Jim Johnson 1941-2009

The Eagles Defensive Coordinator Lost his Fight with Cancer.

Jim Johnson, who had recently stepped aside as the Eagles Defensive Coordinator, died Tuesday afternoon, losing a battle with a cancerous tumor that had been found on his spine.  Johnson had been a fixture in Philadelphia for the entire Andy Reid era, crafting a signature defense that often suffered from a lack of offensive support in ther early years. Considered one of the sports innovators, and a true defensive genius, Johnson will be remembered fondly in Philadelphia for his no-nonsense style.   Constantly attacking, and modifying schemes on the fly Johnson’s aggression and confidence gave the Eagles an identity when they desperately needed one.  He will be sorely missed by Eagles fans, and he leaves big shoes to fill.  His replacement Sean McDermott spoke extensively on what he had learned from Jim Johnson, and his plans to continue his legacy during a news conference last week.  Let’s hope that he’s a good student.

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Someone’s Trying to get Noticed for the ’10 Jean Short Open

K-Fed...If you Have these in Denim, You're In.

I don’t have a real reason to post this picture.  I just wanted to.  K-Fed’s really operating on all levels here.  His subtle touch of wearing the Jordan’s is really higher level type stuff that we didn’t even think of at the 1st JSO.  There’s a lot of things going through my mind right now, like how much does K-Fed charge for an appearance, and if we started raising the money now…could we have him in attendance for JSO 2010?  I don’t know.  Think we could scrape up 5 hundos, a plane ticket, and a barrell of Bud Heavy?

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Buick Open Swan Song.

The '93 LeSabre...Stone Chick Magnet.

In a unsurprising bit of news it was announced recently that this week’s Buick Open, played at Warwick Hills in Flint, Michigan, would be the last.  Buick probably doesn’t have the money to sponsor a soap box derby at this point, so a PGA Tour event seems a little extravagant.  It ends a long partnership, however, and the tournament was a great source of pride for a community that has taken more than its share of licks.  I think we’re going to see a slow and steady re-shuffling of the PGA schedule as long time sponsors and venues are lost due to the economy.  The PGA says it has a replacement sponsor and venue lined up to take Buick’s spot, but it will not announce that until after this week. 

Tiger Woods is in the field, and even though Tiger has a history with Buick I don’t think this is any grand gesture on his part.  The bottom line is that he was downright bad at the British Open, and with two big tournaments coming up including the PGA Championship, he probably feels the need to sharpen the game.  He’s only played two competitive rounds since his win at the AT&T National.  Tiger has had success at Warwick Hills.  He’s had success everywhere except Riviera really, and it is a good spot for him to get back on track.  It’s not a great field overall, but Tiger will carry the interest, and keep and eye on John Daly, who has played well at this venue in the past as well. 

It is a shame that Michigan will not have its Tour stop.  The state is littered with excellent courses and, more than their fair share, and plenty that don’t get much attention at all.  I’ll be anxious to see who steps up to take this spot on the schedule, and where they will be playing.  Without a top-notch venue, putting the new event together will be a real challenge.  Hopefully sometime down the road Michigan will get a tournament back, and even Warwick Hills in particular, they’ve been a worthy host for some time. 

In more positive golf tournament news, the NCNC planning committee will be cranking up operations in the next week to ten days.  I’ll be looking to get concrete total on the number of players soon, and then we can start hammering out the details.  Remember the event is scheduled for September 12th.  I’ll be sending out an email shortly, and if you do not hear from me and want to play please leave a note somewhere here.  Someone on the 3 Putt Territory staff will get back to you, and answer all your questions.

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Open Letter To Cliff Lee.

Hey Cliff, whatcha doing later? You like Cheesesteaks?

Heyyyyyyy Cliff,

      How are you?  I’m fine.  How’s it going in Cleveland?  Pretty rough I would imagine seeing as how you are stuck on a terrible team in a terrible division.  How would you like to be on a good team in a terrible division?  You have any red in your closet, Cliff?  Do you like laying down sacrifice bunts?  How does the National League sound?  Of course I’m talking about the Phillies and an opportunity to get out of the win vacuum known as Cleveland.  I’m sure you’re probably thinking we’re going to get Roy Halladay, but I think it was an elaborate ploy all along to cool the market on you Cliff.   J.P. Ricciardi is being a beyotch, and we figure we can pass off some slop on Cleveland much easier than Toronto.  Remember last year when you won the Cy Young?  That was schweet.  I think you are just as good this year.  I’ve been tracking your WHIP.  Pretty impressive, Cliff.  So, why don’t you start making some noise in Cleveland?  Just come out and say it.  It’s ok.  I was scared at first too.  You want to come to Philly.  We’ll give you six runs a game, and a guaranteed playoff berth.  What’s Cleveland ever done for you Cliff.  That’s what I thought. 

See You In September,

Three Putt Territory. 

P.S. Does Shin-Soo Choo have a nickname?

 

All right, I had to stop.  I was weirding myself out a little there, but just trying to think of plan-B as the Halladay talks seem like they are imploding before our very eyes.  There’s a point in this deal that people are talking about some, but maybe not enough, and that is the Ruben Amaro factor.  This is Ruben’s first big deal.  He brought in Raul Ibanez, but he’s not going to get credit for that, and GM’s are measured by their trade successes and on the field results.  Amaro is going to be cautious here so he does not to get fleeced.  The last thing he wants to be is the guy who ended up trading future Hall of Famer Dominic Brown for Roy Halladay who choked in the World Series, and then blew out his elbow the next Spring.  A possible career defining move for Amaro, and he’ll be slow to pull the trigger.  Meanwhile, the Phils chug along, beating the D-Backs 6-2 on Monday night.  It’s getting too easy.

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