Tiger...what's up?

Every time I think I am back to posting regularly I end up falling behind again and not coming around. So while I say I am back....I do mean it but sometimes stuff happens.


Tiger Woods....

What were you thinking?

When I first saw the report on Friday that he had been in an accident I was surprised and concerned about his well being. But later we found out that the idiot reporters had made a mole hill into a mountain. The accident wasn't that bad and he was fine.

Since then the story has taken a few different swings and personally I couldn't care about them at all. If he was unfaithful...oh well for his wife. If he lied and she smacked him around...oh well for him.

I don't care and neither should anyone else. What Tiger and his family are dealing with is their business and no one elses. This country (and world I am sure) is so screwed up. People are so concerned with other people and gossip about other people's lives more than live their own. I try really hard not to get caught up in it too much. I don't care who married who in Hollywood or what athlete is cheating on his wife or dating someone new this week. But some people do.

To those people...get a freaking life. If Tiger is having doubts in his marriage (or if Elin is now having the doubts) it isn't your business. Let them get through it without having to explain it to you. The amazing thing about all this crap is that there are actually news stories coming out saying that they know nothing new. Great...thanks for the info.

Tiger....get your life in order and get back to golf if you want.

Tiger is Back!

I know, we are down to the final four in the Men's college basketball championship and I will get to that later this week but for right now, this Monday, the day after the Arnold Palmer tournament, I am going to focus on golf.

Tiger Woods was amazing yesterday! He started the day 5 back of Sean O'Hair for the lead and I don't that catching him was the amazing part because O'Hair shot a 73 and left the door wide open but did you see the way Tiger did it? It was vintage Tiger. He knew when it was go time and he went.

The putt on 16 from 25 feet to tie and then the 20 footer on 18 to win with everyone watching including O'Hair himself. Arnie was there and the pressure was on and Tiger hit it exactly where he had to and with the exact pace that he needed to and it fell right in the center of the cup.

I mean, don't forget fans, that was ALL the pressure at one time on one guy. He could have easily gotten incredibly nervous and missed it short by a foot. No, that putt was perfect. I have always struggled to say Tiger was the best ever because I wasn't alive to watch the guys from back in the day but yesterday, that was something that the best ever could and would do. I know beating Sean O'Hair in a non-major event doesn't count for a whole lot but think about the entirety of the situation and then maybe just maybe you will entertain the idea.

Don't forget that was only his second or third stroke play event after major knee surgery. I am obviously a huge Tiger fan but I don't think you had to be a fan to be impressed yesterday. Tiger's main goal of coming back when he did was to ready himself for the major's, well yesterday he definitely proved he was ready and I would be willing to bet that Augusta will be Tiger's domain again this year!

The GM Says....2/27

Manny turns down 25 million(ESPN)....Manny's an idiot, so is Boras

I guess Manny doesn't care about his reputation of being all about the money. He was once a fan favorite in Boston and the people in LA absolutely loved him last season but now he is just making himself look bad. If I was the Dodgers I would not even bother talking to him anymore. Go with what you have and hope it works out. There is no reason to keep playing to Manny.


Haynesworth gets $100 million deal(ESPN)......and Daniel Snyder STILL doesn't get it

Poor Redskins fans. Every year Snyder signs a big name free agent or a couple of them and it always backfires on him. I know Haynesworth is good but just a couple years ago this guy stomped on someones head. And it was only the past couple years (when he was in contract years) that he truly started to dominate. ESPN showed a stat about sacks from defensive tackles over the past 2 years and he is only 1.5 ahead of the next group. So is he really worth this much money? $41 million is guaranteed by the way.


Tiger loses in match play 2nd round(ESPN).....and I don't care about golf again

Sorry but I am only watching golf if Tiger is involved and he is already done. If he would have played this weekend I absolutely would have turned it on. But now who do I watch?? I might flip it on to see who is playing Sunday but I won't watch it for very long.


LA starts the NFL search again(SI)....which team would it be?

LA approved something that allows the City to begin discussing a team relocating to LA yesterday. I don't know what that means but apparently they think they are going to get a team. But which would it be? Are there really any teams struggling to make it right now? I mean other than Detroit of course.


Other Links:

RStiles...tell me how you really feel about Manny and the Dodgers (Stiles Points)
Jamie Mottram gives his thoughts on Snyder's spending spree (Mr. Irrelevant)

Tiger's Back!

I am not a huge golf fan. I watch a few of the majors when they are coming to an end on Sunday afternoon. But I don't think I have ever watched a tournament on Thursday or Friday before the cut.

Because for the most part those days don't matter. Sure a guy could win wire to wire and I am sure it happens but in golf you can come from a few strokes down on Sunday and win. So why watch all the other rounds?

This weekends event, the Accenture Match Play Championship, is different. Match play pits player vs player with the guy winning the most holes moving on. Which makes the entire tournament a little more appealing to television crowds.

This particular championship is set up like the NCAA Tourney coming up in March. You get 64 players split into 4 groups with the 1 seed playing the 16 seed and so on. The scoring structure is easy to understand and the suspense carries from the first match through the last match. Unlike the traditional structure where a guy who owns a 5 stroke lead on Thursday could lose by 10 strokes on Sunday. So I am looking forward to it.


Oh and Tiger Woods is returning this week to play and he is the #1 seed going into the tournament. And because of this, because of Tiger returning, I will watch at least a little bit every day.

NBC is excited to have Tiger back as well. They have been running ads all weekend for this weeks tournament (from Awful Announcing). I guess they are counting on big ratings.

The tournament starts on Wednesday and the final is set for Sunday afternoon. I hope Tiger is on every day. It is the only way most people are going to care.

Can he return after 8 months off and dominate?

Will he be even more dominant after fixing his knee problems? - Jay Mariotti thinks so

Is his game ready for a grueling structure like this one?

These questions will begin to be answered on Wednesday when Tiger faces off against the #64 seed Brandon Jones of Australia.

The GM Says....2/9

A-Rod is a former steroids user.....you surprised?

I am sure you have heard about this and you surely have your own opinion. But here is mine. Steroids were all over the place when this happened (2003) and it doesn't bother me at all. If these guys wanted (or want) to mess up their bodies and futures with steroids than by all means go ahead. The only problem I have with it is with young kids taking it. So illegal is good for me. My problem with THIS particular story is that ARod hasn't admitted it yet. Today ARod should come out and apologize and accept that it happened. IF he does that it will be much better for him and baseball.

Kobe outperforms Lebron in Cleveland.....so what!

I still say Lebron is better. Sure he struggled from the floor and Kobe's team won. But look at the stats. Lebron did more for his team than Kobe. Lebron scored 16 points and had 12 assists meaning he participated in 40 points for the Cavs. Kobe scored 19 and had 2 assists for 23 points. And you throw in the rebounds (8 for Lebron and 3 for Kobe) and you see that Lebron did more than Kobe. The Lakers won cause Lamar Odom had one of his few good games per season.

Warner says Boldin's decision will make his easier......have fun in retirement Kurt!

Kurt Warner told the media yesterday that if Anquan Boldin decides to stay with Arizona then his decision will be easier. *translation - If Boldin comes back, Warner comes back.* But I don't think Anquan wants to stay in Arizona. Why would he? I mean after maybe one or two more seasons in the league Kurt will be gone and Matty Leinart will be the man. Would you want to stay there when other teams want to pay you more?

Tiger welcomes second child, a son.....the future savior of golf arrives.

Come on Tiger get the kid some clubs already. If you could get him out there on the course soon you could make millions, oh wait you already have millions. Well you could do good for him. Congrats Tiger, and thank you. Raise him to be a golfer so we can all enjoy the sport after you retire. Without him golf will never survive.

NASCAR season started this past weekend....did you tune in?

I did for a couple minutes. Saturday night was the Bud Shooutout with is just 28 cars for 75 laps at Daytona which is one of two tracks, the other being Talladega, where the action is actually enough to keep me awake for HALF the race. After watching that race I have this to say, if you like crashes...tune in next Sunday for the 500. Cause there are gonna be lots of em. Oh and Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. will be on the front row to start (which means absolutely nothing at Daytona).

The GM Says....2/5

Another day and a few more sports stories that you want to hear my opinion on.


McNabb calls out defense.....this is not good.

I don't know how many of you have seen this but Donovan McNabb recently basically called out the defense about the Cardinals drive that won the NFC. IF (and in the media it is a big IF) he actually said exactly what they are reporting AND he didn't say anything else than this is not good for Eagles fans. I think D-Nabb is usually pretty good with the words and generally doesn't cross his teammates so I am going to assume that he said something else or the words are being taken out of context. BUT D-Nabb himself better come out and say that publicly or this is going to end badly with Philly fans.

The Dukies lose badly.....and I would be worried if I were a Duke fan.

Most people will say that the regular season isn't that important and a loss isn't a big deal since everyone is going to do it. BUT for Duke this just shows that they can't survive when they miss three pointers. Which is the exact same thing that has doomed them in the past few years. Now obviously their defense and overall play is better than recent years but they still live and die with the 3 ball and when it isn't falling they run into trouble. I personally thought they were past that but it does not appear that they are.

Bechham wants to play in Italy.....who can blame him?

I have read and heard numerous opinions about how little Becks has achieved here in the States and I think most of the people saying that are idiots. They say he hasn't scored many goals.....well no shit....he isn't a forward you idiots. He plays midfield which is not where most goal scorers play. Beckham's skill has always been to set up the forwards not to score goals himself. I think he has done something for soccer here in the States but a sustained success on the World level would do more.

Chiefs TE wants to stay but RB wants to go.....good, give them what they want!

Tony Gonzalez wants to remain a Chief but Larry Johnson wants to go elsewhere. I say good! Gonzalez can still play and Johnson hasn't been good or healthy in a few years. So trade or release LJ and move on. There are backs out there that can fill in for him. But keeping him is probably not a good idea. He isn't a team player most of the time anyway and he surely isn't one when he isn't happy.

James scores 52 at Garden.....he is the best player right now.

I am not saying he is the best ever or even in the conversation, although he might be someday, BUT right now he is the best all around player in the NBA. He is a scorer, his defense has improved, he can pass with anyone, AND maybe most importantly he is a great leader. Since his first game he has carried the Cavs on his back. And as good as Kobe is he wasn't able to get it done without Shaq or another top notch player.

Tiger says he is almost back.....thank god cause golf sucks without him.

I don't watch a lot of golf to begin with but when Tiger isn't competing for the championship I don't watch at all. The US Open last year was amazing and watching the Masters when Tiger is playing late on Sunday is great to watch. But watching anyone else....I couldn't care less.

2008, What a Year!

2008 was a crazy year in the sports world! There were so many big stories and touching stories that it would be impossible to talk about all of them in one post. If I tried to do that, it would take me 3 hours and you would never be able to get to the bottom because it would just be too long!

I decided that hear on Jumping Offsides, I would do a countdown (I love countdowns) of the top 5 stories of the past year.

I am sure there will be some great stories left off and well, if you would like to tell me what I left off, feel free to leave a comment and I will tell you why it didn't make the countdown.

So, without further ado here is my list of the top 5 stories of 2008 starting with number 5.

5. Jimmie Johnson wins 3rd straight title

• Kyle Busch dominated the Nascar regular season this past year but when it was time to get serious, Jimmie, Chad Knaus and the rest of the 48 turned it on once again. If anyone else would've won the championship, I don't put this story anywhere near the top 5. The fact however is this: In any other sport, a team that won 3 championships in a row would be considered a dynasty. Many sports fans have been reluctant to do this for Johnson and his team but I am not. This team is a dynasty and should be considered one. To beat the best guys in the world 3 years in a row is a huge feat. Whether Nascar is a main stream sport yet or not, this story was big and winning 3 straight titles in anything is a huge huge deal.

4. The Phillies end the drought and win one for Philadelphia

• The World Series itself could be the headline here. The Phillies winning the series was a huge deal but the other half, the Rays could be just as big of a story. Winning the AL East over the Yankees and Red Sox was unbelievable. Then their run through to the World Series was just as amazing. But let's be honest, the Phillies were the much better team and the city of Philadelphia had not had a world champion since 1980. I think that fact alone really added to this story. Cole Hamels was amazing throughout the playoff run. Coming from behind and passing the Mets late in the season and then beating the Brewers, Dodgers and then the Rays and clinching the title at home was an awesome way to bring a title back to Philly.

3. Tiger Woods win the Open on One Leg

• Really? No one knew how bad the injury really was until after the tournament, but for that guy to play through that pain and force an 18 hole playoff and then win the playoff on the 19th was incredible. There really aren't words to describe how good that really was! Those are the best golfers in the world, trying to play their best golf and Tiger beat them with only one working knee. The game is hard enough with all working body parts. He is coming back better then ever in his eyes which is incredible. He could win a major this year by 20 shots but nothing will ever be better then him winning and dealing with all that pain.

2. The Giants beating the Undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl

• The Patriots had beaten the Giants in week 17 and were heading into the playoffs undefeated. The Giants were a wildcard team and really no one thought they had a chance. Then these two teams won their conference and it was really hard for me to think this game was even going to be close. Oh it was and it may have featured the best fourth quarter in Super Bowl history. The play everyone will remember was the Eli avoiding the sack, scrambling out and completed the pass as David Tyree made an incredible catch with Rodney Harrison hanging all over him. Then the touchdown to Plax in the corner of the end zone that put the Giants up 17-14. What a game! What an upset!
  

1. Michael Phelps Wins 8 Golds and Sets a New Olympic Record

• I don't think there is any question here. The summer Olympics featured two amazing athletes. Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. Usain Bolt proved he was and is easily the fastest man on foot on the planet but in my eyes there was no better story in the sports world this year then Michael Phelps winning all 8 gold medals, which set the Olympic Record and achieving a total of 15 career golds which is also a record. He dominated some of his races but the one I will always remember was the one where he won by about a centimeter and they showed it from underneath in the water. It was truly an amazing performance by Phelps. To be the dominate in some many different races in such a short amount of days. I don't ever expect we will see something like that again. There are no other words then Amazing!

2008 was an amazing year for sports and I am sad to see it go. 2009, I am sure will provide us with other great stories some that probably will compare to these five. There will surely be surprises, some good ones and some bad, but all in all, I expect it to be another great year and we can only hope that it is as good as 2008.

Happy New Year!

The GM Says.....

• Did Auburn make the right choice? I don't know. I don't think it is as bad as everyone seems to think it is BUT only time will tell. I will say this though.....no one is going to have as much success as Tuberville had.
• Former (as of yesterday) Ball State coach Brady Hoke will be the new head coach at San Diego State. Is that really a promotion? It seems pretty lateral to me. I know he is getting paid more but he has a better chance of winning and gaining a better job at a better school by staying at Ball State. SDS plays in the MWC with Utah, BYU, and TCU. Interesting decision.
  
• Syracuse can't beat mid-major basketball teams at home. Last night they lost to Cleveland State at the buzzer. This outcome didn't surprise me since Syracuse regularly loses to teams they should beat and Cleveland State has been pretty good in recent years. But the shot to win it was nice!
• Redskins coach Jim Zorn feels like "the worst coach in America". Well there is a reason for that.....you are. You got away from your bread and butter (running game) over the past few weeks and have basically given up on one of the best running backs in the league.
  
• Haynesworth is OUT for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. Which means the Titans will lose BOTH of their remaining games....to Pittsburgh and Indy.
• Karma for Pat Williams of the Vikings. He got out of his suspension on technicalities and stuff but now he is out with a broken shoulder for 2-6 weeks. The Vikings will still make the playoffs but losing P. Williams is gonna weaken their chances of getting anywhere in the playoffs.
• NBA coaches are being fired every few days. The Kings fired coach Reggie Theus after a 6-18 start to the season. That's fine with me if the coach had been around for a while. But Theus was only the head coach for 1 full season. You have to give a guy some time to get everything going.
• Anyone care about the Arena league not playing in 2009? Yeah, me neither.
• Tiger's caddie calls Mickelson a prick. This would be a really interesting story if we were headed towards the Master's or something like that. But a golf story in December...who cares!
• The San Jose Sharks are playing great hockey right now. They have set a new standard for teams in the first 30 games of the season. Unfortunately for the Sharks though...it isn't the first 30 games that matter....it's the last 30 games!
  

Its comes down to the Singles

I know, I know, its Sunday and you guys and girls wanna hear about football. Well if you scroll down just a little bit you have GM's and I's picks and a little summary of the big games and stuff. That's awesome, I love football and I going to win for the second straight week picking the games.

Enjoy!

I want to preview the other important event going on the weekend in the sports world (again). The Ryder Cup singles are today and the US is up 9-7. We need to get to 14.5 before they get to 14. We can do it and I am going to preview every match and tell you who its going to win and when its going to be all over with the cup coming back to America.

Sergio Garcia vs. Anthony Kim
-The kid doesn't know any better and Sergio is going to feel the pressure, Big Time! 3&2

10-7 USA

Paul Casey vs. Hunter Mahan
-They both played ok yesterday but Mahan was hot before that. Match is halved.

10.5-7.5 USA

Robert Karlsson vs. Justin Leonard
-Arguably the two MVP's so far. Karlsson is just better and wins 2&1.

10.5-8.5 USA

Justin Rose vs. Phil Mickelson
-Phil knows what he has to do but so does Justin. The best match of the day skill wise. 2&1 and Azinger gets really nervous.

10.5-9.5 USA

Henrik Stenson vs. Kenny Perry
-Perry has prepared for this for two years and doesn't let us down. 3&2.

11.5-9.5 USA

Oliver Wilson vs. Boo Weekley
-If not Leonard then Boo is the MVP and just continues the Boo train. 4&3.

12.5-9.5 USA

Soren Hansen vs. J.B. Holmes
-Holmes has been the worst American player so far. 4&3.

12.5-10.5 USA

Miguel Angel Jimenez vs. Jim Furyk
-I just believe Furyk is better and will play better here. Furyk puts us on the brink of victory. 3&1.

13.5-10.5 USA

Graeme McDowell vs. Stewart Cink
-McDowell is good. Cink is good. They both can putt the lights out and that's huge. Match is halved.

14-11 USA

Ian Poulter vs. Steve Stricker
-Poulter has been just as good as Karlsson but I think Stricker is the better captains pick here and Faldo hears about it for years to come. 2&1 and the Cup is ours.

15-11 USA

The rest of the matches thus wouldn't matter because we will be celebrating for the first time in 10 years!

USA!

USA!

USA!

Bring it home guys!

The Ryder Cup starts today and I don't think the United States has won in like 20 years or something. Ok, it hasn't been that long but its been awhile. Not since Justin Leonard's 90 footer last century has the U.S. won.

The best part about it is that this year seems like the most unlikely chance we have had in years. No Tiger means no fear from the Europeans. They have Sergio, Padraig, Justin, and Robert just to name a few. I would be willing to bet you know at least 3 out of 4 of their last names. We have Phil, Jim, Anthony and Stewart. Name 3 out of 4 of their last names!

You get my point.

This year they have more star power then we do.

Ya know what though, I have faith. I think we can do it! I have 3 reasons why and then after that the guys actually have to do the rest of the work.

1. Tiger hates the Ryder Cup. I think its a good thing he isn't playing because the rest of the team can just go out and play. The spotlight and expectations are all on the Europeans. Its going to help guys like Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink and Hunter Mahan a lot!

2. We have the home course advantage. They are playing at Valhalla in Kentucky. The style of play is much different and I am sure Paul Azinger has the course set up just perfect for our guys.

3. We have to win at some point, don't we? I mean just the law of averages says that there is a 50/50 chance of winning every time you play a game. We haven't won in a long time so we are due. I know this isn't a very legitimate reason why we should win but that is why I said the rest is up to the guys out there on the course. From my chair, I can only help so much!

USA!

USA!

USA!

I just have a feeling that we are going to get to 14.5 before they do!