Scandals, Handles and Double Eagles

Well, it has been awhile since our last post and boy has it been busy. We've had Scandals galore, some great NBA basketball (with one team making some statements), and if you did not follow the advice of our BTBSports Bracket Challenge winner, Adam (Bob) Clark, and watch The Battle for Amen Corner boy did you miss out!

The Masters:
I want to start with the positive and touch on the Masters. What a great four days of golf! I am still amazed at what I saw over those first three days, but Sunday took it to a whole new level! Tiger did not show up in a Major (again) and to be quite frank, I have the fork about an inch away from him and am all but ready to stick it in him... BUT..... it's Tiger and if he can figure out his stroke soon (key word SOON) then he could still make a run. But, Tiger is cooking at medium well right now and is well on his way to well done (borderline burnt). Rory did not have a good performance either, but I'm willing to cut him more of a break because of his age. Rory still has a lot of time to get it figured out and make multiple runs and I am looking forward to watching him play some of his best golf in a few years. Now, to the man who just keeps getting it done, Phil! I can't say that I was surprised to see Phil with a chance to catch the leaders on Sunday (and you shouldn't have been either). The man just flat out gets the job done. Although he didn't win, he sure made it interesting and if it wasn't for a shot that went off a railing, this story could have a whole different story. The story line of the day came from the battle between Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen. Oosthuizen had arguably the best shot of the tournament with is Double Eagle from about 260 yards out. I watched that shot live and was AMAZED! but the shot that got me out of my seat was Bubba's shot on the second playoff hole from not the rough, but the woods! To me this was the shot of the day without question. Not only did he bust out of the woods but he put it on the green and was able to two putt to victory after Oosthuizen left his shot short of the green. Bubba won this tournament and there are not enough words to describe how great this tournament was and the best I can do is it to say watch this!

Bobby Petrino:

I nominate Bobby Petrino for one of the biggest idiots of the year. This guy not only had an affair with a 25 year old woman, who he had just hired to a position within the football department, but wrecked his motorcycle with her on the back and decided it would be a good idea to lie to the police, and his boss to cover up the fact that he was an IDIOT! Ozzie Guillen should send him a personal "Thank You" note (but I'll let Clark tell you about that). Bobby was not only fired from his job, but has put his chances of landing another high profile football job in jeopardy. I don't doubt that someone will give him another chance but this will be a long time down the road. I'm sure the professional embarrassment doesn't compare to the personal embarrassment he has to endure, and we all have made some choices that we regret but C'MON MAN!

SMITTY

STICKS AND STONES

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.  We're all familiar with the phrase.  Words might not be able to physically hurt but they do their fair share of damage at times.  Ask Ozzie Guillen who opened his mouth once again to say something stupid.  But this time, he finally took it too far.

"I respect Fidel Castro, you know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here."

Now, I am a White Sox fan and I love Ozzie Guillen.  He was our manager and gave White Sox nation a World Series ring and we will NEVER forget that.  I have enjoyed Ozzie's crazy antics during his White Sox days in Chicago.  Here are a few to enjoy.

"I'm the Charlie Sheen of the baseball world without the drugs and prostitute."

"I'm not a quitter.  When I want to quit, I'll do alot of stupid things and make sure they fire me and get paid."

"In the '80s and '90s, people made a lot of money and built houses. The first thing they put in their houses was a gym. In my house, the first thing I built was a bar. The second thing I built was another bar."

"I tell my kids to be careful who they have sex with. Pick the right woman, because that kid is going to be a Guillen for the rest of his life."

"Even my wife told me Minnesota is coming to town. I said, 'Good, you dating somebody from there?' Who cares?"

"My mother is a high school principal. My brother is an engineer. One of my little sisters is a doctor. Another is a teacher. When you come from that kind of family and only get to eighth grade, it's kind of weird and awkward. But I make more money."

 “[Showalter] never even smelled a jock in the big leagues.  Mr. Baseball never even got a hit in Triple-A.  I was a better player than him, I have more money than him and I’m better looking than him.” 

"A couple of days ago we were the [bleeping] best stuff in town. Now we're [bleep]. ... We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse[bleep].  The Cubs haven't won in 100 years, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody."

"What attracted me to my wife is she's hot. She's also nice, she's a great mom - but that comes after she's hot."

On annoying fans: “I've got two people here that drive me crazy. They are all over me, and I'm like 'Shut up, you drunk.' It's easy to make moves when you're drunk.”

On Wrigley Field: "I puke every time I go there."

But this time, he took it too far.  He insulted an entire nation.  Not CUBs nation, but the CUBan nation.  The same Cubans that Marlins owners counted on lining up at the gate and pouring through the gates into their new ballpark which is located in their own backyard of Little Havana.

Castro is Cuba's Hitler.  You don't tell certain groups that Hitler is great and that you love and adore him.  Thats the impact that Castro has had on Cubans and after Ozzie spoke about it in a way only Ozzie can, he triggered a quick history lesson.

Ozzie clearly forgot where he is.  This isn't Chicago anymore where he actually made a smilar comment about Castro back in 2008 in the Chicago Sun-Times.

“He’s a bull---- dictator and everybody’s against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him.  Everywhere he goes, they roll out the red carpet. I don’t admire his philosophy; I admire him.’’

Because Ozzie was in Chicago where the Cuban population is minimal, that barely created a ripple across the media landscape.  But you're not in Chicago anymore Ozzie.  You're in a part of the country where Cubans are the most present; almost 30% of South Florida, Dade County more specifically.

I will admit, his apology seemed sincere and I've never seen the man so dejected and sad, and rightfully so.  That should be exactly how he was feeling.  However, he still doesn't seem to be taking responsibility for his words 100%.  Instead, he attempts to blame it on a language barrier.

"What I meant in Spanish, I was talking in Spanish, was that I cannot believe somebody who hurt so many people over the years is still alive."

Pending on how people react when he comes back to the Marlins after his 5 game suspension is served, I'd assume his job is safe.  If the bottom line is in anyway effected (baseball is a business afterall), such as advertising and ticket sales, then we'll be talking about how Ozzie's words didnt break any bones, but it did cost him his job.

-Clark-

By the way, anyone catch my Bulls last night?