Tadd Fujikawa is going pro at only 16.  Tadd is another Hawaiian born golf phenom who made the cut at the Sony Open this year.  (He is barely taller than his golf bag, and eerily reminds me of Punchy of Hawaiian Punch commercial fame.)  He has immense talent, but once again is making a mistake falling into the "Wie Syndrome."  This is a huge mistake if he really wants to be successful in golf. 

It amazes me that when people want to learn how to be the best you study the best and you emulate the best.  Not so in golf.  Michelle Wie had to do it "her way" and we see where that has landed her.  Tiger Woods was better at age 15 than most grown men in this country, but he still went to high school and played, and then he went on to play for Stanford.   Only after he had won on every venue available to him as an amateur did he decide to go pro.  I wish you the best Tad.  You have tremendous potential but I think you are throwing it all away on the dream to make cuts on the tour.  Here are a few of my reasons why this is not a sound move:

• You are going to miss out on the college experience.  Sure you can still go to college, but you will not be allowed to play for the NCAA and compete for a title.
• You are setting your goals too low.  Just like Michelle Wie, if making a cut is your aim you will miss it more often than make it and even when you make it that is not successful.  Your goal should be to WIN tournaments.  To do that you need to be better prepared and you do not get prepared in the pros.  You prepare in HS, College, and then Nationwide if you don't make it through Q-School.
• Teenagers are not ready emotionally to compete on the PGA Tour.  Don't believe me, just ask Michelle Wie who tears up during every press conference after she shoots over par.  Golf is probably the most mentally draining of all sports.  Once your psyche is messed up, it is hard to overcome.
• In the short term you might pick up sponsors' exemptions and a few endorsement deals, but in the end only wins matter.  Take a look at Ty Tryon, Michelle Wie, and even Justin Rose who turned pro after coming in second at the British Open at 17.  None of them are winners on the tour.  Rose has had the most success, but he isn't winning.  Wins translate into far more endorsement dollars long term than any short term deal you sign right now. 

Of course this is all just my opinion, but I feel strongly about it.  Teenagers need to be in school enjoying football, basketball, baseball, dating, and all of the normal teen things.  A career is for old people like me. 

SoCalSportsFan

You’ve heard of the “dog days” of summer, but most of you probably do not know where that term originated.  The most plausible explanation is that these days were named after the Dog Star, Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun in the summer month of July.  Usually, the “dog days”, are the hottest and sultriest days of the summer which fall in July and August. The ancients believed that the additional heat from Sirius made these days exceptionally hot.  Well, in sports the “hottest” stories also involve a few dogs, but not the kind you would imagine.

 

Michael Vick:  Once again his home in Virginia has been raided.  This is not a good sign for the Falcon QB.  No one is talking, but the old adage that no news is good news is most definitely not the case here.  I am sure Vick and the Falcons would love for someone, anyone in law enforcement, to come out and say charges are not going to be filed.  To the contrary, look for this case to drag out for months carrying into the NFL season.  This will give Vick a great excuse when he does not perform for new head coach Bobby Petrino.

 

 

Barry Bonds:  Summer time is heating up with Bonds only 4 HRs away from tying Hank Aaron and 5 short of surpassing the HR King.  Certainly very few people are pulling for Barry to pass up Hammerin Hank, but with each HR the heat is certainly rising for Bud Selig.  As the baseball commissioner, he alone should have to answer questions for his part in the MLB Steroid Scandal.  Selig also has to decide if he is going to attend the games leading up the record breaking HR.  If he doesn’t attend then it will appear he does not validate the new record, but if he chooses to attend then he is afraid he will offend his long time friend Hank Aaron.  Selig needs to “man” up and go to the game.  Unless he and George Mitchell are willing to publish there findings which will incriminate many more than Bonds, then they will have to acknowledge Barry as the HR King.  Lucky for Barry there are some other big names on the list that MLB does not want released.

 

MLS:  Houston Dynamos win their 8th straight and are in a tie for first now.  Who cares?  Is anyone watching MLS?  I’m not.  I know the world watches soccer or “football” as it is known everywhere else in the world, but do people in Europe follow D.C. United?  Soccer fans in America keep up with Manchester United, but I highly doubt the Brits are giving a second thought to a game between the Houston Dynamos and FC Dallas.  I only know the names because I looked them up.  Seriously, will David Beckham playing in LA cause people in Germany or Spain to watch?  For all I know MLS is a realty service.

 

All-Star Game:  Does anyone really care about the result of the All-Star Game.  Even the home field advantage thing by the winner is blown way out of proportion.  In the last six World Series, the winner has been from the NL three times and the AL three times.  So much for AL dominance; it is a myth.  When the games are played, every team has a chance.

 

 

 

SoCalSportsFan

Yin and Yang says that for that there is an opposite for everything.  My last post I showed everyone the beauty of tennis, but now we need to take a look at the ugly.  I do know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but these women are in my top five "dog" category for tennis players.  I do not mean to demean the term "dog" because after all he is man's best friend.

5.  Billy Jean King:  She was one of the best women tennis players ever, but attractive she was not. 

4.  Martina Navratilova:  Possibly the best women's tennis player ever to play the game, but she was no stunner.

3.  Serena Williams:  If a case could be made for steroids in tennis, I would test Serena.  Her muscles are more developed than Andy Roddick, and so is her game.  Someone has to say it, but those thighs look a little masculine to me. 

2.  Arantxa Sanchez Vicario:  Possibly the ugliest woman I have ever seen on a tennis court.  Arancha was a grinder on the court.  She did not have the luxury of modeling if her tennis game was not up to par.

1.  Bjorn Borg:  So ugly he could be a man.

SoCalSportsFan

I was scheduled to go play a round of golf with friends the other day at a posh resort.  Lunch was on the house as well as the round of golf and I was going with three other good friends.  Just before I wrapped up what I was doing in the office to head out to the course, I mentioned to one of my friends that I was going to take my daughter to watch the Padres that night when we finished our round of golf.  It was at that point that he told me to double check the time of the game because he believed it was a day game.  He was right, and so I forfeited my round of golf and quickly sped home to pick up my girl and head to Petco Park so I could keep my word to my little girl.  By the way, the seats were right behind home plate and we had a blast, but I tell you this story because having children changes your priorities.

I have four children.  I was present at each of their births.  My life has never been the same.  There are times I want to do some things that as a single man or even newly married man I could do before that I can not do now.  This golf outing is just one of the things that I have changed over the last 13 years to accomodate my wife and children. 

Tiger is going through the same thing now after the birth of his daughter, Sam Alexis Woods.  He just cancelled playing in this weeks Buick Open.  This is significant because he has played it eight times and has won it twice.  He is also the defending champ and had committed to being there prior to the birth of his daughter.  My  point in all of this is that many people believe having children will not affect Tiger's performance on the golf course.  While I agree it will not make him worse for wear, lack of sleep, or weight gain, it has already affected one tournament.  Tiger will play less than before over the next  eight years.  If he plays less he will win less.  The two are inextricably twined.  This is just my opinion and it has been known to be wrong, but this is why I believe the hallowed record held by Jack Nicklaus is safe.  People will say that even if Tiger skips tournaments he will still always play the majors.  Although I agree he will continue to play in the majors, it is the other tournament play throughout the year that prepares you for the majors.  You do not just show up and win.  Those days are over for Tiger. 

On a side note, I was listening to David Feherty on the Dan Patrick Show the other day, and he said that Carnoustie, the venue for this year's British Open, is the hardest golf course in the world.  When asked if it was tougher than Oakmont, he said that it was.  I do remember vividly the last time the British Open was held at Carnoustie because that was the year that Jean Van de Velde exploded on the last hole with a snowman sending the tournament into sudden death with Paul Lawrie emerging as the winner.  It should be a great show and I am looking forward to watching it.

SoCalSportsFan

One of my all time favorite television series is The X Files.  While most of it was pure fiction, it always left you thinking there was a possibility that more was happening behind the scenes than what we really knew.  This is the first installment of a series of posts on players that I think have had much more happen behind the scenes than what we have been led to believe. 

Much speculation abounds about Barry Bonds and most of it has been derived by the Balco scandal.  The thing that gets me is not that people hate Barry because they believe he cheated, but that somehow they do not express the same hate towards other players whose numbers are unbelievable for their age.  Take Hank Aaron for example.  People do not want to even explore the possibility that Hammerin Hank’s numbers are inflated by steroids or other chemical enhancers, but the reality is that they probably are.  For those whose minds are not closed to those possibilities, let’s delve into the evidence.

 

Testimony by Tom House implicates Aaron:

The San Francisco Chronicle, in a May 3rd 2005 article quoted former Major League pitcher Tom House of the Atlanta Braves as saying that steroids were rampant in the game in the late '60s and throughout the '70s.

House, perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball in 1974 in the Atlanta Braves bullpen, said he and several teammates used amphetamines, human growth hormone and 'whatever steroid' they could find in order to keep up with the competition.

"I pretty much popped everything cold turkey', House said. "We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding." 

 "I actually think that the game is cleaner today than when I was playing,'' says former major league pitcher Tom House, who pitched in the 1970s and was later Nolan Ryan's pitching coach. House says that he used steroids because "In my case, I was doing everything I could just to survive, but the steroid use ended up backfiring on him....Every generation of players -- the '20s, '30s, '40s on up -- everybody was looking for a way to get the most out of their bodies, and they took whatever they possibly could. It was almost expected. . . " 

Testimony from Representative Henry Waxman

In 1973, the year I first ran for Congress, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce concluded a year-long investigation that found--and I quote--"drug use exists...in all sports and levels of competition...In some instances, the danger of improper drug use--primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids--can only be described as alarming". Bowie Kuhn, and the powers that be at the time, quietly squashed the entire tawdry episode and with good reason: it would cast su####ions on an African-American slugger who was challenging one of baseball's most cherished records: The career record for home runs.

 

Statistical Analysis

Hank Aaron’s homerun totals may not arouse su####ion to the casual observer, but when you look at the rate he hit his homeruns, and at what age he hit them,  they suddenly become very dubious.  At age 40 in his 23rd season, Aaron had his highest HR percentage of his entire career.  He also led the majors in HR percentage for three years straight as a 38, 39, and 40 year old.  This is quite the accomplishment for someone who should be declining in power rather than increasing in performance as they age.  Coincidentally, two of Aaron’s team mates had huge spikes in power that year as well.  Davy Johnson and Darrell Evans both went from hitting HR totals in the teens to 41 and 43 respectively only to drop in 1974.  (For a more detailed analysis of his HR percentages follow this link to the article on Steroid Nation)

While you may not want to believe that Aaron used steroids or amphetamines, one can not argue with Aaron’s own admission that he tried greenies.  In his book, I Had a Hammer, Aaron states,

 

"Actually the 1968 season wasn't the best time to present my case. It was the first time since my rookie year that I didn't drive in or scored 100 runs. I was so frustrated that at one point I tried using a greenie that one of my teamates gave me."

 

Some will say that Aaron's own admission to using one greenie does not prove he used amphetamines or anything else, but the fact is that as early as 1968 Aaron was experimenting.  Experience tells me that people who admit to doing something once probably did it alot more.  Do you really think he would come out and say that he used steroids or greenies now and ruin his entire reputation?  This statement begins to sound more and more like Rafael Palmeiro to me.  For those who seek the truth, they can find solace in the immortal words of Agent Fox Mulder,

 

 “The truth is out there.”

 What you do with it is entirely up to you!

 

SoCalSportsFan

 

*All information is linked to the articles that I used to research this post.*

With the end of the NBA finals, which lasts longer than a dying man in a B movie, and the extremely long MLB season, what are fans to watch.  Of course the PGA is in full swing with the U.S. Open, but the summer months can be excruciating for diehard NFL fans as we await the return of the best product in sports.  So what are the worst products?  Here is my list in no particular order:

1. NHL:  A sport that is not even American and has been won by an American team for the last, I don't even know years because I haven't watched.  Hockey shot itself in the foot when it striked and no one is watching unless they are Canadian or live in Michigan.  I was in Anaheim when the Ducks won and it didn't even make headline news.
2. WTA:  You might not even know that this stands for "tennis", but it does.  I long for the days of Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Andre Aggassi, but those days are long gone.  Andy Roddick is boring and Roger Federer has no competition except on clay.
3. Bowling:  The only good thing about this sport is the ESPN commercials.
4. WNBA:  Has it started yet?  We got next is going to die a slow and painful death.  Just stay down, please.
5. Boxing:  There is some life in boxing when we have an important fight like the Oscar De Lahoya fight, but they are too few and far between.  The sport is being surpassed by MMA.
6. MLS:  While "football" is extremely popular everywhere else in the world, it is still behind even the NHL in America.  What does that tell you?  Beckham is being wooed back to Europe and he hasn't even played a game here in the US.  Soccer has not been accepted by the American public as many would seem to indicate.

 

I am sure you can come up with more on your own, but that is my list for now.

SoCalSportsFan

As any good armchair QB knows, it is much easier to pick who will win or lose in the playoffs after the first round of games.  Hindsight is 20-20, I think that is the way the old saying goes.  So the only way to prove you know what you are talking about is to go out on a limb and make a prediction.  Some people do that on here based upon wishful thinking while others try to use some modicum of statistics and expert analysis.  For me, I am just going to lay it on the line each round and tell you who I think will win.  I could try to back it up with statistics and other rubbish, but for now the proof will be in the pudding.  Did Nostradamus try to prove his predictions or just write them down for all the world to see?  If you are bold enough, them make your own in the comments sections and in the end we can all sit around our computers and pat the winner on the back. 

Nets vs, Raptors:   Raptors in 6 games.

Heat vs. Bulls:  Heat in 5 games.

Magic vs. Pistons:  Pistons in 5 games.

Wizards vs. Cavaliers:  Cavaliers in 5 games. 

Jazz vs. Rockets:  Rockets in 6 games.

Lakers vs. Suns:  Suns in 6 games.

Nuggets vs. Spurs:  Spurs in 7 games.

Warriors vs. Mavericks:  Mavs in 5 games.

 

SoCalSportsFan

In a landmark ruling today, the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on the controversial procedure called “partial birth” abortion.  Doctors actually deliver all of the baby except for the skull.  They then insert forceps into the head and crush its skill before delivering the rest of the baby to discard.  (Here is a link to see how the procedure is done. I will not show it because I think it would be in poor taste.)For the life of me I can not figure out why this has taken so long.  This new law does not ban abortion nor does it prohibit this procedure if the woman’s doctor decides her life is in danger.  What it does do is stop doctors whose sole practice is performing abortions from doing this procedure for no other reason than a woman has changed her mind about having the baby.  This procedure is only used in the later stages of pregnancy and 90% of all abortions are done prior to the first trimester of gestation. 

 

I applaud the five judges who had the guts to make the right decision and I also thank President Bush for having the fortitude to sign this bill into law.  In the next few weeks you will hear from abortion proponents who will spread their wings and gawk like a chicken with its head cut off.  They will be proclaiming this is an attack on abortion and because of it women will suffer.  The truth is that babies are already suffering.  Babies that did not ask to be conceived are terminated like a person stepping on an ant.  No thought for the sensations of pain that a late term abortion brings upon the child is given by these proponents.

Make no mistake about it.  Those of us who are “pro-life” do wish abortion could somehow be overturned, and certainly we wish this law would help do that in some way.  The sad truth is this law will not affect the number of abortions done in this country at all.  It will simply stop one inhumane way that abortions are being done.  It will not stop other abortions on late term pregnancies nor will it change the legality of abortion. 

 

There was a time when we took capital criminals and made a public example of them by hanging them.  Some states used the electric chair while others used the gas chambers.  (I had the opportunity to sit in the electric chair in Angola, LA when I went up and did some work with children in the living areas of the prison.) Many in society said we were cruel and inhumane and argued against capital punishment.  Laws have changed thanks to some mishaps in the Florida electric chair, and now most states use lethal injection. It is somehow perceived as more humane and allows the criminal to die a painless death.  Isn’t it odd we allow those who deserve death to die painlessly while those in favor of abortion want to preserve a method that brings pain on an innocent baby! 

 

 

 

SoCalSportsFan

Last year saw the end to one of the most impressive streaks in all of baseball, the Atlanta Braves 14 consecutive NL East champions and post season births.  Many have written them off as a team that is rebuilding, but I think they are poised to take the NL East again this year.  Their weakness last year was in their relief pitching which they shored up this year with the addition of Mike Gonzalez.  He would be the closer on any other team, but for now Bob Wickman has that role.  That means they have an effective set up man and a good closer.   I look for Gonzalez to take over the role of closer before the year is out, but until then if teams plan on scoring on the Braves they better do it in the first 7 innings. 

As for offense, the Braves have Andruw Jones who is at the end of a contract year so expect big things from him.  Chipper Jones is as healthy as he has been in years.  Edgar Renteria is a good power hitting shortsop and of course they have Brian McCann behind the plate.  He should be the starting catcher this year for the National League All Star team, if he remains healthy.  Many think the offense of the Braves depends on Chipper Jones, but I feel that McCann will be the most important piece to that puzzle this year.  Especially since they traded away Laroche for Gonzalez.  The pieces are in place for the Braves to dominate this year.    Let's see how long they can remain on top.

SoCalSportsFan

All too often people are guilty of jumping on bandwagons.  I for one have never been one to hop on board the latest trend and in fact I enjoy bucking the trend.  For example, take the latest on Ron Artest.  People are saying things like, “How many times can he do things like this and still have a job?”  Or they might say, “If it were you or me we would be fired for that!”  Oh really?  Let’s examine the facts.

Ron Artest was arrested for suspected domestic violence charges.  Ron was temporarily suspended from the team, but he was not fired.  Would this get you or me fired from our employer?  To be truthful, for must of us no one would even know we were arrested because it does not make national news.  However, most teachers acquire tenure and it takes a whole lot more than an arrest to get them fired.  If the actions do not affect the classroom then your job is probably safe.

 

How about for a pharmacist, a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, salesman, fast food worker, IT person, or just about any profession you can name?  As far as I know most of the professions would not fire an employee for an arrest.  How many of you have had a DUI and still have your job?

 

The single most important factor that will get an athlete fired is his performance, and the same can be said for most of us.  The truth of the matter is that most of us are safe in our jobs as long as we perform.   So jump off the, “Fire Artest bandwagon” and jump on the, “I can’t stand Artest” bandwagon, because that is the real reason most of us want him fired.  The truth is that he is a great defender, good scorer, and as long as he helps teams wins games he will play ball.

 

SoCalSportsFan