But, with “Bob being Bob”, I just had to start with a football note.

As many of you may or may not know (or care), I follow 2 NFL teams very carefully. The Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. Everyone in the media has a favorite team, but they generally don’t tell anyone for fear that they will be outed and are concerned that the readers/listeners cannot handle the idea that you did not grow up in Dallas and cheer for the Cowboys as a kid. Well, I did not. I was born in Wisconsin, so while I cover the Cowboys for a living, I also follow the Packers as a life-long fan (who has a Packers tattoo and a son, named Brett).

Hopefully, that will explain why I watched every play of the Green Bay vs Cleveland exhibition game.

Anyway, one of the stories of the Packers camp mirrors one of the big stories from Cowboys camp. It is the emergence of a talented, young Tight End that both teams drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft from Texas. For the Cowboys, of course, it was Martellus Bennett who was taken in the 2nd round and showed flashes for the Cowboys last season after playing at Texas A & M.

Green Bay took Jermichael Finley from Texas in the 3rd Round, and he is all the rage up there. Much like Bennett with Jason Witten, the plan in Green Bay is to use plenty of 2-tight end offense and pair him with Donald Lee as a receiving threat.

My plan is to research this topic and find out the most productive tight end tandems to see where the ceiling is for production of two tight ends. Can two TE’s be effective? You bet. But, is it a wrinkle or is it the base offense?

From the Sunday Milwaukee Journal :

Green Bay — Tight end Jermichael Finley looks as if he’s going to be the biggest difference in the Green Bay Packers’ offense this season.

That might be a bold statement to make after two weeks of practice and the opening exhibition game. But judging by the heavy workload coach Mike McCarthy dialed up for him Saturday night against the Cleveland Browns, Finley figures just as prominently as starter Donald Lee, if not more so.

“So far, so good,” general manager Ted Thompson said during the Packers’ 17-0 victory over the Browns in the 60th annual Upper Midwest Shrine Game. “I think he’s a natural player. We think he’s had a good camp.”

Playing only in the first half, Finley didn’t make any great one-handed catches before a crowd of 69,091 at Lambeau Field. He finished with two receptions for 18 yards.

Yet, Finley’s presence as an athlete and as an integral part of the game plan was very much evident.

“I could feel him out there,” a personnel director for another National Football League team said at halftime. “He’s going to create some matchup problems. It’s all about matchups at that position. Look at Dallas when they got (Martellus) Bennett to go with (Jason) Witten. Then they had two (threats).”

Finley was an immature player in every way, shape and form last season after being drafted in the third round out of Texas. He played just two seasons for the Longhorns before declaring for the draft two years early.

The reliable Lee wound up having to play 778 snaps a year ago. Finley made so many mistakes and was such a liability as a blocker that he played merely 98 behind No. 2 Tory Humphrey, who had 353. Humphrey was lost for the season with a broken arm.

Finley, however, took full advantage of the off-season conditioning and weight program. He buried himself in his playbook, made significant gains in the weight room and moved into the process of becoming a professional.

On the first play of the season, McCarthy sent out Finley and Lee in a double tight-end set. He was in for at least three plays of a seven-play drive that was culminated by Aaron Rodgers’ 53-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver.

“It was a pretty good night for me and I took advantage of it,” Finley said. “We were in a lot of double-set tight end. I gave my blocking a B-plus, A-minus.”

I am not saying this is a trend breaking out across the NFL – because you have to have the personnel to do it. Many teams don’t have one solid receiving TE – let alone 2 – but the Cowboys and Packers both are talking boldly about how they can’t wait to cause plenty of stress amongst defenses by this dangerous “12″ personnel package – 1RB and 2TE. This formation is so dangerous because as a defense you cannot assume anything from the personnel. If you lean run, they will kill you down the field with two tight ends who can run by linebackers or physically dominate your safety. And if you lean pass, then the team can grind you to powder by running the ball with a 7 man offensive line.

Both teams are going to try to do it this year, with the 2nd TE for both franchises are local college studs. I think the Aggie is a better player, but the Longhorn is a raw talent who can play (ask the Sooners). By the way, the Sooners have a TE this year – Jermaine Gresham – who may be better than both, and will really help a team next year in the NFL.

Anyway, let’s see what is on your mind:

Hold on Just A Second Bob

Isn’t Tiger, who by all accounts, has been the most clutch performer in sports allowed a bad round of golf without calling it a choke job?  I mean it is possible for even Tiger to have a bad day. It doesn’t automatically mean it’s a choke job.

Rick

Tiger is the most clutch performer in sports. And sure, he is allowed a bad round. But he choked. I love the guy, but he choked. He coughed up a huge lead and missed putts that you must make. It seems harsh to call him a choker, because by my definition, a choker is someone who chokes (a lot). Tiger may not be a choker, but shooting a 75 on a Sunday and missing 8 putt inside 10 feet at a major is a choke if Sergio or Phil do it. So, I believe on the rarest of occasions, Tiger Woods choked.

I still love him. But, it is what it is.

Where would the Rangers be without – Scooter Feldman??

Who has the most quality starts on the Ranger staff with 14?

Who is ninth in the league in quality start percentage at .667 (quality starts divided by number of starts) (behind only Greinke, Halliday, Hernandez, Jackson, Washburn, Beckect, Lee and Burnett)

Who has a higher quality start percentage and as many or more quality starts than Sabathia, Verlander, Buehrle, Garza, Pettite, Weaver, and Chamberlain?

Who is fifth in the league in wins (with 3 fewer starts than most AL starting pitchers)

Where would the Rangers be without Scooter Feldman?

.500 and 8 games behind the Red Sox, at best

Billy

As someone who has no idea how long we can expect Scott Feldman to dominate, I cannot put into words how shocked I am with the play of the man. To me, you would certainly consider Tommy Hunter and Elvis Andrus as candidates for the best performance from a Ranger who you may not have expected, but Feldman takes the award.

He has a lot of people wondering how good he will be in 2011 or 2012. But the fact that he can become one of three 13 game winners tonight in all of baseball speaks to his hard work and the work of Mike Maddux. This whole pitching staff has stepped it up, but I think it is fair to wonder where this team would be without the consistently solid work of Scott Feldman.

Bob,

I think this bit about the “transplant fans” is bs.  The red sox just have a ton of bandwagon fans, in full violation of your own policy (that I agree with 100%) that you should only be allowed to be a fan
of the pro teams in the area you’re from, or living in.  I would guess 75% of those “loyal” red sox fans at the ball park have never lived outside of Texas, let alone lived anywhere near boston.  This is a
relatively new phenomenon (the boston fans showing up in droves in Arlington), as I don’t remember that many of them showing up back before they started winning.  I don’t understand why these local, new
to red sox fandom people can’t get on the Ranger bandwagon, but it only makes beating them that much sweeter.

I love it when Grieve calls them out during the broadcast as well.

Evan

And then here is another one with a very similar tone:

Dan,

I was at the game on Friday night and for drawing 40K+ aside from the 9th inning was a quiet crowd that may as well of been 20K. Throughout the entire game you heard more “Lets go Red Sox” chants than “Lets go Rangers”. It was so annoying being a Rangers fan and feeling as if not only no playoff atmosphere but like an away game in our own ballpark.

The only thing is it doesn’t pass the eye test. I am sitting next to a Red Sox fan wearing my Kinsler shirt (dark blue/red lettering) and he is wearing what looks to be an identical T-shirt in dark blue with red lettering sporting a Red Sox shirt so the crowd just blends together. I couldn’t completely tell how many Red Sox fans were there but you could hear it.

And for all those so called Red Sox fans … we both know 90% of them are not from Boston and have no affiliation to claim being a chowder head. Y asked every Red Sox fan I saw if they were even from Boston and after my sample poll of about 50 people you had about 5 that could represent. Bunch of bandwagoners . That is what is sad.

Aside from that … bounced back and took 2 out of 3. Just wish I could of been there for the 2 wins.

Take Care and can’t wait to hear some Stars talk in the future.

Chris

This is a very good sign. Rangers fans are starting to get angry about the fact that the stadium is infiltrated with visiting fans. Then Rangers fans get even more angry when they find out that these “Die-Hard” Red Sox fans are actually born and raised in Carrolton or Mesquite.

It is one thing to have transplants who grown up following the Red Sox because they lived in Maine and now live in the metroplex. This is a huge transplant town so there is not much we can do about that when the Red Sox, Red Wings, Steelers, or Lakers roll in.

But, nothing drives me crazier than the legions of “fans” who were born here, but just found a nice band wagon to hop on. The Red Sox fan ranks grew big time when they were the team in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s who were battling the evil Yankees. Therefore, if you were “anti-Yankees” then you found yourself pulling for the Red Sox in those many battles.

At the same time, the Rangers were out of the race in their division a number of times by Memorial Day, and the young, impressionable kids of this city decided they were ready to pledge allegience to Manny, Papi, and Johnny Damon. So, we have what we have here, which is a number of our kids who are way more into the Red Sox than they are the Rangers.

I am not sure how we handle this moving forward, but the more the home team shows it is worthy of capturing the imagination of our area’s youth, the fewer knuckleheads from Euless or Grand Prairie will be getting a “Let’s Go Red Sox” cheer going at the Ballpark.

difference from 2008 to 2009: in the month after the all-star break (29 games):

2008
Team gave up 5+ runs: 22 times
Starter gave up 4+ runs: 21 times

2009
Team gave up 5+ runs: 9 times
Starter gave up 4+ runs: 6 times

Steve

In a season of amazing stats, here is another one…

Chris wants to know more about Neftali’s big start:

Is there another guy who has struck out more in his first 6 innings of work? I cant remember ever seeing a guy strike out people like this guy.

Chris

Jayson Stark offered this last Friday morning on ESPN.com …

• Feliz has faced only 22 hitters, but he already has more strikeouts (13) than eight different pitchers who have faced at least 100 hitters this year. Topping that list: Carlos Silva, who fanned only 10 of 132 before heading for the disabled list.

• And maybe the most amazing Neftali Feliz stat of all is this: This man has struck out more than half of the hitters he’s faced. And if he can somehow keep this up, he would be the first pitcher in history to do that, among guys who pitched six innings or more in a season. Billy Wagner never did it. Rob Dibble never did it. Eric Gagne never did it. But nothing Neftali Feliz — a fellow averaging nearly 99 miles an hour on every fastball he launches — does would surprise anybody.

“I’ll never forget the first time I ever saw him,” one scout said. “It was during the Instructional League, when he was still with Atlanta. And one of our instructors called me over and said, ‘You’ve got to see this guy. He’s the best I’ve ever seen.’ To be able to throw a baseball like that — it’s a gift.”

And finally, a football email to close us down:

Hey Bob,

Here are the top 20 4th qtr QB’s based on rating. The site also has 4th quarter int leaders. I’m sure you already have it.

4th Quarter QB Ratings from 2008 .

Take care,
Eric

Wow. I knew Romo was pretty good in the 4th Quarters last season (at Pittsburgh not so much), but I didn’t realize he was #1 in the NFL. Good work, Eric.

Ok, I am away for the rest of the week in Guatemala, taking my annual trip to run a sports camp for orphanages with my friends from Buckner International. Here is my summary of last year’s trip if you have even the slightest interest. I will talk to you again next Tuesday and at that point, I can promise no more absences through the Super Bowl.

It certainly happens to everyone eventually, and yesterday, on the final day of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, it happened to Tiger Woods.  He finally choked on the biggest stage. Woods, who is most certainly the most invincible figure in sports today, has shown that he bleeds like a human. And yes, he occasionaly can have such a bad day that it costs him a major in which he seemed to be in complete control.

It was a Sunday at a major, and it seemed that most competitors of the PGA took themselves out of the mix as the weekend went on. Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, and then Padraig Harrington with his 9 on a Par 3 was further elimination of what appeared to be the “real” threats to Tiger winning his 15th majors.

But, here was Y.E. Yang. A Korean who most of us – at least those of us who are obsessed with the greatest golfers in the world – had no idea who this guy was about 72 hours ago. And not only was he not reminding us of Jan Van De Velde in the 1999 British Open , by blowing up – but he was hitting winners.

After his Eagle chip on 14, his two most memorable shots were his approach on 16 that teased the water on the right of the green, and his amazing 3-wood hybrid on 18 to 10 feet. Neither of those shots were a great idea if you “were playing it safe”. But Yang either didn’t mind tempting his nerve, nor didn’t realize that he was supposed to implode in the presence of Tiger Woods. Whatever the case may be, Y.E. Yang did not “back in” to a major win. He went after it. And closed the deal with brilliance. Just like Buster Douglas did in Tokyo in 1990. And just like the Orlando Magic did in 1995. They beat the best when nobody thought it was possible.

The New York Times :

In one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history, Yang, 37, became the first Korean man to win one of golf’s four major championships. He was also the first golfer to overtake Woods in a major championship in which Woods had the lead going into the final round.

On a difficult golf course that did not yield a round in the 60s on Sunday, Yang prevailed in a tense, head-to-head duel in the gusting winds. He took the lead at the 14th hole with a 75-foot pitch for eagle and kept it to the final hole, where he widened it by hitting a towering 197-yard shot with a hybrid club to set up a 10-foot birdie.

When Woods was not able to hole his 60-foot chip shot for a birdie that would have forced Yang to make the putt to win, Yang holed it for good measure and broke into a dance. Punching the air with his fists, he held his arms aloft in victory and high-fived his caddie.

After watching the celebration, his face impassive, Woods missed his final par putt — one of eight putts from inside 10 feet he missed in the round. He putted out for the 75, which tied his highest closing round as a professional in a major championship. The losing margin was a five-shot swing from the start of the day, which Woods entered leading by two.

Meanwhile, Tiger demonstrated his mortality and his genius in the same weekend. His mortality was demonstrated by the fact that he does in fact have a day where he cannot just show up and dominate. He can lose a tournament he desperately wants to win and even is in a perfect position to win as he was after 36 holes on Friday. At every turn, he appeared ready to leave everyone in his dust, but he could not summon the performance to make that happen.

His genius was demonstrated by the fact that over the final 36 holes of the tournament he could not have played any more ordinary golf than he did. He was very, very un-Tiger-like. He looked like he was ready to toss his clubs into the water in sheer frustration on more than one occasion. Everything seemed to be working against him – and yet, he was about to win another major until Yang found his own magical shot on 14.

So we learned that Tiger is not invincible. But we also learned that on his best day, Tiger still leaves the entire field in his wake. And on his worst day, he finishes 2nd in a major. I think it is easy to admit it when he wins, but I think this weekend once again demonstrated that Tiger Woods is the current most unstoppable force in the universe.

And it took a Korean we know nothing about to stop him.

The Guardian offers 10 things about Y.E. Yang you didn’t know before this weekend …

1) YE Yang did not play golf until the age of 19, when a friend advised him to take up the game.

2) He taught himself to play by watching golf on TV and copying the actions of his idols, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus.

3) Yang performed compulsory military service for two years in South Korea at 21.

4) He moved to New Zealand in 1995 to pursue a professional golf career.

5) His first victory on the PGA Tour only came in March this year.

6) Yang is the fourth of eight children and has three children of his own.

7) He is the first player to beat Tiger Woods in a major when Woods has led after three rounds.

8 ) Yang has held off a Woods challenge before, forcing the world No1 into second place to win the 2006 HSBC Champions event.

9) His childhood dream was to become a bodybuilder.

10) Yang has described himself as an “average Joe” and one of the “lower than average PGA Tour players”. Although he might well have changed that opinion after yesterday’s events.

Regardless, it was surely another memorable golf major. Although the 4 major winners this year were hardly a list you will always remember, surely the 2nd place finishers in the last 3 majors (Mickelson, Watson, and Woods) helped make all 3 of them wonderful to behold.

Here is our updated lists of the “Tiger Era” -

MAJOR WINNERS SINCE TIGER WOODS TURNED PRO:

Table Tutorial

And Tiger’s Results in said majors:

Table Tutorial

Finally, after a search of Youtube, this is all I could find on Yang – his secret in his garage in Southlake:

We both love Tiger Woods, and all that he has done to impact golf. But, where we part ways is that my love of the majors is almost unaffected by Tiger’s and Phil’s presence (or absence). I wish they were there, but I will watch the entire weekend of a major regardless of who is there. It isn’t the players – it is the event. I don’t need the Yankees to watch the World Series; I don’t need the Cowboys to watch the Super Bowl; and I don’t need Tiger and Phil to lock in on Sunday for as long as they need me for the British Open on the 3rd weekend of July each year.

If you give your full attention to the back 9 of a major on a Sunday, you are almost guarenteed to witness gold. The tension and excitement of a Sunday at a major is often unmatched. And Sunday was off the charts.

Enter Tom Watson. As a 37 year old sports fan, I can tell you that I didn’t seriously follow golf until about the time I was in college – when I started trying to learn to play the game myself. As a kid, it ranked right there with rodeo, Indy Cars, women’s basketball, and tennis, as sports that would be avoided at all costs. So, I can honestly tell you that I paid no attention to the “Hey Days” of Tom Watson. I know he was a big name of the 1970′s and 1980′s, but by the time I started watching golf, he was just a legend who was fading. A respected name, for sure, but a guy who had seen his best days.

Thank goodness, for the British Open 2009. He now has a special place in the hearts of a whole other generation of fans. The show Watson put on this weekend was historic. And, magical. And, amazing. And, a little heartbreaking.

Understand a few things, here: First, Watson is 59 years old. He will be 60 by Labor Day. The all-time oldest golfer to win a major is Julius Boros, who at the age of 48 won the 1968 PGA Championship. To put it in proper perspective, Tiger Woods was born 5 months after Watson won the British Open for the first time, in 1975. Imagine that.

His last major came in 1983. 26 years ago. And all weekend long, the unlikely Tom Watson was the story. The leader on Thursday for much of the day, but when most people see that we are quickly reminded of how long a weekend at a major is. Surely, this old man shot one lucky round and cannot close this deal, right?

Then, he was the leader on Friday. Wow. He has made it halfway. But, surely….

Then, Tom Watson was the leader on Saturday night. Do people realize what he is doing? This is literally a sports miracle if he can pull this off! He is 59-freaking-years old!!

After a war on the back 9, he is leading a major by one shot with one hole to play. He has made it to the 18th tee on Sunday as the leader! I am stunned and exhilarated at what we are about to see! He hits a perfect drive. A nice easy 8 iron to the green will seal this. He only needs a par to finish this masterpiece…

Oh, dear, the 8 iron scoots over the green onto the back fringe. This is a tricky putt back up the hill from distance and he can only rush it past the pin to 8 feet. Could Tom Watson sink an eight footer to win the British Open for the 6th time? Sadly, he couldn’t. He bogeyed 18 and Stewart Cink would crush him in a playoffs to end the dream.

Nothing against Cink, who has always been a quality and classy player himself, but I believe the world was cheering hard for Tom Watson in unison. With each grin on his wrinkled face, I think every viewer knew the history that they were watching unfold. This was not just any golf tournament – this would be arguably the sports story of the year across all sports.

And after 71 holes, it had gone from the longest of long shots to more-likely-than-not. But, golf doesn’t seem to have time for fairy tale endings. Otherwise, Tiger Woods would have won the 2006 US Open, a month after his father died. Or, Phil Mickelson would have won the 2009 US Open for his wife who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. We can all cheer hard for the heart-warming endings, but golf has a cold and calculated method for deciding its winners – 72 holes (not 71) of gut-wrenching pressure. And Cink has the Claret Jug on his way back to the U.S.A. today because he passed the test.

But, what a spectacle. If you watched it this weekend, you know that you saw a special event.

In other weekend items:

* 82,252. That was the sellout crowd at the first sporting event ever held at Cowboys Stadium, Sunday, as the Gold Cup (Copa Oro) played a doubleheader of international soccer. I was there. Section 329, to be exact, for reasons other than the sellout crowd, I assume.

It appeared 99.9% of those on hand were there to see their beloved Mexico slice through Haiti (which they did with some impressive goals) 4-0. I was one of the few that was simply there to see the new stadium in action as soon as possible.

And what a stadium it is. Honestly, it is difficult to put into words what the new stadium is like, but I think we saw yesterday a brilliant example of what it is capable of. It was packed to the very top with people who desperately wanted to see their team win. It was loud. It was well air conditioned. The sight lines were phenomenal from my seats that were up a few levels and over in the corner. I also really love the natural light of the Sun illuminating the stadium perfectly without causing fans to sit in the hot, direct light. I don’t know how they did it, but the stadium is great.

Your eyes don’t know whether to watch the game below or the HD screen above. I know you have all heard everything about this new HD screen – the biggest in the world – well, trust me, you won’t believe it. To those of us who love television – it is breath-taking. One small detail about the enormous screen that I love, they actually have 2 different camera angles in the stadium so the people on each side of the stadium see the play on the screen going the exact same direction as they see it on the field. Wonderful.

The upper level bathrooms are too small (Half-time was complete chaos in the men’s room), and the speakers were unable to be heard very well, but overall, I was very pleased.

The parking was fine, the traffic was not bad, and the experience was very impressive. I wonder if 82,000 Cowboys fans will ever be able to match the lungs of 82,000 Mexican fans, but we won’t get a feel for that until September 20th, when the Giants visit for real on Sunday Night Football.

* This weekend also featured the annual celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe for the biggest names in sports. I was able to find the final leaderboard where you will find our man, Tony Romo, finished 2nd (no jokes, please) to the guy who wins every year, Rick Rhoden. Mike Modano was 7th, and Brett Hull Tied for 11th, so lots of Dallas presence up top. When you look at the scores, keep in mind we were using the Stableford scoring system (of course!) which can be explained below:

Stableford Scoring Format

Double Eagle 10 points
Hole in one 8 points
Eagle 6 points
Birdie 3 points
Par 1 point
Bogie 0 points
Double Bogie -2 points

Looks like Charles Barkley is not fixed – despite Hank Haney’s best efforts – and that he has a new friend at the bottom of the leaderboard (since Emmitt Smith stopped playing), UFC legend Chuck Liddell.

* Finally, just one week after the new pay raises for Simon and Ryan Seacrest were announced, now comes the shocking news that Paula Abdul may be out at American Idol . Let’s not even joke about that, Fox. Paula needs to be on this show so we can play the fun game, “what is Paula going to say this week?” Don’t rob us of that! I know she is a bit of a trainwreck, but I thought we don’t mess with what is working?

Odds are, he will not win this weekend. After all, he has played in 14 of these US Opens, and only won 3 of them (and 2 2nd places). Heck, the one time in his 47 major tournaments where he actually missed the cut was the 2006 US Open.

But with all of these realities, we know that Tiger delivers. He has delivered 14 majors overall (30% win rate in majors), and is now within striking distance of a guy who most thought would be safe forever: Jack.

Jack Nicklaus, of course, has 18 majors. Comparing the two is really an amazing trip to greatness. I think it is too easy to suggest that either is a clear cut winner of the “Greatest of All-Time” title at this point. But, I also admit that Tiger has a chance to claim that title in the years to come.

Jack entered 163 majors and won 18 (11%). He also had 19 second place finishes. But, he entered majors until he was 65 years old – a truth that clearly cut down his win percentage. If you just consider the years between his first major (1962 US Open) and his last major (1986 Masters), then you arrive at exactly 100 majors which is a far more impressive win rate (18%). And, if you add in his 19 2nd places, and 9 3rd places then you see that Nicklaus was on the medal stand on a very regular basis (46%).

Tiger is 33 right now, and has 14 majors, 5 2nd’s, and 3 3rd’s out of professional major 47 starts (47%). Jack through 33 years of life countered with 12 majors, 10 2nd’s, and 4 3rd’s out of 48 starts (54%).

Now, certainly it is difficult to compare the eras in terms of level of competition. Not many would argue that the field is deeper now, but perhaps it could be argued that it is thinner at the very top.

Regardless, last week when I put together a chart to show Roger Federer’s dominance , I was asked to do the same for Tiger Woods since 1997. Since I enjoy a sharp looking chart (or at least what I am capable of), your wish is my command:

MAJOR WINNERS SINCE TIGER WOODS TURNED PRO:

Table Tutorial

That was so much fun, let’s make another chart. This time, here are Tiger’s results in those majors – it is quite fair to say this is one of the greatest decades in golf history:

Table Tutorial

Will he ever catch Jack? Odds are pretty good he will. Nicklaus won 6 majors after his 35th birthday. Tiger trails by only 4 overall. But, then which will be considered the greatest of all-time? I suspect it will be a lot like Red Auerbach vs. Phil Jackson. If you said “Nobody will ever be greater than Red” then, you no doubt believe he is still the greatest despite Phil passing him.

Same here. Chances are if you are 50 years old or older, then Jack is the greatest regardless of how many Tiger wins. And chances are if you are under 40, then you feel Tiger is already the greatest.

Either way, much like in tennis, you are watching something that is pretty special right now in the game of golf. But, unlike tennis, in golf, greatness can last 20 years. We might be slightly over half way in the prime of Tiger Woods.

To update something I wrote earlier, Danny Lee’s three putt from four feet on 18 earlier cost him around $70,000. Ouch. Thanks to everyone who has actually read these updates from the course and please shoot me an e-mail if you have any golfy-golf info you want to pass along in the future. Until next year…

__________________________

There is now a two way tie at the top after Brian Davis birdied three holes in a row starting with the par 4, 9th. Davis and Sabbatini are both at -15, and there are two others at -13. As I type this, Scott McCarron just birdied 17 to go -7 on his round today and pull within one shot of the lead.

The conditions are hot and humid, but the players don’t seem to mind. Newly local (he bought a house in the Dallas area earlier this week) young gun Danny Lee looked like he was going to post a great number until he three putted from four feet on 18. He still finished at -9 for the tournament, but that three putt cost him a lot of money.

I’ll post one more update as the players finish up. It’s going to be fun…

The conditions have gotten quite a bit more difficult in my opinion, as anyone who has played golf after it rains can understand. When you have a tighter lie, you have no idea if the area your ball is in has soaked up the rain and become a bit mushy, or if it has drained well and remains firm and solid. You have to constantly guess how your ball and the grass will respond, even on a clean lie in the fairway. I think we will still see some good rounds come together, but it will be much more impressive when they do.

On another note, Rory Sabbatini seems to be fighting off a case of the “rights”. He doesn’t appear to have his swing in rhythm just yet and as a result he’s lost several irons shots significantly to the right. I’m sure he will get it figured out, but it remains something to keep an eye on as his round continues.

____________________________________

It’s the final day at the Nelson and conditions here at the TPC Las Colinas course are absolutely perfect. The greens and fairways are soft and forgiving thanks to some rain yesterday afternoon, the temps are in the low 70s with just a little breeze and the players are taking full advantage. We’ve already seen one 29 carded on the front nine by little-known PGA player Jimmy Walker. Walker has faltered a bit on the back nine, but his round thus far shows us the possibilities for players later in the day.

Rory Sabbatini is looking to stay in the lead today playing with co-leader John Mallinger. That duo will hit the course at 12:45 today, and with Sabbatini being a local guy I look for the gallery following them to be one of the biggest of the day. Sabbatini has been pretty quiet this week, bearing no resemblance to the brash, mouthy player that made his thoughts known about Tiger Woods a year ago. Hopefully, his flare will come through in his attire today, but that remains to be seen since I haven’t laid eyes on the Ft. Worth resident yet.

Local favorite Justin Leonard carded another crowd pleasing round yesterday with his 4 under par round of 66. However, with the softness of the fairways today, I think Leonard will be hard-pressed to go low for a third straight round. The guy can putt, though, so I definitely won’t count him out just yet. Dustin Johnson is another player to keep an eye on today. He was on fire on the front nine yesterday, carding a five under par 30. But, he faltered with bogeys on three of the final six holes to surrender the 54 hole lead to Sabbatini and Mallinger.

It should be a great day of aggressive play today and I expect to see somebody within four or five shots of the lead go really low – maybe even another 63. With the pressure of playing well on Sunday weighing heavy on a lot of these young guys, that might be a bit optimistic. But, you never know how low a guy can go once he gets on a roll and starts gaining confidence. More from on the course in a bit.

I watched a Playing Lessons with the Pros that featured him on the Golf Channel a few days ago and I have to say, the guy can really putt. That seems to be playing a major role this week. More on the other local players coming soon.

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Don’t look now, but Dustin Johnson is blazing up the leaderboard after making six birdies in his first eight holes this morning. The rain is holding back and the wind isn’t blowing, so I would expect to see some other guys post some decent rounds today. I say decent (instead of really low) because the set up of the course is pretty difficult. As I walked the course earlier, I saw several pins that were the minimum of 4 paces from the edge of the green and guarded by bunkers and fall offs on several sides. That just makes Dustin Johnson’s front nine score of 30 seem all the more impressive.

I’m heading back out to the course shortly to follow Dustin Johnson on the back nine, so I’ll try to post once more before the conlusion of today’s play. If you’re coming out, you better hurry. The players are getting around the course in a hurry. No thanks to Jonathan Byrd.

As far as players to watch during today’s rounds, I’m not as confident as I was yesterday. Sure, I think Sabbatini will play well today and Parnevik will probably post another 67 or 68, but the weather is the real unknown. If it starts raining or even sprinkling, that could dramatically affect how this course plays. The longer roll that players have been getting in the fairways (which incidentally let a “short knocker” like Justin Leonard shoot 63 yesterday) will go away somewhat and leave them having to hit more drivers off the tee and longer irons into the greens. I would expect the tournament officials to set up the course much like they did yesterday with more pins accessible than not and with the teeboxes allowing some opportunities to take chances. If the rain stays away, and the players have overcast conditions with little to no wind, I would expect to see more low scores posted today than there were yesterday.

Guys like Davis Love III and Briny Baird who both shot 64 yesterday and vaulted themselves up the leaderboard and feeling extremely confidant could definitely post low numbers again today. One player that I’m excited about following is Freddy Couples. He still has one of the smoothest swings on Tour, and with the cooler, overcast weather I think he’s poised to have a big day today. Chris DiMarco faltered a bit yesterday with a 69, but he was playing in the tougher afternoon conditions. Local favorites to watch are Colt Knost, who struggled yesterday as I thought he would, but still made the cut on the number, the aforementioned Justin Leonard who went really low yesterday, Tommy Armour III, who lives here in Las Colinas and quietly shot 67 on Thursday, Todd Hamilton who shot 67 yesterday to move up the leaderboard, Ft. Worth native J.J. Henry, and Matt Weibring who is still my favorite “unknown” player in the field this week. I didn’t mention yesterday that Matt’s dad, D.A. Weibring, was the main guy in charge of the recent renovations to the TPC Las Colinas course. That certainly doesn’t hurt his chance this weekend.

I’m heading out to the practice range to the first tee to catch up with Fred Couples and Matt Weibring, so let me know if you have other players you would like to hear about. More to come later as the weather patterns continue to change.

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The conditions that I thought would produce low scores yesterday have finally given way to the inevitable. We’ve seen three 64s today and local favorite Justin Leonard threw up a 63. Granted, Leonard shot 75 (5 over) yesterday, but he’s still got an outside shot if he plays well tomorrow, too. The cut line is hovering at -1 right now, so Leonard will have shot a 7 under and make the cut by one stroke. Pretty crazy.

There’s a phenomenon going on right now that I just don’t have an explanation for. The conditions are perfect out here, most of the pins are accessible and the wind is down. And yet I’ve seen Anthony Kim take a triple, Ian Poulter thin one out of a bunker dead right and take a double and several others players grossly underperforming. I can’t think that the the moderate heat and humidity are taking that much of a toll on their games, but that’s the only thing I can think of that would explain this poor play right now. Of course, Kim and Poulter are both struggling to make the cut today, so perhaps they are feeling the pressure of wanting a paycheck. Who knows.

The highlight of leader Rory Sabbatini’s round today was a par at the long par 4 3rd hole. I mentioned it earlier because they moved the tees well up from yesterday, but tucked the pin away in the back left corner of the green. Why was a par the highlight you ask? Well, he drove it into the water off the tee, then dropped and hit it into a bunker, then holed out his bunker shot for par. Routine. He then went on to birdie the next four holes in a row and had a great up and down out of a greenside bunker at 8 (which I saw firsthand) to preserve his good round. He is the clubhouse leader and unless McCarron, Mallinger or Howell III make a late push, he will take sole possesion of the lead into the weekend.

The conditions are perfect, the crowds are really beginning to swell and the course is in fantastic scoring shape. The only thing that can mess up the weekend at the Nelson is the weather. Pete Delkus, I’m counting on you to keep us dry. Don’t let me down.

The course is not set up as tough as I anticipated today. There are several holes that have very accessible pins and the players are clearly taking advantage of that. However, there are other holes out there like the long par 4, 3rd. The tees were moved well up from where they were yesterday, but the pin placement is back left. It’s protected by a deep bunker left and a steep drop-off long, so the smart play is to the middle of the multi-tiered green. I saw three groups go through and not one guy got it within 20 feet with his approach shot. Several of the guys who played safe blew their putt past the hole and ended with the dreaded three-jack.

I walked across the first fairway to get to hole 18 earlier and I can tell you that the fairways are very firm already. The wind hasn’t picked up at all from this morning, but the air is still heavy with the thick humidity. I look for fatigue to play a part in the later holes with these afternoon groups, much more so than it did with the early groups out. I’m heading out to follow Colt Knost, who just went off number one tee, so more updates will come later on.

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Don’t look now, but the guys I picked to play well in the morning group are holding up their end of the bargain. Jesper Parnevik is -1 on his day with three birdies and two bogeys. He still has four holes left to play, including the par 5, 7th, so look for him to come in at -5 tied for the lead (barring any mistakes on the long par 4, 8th hole). Rory Sabbatini is -2 on his round today and is playing two groups behind Parnevik. So he, too, has the par 5, 7th to look forward to. Matt Weibring had a bit of a rough start with bogeys on holes 1 and 5, but he righted the ship with an eagle on the aforementioned 7th hole.

I’m about to hit the course to catch up with Sabbatini and Parnevik on their way in, and I plan on following Rich Beem for at least a few holes later this afternoon. The weather is very pleasant and overcast and the wind is barely blowing. With the wind being the main “protector” for this course, I have to believe that the PGA guys I talked to yesterday set up the course considerably more difficult today. I’ll pick up a tee and pin sheet while on the course and post an update later in the day. If you have somebody you would like for me to follow or post updates on, just let me know in the comments.