Actually, I don't know anyone who says that without being at least somewhat sarcastic about it. But whether you are talking about Paul Pierce, Curt Schilling, or even Michael Jordan, could it be possible that the biggest big time player is actually a golfer? Stranger things have happened - in fact, a lot of them happened just recently (Yeah, I'm talking to you, Marko Jaric). Check it all out in this week's edition of The Thinking Chair.

Tiger Woods truly is one of a kind. Photo Credit: Dave_Hogg

Look, I know that at the moment, this is primarily a fantasy baseball column. But that's really just because in June there is generally not much else to talk about. But this week, I find it hard to talk - indeed, to think - about much else besides what went down in La Jolla over last weekend. Of course, I'm talking about Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open. This on its own is no great shock - he is, after all, not only the #1 player in the world, but #2 seems to be more determined by winnings than in any terms of a threat to unseat Woods. (Even casual fans might be able to guess that the second slot belongs to Phil Mickelson, but not only is he not much of a threat these days -- hello, 18th place finish at Torrey Pines -- but the 3rd and 4th slots belong to Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, respectively. Great players, to be sure, but Woods isn't exactly breaking a sweat over them.)

The real news wasn't just that he won in a Monday playoff against the gritty and likeable Rocco Mediate, it was when he announced later in the week that he'd done so with a torn ACL and a broken bone in his leg. Now, my pain threshold isn't amazing, but I'm no shrinking violet either. And the idea of playing 91 holes of championship golf better than anyone else IN THE WORLD with those injuries is staggering. I honestly can't get over it.

We've all seen gritty performances in the past. Willis Reed limping back onto the court (or indeed, Paul Pierce returning during this years Finals), or Michael Jordan lighting it up while battling flu-like symptoms. Brett Favre had one of the more memorable games of his life the night his father unexpectedly died. But none of these compares to what Woods did. Golf gets a bad rap among the sports, often deservedly so (It's hard to take seriously a sport that fat guys can play while eating a hot dog and smoking cigars). But the next time someone tells you that golfers aren't real athletes, you know what to do.

Like I said, it's mid-June, which means baseball season has finally passed the "let's wait and see" mark. If your players are still underperforming, it's increasingly doubtful you are going to have anything but bad feelings about them at the end of the year. That being said, it's not a lost cause. On June 15 of last year, Ryan Howard had 14 HR. He ended the year with 47. This year, Howard seems to have his power stroke together but at the expense of his average. He's currently batting about .220, or about sixty points below his career average. Admittedly, his career isn't a particularly lengthy one but there's really no good reason why he shouldn't start making more contact. However, part of that will be easier if he lays off the pitches a bit. Sure, it's counter intuitive, but this is a guy with a .385 career on-base percentage who is barely above .310 in that category so far this year. One would think that, with Chase Utley in the lineup, pitchers would be hesitant to serve too much up to Howard either, but it's not manifesting itself into the right kind of stats. It says here that Howard lights it up during the second half, and I'm going to be looking to trade for him where I can.

Just an open question here: Do you think the Yankees regret not trading Philip Hughes for Johann Santana? Discuss.

Speaking of shady New York teams, I have yet to find anyone who feels good about the way Willie Randolph was fired. There's business, and there's class, and there's no reason the two can't work together like peanut butter and chocolate (Two great tastes that, you know, taste great together). Randolph claims he never saw it coming, which is either an outright lie or self-deception. And it also means he doesn't read any sports pages or watch ESPN. All of that is possibly true, but it does suggest that perhaps Willie had it coming. Lots of managers are being shown the door, and as of this writing, it appears that none other than Cito Gaston is getting a return gig up in Toronto. I always wondered how a guy like Gaston could win two World Series and then essentially disappear off of the coaching horizon. Whether it was true or not, it led folks to suggest that Gaston merely sat back and let truly talented teams do what they needed to do. If that's true, this is a horrible, horrible hire. If Gaston does have talent - and certainly, two rings are good evidence of that - then welcome back, Cito.

As some writers have noted, including my esteemed colleague Jon Phillips in Small Market Mania, we're heading into the time of the year when some player shuffling is due to occur. One name that has started getting some mention is Marlins outfielder Josh Willingham. I have to feel for J-Will, who was simply raking before hitting the DL. I'm not totally convinced, though, that he's going anywhere -- it would be hard for a GM to fully trust his health were he making a push this year for a title. Willingham racked his back up this year and his prognosis has ranged from "I'll be back any day!" to "I don't know if I'll play again this year." Like virtually all injured players, I own Josh Willingham and I look forward to the day when I can put him in my active lineup. I'm just not sure that's happening anytime soon.

Another big name who hit the pages this week was Curt Schilling, who acknowledged not only that he won't pitch again this year but that his career may well be in jeopardy. I would love to see Schilling hang up the cleats, not just because he could get more EverQuest gaming in, but because I wouldn't have to listen to his sanctimonious attitude. I realize he helped Boston win a championship, and I admire his guts. In fact, you can certainly add his bloody ankle performance to the above list of heroic efforts by athletes. I just think he swallowed a little too much of the "Schilling Is God" juice. He does great community work, and it says here that he should go do a lot of it.

Man, I'm a real jerk, you know?

One of the few bright spots on my team in recent weeks is Russell Branyan. He's gone on these hot streaks before, and I am happy to be riding this one out. But the dream is going to end soon. That's all I'm saying.

Dear Marko Jaric: I'm not enough of a basketball fan to really know all that much about you. What I do know suggests that you are a good, but certainly not great, player. And you play for the Timberwolves, which is pretty far from a booming metropolis. So how you managed to land Adriana Lima and convince her to marry you is truly one of the great mysteries of life. It ranks up there with Rony Seikaly and Elsa Benitez, except Seikaly was a pretty decent player. Mr. Jaric, put this talent to good use - solve the climate change problem! Convince Osama bin Laden to turn himself in! Free Adriana Lima!

I'm going to go now and cry myself to sleep.
 

Matthew Greber is working on his power fade while slowly trying to appreciate what five hours of sleep in a row feels like. He has yet to be able to find out, because his one-month old daughter might even be louder than he is. Hey, since he's undoubtedly awake, no matter what time you're reading this, send him a note at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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