming lack of purpose, and Thandie Newton’s whiny caricature of Condoleezza Rice, there was a surprising sound that filled the theater: laughter.
In this time of fear and uncertainty in America, you can feel people starving for entertainment, longing for an escape, holding on for a hero, till the end of the night. Art has become secondary to simple amusement. Demand for tales of fortitude, unlikely heroes, and utter hopefulness has skyrocketed. Three of the top five films of 2008 were superhero movies; stories that turned hope on the heels of desperation and despair. According to Nielsen, six of the top ten most watched television shows of the past year were new episodes of either American Idol (a show in which nobodies become stars) or Dancing With The Stars (a show in which ‘has-beens’ resurrect their careers).
If we, as Americans need an escape, then all we really need is our Great American Pastime.
Baseball has consoled this great nation in many troubled times.
On January 14, 1942, just a month after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, asking for advice. He asked FDR if baseball should continue being played with our country wrapped up in a world war. Roosevelt responded with what is now known as ‘The Green Light Letter,’ insisting that baseball should continue being played, and that it would only serve as a morale booster for American citizens and those fighting abroad.
In 1987, the entire world was shaken by the devastating stock market crash of Black Monday. The United States attacked an Iranian oil platform in the Persian Gulf as world markets collapsed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 23% in the days following October 19th. But, on October 20th the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals played Game 3 of the World Series, thus resuming their heated battle. That World Series went seven exciting games (only 6 of the last 22 World Series’ have gone seven games), and the Twins won game seven in an unlikely come-from-behind fashion sparked by Kirby Pucket’s game-tying double.
In 2001, the New York Yankees helped their beloved city rise from the ashes. Though the Yanks couldn’t win it all, with the help of the Arizona Diamondbacks, they treated baseball fans and New Yorkers across the country to a seven-game gem of a series, just a month after the tragedy of September 11th.
This year, while Fox will apologize profusely for failing to bring you the over-hyped Red Sox – Dodgers match-up that it primed so incessantly, Major League Baseball will not.
Major League Baseball wants you to know that it is alive and well.
Major League Baseball wants you to forget about your mortgage, Iraq, healthcare, and elections. It wants to console you, and it will.
Major League Baseball wants to give you a story of hope. From a town where our nation was founded, it wants to show you how the most losing franchise in sports history (The Phillies) can quench the thirst of a city yearning for a championship.
Major League Baseball wants to give you a story of rebirth. From a town where baseball has only existed for ten years, it wants to show you how a team that finished dead last in its division (The Rays), in eight of its first nine seasons, can nullify the New York Yankees, eliminate the Boston Red Sox, and turn its first winning season into a world championship.
But more importantly, Major League Baseball wants to introduce you to some people. It wants you to forget about Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and BALCO. It wants you to forget about steroids altogether. It wants you to empty your memories and stop concerning yourself with the tarnished past of sluggers bound for Cooperstown. It wants you to meet the future of baseball.
This week, in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, baseball’s youth will shine on a national stage. Next week, those youths will be household names.
As far as the Phillies go, you’re probably familiar with some of their young talent. You probably know Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, the 2006 and 2007 National League MVPs, both 29 years of age. You probably even know Chase Utley (29), the Phillies 2008 catalyst and starting second basemen.
But what about Jason Werth (29), who took over the starting job in right field, hit 24 home runs, and had 67 RBI in just 137 starts? What about Shane Victorino (27), ‘The Flyin’ Hawaiian,’ who leads the starting line-up with a .293 batting average, and 36 stolen bases? What about Cole Hamels (24) who won 14 regular season starts, and has a 3-0 record this post season with a 1.23 ERA?
Do you know those guys?
Well, even if you do, you probably don’t know these Rays…
How about B.J. Upton? At age 24, he already has 7 homeruns this postseason. How about Evan Longoria? (No, not Eva) The Rays first round pick in 2006, Longoria lead the team in SLG and OPS, and will most likely receive the National League Rookie of the Year Award. How about David Price? This left-handed pitcher was drafted #1 overall last year by the Rays, and didn’t make his debut until September 14, 2008. He could be the deciding factor against a powerful line-up of Philadelphia lefties.
The Ray’s starting line-up has an average age of 27.4, and before this season, only 8 players on their 40-man roster had playoff experience.
Major League Baseball has a lot of introducing to do.
But, if you can’t sleep because a loved one is in Iraq, you can’t eat because you’re sick and can’t pay for healthcare, or you’re anxious because you can’t pay your mortgage, tune into Fox this week. There are a bunch of young men ready and willing to take your mind off of things for a little while. There are a bunch of young men eager to write you a new story of hope - a story of rebirth.
When the Rays eliminated the Red Sox on Sunday, FOX traded the 7th ranked television audience for the 14th ranked television audience. So, if anyone loses this week, it’s FOX. But then again, if you wear the Red colors of the FOX team, you are probably preparing for an even bigger loss on November 4th.
Here’s to baseball.
Frankly, all week I was sick and tired of hearing the following...
"Anything less than a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series would be an utter let down for baseball." -Abe Knownothing
So, now that the Dodgers are out of it, I'm wondering, "Hey Fox, now that you can't have it YOUR way, is it o.k. if the TWO BEST TEAMS play in the World Series? Gee, THANKS!"
But before you Philly fans go praying that the hottest team in baseball (The Phillies) gets to play the team that played the best all year (The Rays), beware of Florida...as in, the State.
5 REASONS PHILADELPHIA DREAMS DIE IN FLORIDA:
1. The FLORIDA Marlins have kept the Phillies out of the playoffs, by beating them in late season series, at least twice in the last 6 years. That includes 2003 when the Marlins won the World Series.
2. In January of 2003 The TAMPA BAY Bucs won the last football game at Veterans Stadium. They beat the Eagles 27-10 in The NFC Championship Game, before advancing to win the Super Bowl.
3. In 2004, The TAMPA BAY Lightening beat the Flyers in the 7th game of The Eastern Conference Finals, before beating the Calgary Flames and winning the Cup of Lord Stanley for the first time in franchise history.
4. In 2005, The Eagles lost Super Bowl XXXIX, in JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA to the New England Patriots, 24-21.
5. The disastrous performance by FLORIDA MARLIN'S second baseman Dan Uggla, in the 2008 MLB All Star Game is the primary reason that no matter who the Phillies play, they will NOT have home-field advantage.
Ummm...Go Red Sox.