GOLF

Tiger Woods is trying to create a new beginning.  Ever since his scandalous affair broke in Christmas of 2009, he has been on a skid of being simply ‘above average’.   And as we all know, that’s not good enough for Tiger.  Now he is shedding another part of his past to begin anew.  Tiger has decided to let go of his caddie Steve Williams after 13 years of service.  With Williams by his side, Tiger won an astounding 13 majors from 1999 – 2011.  For those that don’t know, having a trustworthy caddie can make the difference between winning and losing.  The golfer requires a second opinion on the course and the caddie is the guy that offers the best club or recommends an idea for how to hit a shot.  It’s like having a coach out there.  And not only was Williams Tiger’s caddie, he was his buddy.  Williams also wasn’t afraid to disagree with Tiger, which is quite risky because if you’re wrong, you could get blamed.  That could be very costly with a very high salary on the line.  We’ll see where Tiger goes from here.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott’s biggest problem with the NFL negotiations is that it may void the idea of two-a-day practices.  Players absolutely hate two-a-day practices which could require the players to go through 5 grueling hours of intense cardiovascular and hard-hitting workouts in the hot sun.  But, Bart Scott feels that avoiding these practices will make the players soft.  That once they get out there and play games, they will be more prone to injuries because they’re in less than tip-top condition.  Scott said that a smart coach knows how to work his players to the grind during the summer and knows just when to pull back so that the player’s body can rest before the season starts.  Scott is just voicing his opinion, but he probably won’t get much support as most guys dread two-a-days.

SOCCER

Finally, Abby Wambach was scheduled to play in her first soccer game back for her home team magicJack.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t play in the game as she’s still recovering from an injury.  But, during halftime, Abby walked to midfield and took the microphone to not only thank the crowd for their support, but also to apologize for not playing in the game.  She said that her body just needed to rest.  A good point considering she played her heart out to reach the U.S. World Cup Finals, then hit the daytime and late night talk show circuit over the next few days.  Abby is now the poster girl for not only women’s soccer, but women’s sports.