Did Tiger Woods choke on Sunday? I know it is a question I never thought I'd ask myself. Woods has proven to be the best finisher in golf, if not all sports. He is constantly, with good reason, lauded for his mental focus and toughness and his mind, as much as his physical tools, is credited for his victories. But on Sunday, he lost the lead. He had a two stroke lead and finished three strokes down. Does this constitute a choke job? I say yes.
As much as YE Yang played well, he did not play well enough to take the victory from Tiger. If Tiger shoots just even par, they go to a playoff. Give Yang credit. He took advantage of the opportunity. But he did not go out there, play lights out, and rip the title away from Woods. Woods bogeyed 17 and 18, making what should have been a pressure-packed situation for Yang into a less tense moment.
Woods led from the beginning of the tournament. Day 1, 2 and 3 all say his name atop the leader board. I believe he was at least tied for the lead 67 out of the 72 holes. Make no mistake. This was his tournament to win, or lose. He lost.
But it is a choke job for another reason. It was Tiger Woods. A choke job is when you fail to meet the standards that are set. With Woods, be it right or wrong, the standards are higher. If Yang had played poorly on Sunday, people would have said he folded under pressure, but he is the 110th ranked golfer, so we shouldn't expect any better. But Woods, the best golfer of a generation, if not all time, has higher expectations from both the fans and of himself. He clearly did not play as well as he is capable of. He clearly choked.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Vikings pre-season
Normally, I am not a big NFL training camp guy. I find our obsession with football to me more annoying than anything else. I would prefer that the main sports story of the day be the Twins' actual game, then a Vikings' practice, but whatever. This year, though, I find myself slightly more interested in the Vikings. I'm not sure if it is because of the failed Favre saga, or the fact the Twins are in a mighty struggle, but Vikings Training camp has me mildly interested.
I really think it is because I feel like the Vikings have a chance to be good this year. They return many key parts from last year and appear to me to be a solid quarterback away from being a really good team. Adrian Peterson is absolutely amazing. Percy Harvin could be fantasic. Bernard Berrian led the league in yards per catch last year. They have weapons on offense, and still have two of the better O-lineman in the league (Steven Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie). Really, the only thing the offense is missing is a quarterback.
However, I'm confident whoever wins the QB job will be fine. Tavaris Jackson has shown at times he can be a player, and he should continue to get better. And Sage Rosenfels is a veteran, who should be able to manage a game decently. The Vikings do not need a pro-bowl quarterback. They need somebody to complete 55-60% of his passes, minimize mistakes, and hand the ball to Peterson and Chester Taylor. It isn't that hard. I think a more seasoned Jackson, or a acclimated Rosenfals, could fill the roll.
The Vikings defense remains solid, with the Williams Wall and Jared Allen on the D-line. I read the defense doesn't have any starting position battles, which speaks to the experience and ability of the players. They are a good enough defense to carry the team in a couple of games, but not all year long.
The Minnesota Vikings are just an intriguing team this year, in part because Favre isn't here. They would have been more interesting with him, yes, but without him, their only big question mark is the most important position on the team, where a so far ineffective young quarterback and a veteran second-stringer fight for the starting spot.
I really think it is because I feel like the Vikings have a chance to be good this year. They return many key parts from last year and appear to me to be a solid quarterback away from being a really good team. Adrian Peterson is absolutely amazing. Percy Harvin could be fantasic. Bernard Berrian led the league in yards per catch last year. They have weapons on offense, and still have two of the better O-lineman in the league (Steven Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie). Really, the only thing the offense is missing is a quarterback.
However, I'm confident whoever wins the QB job will be fine. Tavaris Jackson has shown at times he can be a player, and he should continue to get better. And Sage Rosenfels is a veteran, who should be able to manage a game decently. The Vikings do not need a pro-bowl quarterback. They need somebody to complete 55-60% of his passes, minimize mistakes, and hand the ball to Peterson and Chester Taylor. It isn't that hard. I think a more seasoned Jackson, or a acclimated Rosenfals, could fill the roll.
The Vikings defense remains solid, with the Williams Wall and Jared Allen on the D-line. I read the defense doesn't have any starting position battles, which speaks to the experience and ability of the players. They are a good enough defense to carry the team in a couple of games, but not all year long.
The Minnesota Vikings are just an intriguing team this year, in part because Favre isn't here. They would have been more interesting with him, yes, but without him, their only big question mark is the most important position on the team, where a so far ineffective young quarterback and a veteran second-stringer fight for the starting spot.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Twins post-trade
Well, the Twins did it. They made a trade-dealine move, akin to the days of yore. If you remember correctly, the Twins in the early part of the decade were active at the trade deadline. By my recollection, they made moves for Rick Reed, Todd Jones and Shannon Stewart within four years, if not three straight. The only trade that had a huge impact, was Stewart. Reed was decent for a year or two, not spectacular, and Jones was kind of a bust, if memory serves me.
So what will the Cabrera trade do for the Twins? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet he will not light a fire under the team like Stewart did for a glorious two month stretch.
This weekend showed by hesitation for the Twins to make a move like this. They have multiple weaknesses, that adding one move isn't going to make a difference. Cabrera had a good weekend for the Twins - 3 for 8 with a homer and a walk. We really can't ask for much more. Yet, we were blown out badly in these games.
Thankfully, the Twins didn't give up a whole lot for him. A mid to decent level prospect, while receiving some cash as well, all and all it didn't cost them much.
And in the grand scheme of things, this move probably needed to happen to squash public clamoring and in-house pleading to make a move. If this trade helps keep Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, etc... in a Twins uniform, it was great.
But make no mistake. This move makes the Twins marginally better at best, and did not address their biggest need - pitching. Besides, Cabrera takes away at bats from Brendan Harris, who has shown to be the most professional hitter out of the Harris, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla trifecta of mediocrity. Harris has shown his best defense, and consequently his best offense, when he plays shortstop. Now, you force him to play out of position at 2nd or 3rd.
The player the Twins should have traded for was Freddie Sanchez of Pittsburgh. He is an all-star second baseman, and former NL batting champion. Plus, he plays second base (our biggest need on the infield) and used to play third, where he could play next year when Crede leaves. Yes, the asking price for Sanchez was much higher. Reports were either the Twins AAA third baseman, who is penciled in to start 3rd next year, of their top outfield prospect. To me, I saw either would have been fine. You need to give up something to get something. Right now, you have no holes in your outfield. In fact, you have too many outfielders. And if you trade your third baseman of the future, Sanchez can play third. And with the new ballpark, the theorized new revenue could be used to keep Sanchez for anther couple of years. But I am a huge fan of trading prospects for a known quantity. You can't do it all the time, but sometimes you need to. It is quite possible neither of the two players the Pirates asked for will be as good a player is Sanchez, the former batting champion and all star.
But we should be happy the Twins made a move. At least it is a step, albeit more a ceremonial one, but a step none the less the try and improve the team. Now if only we could get ...
So what will the Cabrera trade do for the Twins? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet he will not light a fire under the team like Stewart did for a glorious two month stretch.
This weekend showed by hesitation for the Twins to make a move like this. They have multiple weaknesses, that adding one move isn't going to make a difference. Cabrera had a good weekend for the Twins - 3 for 8 with a homer and a walk. We really can't ask for much more. Yet, we were blown out badly in these games.
Thankfully, the Twins didn't give up a whole lot for him. A mid to decent level prospect, while receiving some cash as well, all and all it didn't cost them much.
And in the grand scheme of things, this move probably needed to happen to squash public clamoring and in-house pleading to make a move. If this trade helps keep Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, etc... in a Twins uniform, it was great.
But make no mistake. This move makes the Twins marginally better at best, and did not address their biggest need - pitching. Besides, Cabrera takes away at bats from Brendan Harris, who has shown to be the most professional hitter out of the Harris, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla trifecta of mediocrity. Harris has shown his best defense, and consequently his best offense, when he plays shortstop. Now, you force him to play out of position at 2nd or 3rd.
The player the Twins should have traded for was Freddie Sanchez of Pittsburgh. He is an all-star second baseman, and former NL batting champion. Plus, he plays second base (our biggest need on the infield) and used to play third, where he could play next year when Crede leaves. Yes, the asking price for Sanchez was much higher. Reports were either the Twins AAA third baseman, who is penciled in to start 3rd next year, of their top outfield prospect. To me, I saw either would have been fine. You need to give up something to get something. Right now, you have no holes in your outfield. In fact, you have too many outfielders. And if you trade your third baseman of the future, Sanchez can play third. And with the new ballpark, the theorized new revenue could be used to keep Sanchez for anther couple of years. But I am a huge fan of trading prospects for a known quantity. You can't do it all the time, but sometimes you need to. It is quite possible neither of the two players the Pirates asked for will be as good a player is Sanchez, the former batting champion and all star.
But we should be happy the Twins made a move. At least it is a step, albeit more a ceremonial one, but a step none the less the try and improve the team. Now if only we could get ...
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