Krizz kaliko-Game On

Here's a chance to listen to the song that will be the Jayhawk basketball anthem for 2010-11.

How much pressure is Pavin getting to name Woods to Ryder Cup team?

A couple of weeks ago I did a What Do You Think? commentary for www.lexy.com about Tiger Woods and how he should just say no to the Ryder Cup this year.  His game isn’t up to par and he’s likely to prove a more of a distraction than provide a positive impact.

Since then Woods has stated publicly that he wants to play and would accept a captain’s pick selection by Corey Pavin.  Earlier this week it was announced that Woods  had become officially divorced from wife Elin Nordgren, putting that part of his life behind him and maybe leaving him better able to focus on golf.

Now comes the hard part for Pavin who will announce his selections September 7th. Woods has not played well at all the last couple of months and hasn’t won a tournament in nine starts this year, but he is still the number one ranked player in the world.  Can he leave him off the team?

This week a friend of mine brought up the question of pressure being put on Pavin to select Woods.  How much pressure might he be getting from the PGA?  Or what about NBC which will televise the event?  Ratings are always higher when Tiger’s in the field and they’d probably be through the roof this time around for no other reason than to see what will happen.

Would the fans in Wales be particularly harsh in their cries from the crowd?  Would Tiger rise to the occasion and lead the US to a surprising victory or would he be a divisive force and a mess on the golf course for his team?

Fans will watch just like they slow down for a wreck.  While it may not be the best for the team, it could end up being great theatre.

A fond farewell to Sweet Lou

Lou Piniella bid a tearful farewell to baseball Sunday afternoon after spending over 41 years in a major league baseball uniform.  He’ll likely end up in the Hall of Fame for his managerial career, but I'd like to look back on the player he was.

He first broke into the majors with one at bat with Baltimore in 1964 when he was 21.  But it wasn't until five years later he came to the show to stay with the Kansas City Royals, after being acquired in a trade just days before the opening of the 1969 season.  Kansas City was an expansion club in their first year at the time and Lou was a rookie who was plugged into the lineup in centerfield on opening day and as the Royals first hitter, doubled.  He went 4 for 5 that day and was an instant star in KC.  He won the A.L. Rookie of the Year award hitting .282 that year.

Four seasons later he was traded to the Yankees where he became a contributor in their lineup for more than a decade, playing on five playoff teams and two World Series champs.  He hit .313 in four World Series with 10 RBI’s in 72 at bats.  He was old school.  What you call a professional hitter, with a .291 lifetime average and seven .300 seasons.  But what I liked about him the most was he hated to lose and he gave the game his all, despite not having great speed or talent.

That didn’t change when he became a manager.  He was temperamental, combative with players at times, but he won.  Eight times his teams won over 90 games.  He won a World Series in his first year with Cincinnati.  His Mariners team in 2001 won 116 games.  Can you imagine that today?

He managed for 23 years, won three manager of the year awards and is one of just two men to amass over 1700 hits as a player and 1700 wins as a manger.  Joe Torre’s the other.  He’s a Hall of Famer in my book.  He gets there for his managing, but I loved him as a player.