Deutsche Bank Championship

Another Labor Day Weekend in the 'burbs of Boston/Providence with the PGA Tour rolling through town. Gorgeous Autumnal day:

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All We are Saying, Give Them a Chance

(This column, and many others, appear on my two sites ... DigitalSortsDesk.com and DigitalSportsDesk/SportBlog.com)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON - April 12, 2016 — Today is game No. 7 of the brand new 2016 baseball season, jammed with 162 games for the Boston Red Sox and their American League rivals. It’s time to hit the “Panic Button.” As I’m reading it today, the boo-birds are already flocking and the sky is falling over Fenway Park.

Sox ace David Price was mowing down Orioles early in his Fenway Park debut in a home team uniform on a day deemed so special that the two greatest players in NBA and NHL history, Bill Russell and Bobby Orr (apologies the The Great One) were on site to pay tribute to the Sox. Then, the roof seats caved in as Price was responsible for five runs, all earned, as he allowed more than three earned runs in a start at Fenway for the first time in his career. 

While the ace faltered, the Red Sox offense rallied to tie the home opener at six apiece before newly acquired closer Craig Kimbrel came in to mop things up in the top of the ninth. The sequel? Hit the Panic Button II.

Kimbrel was making his first appearance at Fenway as a member of the Red Sox, of course, and allowed a three-run blast off the bat of Baltimore’s Chris Davis in the top of the ninth inning. It was the first time the million dollar arm reliever had ever surrendered a home run with multiple runners on base. The Sox lost their first hope game for only the sixth time in the last 24 seasons and only the second time in the last dozen years. Cue the boo-birds.

But, seriously.

One game does not a season make. The 3-3 Sox will face the undefeated Orioles again today and tomorrow. There’s a long way to go. However, in this “cheap shot via twitter” universe we live in, it’s so easy to take a swipe at those who suffer in the MACY*S window that is sports.

Build-up PGA phenom Jordan Spieth and prepare to crown him “the next great player, PGA Tour Player of the Year and “back-to-back” Masters champ and see what you get? An epic meltdown, yes, but a choke? No. Jordan Spieth has many a major ahead of him and he will stand in the winner’s trophy presentation spotlight more than his fair share of times. He is not a “choker” and will never be. He is a champion.

In these United States, we just love to build up our heroes, then we love to mock them as we tear them down. It is as American as political chicanery. 

Which brings me to the boo-birds.

We read the snarky twitter comments and heard the boos come raining down on Pablo Sandoval as the Red Sox masterfully produced their opening day ceremonies and introductions. Pablo’s belt buckle quickly became a Giphy sensation, right alongside of the “cryin’ Michael Jordan” memes. A week into the season and fans who consider themselves loyal and knowledgable are all too quick to bury the Panda.

I’m not sitting here, like a cheerleader or team spinster. I’m just wondering why?

Is it the contract? Is it the weight? A weight he carries around on his Mack Truck frame or is it the far heavier weight of expectations and pressure he carries everyday as he drives to the park or stops in a store?  At those times, he’s being adored and asked for autographs with smiles and a “you can do it” front.

Do fans snark and boo only when the fans, in vast obscurity with 31,159 others at the park, armed with Twitter and a gif-maker?  Or is it the more dangerous fan in a more camouflaged setting in their living rooms, kickin’ it back in their PJs on the coach, who become the slayer of Panda?

All we are saying? It’s G7 of the 2016 baseball season. Give them a chance.

Moving Day Has a New Meaning for Jordan Spieth

By Terry Lyons @terrylyons @DigSportsDesk

NORTON, Mass - September 6, 2015 - The third round of every PGA Tour event is always referred to as “moving day.” The term simply describes the importance of the third round, coming a day after the cut is made and the tournament’s most noteworthy contenders buckle down to play their very best and frequently hurdle some of the pretenders on the leaderboard. Because of the Labor Day holiday weekend, “moving day” comes on Sunday, not Saturday, for the Deutsche Bank Championship, held at the Tournament Players Club situated halfway between Boston and Providence.

For Jordan Spieth, one of the top three golfers in the world today largely because of his victories at The Masters and U.S. Open this year, moving day at the DBChampionship, the de facto “quarterfinals” of the PGA Tour’s contrived FedExCup playoff system, came at its regular time on Saturday. Except, this week, the young talent’s move was to pack up his bags and return to his hometown of Dallas, Texas after missing the cut and a piece of the $8.25 million purse at Deutsche Bank.

Sunset at the 18th hole of TPC-Boston, site of the DBC Championship

“I’m going to take some time away,” said Spieth after his 75-73 opening rounds scorecard from Boston sent him on his way. “It’s probably going to be good for me to take at least four days and not touch a club. Maybe get back with (swing coach) Cameron (McCormick) and just go through a normal routine. Nothing is different.”

Nothing is different?  I beg to differ. Since August 16, when he finished an impressive second to Jason Day at the PGA Championship in Wisconsin, Spieth has now missed the cut in his last two tournaments, both FedEx Cup Playoff events in The Barclays (NJ) and here at the TPC-Boston. 

After missing the cut at The Barclays, Spieth chose not to return home to Texas and went back to the lab, so to say, by staying in New York on the weekend of August 29-30 and traveling the short distance to Boston from NYC, seemingly a very smart strategy to get back on track.

“I went to the city, played a round at (the prestigious North Jersey course) Baltusrol and then rested Sunday,” said Spieth to the Beantown scribes before the Deutsche Bank tournament teed-off. “I figured we’d come up here, versus anywhere else. To fly three and half hourse back, then four hours back up here, to be honest it was going to be a bit more of a pain.

“The best practice we could get is playing the course (for) that week,” he explained. “If I could get on these greens, versus in Dallas where it’s 110-degrees. It’s hard to practice a full day in Dallas at this time of year. Cameron came up and we worked all Monday and Tuesday and got a lot of good work it. There wasn’t much to fix.

“It was more what I was making up in my head,” said Spieth, as honest as a long summer day, but obviously fading just as it’s doing in New England as an early September morning thermometer read 48 today. “I was creating bigger problems than there really was. I wanted to get some speed work and putting work,” Spieth added about his pre-tournament practice strategy.

So what is Spieth’s frame of mind now, that he’s missed his second consecutive cut but will rank No. 2 in the important FedEx Cup points list when the tour heads to Conway farms GC in Lake Forest, Illinois September 17?

“It’s almost like a bad dream,” he said, again so honestly and soul bearing. “Again, I don;t feel like it’s that far off, even though my score is far off. I just (need to) wake up and get the putts to go in again. That’s where I feel it’s at.

“I had a really bad 'self-talk’ week, something I haven’t experienced in quite a while. It maybe heightened by everything that’s happened this year and just being so used to being in contention. I need to walk with some cockiness in my step these next two tournaments. I don't have to fix much in my game other than work really hard on my putting, going into Conway, and then, mentally, I can control that. I can control walking with the cockiness, whether things are going good or bad, and that’s what you have to have inside the ropes.

“I’ll bring it when we get to Chicago.”

If Spieth gets some rest in his own bed and can regain his mental toughness and putting stroke, both Dallas and then, Chicago, will be sweet home.

***

(This column was written for Digital Sports Desk (dot) com - Please visit and follow the site on Twitter @DigSportsDesk)

Labor Day Notes

"T-Off" at Deutsche Bank Championship

By TERRY LYONS

Rory McIlroy enjoys playing in Boston (Getty Images).

NORTON, Mass - Surprise leaders Russell Henley and Billy Horschel are atop the Deutsche Bank Championship leaderboard as final round play was underway Monday morning in Boston where the PGA Tour's FedExCup playoffs continue on a busy sports holiday weekend in the USA.  The more familiar names of Rory McIlroy, the soon-to-be-crowned 2014 PGA Player of the Year and Aussie long-baller Jason Day are two strokes back from the lead. Day was in control after 54 holes at last week's Barclays championship but fell two strokes shy of Hunter Mahan's winning score. Mahan came to Boston as the FedExCup points leader after being rewarded with 2,500 points and vaulting from 62nd to first place on the leaderboard, besting PGA player of the year Rory McIlroy.

ON to DENVER: The top 70 players on the FedExCup points list will travel to Denver, Colorado for next week's BMW Championship, the semi-finals of the annual PGA Tour countdown to the season finale TOUR Championship at East lake CC near Atlanta, Georgia. ... Here in Boston, the top 100 players advanced to play but only 22 were eliminated after the cut and another seven players were shaved from competition yesterday evening after a rare modified cut-line was established to get the field of play down for Monday's final round. One of the players cut, Patrick Reed, shot an unspeakable 82 on Sunday after openings rounds of 68-68. Reed was No. 8 on the FedExCup points standings list coming into Boston. Reed is projected to drop to No. 14 after the rough round at TPC Boston.

BACK 9 NETWORK? - Jason Day has played the front 9 at the TPC Boston at -12 but the back nine at 2-over. "The front fits my eye," said Day on Sunday. "I like the front nine. The back nine, you've got to pay a little more respect, because it's a little tougher. Throughout the PGA Tour, normally, the harder holes are towards the end of the round. With that said, I feel I need to play the 18th hole a little better."

RYDER on the HORIZON: Although the PGA Tour playoffs are in full swing, the golf world seems to be more focused on the upcoming Ryder Cup tournament featuring the best players from Europe versus the USA in match play. Largely because the Ryder Cup is played every two years, the special nature of the tournament takes precedent over the regular season and playoffs in golf, much like the World Cup in soccer seems to dominate the news over the top European leagues. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy tries not to get caught up in the mix. "I won;t say I haven't thought about it," said McIlroy. "I'll think about it more the week before, maybe the weekend before we get there. Right now, I'm thinking about myself. I've got (this tournament in Boston), and then two very important weeks to think about before I pay any attention to the Ryder Cup."

TOUGH COMPETITORS: Billy Horschel is known on the PGA Tour as a tough-minded competitor who might be playing his way on to the USA Ryder Cup team as a Captain's pick. Horschel was asked if it was a surprise to see R3 leader Russell Henley and himself atop the leaders going into the final round. "I'm not surprised to be here," he said. "If people are surprised that I'm in second place, then they must not know what kind of person I am. Obviously, my season hasn't been anywhere as good as last year, but I'm a guy that's going to keep working hard, keep grinding until they tell me the season is over and I can't play anymore. I've put a lot of time in the last few months, and it's just now starting to pay off. ... On Russell Henley: "He's a guy who comes from a basketball background. He's like a three-point shooter, he's going to keep shooting, and they're going to start falling sooner than later. That's his kind of mentality. I like that. He's a guy who is never going to give up."

Furyk at the 15th - TPC Boston

These guys are - pretty damn good.



Jim Furyk on the 15th hole of the Deutsche Bank Championship for Eagle!

See http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com for coverage of the event this Labor Day weekend.

Saturday's Alright in Boston

Notes & Quotes on DBChampionship

By TERRY LYONS

THE DAY BEFORE MOVING DAY:  At PGA Tour events around the world, Saturday is fondly called "Moving Day," as the tournaments are almost always scheduled to run Thursday-Friday (then a cutdown) with Saturday and Sunday as the third and final rounds, respectively. Here at the Deutsche Bank Championship, held over the Labor Day holiday in the USA, the tournament begins a day later than usual and, thus, Saturday's round leads to the cut and Sunday's round is "Moving Day," a term the players use to note the clutch play to move into contention for a tournament win.

PALMER on PALMER: Ryan Palmer jumped to the lead at the DBChampionship, held at the TPC-Boston, a course originally designed by Arnold Palmer. Initially, the design and layout of the course drew criticism from the golf world, mainly because of its structure for long hitters but also because of poor, unforgiving greens. After a re-design and, quite frankly, the power of mother nature over time, the greens settled in and the course was tweaked to become one of the favorites on the annual PGA Tour schedule. A rather dry month of August in the suburban Boston area has resulted in firm greens at the TPC Boston which should increase as the tournament proceeds. Ryan Palmer has experienced some success at the DBC, with a T-11 in 2010 after shooting a first round 64 (-7). He bested that number in R1 on Friday with a (-8) 63, two strokes ahead of New England bred Keegan Bradley.

Palmer has a new caddie this week, as his regular partner, James Edmondson, is home in Texas on a personal matter. Brett Waldman, the regular caddie for David Toms, is stepping in for Palmer this week in Boston.

Keegan Bradley in R1 of  DBChampionship in Boston

KEEGAN'S BLUFF: In 2012, Keegan Bradley, a native of nearby Vermont, shot a 71-73 to barely make the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship. However, he made good use of "Moving Day" and shot an 8-under 63 in R3 to help him finish T13 for the tournament. He is in the midst of his fourth consecutive start at the DBC and has made it to all four events on the PGA Tour's FEDEXCup playoffs every year since joining the tour in 2011. Coming into the week, Bradley was ranked #13 in USA Ryder Cup points and is an odds-on favorite to be a captain's choice for the USA team in 2014. A strong finish at the DBC will most likely lock him in to be one of Tom Watson's three choices, to be announced this Tuesday, Sept. 2.

LEFTY: At Fenway Park in nearby Boston, right-handed hitters have an advantage when staring down the Green Monster. However, a left-handed hitters, like Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski and David "Big Papi" Ortiz have made quite a statement at Fenway to become two of the three greatest Red Sox batters of all-time. While there's no "Green Monster" at the TPC-Boston, left-handed PGA Tour great Phil Mickelson has had his share of success in Boston, winning the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship and capturing a Top 15 in each of the FedExCup standings over the past seven seasons. Mickelson struggled in his R1 this year, shooting a (+3) 74, hitting only half of the 18 greens in regulation. His group shot a collective (+16) in R1, with Justin Hicks (77) and Ryo Ishikawa (78).

PLAYER NOTES in GENERAL: Defending DBC winner, Henrik Stenson, shot a (-1) 70 as he tries to become only the second player to win multiple Deutsche Bank titles in Boston. Vijay Singh is the only player to win the tournament twice, in 2004 and 2008. ... Jim Furyk opened with a (+1) 72 came into the weekend as the sixth highest FedEXCup points scorer. He finished in 8th place at The Barclays last weekend, his 13th Top-10 finishin FedExCup events, tying Steve Stricker who is not playing in Boston this week. ... World #1 golfer, Rory McIlroy, enjoys significant support from the large Irish community in Boston. McIlroy won the DBC in 2012 but finished a distant T-47 in 2013 and T-37 in 2010.

Ryder (Cup) On the Storm

Both Keegan Bradley and Ryan Palmer, first round leaders at the DBChampionship in Boston,  are vying for the three remaining USA Ryder Cup team slots, to be announced Tuesday night (7pm et) in a live telecast of US team captain Tom Watson's press conference at the 30 Rock NBC studios in New York.

Here are the Ryder Cup team points/standings as of August 25th:

  
Rank    Player               Events  Points
   1    Bubba Watson            21  6930.54
   2    Rickie Fowler           26  6733.25
   3    Jim Furyk               21  6707.69
   4    Jimmy Walker            25  6111.41
   5    Phil Mickelson          22  5510.34
   6    Matt Kuchar             24  5114.67
   7    Jordan Spieth           26  4835.83
   8    Patrick Reed            23  3651.09
   9    Zach Johnson            26  3568.96
  10    Jason Dufner            21  3559.72
  11    Ryan Moore              25  3355.87
  12    Brendon Todd            25  3343.58
  13    Keegan Bradley          27  3324.70
  14    Chris Kirk              25  3287.88
  15    Webb Simpson            24  3155.57
  16    Harris English          27  3036.07
  17    Kevin Na                24  2960.82
  18    Ryan Palmer             21  2612.14
  19    Matt Every              24  2527.31
  20    Brandt Snedeker         26  2476.65
  21    Erik Compton            25  2458.79
  22    Kevin Stadler           24  2456.98
  23    Brian Harman            28  2450.70
  24    Gary Woodland           22  2364.39
  25    Hunter Mahan            25  2346.36

"Tee-Off" from the PGA Tour event in Boston

Notes and Quotes on the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship:

By TERRY LYONS

Rory McIlroy at the DBC in Boston (Getty Images)

NORTON, MA, August 29, 2014 -- The Deutsche Bank Championship - @DBChampionship - is the second of four events of the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs. After the full PGA season, the top 125 players qualified for The Barclays tournament, held last week in northern New Jersey. The top 100 players after The Barclays qualified for this week's tournament in suburban Boston. Ninety-three players are teeing-off on Friday, a day later than usual first-round play as the DBC tournament wraps around the Labor Day holiday in the USA. Notable PGA Tour players, such as Tiger Woods (DNQ-injuries kept his FedEx Playoff points total down), Jason Dufner (neck), Dustin Johnson (leave from PGA Tour) are not playing while Graeme McDowell and Paul Casey are taking a week off with personal time to witness the birth of their children. Casey's decision will cost him the opportunity to advance to the third round of the FedEx Playoffs in Denver. Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose each took the week off but at 15th and 20th, respectively, on the PGA's FedEx Cup listing, he will advance and is expected to play the final two rounds. Tim Clark (elbow) withdrew from the tournament on Thursday.

Tourney Sites: The DBC Championship at the TPC in Boston (Norton, Mass) and the Tour Championship (East Lake CC in Atlanta) are the two constant sites for the PGA Tour playoff system. The BMW Championship, to be held next week in Denver, rotates through various courses in the Midwest and The Barclays, the first-round tourney, is staged at the premier courses in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, some of the best courses in the Continental USA.

Pay the Man: The Tiger Woods Foundation is the host charitable organization for the DBC within the PGA Tour's season-long commitment to local and national charitable efforts. Overall, the PGA Tour has donated more than $2 billion to charity with $133 million donated in calendar year 2013. Tiger Woods' foundation concentrates its efforts on youth and breaking cycles of poverty through college-access programs for children of low-income families. Significant efforts are made in the area of mentorship, professional development and providing four-year scholarships to many first generation scholars. ... On the player's side, a purse of $8 million is on the line at the DBC with $1,440,000 going to the winner and $864,000 for the runner-up. Overall, the FedExCup playoffs has a $10 million dollar bounty awaiting the season champion with the top five players at the Tour Championship being in the best position to gain the lofty prize.

Hunter, the hunted: Hunter Mahan vaulted to the top of the FedExCup points list with his win at The Barclays in Ridgewood, NJ last weekend, shooting 68 and 65 to close out the tournament. "Jumping to "No. 1" and securing my spot in Atlanta, it feels good having done that," said mahan when he met the media after the Thursday Pro-Am outing. "I want to be the FedEx Cup champion. I was close a few years ago (2011 when he finished 2nd). "Golf is all about winning. Top-5s are great, Top-10s are great, but if you don;t win, you're not making an impact in the game. Winning is the most important thing and it's heavily favored in this format. I think it's fun for our sport to have a "winner-take-home" (all) kind of mentality, since we don;t have that in golf, kind of a finale. I think it's pretty neat with so much on the line."

Defending Champ: Henrik Stenson, the 2013 DBC Champion, is teeing-off as No. 66 on the FedExCup list after serious moving-up exercises at the PGA Championship where he tied for third place and his T38 at The Barclays last week. In doing so, he moved from No. 92 to 66 and is now in place to possibly defend his title. Last year, Stenson overcame a two-stroke deficit to Sergio Garcia to card a 5-under 66 to outpace Steve Stricker on a rain-soaked Labor Day, The 38-year old Swede became the fourth international golfer to win the DBC, joining Adam Scott (Australia, 2003), Vijay Singh (Fiji, 2004, 2008) and Rory McIlroy (No. Ireland, 2012). Stenson recorded scores in the 60s in each of his four rounds, becoming only the seventh player to do so.

Said Henson when he met the media in Boston: "It's great to be back at a venue where you've done well in the past or won in the past," he said. "I need some sort of result this week to carry on to Denver (BMW Championship). I don;t need any miracles, but if I want to make it to Atlanta, I have to have a good showing this week or next week. I'd rather do it this week than to wait to the last minute. I'm trying to move on and it would be a shame not to make it to the Tour Championship and defend my title."

Be sure to follow @DigSportsDesk for up-to-the-minute coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship and visit http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com 

Stenson Wins at DBC; Overtakes Tiger in PGA Playoffs

(The following column appeared on DigitalSportsDesk over Labor Day Weekend):

Henrik Stenson of Sweden was winner at TPC Boston (Getty Images)

NORTON, Mass, September 2, 2013 - - The day of golf did not begin very well for Sweden's Henrik Stenson. With skies threatening and a morning drizzle lending its way to a steady rain, play was delayed from 8am to 9:30am due to the dangerous weather conditions and sporadic thunder and lightening. When the skies cleared and sun peeked through the overcast skies, Stenson set out at the TPC Boston for the fourth round of play at the Deutsche Bank Championship, trailing third round leader Sergio Garcia by two strokes. Stenson bogeyed No. 2 to drop a stroke as did Garcia, so the Swede caught a break from the Spaniard and felt quite comfortable heading onto No. 4 as the skies darkened.

The mental gamesmanship was off to a soggy start and some 20 golfers were within striking distance on a course where soggy greens lent their way to low scoring as the thunder rumbled. But like those cloudy skies, Henrik Stenson had seen the dark side of the game before, when he suffered through two major slumps - maybe even chasms - back in 2001-02 and again in 2011.

"The one I had back in '01-02, when I was really, really lost," he noted when asked to compare the two lapses in his pro career. "I was lost and confused with my game and with my swing and everything. It's the frustration of dealing with that, because I've had enough good results to know I can play this game at a very high level. Not to be able to be anywhere near that standard is, of course, frustrating."

There was a noticeable difference between the slumps, some 10 or 11 years ago and the smaller imbalance in his game from 2011-12. So, stepping up to the fourth, Stenson proceeded to birdie four of his next five holes before the skies threatened so much that the PGA Tour officials blew the siren, right after he putted for birdie on the par-3 eighth hole. When play resumed after a 1:51 delay, Stenson had a much-mental break to focus his game once more. He stepped out to warm-up at the range, then walked up to the ninth hole and ripped his 3-iron tee shot to finish 33 on the way out, grabbing a strangle hold of the DBC lead where he didn't look back until he faced another bout of adversity on the back nine.

Veteran Steve Stricker was applying pressure and was hovering closely behind on the leaderboard. At 17, Stenson, having found the bunker, sealed the tournament by holing out for a birdie to bring him to -22 on the tournament board, securing a comfortable lead as he walked to the 18th and final hole.

"I hit it left on 17 and I was going to hit a little nine-iron there and tugged it a bit left but got a good lie in the bunker," he said. "I thought I was going to look at a four, five or six-footer for the par, but you know how it turned out, so that made the walk to 18 a little bit easier."

Stricker would proceed to birdie his final two holes and card (66-68-63-67) for the tournament to rise up the FedEx Cup points standings to a lofty seventh place but it wasn't enough to unseat Stenson who took home honors at Boston, including a hefty $1.44 million, then paid the Beantown patrons back by donating a significant portion of his winnings to the One Fund, established to help the victims of the senseless bombing at the Boston Marathon this past March.

With the victory, Stenson jumped ahead of Tiger Woods amongst the FedEx Cup points standings. Stenson will advance to the BMW Championship in the 'burbs of Chicago where the Top 70 PGA Tour players compete for the challenge to rank amongst in the Top 30 FedEx Cup qualifiers. It's all for a chance to grab the $10 million first place prize at the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola, the final round of the complicated PGA Tour playoff system. Embedded in the system is an advantage for the Top 5 FedEx Cup points holders who can win the $10-mil automatically with a win at East Lake GC, the site of the Tour Championship, scheduled September 19-22.

For Stenson, it was his first win on the PGA tour since the 2009 Players Championship, and his first overall win since the South African championship in 2012. His TPC Boston round of (67-63-66-66) earned him a chance to win the top prize on the tour championship with only two weeks left on the season, but it came with some cause for reflection for the dismal days of 2011.

"My 2011 was a really poor season, by any standards," he said. "But, I started coming back at beginning of last year. At the end of the year, I won the South African open but then I didn't get it going early this year. Houston (Open) time, I got my ticket to Augusta, and from then on, it's been steady progress and a couple of fantastic months. This is icing on the cake. I was longing for a win and I got it."

Yes, he got it with the hole-out from the bunker which sealed his fate and the tournament much to the dismay of a charging veteran golfer in Stricker, a self-proclaimed scoreboard watcher, who heard the crowd reaction and saw the number change when Stenson sealed the tournament.

"I just kind of rolled my eyes and said to my caddie, that he's been knocking on the door for a couple months," said Stricker. "He's been playing some great golf. You don;t think it's going to happen to you (when you are defeated) when a guy holes out from a bunker. But, I was a couple of shots back at the time, so I don't think - unless he made bogey - it would've changed things. But, you play it out.

"I was trying to make eagle on the last because you just don't know if a guy is going to run into trouble on the last and you have to play 72 holes. Good for him. Great shot, and like I said, he's been knocking at the door for quite some time and he finally got his win."

"I'm just going to continue to play my best," said the FedEx Cup points leader when he was asked about the next two weeks on the tour. "That's gotten me a very long way. It's going to be no different going to Chicago. I'm going to try my best there and then in Atlanta. I've always been a pretty good front-runner. I always like to think that the 'other guy' is going to have to play better than I do, if I'm in the lead. So, that's always been the mindset and I won a lot of those tournaments," he added smiling at his family seated in the back of the media interview room, his son nodding off.

"Yeah, I'm going to try my hardest. We'll see what happens.

"Chicago ... CHI-CA-GO!"

"Yeah."

Lefty Shoots a 63, Then Shows his Real Priorities

 (This column is the lead of the Digital Sports Desk (dot) com coverage of this weekend's Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, the second round of the PGA Tour's Fed Ex Cup Playoffs).  Be sure to follow #DigSportsDesk on Twitter and click HERE for more of this weekend's coverage, scores, stats and video).

Phil Mickelson at the DBC Championship

NORTON, Mass - August 30, 2013 -- Every weekend duffer in the world wishes he could relate to the golf game of Phil Mickelson. If it’s been said once, it's been said a million times on courses all around the world.  "Just once, I wish I could hit it like the Lefty."  Or, "if I could play like Phil Mickelson - just one round - I'd be the happiest golfer on the planet."

Reality sets in, however, when you look at the leaderboard at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second rung on the ladder for the complicated PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoff system, and you see the fact Mickelson birdied seven of his first nine holes and made the turn with a 28 on his scorecard on the way to carding a tournament-leading 63 on the par-71 TPC Boston. The fact of the matter is many a weekend warrior has looked down to his scorecard after only four holes to see the same number on his card and felt the agony of defeat in the mind games of golf.

Yet, while we are not all golfers, every father in the world found a way to relate to Mickelson today.  After the 2013 British Open champion answered all the golf-related questions, telling the assembled media what clubs he had in his bag and how he actually did think of the illustrious "59" after his amazing first nine holes today, Mickelson was asked about whether he had time to get home this week to take his daughter, Amanda, to her first day of high school. At that moment, the golfer became a father who let his guard down as the visions of his baby girl danced in his mind’s eye. His eyes seemed to mist over as they do for all Dad's when we're asked about the fact our "little girls" have grown-up to be young women.

"I was able to take her (to school)," said Mickelson. "It's a big change to see how quickly it's gone and for her to be starting high school and in four years, off to college. I was glad to that I was able to be home for that."

With that short description of everyday life as the shadows get longer, and late August turns into September on the calendar and so many mothers and fathers across the United States grab the camera and take that patented still photo on the front steps in front of the front door, Phil Mickelson the golfer reminded everyone, his first priority in life is his family.

Sometimes in the big-time world of bigger-time sports, we all tend to forget the fact we're watching everyday people do extraordinary things right after they’ve done the everyday things themselves. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is married to a supermodel and his athleticism allows him to throw touchdown passes in the same manner many of us flip pancakes, three or four every Sunday, but the truth of the matter is that there are three kids - John, Benjamin and Vivian - who think of Brady in only one way - as their Dad.

Similarly, back in Racho Sante Fe, California, Amanda, Sophia and Evan might watch their Dad play a little golf this weekend but when it all comes down to that everyday life we all treasure, they’ll just be happy that their father, Phil, is home for dinner on Tuesday night.

Heard Over the Bar @DigSportsDesk

Can't make this stuff up ..

#PGA #PGATour Phil Mickelson leads the Baba O'Riley of golf tourneys in PHX … pgatour.com/leaderboard.ht… #Wasteland
— DigitalSportsDesk (@DigSportsDesk) February 1, 2013

A TALE of TWO CITIES (Parts I-II-III)

http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com/New/tennis.html

Rory McIlroy

By TERRY LYONS

Editor's Note: Lyons will be providing a double dose of sports insight tofday, first from the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, then from the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York where he'll file stories tonight and all day on Sunday before returning to Norton, Mass and the TPC Boston for the final round of the FedEx Cup playoff event. Enjoy and follow along on Twitter at #DigSportsDesk

NORTON, Mass - September 1, 2012 - Daybreak on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts where the best professional golfers in the world are competing at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second round of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, brought to you in cooperation by EMC.  For any sports marketer, that's a mouthful.

With that prelude, the story of covering two major sporting events on the same day begins.  Tonight, I'll settle in at the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens - about 30-45 minutes east of New York City.  This morning and this early afternoon, I'm in my native Boston on the gold circuit.

Here we go!

7:00am - I awoke pretty early in my own bed in my suburban Boston home, not far from where the Boston College Eagles will play host to what used to be the Miami (FLA) Hurricanes. After a stop at Dunkin Donuts, a must plug for any true New Englander, it was a 30-minute car ride to the Brown Lot at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, the satellite parking lot for the PGA tournament.  A short media shuttle ride over, and the DigitalSportsDesk was back in action, a day after covering the first 18-holes of the tournament with the impressive and exciting start by the one and only Tiger Woods (-7/64) and PGA rookie, 21-year old Seung-yul Noh of South Korea (-9/62).

8:00am - On the ride over, I tuned into Sirius-XM's PGA Tour channel and listened to the morning round-up as they promoted a full day of college football on the satellite radio chain. The highlight of their promos was the fact the Notre Dame vs. Navy game was soon to kick-off (with coverage on not one but two Sirius/XM channels). The talk of the PGA town was the 9-under 62 stroked by No and the fact Woods was certainly in the hunt. The early tee-times for Pat Perez and David Hearn (shot 67-69) and some movement from the group with the leader (Noh) along with Ryan Moore, a Tacoma, Washington-born 7-year pro who posted a 64 on Friday and would go on to hit 68 today after stroking four birdies and an eagle on his front nine this morning.

9:00am - I asked to be dropped off at the TV Broadcast compound and trekked up to see an old NBA on NBC friend in executive producer Tom Roy, one of the best producers and classiest acts in all of sports TV history. Unfortunately, with a 2pm air-time, I was a little too early, but jotted out a short note and left it for Tom at his office trailer.  Sure enough, by 11am, he replied by text with an invite to join him at the NBC compound. With the ND vs Navy game kicking-off, I rigged up my own small broadcast compound in the Media Center by going wireless with three screens, the main screen being the MacBook Pro, ably assisted by my (new fave) Ipad and the small screen iphone.  A little FIOS username and password later and I had the CBS Sports broadcast of the ND game streaming live from Ireland. Not bad.

9:30am - The mandatory email reading and catch-up, along with a photo editing search on Getty Images preceded my update of DigitalSportsDesk.com and its affiliated sites via Linked In, my Twitter feed(s) - #MediaForward - #terrylyons  #DigSportsDesk  & Facebook of course. I'll get to Pinterest later.   If you're reading this, please check out all of the sites and join, like, follow, friend, share and everything in between, please.  It helps build the audience for the fledgling online destination for sports fans and purists.

10am - After my second cup of Joe, headed out from the air conditioned PGA Media Center to the grandstands at the 18th green. The 18th green at the TPC Boston went from being one of the easier Par 5s and possibly the easiest hole on the is one of the most difficult putting greens on tour.  The TPC Boston was originally conceived by golf legend Arnold Palmer with an assist from PGA pro Brad Faxon, a New Englander. In 2007, the course was re-designed by golf architect Gil Hanse, who tweaked the green once again this spring. The 18th is now smaller and was elevated to create sweeping drop-offs in front, behind and to the left side of the dance floor.

Before the tourney began, Tiger Woods said, "The green is way different. We can't bail left," he noted. "Based on the pin, we've got to figure out where the spot is to miss it. The good news is we've got probably another 8 or 10 yards from over the hazard to the front edge of the green that we can land the ball in, and hopefully that'll be enough to keep it on the green."

Tiger was right.  I wandered out and watched three or four groups come down the 18th fairway, all with intimidating approach shots. Once within range, they laid up and tried to stop their shots on the highest tier of the elevated green.  Phil Mickelson's approach landed 30 feet short and he was challenged to make one of the more difficult "up & downs" for birdie "4." Nearly every other golfer missed birdie chances and settled for par.  However, a few, including tournament leaders (as of 2:00pm, Saturday) Rory McIlroy and Ryan Moore, each posted eagle 3s en route to their tremendous rounds.

11am - As the temperature began to rise, I took a stroll through the center of the course, past Holes #1 and #8 and #9, then over to the broadcast compound where I caught up with NBC's Tom Roy.  Roy is the executive producer for all of NBC Sports and the Golf Channels coverage of the PGA Tour. He appreciates, loves and enjoys the game of golf and is on site for nearly all of NBC's coverage. We shared a few life updates, mostly on family and mutual friends, but realizing he was two hours from air, I excused myself with hopes of catching up on Monday or down the road, after the Ryder Cup. TRoy invited me to view the action from the trucks and I hope to do that before the tourney concludes on Monday, the Labor Day holiday here in the USA.

We hopped in an NBC Sports golf cart, reserved just for the Exec. Producer, and zipped back towards the Media Center where I jumped off before Tommy headed up to the range to get some pre-production elements done.  Time well spent.  In fact, afterward, I was thinking of Tommy's counterpart on the NBA on NBC, director Andy Rosenberg, and I emailed him to let him know I caught up with his colleague.  Andy and Sandy Grossman (CBS and Fox) were two of my all-time favorite live action sports directors and two of the very best.

Noon - The early tee-time pairings were all closing down their rounds and the cut-line reads (+1).  I was hoping to meet-up with fellow St. John's University alum and co-New Englander in Keegan Bradley. However, Bradley posted a disappointing (71-73) and failed to make the cut, being two over par. Next time.

1pm - The PGA Tour Media Center organizers served a scrumptious brunch, consisting of both marinated chicken and marinated steak fajitas, along with red potato salad and terrific cold green bean salad, all with the compliments of the PGA and the chef.  Great stuff.  Energized after some fuel-injected Diet Coke caffeine, I headed back to the media center where Rory McIlroy was ready to conduct his post round media session.  McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, is one of the fan favorites in Boston because of his Irish heritage. His golf game might have a bit to do with his popularity, too, although the most interesting human interest question came from his much-reported and apparent romance with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. McIlroy's golf facts, club choices and putting skills were set aside for a minute when it was announced for all to see and hear on the PGA televised media session that the gallery following the 23-year old was full of young, maybe teen-aged, boys.

While McIlroy recognized his friend's pain and misfortune of being a Day 2, first-round upset victim at the US Open in New York, he was happy to have her among the fsans here in Boston.

"It's nice," he said. "It's nice to have her out here. I think everyone would still love for her to be in New York, but unfortunately that isn't the case. It's great to have her support out here. Obviously, when she's not here, she's trying to follow as much as she can and watch as much as she can."

2pm - Time to gather all my things together, grab a few photos and to dedicate some time to writing and reporting, more tweeting and social media outreach. Gone are the days when you would file one story for the bulldog edition, one for the final and call it a day.

2:30pm - Wrap-up time at the Media Center.  I check a few US Open scores, some NCAA college football scores where I'm happy to see that Penn State leads Ohio, 14-10, early in the third quarter. I'll pick up some games on the car radio as I head for the second half of this "tale of two cities," after a 4+ hour car ride to Flushing Meadows, not far from St. John's in Jamaica Estates, Queens.

Mardy Fish at the US Open

FLUSHING, NY - September 1, 2012 - After a short pit-stop for a gasoline fill-up and restroom break in New Haven, Connecticut, the DigitalSportsDesk made the drive from Norton, Massachusetts to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens in about four and half hours. The "Tale of Two Cities" continues.

3:00pm to 7:15pm - The DigitalSportsDesk drove from Boston to New York, enjoying a combination of PGA Tour radio and US Open Radio on Sirius/XM, along with a full schedule of NCAA college football.  I was surprised by Penn State's 24-14 loss to Ohio, but my beliefs were confirmed when Miami (FLA) defeated Boston College, 41-32,  at BC and Iowa State defeated Tulsa, 38-23 at Iowa State.
There were quite a few other games that were entertaining, including #12 Wisconsin's narrow victory (26-21) over Northern Iowa, Maryland's 7-6 win over William & Mary and Nevada's 31-24 upset at Cal. On the home stretch to the tennis center, as I approached and crossed the Whitestone Bridge, I listed to the all-out destruction of James Blake by Milos Raonic.

7:30pm - Being without the official media credential and a valid parking pass, I was forced to wing it.  A relatively easy drive sans traffic or any delay whatsoever concluded in the vast parking lots of CitiField, directly across Roosevelt Blvd and about a mile from the entrances to the tennis center.  I grabbed the two computers and hoofed it over to the main entrance where there is a very strong security presence all along the way. The one thing that worried me on the drive was the fact the press credential center was scheduled to close at 8pm. A traffic delay would have cost me dearly.

7:45pm - At this point in the tourney, there were only three people in the media accreditation center, me and the two USTA staffers working the computer hardware. Processing took all of about two minutes and I was quickly handed my "M" media badge which included my head shot, a photograph taken by Andrew D. Bernstein when we did the team photos for the 2007-08 USA Basketball national team. I had it on file with the USTA.  A few steps, a bag check, a scan of the bar code and I was inside the compound, a facility I know very well from years and years of attending the US Open.

In fact, the first US Open I attended was in 1976 and '77 at the WestSide Tennis Club in Forest Hills.  At one point in the late 80s, I lived on a street in the lovely town of Forest Hills, a house a block away from the tennis club, still operational today with lovely grass courts throughout.  In 1978, the US Open was moved to the then-brand new tennis center and I was lucky enough to frequent the event each and every year. Back "in the day," as they say, the ProServe group in Washington DC, headed by David Falk and Donald Dell, had quite a grasp on the top players. ProServe offered tickets and hospitality to us as a professional courtesy.

IN 1999, I began to be credentialed among the media members covering the event and it's been an amazing tournament to witness as the growth soared with the building of Arthur Ashe Stadium and the refurbishment of the grounds.

8:00pm - Getting right into the action that I first heard by US Open radio but then witnessed as I settled into the media center, Milos Raonic of Canada, ranked #15, defeated American James Blake in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, 7-6. When Blake met with the media in the interview room, the topic immediately went to the dominating service by Raonic. "Definitely one of the best," said Blake when he was asked to compare the speed of the serves he was trying to return. "I mean, it's tough to pick one better than the other, because you can take (John) Isner's (Andy) Roddick's -- I never played against Pete (Sampras) in his prime, but when they're having a good day, there's not much a returner can do. Obviously, it's pretty darn effective (serve), as it's gotten him to the top 20 in the world already and probably rising."

8:30pm - After a few quick "tweets" and some email, I am filing this section of my blog and heading out to "Ashe," the main court at the national tennis center where #23 Mardy Fish of the USA will play #16 Gilles Simon of France.  More to come via twitter during the match and online at DigitalSportsDesk.com later on.


FLUSHING, NY - September 1-2, 2012 -- The Sports Saturday/Sunday saga continued late into the night.

9:00pm - American Mardy Fish destroyed Gilles Simon 6-1 in their first set. With the fact Simon was nursing a stiff calf and continually stretching it between points, games and after the set, some of the the Flushing Meadows crowd headed to the exits. Simon had other things in mind and he stormed back to take the second set 7-5. The third set was the key as Fish struck back with a 7-6 (7-5) tie break victory to go up 2-1. As the clock struck Midnight and the match approached the three-hour mark, the US Open operations people played Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" on the Public Address system as the fans danced the night away. We even had a little of the "Village People" and Y.M.C.A - circa 1977 and '96. Fish took advantage of a key break point in the fourth set and defeated Simon 6-3 in the set to advance and avenge a straight sets beat-down from the 2011 French Open. Home court advantage holds forth.

9:45pm - A quick run from the media seating section in the 200-level back to the main media center was well worth the trip, as I ran into an old NBA and St. John's buddy, Seth Sylvan.  Seth was working the late night shift for the US Open (USTA) staff and running the press operation.  We spent some time, caught up on friends and family and I showed him the inner workings of DigitalSportsDesk.com  Together with his colleagues, we decided to undertake another "A Day in the Life" series for the DigitalSportsDesk.com site, highlighting the amazing set-up and a "behind the scenes" look at the vast digital production capabilities of the USTA as it presents the US Open tournament.

12 Midnight - About 4,000 enthusiastic fans remained in Arthur Ashe Stadium, many rooting for the American, Mardy Fish, but one young man screaming "Allez Gilles!" The serve and volley efforts of each player were strong and everyone in the stadium anticpated a five set marathon.

12:30am (Sunday) - With the crowd dispersed throughout the lower levels of the Ashe Stadium and ushers turning their heads and allowing fans to sit anywhere, I made my way to a corn spot by one of the CBS/Tennis Channel HD cameramen, a great vantage point. The speed and agility of the players intensifies as you get closer and just like most sports, the closer you are, the more you "feel" in terms of the power, impact on the ball, top-spin from the forehands and overall speed and quickness to cover the court.

When the fans chants of "Let's Go Fish" and "Here we Go Mardy" bellowed through the stadium, the home court advantage seemed to help as Fish broke serve and won in the fourth, despite his whopping 75 unforced errors in the match as opposed to Simon's 31. Fish did take advantage of his serve as he won 75% of his first serve points while Simon managed only 53%.

The first and fourth sets took 30 and 34 minutes respectively, but the middle two sets required 54 minutes for the 7-5 Simon second set win and 65 minutes for Fish's 7-6 tie break victory in the key third set, won with a 7-5 advantage in the extra session.

1:30am - With only a handful of French media present and solidly focused on interviewing Simon en Francaise, i headed to the main interview room in the Media Center to see what Mardy Fish would have to say. I also figured that a few good questions might help the efforts of my USTA media operations colleagues, so I quickly scouted the stat sheets and Fish's bio in order to ask some intelligent questions which surely would be recorded and fed on the satellite TV feeds. About 10-15 minutes into the wait, it was announced that Fish was seeking treatment and would not be available in the interview room.  No harm, no foul in my book and it was time to pack-up and get some sleep.

2:00am - My buddy, Seth, offered to drive me around the the CitiField parking lot where I left "Phil Ford," my 2012 Ford Fusion which was the lone vehicle in the "Tom Seaver" area near the new Shea Stadium. While driving through the lots, I marveled at the fact that I might've been driving in the spot where Tommie Agee or Ron Swoboda made the great catches in the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.  That said, it was time to get some shut-eye as the "Tale of Two Cities" came to a close.

National Tennis Center in NYC

Tomorrow (really today), is another day, and I look forward to seeing #2 seed Novak Djokovic play #31 Julien Benneteau of France at 11:00am edt and then American Andy Roddick, who announced that the 2012 US Open would be his last because of his decision to retire. Roddick faces Italy's Fabio Fognini in a match that will not begin until 1:30pm today, at the earliest.

Tiger Loves the PGA Playoffs

By TERRY LYONS
(Special to DigitalSportsDesk)

NORTON, Mass. – August 31, 2012 -- For any sports fan, September might be the most wonderful time of the year. Major League Baseball begins its playoff stretch in earnest and the new, extra wildcard spot means the world to fans in cities from Baltimore to Tampa to Oakland to St. Louis to Los Angeles, amongst others. Ask an NFL football fan to a Sunday or Monday night dinner and movie and you’re likely to get the grande blow-off.  Have you seen your neighbor with the Notre Dame flag flying on his house lately?  Well, he might be in Ireland this weekend rooting against the Midshipmen. Tennis anyone? Hardcore tennis fans from far and wide travel to New York every Labor Day for the U.S. Open, one of the great spectacles of American sports.

Tiger Woods at the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship

Golf you ask? Even the most savvy golf aficionado might struggle to explain the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup system to determine the PGA Tour Champion, now in its sixth year.

Like the fiasco that is college football’s BCS or the (insert sponsor here) NASCAR championship, the PGA, in 2007, created a complicated points system to crown its playoff champion.

  

Sounds fine, right?

Fine, except for the fact the FedEx Cup rules have been tweaked so often by the tour hierarchy and its promotional partner, FedEx, the average sports fan need a 30-minute video tutorial rather than a simple bracket sheet.

What’s the good news, you might ask?  The PGA Tour FedEx Cup system seems to be catching on with players and fans alike and there is no better person to explain that fact than Tiger Woods, who shot a scorching (-7) 64 to take a share in the lead at the Deutche Bank Championship on the outskirts of Boston.

“I think we’re just trying to play for position in the Tour Championship,” said Woods to the assembled media at the TPC in Boston, “because we know if we’re in the top five and we win the Tour Championship, you automatically win the FedEx Cup. The guys are just trying to position themselves and, somehow, try and get there.

“It’s one of those weird things, you could win all three of these events (the early round PGA playoffs at the Barclays/Bethpage, Deutsche Bank Championship/TPC Boston and the BMW Championship/Crooked Stick GC in Carmel, Indiana) and still lose the fedEx Cup,” said Woods, smiling at the dilemma.

“The argument would be, unfortunately for you (New England) Pats fans – what was it? 18-0? And, they, unfortunately, lost one. That’s kind of the argument, but that’s also why they set it up that way. Just because you sweep the playoffs, doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed that you’re going to win the overall title.”

While New England Patriots fans and coach Bill Belichick might cringe at the comparison, as would Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs (NBA regular season champion each of the last two years with no rings since 2007), the fact of the matter is underlined by Woods’ point – sweeping the early rounds of the playoffs doesn’t earn a thing come Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals nor any other sport.

The key is positioning and being at your best when the PGA Tour tees it up at the annual Tour Championship, scheduled this year for September 20-23 at the East Lake GC in Atlanta, Georgia.

Do you think the system is gaining some momentum with the fans, Woods was asked by DigitalSports Desk?

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “The fans are starting to understand it, they’re starting to get it, and we, as players, are starting to get it, too.

“The format has changed. The points structure has changed, and I think we’re trying to figure it out now and starting to have a better understanding of what’s going on.”

* * *

Here is a quick tutorial, courtesy of PGATour.com –

The 2012 FedExCup Regular Season will consist of the events beginning with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and ending with the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.

The PGA TOUR Playoffs in 2012 will consist of The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Points Distribution: FedEx Cup Season

• Official PGA TOUR events each award 500 FedEx Cup points to first place.
• The Masters Tournament, THE PLAYERS Championship, U.S. Open Championship, British Open and the PGA Championship award 600 FedEx Cup points to first place.
• The first three World Golf Championships events award 550 FedEx Cup points to first place.
• Additional events played during the FedExCup Season (those played the same week as a major or World Golf Championships) award 250 FedExCup points to first place.

Additional notes on the system and the PGA Tour and FedEx Cup agreement, extended through 2012 earlier this year:

The PGA TOUR and FedEx Corp. announced a five-year extension  of the company’s umbrella sponsorship of the FedEx Cup, effective 2013 through 2017.

The FedExCup introduced a season-long competitive and promotional platform for the PGA Tour in 2007.

The promotion offers $35 million in total bonus money to players based on their finish in the (points) standings, including $10 million to the winner. Beginning in 2013, the four-tournament PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup will be officially called the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

What They’re Saying:

"Since its inception in 2007, the FedEx Cup has transformed the competitive landscape on the PGA Tour and significantly benefitted all of our stakeholders," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. "It makes every FedEx Cup event more meaningful, adding substantial value to our tournaments, title sponsors and television partners. Most importantly, the FedEx Cup offers our fans more ways to engage in our sport.”

TIGER and T ...

The DigitalSportsDesk crew is covering the PGA Tour Playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.  Here's a little tweet after Tiger Woods did some tweeting himself ... with seven birdies, one bogey and a -7 (64) to take share of the lead after 1 round.

#TigerWoods meets the press at the #DeutscheBankChamp in Boston after shooting -7 at #TPCBoston twitter.com/DigSportsDesk/…
— DigitalSportsDesk (@DigSportsDesk) August 31, 2012

"In Your Life, Have You Ever seen ..."

In honor of today's 75th Masters, here's Verne Lundquist's call of the greatest moment in professional golf history and one of the best sports moments in history when Tiger Woods played The 2005 Masters.  Enjoy!

Top Ten Sports Stories of 2010

Here is the my list of the top 10 most important sports stories of 2010:

1. Tiger Woods' falls from PGA's #1 golfer, world's most popular athlete and top sporting world endorsement icon.

2. Lebron James flubbed his decision to join Miami Heat and ruins his global reputation and fan following.

3. The Giants won the pennant, the Giants won the pennant and World Series + the record low interest of MLB World Series.

4. Spain took the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - as top honor in a great year for Spanish sports teams and players.

5. New Orleans Saints won 2010 Super Bowl to bring New Orleans one step further back from Katrina

6. Duke beat Butler to end Cinderella story of NCAA's/March Madness.

7. Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics marred by death of 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvil of Georgia

8. Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden passed away at age 99.

9. Sidney Crosby scores in OT to beat USA for Olympic Gold medal in ice hockey.

10. NBA All-Star Game drew 108, 713 fans to Cowboys Stadium, largest basketball crowd ever.

Tiger

Tiger Woods apology was compelling TV viewing which apparently stopped trading on the floor of the stock exchange and merc exchange.  My take on the continuing drama: His remarks ran 13.5 minutes but they will fuel some 48+ hours to months of talk show fodder for TV, radio, online, gossip pages and water-cooler chatter.  Most of the chatter is baseless and a waste of time.


From the start, I've thought that only two people and their kids really matter in this whole hill of beans.


What will continue?  The public relations gurus and many others - in and out of sport, golf, TV, will attempt to make a name for themselves or make a few bucks from these unfortunate circumstances that Tiger - and only Tiger - is responsible and accountable for.


See exhibit 1-A:  available if you have a subscription to Sports Business Daily:  http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=tdi.external&departmentID=24&remote_url=biz_wire

If not, here is portion:

At Tiger Woods’s press conference, he will speak to the media about his alleged indiscretion and the future of his career. Will it be received as an act of contrition or suspicion?

Gregory FCA, a national top 40 public relations firm and the largest in Pennsylvania, will conduct an online survey of sentiment among millions of blogs and bloggers, using data from Nielsen Online’s BuzzMetrics, to determine whether Tiger Woods’s image and reputation have been enhanced or diminished in the hours and days following his press conference.


The results will at first evaluate the sentiment of bloggers throughout the Internet and will be available by 1:30 p.m. EST. Gregory FCA will continue the survey throughout the day and through the weekend as the online conversation unfolds and sentiment changes.

The final report, available Monday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. EST, will sample a broad cross section of digital media including blogs, message boards, forums, Web sites, Twitter, and reader comments from more than 100 million online sources. Gregory FCA will be able to provide reliable information to the media on which to base their reporting of a story that has enthralled the American public.
 

I hope he can work things out for his family.  Period.  I'll have nothing more to say or add to that out of respect for his wife and kids.

SAY IT AIN'T SO... Or, BETTER YET, DON'T SAY IT AT ALL...

SAY IT AIN'T SO... WHY SAY IT?

Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut, right? Not this time...


This from AP via the Huffington Post:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty came under sharp criticism Saturday for a joke he wrote in a Dallas magazine article that suggested American soldiers would be just as likely to knock off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid as they would Osama bin Laden. Feherty was among five Dallas residents who wrote for "D Magazine" on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas, where the former Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland has been living the last dozen years.

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though," Feherty wrote toward the end of his column. "Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."

Feherty is among the most popular golf analysts on television for his glib humor. He writes a monthly column for Golf Magazine, and the last of the four books he has written was titled, "An Idiot for All Seasons." CBS Sports quickly distanced itself from Feherty's writing.

"We want to be clear that this column for a Dallas magazine is an unacceptable attempt at humor and is not in any way condoned, endorsed or approved by CBS Sports," spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said.

CBS Sports is not televising the PGA Tour this week at The Players Championship, and Feherty did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. "David Feherty is an insightful and sometimes humorous commentator for CBS Sports' golf coverage," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "However, his attempt at humor in this instance went over the line, and his comments were clearly inappropriate. We hope he will use better judgment in the future."

Media Matters for America demanded an apology. "Mr. Feherty's violent comments about Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are disgusting," said Eric Burns, president of the watchdog group. "Suggesting that our troops would attack the leaders of the very democracy they've sworn to sacrifice their lives for is an insult to their integrity, honor, and professionalism. CBS Sports should demand it's golf analyst apologize to our soldiers."

Feherty, a recovering alcoholic, has been part of the CBS golf team since 1997 and has been an endless stream of comedy on the air. Last week in North Carolina, he stumbled over a line of questioning until he wound up asking Tiger Woods how it felt to be the "loser" after he finished fourth at the Quail Hollow Championship. That brought laughter from the world's No. 1 player. He has gone to Iraq the last two years over Thanksgiving to meet with the troops and deliver his irreverent humor, but the experience moved him to the point that he has applied for U.S. citizenship. Feherty is involved with "Troops First Foundation," with hopes of raising $15 million for soldiers who return wounded, many of them without limbs. He created his own division -- "F Troop" -- and last year took eight soldiers to South Dakota for pheasant hunting.

"I think it was going to Iraq and being so proud of this country," he said in an interview in November. "The vast majority of Americans who haven't been outside of America don't really understand how wonderful this place is. ... And it just meant more to me, I think in the last year or so, having visited our troops abroad and spent so much time with them at home, that it will be a great honor for me to be an American." He is supportive of the 43rd president and his relocation to Dallas. "I think most of us here in Dallas would have understood if he and the former First Missus had moved someplace a little more secluded than Preston Hollow. Like Area 51, maybe, or some sandbar in the Galapagos Islands, just so they could catch their breath for a couple of years and take stock of their lives," Feherty wrote.

Ramble On ... Sunday Notes...Nike Re-use a Shoe and Welcome to new Blogger

The "Ramble On" columns seem to be gaining some 'critical acclaim' as a number of people have mentioned or emailed that they enjoy the wide-ranging scope of the notes. I will try to continue the Ramble On note column with a weekly posting, hopefully on Sundays.

I started the Ramble back in October. It is a fun way of tossing out random thoughts, a joke or two, and some serious, thought-provoking items. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to post comments, call or email with your thoughts or suggestions.

And, now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:

Click on the Ramble on headline above for an interesting program which is being run by Nike.

When it comes to some spring cleaning, it will be time to take some of the old athletic shoes (tennis shoes, basketball shoes, cross trainers - any brand) and donate them by dropping them off or mailing to the Nike collection centers listed on the web site. (Niketown at 57th Street for you NYers).

The shoes, after they go through a special grinding process, will eventually become part of a composite playing surface for playgrounds or soccer fields.

Good stuff.

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PGA Tour.com launched a new feature last week. It is a monthly blog by tour commish, Tim Finchem. Interesting to the way they framed it right up front to be "monthly."

Here is the first entry:


Commissioner's Blog: Welcome to '08
Jan. 21, 2008
Editor's note: PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem begins a monthly blog for
PGATOUR.com with this edition. The commissioner wants you to send him your
questions and comments about the TOUR and in future installments, he will open a
dialogue with fans about the things near and dear to TOUR fans.


Hello and welcome to the second year of the FedExCup on the PGA TOUR. We are
very excited about this year and are really anxious to talk with you, our fans, on a
consistent basis throughout the year.
We have redesigned PGATOUR.com to make it cleaner and easier for you to
navigate. We hope you enjoy it, but let us know if you do or you don't and
what changes you think we should make to make it even better. In a month
or so we will have additional features up and running to allow us to interact
with you on a better and more consistent basis. We will be making message
boards available to you so that you can talk to us and to each other and you
will also be seeing more blogs not only from me but from our players, our
management staff and others in the world of golf. We'll also set up a section
where you can ask me any questions that are on your mind and we will answer as
many as we can. We hope that you will tell us what you think, both good and bad,
about the PGA TOUR so that we can continue to make it as interesting and enjoyable
for you as possible.

I'll be heading out to the Buick Invitational in San Diego next week to meet with our Player Advisory Council. If you don't know, the Player Advisory Council has 16 members that are elected by our players. We meet and talk with the Player Advisory Council many times throughout the year and get their recommendations on issues that will be presented to our Policy Board. Our Policy Board is the board of directors of the PGA TOUR and consists of four players -- Joe Ogilvie, Brad Faxon, David Toms and Stewart Cink, and four independent businessmen, who are currently Vic Ganzi, CEO of Hearst Corporation, Ed Whitacre, recently retired Chairman and CEO of AT&T, John McCoy, former CEO of Bank One, and Ken Thompson, Chairman of Wachovia. Also, the President of the PGA of America (currently Brian Whitcomb) makes up the ninth member of our Policy Board.

The main topic that we will be discussing at our meetings at the Buick Invitational concerns our new anti-doping policy. While we continue to believe this really is not an issue on the PGA TOUR, unfortunately, the current state of the world necessitates any major professional sport to have such a policy. We will be educating our players on this policy and the prohibited substances weekly throughout the first half of this year and will begin drug testing some time in the second half of the year.

Other matters that we will talking about at our player meeting this week and in the future weeks leading up to our Policy Board meeting at the end of February will be ways to make the Playoffs more exciting. We are looking at ways to have more players get into contention for the FedExCup through exceptional play during the Playoffs and we are also looking for ways in which more players in the field of THE TOUR Championship will have an opportunity to win. We would be very interested in your thoughts on this subject.

Well, that's all for now, and I look forward to talking to you again in the coming weeks.

Tim

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Nice to see the NY Knicks on 'over-the-air' with the MLK Jr. Day game against the Boston Celtics on WNBC-4. I have to applaud the MSG Network crew for giving the game that special "Big Game" feel upon the opening. Of course, when you have Mike Breen on the job it is a Big Game. He is ... simply... the best in the business.

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I saw this item on John Edwards' daughter, Cate, and thought I would share it. I like her approach to the campaign. She is 25 years old, bright, and capable of helping her father's campaign efforts.

John Edwards' Daughter Says Dad Is 'Cool As A Cucumber' In South Carolina

If Cate Edwards is sweating the results of Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, she's not showing it. Then again, that could have more to do with her upbringing than anything else ... after all, her dad -- former North Carolina senator John Edwards -- has been at this for a while now.

"He's totally relaxed with all this, he's as cool as a cucumber," the 25-year-old Edwards laughed when MTV News caught up with her Friday (January 25) in South Carolina. "When I watch him go into the debates, I'm always a bit nervous, but he's totally in his element. The policies he's proposed -- college education, creating jobs, universal health care -- it all comes from personal experience, so it's easy for him not to be nervous."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580370 /20080125/index.jhtml?rsspartner=rssYaho oNewscrawler

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Vito's blue dog worries me a bit.