It’s been amusing to see Cheap Bastard chasing Old Man McDonald around the South. Cheap Bastard is right to be jealous. McDonald’s been out cheaping him since before the Bastard’s eye glasses were in style. Cheap Bastard might be wary about spending 50 cents on a newspaper, but McDonald is known for “helping” himself to those leave a penny, take a penny displays. He’s been banned from 7-11s in 13 states. He took me to Denny’s for my job interview (true story). And I paid. And did you read his column on how to cheat at golf. That’s all for $2 total ... full post »

If you’re in Newport, R.I. for some golf, seaside living and yacht ogling, don’t count out a trip to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The museum itself is more than a little disappointing. If the Baseball Hall of Fame had white posterboard-like cutout placards like this for its inductees, Pete Rose would be saying thanks, but no thanks. About the only interesting thing in the museum is seeing what the tour director calls Chris Evert’s minus size dress. It looks like a 10-year-old girls’ tennis outfit. At the height of her run, Evert weighed 87 pounds. Yes, she could have ... full post »

Newport, R.I. is the land of super-sized, high tech yachts and hulking 19th-century Vanderbilt mansions. And right now, Michelle Wie mania. The country club East Coast vacation spot seems like a strange place to go gaga over a 15-year-old female golfer. But with the Women’s U.S. Open coming to town in June 2006, Wie’s expected arrival is drawing plenty of talk. The funny thing is that all the Women’s U.S. Open signs around town – and everything but the baby strollers in Newport have been plastered with U.S. Open signs – feature the old schoolers rather than Wie or Paula Creamer. Wie’s ... full post »

It’s hardly surprising that Rebel Blogger is defending someone’s right to be an irresponsible spoiled punk. But the reputable golf voices jumping right in line with the Rebel’s blatant Tiger Woods’ pandering is comical. I know Jim Nantz wants Tiger to be his buddy, but to call the tournament after Tiger Woods’ inexplicable PGA Championship bailout and not call Tiger on it is inexcusable. And no, Nantz, saying it wasn’t smart once the whole weekend does not qualify as biting commentary. Tiger Woods turned on everything he supposedly believes in by flying away with the PGA Championship still in doubt. He’s still ... full post »

The Cheeky Monkey is touted as one of the hip, happening places to get a meal in Newport, R.I. And the atmosphere is fine. All the monkey paintings on the wall are funny and the low lighting and dark wood thing works well enough. The problem is the Monkey forgot about the food. If you actually go to a restaurant to eat, you can find much better choices at much more reasonable prices in Newport than the Cheeky Monkey. The food isn’t bad, but with a bill that could easily go to $100 for two - without wine - it’s not close ... full post »

It’s always a little more interesting when the wind plays havoc with your shots, inevitably whipping up on that monster par 5 and letting down on that dainty par 3, just when you’ve started to overcompensate. Sure, it makes golf even tougher, but if you wanted easy you should be playing cribbage. If you’re a Wind Man, the Newport, Rhode Island golf scene is a place for you. With ocean breezes kicking up and dying down at a moment’s notice, courses like Newport National Golf Club play differently from day to day, hole to hole and shot to shot. It’s a blast. ... full post »

Apparently, Tiger Woods believes in Phil Mickelson’s nerves more than anyone else in golf. Including Mickelson himself, who joked about the agony of having to sleep on the lead for yet another additional night at the delayed PGA Championship even after he finally won it Monday. Tiger must think Phil Mickelson is Jack Nicklaus, rather than just some red-light-loving dork who taps on the Nicklaus plaque because he knows the cameras are watching. How else can you explain Woods’ bizarre admission today that he flew home to Isleworth on Sunday night even though he was the clubhouse leader. Yes, if there had ... full post »

So Phil Mickelson wins the PGA Championship. Only needing an inexplicably overconfident Tiger Woods first-round 75, an even worse underachiever than him (Davis Love III) as a final round playing partner and a Mother Nature and CBS TV combination one-day delay to make it happen. Sounds like an easy recipe for frequent repeats, no? But seriously, enough of you Lefty doubters dragging the man’s legacy down! This blogger, for one, is sick of it. Sure, someone may have shouted loudly and repeatedly that your future finals majors count would read Tiger 22, Phil 1. But the shame is a little easier to ... full post »

Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III. Could there be a more jittery final round pairing in majors history? It feels very good to be in the chase at the PGA Championship because of who’s on top heading into Sunday. Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III. Two total majors won and an immense amount of talent squandered. Peyton Manning’s wondering when these guy’s are going to show up in a big game moment. John Stockton and Karl Malone are curious how anyone could be this bad at closing the deal year after year. Heck, even the fans of Cleveland have declared we cannot ... full post »

You can watch every NFL preseason game. You can buy a package that lets you catch every second of every blowout NCAA Tournament first-round game. When the World Cup is waged next June, you will be to see every game from Germany live - in the U.S., where soccer ratings rank just above log rolling. On a good week for soccer. Heck, you can see the Nathan’s Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Competition every 4th of July in all its gooey, gory detail. But we cannot watch Phil Mickelson shoot a 65 live on the second day of one of golf’s four ... full post »

Phil Mickelson isn’t winning the PGA Championship. That’s like expecting Britney Spears to drop the trailer park schtick and transform into Gwyneth Paltrow. At a certain point, your character’s set. No, that 2004 Masters will remain Mickelson’s one shining moment. Your future majors count is still going to read Tiger 22, Phil 1 when it’s all said and done. But Phil Mickelson can save the PGA Championship this weekend. This is the major that’s barely holding onto its major status and the PGA knows it. They tout the fact that the PGA has the best field of all the majors so often ... full post »

Greg Norman does not have any more guts at 50 than he did at 30. The Shark withdrew from the PGA Championship citing “muscle fatigue". Apparently, that’s the new code for fear of embarrassing oneself. Something tells me Norman saved himself from one humbling, uncomfortable first round. For Norman took some shots at Tiger Woods last week. Before he found out he would be paired with Tiger and Michael Campbell in the first round of the PGA. Norman emphatically declared that Jack Nicklaus in his prime would dominate Tiger Woods in his prime. “Put the technology that we have nowadays in Nicklaus’ ... full post »

Here’s what Morgan Pressel had to say about everyone’s favorite marketing machine Michelle Wie in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated: “I was shocked that there wasn’t more talk of Michelle Wie’s final round 82 (at the U.S. Women’s Open). I mean, why is that? Or about how when it looked like she was going to make the cut at the John Deere Classic, she played the last four holes in three over par. “Are the press and other players just trying to be politically correct? I don’t believe in being politically correct. Michelle hasn’t played a lot of junior golf, so ... full post »