Maddux Goes Logo-less: Greg Maddux has decided not to have a logo on
the cap his Baseball Hall of Fame bust will bear. As a Braves fan, I would have
liked him to have chosen an Atlanta logo, but he played eleven or twelve
seasons with each team and had similar success from a statistical perspective.
The main difference was that the Braves were winning division titles, pennants
and a World Series during his tenure in Atlanta. Of course, the Cubs'
frustrations are well documented, so it certainly wasn't Greg Maddux' s fault
that they failed to win a title during his two stints in Chicago. I totally
support the Hall of Famer's decision to go into the shrine without a logo.
Unlike longtime Brave teammate Tom Glavine, who will have the Atlanta logo on
his bust, Maddux can easily be claimed by fans in both Chicago and Atlanta.
Likewise, Tony LaRussa, who managed in Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis, declined
to commit to a logo. He led two of those teams to World Series appearances and
titles, so I once again understand his choice. I'm sure Cardinals fans will
make a case for the St. Louis logo, but I don't generally make it a habit of
caring much about what Cards fans think. I know, I know, it's petty and
childish, but that's just how it is.
Nadal ousts Federer: Rafael
Nadal beat Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open. That's not
usually a big story with all of the Super Bowl hype ramping up, as well as college
basketball in full conference swing. But what's at stake at this point is
Federer's seemingly invincible record of 17 grand slam titles. In an era when
there are other very good players, such as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray
winning majors, it's hard to believe that Nadal, at age twenty seven, can
capture his fifteenth with a win on Saturday. Or is it Sunday, or is it Friday?
I really can't keep track when things happen in Australia. Anyway, my point is
that Nadal, especially with his dominance at the French Open, certainly has the
capability to surpass Federer. And a win this weekend would give him a big
boost.
Tiger Back in Action: Tiger Woods returned to the golf course
yesterday, shooting a 72 on the South Course at Torrey Pines in La Jolla,
California in the Farmers Insurance Open. The South is the tougher of the two
courses, so the round the number one player in the world shot appeared to be
mediocre, putting him in a tie for 63rd. However, the North course, which Woods
will play today, is traditionally far easier than the South. In round one, it played an average of four shots
less than the other track. Tiger has won seven times at this tournament, in
addition to a U.S. Open at the same venue. He's probably a little rusty,
although Woods didn't use that term in describing his round. Unlike last
season, this is Tiger's first tournament of the season with no European Tour warm-up.
Now that the fourteen major winner has re-established himself as the top player
in the world, there are really only four tournaments that will matter to most
golf fans when it comes to Tiger: The Masters, The U.S. Open, The Open
Championship and the PGA. He hasn't won one of those since 2008 and time is
running out on the thirty-eight year old's assault on Jack Nicklaus' record of
18 career major tournament wins. So even
if Woods comes back and wins for the eighth time at Torrey Pines, it won't
matter all that much until he tees it up in April at Augusta National.
Browns Finally Hire a Coach: It was starting to look
like the Cleveland Browns might have to hire a high school offensive
coordinator to be their third coach in as many seasons. In a league where
parity is not only encouraged, but generally realized, the Browns haven't won
more than five games since 2007. Really, and they think a new head coach will
solve the problem? In that same timeframe, only five teams have failed to make
a playoff appearance and the Browns ended up taking a coach from one of the
others, the Buffalo Bills. However, Mike Pettine only spent a year in Buffalo
and had defensive success with the Ravens and the Jets. So perhaps the Browns
can overcome front office issues and finally start winning some football games, but I wouldn't bet on it.
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