Dustin Kohn Andrew McDonald Matt Martin Frans Nielsen Dwayne Roloson Jon Sim
2012年9月29日土曜日
Ryder Cup 2012: What a Win Would Mean to Tiger Woods' Legacy
Even the world's best athletes have holes in their resumes.
As great as Tiger Woods has been during individual tournaments over the course of his career, he hasn't been nearly as successful when playing for his country.
Woods, now in the midst of his seventh Ryder Cup performance, has not had much to celebrate at the biennial tournament, as he's wound up on the losing side during five of his six appearances.
In the past, his lack of success at the Ryder Cup may not have been as significant as it is now, primarily because Woods' greatest challenge since his divorce and the tumultuous details of his personal life emerged has been the rehabilitation of his image away from the golf course.
No, Woods hasn't won a major since his stirring performance at the 2008 U.S. Open, but would winning a 15th major really earn him the same level of adoration and admiration that delivering the 2012 Ryder Cup would?
Debatable, at best.
Since 2002, the U.S. has lost four of the five Ryder Cups, and Woods hasn't been much of a help.
To his credit, as Christine Brennan of USA Today pointed out, Tiger doesn't hide from his lack of success in Ryder Cup play.
Tiger Woods ran into a fierce critic the other day, a man who says Tiger is the reason the Americans have fared so poorly in Ryder Cup play over the past 15 years. It was Tiger himself.
At this stage of his career, Tiger may never surpass Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors, and he will certainly never hold the same sterling reputation he once did with his fans and supporters across the world.
What he can do though, is take another step towards redemption by leading the U.S. to a victory this weekend, because there are few athletes that fans almost uniformly seem to enjoy watching succeed quite like Tiger.
If we get the opportunity to see him put on a virtuoso performance on an grand stage with national pride on the line, rest assured that he'll once again be championed as a hero, at least until another talking head suggests that he's intimidated by Rory McIlroy.
Alex Hinshaw Ramon Ramirez Sergio Romo Brian Wilson Eli Whiteside Mike Fontenot
2012年9月28日金曜日
The Small Stuff First
from Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen,
What would it take to get some traction in talks? Is there even the slightest chance Friday’s meeting between the NHL and the NHLPA, on “non-core economic issues” might provide at least some consensus, on any little thing at all (e.g. The sky is blue. Swiss league uniforms are tacky, etc.)?
I put the question to a professional mediator, Lynne Villemaire of Roundtable Mediation and Arbitration Services in Ottawa. Villemaire is a University of Ottawa graduate with a background in dispute resolution, including collective bargaining.
“The fact they’re going in Friday with an agenda that is much less contentious ... something more neutral and probably on subjects that are much easier to discuss and negotiate on is, I think personally, a fantastic strategy,” Villemaire said.
While no one is advised to hold his or her breath on Friday until white smoke rises from a new deal, the big issues should more easily be solved if there is agreement first on smaller items, such as arbitration, player contracts and Olympic participation. For example, if the NHL threw the players a bone on the Olympics, would that not help rebuild trust?
more
What would it take to get some traction in talks? Is there even the slightest chance Friday’s meeting between the NHL and the NHLPA, on “non-core economic issues” might provide at least some consensus, on any little thing at all (e.g. The sky is blue. Swiss league uniforms are tacky, etc.)?
I put the question to a professional mediator, Lynne Villemaire of Roundtable Mediation and Arbitration Services in Ottawa. Villemaire is a University of Ottawa graduate with a background in dispute resolution, including collective bargaining.
“The fact they’re going in Friday with an agenda that is much less contentious ... something more neutral and probably on subjects that are much easier to discuss and negotiate on is, I think personally, a fantastic strategy,” Villemaire said.
While no one is advised to hold his or her breath on Friday until white smoke rises from a new deal, the big issues should more easily be solved if there is agreement first on smaller items, such as arbitration, player contracts and Olympic participation. For example, if the NHL threw the players a bone on the Olympics, would that not help rebuild trust?
more
Source: http://kuklaskorner.com/hockey/comments/the-small-stuff-first
Anibal Sanchez John Baker Brad Davis Logan Morrison Mike Stanton Josh Bailey
Ryder Cup 2012 Schedule: When to Watch Best Matchups of Friday Morning
The Ryder Cup is one of the best sporting events of the year.
Even if you aren't a huge golf fan, the match-play of this popular tournament makes it incredibly intriguing. It's not just a bunch of guys going up against each other. Instead, it's one-on-one, or in the case of Friday and Saturday, two-on-two.
With four "foursome" matches set up for Friday morning, let's take a look at the two I'm most looking forward to watching and when you can watch them tee off.
For a complete look at Friday's morning schedule, check out golf.com.
Jim Furyk/Brandt Snedeker vs. Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell: 8:20 a.m. ET
This is without a doubt the best matchup of the morning foursome matchups.
First of all, it includes Rory McIlroy, who, over the past two months, has established himself as the best golfer in the world. Moreover, if there was a position better than "best," it would be McIlroy. That's how well he's playing.
In addition to the PGA Championship massacre that McIlroy put on the rest of the field, he's won two of his last three tournaments.
But the only one he lost? The Tour Championship. And who won that? Brandt Snedeker.
The American is the only player to beat McIlroy in the last month, and he'll get a chance to extend this suddenly-increasing rivalry on Friday.
Oh yeah, and this group also includes Ryder Cup veteran Jim Furyk.
Phil Mickelson/Keegan Bradley vs. Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia: 8:35 a.m. ET
In case you were wondering, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia are really good when they team up for match-play (via ESPN's Justin Ray) at the Ryder Cup:
Phil and Keegan have their work cut out for them Friday morning - Luke Donald and Sergio are a combined 14-0-1 career in RC foursomes.
— Justin Ray (@JRayESPNGolf) September 27, 2012
So, by "really good," I meant unbeatable. Good luck, Phil and Keegan.
Nonetheless, while this one seems like an impossible task for the Americans, don't necessarily write this one off.
Lefty has had a bad season by his standards, yes, and he's historically struggled at the Ryder Cup, but it's always hard to bet against him. When he's "on," he is easily one of the best golfers in the world.
Add in Keegan Bradley, who quietly has a win, a second-place and a third-place finish this year with five total Top 10 finishes, and this is suddenly an intriguing matchup. Bradley is one of the better up-and-coming golfers on the Tour and should be able to save Phil with his tremendous approach and putting ability.
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