Friday Frisson

Just a couple of loose ends before I head out to make a few turns:

The Tiger Death Watch - As a programming/DVR alert, Golf Channel will be airing a discussion of that Woods guy's career on December 30th, which just so happens to be the Striped One's 40th birthday.  Given that it features Jaime Diaz, Tim Rosaforte and Brandel Chamblee and, more importantly, there ain't anything else on to watch, it might be worth a look.

Shack has an interesting clip here of Brandel calling Woods the best golfer ever because of his dominance of the competition.  It's a theory, though other would argue that the talent pool was sufficiently thin that domination came easily.... When Bill James published his first Historical Baseball Abstract, he ranked players based upon both Peak and Career Value, an insightful distinction that negated many longstanding barroom arguments.

As an example, James found Mickey Mantle to be clearly the superior player to Willie Mays at their respective peaks, but of course Mays' entire career had far more value than the Mick's because he played into his early seventies....I kid, but anyone remember Willie as a Met?  That was unfortunate to say the least....  In our case Tiger is The Mick and jack is the Say hey Kid, so where does that leave Bobby Jones?

I Saw It On TV - Golfweek has a curious list of the TV top ten moments of 2015, mostly stuff such as changes in television rights and personnel that weren't, you know, on TV.  But this is their No. 1 item:

1. Fox airs its first U.S. Open: The newcomer's Open effort was uneven, and certainly

Holly earned her own spot on the list.

hindered by the USGA's regrettable decision to hold the event at Chambers Bay. Fox has big issues to address on its announcing crew in 2016. But it is pushing innovative technology, forcing CBS and NBC to follow suit, and it already is doing a better job than competitors at capturing on-course audio. In the long run, the new competition will make the industry, and the consumer experience, better.

Ummmm, you're gonna need a whole lot more lipstick for that pig.  I'll concede that they came up with some interesting graphics and that the mic in the cup added to their ability to capture audio, but like most I fear that with Joe Buck and The Shark in the booth none of that matters a damn bit.

When Worlds Collide - In a be careful what you wish for moment, Jason and Ellie Day scored courtside tix for a Cavs game.  No doubt they could have gone into the locker room after to meet Lebron, but Ellie couldn't wait:

Great hustle by Lebron but what are the odds?  Here's Ellie being taken out on a stretcher:

I'll remind you that Ellie delivered their second child just last month... Ellie was admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure but has subsequently been released.  Ever the gentleman, Lebron later tweeted an invite to another game.

In a stream of consciousness moment that shows my inner thoughts at their darkest, Lebron landing on top of Ellie Day reminded me of this recent story.  I hate when that happens....

Greller, Unplugged - Cam Morfitt scores an interview with Jordan Spieth's looper Michael Greller, The Spieth Whisperer per the header, and it's a fun read.  Here's a random excerpt:

It takes something special to reach a sixth-grader in the throes of a math meltdown. Did that job prepare you for caddying on Tour?

No matter how frustrated Jordan’s gotten in my three years with him, it’ll never compare to working with 12-year-olds and their frustration levels. As a teacher, my biggest priority was getting the kids to believe in themselves, and you can apply that skill directly to Jordan. My biggest role has been encouragement and getting him to believe in himself.

Probably the take away for most would be that he finds Spieth and his family nicer than they seem on TV, and if you've seen Jordan with his sister, he looks plenty nice.  Easy to root for these two...

Coulda, Woulda Shoulda - Gary Van Sickle's entry in the Tiger Woods farewell tour is this piece on the majors that he should have won but didn't.  Normally I'd have little use for this revisionist history, but Gary sucks me in with an homage to Jack:

Earlier this year, I re-examined the career of Jack Nicklaus, who famously had 19 major championship runner-up finishes along with 18 titles, and concluded that while Jack could have won as many as 35 majors, perhaps, he should have won 28. I was conservative in determining that Jack let 10 slip away.

That's crazy talk, though admittedly fun crazy talk....In any event, Gary takes us through the Y.E, Yangs, Rich Beems, and Zach Johnsons of the world, with his only omission seeming to be the 2005 PGA at Baltusrol.  The common thread seeming to be poor putting and unimpressive winners.

The interesting thing in the comparison to Jack is how so many of Jack's near misses were to immortals, primarily Lee Trevino (Jack was runner-up in four of Lee's six majors) and Tom Watson.  I'm not sure what that means, but Jack's nineteen second place finishes in majors is its own record.

The Nine Days of Christmas - We've got two days to catch up on from Shack's self-indulgence tour.  First he ventures into the apparel world with this testimonial to Johnny O's golf apparel: 

Now, what to get from this maker of golf-inspired (and cleverly engineered) menswear from midwestern-raised and the decidedly-West Coast converted John O'Donnell? 

I've been buying Johnnie-O's clothes for years and sense from my own purchases (along with what I see golfers wearing), that they've dialed in both the fit, color and sensibility of their brand, which is to let you wear something functional on the course, while also owning something you can wear in a non-golf setting. 

Golf shirt-wise I love all their offerings, but of late have leaned toward the "Prep-formance" polos because who needs ironing when you're traveling. I've been virtually sleeping in their current golf-friendly vest, one of many new outwear items served up this fall. And for off the course, their button down shirts feature Johnnie's why-didn't-Ralph-Lauren-think-of-that "Tweener" button.

 Focus, Geoff, you're making this far too complicated (though the tweener button sounds promising).  But if you're going to suggest one item?

But I'm most excited about Johnnie-O's recent forays into pants because it's hard to find

pairs that work for both golf and social settings. You'll notice by the dwindling supplies that theirFillmore cords have been a big hit thanks to three elements: great fit, a touch of stretch in the fabric you don't normally get in a cord, and colors not normally seen in cords. 

For year-round golf purposes, check out the Napa pant. It's closer to a traditional cut but still modern enough. The style I've been enjoying most, however, is the Cal pant. It's a jean fit not cut too tight but definitely not a dad jean.

Alas, your humble blogger could only consider these if they come with a stretch waist.

Next Geoff goes the coffee table book route, with two intriguing options related to the auld grey toon.  First:

Roger McStravick's St. Andrews In the Footsteps Of Old Tom Morris is easily the richest visual history of early golf. The clarity of the early imagery and Roger's sense for what was important to include make this an amazing trip back in time when a small group of golfers had an inkling that they were onto something. 

Just seeing many of the early landmark locations in golf and the people who devoted themselves to refining the sport will make you proud to be a golfer. McStravick discussed the book with us earlier this year, and you can buy any of the three editions here, with the softcover starting at sixty pounds.

Or this:

Josh Evenson's Links To St Andrews is one big love letter of sorts, with a wide range of contributors sharing stories of all kinds related to the town, the courses and the people who made it the Home of Golf. But beyond that, the book quietly tells the history of golf art right up to the present with works commissioned for the book. And thanks to incredible production values, joins the many historic pieces displayed as a work of art itself. This will look excellent in your vacation estates throughout the globe.

For those looking for a gift for their favorite golf blogger, you could do far worse.