I’m a basketball fan who rarely got enjoyment out of watching Michael Jordan. There wasn’t any drama. He showed up with his seven dwarfs and marched to victory just about every time. He took guys like Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant and made them look a lot better than they really were.
He could have played with Laverne and Shirley and had Squiggy as his point guard. The man would have figured out a way to win.
Tiger Woods is a similar kind of machine. He is the Michael Jordan of Golf. He is the greatest of the greatest. I admire Woods. He’s one of the great figures in the history of sports. He’s so good that he takes away the drama. He’s almost too good to be true.
Call me a chump. (Many of you do every day.) I am rooting for Phil Mickelson to win the PGA Championship today. Yes, the Chris Baldwin’s of this world love to make jokes about him as a pathetic finisher. Guys like him love to bring up his track record of choking and gagging. Yes, we are all ready for him to cough and bleed just at the wrong moment. Yes, Phil does indeed have a lot in common with the Marty Schottenheimers of sports.
But Phil is a lot more loveable than Shottenheimer. Shottenheimer just looks so imperial.
Watching Lefty in a major is like waiting for a car to crash in a NASCAR event. It will probably happen. It’s almost inevitable.
I enjoy the drama. Mickelson’s human misadventures make him fun to root for.
Rebel
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9 comments
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§ J Reymond said on : 2005-08-21 @ 22:46
Mr.Goofy Smiley Face just irritates me. Even his peers say he is an outsider who is full of himself. He has a long way to go to ever accomplish the likes of Tiger or Vijay. His whole on course persona has been orchestrated by a Golfywood agent but they don't fool me.Sure he has won golf events but I think that he lacks passion and charisma. I think he appeals more to the out of shape golfers because of his belly and man breasts.
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§ Jan said on : 2005-08-24 @ 12:38
No...he appeals to us because he looks like he is having fun when he is playing...he does not have to growl and downgrade his competitors and he reacts with a smile to the fans...that's why he is liked.....quit badmouthing a person for their body shape.....Phil did not show any signs of being out of shape in that grueling heat so quit with the 'he's out of shape' griping....
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§ Skyeblue said on : 2005-09-10 @ 14:54
We love him because of who he is. He is an outstanding golfer, a terrific sportsman (no Woods-like tantrums for him), a good family man. For those of us wearied by the sensational, tatoo-ed, me-me-me celebs of the sporting world, he is a refreshing, admirable human being. And, it is true that some of his escapades on the golf course are frustrating, but they are entertaining. Best of all, he enjoys his sport and clearly understands that he makes his living playing a game. This is a player that is fun to root for! As for his physique and/or lack of fitness....The above comments are just mean and pointless....
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§ Rob said on : 2005-09-20 @ 19:07
As a Brit i must say that J Raymond calls it right . He may be a family man like millions of others but he also happens to be a terribly smug individual who believs he knows it all . Lateley someone has told him to smile at all times despite missing a 4 footer and it all looks so contrived ,insincere and pathetic . He does not do it to look "nice" he does it to try and disguise his real feelings to his competitiors but to the intelligent eye it is simply laughable . Let me watch a real sincere and genuine golfer like Donald or Couples anyday .
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§ Greg Pinelli said on : 2005-09-25 @ 21:17
Hey Rebel ...How about smoking your cigar less and using your blog podium more? If you can't think of anything better than this with everything going on in the golf world you ought to hang it up.......
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§ tcracolice said on : 2006-04-10 @ 21:16
Rob and J Reymond are all wet. Mickelson has plenty of charisma, but unlike Tiger he is not a poor sport, blasting the ears of unsuspecting viewers with expletives over an errant shot. And, unlike Monty, himself a member of the man boob club, Rob, Mr. Mickelson does not grow ruddy faced and hostile with fans when he is losing. And you'd be smiling too if you got to go home to his wife with a big paycheck, Rob and J.
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§ Larry Zimmerman said on : 2006-04-10 @ 21:42
I have never seen or heard anything that would suggest that Phil is anything but a true gentleman, family man and competitive golfer. He is a working man's golfer and the game of golf is better for his presence. People who make fun of his weight are simply pathetic. There are alot of those kinds of people out there now days and its time everyone quits listening to their negativity. The game of golf is alive and well.
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§ Larry Zimmerman said on : 2006-04-10 @ 22:00
I have never seen or heard anything that would suggest that Phil is anything but a true gentleman, family man and competitive golfer. He is a working man's golfer and the game of golf is better for his presence. People who make fun of his weight are simply pathetic. There are alot of those kinds of people out there now days and its time everyone quits listening to their negativity. The game of golf is alive and well.
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§ Steve Sallengs
said on : 2006-09-24 @ 14:36
Has this guy ever won a match in Ryder cup? They need to revamp the way they select the team or just forget about it all together. If the captain gets 2 picks, he should also get 2 no thanks. One of those should go to Michelson every 2 years when the team is assembled. If this guy had any class, he would not accept a position on the team. He is a liability every time they play. If he insists on playing and I were the captain, I would put him up against their best player because he is sure to loose. That might give someone else a chance of winning a match.
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