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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Nelson long overdue Ryder Cup captaincy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
St. Augustine, Fla. — For the past few days, you have been feasting on a bibliography of Larry Nelson lore, and his unlikely ascent from soldier to the Hall of Fame of golf. That means he now occupies a pew on the same level with Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and about 220 other players and a supporting cast of agents, entrepreneurs, biographers and keepers of the faith.
Under the glare of lights and on the plush grass stage of the World Golf Hall of Fame, the actual moment came to pass Monday night. Larry was accompanied by Vijay Singh, Marilyn Smith and the late Henry Picard and Mark McCormick, three who played and one who took Arnold Palmer in hand and eventually converted that relationship into a world-class corporation. That’s all well and good, and Larry took his place among those dazzlers with typical grace.
That’s one side of the illustrious evening. The other is: Larry Nelson is halfway there.
Most of us had expected that by this time he would have been able to include on his dossier one other achievement: Ryder Cup captain. Not so. Two or three times, when it appeared he was the natural choice, it slipped away like a fish that slips off the hook. On at least one occasion, I’m told, he was asked to step aside for one year, then he’d get the call. It didn’t happen. Then I heard that another player who was in line volunteered to make room for him. I can’t vouch for all this, but I put my faith in my sources.
Instead, along came Lanny Wadkins, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, and this year in Ireland, Tom Lehman. Only one of those returned a winner, Crenshaw, not to point to the crashing scene at Brookline as a crowning moment. By this time, it’s probable that outside pressure has driven the PGA of America to the defensive, stubbornly refusing to be influenced by outsiders.
Of course, Nelson didn’t come up the traditional way. He came out of military service and from the desk of a draftsman, 21 years old before he struck a golf ball. True, he is mild-mannered and wears his faith on his sleeve, surely not to be condemned for that. When the Europeans won the Cup at Oakland Hills with the righteously mild-mannered Bernhard Langer as captain, there were some of us who thought that this might capture the PGA of America’s attention. He was a European version of Nelson, who had been close to Langer in forming a worship group on the European Tour. Never made a ripple.
That was the year, by the way, that Hal Sutton paired Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, a disastrous move. Showed up in a black desperado’s hat one day, but nothing jarred the Europeans and their quiet leader. It was a rout.
OK, maybe this is an inappropriate time to sully Nelson’s brightest moment. But, face it, he will be 61 years old by the time the next Ryder Cup is contested and the sand is running low in his hourglass. Look, if a sergeant can lead a group of soldiers in Vietnam, I’d presume that he should be able to lead a bunch of well-paid players in a golf skirmish. In Ryder Cup combat, Nelson took no prisoners. He was a perfect 5-0-0 in the 1979 matches at Greenbrier, still a record, racked up another four points in 1981. Strange thing, in 1983, the year he won the U.S. Open, he wasn’t picked for the team.
Even before the American team took leave of another debacle at the K-Club, the rumor made print that Paul Azinger would be the next American captain. This is all talk and no real substance, just a rankled old cuss wondering what a man has to do to lead his country into sporting battle. None of this came up at the Hall of Fame, but through it all, as he stood before a warm and enthusiastic audience, admiring all the hair on emcee George Lopez’s head, he again restated his Christian faith.
Hopefully, this is not something that would turn the heads of those in power.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Furman Bisher, Golf
Gailey’s support still depends on beating UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
The coach who was stuck on seven wins is poised to post at least nine and maybe 12 victories in what seems his breakthrough season. But Chan Gailey didn’t enter 2006 needing only to win games; he also needed to win over a skeptical constituency. Has he managed the latter?
“I think some of those who support him are becoming louder,” said Jason Hill of Conyers, a 1994 grad. “If you look at other Georgia Tech coaches, his record is comparable to [George] O’Leary’s and [Bobby] Ross’.”
Ross was 31-26-1 as Tech’s coach. O’Leary was 36-22 through his first five seasons. Gailey is 34-24, placing him shoulder-to-shoulder with the Institute’s two most successful post-Dodd coaches. But Ross, who brought the 1990 UPI national championship to Tech, was respected in a way that Gailey still isn’t, and O’Leary, who restored the Jackets to prominence after the dark Bill Lewis days, was, to borrow Tech alum Sid Williams’ 1998 characterization, actually beloved.
Williams used that description — “the beloved coach” — to introduce O’Leary to the Atlanta Touchdown Club two days after Tech beat Georgia for the first time in eight seasons. Any discussion of Gailey must take into account the yardstick by which every Tech coach is judged. Ross beat Georgia twice in five seasons. O’Leary did it three times in seven. The incumbent is 0-for-4.
Would a loss in Athens on Nov. 25 override all the advances Tech and Gailey have made? “You’re going to hear people say that,” Hill said. “As much as Tech fans hate to admit it, they care about what happens in that game. … So much of what Tech feels about itself comes down to that one game.”
Indeed, Gailey’s first loss to Georgia — 51-7 in 2002 — served to convince at least a portion of his fan base that he wasn’t up to the task. Never mind that he has felled at least one ranked team in each of his five seasons; when your fight song includes the phrase, “To hell with Georgia,” it behooves a coach to beat you-know-who.
Failures in that particular game were a chief reason why some Tech folks, the former letterman Taz Anderson chief among them, protested last year when outgoing athletics director Dave Braine gave Gailey a new contract and then said he didn’t believe the Jackets could win nine or 10 games on a consistent basis. Braine’s semi-endorsement: “Chan Gailey will continue to be successful, though maybe not as successful as some people would like.”
Anderson likened the extension and Braine’s sobering outlook to acceptance of “mediocrity.” He still fires off angry e-mails to new AD Dan Radakovich after losses, but this week Anderson preferred not to comment publicly on Gailey, saying only, “I will say that you need a psychiatrist to understand this team.”
Asked about Anderson’s critical messages, Radakovich said: “I love Taz … [but] I can’t say that’s anywhere close to being a majority comment.” Asked if this season has effected a broad-based change in attitude, Radakovich said: “I think a segment of the Tech population is looking on Coach Gailey and his players and his staff in a better light — and they certainly deserve that.”
But what if Tech wins the Coastal Division and even the ACC championship in Jacksonville and maybe even the Orange Bowl … and loses again to Georgia? Would one non-conference defeat taint a shining season? Said Radakovich: “Not in my mind. We’re here to win championships. Coach Gailey has said our No. 1 goal is to win championships. That said, that [Georgia] game means a lot to people. It will be very much on the radar screen.”
Does Gailey need to beat Georgia? Said Anderson: “Yes, he should beat Georgia. We ought to beat Georgia [this year].”
If you’re coaching the team based on North Avenue, there’s really only one road to acceptance. As heartening as a division or a conference title would be, nothing would turn chilly Chan Gailey into the people’s choice faster than a victory between those hated hedges.
Permalink | Comments (253) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC
Vick’s better, Tara’s bitter, Hawks squawk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
The Tuesday Countdown…
10: I haven’t received a “play-Matt-Schaub-and-move-Michael Vick-to-wide-receiver” e-mail in two weeks. Hello? Are you people still out there? Or is it back to complaining that the Confederacy got jobbed in the War of Northern Aggression?
9: Yes - the protection is better. Yes - the receivers have been better. But doesn’t it also seem like the approach by coaches has changed? Vick’s first comment after the game: “I’m just getting more opportunities to throw the ball. There is a certain comfort level and a groove that you get [into] when you can throw the ball around the field.”
8: The Hawks open the season Wednesday. Embrace this moment, people. They’re still in the playoff race.
7: Tara Reid is the latest Hollywood “star” to claim her life has been scarred because of botched plastic surgery. Funny, I thought it was just having no talent, sleeping until noon and deciding to pour Vodka on her cornflakes.
6: Seriously, I’m dating myself here. But back in the day, when a celebrity’s career was pretty much toast, they just did the game-show circuit before fading to black. Now it’s heart-wrenching stories (sarcasm) on the cover of BLAB Magazine about excessive liposuction and picking mutant breasts off the top shelf. Please. Just go away.
5: Meanwhile, back to real life emotional trauma: the Hawks.
4: Going against Philadelphia will give the team a close-up look at Allen Iverson, a player who wanted to come here, would have improved the team and excited the fan base. But the Hawks’ ownership was divided on Iverson and Billy Knight just wasn’t feelin’ it. So, without Iverson, is anybody feelin’ more than a 30-win season?
3: Tonight is Halloween: Can anybody on the Hawks dress up as a center?
2: Feelin’ lucky, punk? The gambling website Bodog.com lists the Hawks as 250-1 odds to win the NBA title, making them the longshots on the board. Over/under: 28 1/2 wins.
1: Part of the New York Knicks’ settlement agreement with Larry Brown is that he not publicly discuss the matter publicly. Sure. And you thought the Hawks were long odds.
Permalink | Comments (45) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Quick Hit
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