Dustin Johnson and the fatal three putt

Golf can be such a cruel game.  While this sounds like a cliché sports fan utter all the time whether it’s just watching a PGA event or having fun playing a round, Dustin Johnson certainly proved this to be true yesterday.  At the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay it looked like 21-year old Jordan Spieth was going to secure the year’s second major with a three shot lead after 16 holes.

                                                                           Getty Images

Before you could blink, Spieth made a double bogey at 17 followed by a Johnson birdie and the two were tied heading to the 18^th tee. If you didn’t know this much by now, you probably at least know how it ended. Spieth made a birdie on the par five 18^th and Johnson had to counter to force a full-round playoff which would have been today. Johnson got on the green in two and had a 15-foot eagle putt to win his first major championship.  At the very worst he’ll get a playoff right? Not so fast. Johnson’s eagle putt sailed long leaving him with some work to do for birdie from about five feet out.  After missing the birdie putt, Johnson tapped in for par and Jordan Spieth was the U.S. Open Champion.

Not exactly the way you wanted to see a major end.  Even Spieth was shocked at Johnson’s three putt. Not to take anything away from the youngster who’s playing well above his age, as he is halfway to the grand slam, but all the focus is on Johnson letting it slip away on this day after.

Granted, Johnson didn’t play his best round of golf on Sunday, especially when it came to putting.  The 18^th was not the only time Johnson missed a short putt.  But while it’s easy to look at is as a sports fan and say he choked and didn’t deserve to win, it’s hard not to feel for Johnson.  He’s been through a lot in his career. He was suspended for six months from the PGA Tour in 2012 for a failed drug test.  He was disqualified from the PGA Championship in 2010 for grounding his club while on the cusp of victory.  He has finished in the top ten at majors seven times.  But he has never walked away victorious.

Yet, perhaps this would be the time when he got to exercise the demons.  Dustin Johnson had a walk up the 18^th fairway at Chambers Bay knowing he would have a putt to win.  Five minutes later, it’s another disappointing finish at a major for the Coastal Carolina product.  As I said, golf is cruel sometimes.

So where does Johnson go from here?  The first comparison I thought of shortly after the dust had settled was Adam Scott.  The supremely talented Australian had his first major seemingly in the bag, but let the 2012 Open Championship slip away making four straight bogies to end his final round as Ernie Els stole the Claret Jug by a stroke.  Scott bounced back to win the 2013 Masters in a playoff over Angel Cabrera to soften the blow from the Open.  Perhaps that will be Dustin Johnson.  He certainly has the talent to win a major and it’s just a question of if he can seal the deal.  Or perhaps yesterday will prove to be a defining moment of Johnson’s career.  Stay tuned.

Photo: http://golfweek.com/photos/2015/jun/21/62464/

The Triple Crown: An accomplishment regardless of audience

 As Larry Collmus said on Saturday evening as it became evident, “American Pharoah is finally the one!” and just like that 37 years of waiting for a horse to win the sport’s triple crown was all over.  But a lot of the immediate reaction just 48 hours later has not necessarily been about the accomplishment itself but more so, something along the lines of “Do you care?”

                                                           Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Victor Espinoza crosses the finish line at the Preakness
aboard American Pharoah after a rainy day at Pimlico,

The answer to that question should be a yes from all sports fans.  Perhaps horse racing isn’t as popular as it was in the 70s when Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed all took home the sport’s most prestigious award but in no way should that diminish American Pharoah ending the drought. For 37 years, a horse not winning the triple crown was exactly what drew people in.  All eyes were on the Kentucky Derby winner heading into the Preakness and in some cases the Belmont yet it never quite happened until Saturday.  Now that it has it’s not a big deal and no one really cared to begin with?

After watching attempts from Smarty Jones, Big Brown, and California Chrome fall short, and seeing I’ll Have Another get scratched from the Belmont, I can say I was happy I was able to see this happen.  It seemed like year after year we would get teased with the possibility, but ultimately it wouldn’t be enough.  It’s the same narrative every year.  Most of the other horses don’t run in all three races.  The Belmont is the last race and is the longest one so how can a horse who already won the first two legs hold up for the third jewel of the crown when lots of the other horses are fresh? For once, these doubts were brushed aside.

This is the pinnacle of the sport. So yes, if you’re a sports fan, you should care.  All you had to do to care was watch three 2-3 minute races over the span of five weeks to realize what happened and respect it.

Some argue that the mystique of the drought is what drew some in and now that Bob Baffert, Victor Espinoza and the rest of American Pharaoh’s team have ended it, there’s not as much excitement surrounding the sport.  Maybe that will prove to be true.  However, that’s a conversation to have at this time next year when we’re going through the triple crown races again and we can see who cares and who doesn’t now that everyone has already seen the sport’s greatest accomplishment become a reality.  But for now, why not enjoy history?  After all, it might be another 37 years until we see it again.

Photo: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/05/17/american_pharoah_is_one_step_from_triple_crown_after_preakness_victory.html

Ruben Amaro Jr. continues to dig a deeper hole

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies have catastrophically declined over the last four years since winning the last of five consecutive NL East division titles in 2011.  Since then it’s been the same narrative regardless of what year it was.  The Phillies are a team loaded with bad contracts and with a middle of the road farm system at best.  The present has been bleak and the future didn’t look all that bright.  Such was the crux of criticism from the fan base towards general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. with many believing the GM was entering 2015, with no plan of furthering the team’s rebuild.

                                                                   Yong Kim/Philly.com

But throughout the last couple weeks, there have been some glimmers of hope.  The Phillies went on a six-game winning streak for the first time since September 2012.  Older players like Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, Aaron Harang and Cole Hamels have been producing enough where their trade value may be higher than expected coming into the season.  Younger players like Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis, and Odubel Herrera showed flashes that they could be a part of the team’s core moving forward.  In AA for Reading, 2014 first-round pick, pitcher Aaron Nola, was on fire with an ERA below 2.00 and six wins to his credit overshadowing a good start to the year in Reading for Zach Eflin, another pitching prospect who the Phillies acquired for Jimmy Rollins in the offseason.

Not that anyone was falling for the big club’s six-game winning streak but perhaps 2015 wouldn’t be the wasted season everyone thought it would be.  Perhaps the younger players at all levels throughout the organization would continue to show promise.  Perhaps the Phillies could add some much needed depth to their minor league system by trading some of the older players who had been performing better in May. The first-year player draft is fast approaching which offers every team an opportunity to infuse their organization with young talent.  The Phillies hold the 10^th pick in the first round.  So at least for the first time in a while, the Phillies offered fans a little bit of excitement for the future and if that’s all that came out of the 2015 season then it would be better than expected.

But on Tuesday, we were all reminded of just how deep of a hole Amaro has dug for himself.  Amaro commented on fans desire to see prospects like Eflin and Nola move up through the organization and potentially reach the majors before the end of the 2015 season saying that fans “don’t understand the game” according to CSN’s Jim Salisbury.  Amaro went on to indicate that the fans’ complaints about the team not having a plan are out of line and that the organization does have a plan and is not going to rush its prospects up.

While it makes sense from an organizational standpoint to be patient with the prospects, Amaro didn’t do himself any favors with these comments directed towards the fans.  With all the losing the team has done in the last three years, fans needed something to get excited about and it looked like the young talent the Phillies did have was providing that so it’s only logical for fans to want to see players move up through the system and the rebuild to accelerate.  While one could understand Amaro wanting to wait until the time is right to promote prospects, good luck trying to get anyone to think Amaro has a plan in place.  The last three years the Phillies have lost, and lost, and lost with an older deteriorating nucleus and finally decided to move a few older players last offseason with the trades of Jimmy Rollins and Antonio Bastardo. If it took that long for Amaro to finally develop a rebuilding plan for the organization then it was too little too late. It’s hard to see him being allowed to see things through with his contract set to expire after 2015.  

Maybe Amaro’s comments on Tuesday were sour grapes towards a fan base that has seen its other professional teams change their ways.  Chip Kelly’s Eagles, Ron Hextall’s Flyers, and Sam Hinkie’s Sixers all have displayed a willingness to think outside the box and realize that if the status quo of their respective organizations wasn’t good enough then it’s time to travel down a different path and see where it leads to.  The path Amaro has traveled down has seen the Phillies steadily decline and makes him arguably the most hated individual in Philadelphia sports and just when you thought there might be some hope for the future for the Phillies, Amaro reminded us all of why he is so ostracized by the fan base.  While seeing young players succeed and having more young players brought in via trades and the draft would be nice, what would really be refreshing would be for the Phillies to hire a forward thinker of their own and move on from Ruben Amaro Jr.

Photo: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/Amaro_Phillies_might_not_be_contenders_in_2015_2016.html

Why can’t Tom Brady and the Patriots go quietly?

It’s hard to live in the United States of America and not know what’s going on with the New England Patriots.  The NFL recently handed down a harsh punishment to the team and quarterback Tom Brady for what’s commonly referred to as “Deflategate” as the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 in the AFC Championship game this past January while using under-inflated footballs.

                                                         Associated Press

After attorney Ted Wells had concluded his investigation and his 243-page report was released, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent came down hard on New England as he fined the franchise 1,000,000 dollars, forced the Patriots to forfeit their 2016 first-round draft pick and 2017 fourth-round selection, and most importantly suspended quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the 2015 season.  

Starting in January after the allegations initially leaked Brady has repeatedly denied any notion that he requested for underinflated balls. After Vincent handed down the discipline, Brady and his agent Don Yee haven’t capitulated and have formally appealed the suspension. 

Much has been made this week about whether or not this will tarnish the legacy of Brady.  For some, Brady is a lying cheater and will always be viewed as such.  Others point to the score of the AFC Championship game and choose not to care about the pounds per square inch of the footballs because it wouldn’t have made a difference.  I’m somewhere in between but the latter does not hold much weight in my mind.

Just because the game was a blowout should not dismiss the fact that Brady and the Patriots broke an NFL rule. So what would really be the best way for Brady to save his legacy of a potential black mark? I don’t believe appealing and dragging things out is the appropriate course of action.  Anyone that lies about breaking the rules isn’t going to win over any supporters, especially if he has a chance to appeal any discipline like Brady is doing, and nothing is overturned in court. Now perhaps the suspension will get reduced by a game or two but I’d be surprised if it was totally wiped out like some within Brady’s camp believe will happen.

I like to make the analogy to baseball and the steroid era. By no means am I equating taking performance enhancing drugs with deflating footballs, but look at some of the baseball players that were implicated during the steroid era and how they chose to handle the situations.  Alex Rodriguez repeatedly denied any usage for years and was eventually suspended for the entire 2014 season.  He didn’t exactly win any supporters throughout the process and now even Yankee fans view him in a negative light. 

On a much smaller scale, Andy Pettite admitted immediately after being accused of using human growth hormone that he did it.  In my eyes, and I’m sure many others feel the same way, it’s easy to move past Pettite’s situation because of the way he handled it.  Whereas Rodriguez’s was dragged out and the longer things went on the more supporters he lost.

Maybe it isn’t the best analogy, but I have a hard time believing Brady’s legacy wouldn’t be in better shape if he didn’t just own up to his mistake. Everyone could move on.  It’s hard to really believe Brady is telling the truth when he says he did not request for under-inflated footballs and if he had just admitted to making a mistake and the organization quietly accepted the punishment this would all be over.  Instead, his legacy could very well wind up with a hefty asterisk attached to it in the eyes of many fans.

Photo: http://www.metro.pr/metrosport/brady-apelara-suspension-de-cuatro-juegos/pGXoel!xF8pN2skNq8g/

2015 NFL Draft Big Board

I’ve been paying more attention to this year’s NFL Draft class than others in prior years, largely because of the craziness that is this offseason for the Eagles.  So I might as well channel my inner Mel Kiper Jr. and do a Big Board.

                                                 Christian Petersen/Getty Images

1.     Leonard Williams- DE USC: This man is a beast and destined to be making plays in opposing offenses backfields his entire career. He’s a versatile defensive lineman that could be a 3-4 end or a 4-3 tackle.  Williams (seen right) is quick and athletic enough to play outside but big enough to be moved inside depending on the team he goes to.  He reminds me a lot of Richard Seymour and is the best player in the draft.

2.     Jameis Winston- QB FSU: Off-the-field concerns are not enough to drive him down boards, as he’ll likely be the first selection in the draft by Tampa Bay.  Winston has a very strong pocket presence and instincts and a good feel for the rush and gets rid of the ball early.  These are very translatable skills to the NFL and make Winston the top QB prospect in the draft.

3.     Marcus Mariota- QB Oregon: Quite of the opposite of Winston here.  Mariota does not come with the same baggage but there have been questions about his ability to run a conventional NFL offense after running the up-tempo spread type offense at Oregon.  While to a certain degree it’s fair to question, I don’t hold it against him too much because we’ve yet to actually see him run an traditional offense.  Mariota is a smart decision maker with the football and a gifted dual threat.  The team fit is much more important with him than Winston, and he might not be able to make as much of a first-year impact, but Mariota is still an intriguing prospect.

4.     Amari Cooper- WR Alabama: Off the charts 2014 season at Alabama and the best wide receiver in this draft.  Cooper can burn defenses in a variety of different ways as he runs good routes and can rack up yards after the catch in addition to stretching the field by running deeper routes.  I don’t see many weaknesses here.

5.     Brandon Scherff- OT Iowa: Scherff is a very versatile offensive lineman who could be used at tackle or guard and developed as a really nice left tackle at Iowa.  He’s already a run good run blocker that drives defensive linemen back with quick jumps off the snap and is a very good athlete that gets into the second level and often blocks linebackers.  Still getting there as a pass blocker but has made nice strides and will be the first offensive linemen off the board.

6.     Dante Fowler- DE Florida: Perhaps a bit of an underdeveloped pass-rusher but the athleticism is exceptional with Fowler.  He could be used in certain situations as a 4-3 defensive end but I think he projects best as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.  He’s very comfortable standing up and getting after the quarterback.  Another guy that may not make as much of an immediate impact but could become one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers down the road.

7.     Kevin White- WR West Virginia: White is a dynamic receiver that’s an explosive playmaker in space and will rack up yards after the catch.  The Mountaineer will challenge Amari Cooper to be the first wide receiver taken and could go before Cooper.  He projects to be a number one in the NFL as his ability to create separation and beat out corners on 50/50 balls will have him drafted in the top 10.

8.     Shane Ray- OLB Missouri: I’m higher on him than others but Ray had an outstanding 2014 at Missouri competing in the SEC.  Ray was the league’s defensive player of the year as he led the conference with 15 sacks.  He sheds blockers with ease and could be used as a 4-3 defensive end. While his ceiling may not be as high as Dante Fowler’s, Ray might be able to contribute more as a rookie.  Recently caught with marijuana, which could cause him to plummet.

9.     Trae Waynes- CB Michigan State: Waynes is hands down the best corner in this draft.  Checked out at times at Michigan State but Waynes skillset is worthy of a top 10 pick as he can thrive in press coverage, play off when necessary, and could be a good zone corner as well.  He’s a good tackler in space as well and whoever drafts Waynes is getting a well-rounded cornerback.

10.  Danny Shelton- DT Washington: Shelton is listed at 6’2’’ 339 and is the definition of a bull rusher up the middle.  He stays on the field a lot for someone of his build as he led Washington in tackles a year ago.  He reminds me a lot of a Hiloti Ngata type of nose tackle who has a knack for finding the ball in opponents’ backfields and making plays.

11. Devante Parker- WR Louisville: He missed the first seven games of his senior season at Louisville but still managed 855 receiving yards if you count Louisville’s bowl game.  Parker reminds me of AJ Green with his nimble frame and ability to go up and get the ball.  Perhaps there’s a small drop off from Cooper and White to Parker, whoever gets Parker in the 10-15 range is getting a very capable wide receiver.

12. Vic Beasley- OLB Clemson: Very explosive, quick, instinctual pass rusher.  Beasley’s stock flew up with a very strong performance at the combine in Indianapolis.  His on-field performance is nothing to scoff at either. Beasley compiled 44.5 tackles for loss in his last two seasons at Clemson.  In a draft loaded with pass rushers, Beasley is yet another talent.

13. Melvin Gordon- RB Wisconsin: One of my favorite players in this draft.  Gordon is a lot like Jamaal Charles in that he’s an explosive runner that can bust out a big gain between the tackles at any time.   There are some questions as to how he’ll be as a pass catcher out of the backfield, but a guy with this kind of explosiveness and big play ability belongs in the first round and I believe will become an elite back.

14. Randy Gregory- OLB Nebraska: His stock has plummeted some after a failed drug test.  Gregory is a freak athlete and can certainly get after the quarterback but still has work to do defending the run and is a bit of a raw prospect.  Gregory could definitely come in and be a situational pass rusher as a rookie and he has a considerable amount of upside but he still needs to develop.

15. Arik Armstead- DE Oregon: Much like Gregory, Armstead is a good athlete and needs to polish his skills to become a consistent producer at the next level.  I think Armstead translates best as a 3-4 defensive end at 6’7’’ 292 and with great length.  The fit here will be very important to maximize Armstead’s talent and get the most out of his athletic ability.

16. Todd Gurley- RB Georgia: Gurley has been slowly but surely rising up boards as his knee checks out after having his 2014 shortened at Georgia due to a torn ACL.  Much has been made about the devaluation of the running back position in the NFL but that won’t stop a runner like Gurley who is the perfect combination of power and speed and shreds arm tackles left and right, from getting drafted in the first round.

17. Malcolm Brown- DT Texas: Brown’s production rose year by year with the Longhorns as his sacks and tackles for losses steadily increased.  Brown is very quick given his frame and uses his quickness to shed blocks.   I’m not sure if his upside is as high as guys like Gregory or Armstead, but his floor is definitely higher than both as I think Brown projects to be a good player whether he’s used as a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 nose tackle.

18.  Cameron Irving- OL Florida State: Love the versatility as this is a guy who played center, guard, and tackle with the Seminoles.  This says a lot about the kind of athlete Irving is and he’s another high floor prospect that I think can help a lot of teams up front regardless of the position but is probably best used as a center.

                                     Matt Kartozian- USA Today Sports

   19. Jaelen Strong- WR Arizona State: Great size and ball skills and his ability to go up and get the ball while creating separation with the ball in the air is outstanding.  I think Strong (left) goes somewhere in the 20-30 range and will be a steal in the back end of the first round. Matchup nightmare.

   20. Landon Collins- S Alabama: Collins is a heavy-hitting safety that is very good in run support.  He isn’t the best against quicker slot receivers in coverage and perhaps that’s the biggest question mark surrounding Collins. He should hold up just fine against bigger targets.

21. Ereck Flowers- OT Miami: Flowers is very good in pass protection and his size makes it easy for him to open up lanes in the running game. His agility and strength at 6’6’’ 329 make him an intriguing prospect and one that should go in mid to late first round.

22. La’el Collins- OT LSU: Well-rounded offensive linemen.  May not have the ceiling of Flowers but should be a first rounder and could be a steal towards the back end of the first.  Hard to see him being anything less than a solid, consistent starter for many years.  High Floor.

23. Marcus Peters- CB Washington: Lots of off-the-field concerns surrounding the causes of Peters missing several games at Washington and ultimately being kicked off the team.  However, he’s a talented football player that has a knack for locating the ball and making a play.  Peters is also good in run support and corner blitzes.  I think there’s a team that takes a chance late first.

24. Eddie Goldman- DT FSU: Will be best suited in the NFL as a run stuffer up the middle.  Goldman’s ability to clog holes and locate the ball carrier should translate.  Not as well rounded as guys like Danny Shelton and Malcolm Brown.

25. Breshad Perriman- WR UCF: Not as high on him as some and think there’s some bust potential here.  He has explosive speed that could lead to him being over drafted.  Perriman dropped a lot of balls at Central Florida and is not the most polished wide receiver. Lots of upside but a low floor as well.  Guys like Phillip Dorsett and Nelson Agholor are safer bets but Perriman’s probably off the board first anyway due to the upside.

26. Bud Dupree- OLB Kentucky: Great athleticism, which could lead to him being over drafted as well.  This draft is deep at edge rusher and I don’t think Dupree is as refined as the rest of the first round pass rushers.  Dupree does bring lots of versatility to the table with his 6’4’’ 269 frame and could be a 3-4 outside linebacker or a 4-3 end at the next level.

27. Kevin Johnson- CB Wake Forest: Good tackler.  Decent instincts and a very smooth corner.  Nothing really stands out in terms of freakish abilities but seems to be the kind of player that’s just good at a lot of things and that will get him drafted on Thursday night.

28. Eric Rowe- CB Utah: I like him.  Could be a corner or a safety in the NFL.  I think best used as a safety due to his heavy hitting and ability to tackle in space.  Coverage skills are a work in progress, relies a lot on instincts and anticipation, but because of that I think Rowe can be a really solid NFL safety and could be a hidden gem late first or early second.

29. Jalen Collins- CB LSU: Another defensive back that tackles well.  Solid closing speed but relies on it a little too much for my liking.  Plays off receivers a lot.  Failed drug test leading up to the draft could hurt his stock.

30. Shaq Thomspon- OLB Washington: Good football player but I’m concerned about his fit in the NFL.  Could be an edge rusher, could be a safety in the NFL.  Played some running back at Washington too.  Great athlete but team fit and usage is the most important thing for him.

31. Quinten Rollins- CB Miami (Ohio): Theme of good tackling defensive backs continues with Rollins.  I like the athleticism Rollins brings to the table and his ball skills are nice.  Not the most fundamentally sound corner but there’s a lot to like here.

32. Dorial Green-Beckham- WR Missouri/Oklahoma: He was dismissed from Missouri after the 2013 season and he waiver was denied to play at Oklahoma in 2014 and so here we are looking at the draft’s biggest wild card. All the talent in the world.  Probably should be higher on this board.  But I don’t know if I can trust him.  So much off-the-field baggage I don’t know if he’ll ever reach his potential.  But a great talent and gifted athlete.

Best of the rest: Nelson Agholor (WR-USC), Phillip Dorsett (WR-Miami), Byron Jones (CB-Connecticut), TJ Clemmings (OT- Pitt), DJ Humphries (OT- Florida)

Photos: http://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-titans-nfl-draft-2015-2

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