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:

I think the story to rock all stories this weekend was the Josh Hamilton developments from his night in January as he clearly and sadly fell off the wagon. I must tell you that this story bothers me quite a bit on a number of levels, not the least of which being that many of us have vouched for him dozens of times as being “authentic” with his story in a world of stories that are not authentic. Alas, He is human, and he definitely is chased by his demons on a daily basis.

But, what does this mean from a Rangers’ standpoint? I think we better understand why he has not had his contract extended by the Rangers. We expected something to be announced in spring training this year, and when it didn’t happen we found it somewhat curious. But, now, we see what the Rangers are doing. They can’t trust him. That is why Johnny Narron remains by his side at all times (I guess not all times – see the pictures from January). And, am I to believe that Johnny Narron knew nothing of this relapse? And if so, what does that say?

Are the Rangers in a tough spot? Not really. Because this is what the arbitration process is made for. They will likely elect to simply go on a year-by-year trip to arbitration with Hamilton. They may eventually have to extend him, but for now, they can continue to pay him 1-year deals for 2010, 2011, and 2012.

By then, the Rangers will know more about Josh. Is he the player he appeared to be in 2008 or what he appears to be 2009? Can he hold up health-wise? Can he avoid his demons? If they like all of his answers, then they can give him an extension. But that can be 2-4 years from now.

I think JD, Nolan, and Tom Hicks will all take a sigh of relief that this did not happen a week after they committed 5-years, $40 million to him last winter. And now, they have a perfectly legitimate reason to avoid the topic altogether until 2012. We have said in the past that Josh Hamilton has cost himself millions and millions over his life by some of his decisions. I believe we can add quite a bit of money lost to those pictures that emerged over the weekend.

In other news…

* Tiger heads to this week’s PGA Championship with two consecutive victories on tour – this one at Bridgestone . Woods-Padraig Harrington in the final pairing looked very intriguing, although I will readily admit I was more interested in Derek Holland’s dismantling of the Angels for most of the day. But, I tuned in for a signature “Tiger Moment” on 16 as Tiger hit the most insane 178-yard 8-iron in golf history to 12 inches. Meanwhile, Padraig, who has won 3 majors in the last 3 years himself, was taking a snowman on the same hole, and the tournament was Tiger’s.

This is Tiger’s 70th tour victory. Check out this from PGA.com :

The win is the 70th of Woods’ career on the PGA TOUR in 248 career starts (234 as a professional). As a result, he moves within three victories of tying Jack Nicklaus (73 wins) for second place on the all-time TOUR wins list. Sam Snead, with 82 wins, leads the list.

So, only 3 golfers EVER have won 70 tournaments. Snead, Nicklaus, and Woods. CBS showed that Snead won #70 at the Age of 41 at the ’54 Palm Beach Open. Nicklaus won #70 at the age of 40 at the ’80 PGA Championship. Woods is 33 years old.

It is possible that when it is all said and done that we will never see another athlete like Tiger Woods. He could be our Babe Ruth.

* UFC 101 was average. Not a ton of quality, but the top 2 fights were worthy. BJ Penn took apart Kenny Florian. Silva-Griffin was another Spider destruction of an opponent. I don’t really understand how Silva knocked out Forrest while back pedaling, but it was devastating. You might be able to see the video of the knockout here if you hurry. With Miguel Angel Torres losing, the pound for pound champion is either Spider or GSP. You cannot go wrong either way.

* The Rangers tired of Vicente Padilla finally. And the parting shots are worth reading . This marriage was destined to fail from the time the extension was signed, and it is finally over. Now, the Millwood, Hunter, Feldman, Holland, and Nippert rotation will have to carry things the rest of the way. A bold move by a team that is technically leading the wildcard race this morning.

* Futbol is back! Manchester United vs Chelsea in the Charity Shield match to start the season was played yesterday and won by Chelsea . I tell you this for 3 reasons. 1) If you give the English Premiership a chance (seen on ESPN2 and Fox Soccer Channel) you will thank me for the rest of your life. Pick a team, follow them (the new season starts this coming Saturday), and realize theater that rivals any sport you already love. I promise. 2) the USA plays in Mexico on Wednesday in a big-time World Cup Qualifier. and 3) I want you to prepare for my first ever soccer-only chat coming Tuesday or Wednesday morning on this very website.

* Football is back, too! Yes, it might have just been preseason football, but tell me the NFL preseason opener didn’t catch your eye for just a moment. Terrell was Terrell, and the Oilers uniforms were back. Vince Young looked pretty lost at times again, and I am so interested in his story and where it will go from here. I just cannot believe that Vince Young, the guy I wrote about in 2005 can possibly be this same guy now. I was convinced Vince Young was a superstar-to-be in the NFL. But, it appears I was way wrong. I never figured he would be brought down by something as seemingly harmless as criticism. It appears the guy had never been criticized until he got to Tennessee, and when he finally had it aimed at him, he crumbled. Will he ever rise again?

Another big week in front of us, with the PGA Championship, the Cowboys-Raiders, USA-Mexico, and more Rangers baseball. Let’s get er done.

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?

Public Enemies is about Dillinger (played by Johnny Depp) and his life and times of robbing banks and running from the law (Christian Bale stars as the lawman) but my bar was very high and the movie disappointed me. I gave it a Meh +. The storytelling was left a bit to be desired and the bank robberies were not especially tense. Lots of cool cars and costumes and sets, and Depp is one of my favorite actors, but not a ton of substance in the final tally. I wanted the best movie of the summer and instead, I am wondering why I didn’t go see the Hangover. It is probably worth seeing just on principle, but lower your bar.

You might be wondering, why is Bob reviewing a movie on his MGM column? Well, that is how we roll. You just never know what MGM is going to bring you on a Monday morning.

But wait! There is much, much more….

* A quick scan of the MLB Standings reveal that at the All-Star break, the Texas Rangers sit 48-39, which is 1.5 games behind Anaheim, and beyond the Angels, only the Red Sox and Yankees have done a better job in the American League in the first half than your young Rangers. Losing 3 of 4 in Seattle is not something anyone wanted, to be in this spot at this point of the season is beyond the wildest dreams of even the largest optimist back in March.

87 games down, means 75 games to go. The Rangers obviously have their hands full with an Angels team that has had plenty bad happen to it this season, but like their twin brother,(the San Antonio Spurs – I will elaborate some day soon) the Angels just don’t ever go away easily. And, we clearly can not sleep on the Mariners as long as they can throw out that pitching they surely have in great supply.

I just wanted to draw your attention to the stretch drive of the schedule in September: Of the last 23 games in the season, 20 of them are against the AL West. And check out the final two weeks of the season:

At Oakland (4) Sept 21, 22, 23, 24
Tampa Bay (3) Sept 25, 26, 27
At LA Angels (4) Sept 28, 29, 30, Oct 1
At Seattle (3) Oct 2, 3, 4

That gave me great pause. Of the last 14 games, 11 are on the west coast against those arms and in those stadiums we love so much. I believe this is where we use the phrase, “Rangers, make hay while the sun shines”. Because if there is no cushion, those final 2 weeks are going to be one big ice cream headache.

On the other hand, won’t it be nice to be thinking Rangers when it is 3 weeks into the NFL season? Rest up, Rangers, we have a lot of climbing ahead.

* As you may know if you have read my previous thoughts on WR Roy Williams , I fully expect him to be a capable lead receiver here in Dallas in 2009. He has the ability, and I think with a full off-season under his belt to get some chemistry with Tony Romo, I suspect we will all like what we see.

However, part of being a big part of a team like the Cowboys is being able to handle a little pressure and a lot of scrutiny. The following video makes me wonder if he is up for it. This is an interview he did in Austin last week that reveals that Roy has no intentions of talking to the media this year, because he feels like they always get things wrong about him (I guess). How did the Dallas media already wear out his patience? Wow. New year, clean slate, and he is already prepared to do the “I am not talking” routine.

It is his right, and honestly, I am not sure a) he is totally serious and b) we need to hear what he has on his mind, but – it is very tough for your fan base to always have your back if you never speak for yourself. Athletes don’t get this, but show me any “fan favorite” who has ever existed, and I will show you someone who speaks on his own behalf. Oh well, he will let his hands do the talking. Let’s hope they say something this season.

The Video (Thanks to DCFanatic):

* OK, this is marginal news at best, but since this is the type of thing that gets the water cooler talk going, here you go. Mavericks 1st Round PG Roderick Beaubois went off for 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists on Saturday Night in the Mavericks summer league game against the Rockets. Oh, and 9 fouls. And no, it was not televised, so if you want to see a few minuscule highlights, head to NBA.com’s Video page …

I haven’t talked much about the Mavericks’ draft for a few reasons: 1) they have not drafted anyone since Devin Harris who has made even the slightest impact, so all of the hot air used on Maurice Ager, Shan Foster, and friends so far has been a complete waste and 2) no one reading this likely heard of Roddy Beaubois before his name was mentioned on draft night.

Regardless, when seeing his youtube pre-draft highlight tape I was interested and intrigued by his speed, athleticism, and his shot. Well 34 points in a summer league game against NBA prospects, bench players, and D-leaguers is another point on his resume worth noting.

9 fouls? Well, it appears he needs to know what a foul is and what a foul is not – by the way, summer league allows up to 10 fouls. He has time. With Kidd re-signed and JJ Barea back, all we need from Beaubois is a year of learning. He just needs to soak it all in. But, am I bullish on his prospects? Sure. He looks like he has plenty of tools in the toolbox.

* The British is coming! The British is coming! It is time to read up on this week’s British Open …

* Here is an interesting essay from Basketball Prospectus on Shawn Marion you will want to read….

* UFC 100 was awesome on many levels. Read my minute-by-minute live blog here …

* This week, I am planning to get a good Dallas Stars summer chat up and flying (Guest expert to be named) and my latest version of the Romo Manifesto. So, until next time….

I know many of us avoid tennis 99% of the time. But, I hope you make an exception for the majors -especially Wimbledon and the US Open. If you do, it seems that like golf, if you give yourself to the final day at most majors, it will deliver to you wonderful drama. To watch Roger Federer and Andy Roddick duel yesterday was as wonderful as watching Federer and Rafa Nadal go at it one year ago. And make no mistake, last year was unbelieveable.

There is plenty more to discuss in the world of sport (Oh, yes), but the lead is given to a tennis match that reminds us how much fun a summer can be with the constant parade of golf, tennis, soccer, racing, and other events that supplement baseball during our long weight until Labor Day when the brilliant run of football begins once again.

* I spent considerable time a month ago, after he won the French Open for the first time of his career that Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all-time. Well, if you don’t feel that way, Federer (born on August 8, 1981), took another resume point down Sunday by passing Pete Sampras in All-Time Majors by winning his 15th.

“Andy” Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is our best American men’s player, and has been since the days that Sampras and Andre Agassi did what they did. The reason I listed both of their dates of birth was that I wanted to try to understand what I was looking at yesterday with Roddick pushing Federer to the absolute limits of his ability. Was Roddick a kid who was up and coming? Clearly not. Federer, who is thought of as old in this sport, is merely 1 year older than Roddick. In fact, you will see below, that when Roddick won his first and only major in 2003 at the US OPEN, Federer had but 2 career majors, both won that same summer of 2003. Since then, Roddick has made plenty of money and fame (and celebrity squeezes), but also never been near that same level as Federer, and was considered a bit of a disappointment for his lack of impressive accomplishments on the top stage. Injuries certainly did not help, but it is tough to say that Roddick has carried the torch of his American predecessors.

Regardless, yesterday was phenomenal. Roddick won every game he served (38 for 38) until the final game that cost him the match. According to Reuters , here are the records set:

LONGEST FINAL
The youth of tennis is Nadal (born 3 June 1986) and Andy Murray (born 15 May 1987) and perhaps other studs I know nothing about, but not Roddick, who looked crushed yesterday after the match because he played as well as he ever had but it was still not enough to take down the great Rog who has owned him forever. Federer is everything Tiger is, but in a sport we all care about quite a bit less. But, still, his greatness over the last 6 years is beyond any stretch we have ever seen:

* The match was the longest ever men’s grand slam final in games, clocking up a total of 77 across five sets.

The previous record was 71 games in the 1927 Australian Championship, and the previous Wimbledon record was 62 games in last year’s Wimbledon final between Federer and Rafael Nadal.

LONGEST FIFTH SET

* At 16-14 the final set was the longest fifth set in a men’s grand slam final in games.

The previous record was 11-9 in the 1927 Roland Garros final.

MOST GAMES IN A SET

* The fifth set also broke the record for the most games in any set in a Wimbledon men’s singles final, with a total 30 games played — the equivalent of six extra sets and includes finals played before the tiebreak system was introduced.

The previous record was 24 games, which was reached in both the first set of the men’s singles final in 1954 and the last set of the men’s singles final in 1958.

MOST FEDERER ACES

* Federer served 50 aces during Sunday’s final — the most he has ever served in a match, and one behind Ivo Karlovic’s Wimbledon record of 51 aces.

Federer’s previous best was 39 aces, in his match against Janko Tipsarevic in the 2008 Australian Open.

Here is the year-by-year, major-by-major rundown since Federer began winning majors in 2003:

Table Tutorial

* I may have to apologize, but for the 7th or 8th year in a row, I spent part of my 4th of July enjoying the comedy of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Joey Chestnut, the American who has taken down the Japanese power-house Kobayashi since 2007, defended his title yet again, by doing the unthinkable – eating 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

I don’t know why, but I am fascinated with the records of this contest . This contest has existed since 1916, and did you know that as late as the year 2000, the record was 25? 25 is amazing – don’t get me wrong – but, don’t you think you might know someone who could make a run at 25?

But then, Kobayashi came along. And he doubled the record in 2001 to 50! In one year! He then became a celebrity and dominated this contest until 2006, always with a number around 50-55. But, in 2007, some American kid with a gift named Joey Chestnut came along and ate 66 in the 12 minutes the contest used to be. And since then, Kobayashi – who makes a reported 150K a year, has been trying to get the mustard belt back. But, Chestnut has too much for him. 68 in 10 minutes. A victory for America. It is a guilty pleasure, but I love it every year.

* The death of Steve McNair was shocking and a bit upsetting. We know we are starting to get old when star QB’s who did not get out of college until after we did are found dead. He was one of the toughest QB’s of our era, and I think immediately about being 1-yard short of the Super Bowl XXXIV Title for the Titans against the Rams.

The details of his death are certainly a larger part of his story. It is easy to overlook the non-complimentary details of people’s life most of the time when they die, but if it is the reason they died, it is tough to avoid. Many who have the time and interest are trying to get to the bottom of all of this , but whether he likes it or not, this will be a big part of his legacy.

Just another example (they seem to be coming every week) about how none of us are promised tomorrow.

* Jason Kidd is staying according to Mark Stein which answers the concern we have had for quite some time. In the end, he appears to be staying for the same reasons I wrote about in April, that the Mavs can pay him over $8 million a year – when the Knicks could only go to just under $6 million.

This is good news for the Mavericks, as is the signing of Marcin Gortat, but neither is going to make the Mavs significantly better. What will make them better will be their next few moves in the next few months. If there is not a shakeup involving Stackhouse, Dampier, Terry, or Howard (or a combination) then I will be very disappointed. But, I have to think they are smart enough to know that they need to shake it up. If they are buyers right now, as we have heard they are, then bargains do exist.

* Tiger Woods remains awesome with another win. Tough day to be Hunter Mahan, who shot a record-tying 62 in the final round, and it still was not good enough. In fact, it wasn’t a great day to take on anyone in the Gillette ad campaign – although I am not sure Thierry Henry was doing anything:

First, on Friday, the brilliant Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played, and the Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off a most unlikely upset of those hated Red Wings in Detroit. As I said Friday, I sure pulled hard for Pittsburgh, but I wasn’t really counting on a happy ending.

Win a Game 7?

Win a Game 7 on the road?

Win a Game 7 on the road in Detroit?

The odds seemed pretty stacked against the Penguins and our old buddy, Billy Guerin.

But, a gritty effort in Game 7 that included a wonderful save with 1 second left on the clock secured a very exciting Game 7 victory in Detroit, just the 3rd time in the history of the sport (Det 1945, Mon 1971) that a road team has won a Game 7 on the road. Truly historic stuff.

Kevin Allen from USA Today reminds us the reality in Pittsburgh : Sidney Crosby won’t be 22 until August. Evgeni Malkin is also 22, and Jordan Staal is only 20. Marc-Andre Fleury seems like an old man at 24. If there was a NHL team set up for a long run of success, it is the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

It reminds a lot of us who follow this sport of the 1984 Edmonton Oilers. In 1983, the Stanley Cup Finals gave us the New York Islanders versus the Oilers. The Oilers in 1983 were a young group of talent that included Wayne Gretzky (22), Mark Messier (22), and Jari Kurri (23). The Islanders had won the Cup in 1980, 1981, and 1982, and were a veteran dynasty that knew what to do. They swept the young Oilers with great ease, but the story goes that when those young kids from Edmonton walked by the Islanders winning dressing room, they saw the ice packs and the tired old men celebrating and they knew that next year would be their year.

1984 was. And so was 1985. And 1987, 1988, and even 1990 (after Gretzky was gone). 5 Cups in 7 seasons for Edmonton, a perfect storm of insane talent all hitting its prime at the same moment,.

And now, with a salary cap that would make it more difficult, the Penguins have been to the Finals 2 years in a row, and have their first Cup with Sidney Crosby just 21, Malkin 22, Fleury 24, and Staal is 20. Could they go on a run that rivals Edmonton’s? I guess we must stay tuned.

I will say this, though, I got a great kick out of a reader/listener who sent me a email who tried to position the Penguins as a darkhorse, and claimed that he was the only one who believed in them.

No offense, sir, but Crosby was a #1 pick overall (’05). Malkin was the #2 (’04). Fluery was the #1 overall (’03). And Staal was the #2 pick overall (’06). The Penguins are a lot of things. Darkhorse is not one of them. They were in a position to draft superstars-to-be, and they didn’t screw it up.

Now, we shall see if they can string a dynasty together. Meanwhile, their resident graybeard, Billy Guerin, wins his 2nd Cup as a pro. Guerin was the first guy to get the cup after Crosby, and it was a special moment to see our old buddy hit the jackpot again. Phillippe Boucher also shared in the Cup, so it was very nice to see two Dallas Stars (who were both all-stars in the 2007 Game played here) get their names engraved on the holy grail.

Detroit was a worthy champion, and if one thing goes different, they are winning another Stanley Cup. The one person I would like hear from is Marian Hossa. He turned down a fabulous offer from Pittsburgh and left to sign in Detroit to win a Cup, only to find that the more money in Pittsburgh may have included a Cup. He went scoreless in the Finals for the Red Wings and is probably annoyed by how this has all gone down.

===

Phil Jackson wins #10. Kobe Bryant wins #4. And the Lakers? #15. And in 61 years of the NBA Finals, that would make trip #30 to the final round.

We wanted Kobe vs LeBron, and when the upset went down in Orlando, we suspected that the Finals may be a mere formality. It was.

The Magic showed moments in this series where it appeared they would compete hard for the crown, but by the time a very casual Game 5 came to a close, it seemed as if the Lakers could name their score. I think that is the way I will remember this Lakers team. They seemed to play with their food. They needed a challenge along the way, and I guess Houston, Denver, and Orlando all tried to provide one, and at times they grabbed a win here and there. But when push came to shove and Kobe and the boys needed another gear, they found it with ease.

The close-out games against those 3 teams were all terribly one-sided and not even close to competitive. Once the 2009 Lakers locked in to an objective, they left no doubt. Was it because the worthy opponents were tougher to find this year? I think we would all like to see what the 2008 Celtics would do against the 2009 Lakers, but they played who was placed in front of them, and their toughest opponent may have been boredom this season.

So, now Red Auerbach has been passed by Phil (just ask him) and Kobe now has a ring that he can call his own. Phil’s count is especially mind boggling, as he has won 10 titles in 19 years in the NBA. The ultimate dynasty coach and anyone who doesn’t recognize his greatness must not appreciate the value of a strong general.

As for Kobe, there is no question how great he is. The question is, “how many titles could he and Shaq have won had they stayed together?” I wonder. There was going to come a time where Shaq would have had to defer the Alpha-Male spot to Kobe, but, since there was a 7 year period when Kobe was not a champion, I am left to wonder what could have been.

===

Fun from Baseball: I want to make sure here before I am done to make sure you enjoyed the 3 baseball side items from the sport that now gets center stage for the next few months (unless Tiger takes it).

Item #1: Luis Castillo drops a pop up off the bat of A-Rod, and the Mets lose a game on one mistake. They were up 8-7 and if Castillo secures the pop-up the game is over, but he drops it, and the runner from 2nd ties the game and the runner from 1st (Mark Teixeira) is hustling around the paths and actually scores the winning run. Teixeira deserves big marks for running hard and not taking anything for granted. Video is below:

Item #2: The very same Teixeira is in another situation involving Twitter and Red Sox owner John Henry . Henry, who tweets, offered a jab at Tex after another Red Sox sweep of the Yankees, when he suggest that it might be the “MT Curse” that is allowing the Red Sox the advantage.

Teixeira, who never has said things just right, offered a defense where he basically admits to being a mercenary for the highest bidder: “I was completely up front with everybody (during the free agent season),” Teixeira said. “I was totally honest with everybody. This is a business, guys. Everyone knows the Yankees paid the most. This is a great place to play. This is the greatest organization in the history of baseball. If somebody had a problem with the decision I made, because it was a family decision and a business decision, they can have their opinion. That’s fine. I made the best decision for me and it’s worked out great.”

I guess you have to respect his honesty, but nothing endears you to your fans like admitting you would have gone anywhere to play for the highest bidder. Of course, we also wonder why Henry is stirring things up on Twitter, but I guess he is just catching the wave of fun. (Oh yeah, you can find me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan)

Item #3: Milton Bradley pulled off one of the legendary mistakes in baseball this weekend, too. He caught a fly ball and then tossed it in the crowd. Problem? There were only 2 outs. Cubs lose. Bradley embarrassed.

Wow. We certainly didn’t hear this was about to go down, now did we? It would appear the Stars have made a major move without anyone sniffing it out at all. Impressive.

But, why is this move being made? If I thought they would do anything this summer, it would be to end the very odd Co-GM setup from last season, and choose Les Jackson, most likely, to head the personnel department all by himself. I was getting the idea that the Hull-Jackson arrangement was not going to last much longer, but I guess I just assumed they would pick from the 2 (you know, they might pick the one who didn’t recommend the Sean Avery signing).

Silly me.

Today, everyone will put on the brave faces and say the right things like they did with Mike Heika in the morning news, but I have to think that Les Jackson is disappointed. To help engineer the Brad Richards trade, to help put the young blue-line in place, to over-see the most successful playoff run since 2000, and then to be snake-bit with the injuries of Brenden Morrow, Sergei Zubov, and Brad Richards in 2009 – only to pay for that with your job – seems a bit of a tough break to me.

Of course, maybe Jackson wanted the move to be made (I cannot rule that out). And maybe Hull is fine with going back to a less out-front job, but the timing and circumstances are a bit difficult to understand.

Now, with Nieuwendyk, you are getting a guy who is willing to grind and do the job 18 hours a day. With all due respect to my guy, Hull, it did appear at times that he did not care for the absurd hours the job calls for. Nieuwendyk, however, seems to enjoy the tons of scouting, watching, travelling, and grinding to find the unearthed talents in the hockey world. I have personally seen him roll through town as he is examining players while working on the job in Florida and Toronto. Being a GM is not a part-time job, and Joe is a guy who seems very much fine with that.

I hope he is ready to hit the ground running. He has plenty on his plate. He has the #8 pick in the draft to consider (I will be offering you some thoughts on that as we get closer) and he has the future of 2 of his former teammates to decide: Zubov and Jere Lehtinen. He must also decide whether to keep the entire coaching staff intact, and let’s not forget any additions that should be made, but I would assume the petty cash drawer is empty this summer at Hicks, Inc.

Regardless, this move was off-my-radar, but I am pleasantly interested. I think having one voice in the organization is what should have been happening all along. The question will soon become whether this is the right voice. I think he has a great chance of being the right guy.

Various other items for MGM:

* Yesterday was not a great time for Ian Kinsler at the plate late in the game. He had a few high leverage moments where the game might have been different if he could have come through against the A’s. His strikeout in the 7th and his groundout into a double play in the 9th certainly appeared to frustrate the Rangers 2nd baseman and of course, the DP ended the final rally. For some reason, when watching Ian at the plate, I started to get this theory in my head that he is lacking patience more and more. He appears to swing at the first pitch, and of course, my deduction is that this is bad. Well, then I looked at the stats, and I will stop worrying about Kinsler swinging with a 0-0 count. On the first pitch, Kinsler is hitting .485 this season (16-33). The other guy who swings at the first pitch a ton for the Rangers is Josh Hamilton. But, since he hits .348 on the first pitch, I suppose I should stop being so worried about this trend.

* The Stanley Cup Finals gained my attention this weekend – thanks to the NBA disappointing weekend – and I was center-of-the-couch for hockey. If you don’t know, I don’t care for the Red Wings at all, so once the Stars are eliminated from the mix, my rooting interests turn to just cheering against Detroit. It is a painful process, because I repeatedly believe that someone can give them a run for their money. Silly me. The Red Wings, even depleted by injury, withstood some big Penguins surges, and emerged victorious in Games 1 and 2. Now, if you want the Penguins to win, you have to figure out how to win 4 out of 5 games over the rest of the series. Good luck. Betting against Detroit is like betting against the casinos winning their share.

We did get this gem: Geno Malkin beats on Henrik Zetterberg late in the game.

* I don’t mean to make this about me, but one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me was unveiled on Friday night, when NFL Films debuted the “10 Greatest Dallas Cowboys of All-Time” special on the NFL Network. Sure, the show is about Roger and Troy, Emmitt and Tony, Landry and Lilly, but some of the guys at the Ticket (George, Craig, Rhynes, Norm, and me!) were asked to participate, and it was with great joy that I answered their questions hoping I could make the final cut. Total face time? Eh, about 14 seconds. But NFL Films Immortality! And the question I was asked a few times this weekend: What did it pay? Not a penny. I wouldn’t have accepted anything. For a football dork like me, NFL Films is like an actor getting a chance at Broadway. I am very pleased. I can die in peace, now.

To see cool Cowboys stuff, watch the whole thing. To see a goofy sports dork, go to 7:55 on this cut:

* So now what are we going to do without Lebron puppet? Put it next to Dan versus Dave . I was certainly hoping that Cleveland could figure it out on Saturday night, but at the end of that series, we must only conclude that Orlando is the better team. If you are Mike Brown, NBA Coach of the Year, I would not rule out the idea of being fired. It is a tough world, but with LeBron 1 year from total free agency, I would imagine Cleveland will do whatever it takes to please King James. I still don’t think he is going anywhere next summer, because part of the “superstar” blue-print is to stay with the same team all the way through your career. You don’t jump when you can.

Michael Jordan won his first title in his age-27 season , which was also his 7th season in the NBA. LeBron just completed season #6, but it is merely his age-24 season . Something tells me he will eventually get it done.

* NBA Finals Schedule:

Game 1: Thursday June 4: Orlando at L.A. Lakers
Game 2: Sunday June 7: Orlando at L.A. Lakers
Game 3: Tuesday June 9: L.A. Lakers at Orlando
Game 4: Thursday June 11: L.A. Lakers at Orlando
Game 5: Sunday June 14: L.A. Lakers at Orlando (if necessary)
Game 6: Tuesday June 16: Orlando at L.A. Lakers (if necessary)
Game 7: Thursday June 18: Orlando at L.A. Lakers (if necessary)

I don’t mind their kind, I just don’t totally understand it.

Here, baseball gets us to Labor Day when another football season engages us.

I would imagine many of you understand that there are generally two types of Rangers fans I have witnessed. Type-1) Those who are hardcore diehards who never leave the tv during the summer (or the Newberg Report, Inside Corner, or Lonestarball) and often grow more quiet by the week as the summer continues, because once again the object of their affection has let them down. or Type-2) Those who enjoy baseball with the same feelings that they enjoy grilling out; It happens every summer, and then the rest of the year, we do something else. If the Rangers do well, they roll with them, but if they are 10 back on June 1, they only watch when there is nothing else to do.

This past weekend, all types united to see the sweep. That was what it feels like in those baseball cities. The lead sports story in Dallas this weekend? The Rangers. 2nd? The Rangers attendance. 3rd? The Rangers fans.

Certainly, we must be careful not to jump to conclusions, but a sweep of Seattle in midweek, followed by a weekend dusting of the Angels was reflected in small-talk all across the metroplex. As Mike Hindman pointed out this morning this story may be a secret nationwide, but here in North Texas, the sleeping giant that is made up of all baseball fans is stirring in its bed.

Let the record show that of the 4 local fan bases, baseball has been the most abused and dormant. Cowboys fans have been given so much for so long that they actually think that this recent stretch constitutes a trial of epic proportions. Stars fans still enjoy that they own the cities last major championship. Mavericks fans have been spoiled by a decade of excellence even if it never experienced the parade that was planned.

But, Rangers fans…They may be on the brink of owning the city if this continues.

Do you remember the spring of 2001 for the Mavericks? It was special because the Mavericks of the 1990′s were actually looking like this might be the year they finally return to the playoffs. We cheered their wins, we forgave their loses, and as a sports city, we were neither spoiled nor entitled. We were just proud.

Time changes that, and soon making the playoffs is no longer impressive to fans. Then, winning is required in the playoffs. And then, a title is needed. It happens everywhere in every sport. But, the enjoyment of that first year where they emerge from out of nowhere to stop promising “next year” and to start playing for “right now” can be magical.

And now, as I look at my Sports Doppler Radar, I am suggesting that there has been a “Magical Summer” watch placed on Dallas Fort Worth. Just a watch, so don’t buy playoff tickets yet. But, the conditions are right to indicate that there is something very cool brewing in Arlington.

So, to the Type-2 Rangers fans, I think it is now safe to buy in with your time. The Mavs and Stars are done, the Cowboys are 4 months from playing a real game. At just the right time, it looks like the Rangers have a team worth knowing. But, after this weekend, I am guessing you don’t need me to tell you this.

MGM Notes and random observations:

* Evan Grant uncovered some pretty interesting information on Saturday: They have an official team song – “Day N Nite,” by Kid Cudi, which has started to shake the clubhouse walls before every game after every win. Really? I like to know these goofy little fun facts, but as a 36 year old, should I be ashamed I have never heard of neither “Day N Nite” nor “Kid Cudi”?

Well, there are resources everywhere in this information age, and thanks to youtube, you can see the video and thanks to Wikipedia you can learn that this is the only song he has every released that has received acclaim (so far!) and that he has already threatened a retirement despite only having one song that has received acclaim. Very Farvian. But, now I know Kid Cudi. Yep. I am hipper by the minute.

* Two Game 7′s in the NBA on Sunday, and I gave them both a chance to take me away to that special place of playoff awesomeness. Didn’t quite work out for me. The Lakers beat the Rockets like a drum, and the Orlando Magic sent the defending champion Celtics packing. According to the Boston Globe : The Celtics dropped to 20-6 in Game 7s and 32-1 in series in which they held a 3-2 games lead.

For the Lakers, they must now take their tongue lashing from the national media for allowing the injured Rockets to hang around for 7 games before they host Denver in Game 1 on Tuesday. I will be front-and-center for this series, because although I am taking the Lakers to win, Denver’s performance and their overall make-up gives me great pause. It seems that the Lakers actually have some similar issues with the Mavericks in that their big guys are docile types, who may not perform well against those ruffians (is that better than thug or goon?) on the Denver front line. How will Odom, Bynum, and most importantly Gasol fare when K-Mart, Birdman, and Nene scowl? We are about to find out. Of course, the difference between the Mavs and Lakers is that at guard the Lakers have the most competitive guy since Jordan and the Mavs have more docile types.

* Detroit vs Chicago yesterday on the ice was not too compelling in Game 1, but I expect that it will get better as the series goes on. If there is one thing most of us agree on, it is our disdain of the Red Wings, but this is their time of year. For the upstart Blackhawks to have a chance, they need Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to rise up and outperform Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Tough to do, but they have immense talent.

One scary moment from yesterday was this moment where Adam Burish nearly loses his head:

* Buster Olney with this interesting list :

• The most swinging strikes for hitters this season:
Chris Davis 116
Ryan Howard 101
Jordan Schafer 97
Mark Reynolds 96
Carlos Pena 95
Matt Kemp 89
Corey Hart 86
Evan Longoria 84
Nelson Cruz 82
Alfonso Soriano 81
Adrian Gonzalez 81

* And then this email from Jeremy: Now, after a celebration and the beer spraying commences in the locker room, could he get an M.I.P.?!! And could the Rangers get in trouble for contributing to the minors?! Just something to think about.. Jeremy

* Larry Fitzgerald vs. Blogger. Funny, if nothing else:

That’s all for today. Let’s be careful out there.