March Madness…and Tiger Woods
Posted by Chad Ruter on March 16, 2008
By: Chad Ruter
Well, I didn’t think I would make a post today, but I decided that I might as well get some thoughts down on the site before I forget them. Before I go any farther, I would like to invite all readers of TOUTS to join our NCAA March Madness pool on cbssportsline.com. Here is the link to our group, with the name of the league being “TOUTS” and the password being “marchmadness” (everything inside the quotes is case-sensitive). The winner of our league will be mentioned loudly and proudly on this site when the tournament concludes. As for Justin and I, there will be stakes to this game. We decided that the loser of the bracket challenge will have to wear the hat of the opposing person’s favorite baseball team for two full days; one day while we are at home and will be together, and another day when we are going through our daily routine. The only time the hat can come off is while showering. I can’t wait to see Justin put on that ratty old Cubs hat that’s sitting at the top of my closet, patiently awaiting its release on opening day.
As for the tournament selections, there are a few things that come to mind.
-I wholeheartedly agree with the committee’s decision to put Arizona in the tournament over Arizona State. Yes, they were two very close teams, and ASU did beat the Wildcats in their two meetings this year, but that isn’t the whole story. Arizona played the second toughest schedule in the country, and played 11 games during the season without one of their two best players. The Sun Devils on the other hand played an incredibly easy schedule in comparison, and didn’t fight through the injuries that Zona did. The committee awards the at-large bids to the 34 best teams that didn’t qualify automatically, and Arizona fits the bill.
-North Carolina was voted as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and then got matched up with what many consider the toughest road to the Final Four out of all the No. 1s. I couldn’t agree more, but remember one thing, they don’t have to leave the state of North Carolina until the Final Four in San Antonio. They’ll play four home games if they make it that far, and I would consider that an absolute lock at this point, no matter the competition.
-Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, was the No. 5 team in the country, and then rewarded with only a No. 3 seed in the tournament. Duke, Georgetown, Tennessee, and Texas – the four No. 2 seeds all lost in their respective conference tournaments, and two of those teams lost before the championship game. The Badgers are a two seed, and that’s all there is to it.
-I was absolutely stunned when CBS released the East Regional, and had Butler listed as a No. 7 seed. They are ranked 10th in the country at this point, and the committee put them into the 25-28 overall portion of their list. How can the discrepancy be that big? Yes, they didn’t play in a great conference, but it’s not like they’re playing D-II schools. They should be no worse than a 5 seed.
-If you think the tournament committee didn’t plan that 6/11 matchup between Kansas State and USC, you’re kidding yourself. On display in that game will be two of the top 7 picks in the NBA draft come June, including the man that will go No. 1 overall in Michael Beasley. Don’t miss this game folks.
Getting away from NCAA Basketball, I want to paint a picture for you. 72nd hole at Bay Hill, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The wind is blowing at about 10 mph from left to right, and fans across the golf course have flocked to the picturesque 18th hole. A stunningly beautiful par-4 measuring in at 441 yards. A large pond guards the front of the green and two the right, with massive rocks in front to play ping-pong with the ball if you come up a yard short. Tiger Woods stands on the tee, tied with a fellow by the name of Bart Bryant, who’s sitting patiently in the scorers shed off the 18th green, waiting to see how his night was going to unfold. Most players would be out swinging their favorite club, trying to stay loose while expecting to play extra holes. Not Bart Bryant, he sat in that tiny wooden trailer just listening to the crowd, and watching the best in the world send him home in second place. He already knew it was over.
Tiger, as calm as a man teeing off in a solo practice round, rips a 3-wood past his playing partner’s (Sean O’Hair) ball in the left-center of the fairway, providing a perfect angle to a green that is one of the most intimidating in golf to stare down. After O’Hair blasts his second shot over the green into a massive bunker, the wind picks up out of nowhere. The golf Gods way of upping the ante for the best player in the world. Tiger, along with veteran caddy Steve Williams, notice the shift instantaneously. Steve pulls a mid-iron (believed to be a 6-iron) out of the bag, and tells Tiger he’s got 167 (yards) to the pin, but to play the shot as if its 180 due to the wind blowing into their faces and toward the right. Tiger responds to his caddy’s gameplan with a simple, “Sounds good,” with no doubt in his mind he was going to hit the perfect shot. Which, in this situation, was to aim 10 yards left of the pin, not only to take the water short and right out of play, but to let the wind push the ball directly towards the mid-right pin position.
Showing off the third different swing in his short career in perfect tempo, Woods dropped the ball 24 feet left and high of the pin, leaving a downhill, left-to-right slider that most players would be lagging close to guarantee a playoff. Not Tiger. He stalked around the putt, knowing damn good and well that the best player in the world lags no putts on the 72nd hole – the best drop the putt to leave no doubt. Bob Costas and the NBC crew then told viewers a stat that put the cherry on top: Tiger was 0-for-21 on putts longer than 20 feet during his four days at Bay Hill. Did he need another reason? Instead of sitting in my recliner figuring the odds of the putt being made, I was trying to decide how Mr. Woods would celebrate his 5th consecutive PGA Tour victory. Would he use the patented fist pump? Would he stalk the putt and throw the ball in the water that haunts the 18th green? Would he meekly look up and smile while the putt hit the bottom of the cup? Well, he did none of those. He struck the putt with perfect speed and aim, and with five feet to go he began backpedaling up the hill toward the rough, and as the ball dropped in, grabbing his TW hat and spiking it into the ground, shaking the earth with his greatness.
Was their ever any doubt? Not for a moment.
