Why Not?

Why not see a lady gettin' all feisty over Jeff Francoeur's bat.



Seriously, that old lady has nothing to gripe about. When something ends up in the stands it is an all out free-for-all, and everyone knows it. You're gonna have to bring it a little harder than that, Grandma if you want to get your mitts on a MLB bat.

Ok, all kidding aside though I don't think there is one player on the Royals I would fight over a bat for. Maybe Eric Hosmer in the small chance he ends up with a HOF career.

Steve Williams Pitchin' A Fit

Well, there won't be any more awkward high-fives. Not really sure why this is such a huge story. Yea, yea I know...they've been together for over 12 years and Tiger won 13 of his 14 majors with Stevie on the bag. But come on! It's a G damn caddie for crying out loud. Everyone is acting like Steve Williams made Tiger Woods. Nah. It's the other way around, folks. If any other player fires their caddie - which happens all the time on tour - it gets a little blurb in the paper.

Stevie isn't reacting so well to the whole thing, and is teetering on the edge of throwing darts at Tiger on his way out the door. From a statement on Williams' website (he has a website???)

Following the completion of the AT&T National I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change. After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock.

Not exactly how you want to handle that change if you're Steve Williams. It looks pathetic. How long before this guy goes all "JetBlue" on us and just does a drunken interview ripping on Tiger. I get that he was probably shocked, but he maybe should have seen it coming when he began caddying for Adam Scott during Tiger's absence.

I know I saw it coming. If you're the caddy for the best golfer in the world, you don't ask him if you can work for someone else while he's hurt. I think Tiger saw that as a sign of Steve not being entirely on his side. Couple that with some off-handed comments made in the last 2 years about Tiger letting down his family and what not, and you've got a recipe for getting your ass fired.

Ultimately, this shouldn't change to much, though I am fascinated to see who Tiger gets on his bag next.

Also, you gotta wonder if Steve Williams is gonna get a book deal or something. I doubt it but you never know. He denies being in the know of Tiger's extramarital affairs, but who knows if that is really the case. Even without that stuff I'm sure he could write a shitty expose that a lot of people would read.

Just The Latest Asshole Move from Andrew Bynum

Lakers Center (for now) Andrew Bynum is in the spotlight again for the wrong reasons. Bynum was ticketed recently for illegally parking in two handicap spots.

He was hit with a $353 parking ticket for parking his black BMW in two marked handicapped spaces outside of a Bristol Farms market in Westchester, Calif.
Bynum reportedly slammed his car door and drove off when NBC4 reporters sought a comment from him.

Someone tell this guy his bum knee doesn't make him better than some poor old lady just trying to get some milk and some cat nip for Fluffy. What an asshole. And you know the only thing worse than parking in a handicap spot without a pass? Parking in TWO handicap spots without a pass.

Like those assholes at the store who park diagonal across two spots because they don't want someone to hit their car with a door or a cart. "Look at me, everyone. My car is nice!"



Meanwhile, you have to park in butt-fuck-Egypt because this knob-slobber took up the only two spots that were close. That sounds like Andrew Bynum to me.

NBA 2011-2012 Schedule (Maybe)

Well, the NBA released its 2011-2012 schedule yesterday despite the fact that most league analysts are predicting a lengthy lock-out and many players are considering going overseas.

Here's a look at some of the big games on the schedule.

11/1/2011 CHI @ DAL, OKC @ LAL
The season will tip-off with the defending Champions, Dallas Mavericks hosting the Chicago Bulls who made the EC Finals. The 2nd half of that double-header will feature the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kobe v. Durant.

12/25/11 DAL @ MIA, BOS @ NYK, CHI @ LAL
Everyone usually gets pretty pumped for the Christmas Day games. I know it is always a way for me to escape the family chaos for a few hours. This year we'll get Dallas visiting South Beach to play the Heat. Should be a big crowd, huh? No way people in Miami show up to fill that stadium on Christmas day.
The Celtics will also battle on Christmas Day, this year against New York in another episode of this budding rivalry. That will be at MSG and the Lakers will also host Chicago that night. (That is an awesome lineup of games. Fuck presents and stockings...I'll be stuffing my face with cookies in front of the tv)


3/4/12 Heat @ Lakers
Always an entertaining game, and it should be a good crowd because it is in LA...not Miami.



And a look at the C's schedule -

11/2/11 CLE @ BOS
They'll open up at home against Cleveland. Boring.


11/16/11 BOS @ MIA
The first meeting against Miami will be on ESPN. If they actually play this game I'm guessing Boston will be pretty fired up. Fuck Lebron. He's good at knock-out though.


12/22/11 NYK @ BOS
In order to build up some drama for Christmas Day the C's will host the Knicks. This could work really well if it is a close game, maybe OT. Get some good vibes going for Christmas.


1/11/12 DAL @ BOS
First crack at the defending champions. Jason Kidd is a wife-beater.


1/16/12 OKC @ DAL
Sour taste in the mouth from the loss to them at home last year. Hopefully, they can get rid of that. Fuck Westbrook.


2/9/12 LAL @ BOS
First showdown with the Lakeshow and Kobe and that candy-eating, chubby chasing Lamar Odom.


2/12/12 CHI @ BOS
How are we getting all these teams at home? C's record might be awesome heading into trade deadline. Also, fuck Derrick Rose. Let him shoot. (Sorry, K)


2/16/12 BOS @ CHI
I like it. Close game could be fresh in their minds. Should be good action. Joakim Noah is ugly.


3/4/12 BOS @ NYK
C's visit the Garden on ABC. Fuck Spike Lee. He's a clown.


3/11/12 BOS @ LAL
Only trip to LA, also on ABC. Mike Brown. HAHAHAHA


3/25/12 BOS @ SA
C's visit the Alamo on ESPN. Fuck Tony Parker. He cheated on a dime piece.


4/5/12 BOS @ CHI
This one could be huge for EC seeding. Fuck Carlos Boozer.


Close the season with Philly, New Jersey, Washington, Charlotte, New York and Orlando - in that order. That could be huge for seeding.

My prediction is that the NBA schedule will probably start some time around December or January. I really don't think they want to miss the All-Star Game which will be in Orlando this year. That's a big weekend for the NBA and if you're gonna have that you'll have to start at least a month or two before hand. It'd be great if they've resolved everything by Christmas so we can get those games on Christmas Day.
No word yet on how the schedule would actually play out if they miss games. My guess is it would be altered to fit in an even amount of conference and division games for every team. But I'm not sure. The NBA is coming off an epic season, so I really hope they get it together.

Open Championship Review

The Open Championship, held last week at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England was the third of the 4 Majors on the PGA Tour. However, the only thing major about the tournament was that it was a major disappointment.

Sure we had the sentimental winner in Darren Clarke - another Major winner from Northern Ireland - who lost his wife to cancer a number of years ago, and has been a good golfer for a while now but never hoisted a Major championship trophy. Clarke battled through stretches of bad weather all week to come out on top.

His was a nice storyline, but to me it wasn't the biggest story of the week. Two big stories emerged as the week wore on. The first is that golf has become increasingly boring as Tiger's absence from the tour continues. His lack of presence was the elephant in the room all week. Golf just doesn't feel the same. No matter how much the people behind the curtain at the PGA Tour try to get me pumped up about guys like Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and the like, I just can't do it. At some point these guys have to do something for me to get excited about. Truth be told, Fowler had a nice week and finished in the top 5. But Johnson had another choke job in the final holes of a major as he dumped his 2nd shot out of bounds on 14. I don't even know where the others finished - which isn't a good sign.

Mickelson made a late charge but then reverted back to his usual Open Championship style and after getting to -6 and sharing the lead, finished the rest of his round +4 to end at -2 and T3. Even a Mickelson win, though, would not have saved this tournament for me. It would have been a better outcome for American golf, obviously. But it still wouldn't drive ratings. There's still only one guy that can do that.

The other story line from this week was what a whiny bitch Rory McIlroy turned into on Sunday. He struggled all week in the bad weather, and his shot selection was very questionable. Coming off his big win at the U.S. Open, everyone - himself included - expected more. But it was his remarks after the tournament that were disheartening for Rory fans.

"I'm not a fan of golf tournaments where the outcome is predicted so much by the weather. It's not my sort of golf."

"...there's no point in changing your game for one week a year."

"My game is suited basically for every golf course and most conditions but I don't enjoy playing in these conditions, really. I'd rather play when it's 80 degrees and sunny and there's not much wind."

Wow. You can't have your cake and eat it too, Rors. Those comments just come off as petty and spoiled and quite frankly remind me of something Sergio Garcia would have said in his younger years. He was pampered and protected and look where that got him. McIlroy is too good to have that kind of attitude. Does it suck that some guys get stuck in the bad weather and other guys get some calm conditions? Yes. But can you dig down deep and compete? Yes. And how about how those comments sort of throw his fellow countryman and winner Darren Clarke under the bus? He competed in the bad weather and won. So what are you saying? He just "lucked out"?

McIlroy, who already passed on a number of big tournaments in the U.S. - including TPC Sawgrass - isn't doing himself any favors with the U.S. fans. If this guy is supposed to fill Tiger's shoes I think we're all in trouble. If there's one thing Americans don't appreciate it is a whiny European. McIlroy is in need of an attitude adjustment - and I for one am hoping that Tiger returns to give it to him. Something tells me he's sitting at home rehabbing and just licking his chops at getting a shot at this kid.

Dueling Couches DP/Jesus 2011 NBA Mock Draft

So DP and I decided to go back and forth on an NBA mock draft. Because this draft is so weak to begin with we kept it to one round. And to be honest, after about the first 15 picks or so there was some pretty blind picking going on. DP won the coin toss and chose to take the odd number picks, so obviously he led off. Here's how it all went down.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, PG Duke

#2 Minnesota Timberwolves - Enes Kanter, C Turkey

#3 Utah Jazz - Derrick Williams, F Arizona

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers - Jan Vesely, SF Czech Republic

#5 Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard, SF San Diego State

#6 Washington Wizards - Klay Thompson SF, Washington State

#7 Sacramento Kings - Brandon Knight, PG Kentucky

#8 Detroit Pistons - Tristan Thompson, PF Texas

#9 Charlotte Bobcats - Marcus Morris, PF Kansas

#10 Milwaukee Bucks - Alec Burks, SG Colorado

#11 Golden State Warriors - Jonas Valanciunas, C Lithuania

#12 Utah Jazz - Chris Singleton, SF Florida State

#13 Phoenix Suns - Jimmer Fredette, PG BYU

#14 Houston Rockets - Kemba Walker, PG UCONN

#15 Indiana Pacers - Markieff Morris, PF Kansas

#16 Philadelphia 76ers - Nikola Vucevic, C USC

#17 New York Knicks - Bismack Biyombo, PF Spain

#18 Washington Wizards - Marshon Brooks, SG Providence

#19 Charlotte Bobcats - Reggie Jackson, PG Boston College

#20 Minnesota Timberwolves - Jordan Hamilton, SF Texas

#21 Portland Trailblazers - Kenneth Faried, PF Moorehead State

#22 Denver Nuggets - Nikola Mirotic, SF Serbia

#23 Houston Rockets - Tobias Harris, PF Tennessee

#24 Oklahoma City Thunder - Tyler Honeycutt, SF UCLA

#25 Boston Celtics - Jeremy Tyler, PF Israel

#26 Dallas Mavericks - Donatas Motiejunas, PF Lithuania

#27 New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby, PG Kansas

#28 Chicago Bulls - JaJuan Johnson, PF Purdue

#29 San Antonio Spurs - Davis Bertans, SF Latvia

#30 Chicago Bulls - Iman Shumpert, PG Georgia Tech


Jesus' Reflections - I started off by taking Kanter with the #2 pick. This might surprise some who have already penciled in Williams here, but from what I've read the T'Wolves haven't ruled out Kanter as an option and I think he's the better fit. Despite what he says, I think Williams is more a PF in the NBA, and that means he'd be competing with Love for minutes which makes no sense. Kanter and Love would be a hell of a front line in a year or two. (Darko can suck it!) On top of that, I'm not convinced Williams is gonna be there, because if I'm CLE I'm taking him #1 and hoping Irving falls to #3 and maybe I can trade up with Utah or stay pat and get Knight at #4. Truthfully, I think Minnesota should trade this pick and haul in some nice vets to put around Rubio.
From there it only got more difficult. When DP snagged Williams for Utah I had to go best available, because CLE needs talent. I picked Jan Vesely who I think has some wicked upside, but could also suck. I tried to fit teams with a need for the most part, but it got increasingly difficult. This draft is deep with wing players, and only so many teams need that.

Favorite picks: #6 Klay Thompson to Washington should give Wall and co. a perimeter threat to open up the paint for penetration and allow McGee to do more work inside.
#18 Marshon Brooks also to Washington should really solidify their perimeter if you think Brooks can translate to the Association, which I do. Wall, Brooks and Thompson should be a nice trio of scoring.
#22 Nikola Mirotic to Denver could be a nice fit. We know they love to shoot the 3 ball and this guy can do it in bunches. He's also sneaky athletic, similar to Gallinari. He might get stashed in Europe until they have a need for him.
#24 Tyler Honeycutt to Oklahoma City would help them fill the void left by Jeff Green. Honeycutt is a similar talent but was up and down in his brief time at UCLA. He's got range and can handle the rock.
#26 Donatas Motiejunas could be a Dirk Jr. for Dallas. I think he'll surely be stashed in Europe for a little more seasoning and maturing, but he's a real nice talent and a good grab if he falls that far.

Least favorite picks: #8 Tristan Thompson to Detroit is maybe not a great fit. Plus I think he's a huge project and probably not something Detroit needs right now. Valanciunas probably would have been better here.
#12 Chris Singleton to Utah is at the spot everyone wants Jimmer, and I wanted to do it too, but with Kirilenko hitting the open market they'll need some defense and Singleton can provide that infinitely better than Fredette.
#14 Kemba Walker to Houston is probably a decent fit, I'm just not a huge Kemba guy. He's slipping as much as anyone right now so this might be a tad early. Others disagree, though. We'll see.
#20 Jordan Hamilton to Minnesota. Honestly, I just wasn't sure what to do there and he was the highest rated guy left on the board.
#30 Iman Shumpert to Chicago to end the first round was another best available, and a bit of a need at the backup PG. But you usually want a vet for that role. Plus, who the hell is Iman Shumpert? Anyone seen him play? Doesn't ring a bell for me.



DP's Reflections -
I know everyone says that the Cavs should risk Irving and take Williams and grab Knight on the way back and as much as that makes sense to many, I think having a solid PG is the best way to go when rebuilding. But thanks to Jesus picking Enes Kanter at 2, Utah gets the steal of the draft in Derrick Williams. Williams can instantly help out Utah and could be the rookie of the year. Another risk I have is Toronto passing on Brandon Knight and him slipping to Sac Town. That may have been a homer pick figuring I didn't want to watch a Kentucky players career go unseen in Canada. If Knight pans out the Kings have a lot of talent in the back court. We both weren't fans of Bismack Biyombo, but with the criminals running the asylum in NY now, I see the Knicks scooping him up for an epic fail. After that I have the Celtics getting the guy I want in Jeremy Tyler. Tyler is certainly a work in progress and with some tutoring from Doc and KG, he could be a huge steal.

Picks I like:
I refuse to pick any foreign player, because their are too many of them in this draft, so here they are:
#27 New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby, PG Kansas
Josh Selby could have been a lottery pick if he stayed in Kansas another year. The Nets aren't the best place to learn, but if he puts his mind to it and stays focused Selby could be a steal here...... or be the next J.R. Giddens.

#3 Utah Jazz - Derrick Williams, F Arizona
Mentioned it above, could be the rookie of the year, be a huge plug into that line up somewhat immediately and could be 1 of the 3 "franchise players" in this draft.

#19 Charlotte Bobcats - Reggie Jackson, PG Boston College
Can play both guard spots, can score in bunches and can play some defense (once he gets groomed). Jackson has some concerns about his knees, but I think teams look passed that.

Picks I hate:
Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard, SF San Diego State
I did this to them purposely because I hate them, a lot better talent on board, plus I don't like many kids from the MWC. I see Chris Wilcox type of impact in the league.

#17 New York Knicks - Bismack Biyombo, PF Spain
These guys never work out, I know it, You know it, unfortunately the Knicks won't.

NBA Draft Preview - Get To Know The Euros

With the NBA draft coming up later this week it's time to start looking at some of the draft prospects. Every blog in the world is talking about Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter and Brandon Knight. And even though most of those guys have played 1 year of college or less, we're fairly familiar with them. The European prospects are a different matter, though. Most of us couldn't tell Donatas Montiejunas from a place on a map or ingredients in a Slovakian dish.

Have no fear. Jesus is here to help you put a face to the names, so when your favorite team picks one of these guys you're not sitting on your couch thinking, "Who the fuck is that guy?!"

*Note - I left out guys like Enes Kanter and Nikola Vucevic who played (or were supposed to play) at American colleges. This list is European players who I expect will go in the first round (based on what I've read).

JAN VESELY (Czech Republic), SF - Not that Chad Ford is the be all - end all of NBA scouting, but he has Vesely at #9 on his list of Top 100 Prospects. If this were an American player with this skill set I'm confident we'd be talking about him as a #1 overall candidate. Some have comapred him to Andre Kirilenko, but last I checked Kirilenko wasn't driving the lane and tomahawking on people, nor catching alley-oop passes and flushing dunks with his head at the rim. Combined with his outside shooting ability and his all-around versatile game some team is going to be very happy to get their hands on Vesely.

Scouting Report:

PROS - NBA ready. Good size and length (sorry, Captain). Great leaping ability. 3-point range. Good ball handler for size.

CONS - (Same tired old Cons scouts give to every Euorpean player) Needs to add strength. Doesn't have a back to the basket game. (Who does these days?) Didn't they say all these things about Nowitzki when he entered the Association? Yes. Yes, they did.


Oh. And his nickname is "The Dunking Ninja"


Prediction: Washington, #6 overall.



JONAS VALANCIUNAS (Lithuania), C - If you like your Centers to play around the rim, rebound and challenge shots then Valanciunas is your guy. The Lithuanian big man is listed at 7'0" and 245, so size isn't an issue. He has been both the Under-16 Euro MVP and the Under-18 MVP twice, so his talents are not unrecognized on the opposite continent. However, most scouts still view him as a project not ready to help a team next season.

PROS - Soft touch around the rim. Good rebounder. Challenges shots. Intelligent basketball player. Large wingspan.

CONS - Not NBA ready. Needs to improve perimeter game. (Why do we need every guy to shoot jumpers and play in the paint?) Needs to improve strength.

Something about this dude just doesn't look right. But Scouts have him rated very highly. Check it out for yourself.

And if you're wondering why he's touching the ball when it's inside the rim, that isn't considered goaltending in Euro leagues.

Prediction: Detroit, #8 overall



BISMACK BIYOMBO (Spain) Spain?!, PF - Not the type of name that comes to mind when I think Spain, but hey what are you gonna do? (He was born in The Congo) This guy is reportedly a raw, athletic defender. Think Serge Ibaka before he developed his game.

PROS - Long, rangy defender with a great wingspan. Tenacious rebounder and shot-blocker. High energy.

CONS - Very raw. Needs lots of work on offense. Lacks experience.

He sounds like Dikembe!


Prediction: Golden State, #11 overall


NIKOLA MIROTIC (Serbia), SF - Mirotic, named Euroleague's 2011 Rising Star, is a sharp shooting small-forward with the kind of size that NBA scouts love. Many think he can play both forward spots in the NBA and Chad Ford calls him a "craft forward." He's got some versatility in his game, thought judging from the limited video evidence I've seen he'll have trouble defending the more athletic SF in the NBA.

PROS - Size and length. Can handle the ball and drive to the basket. Great shooter with range. Good passer from the forward position. Intelligent and aggressive player.

CONS - Not very athletic. Not a great rebounder. Has some contract issues that might keep him from NBA in the very near future.



Prediction: Denver, #22 overall. (draft and stash)


DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS (Lithuania), PF - Montiejunas is an athletic big man who runs the floor, finishes around the rim and has a nice mid-range game. Sounds pretty good to me. He's also 7' tall, which is nice.

PROS - Quite athletic for his size. Can put the ball on the floor and drive. Excellent passer. Smart player. Great quickness.

CONS - Needs to add strength. Needs to become more consistent from the perimeter. Lacks experience.



Prediction: San Antonio, #29 overall (draft and stash)


DAVIS BERTANS (Latvia), SF - Bertans is another small forward with deep shooting range. He's also capable of getting to the rim off the dribble and is listed at 6'9".

PROS - Great shooter. Also a great passer. Good size. Fairly athletic. Lightning quick release on jumper.

CONS - At times can display poor shot selection. Still very young, and needs to fill out his frame more.



Prediction: Chicago, #30 overall (draft and stash)

U.S. Open Wrap-Up - Bad News for American Golf

Now we know why Tiger's eat their young!

Step aside Tiger, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Rory McIlroy. After completely unraveling on Sunday at The Master's with a 4 stroke lead after 54 holes, Rors came roaring back at the very next major and totally blew the doors off the competition for a week. He became the first since Woods to win the Open while leading wire-to-wire and posted the lowest ever U.S. Open score. Among the many records he set he also became the youngest Open champ since Bobby Jones in 1923 at the ripe age of 22.

Before the week started I would have figured that the winning score might be somewhere in the -5 to -6 range, with the course playing soft all week due to heavy rains leading up to the tournament. Never in a million years would I believe that -16 would be the winning score. (And actually, if you take out McIlroy I would have been right on the money.) That is an insane performance at the U.S. Open - soft greens or not.

Part of me thinks that because we remember so well what Tiger did just a little over a decade ago at Pebble Beach that Rory isn't really getting his due for this performance. Watching it yesterday, it felt so much more anticlimactic than Woods' performance in 2000.

Nonetheless, he's getting his due here on Dueling Couches. That was a masterpiece unlike any I've witnessed and I'm looking forward seeing many more from him in the years to come.


As for the rest of the field, Jason Day finished in 2nd after a great weekend of play. And Y.E. Yang and Lee Westwood finished in a tie for 3rd along with Robert Garrigus, and Kevin Chappel. Nowhere on the leaderboard were any of the young hotshot Americans that everyone likes to keep talking about.


Dustin Johnson: T23 +1
Anthony Kim: T54 +7
Bubba Watson: T63 +9
Rickie Fowler: Missed Cut +5
Hunter Mahan: Missed Cut +5
Ben Crane: Missed Cut +6
Nick Watney: Missed Cut +6

Disgusting. It's the rest of the world's game right now. Hell, Northern Ireland has produced the last two U.S. Open champions. The group of young American golfers mentioned above haven't done anything to warrant all the attention that they get. Between them they have a combined 17 wins on tour, but no majors - though Watson and Johnson have both been close. Kim admittedly needs to focus more on golf and Fowler seems more concerned about being a fashion icon than winning tournaments.

I realize I'm being harsh, and that winning on tour is not an easy thing for any golfer, especially with how much competition there is now. However, I know these guys have tons of game and I'm just getting sick of hearing about how this could be their big break. Enough with the Twitter and youtube. I want to see some damn trophies! Tiger spoiled us all for a long time, and that reign looks to be all but assuredly over. The world team is full of good young golfers who actually WIN tournaments and don't worry about making stupid online music videos. One of those losers made the cut this week - and he finished plus 9. Nice.

Time to put up or shut up for these guys. Only Fowler can even still be considered young. The others are in their 30s or close to it.

That's it from the golf world for now. Check back as we get closer to the British Open from Royal St. George's - a fantastic course.

U.S. Open 2nd round Update

Wow! Rory McIlroy is murdering Congressional CC. At one point he was -13, but finished his round at -11 when he double-bogeyed the 18th after a wayward tee shot and a terrible decision to try and go at the flag and dropping one in the drink. Oh, by the way that was his first bogey of the tournament!

The double bogey on 18 is a little worrisome, because it shows some poor judgement. I think his caddy really let him down at the Master's by not pulling him aside and telling him not to be so aggressive when things were beginning to get unraveled. And I think he definitely needed to tell Rory not to go at the flag on 18 today. Oh well. He's still got an 8 stroke lead.

The good news for the rest of the field? Most of them have over 2 rounds of golf remaining to get into position to challenge McIlroy.

Jason Day and Bubba Watson are two guys to keep an eye on this afternoon. They'll tee off shortly after 2 pm. Matt Kuchar is about to tee off and he's currently at +1. He's another guy that I could see making a move. Unfortunately, I don't see any story line playing out where anyone gets within less than 4 strokes of McIlroy today. As the sun continues to shine this afternoon, those greens will firm up making it really hard to go after these pin locations, even on some of the birdie holes.

This could be the beginning of a new era in golf.

U.S. Open Day 2 Preview

The 2nd round is recently underway and we are seeing history unfold. Rory McIlroy is currently at -10 atop the leader board. He is just the 5th man to reach double digits under par at the U.S. Open, and he is the fastest to reach that mark. Pretty remarkable. However, we've seen McIlroy put up these fast starts at a major before, last year's British Open and this year's Master's. So far, the young man hasn't been able to put it all together over a weekend and win a major, but if he keeps up this Tiger-like pace he should lap the field. This is reminiscent of Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000.

As for the rest of the field, there are some surprises near the leader board. Ol friend, Y.E. Yang is tied for 2nd with Zach Johnson at -3. And Sergio Garcia is back from the bowels of golf at -2. As for my contenders list, so far it is a big disappointment. Only Phil who I put at #10 is even in the Top 20 currently. My sleeper Charlie Hoffman is also in the top 20. Just more proof of how tough the U.S. Open is.

Phil actually played a pretty good round yesterday outside of his double bogey at the 10th which was his first hole - a bear of a par 3, playing over 220 yards today.

Another sentimental favorite near the top of the board is Davis Love III who played a terriffic round yesterday, that should have been even better. He missed two birdie putts by a combined 10 mm, leaving both on the edge of the cup.

Hopefully, someone can put on a charge today and get closer to McIlroy. Although watching him run away with it could be fun too. Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer and Robert Garrigus are the Americans that look to have the best chance heading into today. The course is playing soft again today from the rains overnight. Don't be surprised to see some low numbers today.

I will try to give some updates throughout the day's action as things unfold.