Pos slobbers John Daly

Joe Posnanski, who I admire greatly along with the rest of you, wrote his first column for Golf Magazine. I couldn't find a link so I'm quoting directly from the hard copy of the magazine.

Sorry. I have to rant here.

Joe, I can't believe you gave this tool the pass you did. Here are some examples:

"People love him still ... I love the guy."

Not everyone Pos. The tournament directors who have given him sponsor invitations and been stiffed by withdrawals or give-a-shit 81s. The creditors he's blown off because he's dropped millions in casinos (then stiffed them for the markers). And the media he's blown off just as many times as he's been accommodating. Apparently Pos put great stock in interview Daly gave him at Doral in 1992. Hardly excuses everything.

"Has John Daly been good for golf? ... there's nothing simple about the question?" (Also, a subhead that Pos probably didn't write stated, "[Daly]'s been vital to the game?"

Oh yes there is something simple about the question. Good for golf? Vital for golf? The guy is a four-time loser in marriages and substance abuse with a rack of suspensions, fines, etc. By his own admission he drinks and gambles to excess, shows up at porn star parties, hired lap dancers to service himself and one of his wives in Augusta during the week of one Masters and has walked off courses during majors at the turn, heaved clubs over fences and broken the rules of golf on purpose because he didn't like the course (Pinehurst, '99 U.S. Open). That's good for golf? (BTW ... all of that stuff was in his book. I'm not even getting into what wife no. 4 claimed in her book. It was worse).

"The thing about Daly's many flaws was that the main person he seemed to hurt with all of his obsessions was himself?"

Really, Pos? He has three kids. Think their life has been an idyllic suburban existence? You really think all the drinking and shenanigans and publicity hasn't hurt them? He once hit a golf ball with a driver over the heads of spectators 30 yards away. What do you think would have happened if a John Daly drive had hit someone's head from 30 yards away? How many times do you think he's tooled that RV down the road with 10 beers in him?

Daly has been enabled by a lot of people: his wives (before they got fed up), his agents, caddies, the Tour for not coming down on him harder, earlier. But the main enablers have been the media, and Pos jumped right in there and wrote yet another apologetic fluff piece on this sack of turds.

Surprised at you Pos. Surprised and disappointed.

PS: Later in the issue there was a story on Daly 20 years after winning the PGA. He trotted out the same tired excuse about his drinking, gambling, divorces, affairs, etc. Daly: "I've done some stupid things ... it's not any different than anybody else. Mine just gets publicized."

Does "anybody else" lose millions in casinos? Does "anybody else" drink to that excess? Does "anybody else" hire strippers for himself and his wife?

I'll tell you what happens when "anybody else" does that kind of crap. Their families either get them some serious, lasting help, or ostracize them. Really getting tired of this Daly "man of the people" crap. A "man of the people" behaves himself, takes care of his wife and kids and doesn't act like a 16-year old who took Dad's car keys and bottle of Jim Beam out on a Saturday night bender -- every night.

 

Haven't read the column, but this "man of the people" myth has indeed gotten old, although I understand it. He's a good old boy in public, and he has a lot of flaws that a lot of people share, and they WANT him to be OK and not a life disaster.

But if even half of what the one wife wrote about him in her book earlier this year is true, he's simply a bad, bad man -- at least when he drinks.

 

I read most of Posnanski's work, for obvious reasons. That just appears to be his style. He doesn't seem to be the type to rip anyone. Has anyone ever seen Pos do a "hit piece" on a sports figure he interviewed?

 

Isn't Pos good enough to not get snowed?

 

I'm not disagreeing with your take, I just don't think he's either capable or willing to write that kind of piece. Golf Magazine probably knew this, and they probably didn't want Pos to rip Daly because that wouldn't be good for the sport.

 

The few times I've read him on golf, Pos has seemed particularly out of his element. Last time it came up was a straw man he built about "why does everyone think Tiger will get back and challenge Jack?" In addition to the use of that lazy device, the kind of thing he doesn't do regarding baseball, he also showed a poor understanding of Mickelson's ups and downs and other associated golf material.

 

Murray Chass begs to differ. After someone changes his diaper, but, still.

Otherwise, I mostly agree with you.

 

Until Whitlock's celebrity got out of control, he and Posnanski made a beautiful pair. Posnanski is a sport-loving optimist who wants to tell you a great story. Whitlock is a loud, abrasive voice of dissidence.

I wouldn't expect anything different from either in their new roles.

 

Hondo, what's the issue with a man hiring a stripper for him and his wife?

 

Or hiring a hooker, or getting the babysitter involved?

 

exactly