Some individual athlete talk...

First thing is first:
PGA Tour Player of the Year, Tiger Woods vs. Padraig Harrington:
Is it really that close of a discussion? I'm very... satire when it comes to Tiger Woods. Possibly because he is my favorite athlete in all of the world. And by far the most impressive (Okay, I can't say by far anymore because of Mr. Phelps). However, lets break down the stats (statistical help provided by PGATOUR.com).

Padraig: 12 events played, 11 cuts made, 2 victories (The Open Championship, PGA Championship). He has a 70.64 scoring average and is 4th in the FedEx Cup standings. Half of the major championships aren't too bad. However, he has no runner up performances. Padraig has definitely taken a stand in the absence of Tiger... not saying that Tiger was a lock to win these tournaments, though. But I mean, come on, Paddy had to take charge of who to win the PGA? Sergio. 'Nuff said.

Tiger: 6 events played, 6 cuts made, 4 victories (U. S. Open Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Buick Invitational). In the 6 events he's been healthy enough to play, he's not come in any worse than 5th. He hasn't played since the beiginning of June and is still in first in the FedEx Cup standings, with a scoring average of 68.90. Almost 2 full strokes lower than Paddy's. I know what you're saying, "He hasn't played enough this season.." Because he's been hurt, right? So if he was healthy all year, he would've played... 10 events? The Open Championship, the PGA, TPC, and the Memorial. And, not taking away from Padraig's amazing achievement of winning 2 majors in one year... but what Tiger did at the U. S. Open was absolutely amazing. One of the greatest sport-injury moments ever. Think Kurt Gibson and Willis Reed.

Padraig has had an amazing year, and if he carries this into next season, then maybe he will lock up the POY next year. However, I think the choice is pretty simple. Not only is Tiger the good sentimental selection, he is the right smart selection.

Olympic news:
Phelps going for gold medal 6 tonight. Dude is absolutely amazing. He's usually in the water, done with the race, dried off, sitting on the side of the pool with his feet dangling in the water, shining his medal and chomping a Powerbar before his opponents finish. Possibly the greatest Olympian of all time, and if he actually runs the table and wins all 8 of these medals, I will take the possibly away from that statement. He will be the greatest athelte of all time.

American James Blake upsets Swiss (and world number 1) Roger Federer (from USA Today-Sports). So, after being on top of the world since the beginning of 2004, R. Fed cannot buy a big win. Just when it looked as if Federer and soon-to-be new world number 1 Rafael Nadal, Federer falls on his face. Which, might be all the better because if he would've lost to Nadal, again, it may have just ended his career.

But, James Blake is not exactly the most proven. So, now what? Is Federer done? Just like that? I'm not so sure that he is, but it sure is beginning to appear that way. If it is so (and after a run like this, it always feels wierd) then I say, a job well done. Drift off into the sunset as one of the best tennis players to have ever played the game and take your seat next to Borg, McEnroe, and Connors.

That's all I've got to drone about today. Besides, I think my coworkers are tired of hearing me burn up this keyboard. I get into it. Until next time...

Spanish national basketball team, "offensive"?

No, not the good type of offensive. God knows that is all Pau Gasol is anyway, the dude is softer than a baby blanket. However, a picture has been running in a newspaper in Spain with the Spanish national basketball team making a gesture toward their eyes, an attempt to make them more "chinese," some may say "chinky?" Whatever the racial slur, they did it.

Fox Sports reports Gasol, forward for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, says the picture was meant to be a joke and was not meant to offend anyone. Yeah, just like you wouldn't be offended if everytime the Chinese referred to you they said something like "Eurotrash" or the such. How completely insensitive can you be? I try not to get my news from the Fox network... I actually avoid it like the plauge, but I couldn't pass this up.

Gasol said that it was supposed to be a joke, something funny. Well, don't get me wrong, this picture would have got a few chuckles from your buddies sitting in a pub, however when this picture represents... not just an organization, but an entire country... it gets a little deeper than being funny.

It gets more ridiculous. Fox reports team point guard Jose Calderon wrote on his blog, "We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture." Are you kidding me? That gesture toward Asian's is just as "affectionate" as someone calling you a Mexican just because you speak Spanish.

Earth to Spaniards, there is nothing affectionate about racial slurs. This may come off as crazy, but most find racial slurs... offensive. I understand that Spain isn't the most racist country in the world, and that is great, but that is no excuse for ignorance.

I find it surprising that only 35% of people on Fox Sports thought that the gesture was offensive... I'm guessing the billion-some chinese didn't vote. I think that also says something about the Fox News audience...

But that's another rant for another day.

(8/14/08) UPDATE: USA and Spain is next, a game that could quite possibly be a preview of the gold medal game. Good deal, if there is a team in this tournament that knows about racism first hand, its the Americans. The Greeks weren't that good anyway. We are Sparta....

(off topic) Tiger Woods

With the delayed end of the WGC-CA Championship at Doral, Tiger Woods ends his streak of five straight PGA Tour wins and seven world wide golf events. Woods absolutely tanked, finishing a season worst fifth.

So, Tiger's lost it. We can stop talking about Tiger being the best golfer ever. He finished the weekend with an embarrassing 5-under par round in a rain delayed final round. What's the problem? He only made a dismal $258,000 in four days.

He's not Nicklaus. He's not even Woods anymore. A loss? Unforgivable.

Sure, he is still the number one golfer in the world. Okay, he's held that rank for 488 weeks and he is over 12 points ahead of the World Number Two. So what? There wasn't even an official ranking when Nicklaus, Palmer, and Hogan were playing.

Woods only has 64 career PGA Tour wins, which is only good for a tie for third all time. He did it five years faster than the Golden Bear, but what are the odds that "The Cat" will be winning majors well into his forties?

Even considering he has over 30 more wins than the next active player on Tour, with this weekends loss, how could it possibly be a race for second anymore?

The Masters is fast approaching and this loss for Tiger couldn't have come at a better time for the rest of the field. Anyone that has watched the Tour over the last decade knows that Tiger can't regroup after a big loss. He doesn't stand up well to criticism.

Let's face it world, his intensity is shot.

So there is good news for Phil Mickelson. Phil himself, again, is probably the only one that can beat him in the majors this year.