That Old Jack Magic

If you're a golf fan, you probably don't remember a time when there was no Jack Nicklaus. Even though he's 65 and done, it still felt weird to hear Nicklaus announce this week the British Open would be his career finale. Yep. The Golden Bear walks off into his golden years. He says he’ll play the odd skins game, maybe a father-son deal but no more tournament play. The Open is set for July 14th at St Andrews, where Nicklaus won 2 Claret Jugs. There's nothing better than a couple of jugs waiting for you after a great game of golf. For the purposes of this family-oriented blog that is ENTIRELY a reference to beer.

In any event, it means he has more Claret Jugs than people at St Andrews have teeth.

No Extra Charge for the Hockey Smell

Finally. Something I can keep and cherish to remember the tournament I didn't really watch that closely. Team Canada game worn jerseys are up for sale on ebay. Rick Nash’s jersey is the one of the highest bids at 1900 bucks, presumably because it comes with splashes of real referee’s blood. You may also bid on a copy of Bob Nicholson’s autographed tournament program. Inside you’ll find both tear stains and doodling. There are also little catch phrases like, "Tambellini and Habscheid? What was I thinking?"

Hurt's So Good/Media Scrums

2 time American League MVP Frank Thomas suits up this week at Lynx stadium. How cool is that. In my opinion, he's the biggest established name ever to play at Lynx stadium. The Big Hurt is on a rehab assignment for the next 20 days. He seemed like a decent guy when I jammed a mic in his face yesterday.

Funny things, those media scrums.

Radio guys want the free TV ad so they make sure the mic flash of their station's logo appears in as many camera shots as possible. I literally know a guy who doesn't even hit 'record' on his deck. He just dips the logo into the shot. Pretty greasy.

TV guys ask the subject a lot of questions, mostly because they want the subject to look at their camera. It's a better shot.

And the scrum will always have 2 newspaper guys right up front, blocking people's shots and microphones. They're the hotshots who least need to have good position in the scrum. We're all getting the same comments! Back of the line, scribbly!

Amidst all that, journalism is happening. Sort of.