RUTGERS FINALLY GETS ONE RIGHT

From April to mid-June, Rutgers University was the Anthony Weiner of college sports.
Scandal after scandal, after yet another scandal, made them the laughingstock of the entire
nation. Their own administration didn't know who was on first, what was on second, and
certainly had no clue what was standing on third. Rutgers gave late-night comedians fodder
for their shows and the New York tabloids priceless material for its back pages.

Like Weiner, Rutgers embarrassed themselves to no end. The Mike Rice scandal exposed
a weak administration, who then hired a new coach whom they said graduated from Rutgers
but never did, and then selected a new athletic director who was Mike Rice before Mike Rice,
with a history of abusing her players when she was the volleyball coach at Tennessee almost
two decades ago. Due diligence? Rutgers proved they didn't know what it really was, much
less how to spell it.

Good, grief. Rutgers was a mess, suffering through one of the worst PR nightmares outside
of the train wreck at Penn State.

On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights finally got one right. Finally.

The school announced they will retire the first number in the history of the football
program when they hang number 52 on the wall of fame at the stadium. That number belongs
to Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed during a game in October of 2010.

LeGrand is the best thing Rutgers has, a special person and a treasure they should hold onto
forever. A Top 15 recruit out of New Jersey, LeGrand is not likely to walk again, but he
acts as if he's the luckiest man on the planet. Every time I see LeGrand, he's always wearing
an ear-to-ear smile on his face.

 

LeGrande is an ambassador that Rutgers should have at every game, every year. He is
everything good about college sports and a man who is universally loved, respected, and the definition of class, courage, and hope. You can't help but smile when you see LeGrande smile.

This was a smart move by Rutgers, They bestowed a wonderful honor on an All-American
person who is more than worthy of it.

Good move, Rutgers. You finally got one right.

Read More

NEW YORK POST: BIG APPLE'S BIG DOG HAS WAY WITH WEINER

Anthony Weiner is to the New York Post what hot dogs are to Joey Chestnut: a feast you can
devour over and over, all day long. He is the gift that keeps on giving and a public figure who
has morphed into a cartoon character right before our very eyes.

The only thing worse than being a politician with the last name Weiner, is being embroiled in
a sexting scandal in the media capital of the world where the New York Post reigns supreme
among the Big Apple tabloids. The Post, which churns out the best headlines of any paper in
the country, is having a field day with all of Weiner's boners.

Weiner's addiction to sexting has allowed the New York Post to double it's pleasure with
sophomoric but wildly entertaining headlines. Not one scandal involving Weiner, but two??!!!
You just can't make this stuff up and tt's almost as if their headline writers and editors
are playing a game of, "Can you top this?" And they usually do. The headlines and captions
that come out every day are laugh your butt off material. Just when you think they can't get
any better, they do.
 .

 

Let's face it, nobody buys the New York Post for their in-depth, scintillating, and riveting
articles. It's a McPaper, read quickly and without really any intellectual value Weiner-gate
is the Super Bowl for the New York Post headline writers. It's their time to shine and get
recognized for their wittiness and creativity. Nothing is off-limits or out-of-bounds, everything
with the Weiner is fair game and we've sure seen it all, haven't we?

If you're Weiner and his wife, what do you do? Avoid the newsstands? Try to buy all the
papers before commuters hit rush hour? Or just roll with the punches? But really, how can
you when you're the butt of every joke, every single day?

OK. We know Weiner's political career is cooked. You might be able to recover from
one Armageddon, but there is no way anyone survives Armageddon II. Nope, not when your
another scandal that involves sexting with 3, 8, or however many woman Weiner was
sexting to.

Weiner shouldn't fret. One of the eight zillion networks out there who are in need of some
numbers and some attention, will make him a reality show. As it stands right now, Weiner
is the best reality show in the country and he's not even trying. Right now, he's a bigger name
and a draw than Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor of New York who somehow got
his own show on CNN. Man, that tells you two things: one, how desperate CNN was and how
poorly they were managed.

It's only a matter of time before Weiner pulls out of the mayoral race, but the scandal won't
end anytime soon. Like with Tiger Woods, there is another woman out there who has saved
all the sexts from Weiner and it looking for here 15 minutes of fame. She might not cash in,
but you can bet the New York Post will. They live for this.



Read More

THE RUSH TO ELIMINATE AARON HERNANDEZ

Contract terminated, jersey exchanged, and the All-America plaque he earned at Florida,
removed. At the rate everyone is trying rinse away Aaron Hernandez from their history, you
kind of get the U.S. Government is going to announce they are deleting the social security
number of Hernandez and make like he never existed.

I'm not defending the former tight end of the New England Patriots and Florida Gators, he's
probably a really bad guy, but the swiftness in which people are trying to make him disappear
is a bit surprising. People want to talk the good talk, but in this country, innocent until proven
guilty is about as laughable as Anthony Weiner's username, "Carlos Danger." In the court of
public opinion, it's always been guilty until proven innocent. Accuse, convict, and ask questions
later.

As much as a slam dunk the case appears to be against Hernandez, most of us don't know if
he really pulled the trigger any more than we know what kind of role Ray Lewis played when
he was charged with murder in Atlanta 13 years ago. We don't have all the facts yet, and as
we've seen many times before, getting past the shadow of reasonable doubt for a jury is not
always that easy, no matter how the prosecution lines things up for them.

Fans in New England lined up to exchange their Aaron Hernandez jersey for a new one less
than a week after the Patriots cut him only 40 minutes after his arrest for murder. Florida took
down pictures of Hernandez in their football facility and didn't want to see the All-America
plaque of their former tight end as they walked into the stadium, yes, their beloved, "Swamp."

Innocent until proven guilty? Yeah, right.

In 2009,  NFL veteran receiver Donte Stallworth was drunk out of his mind and reportedly
under the influence of marijuana when he killed a man in his car while driving home from
partying at 7 a.m. He spent a whopping 23 days in jail and was suspended for a year by
commissioner Roger Goodell. But when his time was up, the Baltimore Ravens were there
waiting with a contract. And when the squeaky-clean, morally correct Patriots needed some
depth at receiver last year, they signed up Stallworth. Hypocrisy? The 'Patriot Way'?
Desperate? All three, perhaps.

Interesting. Does it really matter how you kill a man? Oh, right, Stallworth was drunk, so
he gets an easier pass. His alma mater, Tennessee, didn't scrub him from their program in
32 seconds despite being responsible for another man's death.

I just find it amazing how Stallworth is still in the league, smiling, and cashing nice checks
after he killed a man. Oh, right, he copped a plea and served just over three weeks in jail.
Woo-hoo.

If Hernandez is found not guilty, which is a possibility, (see the Zimmerman and Casey
Anthony cases) and he walks, what is the University of Florida going to do? Drill back
in the plaque and hang his pictures back up? Boy, that would be something to see.

This is all just another great lesson for us. No matter what our forefathers said and the courts
have tried to enforce, one is never innocent until proven guilty. In reality, it's the other way
around. And it's been that way for a long, long time.

Read More

I AM CARLOS DANGER

         I am Carlos Danger and if I had a name like Anthony Weiner, I wouldn't use it, either.

           I am Carlos Danger. I was hoping to be Ron Mexico, but that name was already taken.

                     I am Carlos Danger and the Dos Equis guy wants to be my wing man.

      I am Carlos Danger and if Ryan Braun had used my name to order his PED's, he never
      would've been suspended.

I am Carlos Danger and my buddy Weiner learned about textual fantasy's from Manti' Te'o.

I am Carlos Danger and my buddy Weiner learned nothing from Tiger Woods about leaving
a trail of sexting.

I am Carlos Danger and my buddy Weiner is up that dirty creek without a paddle.

I am Carlos Danger and I hate politics, but because of it, I'm an Internet sensation.

I am Carlos Danger and if you put me on the back of an NFL jersey, I'd sell more than
Peyton Manning.

I am Carlos Danger and I want to know what's up with Weiner and Geraldo posting creepy
selfie's.

                              I am Carlos Danger and I don't know what Huma is thinking.

I am Carlos Danger. A-Wein has two things that are soon going to be over: his career and
marriage.

Read More

AARON HERNANDEZ GONE BAD. WHO'S TO BLAME?

Within just minutes of each other on Tuesday, in a surreal chains of events,  Aaron Hernandez
was being escorted into a courthouse, while his former college coach, Urban Meyer, was at a
BIG 10 press conferences answering questions about Hernandez, whom he coached at Florida.
Bill Belichick was up next at a press conference in Foxborough, making his first comments
about Hernandez, the player he drafted on the recommendation of Meyer. ESPN then cut
away to Hernandez who was in court for a probable cause hearing.

It was hard to look away from the television it was so intriguing. ESPN could've packaged
this up for its 30 for 30 series and called it: Aaron Hernandez gone bad. Who's to blame?
Belichick? Meyer? College football? None of the above?

When things go bad and adversity strikes, people are always quick to blame someone or
point the finger. It's just the American Way. Should we blame Belichick for drafting a player
whom many teams took off the board because of the hard-to-ignore questions about his
character. Should Meyer be held accountable for not telling Belichick everything he knew
about Hernandez and for, perhaps, not ruling Hernandez or the Gators with an iron fist. It's
hard to say Meyer was a disciplinarian during his six years in Gainesville when 25 players
were arrested a total of 31 times.

Nobody really said much about Meyer and his players behavior when he was winning
national championships, but as soon as Hernandez was charged with murder, the spotlight
went back on Meyer and a lot of ugly things were revealed about Hernandez and the rest
of the program.

However, coaches have always taken the heat when the players go off the rails. Nobody
said much when Barry Switzer was winning 85 percent of his games at Oklahoma, but
as soon as the record went south, the dirt rose to the top and all the arrests came to light.
Same thing for Dennis Erickson and a few other coaches at Miami.

Should we blame pro franchises and colleges for players going bad? Absolutely not. A
player's character is developed long before these elite athletes get to college. Because of
their skills on the field, they usually got away with a lot of things off it. Junior high and
high school coaches often look the other way or give their star players a pass because
winning is more important to them than sitting a stud athlete on the bench to penalize
him when he breaks a team rule.

If these star players get a free ride to play in college then they are usually one of about
110 players on the team. Does anybody really think that Urban Meyer or any other coach
can keep tabs on more than 100 players each and every day? Ridiculous and impossible.
Yes, coaches are responsible for every player in the program, but it's tough to blame
the coach when a player shows up to face a judge in shackles after he's accused of murder.
Coaches and the players have their own lives to live, whether it being going to class or
spending time with their families, which is the number priority to most college coaches.

Meyer can't be responsible in any way for a player who left his program three years ago.
It's silly to even think that Meyer has to be criticized because he recruited Hernandez and
brought him into the program. Recruiting, like drafting is an inexact science. Colleges have
multi-million dollar recruiting budgets and NFL teams pump an extraordinary amount
of money into scouting and drafting players. However, mistakes are made, and more than
you'll ever know. It's hard to know every single thing about a 17-year old kid and no coach,
college or pro, thinks that a player, even if troubled, is going to end up being charged
with murder.

The best athletes, traditionally, aren't raised at country clubs and go to prep school. The
elite players, the ones who go to Alabama, Miami, USC, and LSU, usually come from
lower socio-economic classes. That's not hyperbole, just fact. Not everyone of them
is squeaky clean. Many of them come out of single-family homes where they have to
kick, scratch, and claw for everything they get. It's hard to think that mind-set changes
when they go to college.

College or NFL coaches shouldn't be held responsible when players go bad. They can
certainly help mold a player and tell him all the right things to do, but kids who are 17-years
old, have their character shaped long before they set foot on campus. It's the parents who
have to take responsibility when their kids screw up. They just can't say, "Here coach,
he's all yours. Turn him to a man who makes all the right decisions and make sure
he doesn't get into trouble or kill anyone."

Wishful thinking, but that's not how it works.

Read More

ANTHONY WEINER SHOW MUST GO ON

The Anthony Weiner show is too good to be cancelled. He is Manti Te'o, the Kardashians, and
Brett Farve rolled into one. The only things missing from this reality extravaganza are Ronnay
Tuisosopo and "little Brett's" purple Crocs.

Is the mayoral candidate a bit shady and off the rails? Perhaps. But in case you haven't noticed,
politics are a cess pool filled with unsavory characters. Have you forgotten about Ron Blagojevich,
Jesse Jackson, Jr., Eliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford, Gary Hart, and, of course, Bubba Clinton? Weiner
just has a slightly bigger than colossal sexting problem. So what? He's just part of the 70 percent
of the country that has that type of addiction.

I mean, Weiner has big balls for throwing himself footlong into the mayoral race after his first
texting scandal. He got embarrassed and knocked on his back, but Weiner got off the canvass
and fought back. That's admirable, especially in a city that loves fighters and a good comeback
story.

Plus, Weiner earned big points for giving us the best alias since Michael Vick used "Ron
Mexico" to pick up his prescription for his little problem that just won't go away. Weiner
used his creative mind and whipped up "Carlos Danger" as his username for all his texting.
Carlos Danger? That is classic. Put that name on the back of an NFL jersey and you'd have
the number one seller even if it was plastered on a Cleveland Browns one.

Weiner's other nickname should be "Talledega" because he's become the NASCAR race
that everyone watches just to see the magnificent 25-car pile up on the final straightaway. This
guy is flying through life without his restrictor plate on. He is throwing caution to the wind and
living like there is no tomorrow, which is probably going to be the case for his political career.

But in this day and age of forgiveness, forgetfulness, and felony ignorance, political careers
have become like one of John Belushi's classic lines in the movie, "Animal House",--"Nothing
is over until I say it is over."

Marion Barry's political career wasn't over after the feds caught the mayor of D.C. smoking
crack with hookers on videotape. He spent some time in the big house and then became mayor
again. Is this a great country or what?

Mark Sanford of South Carolina had an adulterous affair two years ago, but he came back
to win the Governor's seat in May. Politics! I love this game!

Everybody thought Eliot Spitzer torpedoed his political career when he left his black socks
on for his sexual tryst as "Client 9" with a high-priced call girl. Heck, the former New York
governor even got his own show on CNN without having to be a Kardashian. Now, he's
trying to get back into the game as  the comptroller of NYC.

Weiner has the look, the name, and the stand-by-your-man wife that makes for great news
and entertainment. Huma put on a great performance during Tuesday's press conference. She's
either the most loyal, loving, and forgiving person on the planet, or its biggest idiot.

Oh, Huma has worked for Hilary Clinton, who knows a thing or two about putting on the brave
face when her husband did about 100 stupid things.

Whatever the case, the Weiner show must go on. It's too good to end because of

something like this.

Read More

AARON HERNANDEZ GONE AND SOON TO BE FORGOTTEN



For those who think the Aaron Hernandez scandal will bring down the New England Patriots,
you've already thought wrong. Adversity doesn't destroy the Patriots, but galvanizes them.
Since Bill Belichick has been in Foxborough, no team or franchise has been better at blocking
out distractions and using the doubters to fuel them, than the Patriots.

In 2007, they got caught in the Spygate scandal and promptly gave the finger to the NFL
and buried 18 straight opponents before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
The very next year they lost Tom Brady for the entire season after his knee was blown out
in the first game. With Matt Cassel, a player who hadn't started a game since high school,
the Patriots went 11-5. 11 wins with Matt Cassel? Are you kidding me? Belichick figured
out a way to win 11 games without the best quarterback in the game, you think he'll have
trouble replacing Hernandez? I seriously doubt it.

New England has put together 10 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins, which in
this day and age of free-agency, is simply incredible. That streak will continue in 2013 without
Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Hernandez, and the potential headache that could come from
all the questions that are going to be asked about their former tight end who is sitting in a Massachusetts state prison

Phase I of their journey through the landmines, questions, and pressure of dealing with both
the loss and stain of the Hernandez began on Tuesday when Tom Brady's interview with
Peter King was released precisely one day before Belichick is set to meet with the media,
which will be one day before the start of training camp. Belichick is the smartest, most
calculating, and meticulous coach in the NFL and like everything under his watch, this is
by design.

A few of the headlines read, "Tom Brady Talks About Aaron Hernandez", then after reading
the article, you quickly realize the Patriots quarterback said absolutely nothing about
Hernandez. Here's what Brady told King when asked about his former tight end:

"I’ve seen a lot of things over 13 years, and what I have learned is that mental toughness and
putting aside personal agendas for what’s in the best interest of the team matters most. My
job is to play quarterback, and I’m going to do that the best way I know how, because I owe
that to my teammates regardless of who is out there on the field with me. I have moved on.
I’m focusing on the great teammates I have who are committed to helping us win games.
The only thing I care about is winning. Nothing is going to ever get in the way of that goal.
I’m just excited to report to camp and see what we can accomplish as a team. The fate of our
 season will be determined by the players in our locker room—nothing else".

That's it, that's all. Brady didn't say a word about Hernandez. Not a word. Nothing.This is
sure to be a prelude to the performance Belichick will give to the media on Wednesday.
Belichick, who would rather be given a root canal by Charles Barkley than talk with the press,
will probably dart, dodge, and avoid any and all questions about Hernandez. He still hasn't
answered a question about Spygate, so don't expect him to say much more than:

"I don't talk about players who are no longer here. I only talk about the players who can
 help us win."

He will be peppered by the media, but he won't give them anything of significance.

Q: Bill, do you think you made a mistake in drafting Hernandez?
BB: We try to bring in football players who can help us win games."

Did you notice that not a single player on the Patriots roster said one thing about Hernandez
after he got arrested? There wasn't a  soundbite, tweet, or post on Facebook. That was by design. Belichick put the gag order in effect and threatened heavy fines to anyone who broke his order.
The Hoodie is one of the few coaches in the NFL that instills fear and has the total respect
of his players.

Did you happen to see the raw footage of Rob Gronkowski from his interview with CBS
This Morning? His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he was asked repeatedly about
Hernandez. Gronk almost walked out of the interview.

Brady set the tone for the Hernandez questions and his teammates got the message loud
and clear. What Belichick says to him, usually comes right out of his mouth during press
conferences so nobody misses the point. Belichick will take care of the rest on Wednesday.
By Thursday, there won't be very many questions even asked about Hernandez, much less
answered.

This is how the Patriots work, this is how the Patriots roll. By the third practice, they
will make it seem like Hernandez was never even a part of the team.

I can just hear Belichick on Wednesday. "I'm not talking about guys who are not here
anymore. Does anybody want to talk about Tim Tebow?

As far fetched as it may seem, don't doubt that Belichick may say that. He'd do anything
to keep the press from asking all those questions about Hernandez so he can focus on
getting the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.

Read More

IN DEFENSE OF RYAN BRAUN

 

.

Zzzzzzzzzzz................

Read More

RYAN BRAUN SUSPENSION A BIG DEAL? THINK AGAIN

Liar. Cheater. Fraud. In the court of public opinion, Ryan Braun is riding around the
block on a bike with Lance Armstrong. The former MVP of the Milwaukee Brewers, after
years  of denials and blaming a FedEx man for a failed drug test,  got nabbed by MLB
for his PED use.

After he learned of his suspension which will last for the rest of the season, Braun admitted,
in a carefully crafted statement,  he made mistakes, which was a far cry from his press
conference two years ago when he smeared the reputation of a FedEx man and defiantly
stated that he would  never put anything in his system Yeah, like we haven't heard that one
from any athletes in the past.

Braun's reputation has been tainted forever and his stats, like many juiced up players
before him, mean absolutely nothing. Nothing. But don't think for a second that Braun and
his career are doomed and can't be resurrected

First of all, he's made almost $22 million and is owed a mind-boggling $143 million. That's
more than the Yankees owe Alex Rodriguez, who will most likely follow Braun to cheaterville
(again) on Tuesday for his role in the Biogenesis scandal. Braun loses some nice coin for the
rest of the season, but MLB, nor the Brewers can touch what Braun is owed from next year on
out. His contract, like those of all MLB players, is fully guaranteed.

Once his contract runs out in 2021, Braun will have more money than he'll know what to do
with. So, the risk was more than worth it, don't you think? Yes, there is shame, but the sports
world has provided plenty of it, and a failed drug test is no big deal, especially in baseball.
Sad, but true.

Bartolo Colon failed a drug test last season and was suspended for 50-games. Yet, there were
the Oakland A's with a $3 million contract for a pitcher who could eat up a lot of innings.
At 40-years-old, Colon has done more than that. He's 13-3 with a stunning 2.55 ERA. Colon
made the all-star team and has helped Oakland to the AL West division lead. That failed
drug test? Just a faded memory.

Melky Cabrera and Marlon Byrd got busted for PED use and suspended for 50-games. Ah,
but the Toronto Blue Jays gave Cabrera a contract worth $16 million and the New York Mets
took a flier on Byrd, who has belted 16 home runs. Failed drug test? What failed drug test?

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was outed as a drug cheat several years ago, his name allegedly
appearing on that list of 103 who tested positive for PED's. Do fans in Boston care? Hardly.
As long as they get some power from Big Papi and he continues to smile and say all the
right things, it's all good, right?

Manny Ramirez failed more drug tests than Aaron Hernandez did in college, but even at
the age of 41, the Texas Rangers got amnesia and signed him to a minor-league contract.
Steroids? What steroids? We must have 'misremembered.'

 

 

Nobody has made a big deal about Colon, Cabrera, Byrd, and their cheating ways. They

are still employed, well-paid, and cheered by the fans. They get to go the park every day,

play a kids game, and cash checks that most of us can only dream about it. Was it worth

the risk and the embarrassment of getting caught? Yep, that's food for thought.

As long as MLB has their ridiculous policy of 50-games for first offenders, 100-games
for a second, and banishment for a third, players will continue to gamble with PED's.
Just about everybody in the game plays for that one big contract, the one that sets them
up for life. Braun will have earned almost $190 million when it's all said and done. That's
insane.

Google the number of minor-league players who have been suspended for PED use. There
isn't enough space on this page to list all the drug cheats But they'll keep trying to push the
envelope if it means making the big leagues and getting that set-for-life contract. BALCO
and the Biogenesis clinic may have been shut down, but that won't stop another scientist
from trying to make a name for himself and hit it big with a PED that is undetectable. The
chemists are always ahead of the testers. Always have been, always will be.

Players also know that if a career ends with the stain of PED use, there still might be a place
for them in the game.. Mark McGwire, who along with Sammy Sosa, duped all of us in
1998 with their home run chase, admitted to PED use.

Big Mac said he was sorry, shed a few tears for the MLB Network, and got back into the
game as the hitting coach with St. Louis before hooking on with the Los Angeles.

Like Colon, Cabrera, and Byrd, McGwire should star in a commercial where he blurts out,
"I LOVE THIS GAME".

Will fans, particularly the ones in Milwaukee, love Braun when he takes the field for the
season opener in 2014? Probably. Baseball fans are both stupid and forgiving. During the
Pittsburgh drug trial in 1985, Keith Hernandez testified that he bought and used cocaine
heavily for a three year period. When he was introduced later that night for the New York
Mets, the fans gave him a standing ovation. Ridiculous.

A lot of people have been cheering for Colon during his hard-to-believe season and Met
fans love Marlon Byrd. I'm sure after Braun belts his first home run next season all will be
forgiven. That's just the way it seems to work. Some people are so intoxicated by celebrity,
they get stupid.

It's been well-documented that while many players use PED's, only the dumb ones got
caught. Braun's ego and arrogance affected his thinking. Now he has to pay the price.  MLB
is trying hard to clean up the game, but PED's still very much exist in it, and probably will
until they bounce one of the cheats out of the game for good.

Somewhere, Jose Canseco must be laughing hard.

Read More

TIGER WOODS WANTS WHAT PHIL MICKELSON HAS

Tiger Woods has made more money, earned more endorsements, and has won nearly three
times the number of majors Phil Mickelson has. But in the final round of the British Open,
the entire world found out that Mickelson is the richer and far better man. It may seem like
Tiger has everything, but in comparison to Lefty, he really has nothing.

On Sunday, we saw the adulation and love for Mickelson is universal. The fans across the
pond have as much admiration for Lefty as he does in his own backyard. As he made his
way to the 18th tee, there were high-fives, fist bumps, and encouraging words for the player
who had never cradled the Claret Jug. As always, Mickelson embraced it. He smiled, nodded,
and seemingly thanked everyone for their support.

That never happens with Tiger. Oh, people cheer him, but their high-fives and fist bumps
receive nothing but air. Tiger marches to the next hole as if he's stalking his prey. Too big,
too important, and too focused to notice the people who want to love and connect with
him. Tiger doesn't have to say anything, but his look speaks for him. "Don't touch me,
I'm Tiger Woods", is what everybody hears, even if it is not spoken.

Mickelson started the day five shots back of the lead, which on the unforgiving course
at Muirfield, seemed impossible to overcome. But there was Lefty, smiling, grinding,
and acknowledging the fans who appreciated his good shots along the way.

Tiger, who has never come from behind to win a major, started the day just two shots
off the lead, but as soon as he bogeyed the first hole, everything changed. His body
language sagged, the profanity increased, and the pressure he once laughed at, appeared

to be crushing him. There would be no comeback, or even just one signature Tiger
Woods moment. He went as flat as an uncapped soda that had been left on the counter
for three days.

Meanwhile, Mickelson soared and smiled, becoming even more likable than he already
was. Those behind him came tumbling down like a house of cards. Lee Westwood rediscovered
his demons and Adam Scott repeated his failures from the final round of the same tournament
a year ago.

This became Lefty's tournament to win and he took it, winning by three strokes, after a
mind-boggling round of 66. But that was golf, real life took over after he sank his final putt.
Their was a spine-tingling, heart- warming hug with his wife and three children. It was a
picture worth more than a 1,000 words.

As Mickelson picked up his Claret Jug and thanked seemingly every person in his life,
there was shot of his longtime caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay, crying like a baby, overcome
with emotion at the moment. The love for his boss was crystal-clear. It was almost ironic
that Tiger walked nearly side-by-side in the final with his former caddie Stevie Williams,
who had been on his bag for all but one of his majors. Their relationship ended with bitterness
and acrimony.

Mickelson had everything at the moment, everything Tiger Woods wanted: admiration, a tight-
knit family to savor the moment, mutual love and respect with his caddie, and another major.
It was both romantic and poetic.

It's been said that you can learn a lot about a person by the way he acts in a round of golf.
The last 18 holes of the British Open revealed so much about Phil Mickelson and Tiger
Woods. I was a big fan of Tiger even after it was revealed that he was a serial cheater. What
he did off the course was no business of mine. I admired his as an elite athlete, one who was
so talented and mentally tough, he used to melt other golfers by just showing up.

However, that changed on Sunday. I am no longer a fan of Tiger Woods. He revealed a
lot about himself in the final round, not as a golfer, but as a person, and I'm tired of his
act.

Phil Mickelson is what every great golfer should be: talented, full of class, and a Claret
Jug-sized amount of respect for the game and the people who watch it.

Read More