Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune came away with two completely different takes on the state of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the two dominant professional golfers of the past 20 years.
"One is a young 45," Greenstein wrote of Mickelson.
"The other, an old 39," Greenstein wrote of Woods.
Greenstein lauded Mickelson for his effort during the first three rounds of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisc., and came away with this take.
"Phil Mickelson doesn't act his age. And for that, we are eternally grateful. He used a piece of cardboard to slide down a hill at Whistling Straits on Friday, joking: 'I looked graceful at the finish.' "
Greenstein's outlook on Tiger Woods, who failed to make the cut for a third consecutive major, was not as upbeat, saying Tiger "is as stubborn as your great grandfather."
Greenstein was reacting to news that Woods committed to play in next week's Wyndham Championship, the last tournament before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
"I thought: Wow, that's his best P.R. move since he warmed the hearts of viewers on The Mike Douglas Show. He was 2."
Mickelson, meanwhile, barely made the cut at 1 over but showed up Saturday and posted nine birdies and three bogeys in a 6-under 66 to leave him at 5 under, 10 shots off the lead.
"It could have been in the low 60s and possibly broken the major record (of 63)," Mickelson said. "That would have been special."
Greenstein wrote that Mickelson made it the day memorable "by playing to the crowd. He waved to folks in a boat on Lake Michigan after striking a fairway bunker shot on No. 4 that settled inside 4 feet.
"He's like a three-point shooter," caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay said. "When he makes two or three in a row, you just give the yardage, answer any questions and get out of the way."
Both Mickelson and Woods are borderline relevant in majors these days. Mickelson continues to entertain, though, while Woods can't get out of his own way.
Hitting for the cycle
In the top of the ninth inning of Friday’s San Diego-Colorado game, Matt Kemp tripled. When he slid into third base, Kemp became the first Padre to ever hit for the cycle.
Since 1882, major league players have hit for the cycle 306 times. Who was the first player to accomplish the feat? That would be Charles Joseph “Curry” Foley, a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman who played for the Boston Red Caps and the Buffalo Bisons.
It was with Buffalo that he made baseball history. On May 25, 1882, Foley became the first player to single, double, triple and hit a home run in a single game. He did it with style, too — his home run was a grand slam.
Foley, who died in 1898 at the age of 42, played 337 professional games over five seasons. He compiled a batting average of .286 and hit six home runs in his career.
Sports quiz
Who was the oldest player to hit for the cycle?
Sports answer
Dave Winfield was 39 years old when he hit for the cycle while playing for the California Angels on June 24, 1991.
Quote of the day
“They looked at us like we killed Santa Claus.”
Former Washington Generals player/coach Red Klotz, recalling the fans’ reaction after the Generals defeated the Harlem Globetrotters in a basketball game in 1971
Sports on 08/16/2015