Archive for June 20th, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: NEXT TIGER WOODS, MCKEON HIRED, SHAQ LEGAL ACTIVITY

GOLF

We may be seeing the beginnings of something special.  Rory McIllroy is just a young kid, just about the same age as when Tiger Woods began his domination of the sport.  McIllroy played incredibly well at The Masters this year, but let his lead slip towards the end.  Probably just nervous jitters from a young talent playing with the big boys.  However, that experience served him well, because at the U.S. Open in Washington D.C., McIllroy proved that he is the next force of nature in golf.  McIllroy had the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the U.S. Open Tournament.  And recognize that the tournament is 111 years old.  It was truly a brilliant performance, and he has already garnered the title of “The Next Tiger Woods”.  And in this case… he’s earning that nickname.

BASEBALL

The Florida Marlins entered the season with a ton of promise.  They had an ace in pitcher Josh Johnson, as well as their shortstop Hanley Ramirez, whom some might argue is the best player in baseball.  However, they got off to a rocky start, and had a horrible June, going 1-18.  That led to their head coach Edwin Rodriguez resigning.  And, in a situation like this, “resigning” typically means “was about to be fired”.  So, their season might be a wash, but what’s interesting is their replacement hire.  The Marlins have decided to anoint Jack McKeon as manager.  McKeon was responsible for the Marlins 2003 World Series win, and will bring a serious amount of ‘hope’ back to the organization.  BUT, there’s just one little thing — HE’S 80 YEARS OLD!!  Sure, you don’t ‘have’ to be young and active to be a baseball manager, but it’s hard to do much at 80 years old, yet alone all the traveling and practices that come from a hectic baseball season.  This should be an interesting experiment.

BASKETBALL

Finally, in some legal news, it looks like Shaquille O’ Neal, fresh off his retirement, could be in some trouble.  It appears that a man testified that in 2008 he was kidnapped and beaten by a group of gang members who were trying to retrieve a Shaq sex tape.  They kidnapped him in West Hollywood, and took him to the home of a Crips gang leader.  The group demanded that he give them the sex tape, but the victim said he didn’t have it — that it was recorded over.  At this point, it’s unclear what connection Shaq may have to this incident, but if it turns out he was involved in this type of gang-related activity, he will be in serious trouble.

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