Ezekiel 25:17

"And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."
(King James Version)

Here's hoping Tiger Woods gets a chance to tear Phil Mickelson a new one this week at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.



After all the build-up _ all the World's No. 1's time away from the game, all the Jerry Clooney-like hype surrounding Leftie _ I'm aching for a weekend on the couch, and a "Say What Again" performance from Woods at Phil's expense.

(By the way, if anyone has that NC-17 version of Sam Jackson's Golf Channel intro for Tiger's return to play, please share. That (bleep's) priceless.)

The showdown could happen on Saturday, if Woods emerges victorious from the 16-man Jones Division field and if Phil makes his way through the Hogan quadrant of the Field of 64 bracket.

You just know the networks are salivating over Tiger's return; whether he winds up facing Phil, or lasting through the five-round tourney, or not.



The stakes are so great that Nike's golf web site made a fuss of alerting the media in detail about Tiger's wardrobe for the weekend.

Do you think too much is being made about Tiger's return to competitive play? Or are you as geeked about the great one's comeback from injury as WE are?

Can Charles Barkley's Swing Be Saved?

Maybe Charles Barkley deserves DUI suspicion every time he gets behind the wheel of a golf cart, ot to speak of his now infamous Infiniti SUV.


VIDEO: YOUTUBE

How else to explain a golf swing so ugly that Golf Digest magazine is devoting a six-page, March '09 cover story to it, and The Golf Channel is launching an entire "reality" series showing a vain attempt by the game's top swing coach to perform a miracle makeover with Sir Charles.



"The Haney Project" premieres March 2, and promises to be funnier than Chris Rock in concert. In it, Barkely _ who took a furlough from his gig as an NBA studio analyst for TNT after his New Year's Eve '08 DUI arrest in Arizona _ submits himself to the humiliation we've all felt at some time. Hank Haney plays Dean Martin to Barkley's Jerry Lewis.

The series shows how the Round Mound of Rebound is more likely to punish one of his Nike Sasquatch (to the point of shattering one) than he is the One ball. Regardless of whether Haney succeeds in fixing the impossibly bad swing, it's a reminder to the rest of us to get our kids involved in the First Tee program
with the quickness.
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=22353&select2=11422

Tiger Woods' Baby Boy Greets the World

Meet the luckiest baby boy on the planet...

He's Charlie Axel Woods, the first-born son of golf's all-time greatest player, Tiger Woods.

This newborn isn't just blessed because his daddy's ridiculously rich and famous and his mama, the former model Elin Nordegren, is really really good-lookin'.

It's because Woods' young son will no doubt receive as rigorously disciplined, thoughtful and nurturing an upbringing as any child can ever know. After all, who's had a better example of what it takes to successfully raise a son than Tiger, who was cultivated legendarily by his late father, Earl.

Of course, the international media has gone ga-ga goo-goo over the child ever since Woods' officially released family photos (including 20-month-old daughter Sam) this week.

The only downside to being Tiger Woods' son, of course, could be the impossibly high expectations the world might callously place on him to meet or (heaven forbid) exceed the heroic heights his father is achieving. That's nonsense that the Woods family will relentlessly strive to shield Charlie from.

Still, there's no harm in having fun with this guessing game: What nickname will Little Mr. Woods carry with him through life?

Since Tiger's got a wry sense of humor, and the infant shows whisps of reddish-brown hair, I nominate the nickname "Chuckie". Can you come up with one better? If so, comment below

Photo: Getty Images

Be A Mentor! Teach A Boy to Golf!

It doesn't cost a dime at most public courses to sit a boy aged 7-and-over down in the golf cart seat beside you and shove off toward whatever challenges await you that day.
Taking on the immense responsibility of helping to mentor a needy black boy into manhood could be as easy as including one in your next golf outing.



Let's salute and support the effort by Sporting News Radio stars, "The Two Live Stews", (Doug and Ryan Stewart, above) for their daily pleas for all the men who can to get involved in fatherless boys' lives.

If we don't, who will? Learn more about mentoring opportunities in your community, by clicking here.

I can tell you from experience that mentoring is not easy. I did a two-year "tour of duty" in Detroit, and the threat of personal injury factored into the equation. I chronicled the situation, long ago, for Essence magazine.

But I also recall the one-time opportunity I had to take a nephew who'd been evacuated by Katrina out on a walk-through of my neighborhood nine. If nothing else, I tried to teach him about manners and perseverance and strategy and patience. I haven't heard a word bad about him since, so maybe a bit of my advice and admonitions wore off.

Each one teach one. Or else...

Feds: 'Jim Thorpe Whiffed on Taxes'

Troubling news from reliable golf sources...



The IRS is after black golf pioneer and successful Champions tour player Jim Thorpe for tax evasion.
It's ironic how this news broke so soon after the premiere of The Golf Channel documentary, "Uneven Fairways". In it, Thorpe spoke openly his days spent so dirt poor that he risked scorn (if not worse) by betting on pick-up games he didn't have a dime to back up.
Thorpe is yet another heroic figure who might ultimately be laid low by the tax man's mighty rake.
Let's hope he escapes this hazard with his dignity intact.
Photo: YAHOO.COM

Joltin' Joe's Mightiest Blow?

Does anyone have a fast and reliable way to contact Joe Louis Barrow?



Since it's Black History Month, any respectable media entity that can is paying homage to the roots _ deeper than anyone grasps _ black men have to the game of golf. So, Barrow's father, the great boxing champion, Joe Louis, figures prominently in the conversation. (The Golf Channel and even majorleaguejerk.com score well in noting this.) Now's a good time to cull Barrow's brain; put the past, present and future of the game in perspective.

Besides smashing the Germans' last vain claims of Darwinian superiority over all other humans by crushing Max Schmelling in the boxing ring in the late 1940s, "The Fist" also broke down a major PGA barrier for all that followed him.

It was in 1952, at the San Diego Open. I won't bore you with all the details here. Just read up on it at your leisure. It'll put your next round into perspective...
Photo: Joe Louis on the links/majorleaguejerk.com

Need A Job? The PGA's Hiring...

Some of the coolest cats I know are caddies...

And in this economy, as time goes by, their career choice seems more and more appealing.
Any man searching for honest work, or key opportunities, would relish the chance to walk with so-called "kings" of industry the way my boys Gato and Robert have on the regular at East Lake and the Piedmont Driving Club have.
Every hacker who combs the rough like I do for stray Titlelists and Bridgestones like I do to keep from buying them would relish something so simple as an unlimited supply of quality shag balls, if nothing else, as a perk of the job.
Nothing grabs my interest more on the PGA's official web site than the pronouncement that February's the main month to applying for jobs as golf course employees. What better workplace could someone like me want?
But it begs the question: would a white-collar professional in "transition" be truly gratified carrying someone else's bag?
If you're got an opinion, launch it here....

Photo: Golfilepics/FLICKR

"Uneven Fairways" Drives A Point Home

I orchestrated two events last weekend to celebrate the fifth birthday of my son, Scottie.



First, there was a backyard cookout (sirloin, not spare ribs) for an inner circle of friends. The next morning, there was our first father-son golf outing together at the public 9-hole links nearest to our home.

As is "par" for the "Course of Champions" (as Candler Park is both lovingly and mockingly known), Scottie and I were part of a foursome composed of complete strangers. We teed off gingerly with two other black hackers who, themselves, had only met moments before. They couldn't have been more patient or encouraging through the six holes prior to the kid's "Carry me home, Daddy" melt down.

Flashback to that cookout: Seven black dads of young sons and daughters attended. They hail from seven different states. Despite starting to play at varying stages of life, they all, like me, happened to be avid golfers.

The determined men and women who inspired The Golf Channel's Black History Month documentary, "Uneven Fairways", would no doubt be proud.

This tribute to the players whose race denied them the opportunity to fully enjoy all the game's rewards (though they reveled in the struggle to do so) is that rare bit of program TV I'll set aside time for.

Somehow, I think I'll play better just by watching stories unfold about trailblazers who were only begrudgingly allowed to play at all.


Since the Othello of out-of-bounds soliloquies, Samuel L. Jackson, hosts the hour-long feature (premiering Feb. 11, 9 p.m.), the narration alone should be riveting. And I'll be keen to see how Calvin Peete _ who was gracious enough not to belittle my utter ignorance of the game when I encountered him early in my sports writing career _ is portrayed.

What are your thoughts on the "Uneven Fairways" film? Unfortuately, the Golf Channel's blog about it shows shades of insensitivity so far. Ironically, The Golf Channel is airing a rerun of Pebble Beach Pro-Am bloopers as I write this. The announcer segues into a commercial saying, "Golf is fun for everyone...as long as it's shared."
Photo: Calvin Peete at the 1986 Western Open/Ted Van Pelt (FLICKR)

Tiger Woods, Wife Elin, Welcome Baby Boy

Suffice it to say, Tiger Woods is NOT shooting blanks...



All I could think upon stumbling upon the news Sunday that the world's greatest all-time golfer and his (let's just say it...) HOT WIFE, Elin, now have a baby son was, "Whew...glad I've already assembled most of the Tiger Woods Junior Golf set for my 5-year-old, Scottie, already".

Anything child-related attached to Woods henceforth, is bound to rise sharply in price. And the vareity of products could grow exponentially. Who wouldn't buy Tiger Diapers, Tiger Vitamins or even Tiger "Thermometers" if they hit store shelves tomorrow?

But another thought that comes quickly to mind is what a great strain of expectation that blessed child could endure throughout his life thanks to who happened to have sired him. No doubt, Tiger's been wise enough to consult the likes of Nicklaus and Jordan to learn how to help a son bear the unfathomable weight.

Swing away if you care to share thoughts on Tiger Woods and the phenomenon his baby son will surely become here...
Photo: FLICKR/conservative22