News of the Day: Good reads, Steroids Update, Greens at East Lake

Quick news and notes today:

1. Good reads. First, the USGA’s Craig Smith penned a solid review of the U.S.A.’s Walker Cup victory at Royal County Down. The Walker Cup goes to Royal County Down, but the Ryder Cup goes to Valhalla and Adare Manor and that horrible, horrible Palmer mess (a.k.a. The K Club, a.k.a. “PGA National East?” Why? The Euros said “if we can’t beat ’em, join ’em” and so now we get The Belfry “Brabazon” course instead of St. Andrews and Ballybunion.
2. My Golf Observer colleague John Huggan writes this excellent piece on Darren Clarke‘s heartwarming devotion to his wife’s memory. Clarke plays for his wife’s memory while the PGA TOUR pros cry over deferred money and playing four consecutive weeks. It’s no wonder we get trounced every Ryder Cup. We have no heart – fat wallets are no substitute.

3. Everyone is making a huge stink over some dried out greens at East Lake for the Tour Championship. Photog Rob Matre has some pix here. The TOUR took the unprecedented step of canceling the Pro-Am and limiting practice rounds. I have not seen them personally, so I’ll reserve judgment until we see how they putt starting Thursday.

4. Steroids. You’ll remember my piece from last week here abouit how if the TOUR (and other sports) are not testing for HGH, they might as well be telling people what to use? Well lo! and behold! (yes, that’s the CORRECT punctuation), Selena Roberts of the New York Times went on ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters” and said not only the exact same thing, but added that sports are not testing for Clomiphene, (also called “Clomid”) an anti-estrogen drug used by steroid users when coming off a cycle. She said that’s a sure-fire way to catch cheaters. 1) its used in cattle, not humans and 2) if you’re not taking estrogen, why would you need it?

As usual, Roberts uses a l;aser, but hits with the deadly accuracy of Thor’s Hammer.

Look at this excerpt from Game of Shadows:

Now Bonds could insist that he built his muscular body with intense weight training and the modern science of nutritional supplementation. In baseball, a sport that didn’t even test for drugs, the cover story seemed good enough to protect the reputation of Bonds, the Giants and the game itself. Like all good cover stories, it contained some truth.

The link to the whole excerpt is here. This is how people will abuse the system of there is no proper testing in place, no matter what sport. There is no reason, with the amount of money in play, that the PGA TOUR can’t have the same exact testing as the Olympics. Draw blood. No blood? No money. You want your millions? Line up or we’ll take the next guy behind you in line who has nothing to hide.

The interview with Dr. Gary Wadler of WADA is coming soon. By the way – wanna know what the general public thinks of Bonds’ cheating? The results of the SI poll show 64% of people want his “record” expunged. Guess ESPN isn’t poisoning our minds as much as Phil Mushnick and I fear, but only because good people are fighting back.

All this while Jay Gibbons was reported by the Associated Press as receiving HGH from the same “pharmacy” that supplied Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus. The TOUR and the LPGA can test for a million substances if they like. They can put smiling faces like Annika on the comittee to give it all the honest face they like, but if they are not testing for Clomid and HGH, they might as well not test at all.
So the next tie somebody touts their “workout program,” like Bonds tried to do, just remember what you read in the Game of Shadows excerpt and ask yourself. Does it make sense? Things are not always what they seem. Where massive money is involved and where there are loopholes, just follow the money and you’ll find the truth.