Tonight, Da Bears and Packers begin the 100th Season in NFL history.

Rewind to last January, when one of the most exciting Bears seasons in over a decade came to a crashing (*or doinking) halt when you-know-who hit the you-know-what.

Twice.

This is a declaration that I’ve come to peace with it and am ready to move on.

Sort of.

Something I’ve been saying a lot lately to people is: “If the worst thing that has happened in my life in the last year is a Cody Parkey missed field goal? Then I’ve got a great life.”

I do have a great life. It feels great to type that.

But just to confirm: If the worst thing that happened this year is a missed kick that instantly snuffed out a 12-4 Bears season and gifted the Eagles and the city I live in a playoff win: If that’s the worst thing that happened in my life this year?

Then I really, truly have a great life. There’s no doubt.

But I’m ready to get a football season going again, for better of for worse.

This upcoming Bears season is as anticipated and as exciting as any in recent memory.

I’m ready to see if Akiem Hicks can blow up backfields again week after week. I’m ready to see if Khalil Mack can get to the quarterback and change the course of a season again. I’m ready to see if Eddie Jackson can make big plays and a few game-sealing pick-six returns again. I’m ready to see if Mitch Trubisky can throw for 6 TD’s in one game again. I’m ready to see if Tarik Cohen can get into space. I’m ready to see if David Montgomery can be an impact rookie. I’m ready to see if Da Bears can defend their NFC North crown. I’m ready to see if Matt Nagy can bring continued growth and stability in his second year to a city and a fan base starving for it. Absolutely starving for it.

Which also scares the hell out of me at the same time. In the NFL, not often does a season turn out the way you think it will unless you’re the New England Patriots. But for the rest of us football peasants, it’s true.

So ready or not: the 100th NFL Season begins tonight.

Like any relationship, it’s complicated and has taken growth.

Last February, the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl.

During that Super Bowl, there was a commercial for the 100th Anniversary of the National Football League. That means one big thing to me: It means I consider my formative awareness and love affair for the NFL during the 1994/95 season. That season marked the 75th Anniversary of the National Football League. During that season, I hit record on every possible NFL Films release: notably The All-Time Team and 75 Seasons: The Story Of The NFL. Those were brilliant and inspiring television moments etched into my 14-year-old mind. 

My family brought home a VCR in late 1990. Learning how to record things off of the radio with a tape recorder blew my mind: but learning how to record shows off of TV really opened up my world to film/sports/etc.

But nothing was recorded more in those days than Steve Sabol and NFL Films.

I’d check TV listings in the Argus Leader to find when NFL Films shows were on, and set the VCR to record each and every episode. Morning, day, and night. I had dozens of tapes, most two-to-three hours long that were all loaded with NFL Films start to finish. I’d study each episode carefully.

I probably should’ve been studying Biology and Algebra instead, but it is what it is. All things considered, things turned out just fine.

But I’d study every single NFL Films frame, every sound byte, every line. I can still hear my favorite lines as I type this:

 

“…all those mornings on the mountain taught Payton if he honed his body like a tool, he could use it as a weapon..”

 

“…when you’re talking about Night Train Lane, you’re talking about in my book: the greatest defensive back that ever lived.”

 

“Give me 18 inches of daylight. That’s all I need.” 

 

“I told Coach Halas in my interview when he asked what was my football philosophy: ‘Coach, who’re you kidding? My philosophy is the same as yours: kick the other teams ass.”

 

Fast forward to last January, and unfortunately another memorable sound byte was added into recorded football lore:

 

“Oh my goodness. The Bears season is going to end on a double doink.”

 

So here’s to moving on, and here’s to starting new.

Here’s to a new NFL season, the 100th.

The NFL’s been complicated recently for many, many reasons. But the league did it right with this matchup tonight.

Here’s to the NFL’s Charter Franchise Chicago Bears kicking this thing off at Soldier Field.

Hope, healing, and redemption.

Bear Down, Chicago Bears.

Let’s do this one for Papa Bear Halas.

 

…and P.S. if you build me up and rip my heart out again this season, I’ll likely need a script for Xanax. The entire city of Chicago will as well.

 

GO BEARS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I go to bed tired. Then I wake up at 1 am, then fell back asleep after.  Wake again at 3 am, then asleep. Then again at 3:45 am. 

What goes through my head at these times?

Specific dates, times. Things like: ‘what was I doing twenty years ago from right now?’

Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

To answer that specifically, in June of 1999 I spent two weeks selling books door-to-door in a Pittsburgh suburb.

Then went home to South Dakota and worked at a car wash in Sioux Falls before going back to college for my sophomore year. Lived rent free, I must note, out of the graciousness of my wonderful Aunt Kathy. **Ed’s note: Thanks Aunt Kathy!**

But lying half awake with insomnia on this night, what also came into my head was:  “write about this: write about the summer of 1999.”

I got up, went into the bathroom, and wrote in my notes: “Write about the summer of 1999.” If I don’t write it down, I’ll forget.

So I wrote it down, and here we are.

The summer of 1999: 20 years ago from right now. It’s currently 4:03 AM on my nightstand alarm clock, and I can’t sleep.

What else do I remember about the summer of ’99?

I saw a bunch of movies that summer: Summer of Sam, The Blair Witch Project, American Pie.

Saw Hootie and The Blowfish at Huset’s Speedway and Collective Soul at Washington Pavilion with Steve Blankenship. Collective Soul covered “Crazy Train”, and Oleander opened. Is there anything more 1999 than ‘Oleander’? Freak of the Week dropped by The Marvelous 3, man I still love that song.

But the biggest thing that sticks out to me about 1999? Besides starting year 2 of college and rooming with The Great Brian Dewald in 301 Binnewies Hall at South Dakota State? That certainly is up there.

What sticks out the most is the Yankees won the World Series again.

Last summer I put down 4,000+ words on the 20th Anniversary of the 125-50 Yankees. As it currently stands, the 1999 Yankees are the last team in baseball to repeat as champions. (They actually won a third straight in 2000, but I can save that for next summer and the 20th anniversary of the Subway Series).

It’s interesting to think: How did they repeat?

We now see Boston getting out of the gate slowly this season, after the best season they ever had. It brings to mind how the Yankees did out of the gate in 1999?

I get it, you don’t care. But I’ve covered that already so don’t need an explanation. But in case you do: Don Mattingly: The bricklayer of a baseball dynasty

Here’s a better thought: what happened the year after each current MLB team had their best regular season ever, regardless of if they won the World Series or not?

After all, this is my damn blog so we can look.

The first noted year below is best regular season record in team history, then their record the following year after:

Anaheim Angels, 2008: 100-62; then the next year in 2009: 97-65

Arizona Diamondbacks, 1999: 100-62; 2000: 85-77

Atlanta Braves, 1998: 106-56; 1999: 103-59

Baltimore Orioles, 1969: 109-53; 1970: 108-54* (won World Series)

Boston Red Sox, 1912: 105-47* (won World Series); 1913: 79-71

Chicago Cubs, 1906: 116-36; 1907: 107-45* (won World Series)

Chicago White Sox, 1917: 100-54* (won World Series); 1918: 57-67

Cleveland Indians, 1954: 111-43; 1955: 93-61

Cincinnati Reds, 1975: 108-54* (won World Series); 1976: 102-60**(won World Series)

Colorado Rockies, 2009: 92-70; 2010: 83-79

Detroit Tigers, 1984: 104-58* (won World Series); 1985: 84-77

Florida Marlins, 1997: 92-70* (won World Series); 1998: 54-108. Yikes.

Houston Astros, 1998: 102-60; 1999: 97-65

Kansas City Royals, 1977: 102-60; 1978: 92-70

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2017: 104-58; 2018: 92-71

Milwaukee Brewers, 2011: 96-60; 2012: 83-79

Minnesota Twins, 1965: 102-60; 1966: 89-73

New York Mets, 1986: 108-54* (won World Series); 1987: 92-70

New York Yankees, 1998: 114-48* (won World Series); 1999: 98-64** (won World Series)

Oakland Athletics, 1988: 104-58; 1989: 99-63* (won World Series)

Philadelphia Phillies, 2011: 102-60; 2012: 81-81

Pittsburgh Pirates, 1909: 110-42* (won World Series); 1910: 86-67

San Diego Padres, 1998: 98-64; 1999: 74-78

San Francisco Giants, 1993: 103-59; 1994: 55-60 (strike-shortened season)

Seattle Mariners, 2001: 116-46; 2002: 93-69

St. Louis Cardinals, 1942: 106-48*(won World Series); 1943: 105-49

Tampa Bay Rays, 2008: 97-65; 2009: 84-78

Texas Rangers, 2011: 96-66; 2012: 93-69

Toronto Blue Jays, 1985: 99-62; 1986: 86-76

Washington Nationals, 2012: 98-64; 2013: 86-76

That’s a lot to take in.

A few things stand out:

*Only 9 times has a team gone on to win the title after posting their most regular-season wins in franchise history: 1909 Pirates, 1912 Red Sox, 1917 White Sox, ’42 Cardinals, ’75 Reds, ’84 Tigers, ’86 Mets, ’97 Marlins, and ’98 Yankees.

*Only ’76 Reds, and ’99 Yankees repeated as champs after posting franchise record wins + a title.

*Four teams had their all-time high water win mark in 1998: Braves, Padres, Yankees, and Astros. Which means there were teams that took some serious L’s that year: Marlin’s 108 losses, Rays 99, Montreal Expos 97, Arizona Diamondbacks 97.

*Only one team in the AL Central had winning record in ’98: Cleveland. The White Sox finished in second place with a losing record, 80-82.

 

So how are the ’99 Yankees the last to repeat? What has happened in the last 20 years?

A bunch of things could factor into this.

One was they returned nearly their entire roster from 1998. Give or take a few guys that didn’t return: David Wells, Homer Bush, Graeme Lloyd, Tim Raines; having the majority of their roster return the following year was a major positive.

Another could be the Wild Card inception in 1995: more teams make the postseason than ever before. Now with the Wild Card and play-in games: could that be why it’s harder to repeat? Could it be more teams, more parity, and more competitive balance then ever?

Before you throw “Payroll/big market vs. small market” at me, just remember this:

Kansas City, Houston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago have all won championships in recent years with great player development without being a top-10 payroll team. To further prove that point, let’s look at another list: here’s every championship team in the last 20 seasons, and where they ranked in MLB Payroll that season:

1999: Yankees #1

2000: Yankees #1

2001: Diamondbacks: #8

2002: Anaheim Angels: #15

2003: Florida Marlins #25

2004: Red Sox #2

2005: White Sox #13

2006: St. Louis Cardinals #11

2007: Boston Red Sox #2

2008: Philadelphia Phillies #12

2009: New York Yankees #1

2010: San Francisco Giants #10

2011: St. Louis Cardinals #11

2012: San Francisco Giants #8

2013: Boston Red Sox #4

2014: San Francisco Giants #7

2015: Kansas City Royals #15

2016: Chicago Cubs #14

2017: Houston Astros #18

2018: Boston Red Sox #1

So what does this all mean?

It means big spending doesn’t always mean a championship.

In fact, only 4 times in the last 20 seasons has the team with the biggest payroll won the title (3x the Yankees, 1x Boston).

What I do know is the Yankees followed up their historic ’98 campaign with another championship in 1999.

It was fun to research the storylines from that ’99 season:

1. David Cone’s Perfect Game on Yoga Berra Day at Yankee Stadium
2. Jeter .349, 219 hits/Bernie .342
3. Mariano Rivera didn’t allow a run after July 21.
4. Roger Clemens traded to Yankees in February 1999
5. 11-1 Postseason

Back to my previous question about how they started out of the gate. Let’s look at their chronological season record:

May 1st: 15-7

June 1st: 30-20

July 1st 47-29

August 1st: 62-41

September 1st: 81-51.

So how is this team the last to win consecutive titles?

Let’s start with the guys in the clubhouse, Jeter and Rivera first.

Eventually both will be first ballot Hall Of Famers, and by 1999 each were full budded young superstars: Jeter was 25, and Rivera was 29.

 

Jeter:

Statistically, one could argue that 1999 was the best year he had in his career.

He posted career highs that season in hits (219), batting average (.349), home runs (24), RBI’s (102), and WAR (8.0).

“Within the long list of Jeter’s exceptional stats in 1999, there are two that also stand out: He hit a mind-boggling .371 on 0-2 pitches and hit .455 when facing an opposing pitcher for the third time in a game.” –excerpt from “Derek Jeter’s Forgotten MVP Season,” by Lyndsay Berra. 

Jeter also went into the All Star break hitting .371, an astounding first half.

He was 25: an elastic, flexible, and explosive shortstop with lightening-quick hands. It’s crazy to now think he’d go on to play 15 more seasons after ’99.

 

Rivera:

The only point that needs to be said about Rivera in 1999: He did not give up a run after July 21.

Let me type that again.

He did not give up a run in 1999 after July 21.

That means after July 21st he entered a game and pitched 28 times to finish the regular season, and 8 postseason appearances did not give up a run in any of those times.

*Maybe that’s how you repeat: when your closer doesn’t give up a run for 36 straight appearances*

It’s not easy to do. He’s a unanimous first ballot Hall Of Fame inductee for a reason.

 

Coney Perfect:

The difference in parody from one season to the next can be staggering. In my piece last summer, I delved into the David Wells perfect game on May 17th and how that seemed to galvanize the 1998 club.

And unbelievably enough: David Cone did the same thing and threw a perfect game one year later at Yankee Stadium on July 18th, 1999.

The previous perfect game before David Wells in ’98 was by Don Larsen all the way back on October 8, 1956. Yogi Berra was the catcher, and after the last out created the memorable scene by jumping into Larsen’s arms.

By early 1999, the relationship between the Yankees and Berra can be called rocky at best, after Berra was canned by George Steinbrenner less than 20 games into the season in 1985. Berra vowed to cut ties, and didn’t have anything to do with the club for 14 years.

But before the ’99 season started, Berra and the club were able to mend as he worked with Jorge Posada in spring training before the year started.

The Yankees went even further, and named July 18 ‘Yogi Berra Day’ at the stadium and honored him before the game. Don Larsen was also there and took part in the festivities.

So what happened next?

David Cone threw a perfect game that day, with Larsen and Berra in attendance. You couldn’t make this up.

 

 

Bern Baby Bern:

Lost in the Core Fore lore is Bernie Williams, who for all practical purposes one could argue was probably the best all-around player in baseball in 1999. He arrived a few years before Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera and in his early years principal owner George Steinbrenner spent several offseason’s trying to get rid of him.

Good thing that didn’t happen.

From ’97-’01 Williams was at the peak of his prime, earning a spot on the American League All-Star team for 5 straight years. He was consistently impressive in those years batting cleanup, and helped catapult the Yankees to a World Series three-peat from 1998 to 2000. He won 4 straight Gold Gloves from 1997-’00, and a batting title in ’98.

As for 1999:

.342, 202 hits, 100 walks, 25 HR, 115 RBI’s, .971 OPS. Another Gold Glove in center field.

His signature patient, low-crouching, switch-hitting stance was a prelude to many big moments.

Perhaps none bigger than his heroics in game 1 of the ALCS vs. Boston with a walk-off home run vs. Rod Beck that set the tone for an AL Pennant.  At the time he became the first player in baseball history to his two postseason walk-off home runs, his other previous in the ’96 ALCS vs. Baltimore.

 

Speaking of Wells…

In February 1999 the Yankees traded Boomer to Toronto along with Graeme Lloyd and Homer Bush for Roger Clemens.

Wells was heartbroken, and said at the time: “It’s tough. Give me a couple days.”

Yankees manager Joe Torre said the day of the trade to the media, as quoted in the Washington Post: “There’s some shock in that room right now. It’s something you have to get used to. That is what the game is all about. There are going to be changes. . . . Roger Clemens is a nonstop Hall of Famer.”

Well, that’s not exactly how it’s played out.

In 1999 Clemens didn’t have his best season, going 14-10 and posting a career high ERA of 4.36 in his first season in the Bronx.

But he won the ALDS clincher vs. Texas, throwing 7 shutout innings to clinch the sweep vs. the Rangers.

An emotional Clemens was then shelled by his former team at Boston during game 3 of the ALCS in his Fenway Park return. He started the Yankees only loss of the playoffs, lasting only two innings in a 13-1 rout.

The starting pitcher Clemens was against? He was up against an absolutely-out-of-his-mind Pedro Martinez who beat Clemens and the Yankees in game 2.

In ’99 Pedro had one of the greatest pitching seasons in baseball history: winning the Cy Young by going 23-4 in 29 starts. He threw 213 innings and had 313 strikeouts.

Wow.

Fortunately, the Yankees only had to face Pedro once that series, and they disposed Boston in 5 games to set up a rematch of the ’96 World Series vs. the Atlanta Braves.

The anticipated rematch didn’t live up to much hype, as the World Series ended in a Yankees sweep. The sweep gave them 8 straight wins vs. Atlanta in the World Series dating back to ’96, and 12 straight World Series wins overall at the time.

As for Clemens? He redeemed himself in a big way in game 4 of the World Series, going 7.2 innings and getting the win in a 4-1 World Series clinching victory.

It would be an understatement to say that Clemens’ baseball legacy not only in New York, but in all of baseball is….complicated.

But of the three Playoff series victories in ’99, he was lights-out and won two of the clinchers and certainly remains a major piece of how the team was able to repeat.

“The Yankees were awesome,” Smoltz said. “I felt in 1996 that we should have won. I can’t say that this time. I feel like the better team won. We had a chance to win every one of these games, but the Yankees had an answer for everything we tried.” -Washington Post, October 28, 1999 following game 4. 

Legacy:

I believe it’s ultimately about players, and those players year after year playing their best baseball. The Yankees from 1996-2001 had more players do that than any team in the last 30 years. The other part is luck: staying healthy, staying together.

I don’t know how the summer and baseball season of 2019 will play out. What I do know is that 20 years ago from right now, the Yankees followed up their greatest season ever in 1998 with another dominant season and a World Series championship.

They were last to win consecutive titles because because David Cone was perfect. They were the last to win consecutive titles because Jeter, Rivera, and Williams were pretty damn close to perfect. They won because Roger Clemens wasn’t perfect in 1999 regular season, but had big playoff moments and righted the ship at just the right time.

Winning the 1999 World Series, their third in four years, defined the club as a dynasty.

20 years ago was a great summer, and that’s something I can rest easy about.

So now the next time I have insomnia, I’ll write about who had the better rock show: Collective Soul or Hootie?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the 2011 film ‘Moneyball’, the movie begins with the following Mickey Mantle quote:

“It’s unbelievable what you don’t know about a game you’ve played all your life”

It’s with that in mind that my comrade Brett Guido and I recently journeyed to Cooperstown, NY. Our agenda was to visit the ghosts of baseball and take in the game’s cherished history: a history that is safely kept inside the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

When we arrived from Philadelphia after a few hours in the car, we were surprised by how small Cooperstown was. It’s a small lake town loaded with Americana charm and a sprawling number of colonial style homes.

With a population of 1,800 it’s basically the size of Parkston, Freeman, or Canton, South Dakota.

As we made our initial drive down main street, we found the Baseball Hall of Fame on our right, directly across the street from the Cooperstown Post Office:

There are no chain Applebees in the Cooperstown city limits. There’s no Target, no Outback Steakhouse, and unfortunately for us: no Metropolitan Grill (we tried to get reservations and looked up the location–it doesn’t exist). Cooperstown is just good ‘ol locally-owned mom and pop hospitality.

After checking into our hotel–which was literally one block away from the Museum, we didn’t waste much time heading over.  We may have drank a Coors Light first.

We purchased tickets and entered. From there our baseball journey began as we were greeted by statues of Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente:

Next to them is an inscription titled ‘Character and Courage’:

“Becoming a Hall of Famer takes more than just a great baseball career. Off-the-field challenges–and how those challenges are met–reveal an inner character that serves men and women throughout their lives. The life experiences of Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente stand out above all. Each faced personal and social obstacles with strength and dignity that set an example of character and courage for all others to follow.”

They all started off playing a boys game: not only unbelievably skilled enough to make it to the big leagues, but skilled enough to flourish. The grit to play through pain. Play through mental aches.

Or in the case of Robinson: play through racial turmoil and hatred and bigotry beyond our comprehension. But instead of spitting and fighting back, Jackie Robinson used the hatred and bigotry as a fuel for his game. And with that fuel, lit a fire in his play that no one in the history of baseball has played with before or since. At least not in our modern age, and certainly not anyone who is white. A competitive rage that is far beyond that of the possessed and controlled rage of a Jordan or Jeter or Brady. And it’s safe to say they would likely admit that as well.

I’d always heard that Pee Wee Reese played a vital role in leading and voicing his acceptance for Robinson to the league and to his Dodger teammates. He was brave enough to stand up and make his acceptance of Robinson known.

It’s wonderful that the Hall notes their character strengths on their plaques in Cooperstown.

It’s 2019, and we still need more guys like Pee Wee Reese:

Basically any moment you can think of, dating back to the inception of baseball: has been saved, recorded, framed, labeled, noted, verified, stamped, certified, and illuminated forever under spotlights.

You name it:

Lou Gehrig’s personal keychain complete with his house keys, Babe Ruth hand-written postcards, Babe Ruth bats, Pee Wee Reese’s game-worn cleats, Stan Musial’s locker, Hank Aaron’s locker, Joe DiMaggio’s jersey, George Brett’s pine-tar bat, the hats Nolan Ryan wore for all seven of his no-hitters. Floors and floors of every artifact you can think of. It’s truly remarkable and overwhelming at the same time.

Barry Bond’s record-setting 756th home run ball?

That’s there, complete with a branded asterisk courtesy of owner Marc Ecko. Ecko purchased the ball and cut out the asterisk to emphasize “this unforgettable moment in sports history in popular culture”:

There’s a great photograph of Christy Mathewson that captures what he really looked like in 1910. Staring at this face, I couldn’t help but think of the great moment in the film Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams’ character has his students stop to admire old photographs they have passed thousands of times without stopping to take notice:

“Seize the day! Seize the day, boys!”

Another photograph that stood out to me was this one of a young Frank Robinson, which defines the sheer strength and physicality of him in uniform. Frank truly must’ve been an intimidating and imposing presence:

Another highlight for me was seeing the details of the uniforms. More specifically, the labels and tags. This one is hard to see, but it’s easy to note the jersey size:

What these uniforms did more than anything was bring to life and personify the person who wore it. The names of baseball lore are now seemingly mythical figures in the minds of anyone that loves the game. But seeing these uniforms behind glass allowed one to visualize the person that wore it.

For example: Joe Dimaggio’s jersey was broad from shoulder to shoulder when seeing it up close:

You can sit in Hank Aarons locker, as well as view each of his home run baseballs leading up to and breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run record.

His game-worn uniform from his historic record breaking home run on April 8, 1974 was upright and stunning:

When you enter the great hall that bares the plaques of the Lords of Baseball is an essay that includes the question:

Why Cooperstown?

“In 1908, sporting goods magnate A.G. Spalding announced the verdict of a special historical commission that has been formed to determine the origins of baseball: “the first scheme for playing (the game) according to the best evidence obtainable to date, was devised by Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, NY, in 1839.” In 1935, local philanthropist Stephen C. Clark sought to capitalize in the commission’s findings by building a baseball museum in the games alleged birthplace. With the help of Ford Frick, President of the National League, Clark succeeded. Today, historians agree that Doubleday had nothing to do with baseball’s beginnings, but Cooperstown remains the spiritual home of the National Pastime.”

The overwhelming gratitude of the voices in a :15 minute film available at the beginning of a Hall Of Fame visit sets the tone for an emotional experience. Clips of past and recent Hall Of Fame inductees, including a memorable one from Greg Maddux saying he’s been retired for nearly twenty years, but still thinks about the game in almost every instance of his life. It gave a Field Of Dreams-like feeling, and was at the beginning of the tour.

The game today may not be to our country what it was in, say, 1955. But as I’ve grown older it’s become nothing short of a poetic art form to me. That’s what the Cooperstown visit helped solidify.

Baseball is the closest thing to a time machine we have in our lives, and I’m glad I was finally able to enter it. The ghosts of baseballs past exist: and are all alive and well in Cooperstown, NY.

Enshrined in the Hall Of Fame are the heroes of our fathers fathers fathers. Heroes like Stan Musial: who was the favorite player of a great family friend, the late Bill VanLeur.

 

 

This one’s for Bill:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s just a guy that’s been through a lot.”

-Scott Van Pelt, with the understatement of the year, on April 14th 2019 at 3:05 pm EST.

What Tiger Woods did today was win his 5th Masters Championship to earn another green jacket.

I’m not an expert on golf. I don’t watch or play enough to pretend I know about clubs and approaches, and how fast greens are running, or the condition of fairways.

But I do know that I never in a gazillion years thought Tiger Woods would return to the mountaintop and win The Masters ever again. And you didn’t either.

But I hoped he would.

This is a guy who was at a mountaintop to which no one not named Ali, Jordan, Brady, or Gretzky has ever been. These are the names that dominated their sport in the modern era, and no one dominated golf like Tiger did from the time he turned pro until the time he crashed his Escalade into a tree that infamous night.

His crashing halt was nobody’s fault but his own.

It’s been well documented the self-mutilating and shocking/cringe-worthy number of short comings and faults: the unbelievable amount of affairs, the aforementioned Escalade crash, the divorce, the pain meds, the embarrassment, the shame. The scripted apology press conference. The night he was found sleeping in his car, and later to an addiction to pills. On and on and on and on, including an admission to being a sex addict.

More skeletons in a closet than any modern iconic name sports has ever had.

After his recent DUI arrest where he was found asleep at the wheel on May 30, 2017 I couldn’t help but think: ‘Never mind golf, I just hope this dude is okay and can live a normal life and get the help that he needs.’ Maybe you said this too, or maybe you didn’t.

But it was just another embarrassing narrative to add to Tiger’s downfall.

Golf, like life, is a game you play on your own. So it was on him, and only him, to pick himself up and get back on the course and play again. But it was evident in recent years that he would never win another major again.

That’s what we thought. That’s what I thought.

Until today.

What Tiger did today was the most astonishing ascension back on top that I have ever seen watching sports.

Seeing he was tied for the lead on the back nine on Sunday started a frenzy that I don’t remember ever seeing watching golf. I love watching The Masters, and look forward to the final Sunday every year. But Tiger in the lead on the back 9 was unbelievable enough, whether he would end up winning or not.

I texted friends: “Holy sh*t is he gonna win?”

Not really truly believing, but hoping he would.

What Tiger did with his Iron to tee off the 16th hole threw me from my chair, like I was being ejected from an F-14 Tomcat on Top Gun, and vaulted me screaming with my fists in the air. My Dog Baxter barked. I yell-cheered again as the ball rolled within two feet of the pin, and if you were watching you did this too.

He then putted for birdie, giving him a two-shot lead with two holes left on Masters Sunday.

He ended up needing just a 5 on the 18th hole to win, and he got it.

I don’t know Tiger Woods any more than you do. But like SVP said, I do know he’s been through a lot.

What Tiger did is hit rock bottom. Then go down further. Then further, then further and further yet until he hit the point of being so far at the bottom that it was only him that could ever pick himself up again and climb out.

What Tiger did was complete the climb from a dark abyss. He pulled himself out of his own unbelievably self-induced rock bottom, and climbed back to the mountaintop.

He won The 2019 Masters and put on another green jacket. What Tiger did was win the Super Bowl of golf for the 5th time.

Love him or hate him, you gotta hand it to him.

What Tiger did today is something that nobody in the world thought was possible.

 

 

Except him.