From the Fringe

February 2010 - Posts

• Confession is Good for the Soul

  They say confession is good for the soul, so in an effort to do some soul cleaning, I've decided to sweep out some of the last remnants of my recent curious interest in Tiger Woods. Unless you live under a rock or a snow drift, you've heard all about the thirteen and a half minute "statement" by Tiger Woods.  It's been everywhere, broadcast all over the world, followed up by analysis by everyone from crisis management experts, to media gurus, to well, folks like you and me. Except for the lack of tears, Sam Johnson seemed to hit the nail on the head with his prediction...or at least that's what I've heard.  It's been 6 days and I have yet to watch it.  I've seen clips and sound bites (because they were everywhere last weekend), and I've read several opinions about it, but that investment of just short of 15 minutes hasn't taken priority and I don't think it will (I had curling to watch!).  Just like with the movie Titanic, when asked about the Tiger Woods statement, I will be one of the few on earth that will say, "I haven't seen it". If I had thought that Tiger's admissions and apologies were meant for me, I probably would have made the time to hear what he had to say.  But the fact is, none of this was for me...or for the average golf fan...directly anyway.  He apologized to specific people, namely his wife and family, and I don't doubt for a second that he truly is sorry.  Like I said before, confession is good for the soul. What is interesting to me is that the whole thing seems like sort of a slight of hand - I'm not sure anyone really got what they wanted...but I think it worked.  Those from the general public who felt Tiger owed us all an apology didn't get it (whether they were entitled to one is a whole other story)...it seems he spoke at us, but not to us.  He did publically acknowledge his regrets and mistakes to those directly in his life, which I'm sure he has already done in private.  And then he took a few moments to throw a few jabs, sneaking in a little disgust with the rumors and stories.  Based on what I've read from other people, I'm half surprised that he didn't finish it all by saying "Am I done now?". It is my humble opinion that Tiger knew he had to do this, but he wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of thinking they forced him to do anything...so it was all an illusion of sorts - say the right things to make everyone think that they are all getting what they want but hoping that they follow the act and not the words. He knew he just needed to get it over with.  If he had chosen to stay quiet the questions would have followed him everywhere.  It doesn't matter if this was "none of our business", this wasn't going to go away.  Tiger and his people knew that.  They also knew that once you put it out there, the whole speculation game is over and it doesn't take long before someone else's controversy will fill the headlines...welcome to Damage Control 101. I'm not really sure I buy the whole theory that people like to put others up on a pedestal only to see them knocked down (I personally think it's the people that never wanted to see them up there in the first place that are the ones taking the swings), but I do believe that even as fickle as humanity can be, many people have compassion for the emotionally bruised and battered.  By Tiger acknowledging his infidelity and admitting that he thought he was bigger than the rules (or something like that), he showed a vulnerability and honesty that will no doubt draw some people's sympathy and cause them to champion his "recovery".  Tiger "the brand", also needed to be pulled out from under the bus.  When some sponsors actually separated themselves from Tiger was when I realized this whole mess couldn't just be swept under the rug.  It made me wonder if those with a lot of dollars and time still invested in TW may also be feeling some of the effects of "guilt by association"...I imagine they are.  I believe that Tiger felt he owed it to them to redirect the focus back on him and offer thanks for their support.  Sponsors who may have once appeared to be supporting the "adulterer" have been let off the hook and are perceived as an innocent bystander.  Way to take one for the team, Tiger. I'm just glad it's over now.  I would imagine there are "Tiger Watch" websites and clocks ticking with how much time is left until we see him on a golf course again.  We've heard Doral, and I hope that's right.  Just like this "statement", once he plays his first event after his "leave of absence" I imagine things will start to get back to normal.  Even if you're not a Tiger fanatic, like me, I think you have to admit that when he's playing, professional golf gets a shot in the arm. Many have said that regardless of what he said last Friday, the true measure of Tiger Woods will be in his actions.  Unfortunately for him, from this point on, that means both on and off the golf course whether he (or we) likes it or not.  I guess that is the price of fame and public opinion.  The golf media will also be tested...will they be able to keep the focus on golf or will they try to eblow back into his non-golf world...my guess is, if they try it won't be pretty.  My final confession is that even though I feel like I can look beyond the current debates and "analysis" of Tiger, if at some point there was a book from someone inside Tiger's camp that explained how this all went on for so long completely under the radar, I'd have to read it...it's the one thing that completely baffles me...how was it possible in a world of cell phone cameras, video cameras, and twitter, that Tiger wasn't exposed years ago?  And how did he or whoever convince all of these women not to talk? I guess maybe I'll always be a little curious on the "how", but I can honestly say that I hope the next thing I read about Tiger is when we will see him on the course again. Now, go back to the home page and read Sam's post this week if you haven't already...it's good stuff!! Posted Feb 25 2010, 10:31 AM by Cathy Erickson with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Sam Johnson, TIger Woods, Golf, Cathy Erickson, apology, confession

• Golf on the Brain

  As I stepped outside at the end of my work day I was greeted by a bright sun and an unusually warm breeze on my cheeks...it honestly felt like golf weather!!  The thermometer in my car said 46 degrees...almost twice as warm as the last time I hit golf balls.  It was a welcome surprise.  Of course it's only February and we've got our share of snow, but for a few moments I let my mind wander and I thought about swinging my driver.  Then I called a favorite golf pal and asked if he wanted to go golfing.  It was great to talk because in the off-season it can get much too long in between visits with golf friends. I checked my fantasy golf standings and realized that I lost all of the ground I had made up after the big Steve Stricker win last week.  Over at Kerplookee I totally whiffed on my predictions - being the only person not to choose Dustin Johnson.  Whoops!  I'm also way down on on the standing after one week.  This week we've got all of the players who aren' t in the WGC match play, which means you've got quite a few guys you may have never heard of.  One guy I have heard of is Erik Compton - he is playing in Mexico this week and I went out on a big limb and put him on my dark horse list - Go Erik!!  I also went a little "old school" and added Steve Elkington...it would be great to see him with a strong finish.  I also decided on David Duval, we'll see if he can ride the wave of his success at Pebble Beach last week.  Speaking of Pebble Beach, I was able to watch a little golf this weekend in between cartoons with my 19-month old nieces.  I loved it when Bill Murray took an inflatable chair from someone in the gallery.  But Pebble wasn't without its pain...watching Molder and Goydos make some high scores was tough to watch. A few of us have put a little wager on the WGC this week - and I've already found out that I'm horrible at picking the upsets!  And of course my winner is none other than Steve Stricker!  But I see as I type this he needs to make it through the first round!  (all square through 16)  Well, my brain isn't totally full of golf...it's Olympic curling time and I am rooting for Team USA!!  The teams are struggling, but I'm hopeful that we'll put some wins up in the next few days.  It's an unofficial fact that a lot of curlers are also golfers, so all golfers should be watching some curling! I'm also beginning my planning for a trip to Nashville in April - the golf clubs are coming with, so I need to find some good (and reasonable) places to play.  Feel free to share any Nashville/Southwest Kentucky area golf ideas you have! Well, time to watch more curling...and to regroup and root for my players that made it through the first round of the WGC.  GO Steve Stricker!! Update:  Steve Stricker LOST in round 1 of the WGC...oy.  My bracket is crippled in 2 of the 4 groups.  Besides Stricker, I had Kenny Perry going to the final 4-ouch.  Now my only hope is Ernie Els making it to the finals!!  Men's Curling...LOST in an extra end - ouch.  Team Erickson also lost in curling last night...ouch.  Wednesday was a rough day for me! Update #2:  My WGC bracket is in critial condition.  I have only 1 guy left to make it to the final 4.  And neither of my final 2 guys are still in it...I'm completely out in 2 brackets (DANG you Ernie Els!!!).  This is not looking good!  USA curling - still doesn't have a win...my heart can't take many more tight matches we end up losing.  Team Erickson, though, finally broke through with a curling win last night.  And how about Erik Compton!  -4 on day one in Mexico!  Things are looking up!! Posted Feb 17 2010, 04:58 PM by Cathy Erickson with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Erik Compton, Steve Stricker, Curling, Pebble Beach., Dustin Johnson, WGC, winter

• Make no mistake about it, this is all about Steve Stricker!

  Can you picture the smile on my face?  I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I'm a little bit giddy about seeing Steve Stricker hoisting the trophy at the Northern Trust Open (and seeing the "What's in Steve Stricker's Bag"!!).  As I gave him a standing ovation in my living room Sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but think back to some of the commentary, or lack of commentary, about arguably the nicest guy on the PGA Tour at the end of last year.  For those that didn't pay attention, Steve Stricker had a GREAT 2009 season! Three PGA Tour wins (the Crowne Plaza @ Colonial, the John Deere Classic, and the Deutsche Bank Championship), second on the PGA Tour money list, third on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) (with a few weeks at #2!), a fantastic performance at the President's Cup, and a nice win at the Shark Shootout in November (wth fellow Wisconsinite Jerry Kelly).  Here's a guy that deserves to be called an A-lister! As it happens each year, golf writers and bloggers give us their annual "year in review"...I wondered, with a little excitement, what people would say about Stricker.  I realize most folks maybe don't adore Stricks like I do, but humble, kind, and talented guy with a wedge (and even more talented with a putter!) had a noteworthy season!  To my utter shock, I found that most of the year-end reviews I read made no mention of the Wisconsin native and University of Illinois graduate who made a great run at the FedEx Cup and earned over $6.3 million dollars.  WHAT??? Matthew Adams, who posts articles here on Tees2Greens, was the guy that tipped me over the edge.  Most of what he touched on were highlights for me (although I could have done without the "Tiger count" of victories, yeah we get that already), but when I got to the end and saw nothing resembling Steve or Stricker, I was irked. My mood did not improve as I went out on the web and read a few more 2009 summaries.  Watson?  Yes, the Open was memorable.  Kenny Perry?  Agreed...victory snatched away.  Phil?  A great end to the season.  The "young guns"?  Um, a little more bark than bite for me so far.  YE Yang?  Yep, I'll go with the David and Goliath analogy.  And finally, Tiger, 6 wins and loss at the PGA...and then Thanksgiving?  Uh huh, he's definitely a newsmaker. Yes, all of those things were interesting, but there's still plenty of room for Stricker!!  How could he get passed over again and again? There was still hope...I figured at least Sam Johnson might give him a line or two, but noooo...  I shared my irritation with him regarding the Stricker omission, and here was his response, "I don't hate Steve Stricker, I just never think about him.  For some reason I'm always surprised when I look up and he's close to the top of the leader board."  Oh yeah, and he gave him "The Almost Award". ACK!  But then it hit me...people of character, humility, and honor find their strength not in the fluff of accolades or headlines, but in the depths of struggle and the reward for perseverance.  Steve Stricker has experienced both and is a better golfer because of it...in fact, he's one of the BEST golfers because of it. Steve Stricker doesn't need me to defend him or his game, and I'm pretty sure being on anyone's Top Ten lists is of little consequence to him, so I will officially pack away my bitterness that he was not given enough credit for his accomplishments in 2009.  But since I'm here, I might as well take a few moments to let you know that besides a great 2009 season, he has come out in 2010 with 3 starts and 3 top 10 finishes (including the win this past Sunday!).  AND he has reclaimed the #2 spot on the OWGR!!  He's a Titliest guy (with several UST Shafts!) and looks really good in his FootJoys.  Stricker turned pro in 1990 after a successful college golf career.  He still goes back to the University of Illinois and does a fund raising event for the golf program.  He also helps raise money for worthy causes in his home state of Wisconsin. In 2005, Stricker hit the low point of his career, landing at 337th on the OWGR and not qualifying at Q-school that December.  He decided then to rebuild his golf swing and through sheer will and dedication came through in 2006 with 10 top-25 finishes in 17 starts and moved up to 63rd on the OWGR. And then in 2007 he built on that success and ended the season ranked 4th in the world.  He was honored with Comeback Player of the Year in both 2006 and 2007.  In 2008, Stricker dropped to the 17th ranked player in the world, but still earned over $2.4 million. With 5 top 10 finishes in his first 11 starts in 2009, Stricker came through with the first of 3 wins at Colonial in May, and he's been riding that wave ever since.  And I have loved every moment of it! There is always a seat on the Steve Stricker fan bus, so feel free to jump on board!!  And if you're looking for him, check the top of the leader board.  Posted Feb 09 2010, 11:14 AM by Cathy Erickson with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Sam Johnson, Steve Stricker, FedEx Cup, OWGR, 2010, Cathy Erickson, 2009

• What is Spirit?

  I have been thinking a lot about spirit lately...it's popped up in my world recently and now it's been bouncing around in my head.  What I have been realizing is the word spirit has a lot of different meanings when you start to think about it.  I looked up spirit in the dictionary and found over 15 definitions!   WOW! Spirit first popped into my brain as I was thinking about the upcoming winter Olympics.  As a curler, I'm very excited about following the men's and women's curling teams compete for gold in Vancouver.  These athletes are folks who embody the phrase Olympic Spirit.  These men and women (many who are from Minnesota!) took their passion for the sport and sacrificed time from their jobs and families to represent the United States on a global level.  What an honor!  I know curling means little or nothing to most people in the US, but for those of us who have it in our blood, there is an enthusiasm percolating as we get closer to competition time.  I hope everyone can capture a little Olympic spirit as the countdown to Vancouver draws near. I ran into spirit again as I have been reading about the uproar regarding the Ping Eye 2 wedge debate and Phil Mickelson.  I'll admit I haven't really followed this story that much, but what I think is going on is that due to a loophole that resulted from a lawsuit many years ago, the Ping Eye 2 irons are still "legal" on tour even though they do not conform to the new groove standards set for 2010. Just like the Tiger "controversy", it seems like everyone and their brother has an opinion on whether bringing back some old school Pings is right or not.  I have read from more than one person that even though it is perfectly legal to use these clubs, Phil (or anyone else for that matter) using Ping wedges is going against "the spirit of the rule"...and that is tantamount to cheating. I've had to ponder this accusation for awhile, but what it comes down to to me is that no player has any real advantage against another because every player can get their hands on some Ping Eye 2's if they really wanted to (call me if you need some!!).  Had it been that there were only 2 sets left in the world and Phil had one of them, well, I might reconsider my support if he chose to use them, but since that's not the case, I don't think anyone has the right to call him a cheater.  As for going against the "spirit of the rule", I'm torn...it's clear these clubs don't conform, so it does seem that if the loophole is used the intent is to not follow the original rule.  So while I don't think Phil is a cheater, I do wonder about his motivation to use clubs that wouldn't normally pass the muster. Just yesterday I read a short article about a former hockey player who lives in Minnesota.  He was on the Olympic hockey team that was coined "the miracle on ice" in Lake Placid against the Russians. The part of the article that caught my attention was when he explained why he gave up hockey not long after the Olympics.  Back then, playing professional hockey was not nearly as lucrative as it is now.  He had a passion and spirit for the game, but it was pretty clear it might not be able pay the bills, especially if he got hurt.  He wondered what path he might have taken if the salaries were like they are now back then. Sometimes I find myself thinking that all of the money that is thrown at the stars on the golf course (and in all sports) has in some ways suffocated the spirit that lies at the root of doing something we love.    Have the scales tipped so much that Tour Players can't see how much, we, the fans, would love just to share in the spirit of the game with them?  Is golf really a job to them and not a joy? Has technology become so important that we've lost what "feel" and instinct is?  Have we become slaves to grooves, shafts, GPS's,  Pro-V's, and titanium?  When I think of spirit in golf my brain immediately goes to Seve - the instinct, the creativeness, the feel that he had didn't come from technology, but from passion.  I wish we had more Seve's. Golf seems to be in a funk right now and I think we need some spirit to bust out and remind us why we love this game.  Let's forget about grooves and loopholes, cheating and money, and focus on the feeling that comes with hitting the perfect shot...or the sound of a golf ball finding its way to the bottom of the cup...or getting to spend the day with great friends...or enjoying the challenge that is always waiting for us on the first tee. One of the things I love most about golf is that every time we play we have the opportunity to quench and revitalize our spirit.  And since I won't be finding a club in my hands for a few months still, I hope those that are able will take my spirit with them the next time they find themselves on the golf course.   Go find your spirit! Posted Feb 04 2010, 04:29 PM by Cathy Erickson with no comments Filed under: Olympics, Curling, Golf, spirit, Eye2, Ping, hockey