Us: Play badly, switch clubs; Wie: Play badly, switch people
I’ve remained largely agnostic about Michelle Wie. If she’s having fun and playing well, then it’s fun to watch her. If she’s not, well, then is gets a bit sad.
I do believe, however, that we’re observing a pattern in both her game and her reaction to it.
Wie has played badly by any professional standards in her last several outings. First, she fired her caddie. Now, she’s re-jiggering her management team. Here’s the entire, rather brief press release from yesterday:
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For Immediate Release:
October 18, 2006
Statement on Greg Nared Joining Michelle Wie Team at William Morris Agency
NEW YORK - The following is a statement by Sunshine Consultants about the addition of Greg Nared to the Michelle Wie Team at the William Morris Agency:
“We are excited today to announce that Greg Nared will join the Michelle Wie Team at the William Morris Agency as Vice President, Golf Division, becoming a member of a unit headed by WMA President David Wirtschafter, Senior Vice President Jill Smoller, and Vice President Philip Button.
“At the same time, we are sad to see Ross Berlin, who preceded Greg in his position, leave to pursue a great opportunity with the PGA TOUR. Ross was a trusted and valuable member of our team.
“Greg Nared comes to William Morris from Nike where he has been for 15 years, most recently as the Special Projects Manager for the Nike US Sports Marketing Division. Before that, he served as Nike’s Business Affairs Manager for Tiger Woods during the first eight years of Tiger’s career. Greg joins the team as we look forward to an exciting and successful 2007.”
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The pattern of which I speak is that when most of us play poorly, we usually ignore the true source(s) (poor swing mechanics, weak mental game, not enough practice), and blame our clubs. So we go out and buy new ones.
You’ve done that before, you say? How’d it work out for you?
Wie appears to be taking a similar approach, but instead of getting new clubs, she’s getting new people.
I guess we’ll see how it works out for her. I do wish her well, but somewhere inside me, I hear soft, ominous music growing a bit louder.
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10 comments
Next year I hear Wie is planning to change schools. Are you going to say she was blaming her school for her "bad" results. Oops, I shouldn't give you any ideas for future posts....
he didn't state that MW fired the agent,
just changed her team....
________________
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061019/SPORTS09/610190336/1054/SPORTS
"Nike manager is Wie's new agent...
...Greg Nared, a Nike manager who spent nearly three years recruiting Wie to the swoosh. Nike signed her to a five-year deal when she turned pro last year at age 16"
___________________
Now that Michelle is looking like a poor return on their investment (at least in the short run), Nike sends their man in to take charge of the chaotic situation.
I expect from now on, Michelle's interviews to suddenly become intelligent and well thought out... and memorized.
ROSS BERLIN. Doesn't that name ring
a bell? He's the guy who was implicated
by Greg Johnson as the hatchet man in the
removal of Greg Johnson as Wie's caddy.
Ross Berlin's effectiveness in his job
was destroyed by the media coverage
given to Greg Johnson's complaints. If
his name recognition as the Greg Johnson
hatchet man was ten times what it was for
anything else, how was he to do his job
effectively?
Next she will appear at Stanford and somehow manipulate the NCAA to allow her to play in selected events for the Stanford Cardinal Women's Golf Team, as it would be good for college golf. Let them do it. Then the college girls could hate her as much as the LPGA Women supposidly do...
Now realistically, do you really think they give a damn about Michelle and her image? If she grows 2 inches more, Hawaii will be showing...
Nike would whore themselves with a 6 year old if it made them money. I won't wear the produce, even when offered for free, and refuse to allow the stuff in my golf shop...
Diamonds are worthless! That's right those shiny littlre rocks that we pay so much for are essentially worthless lumps of coal. There are more diamonds in the world than grains of sand, but by withholding their "precious" commodity from the market they have created a false balance of supply and demand, thus making diamonds valuable.
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