Sold on Solder?

Mock Drafts are hardly an exact science, but with the 2011 NFL Draft beginning tonight, I was surprised at how nearly-unanimous the experts were in projecting the Colts' 22nd overall selection:

Colts' #22 Mock Draft rundown
Mel Kiper, ESPN: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Todd McShay, ESPN: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Mike Mayock, NFL Network: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Pat Kirwin, NFL.com: DT Cory Liuget, Illinois
Russ Lande, Sporting News: OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
Rob Rang, CBSSports.com: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Chad Reuter, CBSSports.com: OT Gabe Carmini, Wisconsin
Adam Caplan, FoxSports.com: DT Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple*
(* this was after Caplan had Solder in his first three Mock versions)

It's tough to know anything about offensive lineman, outside of the guys like Jake Long who are considered top-five picks. Here's a highlight video of Solder:



I don't really care if Solder is the pick or not, but with this being such a great draft for offensive tackles, the Colts really need to take advantage of that. I'd list their other needs in order as: DT, S, and depth at WR and CB.

Tiger Myth

If you're a fan of the show (which I'm guessing you are if you're reading this...), you know that I'm not a huge Tiger Woods fan. It doesn't have anything to do with his personal life, or personal jealously, even though I'd love to look that scary in red. It's mostly because of his attitude, and a blantant disregard for the etiquitte instilled in all golfers when they first learn to play. However, all of that aside, one thing I can't stand is the belief that professional golfers are scared of Tiger Woods.

Chances are, you've heard it before from announcers and fans alike: "Uh oh, here comes Tiger! I bet is going to crumble!" Forget the fact that Tiger still has never come from behind on a Sunday to win a Major championship. There's a widely-held belief that other golfers on the tour watch Tiger's every move, and tremble with fear as he approaches them on the leaderboard.

It's completely ridiculous.

Golf is a game of inner focus. Are other golfers cognizant of what Tiger (and everyone else) is doing? Of course. They need to know where they stand for strategy purposes. But, pro golfers have to focus on themselves. They wouldn't be playing at the PGA Tour level if they didn't. Brian Murphy of Yahoo! Sports writes a terrific piece on how Sunday's results at The Masters proves that other golfers are unafraid. Murphy focuses on what the other golfers did once Tiger tied for a share of the lead through 10 holes:

Jason Day: bogey-free back nine 32, including birdies on 17 and 18. Adam Scott: without a major title and questioned for his mental toughness, played behind Tiger’s roars and posted a bogey-free 33 on the back nine, finishing ahead of Tiger.

Geoff Ogilvy: already with a major in the Tiger Era (the 2006 U.S. Open), played in the twosome immediately behind Tiger and ripped off five consecutive birdies for a back-nine 31, tying Tiger’s final-round 67.

Luke Donald: playing behind Tiger’s noise, bounced back from a double-bogey on No. 12 for a back-nine 34, going three under in his last six holes.

Charl Schwartzel: all of 26 years old (just 12 when Tiger won the 1997 Masters) and playing behind Tiger’s pine-rattling crowds, carded arguably the greatest back nine since Nicklaus in ’86, a bogey-free 32 and those instantly historic four consecutive birdies. Oh, by the way, he’ll be drawing up the menu for next year’s Champions Dinner.

Just like the '09 Masters when Tiger charged the front nine and faded away, the rest of the field was unafraid. Tiger is great. Tiger will win again. But, the psychologial impact that Tiger has on the rest of golf is grossly overrated.

Hammertime

Purdue will unveil their new and improved version of Purdue Pete during tomorrow's annual Gold and Black game. A video of Purdue Pete II (or version 2.0) surfaced on their athletics website yesterday before it was taken down a few hours later. We were still able to find the photo on the Lafayette Courier-Journal website.

I'm not a big fan. While the old Purdue Pete had a creepy, hard plastic face (similar to what the mascot from the old Big Boy burger chains had), PPII's is made from fabric. In fact, he looks more like the lovechild of Jay Leno and Sparty, just without the HGH. I'm completely lost on the hat. Since when was chrome part of Purdue's color-scheme? I thought it was "Hail to the Old Gold and Black". PPII's octagon-shaped tin foil hat makes this outfit appear even more ridiculous. A plain gold shirt, and oversized belt buckle (also chrome) don't help tie the outfit together. I'm no fashionista, but that reflective hat is going to look absurd reflecting the bright sun on Saturday afternoons at Ross-Ade Stadium. Did I mention the new Pete is ditching the trademark hammer as well?

The old Purdue Pete wasn't perfect. But, he had his weapon of choice, a hard hat with the official school colors, and a face that would haunt your dreams (don't you want your mascot to be intimidating?) Hell, I'd even take the super effeminate basketball-version of Purdue Pete, with the short shorts and go-go boots. This toned-down, huggable, tin foil hat wearing fraud was a big swing and a miss.