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08/28/2006: "Look - It's the Sports Rant!"

Yeah, I know - you're all waiting for the football season to start. But with no NFL, and USC looking to rebuild, my eyes still drift to those "minor" sports ...

- You could see this coming. Marco Andretti - son of Michael, grandson of Mario - became the youngest winner of a major open wheel auto race when he won yesterday's IndyCar at Sears Point ... er, Infineon Raceway. He used the same fuel saving strategy that Danica Patrick used to nearly steal last year's Indy 500, only this time it worked. The kids has stones the size of cantaloupes, and he'll win more than his dad or granddad - if his balls don't get him killed before he develops common sense. The real loser in all this is Danica. Everyone's been waiting for her to win, but has cut her slack since "no one wins quick in Indy". That one's out the window now. Making it tougher - they'll be teammates next year at AGR Racing ...

- The Marlins have won 7 in a row and are sniffing at a .500 record - this all coming after I declared them dead a couple of weeks back. That's what you get for listening to me. For all you Fish haters who thought they'd lose 110 - it's a mathematical impossibility for them to even lose in triple digits ... pbbbbbt! Joe Girardi has done such a good job that he should get significant love from the Manager of the Year voters, but it may not be enough to save his job. That's what happens sometimes when you are hard headed - oh, and when you tell your owner to "sit down and shut up". They could fire him, and the Fish would probably be fine next year. But Joe is gonna be a great one, and I don't want to have to watch it happen somewhere other than South Florida ...

- God loves Tiger Woods. How else can you explain his winning yesterday with what was clearly not even his 'B' game. He had a stretch of 4 straight bogeys on Saturday - only the second time in his career - and lost a three-shot lead over Stewart Cink in the last three holes yesterday. Clearly, this guy was ripe for the picking. But while you have to give Cink credit for his late-round charge, he missed two really good opportunities in the playoff. After Cink's chip from the fringe slid just wide on the third playoff hole, you could see a look on Tiger that said "let's end this". Even Steve Melnyk pointed out the obvious on the broadcast - when you get a shot at Tiger, you have to make it, because you won't get another. That's where God stepped in, unleashing a torrential rainstorm on the fourth playoff hole. When Tiger's wet approach shot found the green - and Cink's the bunker - you could see the end was near. At least Woods closed it out with a bird. Tomorrow marks his 10th anniversary as a pro, and this was his 52nd PGA tour win ... talk about domination ...