Zach Johnson
That was fun.
Zach Johnson became the Champion Golfer of the Year on Monday by winning the British Open.
It took and extra day and an extra four holes on top of that.
It took a bevy of great shots and a few critical mistakes down the stretch from Jason Day and Jordan Spieth. (Side question: If Spieth had not made bogey on 17 Monday, we are all in agreement that he would have won the playoff, right?)
United States' Zach Johnson celebrates with members of the public as he holds the trophy after winning a playoff after the final round at the British Open Golf Championship at the Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland, Monday, July 20, 2015.But in the end, Johnson was the man standing. And he deserved to be.
He made 10 birdies in the 22 holes, outlasting Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in the extra holes.
He made a monster birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the tournament to get to 15 under and get into the playoff.
And he made the most the stage.
He was overwhelmed with emotion and seeing someone cry tears of joy was a much-needed relief for a lot of us.
And he beyond all his excellence on the course and in the moment, his sentiment and statement about his kids and family being his legacy was his biggest success Monday.
Man, there are times when sports opens up and shows us what's possible. Thanks Zach Johnson. That was awesome.
---
SEC spin cycle
The SEC coaches are filling time on the variety of platforms across the ESPN family of networks.
There are the normal terse words from Nick Saban and the normal nonsensical words from Les Miles (love ya Les) and the normal cliched words from Butch Jones.
So, for the most part, it's your regular SEC trip through Bristol, which fir some reason is called the "car wash" but we think it should be called the "spin cycle."
That said, there was one talking point from an SEC coach spinning through ESPN that was interesting.
Gary PinkelMissouri coach Gary Pinkel says every school competing to be in the college football playoff should be in a conference.
His point is simple: Try to make the system as uniform as possible to get as clear a gauge on all the teams competing for the four spots. And yes, he thinks each of the conferences should have a title game. (Side note: Why the Big 12 doesn't want a title game is puzzling since it a) generates tens of millions of dollars a year and b) a lack of a clear champ made them an easy out last year, and that will continue to be an easy option for the committee forced to pick four teams from five power conferences.)
We can see that point and mildly agree. In truth, we don't think any of the independents will be in contention any time soon, but maybe Notre Dame could make a run.
The biggest potential ripple effect of all the big schools joining the power five is that it will make it much easier down the road for the power five to break free.
---
NFL unending coin
The Green Bay Packers, as a publicly traded company, are forced to release their financials.
Here's the story.
They are the only NFL franchise that has to release those numbers, but the most interesting line item here was what the league disperses to NFL teams.
The Packers received $226.4 million from the league's broadcast deals with five networks. All told, it was more than $7 billion among the 32 teams and that total is up from around $3 billion just five years ago.
According to this website dedicated to the NFL salary cap, each league team's base salary cap is $143.28 million. So, just on TV money alone, the NFL teams pretty much cover all player salary expenses with a nice round $83 million left over for incidentals.
Seattle Seahawks' Jermaine Kearse catches the game winning touchdown pass during overtime of the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 28-22 to advance to Super Bowl XLIX. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Sweet Buckets of Green Backs, the NFL is an ATM.
We also believe this: The next round of CBA negotiations between league players and management will be quite contentious.
The current deal runs through 2020, and on the same fiscal trajectory in terms of players' salaries and broadcast rights, let's follow along.
In 2010, the league split $3 billion among the 32 teams, and because of labor negotiations there was no salary cap. For comparison sake, we'll average the 2009 total of $123 million and the 2011 total of $120 million and set that total at $121.5 million
In 2015, the league is splitting $7.2 billion among the 32 teams and the base salary cap is at $143.28 million.
The distribution numbers have increased 140 percent for the teams and the total coin for the players has increased roughly 18 percent.
On that same trajectory, the salary cap would be pegged around $170 million (although it likely would be closer to $200 million), and on the same growth path, TV money would be around $17 billion or more than half a billion dollars per team. (Yes, the timing of TV renegotiations plays a big part of that trajectory. Most of the league's TV contracts run through 2022 season, but at least one comes up much sooner, and how the NFL deciders to work its deal with Direct TV could make or break that company.)
Interesting.
---
In this file photo, Utah Jazz's Bryon Russell defends against Chicago Bulls' Scottie Pippen. The Bulls traded Olyden Polynice for Pippen in 1987. (AP Photo/Jack Smith)This and that
- This is no good Johnny Titans Fan. With a young quarterback, Tennessee's young but talented receiving corps was going to be a potential asset. Well Justin Hunter getting arrested for a felony stabbing incident - and held without bail - no es bueno.
- Shaq vs. Scottie Pippen going all smackdown on social media. Here you go.
- Mocs unveil new unis today. Check back around 2 for more details.
- We thought this was really interesting. It's the top 25 hardest colleges to get in to, according to acceptance rate and test scores. Harvard and Yale rank 1-2, and there are some surprises throughout. We're pretty sure Auburn ranked 26 on the list.
---
John R. Kia, left, and John T. ScopesToday's question
Interesting day in American history.
Ninety years ago John Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution.
A year earlier on this day, Don Knotts was born.
It's also the birthday of Robin Williams, may he rest in peace.
So in honor of the guy we met as Mork who became an Academy Award winner, what's the Rushmore of actors that started on TV but became A-list movie stars?
Go (and remember the mailbag).