Showing posts with label golf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label golf. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2014

Today's Topics: U.S. men's soccer, Tiger Woods returns, Pat Riley pissed

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Every four years, I'm reminded just how many soccer experts we have in this country. :)

And I get that people need to assign blame on U.S. men's soccer team members for allowing Portugal to score a tying goal in the final seconds on Sunday. Much of the criticism fell on Michael Bradley for his turnover, which led to the tally.

But what about Portugal's first goal? That was a pretty weak clearing attempt by Geoff Cameron.

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After seven World Cups and much ESPN coverage telling us how important the sport is, soccer certainly is enjoying all-time reach in the U.S. It's cool to see people filling sports bars and city venues to root for the national team.

Soccer, however, won't fully arrive until people care about it between World Cups. That might take another 20 years, but don't be surprised if one day the world's sport is among the Top Four in the ever-increasing melting pot that is America.

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Not a big Tiger Woods' fan, but obviously his return to competition is a major boost to golf and the sport's media.

At 38 and assuming he's at relative full health, Tiger should be a weekly tournament contender and add another major or two to his collection in the next five years. But I'd be surprised if Woods ever dominated the game as he once did. Age and a all-time tough competitive field of opponents will see to that.

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Pat "I'm Pissed" Riley was on point with his message to LeBron James, other Heat players and anybody else thinking Miami's best days are in the past. (Even despite reminders of Pat the Rat's faxing out of of his job with the Knicks, Riley's words hit nothing but net.)

Sure, Riley needs to revamp the Big Three's supporting cast. But he has earned the benefit of the doubt -- he knows what he's doing. Plus,  the road to the NBA Finals should be a bit easier in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future.

Talented teams don't win every year. Great ones use defeat and adversity as motivation to get better and win another title.



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An 11-year-old girl named Luci Li qualifies for and plays in the U.S. Women’s Open. A cute story, but something’s wrong with that.

I really don’t care how mature Li is for her age, or how vast her golf knowledge, or how well she plays the game. A giggling kid with braces and pigtails should be finishing up sixth grade preparing to enjoy a fun summer with friends and family.

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The U.S. Patent Office's cancelation of Washington Redskins’ trademarks -- because the team’s nickname is "disparaging of Native Americans" -- does little in itself.

But it officially started the clock on owner Daniel Snyder and the NFL. The name ultimately will change. It's just a matter of when.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A compromise for the 'belly putter'

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Golf's "belly putter" discussion is getting out of hand, especially when current users are being called "cheaters."

The United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club announced in November they were planning to prohibit players from using "belly putters" because they are pressed against the body (chest or stomach) for stability. The USGA said it would allow 90 days for comments before putting the ban into effect for 2016.

The PGA Tour recently announced it was against the ban because there was no evidence "belly putters" offered an advantage.

Speaking before this week's Honda Classic, Keegan Bradley said he resents being called "a cheater" for using a "belly putter."

But Bradley is not a cheater, at least not yet -- the "belly putter" currently is allowed.

"Belly putter" opponents, however,  are correct when they say every golf club should be used in a swing, with no anchoring involved.

The solution?

Since the USGA and R&A waited too long to make a decision on the long putters, all golfers currently playing on professional tours and/or USGA and R&A sanctioned events should be allowed to continue putting the way they have.

Going forward, "belly putters" should be banned entirely for pros and competitive amateurs.

If weekend hackers want to use "belly putters," fine. After all, some of them ... us? ...  regularly take a few extra Mulligans or kick a ball to a better lie. For those players, the game should be fun.

For the pros and competitive amateurs, fairly or unfairly, it’s up to them to maintain the integrity of the sport.

Of course, I'm also against football quarterbacks and receivers wearing gloves. But that's for another blog.