The Drive:  Super Bowl week will be even more interesting thanks to the Saints. This is a team that represents a city and a people—that has come through the fires, or in this case…the waters, the tragedy, and the pain most of us can’t comprehend. They represent the trampoline that is the human spirit of the bayou gang. It’s a different culture, a different type of person that lives there, in my humble opinion. New Orleans has always represented to me a place where culture and quality of life did not include what you possessed, but the spirit that possesses you.  I respect that, and deplore people who are all about “stuff”. Life is about experiences, not about what you can purchase and collect. That’s New Orleans, that’s the people that live there. That’s why I am rooting for the Saints.

The Fairway: Virginia Tech takes down Virginia in Overtime in Charlottesville, then goes to Miami…and loses?  Virginia falls to Virginia Tech…then travels to Chapel Hill…and wins? What? Another typical week in the ACC. Clemson, Georgia Tech…even Duke not ammune to the upset..but clearly capable of toppling anybody. It makes very little sense, but I can’t wait for the tournament.

The Green: Yo! Scotty——You’d best leave this argument to the higher ups…chief.  Calling Phil Mickelson a cheater when referring to his short game is like calling Clint Eastwood a fake when referring to his “toughness on screen.”  You’d best be careful when you step into somebody’s wheelhouse. At the heart of this conversation is the use of the Ping Eye 2 Wedge, a twenty year old relic of a design that lives on because of its square grooves. The problem here is that a 1990 settlement between Ping and the USGA makes anything Ping made before April 1, 1990 good to go. So McCarron may feel the way he does, but the USGA has no room to wiggle here—-legally—which is what matters. Mickelson has bristled at McCarrons comments—calling them slander—-and has hinted at legal action if the tour doesn’t step in. And when the number two player in the world….with no Tiger in sight—has a problem?  The tour best protect him. Bottom line here—square grooves from a 20 year old club aren’t making Phil Mickelson the game’s premier short game artist—he is.  Scott McCarron needs to spend more time with a wedge in his hands, and less time with his foot in his mouth.

The Jar:  I think the state of American tennis needs to be investigated….researched—something. Where have all the young stars gone?  If I have to watch Roger Federer win another title against another overmatched European who I can only guess his home country, but can’t name a single title he has won—then we’ve got issues. Thank goodness the Williams sisters are still rolling—or the tennis world would be a total wash for me.