Phil Has Fate On His Side, But I Still Like Tiger…

With next week’s U.S. Open on the horizon, it’s time to pick a winner. And yes, I’m going to take the easy road and take Tiger Woods at Bethpage BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT I like Phil to put up a good fight. Tiger at Bethpage? Usually it’s a lock, and you might as well tally another trophy in the trophy case for Mr. Woods and Co. However, Phil Mickelson, who’s wife was recently diagnosed with breast cancer but encouraged him to play in next week’s tournament, has fate on his side. I am a very big believer in fate and the Lord rewarding good deeds for good people. Phil is one of those people. If I had to guess, Phil might even be in the final group on Sunday, but it will be too tough to overcome his wife’s current situation and battle Tiger mentally and physically for 18 grueling holes. Tiger will pull it out in the end, but it will be the heroic story of Phil Mickelson making a run at the title that steals the show. Tiger, a gentleman in the same regard, will applaud Phil’s performance and those two will overtake the spotlight on the final day at Bethpage. What does this mean? Great ratings and another good show and heartwarming story for the PGA Tour and its fans. But even though I like Tiger next weekend, you know I’ll be pulling for Phil…he deserves it…

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Do They Know Something We Don’t Know?

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette: If Brett Favre signs to play quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in the next week or two, his family and friends will be ready for his one game back in Green Bay. About two months ago, a member of Favre’s inner circle blocked off 25 to 30 rooms at the Midway Motor Lodge near Lambeau Field for the weekend of the Vikings game against the Packers on Nov. 1.

Courtesy of the Green Bay Press-Gazette

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Even If You Don’t Like Him, He Needs Your Prayers…

Courtesy of the Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Boxer Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter is on life support after she was found with her neck caught in a cord of a treadmill machine Monday.

Exodus Tyson’s 7-year-old brother found her on a treadmill with her neck in the cord that dangles from the console of the exercise machine at their Phoenix home, police Sgt. Andy Hill said, calling it a “tragic accident.”

The boy told Exodus’ mother, who was in another room. She took Exodus off the cable, called 911 and tried to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on Exodus as they rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was in “extremely critical condition” and on life support, Hill said.

“Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there’s a cord that hangs under the console — it’s kind of a loop,” Hill said. “Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it.”

Hill said former heavyweight champion Tyson had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident. Police didn’t release the girl’s name.

Tyson could not immediately be reached for comment but 42West, a New York City public relations firm representing him, released a statement on the family’s behalf.

“The Tyson family would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support, and we ask that we be allowed our privacy at this difficult time,” the statement said.

Brief footage from local TV station KTVK showed Tyson arriving at the hospital in a white button-up and black pants, and looking around with a frown before going inside.

Hill said everything in the investigation pointed to an accident. “There’s nothing in the investigation that revealed anything suspicious,” he said.

He added that responding to calls involving children is an officer’s most difficult duty.

“Those are the things that stay with you in your career,” he said. “We always hope for a miracle — not to have the worst happen to a child.”

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Tweeting Terrell Stirs It Up Again…

That’s right, Terrell won’t shut up. In yet another tale in T.O.’s post-Dallas saga, Owens recently bashed Jason Garret and Tony Romo on his Twitter, yes Twitter, page. Wow, what else has this world come to? T.O. tweets…yikes. Between him and Mark Cuban, you might as well take “censorship” out of the dictionary as it will likely no longer apply. Anyways, in a Twitter post last week, one of Owens’ fans had mentioned how upset he was that Mr. Get Ya Popcorn Ready was cut by Big D. In response, Owens posted the following:

“neither ws i, blame the OC & romo!! but i’m happy 2 b where i am but i miss the other guys tht were & r true teammates!!”

Not only can Owens tweet, but he can write in such broken english no one can actually understand what he’s saying! If you’re going to be critical of someone else, at least put it in a professional forum, not some Facebook knock-off application. Give me a break, I’m tired of Twitter-sparked controversy. Get a life people…and by life I mean everything except Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. This isn’t fantasy world (though most of us would like it to be, trust me).

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I Hope Paulus Looks Good In Orange…

Courtesy of the Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Greg Paulus is returning home to Syracuse to play football. The former Duke point guard will enroll in graduate school at Syracuse and try to make a comeback in football for the Orange, he said Thursday. “My gut and my heart were telling me that (Syracuse) was the best place for me,” Paulus said from Durham, N.C., during a conference call.

“It got me thinking, got me throwing again (and) once I got doing that, the itch and the desire came back,” Paulus said. “To have this opportunity where I have two sports, and to be able to do them both at the college level, it’s something that’s pretty unique and special.”

He said he called new Orange coach Doug Marrone on Thursday morning to notify him of his decision. The three-year starting guard graduated from Duke earlier this month. He has one season of eligibility remaining and can play immediately if he receives a waiver from the NCAA. Marrone was not available and could not comment on the announcement because the NCAA paperwork has not been completed, university officials said.

Paulus was a record-setting high school quarterback in high school at Christian Brothers Academy, located less than a mile from Marrone’s office, and now has a legitimate chance at Syracuse, a proud program that’s fallen on hard times. “I’ve seen a lot of great years at Syracuse,” Paulus said.

The Orange hired Marrone in December to resurrect the team he once played for — Syracuse has gone 10-37 over the past four seasons. He already has moved former starting quarterback Andrew Robinson to tight end and demoted Cam Dantley, last year’s starter, to backup behind redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib, who has never thrown a college pass.

Paulus said Marrone has made “no promises, no guarantees” about playing time. At CBA, Paulus was one of the nation’s top prep quarterbacks. As a senior running a potent spread offense, he threw for 3,700 yards and 43 touchdowns in a 13-0 season. He finished his prep career with 11,763 yards and 152 touchdowns passing.

Miami and Notre Dame offered him football scholarships, and he received a basketball offer from Syracuse before choosing to play basketball at Duke. For most of the past four years, his only flirtation with football came when he threw the ball around with his younger brother, Mike, a quarterback at North Carolina.

Having been away from the game for so long has raised doubts about whether Paulus, at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, can succeed at the Division I level, especially for a team like Syracuse, which has struggled to build a solid offensive line.

“There’s going to be challenges along the way with getting into football shape, learning the system, getting back to speed,” Paulus said. “It’s a different challenge, and it’s one that I’m looking forward to.”

Since Paulus did not redshirt and will complete his degree at Duke in four years, he can go to graduate school elsewhere and compete right away if he is granted the waiver. Paulus said he plans to drive back to Syracuse in the coming days to deal with the necessary paperwork.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The MLB’s Replay System…Two Thumbs Up…

A steady hand clap goes out to Mr. Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Well done, sir. Your system has proved its effectiveness and worth. Though fans may have to wait a few extra minutes and the game may be extended between calls, the umpires WILL GET THE CALL RIGHT. To me, that’s all that matters. Last night, in two separate ball games, two home runs off the bat of Ross Gload and Adam Laroche that were originally ruled dingers, were correctly reversed as a result of an instant replay booth review. At last, something to help the “umps” get it right, we all know they need it. Ultimately, if a few extra minutes will save my team from getting beat on a horrible tag-out call or alleged homerun, it’s worth it. Too many times as a Braves and Orioles fan, I have watched my team go down at the hands of umpires who simply make absolutely horrific calls that couldn’t be more obvious at the worst possible moment of a ballgame. And yes, I have one prime example…get your popcorn ready…unless you’re an Orioles fan…then please turn away…

Circa 1996, when the Baltimore Orioles were actually competitive, they were all locked up in a playoff series with the all-powerful and heavily overpaid New York Yankees. With the Yankess trailing the O’s 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th in a crucial Game 1 of the series, Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right field, in the land of then O’s right fielder, Mr. Tony Tarasco (and Tony, if you’re reading this, please stop. We don’t want any relapses…). As the ball fell out of the air, 12 year old and now famous New-Yorker Jeffrey Mayer reached out over the right field fence and stole the ball from Tarasco. And what then did those trustworthy Yankee umps do? Well, they called it a dinger for Jeter instead of fan interference. Watching the replay from home, it was clear that Mayer reached out onto the playing field to catch the alleged homer off Jeter’s bat. Later that night, Bernie Williams would shatter the O’s hopes with a walk-off homer in the 11th. Clearly, the ball was tampered with and the homer should’ve never happened. Thus, my strong support of the instant replay system.

I mean, for goodness sakes, that call was so bad, that Mayer is now famous for it and even has his own Wikipedia page…great job New York, great job…

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