Sunday Stuff

We have an afternoon event (although the eating portion of the program starts in the a.m.), so let's see if we can throw up some more of those random musings y'all crave...

Slam Thoughts - Not the Slammer, though we are, ironically, at The Greenbrier this week, but Grand Slam thoughts...  Johnette Howard files an interesting piece comparing how certain world-class athletes deal with their potential opportunities, this being the golf hook:

But is he going about it the right way? Unlike Serena, who pulled out of the Wimbledon

doubles draw before the tournament to conserve energy in her chase of the singles title, Spieth has decided not to withdraw from this week's John Deere Classic to rest and better prepare for next week's British Open at St. Andrews. You don't need MapQuest to know Silvis, Illinois, and Scotland are a fair piece of land and one big ocean apart.

By not skipping the John Deere, the 21-year-old isn't just ignoring the time difference he'll face once in Scotland. There's also the challenge of having to adjust to links golf, which is very different from the typical manicured conditions here. 

That said, Spieth's way of dealingwith his chase of history seems to be a fallback a lot of athletes choose in high-pressure times: Stick to your normal routine. Do what you'd normally do. Don't change a thing.

The Serena part is actually the more interesting, because she's in the middle of her third leg.  And the piece really wanders off the reservation by including Miguel Cabrera's pursuit of the Triple Crown, which while historic and impressive, the everyday grind of baseball has nothing do do with the challenges of a Spieth or Serena in their individual sport.

But won't you agree that it's amusing to hear a 21-year old talking about maintaining his routine, when that routine dates back to, oh, 2013.  If you deal this well with change now, what will our Jordan be like when he gets really old, say 30?

Where Are They Now? -  That's this week's Sports Illustrated cover story, and sister publication Golf Magazine went along for the ride.  Mike Bamberger, the perfect man for the job given his history in the trade, pens an homage to one of the great characters of the game, Dolphus "Golf Ball" Hull:

In his prime, he ran Calvin Peete’s golf game, just as surely as Jack Welch ran G.E. 

He had a long, fruitful, volatile relationship with Raymond Floyd—and Raymond’s wife, Maria—going back to the 1960s. “I fired him six times,” Floyd once told me. “Maria hired him seven.” 

The caddie-player relationship was different then. The caddie was less of a technocrat and more attuned to the emotional state of the golfer. At least, Golf Ball was like that, as was his running mate, Herman Mitchell. You could fit three Balls in Mitch, who caddied for Lee Trevino for years. They were Mutt and Jeff, but they both could play and they both had the empathy gene—the ability to really understand another person’s plight—embedded in their DNA

Just read it already.... 

Swing Thoughts - We've seen the trick a million times, compare Tiger's swing today to:

1. His swing on the Mike Douglass show;
2. His swing as an 18-year old amateur;
3. His swing at Pebble c. 2000.

Maybe there's something there, but who among us wouldn't like to recapture the swing of their youth...the problem is that our bodies change, and Tiger's especially because of all the injuries and surgeries.

But Peter Kostis outdid himself yesterday, comparing his swing to that of a younger Tiger, younger by about an hour and on the range.

There's a reason they call it the longest walk in golf...  For thos ein a bubbe, Tiger played himself out of any relevance in the Greenbrier Classic with a 1-over 71.  Good thing he likes those early tee times.

This Week in Corporate Babble - TaylorMade has a big problem in that it turns out that golfers don't want a new $500 driver every three months...I know, who coulda seen that coming?

So they did what large companies do, and formed a committee...nah, they fired their advertising agency.  See if you're amused by this:

"We are shifting to be more aligned with the Adidas brand and the idea that golf is a

sport, and golfers are athletes," said Melissa Ziegler, global brand marketing director for Adidas Golf. "So, we wanted to find a new agency partner that could really help us bring that to life."

The company, which spent nearly $45 million in media last year, according to Kantar Media, did not use a consultant for the search. Ten agencies were vying for the brand's business, and incumbent Kastner & Partners was among the six finalists. Carat in Los Angeles runs the brand's strategy and media-buying business.

"We had never really taken the perspective of golf as a pastime," said Ziegler. "And when I look around, every other golf company has caught up to this idea of golf as a sport. You've seen Nike do it, you've seen Under Armour get really aggressively into the space, even more traditional golf brands, like a FootJoy, are starting to make products that are more athletically inclined."

OK, I understand each individual word used but I have no idea what they're saying....they must be in a business that requires effective communication.  In 'graph one we're gonna focus on the athleticism of golf, and I suppose those recent spots, presumably designed by their predecessor, of the best pure athlete in golf swinging as hard as he can doesn't adequately focus on athleticism...

Then by the third 'graph it turns out that golf is a leisurely pastime, and we're just gonna copy our competitors....No mixed messages there....

He's Been Trumped - The Trump story continues to evolve, first with this:

You may wonder: At what point did Donald Sterling morph into Donald Trump, or are they actually the same cat coughing up different furballs? 

In the latest triumphant move against Trump’s stumping for the Republican Party’s top job, today’s Los Angeles News Group reports that the Galaxy Foundation has pulled its annual charity golf tournament from Trump National, even though the MLS franchise has had much success there raising money to benefit the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

It continues an ominous trend of companies and individuals trying to find higher ground as Trump’s tongue continues to tie up his business dealings.

So what’s the next FootJoy to drop?

The Sterling reference is cute and appropriate given the LA source.  The speculation is that the Grand Slam at Trump's LA property could be next...Based on the calendar that could be, but I'm guessing the story will start to wither on the vine....unless, you know, The Donald tries to clarify his remarks.

But NASCAR is in the mix as well, pulling an awards event from Doral.  So let's see if I have this straight:  Trump is a declared candidate (sorta) for the Republican nomination and his remarks  are costing him business with NACAR, whose fan base is, you know, reliably Republican.  How's that campaign going?