QUICK TAKES ON A FEW OF THE WEEK'S HEADLINES - Including Tiger

Wow, the things you see and hear as you go for a simple bagel and a cup of coffee in the morning on the way to work! Dropped off the kids at school, headed for Einstein Bagels for a cup of Joe and a bagel. I sit down at the table... and straight ahead of me is a poor guy who's got a pair of jeans (obviously new) with a sticker on the pant leg. You know.. the one that says 34-32. Yep... he left it on from the store and is now going public with it. Had to say something and I politely did - only because I hope somebody would do it for me. He said "thanks'.. and that he was on the road and had to buy new jeans. Fair enough. Trust me.. his day got a lot better because I said something.
Behind me? The conversation between 2 50-something guys who are always in there talking about the big stories of the day. Well, today's big story was that "going problem." The word "tinkle" came up which caught my ear... and yes.. he said he gets up frequently in the night. I left the conversation at that point as my bagel got a lot less enticing.
Ok... onto a few of the big stories right now.

1. Tiger Woods gets divorced. It became official this week. And given the information about "parenting classes" he had to take, you now have a better understanding for his poor play and distracted presence on the course. Details are very limited. She asked for her maiden name back (Nordegren) and they'll share parenting responsibilities. Do I feel sorry for Woods? Not really... though it can't be easy on or for anyone. As it relates to golf... I do think he's on a better track and this "closure" might help him to better results the rest of the year. Win? I still say NO in 2010.

2. In baseball, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is now the first player this year to reach 40 home runs. Say what? Jose Bautista? Yep. And a lot of people are now going "Jose Canseco" on him and asking about steroids. Here's his quote from the Toronto Globe and Mail...

"I haven't heard (the steroid allegation) once. Nobody's said anything to me, and I don't see why they should. Baseball has a strict policy against those performance-enhancing whatever you want to call them."

Bautista hit a whopping 13 home runs last season, and his best total was a monstrous 16 in 2006. Suspicious? Yes. If he gets to 50 we might have our story of the year. And its a good thing he's not playing in New York. Yet. That'll probably happen soon.

To Bautista's credit... he handled the questions well. And he gets a "thumbs up" from me in that regard for handling the media with the proper tact. "1 didn't reinvent the wheel," he said. He talked about a quicker swing and other things. Let's hope the "other things" prove to be legal.

3. Brett Favre clears the air. One series was all he played against the 49ers. But while he didn't spend much time on the field. He did apparently let his teammates know he had no ill will against his coach Brad Childress. Nobody else spoke up to say anything derogatory either. Do I believe everything is perfect? No way. But give Favre credit for doing what he could to diffuse the situation before questions from the media came his way. Favre is a master-manipulator of the press - or at least he tries to be. Message to athletes... always take the first shot before the shots come your way. Anticipate the questions and turn the media questions in your favor.

Since I work at Golf Channel... I figure I'd better toss out a few picks for this week's Barclays in New Jersey. For some reason, I like Bo Van Pelt to do something. Can't put a finger on it. Justin Leonard could be a surprise sleeper as he's playing well of late. Remember.. last year Heath Slocum came from nowhere to win and give himself a chance at the Cup. Can Tiger win? He needs a top 50 or so to move on to next week. I'll say Top 20 this week for Woods.

And finally... thanks to everyone for the support on this blog. Checked out the number of page views - staggering. Guess I'd better do more blogging!! Spread the word.