Time For PGA Players To Belly Up To Rule

As everyone has said this is a complicated issue and certainly a slippery slope for the PGA R&A and USGA. Be that as it may, the fact is that although these putters have been in place for a long time they definitely represent a change in the way people are allowed to play the game. The old guard in general was not allowed to use long putters and therefore competed in a way that current players are not required to adhere to, making the dynamics that are necessary to win a tournament different today than they were in the past. We have all missed our share of 2 and 3 footers and if we think about it more often then not the reason is nerves. There is no question that in every sport that is part of the game that players have to master to lessen that demand lessens the game and the accomplishment itself. The fact that the putters have been integrated into the game to this degree is unfortunate, the issue in my opinion should have been dealt with long before today. If the purity of the game and the traditional way of playing it is based in part on a free swinging club, then that's the way the game should be enforced, if for no other reason than to keep the structure and format uniform moving forward. There are other issues and concerns for the governing bodies of golf to address such as driving distance, restricted flight balls etc. For better or worse this is the hot topic of moment and the reality is the lag time until 2016 should give all those afflicted more than enough time to adjust to a normal conventional putter. Golf is a great game and it's experiencing the most popularity and worldwide growth in it's history, hopefully this controversy will not derail that growth so here's hoping for the best...

And The Beat Goes On...

Once again the general public is being asked to tolerate another offensive ignorant slur upon the innocent. This time it comes in the form of a baseball manager who in the past has already shown his propensity to not only exacerbate a situation but create his own controversy just because he's Ossie. He has mentioned Castro before, and his famous tirade against a Chicago reporter is legendary. Between using every gay slur he could use against the reporter and using the F word, constantly he shows a complete lack of class and integrity. He was required by MLB to complete sensitivity training after his gay bashing incident, obviously it didn't take. Ossie identifies with Castro because he views himself in the same manner. A controversial leader who has a me against the world mentality, How else could one identify with a despot like Castro who has been killing, executing, imprisoning and excelling Cubans for 50 years. The only difference between the truly horrific dictators like Hitler, Kohmeni etc. is he managed to survive for all this time. Ossie looks at that as some sort of great achievement. A very twisted analysis of those 50 years.

For all those who think this is a freedom of speech issue, wake up. Gullin exercised his freedom of speech rights in spades, if he was in Cuba he would have been executed by his idol. Freedom of speech exercised does not guarantee favorable results.

Firing or not firing Gullin will be a result of how badly the Marlins are affected at the gate. The sad thing is that a man with such limited emotional capabilities has been given this position of authority and is being paid so much money for his ignorance. If one was to consider the source of these comments it would be easy to chalk it off to a complete lack of education, intelligence and sensitivity. That's who Ozzie is and has been forever..A carnival barker who keeps your team in the limelight (Rex Ryan anyone). Unfortunately when Ozzie speaks people get hurt. The Marlins may be stuck with him due to their financial guarantees of his contract, which is their penance for hiring him to begin with. As usual the pain incidents like these cause don't really go away they just leave scars. Ozzie has scarred the Miami community, the Marlins His Family, Baseball, and Himself, but the enablers will give him a pass (Mike Lupica) because he said he's sorry. Sorry only works when you learn from your past mistakes, sorry Ozzie you haven't learned....

Hail Brittanica

Isn’t the BritishOpen supposed to be the Holy Grail of Golf? Isn’t it supposed to be the romantic history of this silly game we all wish we could play? Well I used to believe that, but now I’m not so sure. Yes the Scots invented the game and yes they should be given credit, but now the Open championship seems to be determined more by the weather than the competition... I’ve always enjoyed the fact that a little wind and rain presented a challenge and made golf more romantic in its endeavor. The Open was different for that reason and therefore truly unique and storied. That’s fine, but where do you draw the line. 40 mph winds and torrential rains is not romantic or competitive.

Player’s scores are determined more by their tee times than how they play. I’ve watched Tom Watson play in a monsoon in the morning and Mickelson play in 60 degree sunshine in the afternoon. That certainly is not a level playing field. How sad it was to watch Sandy Lyle a past Champion walk of the course a few years ago because the conditions were so severe. Basically he said playing in those conditions was ridiculous.

Most recently Rory McElroy had similar comments. It’s not that weather can never come into play as I said weather is part of the Open, but the R&A needs to know where to draw the line. They seemed obsessed with never halting play no matter how bad the conditions. The biggest problem is the credibility of the tournament. You can’t have people playing 2 extremely different weather related courses, and consider it a fair and level playing field. The winner of the “Holy Grail” should not be decided by his Tee Time

The Long And Winding Road

AJ, AJ, AJ…..The time has come. AJ Burnett’s most recent performance has made it abundantly clear it’s time for the Yankees to move on and make any decision that’s necessary to sever their ties with Mr. Burnett. This isn’t personal or reactionary; I have been a supporter up until now and believe Burnett has actually pitched more consistently this year, until his most recent meltdowns. The issue for the Yankees is to evaluate what to do now. Burnett’s recent implosion against what amounts to be a minor league roster (Twins) was completely unprofessional. There is really no excuse to go out and pitch without any focus, and have no ability to throw strikes at all. What this proves to me is that after all the cajoling from the coaching staff, all the support from his manager and teammates, and the patience that has been shown to him, AJ Burnett is incapable of performing at the major league level for any consistent period. of time. Like Forrest Gump said about his famous Box of Chocolates “You never know what you’re gonna get”. Forget about the fact that that the Yankees are more than 100 games over .500 during Burnett’s tenure and he is under .500 with wins and losses, or that he hasn’t won a game in the month of August for 2 years. The basic definition of a professional athlete is his ability to perform regularly at the same high level from day to day. That’s what separates them from the rest of us wanna-bees. Burnett has proven over time that he cannot do that. That’s why the Yankees need to somehow get rid of him, Maybe a trade where they absorb some of his contract, maybe an outright release, and eat the contract, They are better off bringing up one of the Killer B’s from their farm system and giving them some experience. Like Michael said to Sonny, "It’s not personal it’s strictly business"…