Just Desserts

Sometimes folks get their just desserts. The Clarion Content felt like today was just such a day. It was the used car salesman Bud Selig's 75th birthday. And lo and behold if the New York Times didn't deliver him a heck of a birthday present. Dropping the news that Boston Red Sox stars David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs back in 2003.

The news came as no surprise. The timing could not have been more appropriate. Commissioner Selig was the authority figure most culpable for baseball casual endorsement of steroids in the 1990's. Selig was the leader who glorified the ridiculously tainted 1998 demolishing of Roger Maris's single-season home run record. He was the commissioner who oversaw Barry Bonds blatantly obvious transformation. While there were many who shared in the guilt of turning a blind eye to what was if not cheating by the letter of the rules, was certainly illegal under United States law, Selig was the head honcho.

Selig, who epitomizes the sleaze associated with used car salesmen, got a healthy dose of you reap what you sow. Happy Birthday, Bud!

Perfect

DeWayne Wise, a catch for the ages

Mark Buehrle pitched the 18th perfect game all-time earlier this week. The Chicago White Sox hurler had already thrown a no-hitter in 2007 against the Texas Rangers. He narrowly missed perfection in that game, walking a single batter, only to pick him off two pitches later.

Beyond Buehrle, the only active pitcher with two no-hitters is future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. In fact, in the history of the game only twenty-six pitchers have pitched multiple no-hitters. Buehrle commented afterward that he, "bought everyone watches after the last one," he then noted wryly that this one might be more expensive.

The most dramatic element in Buehrle's perfect afternoon was authored by a little known, late inning, defensive replacement named DeWayne Wise. Wise who had just entered the game in the ninth inning made spectacular catch in left-centerfield. He leaped at the eight foot fence, extended his arm into the crowd, just snagging the ball in the webbing of his glove, then as he toppled back onto the warning track he bobbled it briefly, before he grabbed it again, barehanded, and held it aloft for the crowd to see. It was a terrific catch at the biggest moment of the game.

Congratulations to Buehrle and Wise on their highlight for the ages.

Turnberry

Only one of these men has won the Open in Turnberry, Scotland.

The British Open this week will be played on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland at Turnberry. Turnberry, although not as famous as the legendary St. Andrews, was the site of the best British Open ever, and quite possibly the single best major golf tournament of the modern era. The year was 1977.

It was a duel between a twenty-seven year old Tom Watson and a thirty-seven year old Jack Nicklaus. Watson, a gap-toothed kid from Kansas City, had already won the 1975 British Open at Carnoustie and then beat the Golden Bear head-to-head in the 1977 Masters, three months before the British Open. Nicklaus was in his prime, having already won 14 of his eventual 18 major titles. Watson was hot coming in, according to Dave Anderson of the New York Times. He had just won the Western Open and a tune-up tournament in Barcelona where he shot a 61 in the final round. He would go on to win six tournaments that year and five British Open titles in his career, equaling the all-time record.

Watson and Nicklaus went mano-a-mano like great boxers for four rounds. The both opened 68-70 and pulled three strokes clear of the field. Then came the third round Saturday, booming driving, arrow like irons, long putts and when the day ended both had shot majestic 65s. They would be again alone in the final group on Sunday. The final round was the stuff legends are made of.

The winner broke the British Open scoring record by eight strokes. Watson and Nicklaus finished a full ten strokes clear of third place Hubert Green. As Sunday drew to a close, Watson was down by one stroke heading to the par three 15th hole. He answered the bell. He nailed a 60 foot birdie putt from the hardened grass a full 10 feet off of the green, dinging it off the flagstick and dropping it into the jar. They were tied with three holes to go. Both players parred the 16th hole. The 17th was a par five, Watson made the the green in two. He was facing a mere twenty foot two-putt for birdie. Nicklaus, off the green in two, finessed a tricky chip to within five feet, but he couldn't nail the birdie putt. Watson two putted for birdie and held the lead for the first time all day. But, the Golden Bear wasn't done yet.

18 was a par four and the tournament looked all but over when Nicklaus hit his drive into the deep British Open rough. Somehow he slashed through it, and put his second on to the edge of the green, forty feet from the pin. Meanwhile Watson, offering no opportunities to the consensus best player ever (pre-Tiger) hit a one-iron down the middle of the fairway, and then a seven-iron to two feet. But he knew better than most, it still was not over. According the Times veteran columnist Dave Anderson, moments before Nicklaus putted Watson whispered to his caddie that Nicklaus would make that 40-footer for birdie. And he did. Facing all the pressure in the golfing world, with greatest player in the game watching over his shoulder, Watson drilled the two footer and won the tournament. As Nicklaus told him later, "I gave you my best shot but it wasn’t enough. Congratulations."

We would be lucky to see half as much drama this week as the British Open returns to Turnberry for the first time since 1994 when Nick Price was the winner.

Hate to see it

Antoine Walker, stylin'

We hate to see it, but we can't say that we are entirely shocked to read that a former 1st round draft pick from Kentucky, Antoine Walker, is in a bit of trouble. Walker, thirty-two, played for among other teams the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat and most recently the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008. He is currently facing court on three felony counts in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The charges in question stem from Walker writing bad checks for gambling debts. He allegedly wrote bad checks totaling $822,500 to three casinos, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and Red Rock Resort. Walker's NBA salary peaked at $12,375,000 pre-taxes in the 2002-03 season. As it stands now, Walker is also facing an additional $82,000 fine from the District Attorney's office stemming from the bad checks charges.

Ugh.

One man's trash

Of course you have heard the old saw, dear readers, one man's trash is another man's treasure. But in Boston, maybe, not so fast, hombre, the standard cliches do not always apply.

Sixty-one year old Dennis Paiva thought he had found some sweet scrap metal that he could cash in on behind the luxury condo of New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. Flip Brady's trash into treasure as it were. Unfortunately, as it turned out Paiva obviously didn't have the same eye and tastes as Tom and supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen, because that wasn't scrap metal he picked up, but $4 grand worth of designer flower boxes.

Luckily for Mr. Dennis Paiva, who is unemployed after recent surgery, local Boston businessman Dan Greenwald read about the case and the court order and made the appropriate restitution.

Tim Wakefield and Satchel Paige?

Tim Wakefield and Satchel Paige indeed have something in common. The aging Boston Red Sox knuckleballer joined the former Negro League star as the two oldest first time All-Star selections in baseball history. The forty-two year old Wakefield was selected to his first game today. Paige was a first time All-Star at the age of forty-six in 1952. Wakefield, 10-3, heads a brigade of six All-Stars for the A.L. East leading Red Sox.

Get me an apiarist, stat!

The San Diego Padres versus the Houston Astros game was delayed for fifty-two minutes in the top of the ninth inning. The game was in San Diego, so no surprise, it wasn't a rain delay! It was insect related. And unlike the midge meltdown Joba Chamberlain suffered in the A.L. playoffs, the game was stopped by the umps.

The Associated Press quoted Padres president Tom Garfinkel, "A few thousand bees attached themselves to a queen bee." They surrounded a ball girl's chair and jacket down the left field line. "The umpires made the right call to stop the game," Garfinkel said. "There's a couple thousand bees there. If they decide to swarm on a person, whether that's a player, an employer or obviously a fan, we could have a real situation."

Fortunately, no kidding, head groundskeeper Luke Yoder has an apiarist on his speed dial. The AP captured a photo of San Diego Padres left fielder Kyle Blanks standing in a swarm of bees just before the game was stopped.

Cheater's appeal denied

The NCAA denied the final appeal of former Indiana University and Oklahoma University basketball coach, Kelvin Scam-scum, err, Sampson. The sleazy ex-college coach was hit with five years of personal penalties for repeating at Indiana recruiting violations he had been previously punished for at Oklahoma. Sampson also lied to investigators about his misdeeds according the NCAA. Sampson is banned from coaching in the college ranks until at least 2013. Unfortunately, Sampson has slithered off to the NBA working on the coaching staff of the lowly Milwaukee Bucks.

Read more here.

A steal

The New York Knicks got a steal at the bottom of the first round of the NBA draft. Toney Douglas from Florida State, the Clarion Content loves him! We watched him four times a year against Duke and the University of North Carolina teams. He is a tough as nails defender, ACC Defensive Player of the Year his senior season. He is an effort player. He is a consistent scorer, and was the leading man, the primary guy other teams focused on when playing Florida State and he still got his twenty a night.

He knows his own game. He says the NBA'er he modeled his game after is former Detroit Pistons six time All-Star guard, Joe Dumars (currently the Pistons head honcho of player personnel). Douglas sees his game as like Dumars because Dumars was also a terrific defender. Like Douglas, he was a guard who could play the one or the two. He could shoot, he could find other ways to score and always got his points. He could submit to the team concept and make those around him play better. He was a quiet presence on a team with a lot of alpha dogs. Toney Douglas is aiming high.

We are quite happy the Knicks got him. We hope he isn't about to be shipped off to Minnesota in some ridiculous Ricky Rubio package.