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08/06/2007: "It's Monday - What Else Did You Expect?"

Since I'm stuck on the beach, I'm pretty desperate for anything to keep me from listening to all the fish being caught on Ch 72 ...

- We all like people who are confidant, and in athletics there no shortage of them. Sometimes, though, you should really make sure you can back up what you're saying. Otherwise, you look like the idiot poking the bear with a stick looking for a reaction - or, in case of Rory Sabbatini, poking a Tiger. Already famous for getting beat down after his comment about how Tiger Woods "looks beatable", Sabbatini found himself at -4 and 1 stroke ahead of his nearest competitor going into the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday. Unfortunately, that competitor he'd be paired with for the final round was none other than Eldrick himself. Never one to back down or take a common sense break, Sabbatini once again shot off his mouth. And Woods, never one to miss an opportunity to deal out punishment, tore off Sabbatini's head and shoved it down his neck. Woods went from one-down to one-up on the first hole, and had built an eight-stroke lead by the turn, ending up with a 65. Sabbatini, meanwhile, cursed and shanked his way to a pedestrian 74 that left him in Tiger's dust. Just to top it off, Sabbatini lost it at a fan that asked him at the turn, "So, does Tiger still look beatable now?" This weekend is the final major of the season, the PGA Championship, and remember - Tiger hasn't won a major this year. Betting against him? Don't ... just don't.

- I've seen a lot of stupid things done in NASCAR, but Robby Gordon may have topped them all with his performance Saturday night in the Busch Series race in Montreal. His antics caught the attention of NASCAR officials, as well, who suspended him for the Sunday Cup race at Pocono - only the second time in series history that's happened. Gordon failed to yield to a black flag after disagreeing with a scorer's decision, then deliberately spun out the race leader, and topped it all off by doing burnouts alongside eventual winner Kevin Harvick, because Gordon believed the black flag to be unjust and that he was, therefore, the winner. News flash, genius - this isn't the court of law. You don't get to appeal here - you do it NASCAR's way, or you hit the highway. The irony is that he was probably right about the black flag - the officials did screw the pooch. But it doesn't matter - when you get shown a flag in motor sports, whether a caution, a "move over" or a black flag, you obey - period. Far too much is at risk at those speeds to let your ego get in the way.

- We got a good look at just how much is really at risk during the IndyCar race as Dario Franchitti and his racer went airborne like a leaf in a hurricane. In one of the scariest moments in recent memory, Franchitti and Wheldon were dicing for the lead when they touched wheels - a disasterous thing for open-wheel racers. Wheldon simply spun out, but it was a lot worse for Dario as he got sideways and the 200-mph airstream got under his car and lifted it skyward. He did a couple of barrel rolls and came down just in time to get submarined by Scott Dixon and A J Foyt IV and send flying again. Just how wild was it? Foyt had tiremarks on his helmet ... yikes! Even more amazing was the fact that having landed upside-down, Franchitti was nothing more than a little sore.

- So, the Pumpkin-Headed Freak finally did it, driving a Clay Hensley pitch into the stands at Petco Park in San Diego Saturday night. That gave him 755 home runs, tying Hank Aaron for the all-time record. This achievement is just dripping with irony. Bonds remained in the game after hitting the blast in the second inning, risking the chance that the only fans who will ever love him - the loonies in San Francisco - would be denied seeing him tie the record. Hensley had no intention of that happening, walking him every time he saw him thereafter. Of course, Hensley is no stranger to controversy - as a Giant minor leaguer, he was suspended in 2005 for violating MLB's minor league ... wait for it ... steroid policy! I wonder if he and Bonds ever passed in the hallway at BALCO? Of course, the most uncomfortable person in the house was Commissioner Bud Selig, who stood grudgingly with his hands in his pockets as the Padre fans gave Bonds a respectful ovation that was clearly marked with boos. Selig gets a lot of grief for his handling of Bonds, but fans should be grateful he's not the NFL's Roger Goodell or NBA's David Stern - either one of them would have sacked Bonds years ago.