Harrington clutch

Padraig Harrington has done things that not even Tiger Woods has. ... coming from behind to win majors.

 

Harrington's play down the stretch in the last two majors has been incredible.

 

And the fact that the players ahead of him weren't folding like lawn chairs - as is often the case when Tiger is near the leaders - makes his performances even more impressive.

 

The thing I want to see is Harrington battling Woods coming down the final few holes next April in Augusta.

 

It's amazing to say, but I'm not positive Woods would win that battle.

 

 

Wouldn't want to be Rodgers

Ask Jay Fiedler or Brian Griese how difficult it can be following an iconic quarterback.

 

Whether it's his fault or not, Aaron Rodgers, the new leader of the Green Bay Packers, will be blamed if the team fails to at least make the second round of the playoffs this season.

 

The defense could be awful, the running game non-existent, but the spotlight will be squarely on Rodgers as fans will compare him to their beloved Brett Favre every step of the way in his first season guiding the Packers.

 

There will be a lot of fans saying 'Brett would've made that play'. After every tough game or loss, the media will compare him to Favre ad nauseum.

 

That's something Rodgers better be prepared for.

 

Aside from Steve Young, there hasn't been a quarterback in the last 20 years to successfully follow a legend. And Young was already an established NFL star.

 

Good luck Aaron, you're going to need it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More games, less Favre

While reporters follow Brett Favre into the bathroom and hide under his bed in hopes of getting the next meaningless story in this endless saga, I am more interested in watching rookies fight for jobs during actual NFL games.

 

Sunday night we saw two sixth-rounders - the Redskins' Colt Brennan and the Colts' Mike Hart - show why NFL scouts and draft analysts should pay more attention to game film, rather than measurables like height, weight, and 40-yard dash times.

 

Brennan and Hart, both incredibly productive college football players, were the best players on the field during the Hall of Fame Game in Canton and both will contribute in some way early in their careers, while other high-round draft picks with blazing 40 times and rocket arms will play a year or two and never be heard from again.

 

I know it's just the preseason, and the elite players either don't suit up at all or are in the game for only a few snaps, but keep an eye on the stars of tomorrow, because there's a Tom Brady or Terrell Davis on some team's roster.  

Lampley needs to go; Steward amazing as always

After getting home from work Saturday night, i tuned in to HBO to watch the replay of the classic welterweight title bout between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

 

The fight, won by the challenger Margarito by TKO in the 11th round, was what makes good prize fighting one of the most thrilling events in sports.

 

Non-stop action, guys taking and giving for three minutes of every round. Can't beat it.

 

But the thing I remember most from the broadcast was the incredibly one-sided commentating by HBO boxing host Jim Lampley.

 

If you just listened to the fight, you would have thought Cotto was winning by a landslide. Margarito threw way more punches and landed as much while chasing Cotto around the ring for 32 minutes.

 

But all you heard from Lampley was how Cotto was getting the better of the action.

 

It was nauseating. This isn't the first time i've noticed this, but this time he almost ruined a classic fight.

 

When the action is this intense, sometimes less can be more, and Lampley just doesn't get it.

 

Someone who does get it is Lampley's partner, Emanuel Steward, a trainer who does analysis for HBO.

 

Steward is the best analyst in boxing and maybe the best ever. After the first round or two, he always makes a remark that 90 percent of the time ends up happening.

 

During the second round of this fight, Steward said that while Cotto was winning, he didn't think he would be able to withstand Margarito's pressure for a full 12 rounds.

 

He does this almost every fight, and he makes watching boxing a learning experience.

 

I'm also impressed with Max Kellerman, who knows the sport inside and out and is a very good post-fight interviewer.