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Kim is 22 years old, American, and been playing the PGA Tour since 2007. From AP-
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Knee surgery prevented Tiger Woods from attempting to defend his Wachovia Championship title. Anthony Kim didn’t disappoint fans at Quail Hollow Club looking for Tiger-like brilliance.
In a near flawless performance Sunday, the 22-year-old Kim became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in six years. Following monster drives with flagstick-hitting approach shots and steady putting, Kim shot a 3-under 69 to cruise to five-shot win over Ben Curtis.
The former NCAA freshman of the year at Oklahoma won’t turn 23 until next month. But he dominated a star-studded field by finishing with a 16-under 272 total, three shots better than the previous tournament record held by Woods.
“I’m a little bit numb right now, but that walk up 18 was the best feeling of my entire life,” Kim said. “I’ll never forget that feeling. I had chills going up and down my spine. I want to recreate that as many times as possible now, so I’m really going to work hard.”
Kim earned $1,134,000 and became the youngest winner since Sergio Garcia won his third PGA Tour title in the 2002 Mercedes Championship.
Kim brought memories of Garcia, but for a different reason, when he strolled to the first tee Sunday with a four-shot lead and no PGA Tour wins. Garcia blew a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow in 2005 and lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh.
Anthony made it look easy yesterday, he was never seriously challenged. With his win, Anthony becomes one of the VERY small group of Americans under age 30 with a PGA Tour title to their credit.
Kim had a solid enough rookie season in 2007, finishing 60th on the money list. It will have to be seen if he can make this year’s Ryder Cup team. He was 24th in points before the Wachovia Championship.
Note- Can the golf media give winners credit this weekend. It’s absurd to report the name of the golfer who won a tournament in a news story only after you first mention a player who wasn’t even in the field. AP’s golf and auto racing reporters last weekend must be using the same style book.
He died Saturday after a fall down the stairs at his home. John was strictly a bullpen catcher, but he managed to stay employed at the Major league level for 12 years. Afterwards he went into broadcasting. RIP.
PHILADELPHIA - Former major leaguer John Marzano died Saturday after falling down a flight of stairs at his home. He was 45.
The cause of his death was not immediately clear, police said.
Marzano was from Philadelphia and had been working for Major League Baseball’s Web site, where he co-hosted a show on weekday mornings.
“John was a beloved member of our team, a personable, terrific friend to all with whom he worked,” said Bob Bowman, chief executive officer of MLB Advanced Media. “He was an engaging, informed interviewer. His energy, knowledge of the game and comedic touch produced admirable results. We miss him dearly already.”
In a statement announcing his death, MLB said Marzano had fallen. MLB.com will establish an internship program in Marzano’s name, the release said.
Before joining MLB’s Web site, Marzano was a baseball analyst on Comcast SportsNet for the station’s Philadelphia Phillies postgame shows. He had also appeared regularly on WIP-AM.
“John was one of those rare persons who put a smile on your face the moment you saw him. He was joyous and he was proud,” said Comcast’s Michael Barkann, who co-hosted many of the postgame shows with Marzano. “You always knew when John was in the room. You never asked, ‘When’d you get here, Johnny?’ He always made an entrance, and it was big and it was loud and it was full of joy.”
Marzano, known for his South Philly accent, appeared with Barkann on the station’s “Daily News Live” show from the Wachovia Center before the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Washington Capitals in an NHL playoff game on Thursday. At one point, Marzano stopped in mid-sentence, turned to the crowd and screamed, “Let’s Go Flyers!”
“The place went nuts,” Barkann said. “He did that a few more times during his segment to the same effect each time. That will be my enduring memory of John — smiling, talking sports with a sea of fans behind him. I will miss him every day.”
A graduate of Temple, Marzano earned a spot as a catcher on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that included future major league stars Mark McGwire, Barry Larkin and Will Clark. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 1984 amateur draft.
Marzano played 10 seasons in the big leagues for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners before retiring in 1998. He also played in the minors for the Phillies and the Cleveland Indians.
Overall, Marzano batted .241 with 11 homers and 72 RBIs in 794 at-bats in 301 games.
“He was a baseball guy and he loved life,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who managed Marzano in Cleveland’s minor-league system in 1993. “He had a personality. He was kind of a pepper-pot player. He was a go-getting kind of guy. That’s what he had to do and it worked for him.”
Marzano was popular in Seattle for his altercation with New York Yankees outfielder Paul O’Neill during a game in 1996. The two traded punches at home plate after O’Neill took exception to a knockdown pitch by Tim Davis.
Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer played three seasons with Marzano in Seattle and remained friends with him.
“He was a lot of fun to be around,” Moyer said after facing the New York Mets on Saturday. “He was the brunt of a lot of jokes, but he could dish it out too. He always used to call everybody, ‘Cuz.’ He’ll be missed.”
The Red Sox planned to honor Marzano with a moment of silence before their game against Texas on Saturday.
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Another story from the wild and wacky world of Florida.
JUPITER — For years, Ed McCabe has worn the No. 29 jersey of the Oakland Raiders to raise money for charities benefitting sick children and cancer research.
As a volunteer, he organized fund-raising golf tournaments for Palm Beach County’s NFL Alumni chapter while passing out autographed photos of No. 29 sprinting down a football field.
Ed McCabe Did volunteer work with NFL Alumni while passing himself off as a former player for the Oakland Raiders.
Jean Fischer, president of the Cancer Alliance, with a signed photo that says, ‘Ed McCabe ‘80 AFC Champs.’ McCabe handed out autographed photos at a 2006 event at Jupiter High to benefit the charity.
“Ed McCabe, 29, ‘80 AFC champs,” he signed them.
Thirteen players have worn No. 29 for the Raiders during the team’s storied seasons in Oakland and Los Angeles. But Ed McCabe, a local mortgage broker who once peddled BMWs on Okeechobee Boulevard, isn’t one of them.
Florida’s new cottage industry- You can fool other people into thinking you were a former professional athlete. We had the story of a person who died in central Florida last year who claimed to be former MLB Bill Henry. The real Henry was still alive in Texas.
McCabe fooled people for over a decade. Are people that gullible to believe it was him in the Raiders photo? Take a look at the two photos in this post and share your thoughts.
Today we find out more about the photographs McCabe would autograph.
When Ed McCabe masqueraded as a retired professional football player, he lifted the image of one of the most colorful and controversial characters of the NFL.
McCabe, who organized charity golf tournaments while pretending to be a former Oakland Raider, downloaded a photograph of Bill Romanowski, who played for the Raiders from 2002 to 2003.
Ed McCabe altered a photo of former Oakland Raider linebacker Bill Romanowski, changing the No. 53 to the No. 29 that accompanied his autograph.
McCabe altered the No. 53 to his fantasy league No. 29. And, voilà, Romanowski was transformed into Ed McCabe, who claimed to be a member of the Raiders during their 1980 championship season.
When you’re going to steal, steal big my father taught me. McCabe did just that. Romanowski had a quite a reputation when playing in the NFL. It wasn’t for being Mr. Nice Guy. Romo promised not to beat up McCabe but did say the whole incident is sad.
I agree. Romanowski also made this nice gesture.
Romanowski said he wants to turn a negative into a positive, and is inviting anyone with a McCabe autographed photo to contact him on his blog (billromanowskiblog.com), and receive a free autographed copy of his book Romo.
Sounds like a good deal to me. The rest of today’s Palm Beach Post article is below the fold
Last week, McCabe acknowledged to The Palm Beach Post that he never appeared in an NFL game and did not play college football, but maintained that the photo was taken during a 1980 tryout with the Raiders. Oakland has no record of McCabe ever trying out for the team.
The photo actually was shot more than 20 years later. Romanowski was a 6-foot-4 linebacker, while McCabe, at 5-foot-10, claimed to be a safety.
McCabe chose a photo of a distinctive player to alter.
During Romanowski’s 16-year NFL career, he appeared in 243 consecutive games, an NFL record for linebackers, and won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.
But he made just as many headlines off the field. He was ejected from a game in 1995 for kicking an Arizona Cardinals player in the head, and was fined $20,000 in 1997 after breaking the jaw of Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins in a preseason game.
In 1997, Romanowski spat in the face of San Francisco wide receiver J.J. Stokes. Other on-field altercations would follow.
In 2005, Romanowski appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes, saying he spent more than $200,000 a year on supplements, which included steroids.
On Tuesday, McCabe wouldn’t discuss the faked photograph.
“I’m not saying a word about that,” he said. “I have to get my life together.”
Romanowski, who sells nutritional products on the Internet, recounted an instance in which he had been impersonated. Once, a man pretended to be Romanowski to pick up women and try to embezzle money.
“I think it’s pretty sad that someone would have to do that,” he said of McCabe. “At least he could have changed the number to 58. It would have been a lot easier, just change the 3 to an 8.”
The NFL is investigating.
Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of corporate communications who is in town for owners meetings at The Breakers in Palm Beach, said he is passing along the photo to the league’s legal department.
McCarthy said that McCabe’s use of the Raiders and NFL logo on the photo is a violation.
“He’s using the marks of the club and the NFL shield,” McCarthy said.
NFL Alumni President Frank Krauser, who was also at The Breakers, couldn’t believe that McCabe had gone to such extremes.
Krauser, and NFL Alumni board members Randy Minniear, a former New York Giants running back, and Lee Nystrom, a former tackle for the Green Bay Packers, were stunned to see the doctored photo.
“(McCabe) better watch out,” Nystrom joked. “Romanowski might kill him.”
Romanowski said he will use restraint.
“I’m not going to beat him up,” Romanowski said. “I don’t want to waste my energy.”
Krauser said that while McCabe can remain an associate member of NFL Alumni — a rank for non-players — he’s no longer allowed to run tournaments.
McCabe, who said he was just trying to help charities, said he’s done.
“There’s no reason for me to get involved with anything,” McCabe said. “I’m done. Finished. After this, why would I even want to try help anyone?”
McCabe apologized to each of the eight owners at Group One Mortgage, the company he works for in Jupiter.
“I deserve it. I’m a big boy, and I’m doing some damage control,” McCabe said.
McCabe’s bio was removed from Group One’s Web site on Friday evening, but his boss said he still works for the firm.
“My first thought was to terminate the guy, but I feel really sorry for him,” Group One majority owner Jim Douglas said. “If it was myself, I wouldn’t have even shown back up to work. I would have gone in Sunday, cleaned out my office, and caught a train somewhere. … But he’s apologized to every single person within the company personally.”
McCabe said he wants to maintain friendships with former NFL players and that he’s trying to make amends.
“I’ve talked to every past player that’s a friend of mine, and some are a little upset because I was so stupid, but they’re all behind me,” McCabe said. “They’re still friends because of the good things I did.”
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Stewart Cink played well but never had a chance. From AP-
MARANA, Ariz. - Tiger Woods still rules the world of golf, perhaps now more than ever. With a record-breaking victory Sunday in the Accenture Match Play Championship, Woods won his fifth straight tournament and captured his 15th World Golf Championship, holding all three world titles for the first time. Golf is not a fair fight at the moment.
Stewart Cink found that out at Dove Mountain, where Woods overwhelmed him with 14 birdies in 29 holes for an 8-and-7 victory, the largest margin in the final in the 10-year history of this tournament.
*****
Woods has won four straight times on the PGA Tour, the third time he has built a streak at least that long. He has set the tournament record for margin of victory in his last three wins.
The next tournaments Tiger is likely to play in- Bay Hill, Doral, The Masters, Wachovia. The first three he has won 3 times or more. Tiger is the defending Wachovia champ. If I were to bet Tiger’s streak were to end, I’d say Bay Hill, Masters, Doral, and then Wachovia. Not that I’d any money on Tiger losing them.
This win sees Tiger pass Arnold Palmer on the all-time win list. Next up is Ben Hogan. Tiger needs one win to tie Ben, two to win. Barring an injury, Tiger will pass Hogan before summer begins.
The Golden Rainbow finish their Cinderella season by overcoming a 21-point deficit.
Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Colt Brennan threw for 442 yards and five touchdowns, and Ryan Mouton intercepted a Jake Locker pass in the end zone with three seconds remaining as 11th-ranked Hawaii overcame an early 21-point deficit to beat Washington, 35-28, ending its regular season undefeated for the first time in school history.
Hawaii (12-0) took the lead with 44 seconds remaining on a five-yard pass from Brennan to Ryan-Grice Miller, but just 20 seconds later the Huskies were threatening with a 1st-and-goal at the four. Locker was dropped for a two-yard loss, then tossed the interception, which was tipped in the air in front of Mouton.
Brennan completed 42-of-50 passes for Hawaii, which clinched its first outright Western Athletic Conference title last Friday and is now certainly headed to a BCS bowl game.
Hawaii is a Division one school, they went undeated. No one else can say that. Am I missing something, but is there a team out there with one loss?
So the Golden Rainbows should be in the title game. They won’t, which tells you the BCS is screwed up.
Not too long ago this would have been a move from one Southwest Conference school to another. From AP-
FORT WORTH, Texas - Houston coach Art Briles is next to take on the task of pulling Baylor out of the Big 12 basement.
Briles confirmed he was leaving in a news conference Wednesday at Houston after meeting with his players.
Baylor spokesman Nick Joos said a news conference was scheduled later in the day on the Waco campus to announce the school’s new football coach.
Briles led Houston to four bowls in his five seasons. He was offered the job Wednesday, a day after meeting with Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw in Dallas.
“Life is full of decisions. Sometimes, you have to look at things from a professional, personal standpoint,” Briles said. “Professionally, (Houston) … is great university with a situation I’m proud to be a part of. Personally, the move allows a person of my nature a little more security. When you’re getting up in my age, that’s an important factor in life.”
The Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site that Briles will get a seven-year contract for about $1.8 million per season. Briles, who turns 52 Monday, had four years left on his Houston contract with a base salary of $900,000 annually.
Briles replaces Guy Morriss, who was fired Nov. 18 after five seasons. Morriss’ firing came the day after the Bears (3-9) completed their 12th straight losing season with their 12th consecutive Big 12 loss, 45-14 to Oklahoma State.
Unless Briles’ status as UH coach was shaky for some unknown reason, this is certainly a down market move. Baylor has been hapless since Grant Teaff retired as head coach. I’m betting the 100% increase in salary was the motivating factor for Briles. Athletes, Coaches, plaintiffs in lawsuits are all alike. They never say it’s never about the money.
The University wants him to stay as a fundraiser and goodwill ambassador. From AP-
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Sonny Lubick is out as Colorado State coach and hasn’t decided whether to accept the school’s offer to stay on as a fundraiser and goodwill ambassador. “I have no plans right now. It’s too early to speculate,” Lubick said Tuesday at a news conference.
Athletic director Paul Kowalczyk said Lubick has a job as associate athletic director available to him “if and when he wants it.”
“I want Sonny to be associated with the program,” Kowalczyk said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to keep him in the fold. I want him to be associated with this program that he’s put on the map.”
Lubick’s coaching staff was also let go with the exception of Tom Ehlers, the director of football operations, who will be kept on to oversee the transition period.
Kowalczyk has no timetable for hiring a new coach. He’s already received calls about the vacancy, but wouldn’t reveal any names. Kowalczyk said he would consult with Lubick before hiring a new coach.
“I’d be foolish not to,” he said.
Kowalczyk asked Lubick to step down a few days before the Rams’ season-ending win over Wyoming last Friday.
*****
Speculation has been swirling around Lubick’s future for days after the Rams finished the season. They haven’t had a winning record since 2003, although Lubick is 108-74 in 15 seasons at Colorado State and is credited with turning an underachieving program into a consistent winner for most of his tenure.
Lubick was defensive coordinator at University of Miami before taking the head coaching job at CSU. I knew a couple of Lubick’s assistants when he first went to Fort Collins.
Being far removed from Colorado, I am not familiar with what’s going on in Ft. Collins. Considering Lubick’s success at the school, his dismissal is astonishing. CSU was a perrenial graveyard for coaches and Lubick made the school competitive first in the WAC and then the Mountain West.(They had been to one bowl game ever) I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams are back to being a doormat in a few years.
The California wildfires have forced half a million people to flee their homes, so football is certainly low on the totem poll of concerns in the situation. Still, the San Diego Chargers have had to deal with the effects of the fire on their families, the use of their stadium as an emergency housing facility, and travel to Arizona so that they could practice for their “home” game against the Houston Texans in breathable air. Now, it looks like they’ll have to play their “home” game in Texas.
The Chargers expect to hear today from Mayor Jerry Sanders whether they can play their scheduled game against the Houston Texans in Qualcomm Stadium, and they are narrowing down contingencies for playing elsewhere. “The Chargers are working closely with Mayor Sanders and the fire and police departments to determine how best to deal with Sunday’s scheduled NFL game at Qualcomm Stadium,” the team said in a statement. “Protecting the public safety is the mayor’s top goal, and the Chargers will continue to cooperate with the mayor to achieve this goal.”
[...]
Among the issues with playing the game at Qualcomm Stadium are air quality, the availability of police and other support personnel and the fact that several thousand evacuees are currently housed at the stadium.
The Chargers and the NFL are also considering whether playing the game in San Diego is in the best interest of the community. It appears likely the Chargers will end up playing in Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, if they can’t play at home, sources said last night. The Cowboys have a bye Sunday. Dallas makes sense because the game would likely draw more fans than would a game in Arizona, which would ease the financial losses the Chargers will incur. Also, the Chargers would count on the fact LaDainian Tomlinson is from Waco and went to school at nearby TCU, as well as Dallas fans’ acrimony for Houston, to ensure the crowd is not pro-Texans.
The Chargers do have an insurance policy that covers lost gate receipts, but the deductible is extremely high. The team can generally expect a home game to bring a gate of more than $7 million.
Team President Dean Spanos has met several times over the past two days with league Commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as other league and network executives. All are in Philadelphia for league meetings.
The commissioner said yesterday the Chargers and the league are also considering playing in Los Angeles, Phoenix or Houston.
The chief issues working against the game being in Los Angeles are the unpredictability of the Southern California fires and the logistics of staging a game in a non-NFL stadium. An NFL game requires high-definition replay equipment for game officials. The same would presumably be an issue at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium. The Chargers played at ASU in 2003 when the wildfires in San Diego forced them to move a Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins, but Sun Devil Stadium was then the home of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium is not available Sunday because it is the site of a motorcycle convention.
The game could be played at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. That would likely guarantee a big gate, but the Chargers are concerned about the competitive disadvantage in making the Texans the home team and “would like to avoid” playing there.
A wag at Football Outsiders wonders, “Is there any way we can get the NY Giants an extra home game out of this situation?”
From the Waco Tribune-Herald
Baylor University assistant football coach Eric Schnupp, who was cited early Sunday for urinating on a local bar, has been suspended indefinitely.
*****
Schnupp, 30, was cited for disorderly conduct-reckless exposure by Waco police after he allegedly urinated on the bar at Scruffy Murphy’s, 1226 Speight Ave., in Waco about 2 a.m. Sunday.
Police were already at the bar for an unrelated incident.
One wouldn’t think Schnupp’s career will be helped by this incident. Odder things have happened. George O’Leary resurrected his coaching career after the Notre Dame debacle.
Hat tip- Poliblog Deportes
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SportsBonehead.com linked with Baylor assistant football coach urinates on bar
The new policy will take effect in 2008.
MONTREAL (AP) - The PGA Tour has approved a new regulation that offers medical extensions to players who deal with a family crisis, a decision that will help David Duval and Dudley Hart next year.
Duval used a one-time exemption as top 25 on the career money list to keep his card this year, but it looked as though it might go to waste when his wife was put on bed rest in February because of complications with her pregnancy. Duval felt his responsibility was at home to care for his wife and four children, and he did not play for more than seven months.
Hart withdrew from the Wachovia Championship in May when his wife became seriously ill, and he stayed home with their 5-year-old triplets as his wife recovered. She is doing better, but Hart has not played since late April.
Duval, whose daughter Sienna was born two months ago and is healthy, originally asked the tour about an extension in May and was denied based on the letter of the regulation. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem was concerned that granting an exemption in his case might open the tour up to a bevy of other petitions.
But after the policy board met in late May, there was enough sentiment to take another look.
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Duval returned to competition last week at the Viking Classic, where he tied for 44th, and he plans to play one more event in the Fall Series. His schedule next year will be based on the average number of starts among the top 125 on the money list this year.
PGA Tour players are independent contractors unlike many if not sports athletes. I do think the tour’s policy change is the correct move. A crisis at home(I can speak from personal experience for my wife spent three months on bedrest including two in the hospital when pregnant with our son Daniel, can sap a person physically, mentally and emotionally. Your ultimate concern is for family member(s). Work seems either trivial or an annoyance in comparison) A tour player is fortunate in that they can schedule their work, but I think consideration should be given on a case by case basis like with Duval and Hart. Exemptions are given to players because of physical injuries they suffer, consideration for family emergencies is the compassionate thing to do.
Note- The LPGA Tour grants extensions to players who give birth in addition to those players who suffer injuries.
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