Posts Tagged: Tiger

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29
Aug 10

Sunday Links: Another Tough Day For Tiger, Beck/La Russa/Pujols Roundup, Favre

While you were sleeping, SportsGrid was up all night watching TV and searching the internet for links to help get your day started. Today, Tiger has a rough start, Glenn Beck has a Cardinal-attended rally, Brett Favre shows the rust, and more.

Tiger Woods, after such a good start, is essentially out of contention at the Barclays after shooting a 1-over 72 yesterday, leaving him nine shots out of the lead. Tiger’s lowlight yesterday came early – a triple bogey on the first hole. He rallied a bit near the end, but his end result here looks like it won’t match the promise of his first round.

Glenn Beck held a rally yesterday, if you weren’t aware. Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols were there. Pujols was honored with a medal, and gave a speech. This move wasn’t popular with everyone, but we suspect if Pujols keeps mashing baseballs, all will be forgotten. Well, maybe not with Bissinger.

Brett Favre had a rough night last night, throwing two interceptions – one returned for a touchdown – and losing a fumble. The Vikings won 24-13, though (it’s the preseason, but still), aided by a 7-yard touchdown catch from former Rutgers linebacker Ryan D’Imperio, who’s being used as a fullback in Minnesota. The experiment sure worked last night.

Earlier today, the U.S.A. national team improved to 2-0 at the world championships with a 99-77 win over Slovenia, led by Kevin Durant’s 22 points. Unlike the last time the U.S. met Slovenia in a prominent international tournament, Koman Coulibaly did not wind up at the center of controversy.

“The American academic Peter Struck, writing in the historical publication Lapham’s Quarterly, has identified the second-century AD charioteer Gaius Appeleius Diocles as the best-rewarded sporting figure ever. Probably illiterate, Diocles made a whopping 35,863,120 sesterces in prize money alone, an estimated $ 15bn in today’s money.” (H/T Darren Rovell)

Check back in with SportsGrid all day to satisfy your sports-meets-pop-culture sensibilities.

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28
Aug 10

Morning Links: Tough Day For Tiger, Weezy’s U.S. Open Picks, MORE Mariotti Hate

While you were sleeping, SportsGrid was up all night watching TV and searching the internet for links to help get your day started. Today, Tiger falls back to earth, people still hate Jay Mariotti, Lil Wayne gets an outlet for his love of tennis, and more.

Remember that awesome first round Tiger had at the Barclays? He couldn’t follow it up, shooting a two-over 73 in the second round yesterday. He’s four shots back of the lead, so it’s not out of the question that he makes a late run.

Count Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf among the legions of Jay Mariotti-haters, although we believe he’s the first to use the term “pissant” in describing the columnist. SportsByBrooks also points us to an instance of what at first appeared to be a Fanhouse colleague leaping to Mariotti’s defense, but alas, was not.

Lil Wayne is a huge tennis fan, and while he serves out his prison term, Sports Illustrated thought they’d give him a respected mainstream media voice through which to share his opinions on the upcoming U.S. Open. Weezy, genuinely thankful to SI for giving him the chance, picked Rafael Nadal and defending women’s champ Kim Clijsters to win at Flushing Meadows. (H/T Deadspin)

You might be devastated over Stephen Strasburg’s impending Tommy John surgery/yearlong absence, but here’s another young pitching prospect to follow: the Reds minor leaguer Aroldis Chapman, whose fastball was recently clocked at 105 MPH. Sure, he’s a reliever, but 105?! Even if the gun was generous, that’s just crazy.

And here’s some “thankful it wasn’t worse” pitching news: the Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo and clubhouse attendant Alex Sanchez were robbed at gunpoint early Friday. According to Gallardo, neither was seriously hurt.

“I was days from moving,” he says. Then Canadian immigration officials intervened, forcing him and the CFL into a holding pattern because of his legal circumstances. “With my specific charge, it’s harder to be let in. I get that. All I know is I am here, trying to make it right.”

Check back in with SportsGrid all day to satisfy your sports-meets-pop-culture sensibilities.

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26
Aug 10

Tiger Co-Leading Barclays, Still Believes He’ll Pass Nicklaus’ Major Total (Video)

Tiger Woods played his best round of golf in some time today, shooting a 65 at The Barclays and giving himself a share of the clubhouse lead. Such a performance might well increase his on-course confidence – his general self-confidence, on the other hand, seems plenty robust.

How do we know? ESPNNewYork’s Ian O’Connor reported that, at his post-round press conference, Woods was asked if he still thought he’d beat Jack Nicklaus‘ record of 18 Grand Slam titles. Tiger’s response: “Absolutely.” Now that’s the Tiger we remember.

Tiger’s done his research on this: he mentioned that Ben Hogan, who won nine majors, won all of them at at least 34 (Tiger’s current age). Tiger needs five to surpass Nicklaus. We can’t imagine he’ll pull a Hogan and get to 23, but he’s got the attitude he needs to have to break the record.

Tommy Craggs at Deadspin pre-emptively lashed out at speculation that Tiger’s newly finalized divorce prompted his tremendous round. While yes, that would be too tidy an explanation, we can’t help but wonder if closure + Rory McIlroy trash talk might have had a bit to do with him playing like the Tiger of old.

Whatever happened today, let’s hope it keeps happening. Golf is a more interesting sport with Tiger playing well. Golf with Tiger quietly seeking vengeance on all his doubters? Sign us up for at least five more majors’ worth of that in a heartbeat.

Video of ESPN discussing Tiger’s round, with a few of Tiger’s comments (sadly, the Nicklaus exchange is absent):

AP photo, via

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25
Aug 10

New York Post Columnist Repeatedly Asks Tiger Woods If He “Still Loves” His Ex-Wife (Video)

Hey, want to make things real awkward during a Tiger Woods press conference? Ask him if he still loves his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren.

Things got real tense, real quick when New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser asked Woods, “I’m wondering, do you still love her?”

When Woods said he “Wished her the best,” she asked again, “Do you still love her?”

Woods then went to his patented move when faced with questions he doesn’t want to answer: the old “I’ll repeat what I just said in an extremely stern manner” routine. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to deter Peyser who asked the question two more times.

As Dan Levy at Press Coverage points out, Andrea Peyser doesn’t normally cover the PGA beat – the word “sports” is noticeably absent from her bio. Video here:

[NY Post Columnist Needs To Know If Tiger Woods Still Loves His Ex-Wife] Press Coverage

 

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23
Aug 10

It’s Official – Tiger And Elin Split

Today in unsurprising news that will still have everyone talking because the chief person involved is famous: Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are married no more. Terms are unknown, but it’s for real.

It appears the ex-couple is determined to keep the proceedings as private as possible, only allowing that they’ll “share parenting” of their two children, as well as that they’re “sad” and “wish each other the very best.”

Such boilerplate divorce statement terms contrast amusingly with the lede in the AP’s writeup, which strikes us as a tad overheated:

Tiger Woods and his wife officially divorced Monday, nine months after his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his home set off shocking revelations that golf’s biggest star had been cheating on his wife.

At this point, we can’t help but enjoy any description of an incredibly rich, superstar athlete cheating on a significant other as “shocking.” Now, if they’d said the scope of his cheating was shocking, we’d be on board with that.

And the scope of the cheating is why today’s news was inevitable Tiger might have wanted to try and save his marriage, but the point of no return was long gone. This was the only possible way for it all to end. And we wish them both the very best.

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