Once again, America, despite being a far superior team, has shown that it cannot win a Ryder Cup in Europe. It really has become quite a strange thing I gave no idea what is behind this, but here goes.
It is true that the course was set up to favor Europe. We do the same thing when we host. In this case, the fairways were very narrow and the rough very high. This took driver out of play for the long American drivers, but it did the same for Europe's Rory McIlroy and John Rahm, yet they coped. The greens were very slow but that is needed in Europe because the courses are often in windy areas. If you have high wind s and fast greens, it is no longer golf' it is hockey. American players do not like slow greens. Why? Who knows? But, they do get testy when forced to play slow greens All such talk misses the point. The course is to be played as you find it and the player is there to adjust. In fact, that is almost the point of the whole silly game.
There were bad decisions by the American Captains. Tony Finau was playing great, yet was sat out for some matches. DeChanbeau was playing poorly, so, of course they kept plating him.. Tiger Woods was clearly exhausted, yet was sent out for all 5 sessions. Phil Mickelson, after an early season win, has played horribly and continued that trend throughout the tournament. He appeared to have no idea what he was doing on the course.
The big issue was the lack of enthusiasm. At any given time, about half of the Americans on the Course appeared about half awake DJ and Koepka could not understand that in foursomes, if your partner is in trouble, you have to play safe. DeChambeau's mathematical approach to the game fails when he finds himself in wildly uneven grounds with knee high rough. Patrick Reed's Captain America routine finally ran out of gas when he found himself driving terribly. For a spell there, he couldn't have found the fairway with a bulldozer.
I really don't care about the whole Ryder Cup thing. I always have found it silly, but it does show the problem facing golf in the future, the very near future. The game is so dominated by power, that when the players can't just bomb the ball out there. They lose interest. Yet, the power aspect has to be reined in. We cannot keep simply making courses longer. Land costs too much to start designing 9000 yard courses. In addition, the upkeep, especially the irrigation, would be absurdly expensive. The whole game can be brought back into focus by changing the ball. It used to spin more and travel less and that can be done again. However, the modern players will scream like the spoiled brats that they have become. The game will grow less and less watchable on the pro level. However, there is an emphasis on building short, playable courses for families and friends to enjoy. In the long run, who cares about the pros. Go have some fun yourselves. And, while you're at it, have a Blessed Day.
Showing posts with label golf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label golf. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2018
Monday, September 24, 2018
The Big Cat is Back
Okay, I was wrong. Tiger Woods did win another tournament, and did so in fine style. I never thought he could overcome the enormous physical challenges and, as I know from personal experience. constant pain takes a psychic toll. Remember, he has a whole bunch of metal in his back. But he did it.
A year ago, he could barely stand and was developing a pretty strong drug problem. But, when given the all clear from his doctors, he went to work. He returned to the gym an d the golf course and worked. He had to build a new swing when he had no idea how far he could push things. He is 42, a time of life when pro golfers don't win a lot. He was able to do this for a couple of reasons.
First, at this point, no one in the game knows the game better. He has hot and practiced every shot imaginable and know every bump on most of the courses
Second, sheer will power. Once he saw he could play, he was determined to be competitive. Once he was competitive, he was determined to win. Here's an example. At some tournament earlier in the year, the weather was rainy and cold by the time dusk was falling. All the other players were in for the day. No one was on the practice area, except Tiger. He was on the putting green, in rain gear, by himself, hitting purr after putt.
If he can stay healthy, next year's golf season may be very interesting. Today's young stars will have to step it up because, Tiger will not back off.
A year ago, he could barely stand and was developing a pretty strong drug problem. But, when given the all clear from his doctors, he went to work. He returned to the gym an d the golf course and worked. He had to build a new swing when he had no idea how far he could push things. He is 42, a time of life when pro golfers don't win a lot. He was able to do this for a couple of reasons.
First, at this point, no one in the game knows the game better. He has hot and practiced every shot imaginable and know every bump on most of the courses
Second, sheer will power. Once he saw he could play, he was determined to be competitive. Once he was competitive, he was determined to win. Here's an example. At some tournament earlier in the year, the weather was rainy and cold by the time dusk was falling. All the other players were in for the day. No one was on the practice area, except Tiger. He was on the putting green, in rain gear, by himself, hitting purr after putt.
If he can stay healthy, next year's golf season may be very interesting. Today's young stars will have to step it up because, Tiger will not back off.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
2018 PGA Championship
Today starts the last major championship of this PGA season. Too much is made of the 4 majors, but they are usually fun to watch.
This year they are playing at Bel Rieve Country Club in St; Louis. The last time I saw a tournament played there was in the mid-60s. I remember the course as long. Today's players will likely play it like a pitch and putt course. The greens are very undulating and tricky. There are huge bunkers in play on every hole and water on most holes. Trees can be an issue and the rough will be high enough to be an issue.
However, there will be little wind and the fairways are wide. Recent dam weather will make them seem wider and the greens will be receptive.
In short, it will be a fair test. Unlike the USGA, the PGA has no problems with low scores. Last year, at Quail Hollow, they got carried away and had glass like freens and vrutal rough and that made for a fairly boring tournament. no one could risk anything around the green and it is not really entertaining to watch players just struggling to chop the ball out of rough, hoping to make the fairway. By all early repeat that this year.
In an earlier post, I said that Bubba Watson will win this tournament. After 3 wins this year, he has cooled off, but this is the kind of old style course he loves. so. I'm sticking with him. Of course, I picked Martin Kaymer to win the open, so you may not want to place a ton of money on Bubba just in my say so. Whoever wins, it should be fun to watch. Take a little tine this weekend, out your feet yo and enjot what should be an unteresting and exciting 4 rounds.
This year they are playing at Bel Rieve Country Club in St; Louis. The last time I saw a tournament played there was in the mid-60s. I remember the course as long. Today's players will likely play it like a pitch and putt course. The greens are very undulating and tricky. There are huge bunkers in play on every hole and water on most holes. Trees can be an issue and the rough will be high enough to be an issue.
However, there will be little wind and the fairways are wide. Recent dam weather will make them seem wider and the greens will be receptive.
In short, it will be a fair test. Unlike the USGA, the PGA has no problems with low scores. Last year, at Quail Hollow, they got carried away and had glass like freens and vrutal rough and that made for a fairly boring tournament. no one could risk anything around the green and it is not really entertaining to watch players just struggling to chop the ball out of rough, hoping to make the fairway. By all early repeat that this year.
In an earlier post, I said that Bubba Watson will win this tournament. After 3 wins this year, he has cooled off, but this is the kind of old style course he loves. so. I'm sticking with him. Of course, I picked Martin Kaymer to win the open, so you may not want to place a ton of money on Bubba just in my say so. Whoever wins, it should be fun to watch. Take a little tine this weekend, out your feet yo and enjot what should be an unteresting and exciting 4 rounds.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Can't We Do Anything Right?
Last week I wrote about the US Open golf championship. Well, the USGA, just as they have many times before, messed up a great tournament. Shinnecock Hills is a magnificent old course. But, like many old courses, it was not designed to play with fast greens. Seaside means wind. In Europe, where they have many such courses, they sensibly keep the greens slow. The USGA has a strange obsession with super fast greens and to get that they shave the grass and double roll them to pack the sand. Sand is another issue. It requires much water to keep grass alive. On top of that, they use a grass called poa annua. It is not a true grass and, as the day passes, it grows and becomes bumpy. and the sun and wind make it dry and crusty. They could use fescue or Bermuda, but for reasons I have never heard explained, they don't. They should/
In short, the greens become hard and way too fast and the last groups are putting on something resembling cauliflower, with the wind blowing the ball all over the place. You can manage that on nice flat greens, but, like many old courses, Shinneccok's greens are full of odd angles and slopes. The course becomes unplayable. Yeah , you can play a round, but it is not a test of skills, as the USGA claims. It is more a survival test. The USGA has a history of this and is rapidly losing all credibility.
On top of that, we had Phil Mickelson acting like a spoiled brat. He missed a putt and ran across the green and whacked the moving ball to keep it from rolling off the green. Yes, it was a frustrating day, but no one else acted like a petulant child. He insulted a game that has made him millions of dollars. Them making matters worse, claimed he knew what he was doing and the 2 stroke penalty was better that having the ball go off the green. Nonsense. He likely would have made an 8. but that beats a 10. He did get that 2 stroke penalty, but he could and should have been DQed.
Why all this fuss over golf, The golf is not the point. We Americans have developed an obsession with power and speed and either we back off that to a reasonable degree or we will lose many grand old traditions, like golf at classic courses. Plus, we have grown to tolerate stupid displays of selfish, childish behavior, especially by celebrities. I love golf, but many of its stars are becoming spoiled purulent kids, and that is an insult to kids everywhere. What is true for athletes is true for many other citizens. Last week, Robert Diniro went off on a profanity laced, public condemnation of the President, There are still some of us, probably many of us, who find that offensive, but he will go on making countless dollars and spewing venom
We do not need pro athletes and we do not need big name performers. We may enjoy them, but we don't need them. On the other hand, they need us and they need to realize that. No audience, no money. I remember when golf pros got 20000 for winning a tournament, sometimes less. WE all thought that 20000 for 4 days work was huge money. Now, they get around a million. They have no right to get stupidly angry and no right to ever just go out and use a tournament to warm up for one of the major events and many admit that they do just that. The fans deserve better for the large sum they pay for tickets.. Football players should respect the Country, baseball players shoud learn the basics of the game ( they make many errors that in the past would not have been tolerated by managers and team owners), basketball players should learn that they need to do more than run and slam the ball, and entertainers should be overjoyed that folks pay their hard earned money to watch their antics.
This is all symptomatic of the problems we have in this Country. Americans have grown comfortable with the mediocre. the inane and the downright insulting.If we cannoy even put on a golf tournament, how can we get down to solving problems and making America great again. Because, let's face it, President Trump is right. We lost our greatness and mast make up our minds to get it back.
In short, the greens become hard and way too fast and the last groups are putting on something resembling cauliflower, with the wind blowing the ball all over the place. You can manage that on nice flat greens, but, like many old courses, Shinneccok's greens are full of odd angles and slopes. The course becomes unplayable. Yeah , you can play a round, but it is not a test of skills, as the USGA claims. It is more a survival test. The USGA has a history of this and is rapidly losing all credibility.
On top of that, we had Phil Mickelson acting like a spoiled brat. He missed a putt and ran across the green and whacked the moving ball to keep it from rolling off the green. Yes, it was a frustrating day, but no one else acted like a petulant child. He insulted a game that has made him millions of dollars. Them making matters worse, claimed he knew what he was doing and the 2 stroke penalty was better that having the ball go off the green. Nonsense. He likely would have made an 8. but that beats a 10. He did get that 2 stroke penalty, but he could and should have been DQed.
Why all this fuss over golf, The golf is not the point. We Americans have developed an obsession with power and speed and either we back off that to a reasonable degree or we will lose many grand old traditions, like golf at classic courses. Plus, we have grown to tolerate stupid displays of selfish, childish behavior, especially by celebrities. I love golf, but many of its stars are becoming spoiled purulent kids, and that is an insult to kids everywhere. What is true for athletes is true for many other citizens. Last week, Robert Diniro went off on a profanity laced, public condemnation of the President, There are still some of us, probably many of us, who find that offensive, but he will go on making countless dollars and spewing venom
We do not need pro athletes and we do not need big name performers. We may enjoy them, but we don't need them. On the other hand, they need us and they need to realize that. No audience, no money. I remember when golf pros got 20000 for winning a tournament, sometimes less. WE all thought that 20000 for 4 days work was huge money. Now, they get around a million. They have no right to get stupidly angry and no right to ever just go out and use a tournament to warm up for one of the major events and many admit that they do just that. The fans deserve better for the large sum they pay for tickets.. Football players should respect the Country, baseball players shoud learn the basics of the game ( they make many errors that in the past would not have been tolerated by managers and team owners), basketball players should learn that they need to do more than run and slam the ball, and entertainers should be overjoyed that folks pay their hard earned money to watch their antics.
This is all symptomatic of the problems we have in this Country. Americans have grown comfortable with the mediocre. the inane and the downright insulting.If we cannoy even put on a golf tournament, how can we get down to solving problems and making America great again. Because, let's face it, President Trump is right. We lost our greatness and mast make up our minds to get it back.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Sports Time - The US Open
One of America's great sporting events starts tomorrow, The US Open Men's Golf Championship. The Masters is great, the (British) Open captures the grand history of the old game, and the PGA is always the most fun. But, there is nothing like the test that the USGA likes to put the players through.
The last few years were a let down. The Chambers Bay course was a joke since the course was not at all prepared for serious competition. Oakmont was hit with rain and that great course could not live up to its reputation. Last year was held on a newer venue, Erin Hills. The course was hit with rain and the wind laid down and Brooks Koepka dismantled the course.
This year will be a return to the evil ways of the USGA. Shinnecock is a very old course and being near the sea is similar to the Scottish links courses. But, similar is not same. The greens are harder, treacherous is a better term. The rough is brutal and the wind unpredictable. The big difference between there and Scotland is the green speed. The USGA wants the greens so fast that they border on ridiculous, especially with the severe slopes on those greens. Pitting will be difficult, chipping touchy and approach shots will be hard to stop anywhere in the greens. The winner will be the finest golfer this week because luck will not get it done. Only skill will prevail. Already, many are saying that half the field has no chance. That is too generous. Out of 180 brave souls starting Thirsday, maybe 30 have anything close to a realistic chance.
It is not always fun watching such stern tests of the game, but if you stick with it you will find the tension growing almost unbearable by the time Sunday rolls around. Anything can happen then and that is fun.
The players will suffer a bit this week, but they get paid enough to deal with the pain once a year. Call me sadistic, but I will enjoy seeing them tested to the breaking point. Have fun watching this US Open.
The last few years were a let down. The Chambers Bay course was a joke since the course was not at all prepared for serious competition. Oakmont was hit with rain and that great course could not live up to its reputation. Last year was held on a newer venue, Erin Hills. The course was hit with rain and the wind laid down and Brooks Koepka dismantled the course.
This year will be a return to the evil ways of the USGA. Shinnecock is a very old course and being near the sea is similar to the Scottish links courses. But, similar is not same. The greens are harder, treacherous is a better term. The rough is brutal and the wind unpredictable. The big difference between there and Scotland is the green speed. The USGA wants the greens so fast that they border on ridiculous, especially with the severe slopes on those greens. Pitting will be difficult, chipping touchy and approach shots will be hard to stop anywhere in the greens. The winner will be the finest golfer this week because luck will not get it done. Only skill will prevail. Already, many are saying that half the field has no chance. That is too generous. Out of 180 brave souls starting Thirsday, maybe 30 have anything close to a realistic chance.
It is not always fun watching such stern tests of the game, but if you stick with it you will find the tension growing almost unbearable by the time Sunday rolls around. Anything can happen then and that is fun.
The players will suffer a bit this week, but they get paid enough to deal with the pain once a year. Call me sadistic, but I will enjoy seeing them tested to the breaking point. Have fun watching this US Open.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
America, Golf and Celebrities
I would again like to mention the way we treat celebrities. I am not a follower of pop entertainers or TV stars, nor do I follow a lot of sports, but, as I have written, I do watch professional golf. The recent Masters triggered this post.
Jordan Speith is currently the number 2 ranked player in the World. At the age of 22, he has 7 wins, 2 of them majors. In his last 5 majors, he has 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a 4th. That is far better than most golfers do in their entire careers.
Since he came on the scene, he has been the focus of way too much attention and since his 1st Masters win, it has gotten out of hand. Yes, he is a brilliant young golfer but the key word is young. He is still learning the game. His accomplishments are great, but he likely will get better. But, he will not be brilliant on every shot, in every round, in every tournament. Yet, analysts seem to grow hysterical when he flubs a shot.
Being young, he has not yet learned to say 'no.' He seems to be available for every possible interview, has hustled around to countless TV appearances, and has kept up an unsustainable schedule of play. He has to learn that he does not have to accommodate everyone. All of us, even 22 year-olds, need some rest and time to ourselves. Add to a hectic schedule, the pressure to not just play well, but to play brilliantly and win everything. and something has to give. At the recent Masters, it did.
During a week when he was not at his best, Jordan was pushed and interrogated by the media. He managed to stay in the lead by sheer determination, until finally, on the 12th hole of the last round, the wheels fell off. He looked burnt out and showed it by making a bad choice on the tee and chunking his next shot. It happens to everyone, but, the media seemed to go into near weeping hysteria at the turn of events. Now, Jordan will be pushed to be brilliant his next time out, or all will bemoan his fall from golfing greatness.
Speith seems to be a very decent, down to Earth young man, but, if he is not careful, he could be eaten up by the celebrity machine of the media. To them, he is a commodity, and if they think he has fallen off his game, they will dump him. That would not be a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best thing that could happen to him, because the pressure would be off, but some people fall in love with fame and react very badly when it diminishes. Hopefully, Speith can remain level headed.
The golf media wants another Tiger Woods and they will not get one, not for a long time if ever. He was that good and how he stood up to the pressure and stayed that consistent is beyond me. The current lot of young players, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and the rest are fine players but none is Tiger. Yet watch the golf announcers. Whoever wins is suddenly heralded as the next greatest ever, until they have bad week, the they laud someone else. All of that is symptomatic of the publics lust for celebrities. It is a cultural disease and the players need to find a way to keep centered and opt out of the celebrity game. Our culture eats celebrities alive and spits out the remains when the next hot thing comes along.
Jordan Speith is currently the number 2 ranked player in the World. At the age of 22, he has 7 wins, 2 of them majors. In his last 5 majors, he has 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a 4th. That is far better than most golfers do in their entire careers.
Since he came on the scene, he has been the focus of way too much attention and since his 1st Masters win, it has gotten out of hand. Yes, he is a brilliant young golfer but the key word is young. He is still learning the game. His accomplishments are great, but he likely will get better. But, he will not be brilliant on every shot, in every round, in every tournament. Yet, analysts seem to grow hysterical when he flubs a shot.
Being young, he has not yet learned to say 'no.' He seems to be available for every possible interview, has hustled around to countless TV appearances, and has kept up an unsustainable schedule of play. He has to learn that he does not have to accommodate everyone. All of us, even 22 year-olds, need some rest and time to ourselves. Add to a hectic schedule, the pressure to not just play well, but to play brilliantly and win everything. and something has to give. At the recent Masters, it did.
During a week when he was not at his best, Jordan was pushed and interrogated by the media. He managed to stay in the lead by sheer determination, until finally, on the 12th hole of the last round, the wheels fell off. He looked burnt out and showed it by making a bad choice on the tee and chunking his next shot. It happens to everyone, but, the media seemed to go into near weeping hysteria at the turn of events. Now, Jordan will be pushed to be brilliant his next time out, or all will bemoan his fall from golfing greatness.
Speith seems to be a very decent, down to Earth young man, but, if he is not careful, he could be eaten up by the celebrity machine of the media. To them, he is a commodity, and if they think he has fallen off his game, they will dump him. That would not be a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best thing that could happen to him, because the pressure would be off, but some people fall in love with fame and react very badly when it diminishes. Hopefully, Speith can remain level headed.
The golf media wants another Tiger Woods and they will not get one, not for a long time if ever. He was that good and how he stood up to the pressure and stayed that consistent is beyond me. The current lot of young players, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and the rest are fine players but none is Tiger. Yet watch the golf announcers. Whoever wins is suddenly heralded as the next greatest ever, until they have bad week, the they laud someone else. All of that is symptomatic of the publics lust for celebrities. It is a cultural disease and the players need to find a way to keep centered and opt out of the celebrity game. Our culture eats celebrities alive and spits out the remains when the next hot thing comes along.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
America at The Masters
The Masters is here. Golf fanatics like myself are glued to the screen.
That is where I am headed as soon as I finish writing. This year is a dandy.
The old Augusta course, after a few years of playing soft and easy, is hard,
fast and the wind is swirling in the pines, reminding the players that Mother
Nature is still the boss.
The old guard is gone. Tiger is out indefinately. Phil Mickleson missed the
cut. Ernie Els knocked himself out on the first hole, and all the old
Champions, with the exception of the remarkable Bernhardt Langer, are gone.
The new guys are here and boy are they surprised. Ricky Fowler confidently
said that this was his year. He missed the cut. Jason Day, World's #1 looked
totally befuddled, saying that he was hitting good shots but they just were not
going where they should. Jordan Speith is clinging by a very thin thread to the
lead and sounded badly shaken at his Friday play. Actually, his 2 over par was
not bad in the windy conditions, but his fall off from the 6 under Thursday
rould shook him. That's golf. A day's reward will often give way to unpleasantness.
The game is humbling.
Rory McIlroy, in 2nd place, had a very sane reaction to his 2nd round. He
seemed amazed that he survived it and surpised that he managed a 1 under.
This is why I love golf. Not only is the game difficult, not only do you
see great skills displayed, it shows you the mental make up of the players.
Bobby Jones said that golf was mostly played on a 6 inch field between your
ears. He was right.
So, in just a few minutes, I will be glued to the set, watching what should
be quite a show. Oh, and there is a bonus. The Augusta National course is one of
the most beautiful bits of landscaping on Earth. Covered with azaleas, dogwoon,
redbud, jasimeine, nandina, all set in a backdrop of tall loblolly pines and
little creeks and ponds, on a land full of bumps and hills, it is worth
watching for its beauty alone.
Update: I wrote the above on Saturday morning and am posting it on Sunday morning. In the meantime, surprisingly little has changed. Bernhardt Langer, who at 59 has the physique of a 15 year old gymnast, is hanging in. Jason Day is 3 back and still seems slightly befuddled. Rory McIlroy is only 5 back after a bad Saturday. At the end of the round interview, he looked ready to weep and said that Sunday he would be shooting at all the pins, a recipe for disaster at Augusta. Jordan Speith looked shell shocked after finishing bogey, double bogey to turn a 4 shot lead to 1 shot. Who will win? Who knows. The wind will be down but the greens will be hard as cement and fast and slick, like putting on glass. It will be fun to watch.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
America and Golf
I love golf. I have not played in over 30 years,
first due to time constraints, then because of physical issues. Recently, I
have been thinking of buying a wedge and a few balls and just going out and
chipping balls for the fun of it.
It is not really a sport in the sense of an
athletic event. It is a game of skill, like billiards or bowling, only played on
a really big scale and subject to weather conditions. It is not an easy game.
If you take up the game and immediately play well, just wait, the game will
turn on you and cause you to spend many tormented hours wondering what
happened. But, once hooked, you will keep on.
Golfers will try anything. Hours are spent
adjusting grips and stances. I have seen professionals on the range with a
variety of bands twisted around themselves, trying to forve their bodies to
learn a certain swing pattern. You may hit a 1000 balls on the driving range and
be sure that your swing is perfect, only to go to the course and miss every
fairway.
But, when you have a good round, or even when you
simply sink a difficult putt, the rewards are hard to put into words. A sort of
glowing satisfaction takes over, at least until the next hole when you miss a
2 footer.
I am not sure if non-fans of the game are aware
of the amazing skill that the professionals display. Those guys are able,
usually, to not only drive the ball in the fairway, but into the exact part of
the fairway they want to. I have seen Tiger Woods hit a 100 yard pitch shot,
then say he was going to take 2 yards off the next one and hit his spot
precisely. They do this shot after shot, day after day, week after week. They
really are that good. Usually, for even the best, have days they just cannot hit
a shot the way they want to. That is why it is so much fun to watch them; they
suffer the same frustrations that the average player does.
Yes, the game is slow paced, but so is baseball,
where a game is seldom under 3 hours. Football is a game with a 1 hour time
limit but, with all of the time outs and plays that stop the clock, it too
usually lasts 3 hours or more. The pace of golf allow tension to build and, in
a close tournament, it is fascinating to watch the players respond to that
tension. Besides, why not relax for a few hours and be entertained by highly
skilled players?
Now, for the average player, I do agree that the
game is too slow. To those playiing a round with their buddies let me remind
you of this. You are not pros playing for a million dollar prize. Look over the
shot and hit the damn ball. You do not need to take forever because you do not
know what you are doing. A pro must examine a shot closely because he is trying
to hit a very precise shot. Most of you are simply trying to put an approach
shot somewhere on the green. Faced with a 40 foot putt, a pro has to look it
over because he has to see every nuance if he hopes to sink it. Most of you
should be thrilled just to 2 putt. So, don't dawdle.
It is a grand game, both to obeserve and to play.
The pros are overpaid, certainly, but no more so than in any other sport., If
you have some time to relaxed and be entertained, I recommend golf; both
playing and watching.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Sports in America - the Farce Continues
Americans worship sports, not God, not Jesus, not Allah, nor any other deity. In small towns, throughout the heartland of the Nation, parents gather to adore their fledgling gods as they beat the snot out of each other on the gridiron, ignoring the countless concussions, broken bones, and occasional deaths that befall these wee warriors. When old enough, if blessed with the speed of a cheetah and the power of a raging hippopotamus, they take the National stage of college football. Oddly, they are given full scholarships. The word scholarship, containing the root word scholar, seems to indicate an academic slant to the whole thing, but, I swear, it is an absolute miracle that some of these guys even find the football field. Why don't they just create a minor league for pro football and let the universities get back to their stated business, education, something they do a dreadful job of.
Those Titans who survive college ball earn the right to play in the big time, the NFL, where, according to statistics, 93% will wind up with CTE, a devastating brain condition. Still, America demands entertainment, even if it requires large dumb men to beat each other senseless.
Baseball is less violent, but just as inane. I used to love baseball, but now the game is badly played by guys who, in days past, would not have advance past Double A ball. At one point, MLB had 2 players making $100000, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. The great Stan Musial had to beg the Cardinals to pay him the same, even after long years of brilliant play. Now, .240 hitters who can barely field their position make 7 figure salaries. Pitchers, at one time, were expected to go 9 innings and called it a bad outing if they didn't make it at least 7. Now, a starter goes 5 innings, gives up 4 runs and says he had a good outing. Yet, still, we pack the stadiums.
Basketball has degenerated to a bunch of near giants lumbering up and down the court, slamming the ball through the net, and picking up huge checks. Boxing now has the credibility of pro wrestling. I watch horse racing, because I think there is little as beautiful as a thoroughbred in full stride, and golf because I take a sadistic glee in watching highly paid athletes struggle to make sense of a silly, frustrating game, while strolling around a beautiful park.
I have a proposal. Why don't we just finally admit that mentally we have not grown a bit since the days of the Roman Empire? Let's just throw a bunch of poor folks into the middle of an arena and let them pound on each other, with no rules and no referees. Last man standing wins a fortune and the right to come back until some other guy beats him half to death. It would be wonderfully entertaining. The networks would be wild over the ratings and perhaps our National lust for blood and heroes would at last be satisfied.
Those Titans who survive college ball earn the right to play in the big time, the NFL, where, according to statistics, 93% will wind up with CTE, a devastating brain condition. Still, America demands entertainment, even if it requires large dumb men to beat each other senseless.
Baseball is less violent, but just as inane. I used to love baseball, but now the game is badly played by guys who, in days past, would not have advance past Double A ball. At one point, MLB had 2 players making $100000, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. The great Stan Musial had to beg the Cardinals to pay him the same, even after long years of brilliant play. Now, .240 hitters who can barely field their position make 7 figure salaries. Pitchers, at one time, were expected to go 9 innings and called it a bad outing if they didn't make it at least 7. Now, a starter goes 5 innings, gives up 4 runs and says he had a good outing. Yet, still, we pack the stadiums.
Basketball has degenerated to a bunch of near giants lumbering up and down the court, slamming the ball through the net, and picking up huge checks. Boxing now has the credibility of pro wrestling. I watch horse racing, because I think there is little as beautiful as a thoroughbred in full stride, and golf because I take a sadistic glee in watching highly paid athletes struggle to make sense of a silly, frustrating game, while strolling around a beautiful park.
I have a proposal. Why don't we just finally admit that mentally we have not grown a bit since the days of the Roman Empire? Let's just throw a bunch of poor folks into the middle of an arena and let them pound on each other, with no rules and no referees. Last man standing wins a fortune and the right to come back until some other guy beats him half to death. It would be wonderfully entertaining. The networks would be wild over the ratings and perhaps our National lust for blood and heroes would at last be satisfied.
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