The first major for the 2007 LPGA finished yesterday with its youngest winner ever.  No it was not Michelle Wie because she was at home nursing a sore wrist.  Of course that is just one of her many excuses which continue to grow faster and longer than Pinocchio’s nose.  Last year she pulled out of the John Deere Classic when it become evident she would miss the cut.  Her excuse was “heat stroke” when the temperature was a mild 87 degrees.  Never mind the fact that she had not even played two holes when her symptoms began to set in leading up to her eventual withdrawal on hole number 9.   The facts are that she shot a 77 to open her tournament, one stroke away from the highest score and on hole number 2 she bogeyed to go into last place.  She double bogeyed number 9 and then called it quits.  In all my days of playing golf, heat exhaustion never set in on the second hole much less for a trained athlete who knows all about hydration.  The pull out was an excuse, but I digress.

 

The winner was Morgan Pressel who is beginning her first full year as a professional after having petitioned the LPGA to let her enter as a 17 year old.  The difference between Pressel and her counterpart Wie is much more than the 8 inches Morgan gives up to Michelle; rather Pressel is a winner and Wie is a loser.  I am not talking about in endorsement money because in that regard Wie is clearly the victor, but in terms of wins Pressel won 11 times as an amateur.  Unlike Wie who won once as a 12 year old, Pressel won in every major women’s amateur event before turning pro.   This is the key to why Morgan will have a successful professional career and why I think Wie will continue to struggle.  Morgan knows how to win.  She knows what the pressure feels like and honed her skill against her peers before coming out and attacking the ladies.  On the other hand, Wie won one tournament as a young lady and thought she could then take on the world.  It is not entirely her fault, because her parents and handlers convinced her she was ready for the pros.  Not only did they push her to compete on the LPGA, but before ever winning one tournament they convinced her she  could compete with the men too!  Talk about balls, if Wie were a man she would have a huge pair.  Fortunately for the other ladies on the LPGA, Michelle has been castrated. 

With her confidence all but eroded by playing against the men, she has become an afterthought on the tee box.  There is no intimidation factor when she tees it up.  She may be able to compete, but no one is afraid of her.  Her counterpart on the men’s tour, Tiger Woods, got it right.  Like Pressel, he won at every level before turning pro.  The PGA tour men were shaking in their boots when he arrived and they haven’t stopped yet.  Too bad for Wie, because she is the only one shaking on the tee box as she watches the youngest female winner in a LPGA Major.  Congratulations Morgan!

(Wie is jealous because Morgan is holding something she has never felt, the 2005 US Women's Amateur trophy)

 

 

 

SoCalSPortsFan

 

 

 

 

The old song goes, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”  Having four children, I know this song is false, but it does raise an interesting question, “What do these sports personalities want for Christmas?”

Terrell Owens:  I wish I had spit cup on my helmet.  Trying to get rid of my Copenhagen during the game is tough to do, especially with a player in front of you.

Tony Romo:  Jessica Simpson under mistletoe, wrapped in a bow.

 

Allen Iverson:  Sleep in, show up for work, make millions, ….wait, I already have that.  I want my singing career to take off like Shaq’s.

Peyton Manning:  I wish I were Tom Brady.

Tony Dungy:  I wish Peyton was Tom Brady.

Ricky Williams:  I wish I had a Cannibas tree.

 

 Isiah Thomas:  I wish I had Laimbeer and Mahorn on my team again.  Bill always new how to give a hard foul.

J.D. Drew:  I just wish I had signed that contract in LA.

 Bud Selig:  All I want for Christmas is a positive steroid test on Barry before he breaks Aaron’s record.

 

 

George Steinbrenner:  I wish I could get Roger back with Andy. 

 

Kobe:  This game sure was a lot easier when I had Shaq on my team.  I wish I were playing with Shaq again on Christmas, on the same team.

Edgerrin James:  I wish I were a Colt again. Actually, I do wish I had my two front teeth.

Michelle Wie:  I want to make a cut against the men so badly that I gave up playing college golf.  Sure, I got into Stanford, but because I turned pro I am not eligible to have a normal college life like Tiger Woods had.  Besides, competing against people my own age wouldn’t be fair anyway.  Everyone knows I am much better than they are and one of these days I will actually win a tournament and prove it.  Until then, I am happy with my golf game because if I could just drive the ball better I might actually win a tournament.  My game is not that far off.

 

That is about all I have for now, but feel free to add your Christmas Wish List below.  Have a very merry Christmas to all!

 

SoCalSportsFan

There is still time to get into the Fox Blogger Bowl Pickem league I set up.  Here is the Group ID and password.

Group ID#: 15406

Group Password: socal 

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year.  It is one of the only times where millions of Americans sit around a table with tons of food stuffing their faces without worrying about Robert Atkins, (may his soul rest in peace.)  Today as I plan on sitting in front of the TV and watching three NFL games I thought I would share all of the many blessings I have as well as a few that I can think of for some of our favorite athletes.

Eli Manning:  He should be thankful for a running back that has helped deflect all the criticism leveled towards him and the unfair comparisons to Philip Rivers.  Eli does not have an LT in his backfield, but he does have Tiki who went out on a limb and put the blame on the coaches for the loss.

Michelle Wie:  She should be enormously grateful for the over 8 million in endorsement deals she has from Sony and Nike because after this year finding that kind of money is going to be hard to do.  In order to be resigned by companies, they like to see you win, something Wie has not done yet.  Eventually she will win against the ladies, but these sponsors were hoping to see her contend against the men and that ain’t happening!

Sean Merriman:  While he sits out his suspension for four games the Chargers are 3-0.  Now if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs he can not be blamed.

Tiger Woods:  Elin Nordegren, enough said!

Isiah Thomas:  That he still has a job.

Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds:  They should both be thankful that they never tested positive for steroids, unlike Floyd Landis.

Roger Clemens:  Same as Lance and Barry, but also that he is allowed to pitch home games only and still makes millions of dollars.  What’s more amazing is that he will be in high demand come next April.

Alfonso Soriano:  Enjoy that huge paycheck while you remember that you are playing for the Cubs.

Chicago Cubs:  They get Pinella for a manager, they sign a huge bat, and now Colangelo is interested in buying the franchise.  This may be the Cubbies year.

 

As for me, I am thankful for a wife, four kids, my health, and all my friends at this Fox Blogging site.  After all, if you have a family that loves you and you are healthy and able to enjoy it, what more is there?  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

SoCalSportsFan

Michelle Wie is at it again, playing against the men in Japan.  Don’t get me wrong.  She has every right to play against the men if she gets a sponsor’s exemption and clearly the companies which endorse her, like Sony, want her to compete against the men.  The only problem is they want her to COMPETE against the men.  Sooner or later Michelle is going to learn that she is not competing.  She can play two rounds with the men and miss the cuts, but that is not what they are looking for.  They want her to make the cut and make some noise in the final round so that they can get some #### for their buck, but this is not going to happen.

What’s worse is that every time Wie misses a cut or loses she makes statements which are so far from the truth that it is just plain laughable.  Take this statement from Wie after shooting an opening round 81,

 

"I don't think I was playing that bad," she said. "My long game put a lot pressure on my short game. I have to get my confidence back on my drive and just hit the ball the way I always do and I'll be fine."

 

I have news for you Michelle, shooting an 81 in a professional golf tournament is playing badly.  You can remain positive all you want, but until you go back to the drawing board and hone your game against people you can win against, then you will remain a loser.  Playing against the men will not sharpen your game; it will only cause you to doubt yourself even more.  This Thanksgiving as I sit around my table and enjoy turkey and the NFL, Wie will be over in Japan searching for birdies.

 

SoCalSportsFan

Just perusing a few headlines over the week and thought I would pose a few questions based upon that content.  Run your mouse over the links to see my answers.

What if:

Tom Brady did use steroids?  Should he be stripped of his Super Bowl rings?

Floyd Landis’ cheating caused the suicide of his father in law?

...

Evander Holyfield fought Mike Tyson in his next fight?

 Junior Seau had stayed retired? 

Annika Sorenstam, was not competing against media darling Michelle Wie, would the press even notice that she won again last week running her total to 82 victories world wide?

...

Shaq had stayed with the Lakers?

 

 

Bart Giamatti were still alive?

 

Greg Anderson testifies?

 

Barry Bonds is not inducted into MLB Hall of Fame?

 

Game of Shadows is absolutely true?

 

Kasey Kahne misses the Nextel Chase and has four wins and yet Mark Martin makes it with zero wins?

 

Anna Kournikova had never played tennis, would she still be modeling?

 

Maurice Clarett had stayed in school?

 

Just a few of the puzzling questions that I deal with on a day to day basis and none of them have easy answers.  I have my opinions, but I would like to hear yours.  I will respond to each and every one as I have time.

 

 

SoCalSportsFan

As a young golf professional, Michelle Wie is finding out that winning is not so easy.  The world has told her that she is the next Tiger Woods.  She has been told that her time is coming and that no one can stop her.  Luckily Wie has a few other things going for her besides winning, because that ain’t happening anytime soon.

Youth

Michelle is young, very young.  And as Martha Stewart says, “That is a good thing!”  As young as Wie is she can correct many of the mistakes she is currently making and if she doesn’t, she can still go to college and find a new career.  Unlike many men I know today, it’s too late to change careers when you are 40, but for Wie she still has several years to decide what she wants to do.

Endorsements

Wie has millions in endorsement deals already so if she saves her money wisely she may never have to work again.  My advice to her is not to go crazy and spend it all because those deals will eventually dry up if you don’t win, but for now enjoy.  Michelle just signed a new endorsement deal with a Korean construction company.  That deal was reported to be worth close to a million dollars.  With deals with Sony and Nike she already exceeds what I will earn in my lifetime.

Beauty

Enjoy your youth, with those long legs and pretty smile you can always marry well.  Should your earnings dry up, just find yourself a rich guy and get married.  That shouldn’t be too hard.  I bet it’s easier to do than win the Women’s British Open.  Leave that for the likes of 46 year old Inkster or some of the other old ladies of golf.  It’s not like you are dominating the elder stateswomen of golf, so beat them at the marrying game.

These are just a few of the ideas I have for  Michelle (Winning Isn’t Everything) Wie.  If you have other ideas, just add them to the list.

SoCalSportsFan

Having recently written a post on Floyd Landis and questions that I think Stephen Colbert would ask, I decided to do another post where I basically interview Michelle Wie from Colbert’s perspective.  Here is the ensuing conversation.

SC:   Welcome to the Colbert Nation, and may I say you look lovely in those golf   outfits.  I understand you signed two high profile endorsement deals with Nike and Sony.  Is that why Sony invites you to the Sony Open each year in January to play against the men?

MW:  I would like to think that they invite me because I am a good golfer.

SC:  That would be nice to think, but as a “good” golfer, how many tournaments have you won?

MW:  Well, I really have never won as a professional, but I have won an amateur tournament once when I was 13, three years ago.

SC:  So let me get this straight.  You have never won as a professional and you won once three years ago in an amateur tournament.  I guess that proves they aren’t inviting you because of your wins.  So tell me one more time why they should let you play in men’s tournaments on the PGA?

MW:  Well I bring a lot of viewers to the tournament.  I sell tickets because people want to see me play. 

SC:  Watching you play in those short skirts, I can see why the “viewer ship” increases, but that is only for Thursday and Friday, right?

MW:  So far, but I hope to make the cut one day.

SC:  So your goal is to make the cut, not win?

MW:  Of course I hope to win, but I have to first make a cut.  I did make the cut at the Korean Tour for men.

SC:  Oh that’s right that is the same tournament Se Ri Pak made the cut in three years earlier, only no one was talking about it then even though she finished 10th.  Do you enjoy losing?  I mean, you keep playing against the men hoping to make the cut.  That has to be tough on you emotionally.

MW:  I am really playing well right now and then when I play against the women, I have taken 2^nd twice this year.

SC:  How does that feel, I mean coming in second all the time? 

MW:  Well, I am really playing well, (starts to cry)….and as long as I am hitting it solidly,

SC:  It’s okay Michelle.  We here at the Colbert Nation are rooting for you.  Really, we would love to see you win any tournament.  Heck, we would love to see you go to college and destroy all of those other girls, but I guess since you turned pro, that is out of the question.  Don’t worry; we will invite you back when you win a tournament so that you can answer all of your critics.

SoCalSportsFan

*Once again this is not the real work of Stephen Colbert, but I can see him asking Michelle Wie these questions should he ever invite her onto his show.*

Yesterday I went golfing with a pro and a friend of mine and the subject of Michelle Wie came up.  Of course we did not know that she had withdrawn as we were playing at 7:00 am, but he said something very interesting about Wie.  He said, “Everyone loves a 13-16 year old phenom, but when she turns 18 if she has not won anything, people will turn to the next 13-16 year old phenom.”  I would say that I have to agree with his assessment.  We are always fascinated with the next great anything.  Wie burst onto the scene as a 13 year old who won an amateur event and suddenly the expectations went through the roof.  I am as guilty as the next guy and would love to see Wie win and have a tremendous career, but I now believe it is next to  impossible.  Mostly, I blame her parents for her lack of success, but there is plenty of blame to go around.  In this post, I will attempt to give the reasons I think she will end up with a mediocre career unless there are drastic changes immediately.

Many sports have a psychological component that either makes the gifted athlete a great athlete or an average performer.  Golf is such a sport.  Physically, golf is not demanding.  Almost anyone can pull a club back behind their back and then swing it forward to make contact with the ball.  Doing it repeatedly the same way can also be learned.  Grant it, it is harder than it looks, but physically it is possible.  It does not take brute strength or surely the women on the LPGA tour would not out drive most of my playing partners, but they do.  I contend the mental aspects of golf are about as tough as any sport possible and maybe the toughest.  This psychological sword has two edges.  There is the part that has to do with your inner strength and the aura you convey to others. It is on these two battle fronts that Wie has lost the battle and maybe even the war.

When Tiger burst onto the scene, he first won as an amateur, winning an unprecedented 6 times, three times each as the junior amateur and then 3 times at the amateur.  He then went onto the NCAA where he won again.  By the time he went to the PGA tour, his legendary status had grown to where he was seen as invincible before he ever teed it up against the men.  Wie has lost the ability to do this to the women on the LPGA.  They already know they can beat her.  Her peers, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome do not fear here and they never will.  They may respect her game, but she has never beaten any of them. (Annika Sorentsam has that psychological edge over her opponents every time she tees it up.)   Michelle Wie has lost the chance to build a legacy as an amateur that would have enabled her to strike the same type of fear that Tiger once did.

Wie also has her image to worry about.  Because she chooses to compete against the men and the women at select events she is always seen missing the cut or losing.  She is seen as a choker.  This repeated behavior is not good for her psyche.  She must start winning or eventually her endorsements will dry up.  Grant it, she may always be able to snag a clothing deal with those long legs, but again, does she want to be known as the Anna Kournikova of golf, beautiful but never a winner.  In fact, I think her agent, parents, and IMG marketing group should tone down her clothing so that people will focus on her beautiful swing, (golf that is), and not ooh and ah every time she bends over to pick up her golf ball.

So my answer to what will help Michelle is to let her go back to being a kid for the next two years.  Unfortunately, now that she has turned pro she can not go back to the amateur ranks and defeat all of her peers and put the fear of God in them.  When they eventually play one day, they will be winners and ready for the next level while Wie will be resting out from under the sun.  If she continues to compete against the men, then her legacy will resemble her body on that stretcher.

SoCalSportsFan

*For the record as I posted earlier today, Wie did not have heatstroke and this picture was just a way for her to bow out without the media attacking her for missing the cut against the B rated players on the tour.*

Reports are that Wie started feeling sick almost from the beginning of the round.  She played slowly and was a distraction to her playing partners, especially Jeff Grove, and may have cost him a chance at advancing as he missed the cut line by one stroke.  The real question is why did she withdraw?  Was it a heat related illness or did she use that as an excuse to exit off the stage because she was never going to make the cut.  Like so many adults who want a day off from the office, Michelle Wie called in sick, or at least that is my take on the subject.

A lot of pressure rests on this teen to succeed and yet my contention is she will never succeed under these circumstances.  She is playing against the men and her goal is just to make the cut.  That is how her success is measured.  When making the cut is your goal, you will never win.  When Wie plays against the women, she thinks she can win and she has come close.  Golf is such a mental game that if your psyche is not in synch you will never win.  Wie is playing to lose when she plays with the men and the media is playing right into it. 

As for why she withdrew, I contend she “faked” an illness to escape the pressures of telling the world she missed another cut against the second tier class of PGA golfers.  The best men golfers in the world are not even in this tournament.  They are over in Loch Lomond warming up for the British Open next week.  That does not mean that the competition is not tough, because as the commercials state, “These guys are good!”  Wie is finding out just how good!

Wie is in top shape for a 16 year old female and golfs on a regular basis.  The temperature that day was 88, which is close to the year round temperature in her home state of Hawaii.  Golfers also know about keeping themselves hydrated throughout a round and Wie is no exception.  Her playing partners said they gave her plenty of water.  Heatstroke is a serious condition where the internal core temperature is above 106 degrees.  Medical staff treating Wie just called it “heat-related illness”, not heatstroke.  She only went to the hospital because Illinois law required it.  She was never in danger.  She withdrew because she did not want to finish the round when she was 8 strokes over par and completely out of contention from making the cut line, no where close to winning the tournament.  The tournament medical staff said they did not treat any players for heat related illnesses only spectators. 

Is it possible that she withdrew because she did not want to face reporters once again after losing to Annika last week?  She has become adept at facing them and saying things like, “I played really well out there.  I hope to win soon, but overall I am happy with my game.”  Really, you are happy losing week after week?  Once again, let me state what is so obvious to me and not to others, “Michelle Wie will never win on the men’s tour and will be lucky to win on the women’s tour if she continues to pursue golf in this manner.  I will elaborate later on this weekend, but I have already posted on this back in December. 

Wie was successful in diverting the attention away from her missing the cut to her illness.  No one is talking about the fact that she was 8 over par at the time of her departure.  She was even par for the day until she played number 9 and took a double-bogey.  All of the headlines on the sports pages are saying Wie withdrew due to illness.  They make it sound as if she had continued to play that she would have made the cut and maybe gone on to win. (Wie Bows Out Early, Illness Forces Wie to Withdraw:  These are two that I found.  Sorry guys, illness aside in 9 more holes Wie was gone anyway.)  They do not come right out and say this, but their headlines are so misleading.

Things are not going to get easier for the teen, only harder.  Wie is growing up quickly and learning to call in sick just like so many adults do.  The only problem with that is if you keep doing it, you might just lose your job.  Sponsors are not going to want to keep paying her millions for losing, unless they are her clothing sponsors, but that is a topic for my next post. 

SoCalSportsFan

(Is it just me or does Michelle Wie resemble Goofy of Disney lore?)

The fact that Michelle Wie made the cut at a men's event in Korea is not newsworthy.  It is only intriguing because she has never won a professional event and the fact that she is 16.  She is being heralded as the coming of the next Tiger Woods in a skirt but so far she has not lived up to those lofty expectations.  In my post, Why Michelle Wie Won’t Win, I document her lack of winning on any circuit.  The main reason she has not won is because she insists on playing in venues that she is not ready for, yet. 

This week she made the cut on the Korean PGA Tour.  Big deal!  Se Ri Pak did it in 2003 and finished 10^th in that event.  No one heard about it back then because Pak's goal in life is not to compete on the men's tour on a regular basis.  Also, the winners or losers in a third rate golf tour are not followed that closely.  The Korean tour is not on par with the Japanese Tour, Nationwide, or even the LPGA.  How many people can recall the winners on the Nationwide Tour each week. 

Bragging about making the cut on the Korean tour is like bragging about breaking par at the local putt putt course.  Annika Sorenstam could win on the Korean Tour but chooses to play in the LPGA where it is more competitive. 

With the resignation of Hootie Johnson, it may only be a matter of time before Wie is invited to the Master's, which is her life long goal.  (Hopefully the new chairman, Billy Payne, will not allow it but make her earn her way onto the course.  If she does that, then more power to her.)  For me, I don't mind that she wants to compete against the boys, but don't expect me to get all excited when Wie makes a cut.  Since when did making a cut become a big deal?  Isn't the goal to actually "win" the golf tournament?  Michelle Wie's legacy will be one that is remembered more for her attempts to crash the men's tour  than winning fifty times on the LPGA.  If you ask me, Annika Sorenstam will be considered the greatest women's golfer of all time and Wie will be remembered for making a cut on the Korean Tour. 

So, Congratulations Michelle Wie for making a cut in a “men’s” event!  For the record, I made 5 holes in ones this weekend at the Beverly Hills Country Club; that is the BHCC Putt Putt course.

SoCalSportsFan