By Tim Marcin
Elm Staff Writer
The Good
The Masters, in general, were everything a sports fan expects. The sun shined, the course was beautiful, the leader board was tight, and Tiger Woods almost looked like himself. Yes, golf fanatics, I know I am ignoring Charl Schwartzel. Schwartzel won by two strokes over Adam Scott and Jason Day—but who cares? Let’s be honest, Charl Schwartzel will never be Tiger. Even their names are beyond comparison—Tiger is the essence of dominance, Charl is missing its end (let’s be real here Schwartzel, your name should be Charles). Not to take anything away from Schwartzel, he earned the victory, but the whole world will tune in for Tiger Woods.
So that is why it is great, not simply good, that Tiger looks to be improving. His surge came up a little short, but on the final day of the Masters he came from seven strokes back to having a share of the lead twice. Yes, his putter was about as steady as Charlie Sheen’s sobriety, but isn’t that a testament to the rest of his game? He missed countless opportunities on the green, and still almost won. He will fix those problems, and he will win again; I believe it is a certainty. Let’s be honest America, love him or hate him, we’ll all watch if he’s back.
The Bad
If you didn’t catch Tuesdays Celtics-Wizards game (as most of us did not), Youtube search: “Von Wafer missed dunk.” What you will witness is perhaps the most boneheaded play of the NBA season. In a game full of mishaps between a struggling Wizards team and Celtics squad resting its best players, Celtics perennial bench-warmer Von Wafer stole the show. With around three minutes left in overtime, he tried to throw down a powerful dunk (instead of simply finishing the play), then celebrated the dunk that he actually missed, and finally proceeded to turn around and run into his teammate Jermaine O’Neal, causing him to double-dribble. It was a beacon of blunder, a spectacle of stupidity. Not only did he fail in trying to show off, but he then proceeded to flaunt his failure, turn around, and cause more damage. It was a display of vanity—Von Wafer was playing to the crowd, and in turn getting what he deserved. The real kicker, however, was the fact that the Celtics lost the game by one point, knocking them out of contention for the second seed in the East.
The Ugly
The worst of sports reared its head when the Dodgers played the Giants early this year. Bryan Stow, a Giants fan watching the game in LA, was viciously beaten after the game took place, and suffered injuries that were severe and will be long lasting. While he is in stable condition, he was critically injured and will likely suffer from permanent brain injuries. Dr. Gabriel Zada said these injuries could range from memory loss to changes in personality, due to a severe skull fracture and bad bruising in his frontal lobe.
Sports can be great, and oftentimes can bring people together—but its times like these that remind us where to draw the line. It is great to be passionate, even fanatic (we are fans after all), but we have to remember that at the end of the day that it is just a game.
April 15, 2011
Volume LXXXI Issue 22