A giant bag of suck, A giant bag of greatness

And so it was just not meant to be.

If Watson had done it, it would have been the greatest thing in sport in my lifetime. Nothing I have known in any sport could have compared to it. And I suppose he knew that, too, and it overwhelmed him. So he blasted that second shot at 18 with all the delicate touch of a Bavarian butcher. And I felt it slip away then. I wanted him to do it so that I could say I witnessed something unthinkable. I was gutted when he couldn't do it. I can't even begin to imagine what he is feeling now.

It's difficult to even offer congratulations to Stewart Cink, who is a good bloke who once suffered a loss in a major that I thought would haunt him forever. Southern Hills had to eat away at him. He played much of the last 8 years like it did. I was convinced he would collapse because of that, and he didn't. He focused and did the business. I put it this way after it was over: Watson has 8 majors and would be considered one of the greatest ever if hadn't even played the weekend. But Stewart Cink? A guy that just couldn't get it done. Now that has changed, Southern Hills begone, and he is a major champion. That makes losing history a bit more tolerable. A bit.
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Then there's history of a different kind. England had not beaten Australia at Lord's since (get ready) 1934. And now they have, and in a dominating fashion so decidedly un-English that it boggles the mind. Strauss confidently declared. England's bowlers attacked early and despite the double-century pairing of Clarke and Haddin, took advantage of the new ball and took 4 wickets in the span of 75 overs, and then won the damn test by 115 runs! In the first innings, Anderson & Onions were dominant. In the second, it was Swanny and Freddy Flintoff in what will now become a legendary performance. Now that brave batting spell from the tail at Cardiff seems even more important.

And what's more, England can win The Ashes. Not bad. Not bad at all.

More of the same, in a good way

I just don't know what to think about England. Today was fraught with cheaply given wickets, paralysingly slow runs/overs ratios, and a 521 run lead at stumps. Doesn't it kill, when you see ridiculous batting for hours, then 181 runs in 31.2 overs, then tossing away two more wickets in the final 9 overs of the day? FFS. England.

There's only one question: How long do England wait tomorrow to declare? Can they get 79 runs in the morning? Damn those last two wickets. Really. If they can average 5 runs/over, it would be around 16 overs needed. That's assuming the tail can survive. (They batted roughly 4.4 today.)

Today was excruciating. Ravi and KP, having been chastened before, decided to start playing it conservative AT EXACTLY THE TIME THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING THE OPPOSITE. I'm sorry, it's pure hindsight, but when they ought to have been defensive, they were profligate, and when they needed to take risks, they were grinding. It was maddening. So when the two of them were (mercifully) dismissed, Colly, Prior, and Freddy combined for 145 (Freddy not out; the other two shitting the proverbial bed in the final 9 overs).

Strauss thought that the pitch was conducive so he chose not to enforce the follow-on after brilliant English bowling. Seriously--we can call it that; it was. I think he chose wisely so far, but England must get runs tomorrow if he chooses not to declare. This was dull cricket, but then again, it was more or less effective. It's against my nature to be critical of England when they're clinical, mostly because they never are.

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Adebayor is finally, and officially, gone. Thank Buddha. And no, he is not comparable to Anelka. Anelka was a footballer.

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It is not beyond reason that a near 60-year old man could win The Open. Think about that for a moment. Seriously, think about that.

If he does it--and I seriously believe he can, because he is a tough-minded bastard--it will be the greatest accomplishment in sport in my lifetime. I am struggling to come to grips with that thought. This man, who played in the longest shadow ever cast in golf, might win a major championship, THE major championship, at an age when most geezers are duffing it at the local muni. As follows is a post I wrote elsewhere; it sums up my feelings about Tom Watson:

I'm sick of hearing comparisons to Norman last year.

Does Greg Norman have 8 major titles?

Is Greg Norman one of the greatest links players ever?

Is Greg Norman known as one of the toughest, strong-minded golfers in history?

FUCK GREG NORMAN. He couldn't even take a shit as good as Watson can.

I hated Watson when I was a kid, because he was so arrogant (what I now understand to be confidence) and because he seemed to get the best of Jack (I grew up in a Golden Bear-supporting household). In fact, it started in 1977, when I was 10 years old and watched "The Duel in the Sun."

But over the years, I've come to not only respect but really be in awe of Watson. 5 Open Championships at five different courses? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? *And* he won at Pebble Beach and Augusta.

I watched him Thursday and I watched that incredible recovery on Friday (I seriously thought he was a footnote after 5 straight bogeys), and I watched every minute today. He can do this, because he doesn't have to "go for it" now. He is leading. He doesn't have to play risky golf to catch up. He still has the best swing in golf. Better than Els? Uh, yeah. I love watching that swing. No "torque" or attempt to murder the ball--just easy, compact, thoughtful, shot-making swings. And is there yet a better sand player alive? Holy crap did he make some incredible saves today.

It's his mind, see. His mind. He is as mentally tough a player as has ever lived. I saw that all day today.

So

YES HE CAN!

This a.m. watching him warm up, Curtis Strange was marveling at why TW would take his first swings with a long iron. I thought, "Shit, LOOK AT THE SWING!" There is no Fred Couples-esque chance for a back injury, there is no Eldrick-esque twisting of the knee; he's not a giant, he's not trying to finish high up behind his neck--it's the perfect swing.

That's it, isn't it? Did you see the video they showed of his swing over the course of 30 years (deep breath at even saying that) and how it didn't change at all? Nope. He's like the Ted Williams of golf. Same mechanics, same pre-strike routine. That speaks to his concentration and mental toughness, too. I always disliked him for that Keith Hernandez-like arrogance; I imagined him standing over the ball and thinking, "Heh heh, I'M TOM WATSON" and then hitting the ball perfectly.

The slo-mo videos they kept showing today of his ball striking was remarkable. I doubt the best players on earth of this generation get that kind of straight-on contact as much as he did today.

Sorry for going on and on--This guy is on my Mt. Rushmore of golf legends (with Hogan, Nelson, and Jack--space reserved for Eldrick) and he is there because of his performances at The Open, which is my favourite major.

Tomorrow could be really fun.