WHEN LIFE IS AFFECTED BY SPORTS.
Last Friday night the emotional roller-coaster that is sports grabbed hold of me and didn't let up until Sunday night. I know there's no crying in baseball, but when I saw Jose Reyes slide awkwardly into second base on Friday, I almost burst out in tears. Then Reyes started crying. When my wife saw that, she started crying. Then they showed the replay from another angle. Then they showed it again. And again. It was gross!
The Jays won the game, but lost Reyes for about 3 months. And when he returns, there's no guarantee he'll be the same player. As for Kobe Bryant, we KNOW he can't return to his old form after suffering a horrible achilles injury on Friday. Bryant, who guaranteed that the Lakers would make the playoffs (looks like they will) was averaging 45 minutes a game as he literally carried the Lakers on his back down the stretch. And like the Black Knight in Monty Python's "Holy Grail", he just refuses to give up, no matter how badly hurt he appears ("It's just a flesh wound"). Since Kobe can't even walk, he won't be able to help the Lakers. However, one envisions Kobe hobbling out of the tunnel, dragging his bad leg behind him like Quasimoto or Willis Reed. Anything to help the Lakers win and make his prophecy come true. Even if he can't play, Kobe can WILL the Lakers to victory. He has that much influence.
Of course, the Masters was the icing on the cake. From Tiger's drop-that-wasn't-a-drop on Friday, to the collapse of several notables on Sunday afternoon, to the dramatic showdown between Angel Cabrera and Adam Scott last night, this tournament had it all. Scott's clutch putt on 18 that gave him (briefly) the outright lead, then was matched thanks to an incredible clutch shot by Cabrera to within 3 feet. That was a shot that Tiger usually pulls off! You'd have thought Cabrera had won the tournament the way he reacted. At the exact same time, the entire nation of Australia threw up all over itself. Apparent victory snatched away by Argentinian will. Messi. The Pope. Angel Cabrera. Wow!
Scott and Cabrera are now forever linked. There were no villains yesterday, unless you include Scott's caddy Steve Williams, who has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way ever since he was toting Tiger's bag and shooing away spectators and photographers like they were gnats. Remember, when Scott won last year, Williams, the caddy, gave that post-match interview that basically stuck it to Tiger (who had fired him). Anyway, Scott seems like such a nice young man. And good looking too. As for Cabrera, he's a 43 year old, big boned man who looks like a weekend duffer and probably enjoys a good cigar and a fine rum after a round. His facial expressions and body language more than make up for the fact that he doesn't speak English (or at least proclaims not to). He's a golfer, plain and simple, and seeing him hit that shot with his son as his caddy was just beautiful. And while Australia has a rich history when it comes to golf, Argentinians love their heroes too. Don't forget, Cabrera and Scott were President's Cup teammates, and Cabrera was very gracious in defeat, basically saying "Hey, if I couldn't win it, I'm glad you did".
Tiger's two stroke penalty was the result of a rule which is quite unclear. Tiger would not have been penalized for his transgression had he not blabbed about it during a post-round interview. When he admitted to moving the ball back a couple of yards to give him the right distance, he incriminated himself and forced the Masters committee to assess him a two shot penalty. The rule is stupid because it doesn't say how close you have to drop your ball to the original spot. You don't want to drop it in the original divot,but do you need to move it 6 inches away? A foot? A yard? The rule is about as clear as mud.
Finally, the Masters playoff format is incredibly exciting, but it would be even better if you reduced the number of clubs in the player's bag. After every shot, you take one more club out of your bag. Like a 4 on 4 overtime in the NHL. Wouldn't it be great if, after two playoff holes, each player had 6 clubs left? That would make for some creative shotmaking, and would likely ensure that the playoff didn't last more than a couple of holes. I'm sure the folks at "60 Minutes" would like that idea. And speaking of which, wasn't that a great segment with Lesley Stahl and R.A. Dickey? Weekend television at it's best. Can't wait for next weekend.
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