April 07, 2010

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:

A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 28 comments

In case everyone forgot, there are a few other golfers playing besides Tiger. Some are good guys

posted by Debo270 at 09:17 AM on April 07, 2010

The ratings for the Masters are going to be fantastic, and it is going to be because of Tiger.

posted by bperk at 09:36 AM on April 07, 2010

The ratings for the Masters are going to be fantastic, and it is going to be because of Tiger.

You could have posted that same comment any of the last 14 years, bperk. Tiger will drag them in for what I'm expecting (hoping maybe) will be a 36-hole walk of shame for him, but with a bit of luck, the other talent can put on a show to not only keep them tuned in, but to remind them that there's plenty of other talent in golf.

posted by JJ at 09:55 AM on April 07, 2010

36-hole walk of shame for him

If he shows up late wearing some girl's red blouse on Sunday, I'm totally watching.

posted by yerfatma at 10:05 AM on April 07, 2010

Hockey is Growing Up in the South

posted by NoMich at 10:29 AM on April 07, 2010

The ratings of The Masters are always fantastic. Even if Woods had skipped the event, it would still be The Masters.

posted by rcade at 10:47 AM on April 07, 2010

The ratings will be through the roof if it's evil Woods vs nice guy Mickelson in the final grouping on Sunday.

posted by grum@work at 10:51 AM on April 07, 2010

I just cant wait to hear it when Tiger putts and everyone yells "get in the hole." Unless CBS bans people from saying that due to inuendo. Bet Tiger hears that phrase over and over in his sleep.

The ratings will be through the roof if it's evil Woods vs nice guy Mickelson in the final grouping on Sunday.

Tiger will send Phil one of his hookers sat night to wear him out.

posted by Debo270 at 11:08 AM on April 07, 2010

My hunch is that Woods doesn't challenge for the win this time around.

Is Mickelson really a nice guy? Fans love FIGJAM but his fellow players? Not so much.

posted by rcade at 11:18 AM on April 07, 2010

There won't be a ton of yelling around the greens. Boisterous patrons get de-badged and hustled out. Never to be let back in. The ultra-controlled "Dick Cheney stump speech" environment (some patrons are screened at birth) is one good reason for Woods to come back at Augusta. He sure as hell isn't stepping out at Bethpage Black.

My reason for watching is to hear with my own ears how Jim Nantz can go from calling the NCAA tournament to being The Clubwhisperer in the space of four days. It's quite a leap from the Butler Bulldogs to Butler Cabin.

If Nantz has a secret recipe that's available in pill form, I want it. There are times when a man needs to chill beyond his own natural ability to do so.

If it's available in liquid form, even better.

Make it two, and I'll give the other one to Feherty.

posted by beaverboard at 11:28 AM on April 07, 2010

Just in case you missed Messi's 4th hat-trick of 2010 last night.

posted by JJ at 12:02 PM on April 07, 2010

Is Mickelson really a nice guy? Fans love FIGJAM but his fellow players? Not so much.

All I would say to that is that there's quite a few genuinely nice people out there that rub my nerves raw. I'm sure that Phil has done plenty to earn the ire of his peers, so I don't in any way say that they are wrong.

But I also have never seen or heard a negative thing out of the guy in the public light. He talks about how much he loves what he does, and he tends to back it up with his actions. Even if his smile is as phony a one of Tiger's girlfriends' boobs, it never leaves his face. He repeatedly shows a generosity unseen among his peers, and an appreciation for the opportunity he has to play golf for a living. If he's living a double life, so be it. We don't all need to be loved at our jobs.

posted by tahoemoj at 12:29 PM on April 07, 2010

Even if his smile is as phony a one of Tiger's girlfriends' boobs,

must you wreck everything for me?

posted by dviking at 02:46 PM on April 07, 2010

And now I know what "FIGJAM" means.

posted by grum@work at 03:33 PM on April 07, 2010

So, if Phil is living a double life and gets busted, will he get vilified as well? Just curious...

posted by yzelda4045 at 03:59 PM on April 07, 2010

No English teams in the final four of the Large Cup Competition Featuring Some Champions and Sundry Other Teams from Rich Countries, after Bayern knock Manchester United out on away goals.

Awesome.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 04:42 PM on April 07, 2010

The ratings of The Masters are always fantastic. Even if Woods had skipped the event, it would still be The Masters.

How about the ratings for the Masters will be even better than normal for the Masters? I already know what Tiger's tee time is and who he will be paired with. Why do I know this? ESPN is showing Woods opening shot live. This seems to be a bigger deal than normal, even for the Masters.

posted by bperk at 04:59 PM on April 07, 2010

On that note, Mr Bismarck: "Typical Germans."

posted by boredom_08 at 06:02 PM on April 07, 2010

So, if Phil is living a double life and gets busted, will he get vilified as well? Just curious...

According to tour caddy gossip to which I have been drunkenly privy, the darker side of Phil's double life was ended when Mrs Phil found out about it and redrafted their pre-nup a few years ago. Allegedly. Also, look out for suspiciously pale Asian left handed players coming through in the next ten years.

Can I get sued for any of this? Can we?

posted by JJ at 06:19 PM on April 07, 2010

Anyone think Inter can shut down Messi and beat Barca in the next round? (Hint: I laugh at you if you do ;)

posted by billsaysthis at 06:35 PM on April 07, 2010

look out for suspiciously pale Asian left handed players

Don't you mean right handed players playing lefty with moobs ?

posted by tahoemoj at 06:58 PM on April 07, 2010

Coyotes lose chance to host 2011 all-star game The Phoenix Coyotes have officially lost the chance to host the 2011 NHL all-star game, which underscores the uncertainty of the franchise's ownership situation.

posted by tommybiden at 07:02 PM on April 07, 2010

bill: Over/under 4 goals for Messi between the two legs? I'll take the over. Mourinho is already trying to think of a way to talk Messi out of the match, but he's not a manager, so that'll never work.

Side note: Either a German or a French side will be in the CL final for the first time since 2004. Ironically, that was also the last year no English side reached the CL final.

posted by boredom_08 at 07:57 PM on April 07, 2010

On that note, Mr Bismarck: "Typical Germans."

So in the same week that he moans about a dodgy goal a one end while ignoring one at the other he's now complaining about players gathering around the referee trying to influence decisions?

He's becoming a caricature of himself.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:02 PM on April 07, 2010

Tiger Woods and the Nature of Belief

......It follows that Tiger should be left with the sort of applause he received at practice on Monday; respectful acknowledgment of his greatness, rather than effusive celebration rooted in identity.

The politics of race and ethnicity disturbs this logic in Wood's case. Non-white bodies are unjustly stigmatised and marked as different and deviant. Through no choice of his own, Tiger's racial and ethnic composition becomes his uniform and team colours. His non-whiteness is an anomaly in professional golf, and his success foregrounds the politics of race, ethnicity, and class, thanks to the history of discrimination and elitism in country clubs.

For many non-whites, Woods's success publicly symbolised and confirmed their dignity in the face of racial stigma. For people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, cheering for Woods becomes an opportunity to identify oneself as an opponent of racism (though social justice requires more than such symbolic affiliations). These are the forces behind Nike's "I Am Tiger Woods" campaign, and perhaps the explanation for the company's steadfast support of Woods, when most of his sponsors cut ties. Nike capitalised not only on Woods's greatness, but on fans' need to identify themselves as honorable racial subjects. The corporation is betting that this need remains, and that Tiger will recapture his iconic status, as fans cannot forsake the racial and ethnic politics implicitly associated with rooting for him.

posted by rumple at 08:36 PM on April 07, 2010

Woods' new commercial was rather underwhelming.

posted by bluemagpie at 11:23 PM on April 07, 2010

Underwhelming? I thought it was an odious admission he's a money-hungry (or fame-obsessed) schill who will let Nike or any other sponsor use him however they see fit.

posted by yerfatma at 08:32 AM on April 08, 2010

The commercial is Dumb. What is the point. It makes no sense.

posted by Debo270 at 10:09 AM on April 08, 2010

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