Posted on June 4th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
For at least one Sunday, it was as if that fateful Thanksgiving night three years ago was a bad dream. The Escalade never crashed, the infidelity never surfaced, the divorce never happened and the downward spiral never occurred.
On this afternoon, Tiger Woods was the Tiger of old, wearing red and crushing foes as he captured yet another golf title. The Memorial Tournament marked just Woods’ second victory since 2009, but both came this year. His 67 in Sunday’s final round was low for the day and included a shot for the ages, a ridiculous chip in from the heavy rough to birdie the par-3 16th. Tournament host Jack Nicklaus said it was the “most unbelievable, gutsy shot” he’d ever seen.
“I went for it,” Woods said afterward. “I pulled it off, and for it to land as soft as it did was kind of a surprise because it was baked out, and it was also downhill running away from me. It just fell in. I didn’t think it was going to get there at one point.”
It helped Woods earn his 73rd victory on the PGA Tour, tying him with Nicklaus for second place, behind only Sam Snead (82). Tying his idol at his idol’s tournament made the milestone even more special, but there was only one question on folks’ minds when Woods hoisted the trophy.
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Posted on June 1st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
There are a number of things you could say about Justin Combs, a celebrity’s son who plans to attend UCLA on a football scholarship.
You could say that he graduated from upstate New York’s prestigious Iona Prep with a 3.75 GPA. You could mention that he headed the school’s African American Society. You could point out that he turned down scholarships from Illinois, Virginia and Wyoming.
Or you could be like Los Angeles Times reporter Kate Mather, who opened her story in Friday’s paper like this: “When Justin Combs turned 16, his father, hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, gave him a $360,000 silver Maybach.”
Apparently a school isn’t supposed to award an athletic scholarship to a student whose father has a net worth around $550 million. Critics of UCLA and Diddy blew up the Internet this week, saying that Justin Combs shouldn’t receive a scholarship and/or his family shouldn’t accept it.
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Posted on June 1st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The Washington Nationals barely needed an airplane as they flew to Miami from Atlanta last Sunday night, having completed their first series sweep this season. The flight home Wednesday wasn’t nearly as sweet, though, after they were swept by the Marlins.
But the Nats have no reason to feel down. Every NL East opponent continues to look up at Washington, in its first-place perch.
Entering Friday’s opener of a three-game series with the Braves, the Nats have spent 55 days atop the division. They haven’t gotten too high or too low, with five-game streaks being their longest for consecutive wins or losses. They are 11-4-2 in their 17 series while boasting the majors’ second-best home record (15-8).
All of that is well and good. But the Nats’ most-amazing aspect through two months isn’t their respectability. It’s their resiliency.
Manager Davey Johnson and his team would deserve props for their performance under any circumstances. However, they get extra credit when you consider the massive losses they’ve endured since the end of spring training.
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By DERON SNYDER
