Tiger Woods, Just Like Willis Reed

Tiger hobbled onto the U.S. Open Course at Torrey Pines to win his 14th major tournament.  He did it with a bum knee.  The performance reminded me of the greatest moment in N.Y. Knick history.  Game 7 of the 1970 NBA finals, Knick center and team captain Willis Reed limped onto the court with a torn thigh.  He scored the first two baskets giving the NY Knickerbockers the inspiration the needed to go on and beat the Lakers for the teams first NBA Championship.

Doctors told Reed not to play.  We now know, doctors told Tiger not to play.  His performance in the U.S. Open should go down as one of the gutsiest in sports history.  Tiger did not play his best, he did not hit the ball as far as he can.  But he did remain focused, even through pain.  He did make the clutch shot when he needed it and in the end Tiger did win!

My heart goes out to Rocco Mediate for his Cinderella performance.  There is no doubt that he deserved to win just as much as Tiger did.  But in golf, as in life, the loser is usually the one who makes the last mistake.  At 45 Rocco should serve as an inspiration to anyone thinking their career is over. 

The two golfing greats proved you are never out of it, not at 45 and not with an injured knee.

Tiger… What Went Wrong?

“Unbelievable, I knew he would make it,” that’s what Rocco Mediate said the moment Tiger Woods birdied 18 to send the U.S. Open to an 18 hole playoff on Monday.  As terrific as Rocco Mediate played, Tiger seemed lost and let his lead slip away with a series of bad shots and even worse decisions.  But you wouldn’t know that by listening to the announcers for NBC.

Their love for Tiger overshadows their own better judgement.  They want Tiger to make history with every swing so bad, they try to will him to play better by telling viewers around the globe that Tiger is doing things he’s not!

On Sunday, Tiger was not Tiger.  To me he looked befuddled, out of sorts and uncomfortable.  His reactions to shots looked more like my reactions when I am not playing well.  I almost got the feeling Tiger just wanted the round to be over.  Yet the announcers kept saying things like:

1. “This is when he is in the zone.”
2. “He looks energized.”
3. “This is when he plays his best, by slowing things down.”

Are they crazy?  During the 4th round, I don’t think Tiger ever looked energized or in the zone, until the moment he made that putt on 18.  And every time Tiger backed away from a shot made me believe he just didn’t trust his swing or the distance. 

I know Tiger is the greatest golfer to ever play the game.  I have the utmost respect for him and I consider it an honor to be able to watch him play.  But everyone has an off day.  I know is knee is bothering him, maybe he had trouble getting a “feel” for his game.  The announcers need to have the guts to tell it like it is.

What makes Tiger so great is that he can still be in the hunt for a Major Championship even when he is not playing well.  When he had to make that final birdie, he did, that is the mark of a champion.  

I can’t wait for Monday’s playoff, and I don’t know who to root for! 

Sex Clearly Sells

It’s no secret that sex sells.  I put up a blog post about “Girls and Boys Gone Wild” and I set a Grant’s Rant record for blog traffic.  It’s the same reason Texas Motor Speedway came up with these brilliant billboards advertising the Bombardier Learjet 550 at TMS on June 7th.

Danica Patrick is hot.  Not just on the race track, not just in her racing suit, not just in the media but also in a bikini.  She is single handedly luring in race fans who were not always race fans.  Before Tiger Woods inner city minorities would never have been caught dead playing golf.  Tiger transformed the game of golf, where it’s now more about Tiger then it is about the sport itself.

Danica is doing the same thing.  Young women are idolizing her for succeeding in what was traditionally a mans game.  Men are worshipping her for just being sexy Danica.  When was the last time you saw an Andretti or an Earnhardt or an Unser or a Foyt posing in a Speedo.  Thank God the answer is never.  Instead Danica gets an entire spread in the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition.

What makes this all so great is that unlike Annika Sorenstam on the PGA Tour, Danica Patrick is a contender and almost always has a chance to win.

And since sex sells, I couldn’t resist putting up a picture of her billboard!  In fact, I’ll even show it again.