Monday Morning Thoughts

Some random thoughts while waiting for the work fairy to come...

-Tiger Woods might have disappointed but the PGA Championship did not.  Jason Dufner was so solid, and his approach to 16 one of the best.  For a guy who got his general exposure for "Dufnering" while waiting, he showed mettle, nerve and what the British call "bottle" winning his first major championship.  Reminded me a lot of Bubba Watson's Masters win last year, right down to the hair.  It was a performance worthy of his idol, Ben Hogan.

-Jim Furyk's reputation was one of the good guys when I played college golf, even though our paths never crossed.  The way he played Sunday was admirable, he just got beat.  The way he handled himself afterward was  honest, forthright, and, above all, gracious.  Bobby Jones set the tone for this type of behavior many years ago.  Jack Nicklaus showed it 19 time when he finished second in a major, taking it to the next level.  Jim Furyk showed worthy succession of this behavior.  A lot of other sports should take note.

-Alex Rodriguez take your suspension like a man.  You're busted, do the time.  I understand that you feel picked on and have been suspected even since high school.  But the gun is smoking and you're trying to defend yourself for something inexcusable: cheating. Saw you play in the Midwest League years ago, and it looked great.  Your numbers are impressive, but remember the game that made you, not the other way around.

-Hoping Miguel Cabrera did it the right way.  Hoping Mike Trout is for real.  Hoping Yasiel Puig defies the trend.  Hoping Crush Davis suddenly found something.  Hoping Justin Verlander has something others don't.  Hoping Dustin Pedroia is just total effort.  I respect what each of them has done to get to the majors and become stars.  It is the outgrowth of what the generation of stars has done before them: disrespected the game and brought everyone into question.

-Hey, I get it.  Major Leaguers have a job that pays them well for a short period of time.  Providing for you and your family is the first priority and if it takes an injection and workouts to get to that final contract to set them up for life, you are doing what you need to do.  However the game made you, not the other way around.

So...am I off base?