Why Jim
Tiger Woods was the rave of the weekend. Dude has become the biggest star in sports.
Think about this: He was in contention at the PGA Championship on Sunday. The PGA Championship is the fourth-favorite major (think Randy Jackson of the Jackson family, behind Michael, Janet, Jermaine and just ahead of LaToya) among fans and even among the players.
You never hear any of the players say, "Man I've dreamed of winning the PGA since I was a boy." Yes they say, "I've dreamed of being a major champion."
But guys who win the Masters or the Open or the Open Championship talk about the prestige and pride of winning that particular event.
And Tiger made the PGA on Sunday feel like an NFL playoff game. It was amazing. And highly entertaining and watched.
After the PGA, which Brooks Koepka won and Tiger finished second, the top eight spots in the Ryder Cup were locked in. Those dudes - Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson - can play and earned their spots.
Not too long into the interview, U.S. captain Jim Furyk was asked about his four captain picks and whether Tiger would be among them.
Furyk was coy about the issue and sidestepped it.
Said Tiger's game is trending. Said the news conference was about the players who already qualified for the team.
But Jim, this is golf, and golf is about Tiger, at least on some angle. Always. And Jim Furyk should know that more than just about anyone.
Jim Furyk has 26 career wins and a major. He's a Hall of Famer and he got to No. 2 in the world - behind you know who - in September 2006.
Furyk has 17 PGA Tour wins - the same number as Curtis Strange and one fewer than Nick Price - and because of Tiger and being in the Tiger era, Furyk has made more than $68 million in golf earnings, which ranks fourth all-time. Price, who had 18 career PGA wins and three majors to Fury's one, made a little more than $20 million (69th all-time) and Strange earned $7.5 million playing golf.
Yeah, it's all-about Tiger.
And yes, this the Ryder Cup and the money and ratings should be of little concern. (Just don't tell NBC about that.)
But the way Tiger's playing - he's moved from the 600s to the top 25 in the World Golf rankings and is 11th in the Ryder Cup standings after his runner-up at the PGA - and his presence.
C'mon Jim, as a big supporter of Nike would say, "Just Do It."
Issues and fall-out
OK, we know that domestic violence and sexual assault are real.
In our society in general and in sports in particular of late.
Before we go any further, let's review the fundamental caveat: No one is in favor of domestic violence and sexual assault. No one.
This is not about the Zach Smith deal at THE Ohio State. (Side note: Dude also had the DUI thing that was unreported. Are we to believe that Urbie did know about that either? Hmmmmm.)
No one in pro-sexual assault and hitting women. No one.
But the question we have to ask is how can we expect sports to fairly and accurately deal with these issues when the legal system - with more resources and subpoena power among other advantages - can not deal with it.
Take the life-wrecking story of A.J. Johnson.
Johnson, you remember, was considering leaving early for the draft, came back to UT for his senior season before being suspended from the program after he was accused of rape. He was acquitted last month - yes it took almost four years to complete the case - and has now signed with the Broncos.
Will he make the team? Hard to know how good of shape Johnson is in after not participating in football for the last three-plus seasons.
Here's hoping, since he was acquitted, he makes a run and maybe something good can finally come from this four-year nightmare.
For everyone involved.
Atlanta Braves baserunner Ronald Acuna Jr. blows a chewing gum bubble as he heads to first base after a walk during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Miami. The Marlins beat the Braves 9-3. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Braves' big future
The Atlanta Braves have 45 games left, and without hesitation there is no way to describe 2018 to this point other than unmitigated success.
Atlanta is 66-51, two games behind the Cubs for the best record in the National League. Last year, Atlanta finished 72-90, 25 games back of the Nationals in the East.
So, yes, the Braves can go 6-39 and match last year's record, and that would certainly change things.
But the success goes beyond the numbers. Way beyond.
We know that the Braves have a bona fide superstar in the making - like Trout, Harper, and those guys superstar - in Ronald Acuna Jr. Consider the numbers, and know he's getting better the second and third time around the NL, which normally works the other direction when teams get more intel on young players:
Acuna has homered in four straight games, becoming the youngest MLB player to ever do it. He had leadoff homers in each game of Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Marlins, and has homered in six of his last seven games;
Acuna has 10 homers since the all-star break, all coming in the leadoff spot;
How good was Acuna on Monday? Try 5-for-8 with a couple of walks and five RBIs with the two homers. His slash line for Monday was the Ruthian + Williams + Bonds titanic numbers of .625/.700/1.375;
Overall his slash numbers (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage for those wondering) this season is .282/.342/.522. Those are numbers that deserve rookie of the year consideration. In 23 games batting first, that slash line jumps to .360/.424/.775, and if that continued over a season, those numbers deserve MVP consideration.
Did we mention that Acuna will be legally able to buy a Co-Cola in December? Yes, he's 20 years old. Wow.
Acuna is a stud and a sure-fire pencilled in top three hitter for the foreseeable future. Acuna is under his rookie contract until 2024. That's a good start.
Now look at the range of solid answers under workable contracts for this club.
Freddie Freeman is under contract through 2021, and while the $21-plus-million annual price tag seems steep, as the years go on, the Braves will continue to benefit from that deal for a Glove Glove-level defender and an all-star level hitter.
Ozzie Albies is under team control for the next two years before becoming arbitration eligible in 2021.
Ender Inciarte is under a very team-friendly deal (five years, $30.53 million) through 2021 with a team option for 2022. Yes, Ender has struggled at times this year, but he's still a Gold Glove outfielder who can run.
Dansby Swanson will be on his final year of his rookie deal next season and then three years of arbitration. Johan Camargo - a valuable piece who can play multiple positions - is also two more seasons away from being arbitration eligible.
That's six strong defensive pieces - Acuna and Inciarte each are Gold Glove-level outfielders with an entire infield that is well above average with the glove collectively - for roughly $33 million, depending on what the various numbers for the rookie contracts are, in 2019.
The core of the pitching - Teheran (signed though 2019, with a team option for 2020) as well as Newcomb (two more years before being arbitration eligible) and Folynewicz (arbitration eligible this offseason) - is strong and affordable.
That's a great core. Great. It also gives the front office a slew of financial flexibility. Tons in fact.
How much? Well, we must add Darren O'Day's $9 million tag to next year's plan - he's one of the four players under contract for 2019, and the rest are part of rookie scale or arbitration process - as well.
Know this: This season the Braves' payroll is $137 million. That's with more than $39 million in dead money (Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Kazmir) on the payroll. So, if the Braves maintain a similar payroll projection, right now, the estimated salary for the four players under guaranteed deals ($44.4 million), the 11 arbitration-eligible players ($49.4 million) and the 10 others in the rookie scale ($7.57 million) is a little more than $101 million.
That means the Braves can be a major player for any number of the names on the market.
Good times, indeed.
This and that
- Speaking of Braves, here's the next chapter in the glorious tale of dreams and effort and believing and baseball that has been the transition and transformation at the baseball program at Howard School. This is Weeds weighing in - and David Cook has written a bunch about this on A2 - and the Braves and Mizuno making great gestures to honor the great efforts of the folks that have reshaped the program. Kudos all around.
- Here's our column on A2 this morning. Been a hard time, but we know Pop is in a better place. Thanks to everyone for your support.
- Man, you'd think an Auburn man would be smarter than this, but the Dolphins have waived defensive tackle Gabe Wright for taking a cheap shot at former Alabama running back Kenyon Drake. Yes, Iron Bowl rivalries die hard, but Drake is a monster piece of the Dolphins' plans. Wright was just trying to make the team. Fringe roster guys need to take cheap shots at fourth-team running backs not first-string running backs, regardless where they went to college.
- Here's the latest "Guy who makes monster game show mistake that will forever live on in social media" chapter. On the $100,000 Pyramid, the answer is "People named Obama" and this guys clue is "Bin Laden." Oh my. (This thread has dude's complete story with it.)
- ESPN is flooding the zone with Fantasy Football stuff from wall-to-wall. Good times, if you are into that.
Today's questions
True or false on a Tuesday. We say true. Emphatically true.
True or false, Tiger Woods is the biggest star in sports right now.
True or false, speaking of fantasy football, the Pittsburgh Steelers have underachieved the last five years with zero Super Bowl trips despite having the best running back and the best wide out in the league during that time.
True or false, the Braves will win a World Series in the next three years.
Today is national creamsicle day, national color book day, national financial awareness day and national Navajo code talkers day. More importantly, it's national whiffle ball day.
On this day in 1945, Japan surrendered to end WWII.
Doc Holliday was born on this day in 1851. Magic Johnson is 59 today. Halle Berry is 52. Milo Kunis (35), Tim Tebow (31) and Steve Martin (73) also celebrate birthdays today.
Rushmore of Steve Martin movies. Go.