Now what? The Super Bowl has been played so there will not be any football for quite awhile. The NBA and the NHL are in full swing, but for my interest is limited to the playoffs. College basketball is heading to March Madness with league and conference championships right around the corner, but that’s still a few weeks away. I do watch Villanova when I can and I pick up a Michigan game here and there just to watch former Allentown Central Catholic and Michigan starter, Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, play. Villanova was on this weekend and so was Michigan.
So, for me, that leaves golf. There is nothing like the scenery offered up this past weekend at Pebble Beach in California. With the sun shining brightly, there was beautiful green grass surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Even if you were not a golf fan, like my wife, the sight of beaches and whales and yachts and sailboats even drew her in. For me, when Jordan Spieth is near the top, I will watch. He has become my new “Tiger”. I used to watch any tournament that had Tiger in contention, but, as I am sure you know, his back surgery has kept him away and “contention” is a long way off.
Spieth took a six-shot lead into Sunday and for that reason there was little excitement. Now I would be thrilled if I could move from hole to hole and just get pars, which is what Spieth was doing. He was playing “prevent defense” and there was no one in the field who could produce a New England Patriots comeback. Spieth just moseyed his way around the course, had an early and late birdie, and settled for the victory, his ninth on the PGA tour.
Tiger won nine times in 61 starts. This was Jordan’s 100th pro start. But does that matter? Spieth is now the measuring stick. Tiger bowed out of the last two events he was scheduled for after coming back. He was able to play just seven rounds before his back forced him to stop again. He may never be back.
The good news is there are plenty of terrific, young golfers on the tour and they will make each week a true crapshoot. My problem is I tend to latch on to a favorite and follow that golfer. The good news is, for me right now, that golfer is Jordan Spieth. He is polite, seems to have good family values, has ties to Saucon Valley, and is very competitive. And, if he is not having a good week, the scenery is still beautiful!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- 76ers center Joel Embiid has been on the sideline with a torn meniscus in his left knee, yet he was caught dancing shirtless on stage at a concert this past weekend. He missed the entire 2014-15 season with a broken bone in his foot and went on to miss the entire 2015-16 season. He played this season until February 11 when he tore his meniscus. It just doesn’t sound like he should be dancing.
- You probably would not be surprised to learn that the Tom Brady NFL jersey is the #1 seller. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is #5. His jersey accounted for more than 50% of all Eagles’ jerseys sold. Fletcher Cox is #2 among the Eagles, but #3 will surprise you. The third highest selling Eagles jersey belongs to Brian Dawkins who has not played for the team in almost ten years. You now have a good trivia question.
- Since 2001, the New England Patriots have a 196-60 regular season record. No team is within 30 wins of that record. They have played in seven Super Bowls in that time span and, surprisingly, every one has been decided by one score or less. In fact, their average point spread in all seven games is 3.7 points. Remember, they beat the Eagles in 2005 by a 24-21 score. Sounds like they could have won them all or lost them all.
- Most people around here are Villanova fans and they are currently ranked #2 in the country after spending the early part of the season at #1. Gonzaga has that spot right now and they are 26-0. It does not appear, looking at their schedule, that the Bulldogs will lose a regular season game. Villanova should get a #1 seed in the tournament and then prove they deserve the #1 spot overall.
- Don’t ask me why, but I watched the Grammys on Sunday night. Thank goodness there were excellent performances during the BeeGees and Prince dedications because almost everyone else was bad or chose a bad song, including Queen Bee (yet no one will say it!); Lady Gaga who killed at the Super Bowl but not so much with Metallica; and even Adele when she sang the George Michael tribute song. Some great talent wasted.
