Back til Christmas

Ok, I am back with a vengeance. Thanks again to Ty and his bikini girls for filling in, but now I am back until Christmas break, so let’s roll:



Tiger wins Major #11 …

Woods said this claret jug meant more than his previous two. Woods said he had wanted to win the Masters in April because his father’s health was fading. Earlier this year, Woods flew to California from Florida several times to be with his father, including in March during his preparation for the Players Championship.
“To win your first tournament after my father had passed away, it makes it that much more special,” Woods said.

Woods’s first chance to dedicate a victory to his father’s memory came at the United States Open at Winged Foot Golf Club last month, but he missed the cut after a nine-week layoff. After a second-place finish at the Western Open two weeks ago, though, Woods brought an efficient strategy to Royal Liverpool, which was host to its first British Open since 1967.

With the course playing short in a warm, dry summer, Woods used his driver only once in 72 holes, relying on long irons to guide him around in 18-under-par 270.

How money is Tiger after 3 rounds with the lead? …

Tiger Woods had a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the British Open and finished with a two-stroke victory over Chris DiMarco. Tiger has won all 11 major tournaments that he's led going into the final round, accounting for each of his major titles.

For the seventh time, Woods increased his lead from the third round to the fourth round while winning a major. His largest such increase was at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, when he led by 10 strokes heading into the final round on his way to a 15-stroke victory.

Folks, we are watching Jordan in his prime when we watch Woods. Soak it in….You will never see another like him…

Meanwhile, in the FWST Sunday paper,
Art Garcia offered this bold claim : Avery is mad about money …

The sources also said Johnson would be agreeable to an extension with a significant bonus that would up his average salary in line with other top coaches in the $5 million range, but Cuban has kept a hard-line stance by refusing to renegotiate.
Even without a new agreement, Johnson isn't considering resigning. He's repeatedly said he's looking forward to next season and has played an active role in the team's off-season moves.

Tensions between Cuban and his coach are nothing new in Mavs land. The battle of wills and dollars defined the frosty relationship between Cuban and Nelson.

At the base of the Cuban-Nelson conflict were serious personality and communication issues. It isn't supposed to be that way between Cuban and Johnson.

Initially labeled as Nelson's hand-picked successor, Johnson won Cuban over with the coaching job he did filling in for Nelson during parts of the 2004-05 season.

The fiery coach and the billionaire have continually emphasized their close personal bond. Johnson stressed before the start of the Finals that his success -- and the team's -- wouldn't have been possible without Cuban's support.

Despite the criticism Cuban took locally and nationally during the playoffs for his conduct and dealings with the league -- star Dirk Nowitzki recently condemned the owner's behavior -- Johnson continued to publicly back Cuban.

Behind the scenes, though, uneasiness seems to be mounting.

Wow! Talk about rolling a grenade into the Mavericks HQ’s! If Art is wrong he will never live this down. But I doubt he would get something this big wrong. Here are the expected denials through Eddie Sefko …

Avery Johnson is looking forward to coaching the Mavericks during the remaining three seasons of his contract, and any tension between him and owner Mark Cuban has been exaggerated, a source close to the team said Sunday.

There has been speculation that Johnson's contract, which will pay him about $2.5 million next season, could be a source of irritation for Johnson if it is not restructured, extended or torn up and replaced to increase his pay. However, Johnson has every intention of honoring the deal, and the source reiterated that Cuban and Johnson remain allies and have no problems.

I guess I don’t know what to think, as I am just a few hours back from the Colorado mountains, so to suggest I am out of the loop is an understatement. But, remember that the sources that leaked this info could be one of the countless Cuban-haters out there. On the other hand, Avery does seem underpaid, and he could likely name his price to coach anywhere. I will try to get to the bottom of this.

And the Mavericks get a point guard! …

Anthony Johnson, who has two years remaining on his contract, gives the Mavericks a true point guard to complement the shoot-first styles of Terry and Harris. Johnson's 2.82 assists-per-turnover ratio last season ranked 14th in the league.

Johnson averaged a career-high 9.2 points last season and started 53 games. He averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the Pacers' playoff series against Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets.

The 6-3, 200-pound Johnson has a reputation for being a defensive-minded player. He has the strength to match up with big, physical guards. Such players are tough for Terry (6-2, 180) and Harris (6-3, 185) to handle.

I will admit, I am not real familiar with his work. But, it looks good.

I promise plenty on Lindros to Dallas in the days to come, but here is TSN’s take …

Lindros' presence in Dallas will essentially replace Jason Arnott, but it's not likely that Lindros is going to be able to match Arnott's 76-point season since the last time Lindros scored that many points in a year was in 1998-1999.

Since Lindros has played just 72 games combined in the last two NHL seasons, and considering his record of injuries throughout his career, it's optimistic to expect Lindros to play any more than 60 games in Dallas next season, but he could still contribute 25 goals and 45-50 points. Better health could mean even better numbers than that.

This is short and sweet, but tomorrow, we return to normal blogging and normal BaD Radio from noon to 3.