Author Danny Vinik

Padraig Wins the 2008 British Open

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Padraig Harrington won the 2008 British Open Championship on Sunday with a final round 69 (-1) to finish the tournament at +5, four shots ahead of runner-up Ian Poulter. The week began with Harrington unsure if he’d even be able to play and defend his 2007 Open victory, but it ended with Padraig holding the trophy high for the second consecutive year. Entering the 17th hole with a two-shot lead of Poulter, Harrington hit a perfect five wood which left him a ten-foot putt for eagle. After Padraig knocked that putt in to give himself a four shot lead, he parred 18 and pumped is fist high in the air. Lost in Padraig’s victory though is  53-year-old Greg Norman, who gave us quite a ride during the entire tournament.

Norman finished the 137th British Open tied for third at nine over par. He started the day with a two shot lead on the rest of the field, but a final round 77 cost him a shot at becoming the oldest major champion in PGA history. Yet, Norman has nothing to be ashamed of. His performance was nothing less than magical, and though this story did not have a fairy-tale ending, it was still a great ride. His putting during today’s final round was mediocre at the best. The horrible weather conditions at Royal Birkdale caused putting to be a nightmare for all of the golfers and Norman struggled mightily. Continue reading “Padraig Wins the 2008 British Open” →

Does Money Ball Work?

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For years now, Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane has been hailed the king of GMs, but is he worthy of this title? The Athletics have a resolute philosophy of developing talent in their farm system and not wasting money on over-priced free agents. Beane brought this system to the A’s and it seemed to work, but as A’s fans look back over the last decade, how much success has this philosophy really brought them? Since Beane took over in 1997, Oakland has won a total of one playoff series. If the goal was to reach and win a World Series, then Beane has certainly come up short. That’s not to say Beane’s strategy did not pay dividends. From 2000-2004, the Athletics won at least 91 games every season and made the playoffs four out of those five years. They lost in the first round every one of those years, but nonetheless, they made the playoffs. They developed strong starting pitching from their farm system and they used every inning out of those young arms. Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito are three of the most notable pitchers to come through the A’s system and subsequently be traded away as their free agency approached. Beane knew he could not compete with teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, who have nearly unlimited funds. Thus he did the smart thing and traded his pitchers away right before they hit the open market. He wasn’t going to be able to sign them, but by trading them, at least he got something in return. Continue reading “Does Money Ball Work?” →

Oh What A Game!

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If you didn’t stay up until the end of Tuesday night’s MLB All Star Game, you missed out on some great defense (well except for Dan Uggla’s three errors), some nasty pitching, and some incompetent hitting. Before I get to the crazy extra innings and the managerial headaches that made this game thrilling to watch, let’s take a look back at the opening ceremony and first nine innings at Yankee Stadium:

The evening began with 49 Hall of Famers parading from the outfield to their respective positions as the crowd roared. The All Star starters then joined those Hall of Famers at their positions one by one as they were introduced to the New York crowd. As a Red Sox fan, I value Fenway much more than Yankee Stadium, but I cannot say that Yankee Stadium is not a magnificent ballpark. The third oldest ballpark in baseball, it is the House That Ruth Built and has been the home for as many memorable moments as any place in history. From boxing to football to the New York Yankees themselves, Yankee Stadium has been a cathedral for sports. With only half a season remaining in this amazing place’s life, it is only right that it hosted the 2008 All Star Game. It is only right that the greatest collection of players ever assembled in one place at the same time, was assembled in Yankee Stadium during its final year. And it is only right that the 2008 All Star Game was the longest All Star Game in baseball history as the Stadium became home to yet another instant classic. Continue reading “Oh What A Game!” →