Yep, that's a question mark in the headline because, really, we all know that there are no sports to speak of currently. So this will really be me, more or less, cleaning out some shirt pocket notes.
There was one live event this past Sunday, and that was "The Match 2" featuring the teams of Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady.
I watched and enjoyed it immensely and here are some of the reasons why.
- The Match raised $20 million for COVID19 relief efforts.
- It was played, for the most part, in miserable weather and these four multi-millionaire athletes soldiered on for the cause, so good for them. (Major League Baseball, take note.)
- All but Brady wore shorts.
- Manning and Brady, purportedly to be single digit handicappers, were spraying the ball over the course. In my Tuesday round of Retiree Golf this week, I hit more fairways off the tee than Tom Brady did on Sunday (albeit I hit it a LOT shorter). It's fun to see great athletes humbled.
- Tom Brady never used a driver.
- No caddies. They drove their own carts, used range finders, cleaned their own clubs, and pulled their own pins. I mean, TIGER WOODS was pulling the pins on the greens. He probably hasn't had to do that since he was ten years old.
- Tiger Woods didn't miss a fairway all day.
- Tom Brady called Peyton Manning "Paydirt." Great nickname.
- And of course, Brady holing out from 100+ yards in the fairway after hacking it all over the place. And splitting his pants.
- Justin Thomas as an on course commentator.
- Charles Barkley.
- And of course the constant realization that the game played by the likes of Woods and Mickelson is way, way, way different than the game played by high level amateurs like the two QB's, let alone the game played by hackers like you and me.
News reports a few days after the event had Mickelson speculating about continuing the format of The Match with different celebrity guests. Names like Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Tony Romo, and Patrick Mahomes were being floated by Lefty. To that, I say be careful what you wish for. Keep trotting the golden goose out there, and soon The Match will be just another dunk contest, home run derby, or outdoor NHL game. Plus, how long will it be before the "celebrities" will C and D Listers like Ryan Seachrist and whoever it is that won the last season of The Bachelor?
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While Woods, Mickelson, Manning, and Brady were slogging it through the downpours in Florida on Sunday, MLB and the MLBPA continued their pissing contest over money when and if some form of a Major League Baseball season is to be played. You know the story: "Billionaires vs. Millionaires" fighting over moola while 100,000 Americans have died and tens of millions are out of work because of a global pandemic.
Rather then me go on and on about the horrible optics of this whole thing, I strongly recommend that you read Jason Mackey's lengthy piece that appeared in the Op-Ed section of Sunday's Post-Gazette:
It not only outlines the issues of these specific negations, but also lists why baseball, the sport, is declining in following among younger people. The best line in the article is quote that says of MLB and its Players that "it's almost like they're asking people to not follow their sport."
As it is, I say that it is less than 25% probable that there will be a baseball season in 2020. Hope I'm wrong.
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Football. I have watched two episodes of "America's Game" on the NFL Network highlighting the 1975 and 1978 seasons of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The show on the 1979 season awaits me on my DVR. I don't like to be one of those guys who wallow in nostalgia, but man it sure is fun watching those shows. Those teams were GOOD!!!
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