Of all the skills sports junkie kids learn from their sports junkie parents, perhaps none is more important than proficiency in changing the channel while multiple events are happening. For everyone else, there's the weekend recap, with a look at the best things I saw from the weekend.
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In 2009, Tom Watson stood over a par putt at Turnberry to win the Open Championship, and become the oldest major championship winner in golf history. Watson was 59 years old at the time, and had the world cheering him towards history. He missed it. What ensued was a four-hole playoff, Watson against a PGA journeyman who had won just five times total in his PGA career, just more than half of Watson's eight career majors. The journeyman out-dueled the Hall of Famer in the fog that day. Stewart Cink won his only major. Fast forward 12 years, and Cink is a winner again, for the second time in eight months. Only this time, everyone was rooting for him, not against him.
Cink played beautifully at Harbour Town, splitting the labyrinthine, narrow fairways on his way to both the 36- and 54-hole scoring records at the RBC Heritage. He drove the ball far, never a given at age 47. He played virtually mistake-free golf for four days. As a result, he's now won twice this season. Thus far, the only other player on Tour who can claim that also drives the ball far: Bryson DeChambeau.
What made Cink's win more special than your ho-hum PGA victory was the element of family. Cink's 23-year-old son, Reagan, was on the bag for his dad, stepping into the spotlight just as much as his father's awful tan line. Earlier in the week, Stewart insisted that Reagan was not there just because he was his son. The elder Cink praised the younger's preparation at Augusta National, which led to a 12th place finish at The Masters. As the broadcast and other articles have mentioned, Reagan wasn't supposed to be on Stewart's bag full time. Rather, it was an opportunity for father and son to spend a little more time together before Reagan would start a full-time job. I think he found a new one. And his father has found his game, looking far more like he's 23 than 47.
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What a week of baseball. The time on the calendar when Sportscenter inevitably becomes Baseball Tonight is fast approaching. And there will be storylines. It's the first time ever the New York Knicks are on a 5-game winning streak while the New York Yankees are on a 5-game losing streak at the same time, according to Elias Sports. The Bombers have done nothing of the sort, sporting a .210 team average, good for 2nd worst in the American League. The Yankees are 5-10, their worst start since 1997 (they did make the playoffs that year). No ownership group is more infamous for a quick hook than the Steinbrenner family. Could they possibly relieve Aaron Boone of his duties? Unlikely. Unless in two weeks, they're 10-20.
The National League West is loaded. The Dodgers and Padres played a series with October-like intensity in mid-April. That is a feat in and of itself. It normally signifies both teams will be there come October. Barring injuries, I'd take that action. The reigning world champs look every bit the part, as the Dodgers have cruised to a 13-3 start. Clayton Kershaw looks like Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts looks like, at worst, the second best CF in Los Angeles, and, at best, the best player in baseball. San Diego is close. But there's still something to be said for learning how to win. The Dodgers know how. The question is how quickly do the Padres figure it out?
Unless "Cheap Seats" by Alabama is your favorite song, you've probably never heard of Sean Kazmar Jr. The career minor-leaguer in the Braves organization could soon find his way to a movie screen near you. Kazmar Jr. was the 132nd pick of the 2004 MLB Draft. He played in 19 games for the 2008 Padres and hit .205. From the end of the 2008 season until Saturday, Kazmar Jr. had the same amount of MLB appearances as me: none. Then the Braves called up the 36-year-old for (at least) one more day in the sun, at Wrigley Field of all places.
Kazmar Jr. bounced into a double play in his only at-bat, the most insignificant detail in an otherwise monumental day. He said he wanted to stick it out all those years in the minor leagues so he could give his kids a chance to see him play in the big leagues. In the process, he reminded everyone why you don't give up on your dreams. Here's hoping it doesn't take him 12 years to make another MLB appearance.