Michelle Wie followed up her opening round 78 with a 79 in round 2 of the European Masters in Switzerland. At least she's consistent. What exactly constitutes her being a 'Master,' anyway?
"I'm still in shock," Wie said. "I didn't know what sport I was playing out there. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed again. I really just couldn't get anything going."
"Now that I played a tournament this week, I feel I know what sport I'm playing," she said. "I'm really motivated for next week." (She is playing next week at the 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania.)
"If I just play women's events, I only get better at women's events. I feel I have a good balance now."
Hmm. Apparently a grand total of zero victories on the women's tour and missing the cut for the ninth time in ten men's events denotes "good balance." Meaning she hasn't won anywhere? Oh, well, at least she now knows what sport she is playing. Or does she?
NOTE: This post was intended to be written during the recent Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, however, the author's schedule proved to be quite full: golf, grilling, the pool, and beer. I DO have priorities.
In 1992, the U.S. decided to send pros to the Olympic basketball tournament. I felt at the time it was a bad idea. I even predicted that the team of pros would lose because they would be playing against teams that had been playing together for a long time. Of course I was ridiculed by my buddies when the U.S. team kicked some serious tail. The fact that they neglected to take into account was that shortly before the '92 Olympics, the breakup of the Soviet Union occurred. For those who don't remember, the Eastern bloc, as it was called, was much different pre-1992 that it is now. Teams like Yugoslavia, Russia, and other world powers, were disbanded. So the '92 'Dream Team' cruised to the gold medal. So did the '96 Olympic team. At that point, I felt that it was time for the amateurs to return, since I felt we were in a no win situation. It was only a matter of time before the U.S. lost, and the more times we sent pros to the competition, the quicker that would happen, since sending teams of pros would serve no real purpose other than to make the opponents better.
Fast forward (an old cassette tape term, for those of you under twenty), to 2006. The U.S. squad has lost several times in international competition since '96. With each loss comes the media experts lamenting our style of play, coaching, attitude, lack of great players, brand of shoes, and the choice of restaurants for pregame meals, just to name a few. On the heels of our latest loss, to Greece, there is a positive side that must be kept in mind: Jerry Colangelo embarked on a plan with a three-year team in mind when he undertook the task of running the program. It was something he kept in mind throughout the process of selecting players, coaches, and restaurants, not to mention shoe brands, (I think). Having said that, the pressure is on the U.S. to win in the immediate future, especially after the loss to Greece. Again, the program is in a no win situation. Win or failure. Those are the only two options.
Which brings me back to my initial thoughts following the '92 and '96 teams. It's time for the amateurs to return to the world stage in basketball. Not to say that the pros don't work hard and want to win. They do, because they know the backlash if they don't. And being professional athletes, I'm sure they are familiar with that whole process. But to further the quality of all basketball in this country, it's time the college kids resumed playing in the Olympics, World Championships, etc. The pros gain nothing by competing in these, whether they win or lose. Oh, sure, gone would be the opportunity for trivia questions like--'Which players have won an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year?' or 'Which coaches . . . ?" And so on. But that situation does nothing to help the state of basketball in this country. Nor does it improve the pros as much as it would the collegiate players who would play. As for picking the team members, there is a myriad of ways that could be done. I realize that the players would be amateurs for a short time, so a three-year plan would be out of the question. But it can be done. It needs to be done. I know I can't speak for everyone, but I for one would be much more interested in watching the college teammates compete against an established foreign team. It would make the college athletes better as well-which would over time improve the pro game, in my humble opinion.
"There's a break in the action. Let's send it down to Rick. What's going on on the field, Rick?"
"Well, we were supposed to go back to the studio for an update on scores and breaking sports news, but they are having technical difficulties, apparently. So let me tell you what happened to me recently. Went to a minor league ballgame the other day. When the lineups were announced, I learned that the first two hitters for the visiting team were brothers named Fowler. The starting pitcher for the home team was named Walker. I left.
"I went home and watched a different Triple-A game on TV where the pitcher was getting drilled. The manager, who was miked up, finally came out to pull him for a reliever and the pitcher said, 'Skip, I'm not tired at all.' The manager replied, 'No, but your outfielders sure are.'
"The pitcher, irate that he was coming out of the game, turned and fired the baseball with all his might into center field. The ball bounced off the wall and the center fielder, who was squatting down getting a breather, suddenly sprinted to where the ball was and threw a perfect strike to second base.
"About that time, my neighbor, who was at the minor league game but also left early, called and wanted to go to a bar at a nearby hotel. When we finally got there, we heard from the bartender that the the visiting team was staying there. After a few drinks, I had to use the men's room. As I was walking through the lobby to get to the restroom, I saw a man whom I recognized as the manager standing in the lobby. As his starting pitcher from earlier stumbled in the front door, the manager said in a booming, agitated voice, 'Drunk again!' The player replied, 'Me too!'
"Oh, I think the technical difficulties have been fixed. Let's send it back to the studio."
I've only been doing this for a couple months and don't have time to post as often as I'd like. Thanks to the idea by CarolynT a few days ago, and some good response by other respected bloggers-not that I am a respected blogger- - - never mind. I think you know what I'm trying to say. I've limited it to three, and here are my three best. I would like to think that since I don't get to post a lot due to time constraints, they fall under the 'quality over quantity' heading. I'll let you be the judge. Thanks to those of you who take the time to read.
Spent half my life in North Dakota. The other half, so far, in the Valley of the Sun. As a kid, I was always playing, watching, reading, or writing about sports. I lost most of the "playing" along the way, but the rest remains the same. I pledge to refrain from commenting on a blog unless I've read it in its entirety. If I have time, of course.
Carry on.
Email address: rickoblog@ear thlink.net
