The Shoe Revolution- From Air Jordan's to Air Penny's

Recently the new Air Jordan's shoe was released. An interesting design to be sure but as they have been in the past they are more about fashion then as a 'Basketball Shoe". The picture (shown) makes the shoes look a little out there but actually look better when you see them in action on the court.

There is little doubt that the basketball shoe revolution began with Michael Jordan and his custom personalized shoe. Shoes were shoes before the Nike Air Jordans hit the market. Michael was such a powerful marketing and advertising force that he not only helped make Nike the powerhouse that they have become but also with the popularity that his 'Jumpman' brand has become managed to break away from its own maker to form its own brand, logo, marketing and style. From that grew the 'shoe deal'. This was primarily made for the basketball players and the sport of basketball. That has now spread to other sports and was what has lead to the Mega Deal that Tiger Woods got when he broke into the PGA.

The sport lends its self well for this as 1 superstar player can make a huge difference on what happens on the court and you can see the players up close and can recognize them, form a bond with them. Football and hockey players wear helmets that hide their faces and de-humanizes them a bit. Baseball is more methodical and cerebral. Basketball, Basketball is high paced, played with flow and just the sounds of the game...the squeaking of shoes on the hardwood just fits with footwear. After the success of the Air Jordan line Nike and other companies have been in competition to sign these high profile players of various sports for their celebrity endorsement and marketing needs. The real marketable ones get their own line. Some are more successful then others. 'Kemps' were big back in the day, Shaq had his own brand. Kobe for one reason or another was great at marketing but never had that specific shoe that set him apart. Odd for probably the best player post Jordan. But make no mistake Air Jordan's were the true Pioneer success story. This was the the evolution of the new shoe culture, and this is where my shoe story begins.

In 1994 I entered High School and thus began my 'sporting career'. I was very competitive when I played any sport, I wanted to win, I wanted to be a leader, I wanted the ball in my hands. I knew that if I had the ball good things were going to happen. I like to be the facilitator in whatever sport it was at the time. I was the point guard in basketball, the setter in volleyball, the shortstop in baseball and fastball...positions that were the captain/general of the game. Sure I was cocky, I was full of confidence I made no apologies for that. I was probably more confident then I should have been because I know I was not always the best player on the court at any given time but I never let that affect my mindset. Off the court, I was insecure and did not have near the same level of confidence. (The difference was like the kid Archie "Moonlight' Graham transforming into something completely different when crossing over the foul line in Field of Dreams and turning into old Archibald 'Doc' Graham). It is strange looking back at that now on how much different I was when I stepped across  the lines in either direction. The difference was night and day. With all that said my choice of shoe needed to reflect that mentality so I always wanted to have the kicks that were flashy, that said...'yep, I am better then you', shoes that would talk the talk as well as walk the walk.

 Each summer when kids set out with their parents for back to school clothes, my trips would include getting a new pair of kicks for a year of a variety of sports and gym classes. I was lucky and my parents felt that having a good pair of footwear was important and were willing to let me get quality shoes. At the time, even back then shoes were not cheap, especially the ones that I wanted, needed and required. If nothing else I wanted the nice new shoe on the market...not last years model. I can't stress this enough, I was very lucky and had the freedom to procure these each year.


Year 1 Grade 9 - I started with a aumage to the shoes from back in the day. Everyone back in the 80's were wearing Con's! You always hear about people who were wearing the Chuck Taylors from the All-Star of American Footwear. So, with that in mind I opted for the Cons React. They had a little bit of flash a Velcro strap over conventional laces. In the sole were round gel pads that were visible in the heal of the shoe. They had a tight look, a good fit, decent weight and squeaked on the hardwood! Not a bad beginning to a high school athletic career that was somewhat successful. Nothing that earned any athletic scholarships but moderate team success, moderate individual success and a whole lot of fun at whatever sport was played at the time.

Year 2 Grade 10 - This is where the 'Streak' began and there will be a pattern from here-on out in terms of the choice of footwear that seemed to follow me throughout high school. Lets call it comfort with the product, the quality and the brand loyalty that I had during that time period. Next up were the Nike Zoom Rookie. These were the debut of the Air Penny. Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway was a at the time one of the bright spots of the NBA and was a new hybrid guard that was taking hold of the league. While in Orlando he was paired with a young Shaquille O'Neal and was the floor general on teams that went to the finals only to lose to the Houston Rockets in the time that Michael Jordan had 'decided' to go try his hand at baseball. Penny was a 6'8'' point guard that had great court vision, was a great passer a high flyer and shot maker. He was one of those special players that was a real team leader. It is too bad that his knees caught up to him but a great player in his own right for the time that he was at his peak. He was one of my favorite players during that time period and as a result was one of my first jerseys as well. In addition to that Nike created a huge marketing campaign with Penny and his little buddy L'il Penny! This was a joint venture with Nike and Weiden & Amp; Kennedy on their unforgettable Lil' Penny commercial series. L'il Penny was voiced by Chris Rock and that just added credibility and comedy to each spot and to the character in general.

Year 3 Grade 11 - This was phase II in the progression to the growing line of me wearing the Penny brand shoes. This time around I opted for the Olympic version of the Air Zoom Flight Custom from Nike.  These were released for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and Penny's participation as a member of the Dream Team 2. Penny had to wear the number 6 on that team so the shoes. It had had the number 6 on the back heal. These shoes were awesome. They were the first shoe I had that sported the in-sewn sock as well. They were flashy white an blue and the solid reflective blue on the sides shimmered. A sweet follow-up to the Original Zoom Air's I stared with.

Year 4 Grade 12 - Phase III of the line of Penny's that I rode in on. These bad boys were the BEST and probably my favorite of them all and that was the Nike Air Penny 2 (Atlantic blue / black / white / metallic silver) . Loved these shoes. They were probably the best combination of flash and comfort I have ever had the pleasure of wearing on my feet. These are so good that if I come across them again I will likely pick up a pair. If nothing else but for the nostalgic and sentimental value. These were some of the most resilient and well made shoes I ever owned, they were flashy to the end and durable for years! Just thinking bout them makes me happy.

Year 5 Grade 13 (OAC) - The final leg for my High School Athletic Career. Of course, true to form I had to stay brand loyal and finished up with the Nike Air Penny 3 White Eggplant Black. These too had the in-sewn sock and a 'wall of bright blue material up the side that drew the eye and attention to theses bad boys. These shoes had a style that was un-presidented, there was no precedent for them. They were just as sweet on the eyes and a piece of shoe engineering greatness. Even after High School I cared for these and never wore them outside and kept them in as good a condition as I could for as long as I could. I was no longer playing a lot of court sports but for special event tournaments I would have these on stand-by read to strap them up when need be. Sadly they did die a rough death. When they went they went quick and hard. 1 day the one heal air pocket finally burst and from then on it was all down hill and they quickly deteriorated with the glue giving out and the heal pulling away. It was tough to see but they treated me well for a long time and it was a good run.

Like my favorite team, The Braves, the Penny line was on a championship run for me. I was loyal to them and they treated me well. I hear there are talks of Penny and Chris Rock bringing back L'il Penny in a retro Penny V shoe and series of commercials. If this happens I may be forced to nab a pair for old time sake! L'il Penny was, at the time a hugely successful marketing character and starred in many commercials. Like this one with Tyra Banks L'il Penny also was reported to have gone to high school with Kevin Garnett (just tell him L'il Penny from Science Club says hallo)

Quick Hits

The Toronto Raptors season is hanging on by a thread as they are a mere .5 game above the Bulls for the 8th and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The other night, All Star and the teams best player Chris Bosh suffered a broken bone in his face. Isn’t it just fitting that a shattered grill could also could shatter Toronto’s playoffs dreams. To make matters worse for the Raps’ their version of the Ottawa Senators enigma Alexi Kovalev - Hedo Turkoglu- suffered a nasal contusion in a loss to Boston the next night. The season seems to be in the balance with only a handful of games remaining and a once sure playoff birth hanging precariously in the balance.

Tiger Woods will make his long awaited return to the ranks of professional golf in this weeks Major, The Masters. The way I am looking at it the only story here is how will he manage a difficult and newly changed course layout after being away from the game for so long. What rust will he have and will he be able to "flip the switch and jump right back to being the most dominant player of all time. There is sure to be rust in terms of playing with the pressure of a tournament but the advantage to golf is that unlike other sports you play head to head vs the course and not other players. You can only affect how you play not anyone else in the field. Sure there are psychological advantages just in terms of intimidation of how good he is and the gallery that will be following him but he has put a lot of time in on the range and practice rounds so he should be ready. He always seemed pretty focused when he was living a huge lie, just imagine how much better he could be when he can actually enjoy himself. As long as his transgressions and lies aren’t the source of his focus like it was Samson’s hair he should be fine. I just hope the weekend is about the golf and not an extended version of the Insider or TMZ.

Tail Of The Tiger

Like I said before, right after Tiger had that early morning accident and some of the tabloid stories that were floated just before that incident that it was something that was fine to mention in the news but that everyone should just let him be and deal with it internally. The only reason that this should even be brought up is when it affects him as a pro golfer. Unfortunately that happened late this week. This went from tabloid garbage and fodder for the night time talk shows to becoming a legitimate sports news story. With a number now up to a bakers dozen of woman that h has been linked to is now at a level that is irrelevant as 1 is too many, 13 shows a real either addiction or at least pattern of poor decisions as a married man.

His decision to take an indefinite leave from the game of professional golf again legitimizes this as a true sports story. Granted he needs to deal with all this in a private way but there now needs to be some public statements. A post on his website is nice to get the info out but he needs to make an in person public statement if nothing else but to show that he is actually remorseful and sincere. Tiger stated "I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person," which is the right thing to say...but it needs to be said and not written.

Slowly some of his sponsors are now slightly distancing themselves from Woods and the story by ‘pulling back on marketing’. They are not dropping him right away just limiting some of the exposure that he gets. Some of his major sponsors include Nike, Gillette, AT&T, Gatorade and Tag Heuer. Of those 3 have already made some sort of modification regarding Woods.

It is interesting when you think of it. Maybe it is just poor decision making if you are a professional athlete to get married before you are 35. The likleyhood of there being ‘transgressions’ has got be be higher then that in regular society. sew your wild oats while young and rich...then settle down. That might lessen the sting of acting like a playboy.

It is a sad story all in all. Who would have thought that it would be a marriage and scandal that is going to derail one of the greatest careers of anything we have ever seen in sports. You would have thought that injury was the only thing that could stand in Tiger's way... Not even close, he won a Major title on a BROKEN LEG and this is what brings him down. It will be interesting to see what takes a bigger hit, Tiger's image or the PGA Tour without Tiger (bad economic times on tour is not going to be easy to overcome).

Quick Hits

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen have had a baby boy. Although the child is but 1 day old it already has the Brady 3 day beard growth.

Chad Ochocinco will be parting ways with some of his dinero as he has been fined yet again.
Ochocinco is being fined $30,000 for his latest "wardrobe malfunction". He was on the sidelines after scoring a touchdown donning a poncho and sombrero. Not sure if it was $15,000 per prop or just a standard 30G’s.

Danica Patrick recently announced that she will be joining NASCAR to race in the Nationwide series. While on the Dan Patrick Show today she was asked if she knows if she can race a NASCAR car, her response was a little surprising. "Nope, but we’re gonna find out," Patrick said. Danica said that she doesn’t know NASCAR-style cars, and that she drove one once seven or eight years ago she tried it out on a small track. One would think that before signing a two-year deal that one may hop into a car for a little ride, especially seeing that the deal is probably a fairly lucrative one.

The NBA seems to be getting a pass on the Tim Donaghy referee scandal. I guess if it isn’t sexy it won’t get covered. Donaghy has a book coming out soon and it is getting little or no press. He is linked to the Mob, how can that not be a big deal. David Stern must be loving that Tiger Woods is stealing all the highlights and newscasts and this seens to be slipping through the cracks. It is funny that the actual news story is buried and the one that should be left private is the one that went viral.

A guy told his Facebook friends that they could shoot his 60-inch television if the Redskins blew their lead against the Saints last Sunday...a 23 yard chip shot field goal that would have cinched the victory was missed by Shaun Suisham. Final Score: Saints 33 - Redskins 30 in OT. See What happened to the TV set here.

Tiger Jokes- Don't Want To, Have To

I apologise but before I can take the moral high ground this evolving issue I must go low brow on the Tiger jokes. I don't want to have to do it but, here we are. I can only hope that this will get it out of my system and we can move on to some actual sports related stories and comments.

Tiger's New Trophy

Gatorade and Tiger ask "IS IT IN YOU?"

Apparently, the only person who can beat Tiger Woods with a golf club is his wife

Ping just offered Elin Woods an endorsement contract pushing her own set of drivers. They said to named Elin Woods..."clubs you can beat Tiger with."

Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole in one.

What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards.

What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2.30 in the morning? They went clubbing .

Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn't decide between a wood and an iron.

I always said golf was a dangerous game...all this happened because Tiger picked up another birdie.

What club did Elin use to 'rescue' her husband? A "bitching wedge".

(Politically incorrect): What do Tiger Woods and baby seals have in common ?? They're both clubbed by Norwegians !

Tiger Gate - The Saga Continues

Ok. So it is time to get out ahead of the Tiger Woods saga and then maybe we can move on. Sure this is not a good situation that he put himself into. Any difficulties that he is incurring or going to incur in the upcoming weeks and months are of his own doing and he must deal with that. First and for most this is a private matter that needs to be dealt with.. .In private. The only thing that people need to know is if any of the issues are going to affect his golf game. The rest should be irrelevant. Obviously that is not going to happen and people love sensationalism. The way society is now with its stars they will build you up and put you on a pedestal, but at a moments notice they will be more then happy to knock you down and tear you up.... Only to then be more then happy to build you back up as a reclamation project. Britney Spears I am looking in your direction.

Are we to believe that all of a sudden Tiger Woods has become the first celebrity or athlete who has ever had an affair or "transgression"? I am shocked that someone would do such a thing! agghhh maybe shocked may be a bit of an overstatement... Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Shaq just to name a few internationally known superstars. I am sure in due time that this will pass and Tiger will be able to put this time behind him. How long that will be is anyone guess but we are only in the beginning of this story and who knows what other info is out there just ready to be leaked to the media but it will all come out in the wash. But again to be fair business on the fairways and greens should be fair game... business with the family should stay within the family, if nothing else but for the kids. It is too bad that the TMZ’s of the world won’t let that happen.

For those who have not seen his release here it is, it is a very tough read and clearly a tough thing to have to put out to the public. Especially for someone who has held his private life so quiet and closely shielded from the public for so many years...now I guess we know why.

Tiger comments on current events
I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.

It doesn’t help that fellow golfer Jesper Parnevik (who first introduced Tiger to Elin) had this to say about the situation: "I’m kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
"I would probably have to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron."

So with that said lets get it all out of our system now and then we can start fresh. Yes, more people on the course will be yelling "Get in the hole!" after each of his shots. Yes, all of his clubs and balls are well polished. Yes, his equipment is top of the line. Yes, his favorite shot is the knock down shot. No he did not shank it and ask for a mulligan. No he was not following company orders from NIKE to Just Do IT when he was approached with the option of engaging in any of the alleged "Transgressions". I am sure that there are many other jokes to be had but I think that the main ones are covered and now it is time to move on.

If Tiger is really guilty of anything other then "transgressions" it is that of being greedy. He has a Swedish model wife with a twin sister already. Now he is out with other women...that is just overkill dude...share the wealth.

Quick Hits

USA A-OK: Martin Brodeur embraces the Stars and Stripes. Anyone else concerned that the potential number one goalie at the Olympics this February for Team Canada just passed his test to become an American citizen? Nothing like having the pride of wearing the Maple Leaf on the chest of your jersey that was brought to you by a Bald Eagle. I know the dual citizenship thing is just a paper and legal issue but the timing could have been better. Maybe doing this after you play for you country would look a little better. There is no question that he is a true Canadian but this close to a major international competition is questionable. Either way we will see Marty in Vancouver this winter.

Tiger accident over and done with: All Tiger Woods has to do is pay a US$164 fine and accept the deduction of points on his licence then case closed. What led up to this point is nobodies business but he and his wife. The only thing that we should be concerned about is when this affects his play. Since he pulled out of his own tournament we as fans deserve to know the extent of the injury, but the events that led to the situation is a private issue and that should be respected. Gossip is so big in our society and always has been and as much as we all like to hear the dirt there needs to be some level of privacy involved. If there are issues at home, lets hope it gets worked out, nobody wants to hear a Phil Hartman type story. Maybe there is no fire near this smoke and it is just a misunderstanding. Only real issue is that keeping quiet only fuels idol and damaging speculation.

Jets bring in Yanks manager Girardi to teach Mark Sanchez how to slide: Seriously? There is no one in the Jets organization that knows how to slide correctly. And even if there isn't the best you could do is Girardi? I guess Jeets is busy with his Sportsman of the Year award but there must have been someone better. Even in media driven New York this is a weak attempt to get a good public relations story...this is not good PR it is just weak.

Take that! Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun had to leave the game on a stretcher after his teammate, Keith Ballard, whacked him across the head with his stick in frustration after an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. If that hits Kovalchuk and not his teammate he would be looking at a 20 game suspension. I don't think that he should be let off the hook. The league wants players to be responsible for their sticks, should it matter who gets hurt during a reckless and careless act? What if it was the ref? At the very least the team needs to do something publicly to show that that kind of behaviour is not to be tolerated.

2009 Sportsman Of The Year

Derek Jeter has just been named as the SI 2009 Sportsman of the Year. I will submit that he is a worth candidate and is the captain of the team that won the World Series, he is the ultimate team player, his numbers are either holding steady or are better now at an advanced age then when he was in his prime which is remarkable PLUS he is a very likeable figure. All that said I do not think that he should have been given this award. Perhaps it is more of a "lifetime achievement award" but even still I think there were some more deserving people.

Tim Tebow is one that comes to mind. He has the Heisman, he has the National Championships he has the looks the leadership and that is just what he does on the football field. When you add onto all that with his humanitarian work and everything he does and has done off the field it is hard to saw that he is not deserving of the award. The fact that there are questions about how he will be as a pro should have been a factor as well. This may be the only time where he will be in a position to win the award and that is now gone.

My vote would have gone to Jimmie Johnson. He has done what no one has ever done in the history of NASCAR winning 4 consecutive Championships. He is doing something that in any other sport would be deemed as super-human and the coverage is weak and the fact that he was overlooked as SI’s Sportsman of the Year is just another bit of proof that there is a double standard. Maybe it is because he is only part of the equation and technology is a big part of it. I find that a weak explanation or excuse, it is a team sport where he uses what he is given, the car is only a small part of what makes him so great. I am guessing that the voters have held his sport against him. When you are at the top of the mountain and not getting the respect that should come with it must be at least a little frustrating. Guess the millions of dollars and the trophies and the super attractive wife make up for that.

Other people that were in consideration were Manny Pacquiao, Kobe Bryant, Usain Bolt and Roger Federer. All these guys deserve to be in the conversation but just didn’t have enough to take the title.

With all that Tiger Woods did over this past year he very well could have been in this list. Imagine if he had won and was going to be honored at the awards night and on the cover after what has gone down regarding himself his wife and his very secretive car accident. That could have made for a very awkward situation for all involved.

Tiger In Trouble?

Tiger Woods appears to be in a bit of hot water right now. After it took nearly 12 hours before his accident to be reported (especially in a world of Twitter and such) lends itself to many questions. At this point all there is is questions and really no answers. The say that alcohol was not a factor, and that may well be true but in the absence of information from either Woods or the police who knows. Maybe there was a domestic situation that led to him leaving after 2am, hitting a fire hydrant and then a neighbours tree.

When it was first reported it said he was seriously injured which made you wonder how this would affect his run at Jack Nicklaus and his records. As probably the best golfer ever it has been widely assumed that the only thing that could de-rail him is injury. I am sure there was a collective gasp when the news was first reported.

They say that his wife, Elin Nordegren aided him out of the automobile by using a golf club to break out the back window...possible, or maybe she broke it out during a fight. We don't know, no one is talking. How bad is he injured? We don't know he is held up in his gated community home. he is usually known for being a man of few words but now it is making him look a lot worse.

I do feel a little bad about the exposure that this is getting but I guess that is the price of being a celebrity. This is also coming at an interesting time as the usually squeaky clean woods has had some bad press in the Tabloids regarding his involvement with another woman (Rachel Uchitel) . Does this have anything to do with the situation...maybe, maybe not. Again we won't know until someone talks.

It is expected that Woods will talk to State Patrol today (Sunday) and the 911 call will likely be released Sunday as well. Maybe that will shed some light. This will be interesting to follow as information trickles out. I am just glad that everyone involved is still alive. Sometimes, not only in sports but society in general it is a much more tragic story.

Around The Horn

GOLF - If there is anything that is more confusing then the Fed Ex Cup in golf I would be afraid to see it. The announcers and hi light people keep talking about it but to actually find out the standings is not easy. If this is your "Playoff" would you not want to put it out in the public eye a little more. I guess that if you have a scoring system that is near impossible to understand then I guess I would hide it too. The whole playoff thing is so trumped up to try and make tournaments seem more relevant and try and add some better ratings and to force more players to actually play in these tournaments. If not for the money Tiger would have shut it down for the season 3 weeks ago otherwise.. The NASCAR style playoff system just doesn’t work in golf...heck it barely works in NASCAR. It is so bad that Tiger Woods won the thing and was in the final pairing on a Sunday and was surpassed by Phil Mickleson who won the tournament and still it couldn’t draw people in. Mickleson won the tournament, Tiger hung on to win the overall championship and took home the $10M winnings. Mickleson at least had a good line saying, tongue in cheek - I win the tournament and Tiger is the one going home with $10 Million? -

NASCAR- Jimmie Johnson ran his typical Dover race and led the most laps in taking the checkered flag. The win now puts him into second place in the Sprint Cup Standings. Johnson is looking to go for a record 4th straight Cup Championship. As of right now he is in a great position going forward as he is a mere 10 points back. The only trouble with the win is that the driver that has won in Dover has never won the Championship, so he has that working against him. There is also the solid performances from Juan Pablo Montoya and veteran Mark Martin amongst others that are looking to de-throne the reigning Champion.


NFL- The worst possible thing happened in the Vikings game yesterday. Brett Favre threw a last second "gun-slinger" type ball that was grabbed in the end zone for a phenomenal catch by receiver Greg Lewis. After the game Favre said he didn’t even know who caught ball nor did he even know that the guy was even in the huddle but he knew it was a great catch. If people keep encouraging him and giving him praise he will never leave. What is even worse is that the Vikings will be playing the Packers this coming week and this is going to do nothing but bring more attention to Favre and that will just be an ordeal.

There were some just terrible throwback uniforms in play this weekend. Sure it is nice to honour anniversaries with these alternate jerseys but just because you call something vintage doesn’t make them nice or even appealing. The Seattle bright lime green jerseys looked like they were vests from a laser tag game that was just hit and the Houston Texans red "Onesie" was just awful. If you bring these alternate jerseys every week, at what point does it just become a regular uniform?

NCAA- Tim Tebow was sacked in the Florida game and his head violently hit the ground. He was taken to the hospital with a concussion. It is believed that the medical personnel for the Gators were by his side before he even hit the ground. When the chosen one goes down everyone goes triple speed.

Michigan is now 4-0! Trust me I am shocked but know that this is more of a fluke then the turning around of a bad team. Any win is a good win but I am not going to go crazy and overvalue the early record.

#6 California got blown out of the water by the un-ranked Oregon Ducks 42-3. How this happens is beyond me. What makes this loss even worse is that it was one of my "sure thing" Proline picks, you know the game you just throw in so you don’t have to worry about it...so yeah.... between that and Chelsea from some soccer league had a rough couple of tickets on Saturday.

Weekend Wrap Up...Sunday Edition

As you are all aware based on my post regarding Saturday’s day in sports, Sunday was not to be outdone. It was the “true” kickoff of the 2009 NfL season with a full slate of games...a jam packed lineup. There was a lot of games that ended in blowouts or at least double digit wins. It may not make for the most entertaining of games but for week one any NFL football is good football. You can take notice that I didn't include any CFL updates as there would need to be something REAL BIG to happen to justify the space.

~ There was one of the craziest finishes in the Denver-Cincinnati that you will see in football when a tiped ball on a Hail Mary at the end of the game resulted in a crushing loss by the Bungles errr- Bengals.
~ In Green Bay Aaron Rogers went old school Brett Favre and orchestrated a late comeback to take down the Bears (Jay Cuttler threw 3 INT in his debut after being the toast of the off season and Brian Urlacher dislocated his wrist and may be lost for the year...not a good start).
~The Lions were the Lions and went to 0-18 as predicted.
~ Mike Vick was in a box watching his Eagles teammates and had a good view of Donovan McNabb going down with a injured and maybe broken rib...he has 1 more week for his suspension then maybe week 3 you may see Vick under center. That could be very interesting for both the Eagles and the NFL.
~ Rookie Matt Sanchez was solid in debut as Jets stymie the Texans...just another USC QB Standout. They may now be the second best QB factory next to Michigan - high praise indeed.

There was also some tennis being played and it was in the first mens Quarter Finals that there was a pretty big upset. #2 Rafael Nadal was taken down by #6 Juan Martin del Potro 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal was looking to complete the career Grand Slam but fell short and will have to wait at least another year for a chance at the US Open. del Potro was just to much for Nadal and will go on to play in the finals on Monday, weather permitting.

#1Roger Federer took on #4 Novak Djokovic in the other Quarter Final. Federer prevailed with a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 victory sending him to the finals. Federer is going for his 5th straight US Open. I guess that it wouldn't be a US Open without Roger in the finals.

Tiger Woods coasted to a runaway victory at BMW Championship Not surprising when pretty much lapping the field...It turned into a tournament for second place

What was overlooked on my Saturday summary was the Hall of Fame induction speech by Michael Jordan. Many have criticized him for being petty, arrogant and for lack of a better term putting himself on a pedestal looking down on everyone. There was no evidence of him being humble and talked about as much trash in his acceptance speech as he did on the court. Not a classy move but I guess we can’t expect any more from a guy who was never a team player and was known for berating players and teammates alike, trying to get guys traded and demanding that people be fired. In the book the Jordan Rules it give a true look at the kind of person that Jordan really is... detached from reality, not willing to let go and being stubborn and defiant until the end. I liked it better when I didn’t know what he was really like. The image of greatness I remember was much more pleasing.

What A Weekend - Saturday Edition

You know that it is getting close to fall. The sports scene is amped up and Saturdays and Sundays are jammed packed with games, big time games and tournaments, big time tournaments. Saturday was the first of these days and there was no lack of drama and stories, some were great and some were bad.

Lets start with the bad: Serena Williams - I never liked her. She never seemed to be that committed to tennis, playing only when she wanted too .The way that she carries herself leaves something to be desired. She always struck me as spoiled and a whinnier. That seemed to shine through at the US Open on Saturday when she was called on a foot fault. She then verbally abused the judge, pointing her racket and finger and yelling at her."I'm (expletive) going to take this ball and shove it down your (expletive) throat." When the judge went to the chair umpire to talk and complain about the situation Williams then disputed with the chair umpire and supervisor. A code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct was called by the umpire -- the call awarded the next point to Kim Clijsters, which ended the match with a 6-4, 7-5 final. With that the game was over and Clijsters was awarded the match. Williams said after the Match - "I haven't really thought if I have any regrets," about the tirade. "I try not to live my life saying, 'I wish, I wish,' but I was out there and I tried and I did my best." I hope that this sticks with her and tarnishes any legacy that she may have - It was just a classless move.

Now the good, and there was plenty of that to go around so I will just hit them all with some quick points because there are just too many to cover in depth.

~ My Michigan Wolverines completed a comeback upset over the 18th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. For a team that was just awful last year and have undergone a lot of turmoil over the first 2 weeks off the field this was a great win. The fact that it was lead by a freshman QB was icing on the cake...the cherry I suppose was that it was versus The Irish, the only 2 things better is a National Championship or beating Ohio State.


~ Speaking of Ohio St, they were beaten on a last minute drive by USC also lead by a true freshman QB. It was a drive that may be one of the best you will see all season. When you take into account the plays that were made, the players involved and being on the road in a hostile environment at “The” Ohio State. The win was huge for a potential run at the National Championship. In college football you can’t win a championship in the first few weeks...but you sure can loose one in that time.

~ The chosen one Tim Tebow led the University of Florida to destroy Troy 56-6. Tebow ended the day with 237 yards throwing and tied a career high with four touchdown passes on 15-of-24 efficiency and added 71 yards and a score on 13 carries. I think he is still in the Heisman race


~ Tiger was Tiger and even for him did something amazing. Woods broke the course record at Cog Hill and blew away the field Saturday in the BMW Championship with a 9-under 62 that gave him a seven-shot lead at -16. He is sure to be in the lead of the FedEx Cup standings and is poised to take that title again. Even with no majors this year he is still the Player of the Year. The guy is a machine and it proves that the only one who can beat Tiger is Tiger himself.

~ The New season for NASCAR starts this week and the Chase for the Championship is here. The top 12 drivers are “In the playoffs” and all have a chance to take home the title. Jimmie Johnson is in the hunt for a 4th title in a row but that will be very difficult as there are 11 others that want it bad and that leaves the odds highly against him.

And that was just Saturday, I will hit on Sundays action in my next post...What a weekend in sports!!

Y.E. (S) - Yang Hold Off Tiger In An Upset

When the weekend started it looked like it was just going to shape up like any other August weekend a bit of baseball, some NASCAR, a smattering of tennis with a sprinkle of golf. What it turned out to be was all that and the traditional bag-of-chips.

I don’t think that anyone would have thought that Tiger Woods who was the leader in the 4th and final Major on the PGA tour from nearly wire to wire would succumb to an unknown South Korean named Y.E. Yang on the final day...while entering with a 2 shot lead. 2 Shots on a Sunday to Tiger is like money in the bank. Up until yesterday that has never happened when he was either leading or had a share of the lead. That is just part of what makes this such a huge deal. In the US it is a Tiger gave it away which is somewhat true but then there is also the other side where in South Korea Yang is now a hero in the country and instantly became a household name. In probably one of the most unlikely situations Tiger couldn’t rise to the occasion and get his putter working to fight off Yang. He shot well enough to win but just couldn’t close out the way that he needed. The amount of puts that he missed by 1/4s of an inch...he should have breezed to another major. But hey that is golf and it is a game of fractions of an inch.

To Yangs' credit he hung in like a champ and didn’t get rattled by Tigers imposing shadow. Maybe not knowing the language, not knowing what he was doing was so monumental was the key. Yang was playful down the stretch throwing a ball into the crowd, waving to the CBS cameraman, it was almost like he was too relaxed, maybe that was his strategy to keep his mind off the impending pressure. At the end he grabbed his golf bag and lifted it over his head like it was a championship belt or the Stanley Cup. Either way he got it done. It was one of the largest upsets ever in golf and will probably go down as one of the bigger ones in sports. Being the stage it was on and the fact it was the first time that someone was able to stand up to Tiger and live to tell about it...through an interpreter.

What I hate was hearing form some people that Tiger choked and has not had a good year because he has no Majors and lost yesterday. The only way the you can come to this conclusion is if you put Tiger vs Vintage Tiger. 5 wins in a year coming off a "MAJOR" (pun intended) injury to his knee and going out with 2 wins and a 2nd place finish. All in all that isn’t bad. Is being the Player of the Year the sign of having a bad year, since he is probably going to win that again? I am going to say only maybe to Tiger.

The Fairytale That Almost Was

There was no fairy tale ending. But what a buildup. It was a close to a made for TV movie as anything in recent memory.. It was on par to be one of the best stories that sports has seen in quite some time, and probably in the top 3 of greatest in golf. A 59 year old making a run at one of golfs biggest tournaments and not just a run but 2 shots from being crowned the champion. Tom Watson, an 8 time Major Champion carried a 1 shot lead into the final hole at The Open Championship. All Watson needed was a par on the last hole and he could have done what no one could have ever imagined that he or anyone else of that age could do. He hit a perfect shot into the center of the fairway and was in a perfect position to make his par and get his name engraved onto the Claret Jug . His second shot went threw the green and into the first cut of ruff. He needed to get up and down in 2 and the tournament was his. What happened next was just gut wrenching for not only Watson but everyone on the course and millions watching on TV. The tone of all the announcers was that it was a forgone conclusion that Watson was going to win. A marketable put was wide and short and never had a chance to drop. That bogey dropped Watson to a tie with eventual winner Stewart Cink at -2. The tournament wrapped up without much drama as Cink took control of the 4 shot playoff early and Watson could never really recover.

In a tournament that was in need of a great story for the weekend got just that. Tiger Woods missed the cut for only the 2nd time in 49 Majors (the only other one was after the passing of his father). Without the #1 player in the world there was some worry that ratings would be low without his star power and also no Mickleson in the field, Watson more then made up for it.
I find it kind of funny that the 2 biggest stories of the tourney were 2 let downs - Watson and Tiger, not the winner who played some good golf, I mean he must have he won.

It is a weird situation right now, and I feel almost as bad for Cink as I do for Watson. Cink, who has never one a major before yesterday is now a Champion (which no one can take away from him, but how he and it will be remembered will be interesting. Will he be the guy that took the Open from Watson. It will be the tournament that Watson almost won not the tournament that Cink did win. They always say that you never remember who comes second...this might be the one very rare exception that that is not true.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

Best
Roger Federer wins 14th Grand Slam and completes the career grand Slam.
Can retire the voodoo doll of Rafael Nadal he recently had made.

Worst
The performance that the Penguins showed in game 5 in Detroit.
After getting shellacked 5-0 and looking completely outmatched they will need to do what they did in games 3 & 4 at home or summer will be coming earlier then expected.

Best
Tiger Woods wins for the 4th time at Jack Nicklaus’s Memorial Tournament.
Not only did he come from well back but made yet another career shot in the process. The man must have ice water in his veins. Guess the cooling strip on those Gillette Fusion razor blades really are working for both him and Federer.

Worst
Bad luck on a yellow flag pit stop for Jimmie Johnson and a gamble on fuel by Tony Stewart shoved Jimmie to a 7th place finish at the 500 mile race at Pocono.
Jimmie had a dominant car and deserved the win. I would feel bad for him but I have seen the money he makes the 3 consecutive Cup Championships, being one of the best NASCAR drivers and of course I have seen his wife...now that I think of it, maybe I don’t like Jimmie anymore.

Best and Worst
Kobe and the Lakers defeated the Magic in Game 2 in overtime to take a 2-0 Lead in the series. Kobe is taking not only his leadership but also his play to another level. Not only is he a player he is a coach on the floor.
It was good to see a close fought basketball game but at times it was just dreadfully painful to watch how inept the teams were when shooting. Good defence is one thing but to not be able to hit open jump shots or layups as a professional basketball player should be more then a little embarrassing. Maybe it is just the culture where flash and street ball moves at the development level is more focused upon then fundamentals.

Worst
Brett Favre apparently has recently had arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder, This could be a sign that the former Falcon, Packer and Jet is considering coming out of retirement.
Is this yet another case of Brett crying wolf? Usually it is a guys play at the end that tarnishes the legend or the legacy, not his soap opera style "will he or won’t he" saga that Brett seems to forever be in. I won’t be able to look at another pair of Wrangler Jeans the same again. At least when one of the top running backs left, Barry Sanders it was other people speculating that he would come back and not him but even that got old fast.

Truly a Final Round Unlike Any Other

In a round that left 2 of the competitors 3 and 4 shots back, it was those 2 that made The Masters Tournament worth watching. It was exactly what the PGA and CBS were looking for. Phil Mickleson and Tiger Woods put on a show all day as Mickleson came out early firing on all cylinders and Tiger Woods started slow but then hit his stride. The beauty was that these 2 players were matched up together on Sunday and in pursuit of the Championship. Unfortunately they began fairly far back on the leader board making it very difficult to make up that kind of ground. These to greats did do their best to erase the deficit and put some serious heat on the leaders Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera. Watching Tiger and Lefty end the front 9 and thru the back nine it was like they were the only 2 players on the course, despite the fact tat they never did even get a chance to tie for the lead. It was some of the most compelling golf with great shots and devastating misses . It had everything except the actual tournament on the line. Strange that 1 super pairing that just didn’t have a shot to win was the best storyline of the final day. Mickleson ended -9 and Tiger ended -8.

Crazy thing about it is the Masters eventually came down to a 3 way playoff between Perry, Campbell and Cabrera. Even with that exciting finish it didn’t have the same buzz that followed Phil and Tiger all day. One could compare it to winning an MVP while being on the loosing team. Each player did all they could to make a poor shot and do their best to give the tournament away in a sudden death playoff starting on 18 then eventually followed it up with a huge save. Campbell was the one exception as he missed a makeable putt that eliminated him from the playoff. Perry and Cabrera moved on to the 2 playoff hole where Perry missed a relatively easy 2nd shot into the green and opened the door wide open for Cabrera, who put his 2nd shot pin high and put all the pressure on Perry to get up and down from just off the green. He was not able and Cabrera held on for the victory. It is too bad, Perry would have been a good story with the chance to be the oldest to ever win a Major. Instead, Cabrera who is, for lack of a better team and interesting character and golfer at best, is victorious and earns the right to go to Butler Cabin and put on that Green Jacket.

-Around the Horn-

A quick view of the week in sports

• ~With Petty Enterprises selling to Massachusetts-based private equity firm Boston Ventures it marks not only a change in ownership but shows further change in NASCAR. The one time Ol’ Boys Southern Race’n sport has now moved North and into a more Eastern high finance business. Times they are a changing, people are now more conscious about money and health then anything - we can’t have people on TV reporting on how the Miller Genuine Draft or Skoal Car did in the Winston Cup. Now we need to know that the 24 Nicorette car is in the top 10 and that it is best that we ask or doctors if Viagra is right for us. Lets just hope the day doesn’t come that the 48 Lowes car has to be taken off the track because some wall street yuppie fell off a ladder trying to put up his diploma with a hammer he bought from Lowes.
  
  
• ~ Tough game to call recently for Darren Fletcher on Rogers Sportsnet when the Jays met the Brewers. On back to back hitters he made and was so far off he could have been back on. He was commenting on how great a contact hitter was and he promptly struck out. Then the next batter he said was light hitting and had NO POWER and he in turn hit a home run. To Jamie Campbells credit he didn’t call him on it.
  
  
• ~Paul Pierce got in a good shot during a Finals press conference when asked about similarities between himself and Carmello Anthony: "Well, I never have gotten a DUI," said with a smile but still a pretty funny shot
  
  
• Willie Randolph- Gone
  John McLaren - Gone
  John Gibbons - As good as gone.
  It is too bad because this actually probably isn’t his fault. A case could be made for him being fired anytime in the last few years, but this year he has tried everything , made the right calls, they just haven’t worked. He just wasn’t given the horses to do the job and he will wind up paying for his GM’s mistakes with his job.
  
  
• ~ Tiger is on the Shelf for the year, bye-bye PGA Tour TV ratings. No Tiger, even less interest in the Fed/Ex Cup "playoff" by both the players and fans.
  
  
• ~ Like him or not J.P. Riccardi will speak his mind but true or not some things just shouldn’t be said. J.P. learned that the hard way this week. In a post game call in show on Fan 590 Riccardi publicly ripped Red’s outfielder Adam Dunn saying "Maybe we have more information and know the player a little more than the average fan." "He’s a lifetime .230-.240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs. Did you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much? Did you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here...We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn."
  Dunn in response said "I know nothing about this clown. I have no idea who he is,"
  Riccardi has since called the Reds to apologies
  
  
• ~ The NHL is threatening to kick the NY Rangers owners out of the League after the Rangers sued the NHL in September, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but you can bet that NBA Commissioner David Stern wishes he could do the same after what they have done to disgrace the once storied NY Knicks -See the Dolans and Isah Thomas.

He Continues to Amaze

First let me say that I am a Tiger Woods fan. I want him to break Jack Nicklaus’ majors record and continue to rewrite the record books. There are many people that don’t like him, are intimidated by him, envious of him. I am however one that will more often then not side with watching legends and history unfold. If there is a chance that someone or some thing in the sports world that will either make history or create legend or infamy I am all for it. I rooted for the Patriots to go undefeated and then win the Super Bowl, I rooted for the Atlanta Braves to win a record number of division titles (14), Jimmie Johnson to repeat as NASCAR Champion, and on the other side I rooted for the Mets to have the greatest/latest collapse in MLB history and I would love to see an NFL team go 0-16.What Tiger Woods was just able to do in the US Open just a few minutes ago in Round 3 was nothing short of amazing...even for Tiger. That may have been the most gritty and overall best round of golf that i have ever seen. Players, including Tiger have shot way lower scores and Tiger has made some of the most amazing shots ever executed on a golf course, but this was special. Playing on effectively 1 leg by the end he gritted out the most difficult 67 ever, and in the process made 2 of the most incredible eagles and one of the most improbable brirdies in a tournament changing 3 holes. Even if he doesn’t win on Sunday (and there is a chance, ONLY because his knee is worse then he is letting on), he has found a way to make his legend grow yet again.
So sit back and take in history in all its glory and be thankful that you can say you saw the greatest golfer in history play.