Here we go again with Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.
You may have heard about their spat a couple of weeks ago that the media pounced on. The end result was Tiger won and Sergio flopped … AGAIN … a story that has become quite common.
It was heightened when Garcia made the so-called “off-the-cuff” joke about Tiger Woods and fried chicken. Ooops. Garcia quickly apologized. My question was: to whom? It was not to Woods. It was a general damage-control statement conjured up by someone’s PR firm to try and fix stupid.
No sale here. Woods took the high ground and basically moved, on saying it had gotten way out of hand. He was right.
My bigger problem is how the media make this seem like two kids in a back yard talking trash over the fence. These two have had their moments in the past, and it amazes me how the media run back and forth with the “he said this, your response?” stories. There will be no blows thrown here by either party, and yet they trump this thing up like it is pay-per-view WWE.
I am not surprised at all by what Garcia, who is from Spain, or many of his European colleagues say these days. If you are shocked, you obviously have not been paying attention to how soccer players of color are being treated by fans and media in Europe. I guess Garcia thought it would play well here in the U.S. Nice try, but no.
The media treat these golfers as if they were in the pit crew of a NASCAR event where a throwdown could take place, but this is golf. I wonder if Garcia were playing another sport and dropped that fried chicken line on someone in the NBA, NFL or MLB, how would it play? If he had the nerve to say it to their face? My guess is Garcia would be filing a claim with his health insurance provider. The race-baiting act in sports is way too old and could become hazardous to one’s health should they mouth off in the wrong sport.
Spurs of the moment
As we live in a era of great players and teams in sports, seldom do we ever talk about a team that seems to do it the right way with little fanfare. While those of Laker Nation and Cardinal Nation are quick to point out the success of their teams over the years and the great players that are surefire Hall of Famers with coaches and managers who walk on water, we are missing someone.
How about the San Antonio Spurs? For those of you who are wondering just who they are, try the NBA. Yes, they can be that obscure, as you never hear much about them (outside of The St. Louis American, where sports editor Earl Austin Jr. carries a torch), other than when they have one of the best records in the NBA or when they land in the Finals.
The Spurs win with little fanfare. They have a core group of stars that consists of two: Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. The Spurs have a coach in Gregg Popovich who would never be confused with Pat Riley when it comes to being well dressed, and yet they seem to like it that way: staying under the radar until it’s time to play for a championship. Simply put, they just get it done. The Spurs run a system that relies on players simply doing their jobs and trusting others around them.
For the Spurs, it will be their fourth trip to the NBA Finals in 10 years. Yet once you get past the names of Duncan, Parker and Popovich, you would be hard-pressed to name many more players, let alone coaches, who have been part of that run.
San Antonio always seems to be under the salary cap. They seldom if ever sign a mercenary player who is in search of being on a championship team. When they get a guy who does not understand “team,” they get rid of him. Ask Stephen Jackson how that worked for him.
Minor threat
Just when most teams would have a pity party over injuries, the St. Louis Cardinals just keep winning. The Redbirds have lost Chris Carpenter, Jamie Garcia, Jason Motte, Jake Westbrook, John Gast, Fernando Salas and Rafael Furcal. Six of the seven were important parts of the 2011 championship team. Three are done for the season in Garcia, Motte and Furcal.
But never a gripe or “woe is me” from the Cardinals. They just pick up the phone, call the Minors and get someone up here. The Cardinals still have the best record in baseball even with the influx of AA and AAA players, which means the team has not had to trade any of their budding prospects for emergency help. Not saying that may not be the case should the youngsters spring a leak, but it is safe to that holding onto players now will bode well for the future of the season, if not for years to come.
The best dilemma the Cardinals would be for some of the injured players to return and pick up where they left off, sending the subs back to the Minors to hone their skills. The next time they come to the Majors, they will be here for good.
