Allow to me start with a giant THANK YOU! to a very special person who came into my life this past weekend. This person grabbed a piece of my heart, while ripping out thousands of others’ in the process. This person is smart, poised, endearing, and cool under pressure. This person is from South Korea, doesn’t speak English, but will probably have to learn pretty quickly. This person stared the ultimate adversity in the eye… and didn’t blink. Not even once. And lastly, this person managed to make a seemingly all-powerful (that is, if you listen to CBS Sports commentator Nick Faldo) athlete look absolutely human. This person is… Y.E. Yang. Yang did what nobody had managed to do in 14 previous attempts: Beat Tiger Woods in a major championship with Tiger holding the 54-hole lead. Did anyone else almost bawl like a baby (out of happiness, not out of sadness for Tiger) when Yang hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy yesterday? Putting my personal feelings for Eldrick aside for a moment, just the fact that somebody FINALLY rose up to the challenge is reason enough to be happy at the result. When Padraig Harrington scored an 8!!! on the par-3 8th, not only did it give me hope for my own golf game, but it also caused my friend to say “Well there goes the only guy who could have caught Tiger!” At the time, I was resigned to the fact that was probably true. But as I was driving home on the Trans-Canada, I listened to radio updates as the back-9 unfolded. (Oh, quick sidebar for the FAN 960… if the PGA Championship is on the 18th hole, and a historic finish is about five minutes from happening, maybe you should delay the “Jays This Week” show and stick with the golf. Just sayin’…) The chip-in at 14 and approach shot on 18 sounded like things of beauty, and when I saw the TV highlights when I got home, I was a little jealous I didn’t get to watch it unfold live. A great finish to a great weekend, and you have to wonder the ripple effect this will have. Tiger showed himself to be human, Yang showed it IS possible to hang with the world’s #1, and the rest of the Tour now has to be licking its collective lips.
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What to make of the Patrick Kane story? I’m glad I didn’t hop on it when it first broke, because it’s looking more and more like he’s the victim of having an a-hole cousin. That’s not to say I think Patty is 100% innocent, but it doesn’t look like he was the aggressor. Although I might still offer him 20 cents when I go to the Kings/’Hawks game in November…
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I love the new jerseys unveiled by Hockey Canada this afternoon in Vancouver. The 2010 Olympic hockey players (men, women, and sledge teams) will look sharp. A red maple leaf on the chest, with mini-versions in the middle representing Canadian hockey’s gold medal counts, and a thunderbird and an eagle supporting and protecting the central maple leaf. It could do without the Nike swoosh on the top-right part of the chest, but you had to know it was going to be there.
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Dear Brett Favre: As mentioned in a previous posting, GO AWAY!
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Big-time drama in Washington leading up to the midnight EST deadline for the Nationals to sign Stephen Strasburg. But with Scott Boras as his agent, I’m guessing Strasburg is headed back into the draft. Pretty disheartening for Nats fans when you consider Aaron Crow did the EXACT same thing last year. Hey bud Selig, explain to me again how baseball in Washington is suppose to be successful? No fans, no talent, no hope. Stay tuned.
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And Mike Vick lands in Philly. I’ve already said my piece about Vick coming back to the NFL (Coles Notes version: I’m OK with it) but Philly? REALLY? Philly sports fans hands-down the toughest to play in front of, and that’s for the home teams! You can bet the first incomplete pass, fumble, sack, etc… Vick will hear boos like he’s never heard before. I hope he has thick skin.
That’s it for now. Have I mentioned I’m a big fan of Y.E. Yang?!
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