This is a strange week for me. I’m going to see very little of my favorite sporting event in the world. The U.S. Open golf tournament.
We’ve got the NBA Finals on Thursday night, then I’ve got to write Thunder stuff on Friday and Saturday, plus a good friend of mine is getting married Saturday night, so I’ve got the rehearsal dinner Friday night and the wedding Saturday night. Then Sunday morning, I jump on a plane to Miami, get to my hotel, hook up with Darnell Mayberry and John Rohde, and head to American Airlines Arena.
So I’ll see very little of the Open, which is what golf ought to be. Guys fighting to make par, not fighting to get to 20-under.
Anyway, I got an email from a reader that really contrasted the NBA Finals and the golf. Like I just said, I’m a big fan of major-championship golf. So remember that when you’re reading Mitch’s email:
“The contrast between the NBA finals and the U.S. Open is stark ! The Thunder and Heat match athletes of incredible dimensions in a game of speed, strength and skill as well as mental toughness. I compare that to a  gang of slow walkers in slacks on xanax ! (That rhymes !)
“During Game 1 I observed the Heat players at the free throw line. Every point is crucial. The world is watching ! The whole arena is going bonkers and noise is at critical mass as fans jump up and down and make noise and hoist signs to distract the attention of the shooter; 36,000 eyes are all on the fellow hoping he misses. THIS is pressure ! Watching athletes perform under these conditions is what it is all about !
“I contrast that to Mickelson and Woods who have caddies carry their clubs and they become enraged over the click of a cell phone camera. God has ordained that the mighty golfer is entitled to pristine circumstances 100 percent of the time and to suggest otherwise is heresy worthy of the stake or rack ! Recently ol’ Phil quit in the middle of a tourney due to ‘mental fatigue.’ To be honest, I have seen mall walkers with replaced hips move faster than these guys. I would like to see my favorite golfer Angel Cabrera take the prize.
“Berry, I will not try to argue with anyone who claims these golfers are great athletes. I think it’s clear they are not. I acknowledge that they are engaging in a sport and possess some basic physical skills, but in the end they are bottom feeders as professional athletes.
“Despite the overwhelming mania of the NBA Finals ( literally the world is here in OKC ) the same guys on the air with ‘man crushes’ on Eldrick will be keeping us fully informed hole by hole on the somnolent U.S. Open. I pray to Allah no one utters a sound during a backstroke!
“I can tell you for a fact, a fact you know, that all downtown OKC is talking about is the Thunder. Frankly, most of us do not care much for the golf right now and only a few really want to hear that much about it in the local media. It certainly is well covered on TV for those who must attach their posteriors to the La-Z-Boy and watch each shot as if world peace were on the line. So let the man crush golf gurus have all the Open they want. Just leave the rest of us out of it !
“OKC wants the Thunder 100% of the time for now!â€
The take on the pressure situation is interesting. Golfers are a little coddled. Except for the little part. Shooting foul shots and hitting golf shots is all muscle memory. But golfers must have absolute silence; basketball players do their work amid chaos.
However, I don’t agree about the lack of interest in the U.S. Open. I’ll watch all I can, though it will be very little. And I’ll regret not getting to watch it all.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
No comments:
Post a Comment