British Open Commences with an Old Friend Rising

Is it an apparition, a mere illusion? Or is ever-so-volatile John Daly tied (one stroke ahead of Tiger Woods) in second place during the first round of the British Open, at a course where he raised the Claret Jug fifteen years ago? In the wee hours of the morning here on the east coast, while most were asleep, John Daly was putting together one of his best rounds in years, putting up 7 birdies next to just one bogey. Daly casts an complex and convoluted shadow across the golf course, being equally revered and reviled by golf fans (getting taken into custody for being drunk outside of a Hooters one minute, and doing wonderful work for Make-a-Wish the next). Golf's most notorious bad boy is now 44 and struggling to hold on to relevancy, which would truly make this a compelling story if Daly were able to repeat his performance over the weekend. A year ago, Daly shot an 88 in the Buick Open, a laughable number that would have crushed most golfers attempting to resurrect their career. Yet here we are, one year and a 22 stroke difference later, looking at John Daly's name towards the top of the leaderboard.

St. Andrews Links in Fife, Scotland has played host now to 27 British Opens. Were I to pick a favorite for number 28, I would have to go with:

Zane Scotland.



Come on. That's like Bill America winning the US Open. It's just too good. (Side note, Scotland is 2 under through 12)

The ESPY Awards were hosted on ESPN last night, with the big winners being Drew Brees and the Saints, Landon Donovan, and Shaun White. It was an enjoyable evening except for one moment: Best Play.

The winner was Brett Favre's last second touchdown pass to Greg Lewis.

Yawn.

In a year where we saw a kid leap over the catcher to nab home plate, Mark Buehrle making the greatest defensive play ever by a pitcher, Patrick Kane win the Stanley Cup in overtime, and Landon Donovan score the most important goal in US Soccer history, the award went to a regular season NFL touchdown pass. That's what happens when your balloting is purely fan-driven (most fans are idiots, myself included).

If they would have had a Dick of the Year ESPY, they would have given it to LeBron James during an hour long special.



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Late June: Where Sports Go to Die

In what can only be described as a tournament in which almost nobody deserved to win, Graeme McDowell became the first Northern Irishman to win the U.S. Open, besting the ultimate underdog, Gregory Havret by one stroke. McDowell held the lead for most of the final round, as 54 hole leader Dustin Johnson collapsed early, going 6 over through his first 4 holes. Three of the big guns were lurking all day: Els, Woods and Mickelson, but none could match the poise and consistency shown by McDowell. Hard not to root for the guy, he has become one of the most well-liked golfers on the PGA Tour with his calm demeanor and wonderful Irish sense of humor. Congrats to the new U.S. Open champ.

In unrelated news, Guinness sales rocketed up 113% yesterday.



The Pirates started something called a “winning streak” this weekend, taking two of three from the lowly Cleveland Indians. The one sport Cleveland should be able to beat Pittsburgh at, and they still can’t. God, they suck. Pedro Alvarez’s struggles continued, going 0 for 3 with an RBI. He clearly feels as if there is a lot of pressure on him, and there is. But, everything in due time. Pedro is as talented as they come, and he’ll eventually start hitting.



The NHL draft begins on Friday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Penguins will draft players, I will talk about them.

Welcome to late June, the sports coma of the year. Nothing much happens.

Stay tuned this week or early next week, as I will be writing a 2010 fantasy football preview.

This week will also be the week of the Pittsburgh sports-gasm, so every post will end with an awesome moment in Pittsburgh sports history.

Is there a better way to start a Monday than with this? Nope.