Don’t bother with the platitudes just bring on a dose of reality …………
Tim Finchem and the PGA Tour , now s have an image problem to deal with beyond the fact golf’s most high-profiled player is likely to be lost to the Tour for a several weeks. Tiger Woods’ career has been derailed in recent seasons by his own behavioral issues and by recurring injuries, most notably his back. This season, it has been injuries which have plagued the player’s year and his play , leaving many in doubt , whether he can reach the heights where he was once golf’s most dominant player and a certainty to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of eighteen Major Grand Slam wins. Nicklaus’ feat might now seem out of reach but the PGA all-time career wins on the Tour does seem attainable for Woods, if he can regain a degree of fitness and form.
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Slideshow.
As the PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, cannot be happy with the fact he has suspended Dustin Johnson for a six month banishment , while the player undergoes rehab for a substance abuse problem, which has been determined to be cocaine addiction. Now don’t get me wrong, but my question is , since when were golfers known to be the “bad boys “ of the sports’ world , never mind their partying like perverted rock stars? I guess after the sexual peccadilloes of Tiger Woods , Johnson’s actions had to be expected. If not Dustin Johnson, then who would be the next high-profiled Tour golfer to be caught in a web of lies , deceit and sexual intrigue?
Courtesy of Fox News
Dustin Johnson failed drug tests, fooled around with tour player’s wife, report says
Reports of drug use and sleeping with other tour players’ wives have followed in the wake of Thursday’s announcement by pro golfer Dustin Johnson that he is taking a leave of absence from the PGA Tour.
Golf.com cited an unnamed source who said Johnson failed three drug tests in the past five years, including a positive test for marijuana in 2009 and two positive tests for cocaine in 2012 and 2014.
The PGA is not required to make public any player suspensions that result from positive tests for recreational drugs.
The same report also said Johnson “had a sexual indiscretion with at least one wife of a PGA Tour player.”
A rep for the tour did not respond to Golf.com’s request for comment.
Following the report, Fox Sports reporter Robert Lusetich tweeted that Johnson was known to have slept with not one, but two tour players’ wives.
Not a huge secret either that #DustinJohnson had affairs with 2 wives of PGA Tour players. One broke up the marriage.
— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) August 1, 2014
Johnson became engaged to Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, in August, 2013. He issued a statement Thursday that addressed his hiatus from the tour.
“I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced,” he said. “By committing the time and resources necessary to improve my mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation, I am confident that I will be better equipped to fulfill my potential and become a consistent champion.”
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Now if the allegations concerning Johnson are indeed true, his philandering with the wives of many of the players on the PGA Tour does leave the player in an untenable position in terms of his relationships with his peers. As to what this also indicates concerning the behavior of a number of the Tour professionals does leave a great deal to be desired as well as the wholesome tradition Tim Finchem tries to sell to the public. With over $260 million in official prize money on the PGA Tour, as well as a further $60 million in unofficial prize money , by way of unofficial tournaments that remains in part, a bevy of the schedule, golf remains one of the most lucrative sports by way of the on course earnings afforded their professionals.
The PGA Tour much like the NFL , MLB and NBA , has created a charade of wholesomeness , that in no way could they have maintained , which their respective hierarchies tried to keep up the perception, while conning the fans and public alike their sports remained above reproach. Fact of the matter remains, golf has always been shrouded with some very dubious distinctions of which its greatest was and still remains racism , lack of diversity, and the ongoing bigoted and archaic values within Augusta National , home to The Masters . Only recently, have we seen the change in attitude of members of Augusta and even now, there still seems to be an aversion to real change within that bastion of male chauvinism and bigotry. Before Tiger Woods’ ascent to the top of the world rankings as well as winning fourteen Grand Slam Majors and seventy-four official PGA Tour wins. The last African-American golfers of note on the PGA Tour were Lee Elder and Calvin Peete. Perhaps, this was merely the PGA Tour’s lack of social response or the very fact they felt, the issue did not need to be addressed.
With Tiger Woods’ descent, the rise of Rory McIlroy might well have provided the PGA Tour with a real superstar the sport is now sorely missing. Phil Mickelson does not seem to be the player thought to be ready to lay down the gauntlet and in proving to be a real adversary for Tiger Woods. Bubba Watson appears to be all too robotic in his approach , character and the very fact he does not seem to be a real major draw on the Tour in spite of his career. Jordan Speith’s rise up the world rankings and Fedex Cup standings has simply afforded him a great deal of attention within the print media but until he notches that first real big win on the PGA Tour, he will be merely seen as another wunderkind, thought to be the heir-apparent.
Rory McIroy’s wire to wire-to-wire win of The Open at Hoylake and his most recent win of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational , simply emphasizes why he is now the best golfer on the planet . His world number one ranking , reinforces that fact and his dominance of the game comes at a time when golf is really in need of a genuine superstar and not a robotic character-less prototype thrown up on the PGA Tour , as the next American golfer that will dominate the game.
Dustin Johnson’s suspension and Tiger Wood’s recurrence of a back problem now leaves incoming USA Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson at a loss as to the possible replacements are likely to be , to fill out his twelve man roster for this biannual team competition featuring the US against the best Europe has to offer in terms of the European Tour players. With golf, having now become a global game , the two main tours are the PGA and the European Tour . Europe may well be made the presumptive favorites for the upcoming competition, set to begin on the 23rd September through to the 28th September at Gleneagles Golf Course , Gleneagles , Scotland. Paul McGinley as the European team captain will have a bevy of talent with a group of players made up of Major winners, regular competitors on the European Tour, as well as on the PGA Tour. . The bragging rights and unique distinction of this team competition, makes it one of the most anticipated and talked about sporting events in the world at the time of its scheduling. With Europe looking to take back the Ryder Cup trophy, this September, all eyes will be on Gleneagles , Scotland, once this competition gets underway.
Having won three of the four legs of the Majors which make up the career Grand Slam . Rory McIlroy would like nothing better than to join what is really a select list of golfers to have achieved that feat. Jack Nicklaus , Tiger Woods and Gary Player are three of the group of players to have achieved the feat, with Nicklaus’ eighteen Major wins heading the list of Grand Slam victories. It should be noted the tally would have been far greater for the Golden Bear , when you consider the number of runner-up finishes (second place) he tallied in the Majors over his illustrious career. The Green Jacket of The Masters is the one Major victory McIlroy now seeks to join the illustrious group in question, but this Thursday , with the start of the PGA Championship at the : Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky. The young Irishman will get the chance to win his fifth Major title and second in succession within a calendar year, should he prove victorious in taking the PGA crown. The odds might not favor McIlroy, but who is likely to really challenge him at this juncture, given his present form ?
Misery , sorrow , call it what you will, but the belly aching by the fans who saw the fall from grace of the Miami Heat was enough to make your stomach turn. You had the sheer idiocy of fans suggesting an ailing Dwyane Wade merely had to turn up for the postseason and barely lift an eyelid and the Heat would have swept their way to victory over the San Antonio Spurs . In reality, I know what makes the North American sports’ fan really tick, it is their inane stupidity and lack of real knowledge, only knowing to spurt real absurdities to make themselves sound knowledgeable. LeBron James was afforded as much aid by his teammates in this past NBA Finals as a gunshot wound victim would be given aid , had it been a Band Aid to cover a wound to the abdomen that was still bleeding profusely. Where was either Dwyane Wade or the ” overrated” Chris Bosh in these Finals ? I will tell you where , no fucking where to be seen , and yet the excuses as to the Heat’s demise were still forthcoming. Let’s put it this way , with the dumb ass lack of intelligence being shown by LeBron James’ apologists such as Stephen A Smith and Chris Broussard , I really wonder how the NBA has any real legitimacy with regard to the print media much less the lack of frigging intelligence shown by some fans !
With LeBron James now deciding to pull up sticks and make his way back to Cleveland and bringing a forgiving smile by rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers , all may well be right in the NBA world once again. Throw in for good measure , Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert seems to have had a change of heart about the player he once called self-centered, arrogant and disloyal. One might now ask , what must James now do to make the fans in Cleveland really happy ? An NBA title in the first year of his return will not be happening, even if based on the premise of the Cavaliers trading away their 2014 NBA number one draft pick , Andrew Wiggins to acquire power forward Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves .
Dan Gilbert, GM David Griffin and new head coach David Blatt , believe the acquisition of Kevin Love can best bolster the team roster, making them a legitimate contender within the Eastern Conference . While likely the case, I believe it too early to make such a presumption, not when you have a Chicago Bulls’ team led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah , reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the addition of a still productive veteran Pau Gasol. In the Bulls you have a team coached by the best coach in the NBA yet to win a title, by the name of Tom Thibodeau . Chicago can be considered a real threat and with Rose fit though not yet in real game shape , he is already proving to be his old self in terms of leadership skills, which have been on display while a member of the USA FIBA squad for the upcoming World Cup tournament. And with the injury suffered by Paul George of the Indiana Pacers during a team scrimmage, Rose’s place on the final team roster for the tournament seems assured. If he can merely find some of the form shown when he became one of the youngest players ever to win the NBA League MVP , then one has to look at the Chicago Bulls as a prohibitive favorite within the Eastern Conference this upcoming season. From a defensive standpoint the Bulls are one of the best teams within the conference and the league itself and might just be the most balanced team in the Eastern Conference with the addition of Pau Gasol.
The shakeup within the NBA caused by LeBron James’ defection to the Cleveland Cavaliers did not have desired effect one might have thought. Carmelo Anthony remained with the New York Knicks signing for more money , as if there was any real doubt , he would have left their offer on the table ? Phil Jackson will now seek to bolster what is still a very under-achieving team , with Amare’ Stoudemire still remaining a part of an equation , where his lack of productivity and bloated salary becomes more than an eyesore and afterthought. As to the reasons why Knicks’ fans seem so reassured , might have more to do with the choice of Derek Fisher to succeed Mike Woodson as the team’s head coach than it has to do with the Knicks’ 2014 draft class . Not exactly thrilling, but for the Knicks, anything which takes the spotlight off the organization’s incompetence has to be seen as a positive .
The Miami Heat’s loss of LeBron James has Pat Riley running to the hills , seeking to repair the damage done . During the season Riley essentially stood pat , not seeking to bolster a roster that was flawed in so many ways. Yet , there were fans and analysts alike enamored and in awe of a team playing in a weakened , mediocre division and conference . If any of them , simply took the time to look at what was happening in the Eastern Conference and its divisions, they would have noticed how dire the situation had become was simply ongoing from previous seasons . Instead, it was all about the greatness of LeBron and this team seeking to win back to back to back NBA titles. When you have a product which has become so putrid and bile inducing, as witnessed in the Eastern Conference, with fans are lauding over it as something spectacular , you simply have to wonder what might be going on inside their minds as well as that of the NBA hierarchy? Outgoing commissioner David Stern was lauded by owners and his peers as being a savior of the game, but his apparent willingness to overlook litany of behavioral issues of Donald Sterling and Rich DeVos , shows the former commissioner being an ass, as well as dubious and duplicitous in the league’s ongoing problems . Stern is to the NBA, what the Tea Party is now proving to be for the Republican Party, more of a burden, rather than a considerable boost .
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli , Kawhi Leonard and their teammates showed us what team work was all about during the finals and their clinical dismantling of their Eastern Conference opponents. Leonard showed us why Gregg Popovich had so much faith in the three-year starter in the league. He has matured into a dependable and solid player , likely to be the centerpiece of the Spurs’ future upon the retirement of the franchise’s Big Three of Duncan, Ginobli and Parker. Leonard’s winning of the Finals’ MVP Award was more than justified as he led the Spurs, showing signs of maturity beyond his years, as well as the fans witnessing his great all-round ability during the series. Could the same be said of anyone on the Miami Heat’s roster with the exception of LeBron James ?
In winning their fifth NBA title under Gregg Popovich , the San Antonio Spurs have proven themselves to be league’s most recent NBA dynasty. Something fans were quickly tying to anoint the Miami Heat with , after two titles and four appearances in the league’s showcase finale , during LeBron’s tenure with the franchise. Greatness, is normally afforded to teams and individuals who have achieved something special, but in the midst of the James’ saga, fans were seeking to anoint the player as the rightful successor to Michael Jordan . LeBron James while epitomizes determination , has become self-centered, less charismatic than the brand his handlers suggest him to be. Throw in the ongoing signs of immaturity, petulance and you have yourself an immature superstar, seeking to be in spotlight at all times , with the media there, simply to build him up into something he really is not.
Becky Hammon formerly of the San Antonio Stars of the WNBA and the Spurs’ affiliate within that particular league. In a notable first within the NBA, Hammon will become the first female to be a lead assistant coach in the NBA joining the coaching staff of Gregg Popovich. Also joining Popovich’s roster of coaches will be Ettore Messina whose vast experience and success in Europe cannot be discounted. The Italian brings with him an impressive resume’ in European club basketball. Hammon’s playing career in the WNBA makes her one of the game’s best players in the league’s history, where she is in the upper echelons of WNBA career statistics beyond the success achieved with the Stars. Whether or not her experience and career resume’ can equate with success , the Spurs and her gaining the respect of the male players remains to be seen over the course of this upcoming season. So far, she has the respect of the Spurs’ head coach and many of her counterparts on the Spurs’ coaching roster.
The NBA remains a bastion of male camaraderie , in spite of the league having the WNBA offshoot where women are afforded the chance to show off their skill-set within the game but unfortunately there too as well as within the league (NBA) itself there remains few opportunities for real advancement as a head coach much less as a league front executive.. So much for the hypocrisy of the motto of the NBA _______ the “ NBA Cares “ . This is a league so devoid of leadership and integrity, the only thing that seems to matter, is the amount of money annually pouring into their coffers.
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Picture gallery.
With the news of Dustin Johnson’s suspension by the PGA Tour and it being the most serious reprimand of a PGA Tour player , do you believe the Tour can survive its image taking such an adverse hit ? With the NBA preseason still a few months away but with the league itself still in a state of turmoil caused by ongoing litigation between Donald Sterling and the NBA, what do you feel will be the final outcome to this whole saga? Finally, what are your thoughts concerning how LeBron James left the Miami Heat after four seasons of substantial success ?
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Picture and slideshow details below .
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(1) PGA Tour Chairman Tim Finchem . The chairman has a great deal to worry about concerning the PGA Tour’s image after the suspension of Dustin Johnson after his having failed a drug test for the third time . Johnson tested positive for cocaine but further allegations have surfaced suggesting he had slept with the wives of a number players on the Tour . AP Photo / Barry Mitchell …
(2) PGA Tour player Dustin Johnson who has taken a prolong leave of absence from the Tour schedule to deal with what he says are personal medical issues. A spokesperson for the Tour issued a public statement , noting Johnson has been suspended for a third failed drug test , having tested positive for cocaine use. Further allegations , yet to be substantiated , suggest he has also slept with the wives of several players on the Tour . Getty Images / Gary McAdams ….
(3) US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson is seen here alongside Tiger Woods . Woods hopes to make a full recovery in time to compete in the Ryder Cup for the USA . His standing among the ten players in the FedexCup standings would not make Tiger Woods an automatic choice . Only the top ten players are automatic choices , with the captain then having the discretion to fill out his twelve man roster with two more players to make up his team. Getty Images North America / Chris Woods ….
(4) Rory McIlroy seen here holding the Claret Jug having won the The Open at Hoylake , in Liverpool , England , this year . McIlroy led from wire to wire , never once being seriously challenged by any of his competitors in the tournament . He also recently won WGC Bridgestone Invitational in commanding style , placing himself back atop of the World Golf Rankings as the number one player in the world . Rory McIlroy now heads into Lexington , Kentucky and the Valhalla Golf Course , hoping to add the PGA Championship to his list of career achievements as well his Grand Slam tally in terms of victories . Getty Images / Harry How ….
(5) LeBron James meets young fans in the town of Akron , Ohio , recently having returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The return of the Prodigal Son to the franchise where he began his career in 2003 , will begin anew with a revamped roster , new head coach and coaching staff led by rookie head coach David Blatt . Getty Images / Hugh Davis …
(6) Becky Hammon formerly a player with the San Antonio Stars will now become a lead assistant on the coaching staff of the San Antonio Spurs . Hammon brings along a wealth of experience as a player in the WNBA , where she was a multiple WNBA All Star . AP Photo / Michael Proffitt ….
(7) Ettore Messina one of the most successful coaches in European club basketball history , having won four Euroleague titles . Messina and Becky Hammon will be joining the coaching staff of the San Antonio Spurs . Both assistants already have impressive starts to their careers with the franchise , bringing praises from head coach Gregg Popovich as well as from several players on the team’s roster. AP Photo/ Dean Jones ….
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tophatal …….
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Nikita Valentin . I just love what she does for this setting !
Nikita with some whipped cream and strawberries thrown in for good measure .
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Tophatal's Blog 
Someone somewhere must be having a laugh at the expense of the idiots who preside over the PGA Tour and their f#cking sanctimonious @ssholes .
How many females did Dustin Johnson allegedly lay his nine iron to , while beating down and eating their bush ? Crack is whack but it also can provide you with a great appetite .
” Crack is whack but it helps me steady my game and eat a great deal of female bush ” ! Dustin Johnson
You have to be truly lacking in knowledge to believe LeBron James can lead this Cavaliers’ team to an NBA title this upcoming season ? They are good , but they are not great or even exceptional . Yet fans are already anointing them as the best team in the Eastern Conference of the NBA . Defensively , the Cavs were barely average within the conference much less the league and in spite of his experience does anyone actually believe David Blatt is that good an NBA coach to lead this roster deep into the NBA Playoffs ?
“I’m all about winning and LeBron James will guarantee that as a member of this team . If not , then he and Dan Gilbert can kiss my white @ss ” . David Blatt
tophatal ………….
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The PGA Tour was hoping the new breed of American golfers would inject new life into the sport and more particularly, its television ratings. Despite the success of guys like Bubba and Dufner, however, Rory’s probably more of a draw.
In the absence of Tiger and eventually Phil, the sport may have to reinvent itself or hope guys like Jordan Spieth have enough personality both on and off the course to continue to bring in new viewers.
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Chris Humpherys (SportsChump)
Jason Duffner , Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley are not exhilarating or exciting draws to watch on the PGA Tou and the on air analysts should have now began to realize that fact. Even Jordan Spieth in spite of his win of the John Deere Classic and swift rise up the world rankings and Fedex Cup standings for this year , the PGA Tour only remains exciting when either Phil Mickelson is playing well or Tiger Woods is in the reckoning to win a PGA Tournament , which hasn’t really happened in quite a while .
Golf analyst, Johnny Miller goes overboard and has become a great deal like ESPN’s Chris Berman , a tedious fu#king bore to listen to and watch while on television .
Tom Watson will be rightly criticized if Woods is included on the US Team squad for the Ryder Cup because his performances and play this season have been pitiful , undeserving of a place on the team in spite of his Ryder Cup record and experience.
” Nick , I have to tell you, Tiger’s complexion has always been befuddling for me . Is he biracial or just another one those African-Americans who happens to be well spoken , educated and who wants to be seen as one of us ” ? Golf analyst Johnny Miller (left) speaking with fellow analyst Nick Faldo .
tophatal ………………….
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Chris Humpherys
How is golf going to reinvent itself ? It seems like only yesterday the assholes of the PGA of America discovered that African-Americans also played the game as well as women . So explain to me what Tim Finchem and those who preside over Augusta National and The Masters will decide to do to make it more of a draw for fans here in the United States ? Inane statements such as ” reinventing itself ” , make no frigging sense , , when you look at the archaic process and systems in place , with regard to the sport and many of its ongoing rituals .
The last time such a distinction happened in this sport was the first tournament played by Tiger Woods as a professional in 1996. Prior to that , assholes like Fuzzy Zoeller and others carried on with their racist schtick and not a fu#king thing was being done about it . , Commentators and the print media made light of it all including fans themselves
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tophatal …………………………….
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Chris Humpherys
It’s not probably , Rory McIlroy is ” the draw” on the PGA Tour right now and has been for the last two seasons at least . With his winning Majors and dominating fields when his game is consistent , fans would rather see him play than the robotic and character-less American players currently on the PGA Tour . If you cannot realize the fact then I don’t know what the hell you’ve been watching since late 2011 to now . To further emphasize this look at the world rankings now and as they were six months ago . Also let me pose this question , if Phil Mickelson has been as good as many claim him to be , why has he not been ranked number one in the world rankings at any point of his professional career when he was winning big on the PGA Tour as well as the four majors to his name ?
And to emphasize my point further concerning McIlroy look at the leaderboard of the PGA Championship . Where are Mickelson and Woods at present among the first round contenders ? To have any real shot you have to be within four shots of the lead . Lefty is hanging around but for how long ? Tiger (tied for 109th +3) is likely to miss the cut or simply withdraw complaining of recurring back pains .
tophatal ……………
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If I’m Andrew Wiggins of the Cleveland Cavaliers , I am not so sure I would be entirely happy with the situation and how he has been treated by the organization . He gets drafted by them and is assured he will be part of the franchise’s future . Signs a rookie contract and now he is on the cusp of being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love as part of what is likely to be a multi-player and team deal .
Wiggins seen here with head coach David Blatt (left) and GM David Griffin
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tophatal ……….
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Tiger Woods is already struggling in the first round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course in Lexington , Kentucky . No surprise there , considering Woods’ erratic play this season and his statistical standing on the PGA Tour .
Woods seen here during a practice round at Valhalla GC in Lexington , Kentucky .
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tophatal ………….
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Crazy things are now happening at the PGA Championship with the leader-board changing faster than a baby’s diaper .
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Well now that Rory McIlroy emphatically won the PGA Championship with what appeared to limitless ease can we also stop with the nonsense that US golf is still great . Far too many US born players currently on the PGA Tour are either overrated , have yet to prove themselves under pressure , but more to the point , they’re simply on the Tour to make up the numbers , win money , not titles . A finish inside the top twenty-five of a top tournament and a player can still walk away with almost $100,000 with little effort in terms of their play . The same can be said when it comes to an official Grand Slam tournament on the PGA Tour .
This was McIlroy’s second win of Major this season and his fourth overall in his career. He is now one Major win away from collecting a career Grand Slam and Rory McIlroy has now become the fourth youngest player in golf history to have won four Majors , all by the age of twenty-five .
The world rankings now proves why he is deservedly the number one player in the world and by far the best player to have come on the Tour since Tiger Woods emerged in 1996 .
tophatal ….. …….
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Some people have shit for brains without knowing little about a sport , so the only thing they will have to say will likely follow a trend, without showing any fu$king intelligence or knowledge . As has been the case with a rather asinine comment concerning the PGA Championship at Valhalla and Tiger Woods . Last I saw , no one gave a flying f$ck where he finished concerning the tournament given his play so was frigging awful throughout this particular Grand Slam tournament. It has been four years since Woods last won a Major and his current form shows no signs of his being able to regain the stature which once made him so dominant . .
Like I said, apathy and stupidity among US sports’ fans remains limitless as does their overall lack of goddamn intelligence ..
tophatal ……………..
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