O.T. Phil Mickelson on International Politics and Human Rights

[Steve Lang]

    CRAIG, I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE NYT, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE REFERENCED ARTICLE?


MY DAD FOUGHT IN WWII, WENT IN ON A GLIDER ON D-DAY, I DON'T THINK HE'D BE TOO THRILLED TO BE LUMPED IN WITH THE MODERN DAY ANTIFA CROWD...


JUST SAYING.

[V. Kmetz]

   CRAIG, I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE NYT, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE REFERENCED ARTICLE?

MY DAD FOUGHT IN WWII, WENT IN ON A GLIDER ON D-DAY, I DON'T THINK HE'D BE TOO THRILLED TO BE LUMPED IN WITH THE MODERN DAY ANTIFA CROWD...

JUST SAYING.

Kudos to your dad for putting it on the line to defeat fascist forces, just like today's American Trumpublicans. But whether he likes, would have liked, may not have liked, is raging against liking... or not, he contributed to defeating anti-democratic, fascist forces, The Axis powers, whose troops he battled, was fascist and in the basic definition he operated as an ANTI FASCIST.  Unfortunately we don't or can't control the labels we get wrapped up with.

[Tim Leahy]

   CRAIG, I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE NYT, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE REFERENCED ARTICLE?

MY DAD FOUGHT IN WWII, WENT IN ON A GLIDER ON D-DAY, I DON'T THINK HE'D BE TOO THRILLED TO BE LUMPED IN WITH THE MODERN DAY ANTIFA CROWD...

JUST SAYING.

Kudos to your dad for putting it on the line to defeat fascist forces, just like today's American Trumpublicans. But whether he likes, would have liked, may not have liked, is raging against liking... or not, he contributed to defeating anti-democratic, fascist forces, The Axis powers, whose troops he battled, was fascist and in the basic definition he operated as an ANTI FASCIST.  Unfortunately we don't or can't control the labels we get wrapped up with.

Anti-democratic, fascist forces sounds like the current Republican party to me.

[V. Kmetz]

   CRAIG, I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE NYT, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE REFERENCED ARTICLE?

MY DAD FOUGHT IN WWII, WENT IN ON A GLIDER ON D-DAY, I DON'T THINK HE'D BE TOO THRILLED TO BE LUMPED IN WITH THE MODERN DAY ANTIFA CROWD...

JUST SAYING.

Kudos to your dad for putting it on the line to defeat fascist forces, just like today's American Trumpublicans. But whether he likes, would have liked, may not have liked, is raging against liking... or not, he contributed to defeating anti-democratic, fascist forces, The Axis powers, whose troops he battled, was fascist and in the basic definition he operated as an ANTI FASCIST.  Unfortunately we don't or can't control the labels we get wrapped up with.

Anti-democratic, fascist forces sounds like the current Republican party to me.

Not wrong, Steve Bannon is proud of being MAGA's Leni Riefenstahl ... but what the kind of thread is this, which does not discuss gca and prompts people to extrapolate what dead relatives were or weren't...


LIV is a paid exhibition, which is a shit design for modern golf; the fact the Saudis are behind it and several whining millionaires - the biggest list of chokers, past primes and never was' available today-- makes it easy to dislike.


Meanwhile, these Tour grievances that a handful have here...what's your skin in the game, pal? 

[John Kavanaugh]

My grievance with the Tour is that I believe golf would be more fun for me if the professional tour never existed. Now the commissioner wants me to feel like I’ve lost my moral compass if I watch anything else. You can’t beat labor by shaming the client.

[Tim Leahy]

My grievance with the Tour is that I believe golf would be more fun for me if the professional tour never existed. Now the commissioner wants me to feel like I’ve lost my moral compass if I watch anything else. You can’t beat labor by shaming the client.

So your against the LIV tour and all the rest, DP, KORN, LPGA etc. too right? What about the USGA and R&A, they are tours also right? What would you have an open every week with qualifying and who would handle sponsorship and rules, planning?

[John Kavanaugh]

I’m for enjoying my entertainment options. When the Demolition Derby came to town they didn’t ask me to use my car. Oh, and to make sure that it is in perfect condition when they come to pick it up.

[Tim Martin]

Mickelson and Dechambeau who were in different practice round groups didn’t get much crowd reaction yesterday when playing off of 1 tee. I didn’t see any interaction on the practice putting green between Phil and other players. He was getting some fan appreciation out on the golf course when we saw him and I didn’t hear any boos. Finally no shock that Kevin Na played the practice round with Phil.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Mickelson and Dechambeau who were in different practice round groups didn’t get much crowd reaction yesterday when playing off of 1 tee. I didn’t see any interaction on the practice putting green between Phil and other players. He was getting some fan appreciation out on the golf course when we saw him and I didn’t hear any boos. Finally no shock that Kevin Na played the practice round with Phil.

If you go to the Masters and listen to others, you realize how many people are there "for something to do" who aren't really truly deep golf fans. It's a place to be seen, a thing to do, an event. The same is true at places like U.S. Opens, etc., so I think there are a LOT of spectators — and this includes golf fans — who only know "hey, that's Phil Mickelson!" and don't know a thing about Saudi Arabia. He'll be cheered around the place, and we're (the "stronger" or "deeper" golf fans for lack of better words) the only ones who know a lot about this stuff.

[cary lichtenstein]

Time for a new NEWS cycle, this is getting boring

[John Kavanaugh]

Boring until the commish plays his next moral hold card.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Time for a new NEWS cycle, this is getting boring

To you, but you don't think Phil did anything "wrong." It's only getting started. Next March/April will be interesting.

[A.G._Crockett]

Charles Barkley for the win, as usual:


“If somebody offered me $200 million, I’d kill a relative, even one I liked.”

[Peter Pallotta]

Charles Barkley for the win, as usual:
“If somebody offered me $200 million, I’d kill a relative, even one I liked.”

Thanks for that. I love Charles Barkley -- the sanest man in sports broadcasting, and an authentically good person.

[David_Tepper]

Jimmy Dunne on the LIV Tour:

https://www.si.com/golf/news/one-of-golfs-most-connected-amateurs-has-much-to-say-on-liv-and-none-of-it-positive


“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game,’” Dunne said. “That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”

[Ken Moum]

Jimmy Dunne on the LIV Tour:

https://www.si.com/golf/news/one-of-golfs-most-connected-amateurs-has-much-to-say-on-liv-and-none-of-it-positive


“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game,’” Dunne said. “That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”

The point he makes about those guys losing their edge is interesting.  I think he's right,  especially with guys who've said they're not enjoying the grind...like Dechambeau.


Something I keep wondering is what happens when/if they sign up 100 players and only 48 can play?

[cary lichtenstein]

Time for a new NEWS cycle, this is getting boring

To you, but you don't think Phil did anything "wrong." It's only getting started. Next March/April will be interesting.

I'm not saying Phil did nothing wrong, he obviously did, but what I'm saying, at 52 years old, he is no longer competative, he was 11 over at the US Open, he earned nothing. He has Zero sponsors, so the money grab at $200 million, I'm guessing that more than half on this board would take that in a second.

[jeffwarne]

Jimmy Dunne on the LIV Tour:

https://www.si.com/golf/news/one-of-golfs-most-connected-amateurs-has-much-to-say-on-liv-and-none-of-it-positive


“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game,’” Dunne said. “That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”

The point he makes about those guys losing their edge is interesting.  I think he's right,  especially with guys who've said they're not enjoying the grind...like Dechambeau.


Something I keep wondering is what happens when/if they sign up 100 players and only 48 can play?

gotta have a few expendables for "attrition"....

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I'm not saying Phil did nothing wrong, he obviously did, but what I'm saying, at 52 years old, he is no longer competative, he was 11 over at the US Open, he earned nothing. He has Zero sponsors, so the money grab at $200 million, I'm guessing that more than half on this board would take that in a second.

Phil could have earned $20-30M+ or so per year for 20+ years if he had kept sponsors and just continued to be kind of a modern day Arnold Palmer. Given the choice between $200M and maybe double or triple that, albeit spread out, I'd probably have taken the greater amount, and that's without considering who is paying.

And to the 100 vs. 48 stuff… they haven't "signed" some of the lower players. I think they know they might play only an event or two.

[Sean_A]

I'm not saying Phil did nothing wrong, he obviously did, but what I'm saying, at 52 years old, he is no longer competative, he was 11 over at the US Open, he earned nothing. He has Zero sponsors, so the money grab at $200 million, I'm guessing that more than half on this board would take that in a second.

Phil could have earned $20-30M+ or so per year for 20+ years if he had kept sponsors and just continued to be kind of a modern day Arnold Palmer. Given the choice between $200M and maybe double or triple that, albeit spread out, I'd probably have taken the greater amount, and that's without considering who is paying.

And to the 100 vs. 48 stuff… they haven't "signed" some of the lower players. I think they know they might play only an event or two.

Could and if may well be much less than his payday.

Ciao

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Could and if may well be much less than his payday.

Perhaps. But even if they end up being about the same amount… there's still the damage done to his reputation/image/brand, whatever you want to call it.

[JohnVDB]

Jimmy Dunne on the LIV Tour:

https://www.si.com/golf/news/one-of-golfs-most-connected-amateurs-has-much-to-say-on-liv-and-none-of-it-positive


“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game,’” Dunne said. “That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”

My other favorite quote from the article was:


Dunne said LIV CEO Greg Norman “is the luckiest man in the world, because he had this vendetta his whole career and he found someone to bankroll it.”
[/size][/color]
[/size]That is the entire point of the LIV tour. Norman and Phil are pissed at the tour which made them rich and will do what they can do to destroy it and don’t care who gets hurt in the process. [/color]
[/size][/color]

[V. Kmetz]

A friend at the tournament said Mickelson looked like a person sneaking onto the course, afraid that the ranger would pull up at any moment to toss him out.  I have no better speculation or forecast; what I saw was a figure who is depressed/humiliated...that grizzled beard, fallen shoulders and Fuzzy Zoeller glasses --- the exact opposite of the bright eyed Lefty who was youthful in all his years.


There's like a silent understanding between him and all the assembled - "we know what you're all about." 


I haven't read it in a while, but it's sorta like the original Malamud version of "The Natural," where Hobbs takes the Judge's money, has a change of heart in his last at bat, but strikes out anyway... Mercy tracks down his shooting 16 years ago and his acceptance of the bribe, upon which Hobbs is likely to be thrown out of baseball and his memory/stats erased from the record book.

[Peter Pallotta]

VK - a good and affective post. I'm not someone who ever thought Phil a fake - at least, no more a fake than anyone else. But as per you description, what I saw watching him this week was someone who has dropped a long-held and dominant persona -- and only partly by choice. I think this process is a natural one, and befits the second half of life; but to watch a popular sports figure as his public narrative unravels so completely before our collective eyes is quite remarkable, and actually makes me a little sad. The swashbuckler of my youth seemed so naked and alone out there.

[cary lichtenstein]

"There is no joy in Mudville, mighty Casey just struck out"


The beard makes him look like a grubby guy.