Just a sample of the police blotter activity over tha past few days.  Is it getting better or worse? Would this be a case of broken family, MTV influence or genic makeup?

 
CINCINNATI, OH (AP) - A football player was suspended for the first three games of the 2007 season for lying to officials investigating a claim that players and recruits engaged in sexual activities with a former women's soccer player at a party.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) - Clemson running back Ray Ray McElrathbey was suspended from the team for at least four practices because of academic concerns, coach Tommy Bowden said.

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - A University of Idaho football player faces possible felony armed robbery and battery charges after his arrest early Friday, police said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky star linebacker Micah Johnson is among three Wildcat players who have been suspended indefinitely for academic reasons, the school announced Thursday. Johnson's brother, starting offensive guard Christian Johnson, and starting offensive tackle Garry Williams were also suspended, coach Rich Brooks said in a news release.

SEATTLE, WA (AP) - Michael Houston, who transferred to the University of Washington last summer and then was suspended in October after being arrested, has left the Huskies football program.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A judge decided Wednesday to hear all of the misdemeanor charges against South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia at once, and the highly-touted recruit was expected back in court next week. Garcia, 19, has been arrested twice in the last few weeks in separate incidents. On Tuesday, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said Garcia would not be allowed to participate in spring practice, which begins later this month.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee center Josh McNeil was cited for underage drinking and public intoxication and will be suspended for some of spring practice, coach Phillip Fulmer announced Monday.

The following is taken from the website of Thornhill Country Club in Canada, the site of Byron Nelson's 11th PGA Tour win in a row.  It makes for a good read and highlights once again the skill the man displayed.  Notice the fact that in 1945 the players played TWO rounds on Saturday!  Imagine the caterwauling that would go on if the prima donnas of today had to endure that.

Byron Nelson

It was August 1945, Byron Nelson had just won his 10th straight PGA tournament, the Tam O'Shanter in Chicago, with a score of 19 under. Nelson and a field of the best tour professionals of the time prepared to move on to compete in the Canadian Open a week later. Along with Nelson were such US legends as Sam Snead, previous winner of the Canadian Open in 1938, 1940 and 1941, Tony Penna, Claude Harmon, Kye Laffoon and Harold "Jug" McSpadden who came to town with a 59 to his credit. The Canadian contingent included Stan Leonard, Toronto Maple Leaf hockey star Bill Ezinicki, Thornhill's own Ernie Nerlich and Pat Fletcher who would later become the last Canadian to win the Canadian Open (1954). Our club's first professional, Arthur Hulbert and his successor, the legendary Joe Noble also competed. Today two of our holes are named after them, the 7th for Hulburt and the 2nd for Noble. As the best in the world made their way to the Toronto area little did they know that a "Sleeping Giant" awaited them in a small Police Village north of the City known as Thornhill and that Byron Nelson and the little Village were soon to become a part of golf history.

The "Sleeping Giant" was created by RCGA officials from our club who felt that the Thornhill course was not long or tough enough and feared that scores in the 60's would prevail. After approval from the RCGA, the officials were allowed to make some changes to the Thornhill course. The 2nd tee was moved back to the middle of the 18th fairway adding 40 yards to the hole. The 4th tee was set next to the 3rd and the 4th hole on the Valley course became the 4th green. This not only added 50 yards to the 4th but it also meant that the players had to cross the river four times en route to the 4th green. The length of the 7th hole (our present 12th) was extended to 215 yards, to where the stone plaque commemorating the event is today. The old par four 17th was changed to a brutal 259 yard par three. The officials could never have realized that their changes were to transform Thornhill into one of the toughest par 70's that the pros would ever face, changes that would bring the greatest pros of the day to their knees.

As in most PGA tournaments wonderful anecdotes emerge, the following were but a few from the 1945 Canadian Open.

The entire four days of the tournament were played in hot steamy weather which took its toll on players and spectators. The popular phrase heard each day was "Thornhill is worse that the Sahara Desert". Nelson showed up for his final round very tired, sporting a few blisters on his hands. After paring the first hole he proceeded to the 2nd hole not prepared for the unthinkable that was about to happen. Nelson topped his tee shot into the river below the present day tee. After taking a drop, he hit his third shot into the river again around the 135 yard mark. As Byron walked up to the fairway he was probably thinking ahead to another penalty drop, a fifth shot to the green and a possible triple bogey. When he got to the river the ball was visible since the extreme hot weather had dried up much of the river bed. He was able to hit his fourth shot to the green about ten feet from the pin and made a fantastic bogey five. Nelson's Canadian caddy later became a golf pro in the US and when interviewed in 1995 on the fiftieth anniversary of Nelson's amazing records in 1945, remarked that in all his fifty years as a golf professional Nelson's five on the 2nd hole at Thornhill was the greatest bogey that he had ever seen.

During the third round Nelson, Tony Penna and Claude Harmon were playing together, the players debated what to hit off the 4th hole into a head wind. Harmon chose a driver and was queried by the others since they had to clear the third crossing of the river. Harmon replied that he would hit his ball in front of the wide maintenance bridge at the river so if he was short his ball would run over the bridge. To the amazement of Nelson and Penna, Harmon did exactly what he said he would do. Later in the same round, Nelson had to borrow a new ball from Penna, definitely a "no no" by today's rules, however during the war years golf balls were scarce and borrowing was allowed.

Our own John Parkinson was a Marshall at the Open, and relates this story about Sam Snead on the 7th hole (our present 12th). Snead hit his tee shot on to the 6th fairway, hit the next shot over the trees to the green and made the putt for his par three. He left the green commenting furiously about the hole being too tough. Slamming Sam finished 14 over par for the tournament. When questioned at a later tournament about his poor showing at Thornhill, he commented that in his opinion, the first seven holes at Thornhill were the toughest on the tour at that time. Members, next time you have a bad round and want to slit your wrists, remember the words of Sam Snead and his score of 14 over par.

Ever wonder why our 11th hole is called "Nelson's Folly"? In 1945 the pros played one round on Thursday, one on Friday and two rounds on the Saturday to allow them more time to travel to the next tournament. During his second round on Saturday Nelson was leading the tournament by 4 shots but was not under par. He felt the pressure to break par since he had never shot par in any of his tournament wins, so he attempted to drive the 11th, ended up in trouble and made a double bogey six, however he was able to hang on to finish with a score of 280, the only tournament he won at even par in his entire career. Nelson chalked up his 11th straight victory that day at Thornhill and went on to the next PGA Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, anticipating winning his 12th straight, however it was not to be. In Tennessee his string was broken by a young amateur named Freddie Haas Jr. Nelson went on to win the next PGA Tournament in Knoxville with a score of 12 under. Even though his string was broken he was able to add another five wins during the year for a record setting 18 and $51,500 in winnings.

Byron Nelson still holds three other records set in 1945. They are, 113 consecutive times finishing in the money, 19 consecutive rounds under 70 and the lowest annual scoring average of 68.33. Nelson went on to win a further six PGA tournaments in 1946 and then announced his retirement at the end of the year, he was only 34 years of age. Byron Nelson always said that he played golf in order to make enough money to someday purchase his dream, a Texas ranch. His dream came true in 1947 when he purchased a 750 acre ranch between Dallas and Fort Worth, where he lives today with his wife Peggy.

Sometime during the tournament the famed Seagram Cup, emblematic of the Canadian Open, disappeared and had the officials running around in a panic to locate it. They received a call from a local youngster who told them that he saw two boys take the cup but he knew where they lived in Willowdale. The cup was retrieved by the Police without incident or charges, and presented to Nelson on time.

All of us, as members of Thornhill, should take pride in knowing that our golf course provided the setting for one of the greatest accomplishments in the world of sport, one that will live in the record books of golf forever, a record that is considered by most as unbreakable, Byron "Lord" Nelson's 11th straight PGA tournament victory, the 1945 Canadian Open at Thornhill Country Club.

Over the years much as been said about Athletes being role models.  It seems most times the journalistic concentration is on how the athletes behave on and off the playing surface. I might suggest a study of the egocentric manifestations by the lemmings determined to mimic their sports idols. Where did it all begin? Why? 

My recollection of overt player celebration began with the first true, albeit justified poser, Reggie Jackson.  His historic 3 consecutive first pitch home runs off three different Los Angeles Dodger pitchers in the deciding game six of the1977 World Series has been matched by only one other player.  Can you guess whom?  That's right, Babe Ruth is the only other person to hit three homers in a Series game. (The Babe did it twice and not even he did it on just three pitches.) Who doesn't remember Jackson's dramatic pause at the plate as his third shot cleared the fence?  No matter how you slice it, Jackson's feat is one most everyone would allow some measure of preening over. 

And there lay the rub. At what point did the celebration of genuine accomplishment give way to the histrionics seen on even the most mundane plays in today's games? You can't single out just baseball; it's a tattered thread weaved through practically every sport.  Whether it's a dinger, a dunk, a sack or a sandy, there's an arm pump or dance or gyration that comes along.  Each event in their respective sport is certainly considered a "good" play.  But are they ones deserving of the "fish out of water" flopping around? I dare say no. 

And it goes further than just the manic celebrations.  It seeps into the way the general public now plays the games.  The worst of it can be found in golf. I cannot express in civil words the frustration professional golfers have foisted on the public by way of their incessant, and mostly unnecessary, hyper-examination of every shot and putt. 

Every public links golfer has experienced the torment of being behind a 28-handicap hacker taking 10 minutes to examine a 240-yard shot from the fairway. He's tossing grass in the air and making gestures to others in the group, just like the pros do.  Then when all is said and done, he chili-dips the ball 4 yards.  Making matters worse, the same hacker will circle the green a dozen times attempting to "read" the putt and then blow it five feet past the cup, requiring another dose of "green reading".

The NFL is attempting to bring a modicum of decorum back to the game by limiting celebrations in the end zone.  As for the effect professionals have on the amateur sport playing public, I can only ask the them to get serious, because the dim-wits imitating them out here plague the rest of us on a daily basis. 

To the dismay of legions of Tiger Woods fans, Greg Norman recently made some public assertions about the game that many not so enamored of Woods have been saying privately for some time. The courses have changed, the player's attitudes have changed and most importantly, the equipment has changed.  In short, golf is not what it used to be and is in danger of its impending irrelevance. Forget Norman's bloviating about if Tiger is good for the game or not.  That's just silly.

Professional sports like baseball and football have their HGH and steroids to enhance individual performance.  Golf has its equipment. 

Those that actually play the game understand the dramatic changes technology has brought. In the not to distant past, the Persimmon wood was the most fearsome club in the bag. Most are familiar with the term "hitting it on the screws". According to The Golf Dictionary by Michael Corcoran: "In the days when woods were actually constructed of wood, they had a plastic insert in the center of the face, the purpose of which was to prevent the wood from deteriorating from constant impact. Some inserts, particularly those in persimmon woods, were held in with several small screws.... When a player would hit a solid drive that felt good, he'd say, 'I hit it on the screws.'"

Screws are a thing of the past with the new composite metal drivers and fairway clubs. Golf clubs made from metal with names straight from the Periodic Table of Elements dominate every pro shop. The result? John Daly used to be the long hitter on the tour followed by the imposing Tiger Woods.  Now they're numbers 5 and 6 respectively on the list behind the likes of Bubba Watson, the leader with a 318-yard average.  In 1980, Jack Nicklaus averaged a then impressive 269 yards off the tee: distance players now routinely attempt from the fairway on most par 5's.  That 50-yard advantage on a 430-yard par 4 allows an approach shot with a wedge instead of an 8 iron.  You can guess which is more accurate.

Golfers today are not bigger and stronger than the Golden Bear, Seve Ballesteros or Jim Dent in their prime. The point that equipment has made the game easier for the amateurs and simple for the pros is moot. The question is what can be done to preserve the nature of the game in the face of equipment that makes average players pros? Make the courses ridiculously long? Grow the rough to 12 inches?

Regarding the advent of the

I like to stay "abreast" of the latest news in the overly manufactured career of Michelle Wie.  In doing so I read many of the articles that make their way into print touting her meager accomplishments, and mounting failures. You can guess which topic has more substance.

Today I had a near stroke trying to comprehend an article on the Fox Dorks web site, in the golf section, concerning Ms Wie written by the Associated Press.  Besides the poor writing, legendary at the AP, the concluding paragraphs are so out of joint and erroneous, that it almost seems intentional deceit.  The following comes from the AP release:

..."What taints her year was competing against the men. 

 Wie rose to international acclaim as a 14-year-old player when she shot 68 in the Sony Open and missed the cut by one shot. A year later, she shot 70-71 at the John Deere Classic and narrowly made the cut. (my italics)... 

..."She tied for 26th at the Women's British Open - her only finish outside the top 5 on the LPGA - and fired her caddie without anyone from the Wie family breaking the news. And after starting her senior year at Punahou School in Honolulu, Wie took a two-week break to take on the end and finished both times, in the European Masters and the 84 Lumber Classic. (my italics)..." 

First, Wie has not made a PGA cut other than the Korean croquet championship earlier this year against men that cannot make the U.S. tour. 

And second, the last sentence has absolutely no meaning whatever.  Wie finished dead LAST in both the European Masters and the 84 Lumber. She missed the cut in both.  It was a joke, yet the AP prints an indecipherable gobble gook about both tournament results and misleads to imply  "she finished".  Does the AP employ editors? 

You can bet there are people out there right now declaring that Wie made a PGA Tour cut, based on their reading of this bozo article.  Further evidence that just cause it's in print, don't mean it ain't a pile a sh!t.