Tiger wins Bay Hill!

How's that for stimulus?

JFB

The second-coming of Michelle Wie

Everybody likes an underdog. Amazingly, Michelle Wie is now in that position. Once the can't-miss kid from Hawai'i who self-destructed with the help of relentless media and skeptical advice, has resurrected her image.

Enter IMG...the world-class uber-agency that guides the paths of great golf pedigree Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, will now guide Ms. Wie in her second coming-out party.

Now that she has undergone strength coaching to fortify her upper body to equal her lower body strength...she has now turned her sights to strengthening her media relations. Through IMG, she will have the greatest sports agency in the world directing and cajoling her "new" position as rookie on the LPGA Tour.

What great timing for her and the LPGA. With sponsors dropping faster than Charles Barkley swing hitches...the LPGA is in no shape to fight itself out of it's mess alone...then Michelle Wie qualified through Q school to get her card, and asserted her readiness to play by taking a second place in her first LPGA-sanctioned event. The LPGA will look back on her getting her card as the most important event in women's golf since the dawn of Nancy Lopez.

Michelle Wie, already the 5th highest paid female athlete in sponsors, still carries high-dollar cache...cache that will be required to lure sponsors and big money into the LPGA that will determine its survival. She has more American 'likability" than Ochoa or other current top 10 women golfers that have not been able to break through American sponsorships, sad...but that is the cold reality of women's sports.

This week when she tees it up with the ladies at the LPGA International, she will be stepping into a role that she should have already accepted and thrived in. She will however be more prepared because of her past failures, and her future Agent/Media relationship. She is still only 19 years old...still just a sophomore at Stanford University...but more mature and confident than she's ever been....and she's the underdog...

And everyone loves the underdog. Don't bet against her this time.


Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

Good stuff!

JFB

The problem with 'G'

My daughter loves Sesame Street. To her, Elmo is the star...and the little red monster rules her small world. It used to be I would read her any book I chose before putting her to bed...now she only wants me to read books with...uhhh...that little red monster.

My favorite character in Sesame Street is Grover...actually he's the antithesis of Grover, that is...Super Grover. In the 70's, 'ol Super Grover being as popular as today's Elmo... I remember acting-out Super Grover skits during the winter months in NorthEast Ohio (back then, there were a lot of them!).

I had long forgotten about that furry blue monster until being reacquainted through my daughters' eyes. Amazing that a puppet can be that enduring for this long.

Recently Gatorade changed their logo. Yes, I get it, with the world becoming smaller via handheld devices, they want a one word logo that acts as a symbol so it can be easily identified on those tiny little screens that are creeping into are daily lives. Yes, the concept has merit...however I think they could have served themselves better by just their bolt of lightning, and leaving the 'G' out of the logo.

So until Gatorade redesigns that logo, Super Grover is going to live with all of us not only on Sesame Street, but in his reincarnated state as a sports drink, because every time I see that logo I think of that silly blue monster with his shiny Knight helmet.

Maybe I'm not the only one who makes this connection, and the marketing folks at Gatorade are Super Grover fans, and maybe that's a good thing.

Maybe Jim Henson is smiling.


Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

The annual rite of passage

Ah, what better time of year than March, spring training starts, golf gets geared-up....

And a new website is here to mix them, mash them, and serve it all up for you on a slick multimedia platter.

The site is FanDome

FanDome.com is the equivalent of the Britannica for the sports video hound. Here you can pull up any sport, and see videos of the latest happenings, such as Pat Perez, here in Clearwater, Florida hitting BP with the Phillies.

There are over 40,000 sport-related videos to browse, with easy controls to find what you're looking for.

March madness doesn't only apply to basketball baby!

Thanks for reading. Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB