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EPISODE 49 SUMMARY

In episode 49, our professional is showing. We have our favorite draft expert, Jordan Reid to get us all hot and bothered for the incoming NFL Draft and what the Vikings will do with their picks. You can be the smartest Vikings draft person at work if you listen to this half hour.

After letting Jordan go, we dive into our best montage yet… and it’s Tiger Woods – Masters related. We talk about it too.. but the MONTAGE…

Eric also covered the Gopher Football Spring Game as a member of the media. He talks about his first time as a “Big J”

We sneak some Twins in too… The ended up losing after this recorded… because of pitching… like we talk about on the show.

Oh…. and Brandon bought Taco Bell for $27 on Sunday, to recover from another night of time traveling.

Episode Chapters

Despite seeming like it happened yesterday, we’re almost a year-and-a-half removed from the most recent Ryder Cup. It was that Hazeltine National Golf Club (“Hazeltine“) hosted event that saw the United States dethrone the European squad for the first time in eight years.

Unlike Tiger Woods’ infamous sex scandal, the 2016 Chaska-based competition had a positive impact on the PGA of America’s public relations. Apparently, said impact was so encouraging that the biennial battle will be making a return to Minnesota:

We’ve got some news… pic.twitter.com/y6gaYajPCZ

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) March 26, 2018

(Sidebar: incorporating Team Shuster into the above video was genius. I never thought a combination of curling and golf would make me feel like running through a wall, but here we stand. Whoever was behind that idea, kudos to your brain.)

Anywho, per Monday’s announcement, the Ryder Cup will be making an unprecedented return to Hazeltine. That’s right. In 2028, the prestigious Minnesota golf course will become the first American venue to hold the team contest for a second time.

Personally, this news is an absolute game changer. Regardless of my best efforts to stay woke, when it came to attending the last Ryder Cup, I dozed off. Now, in less than a decade, my asleep-at-the-wheel-self will have a shot at redemption.

Let’s presume all the excitement over watching athletes hit a little white ball is making some eyes roll. To quickly address those naysayers, put this footage in your pessimistic pipe and smoke it:

“I believe that we will win”. #RyderCup hole #1 pic.twitter.com/ky3vTM9IN3

— FOX 9 Sports (@Fox9Sports) September 30, 2016

As evident by the initial Hazeltine hosted Ryder Cup, the multiple day tournament isn’t filled with golf claps from rich stiffs. No, no, no. On their way to the 17-11 victory, Patrick Reed and his teammates repeatedly fed off of the energy from the goosebump-raising crowd.

Additional information surrounding the electric atmosphere’s return to Minnesota will be available on April 10th. On that Tuesday, officials from the PGA of America and Hazeltine will hold a news conference regarding the pride-filled showdown.

In the interim, here are all of the Ryder Cup’s future sites:

FYI: The official 2026 venue is yet to be determined. 

Even though it seems like an eternity from now, the history breaking 47th edition of the intense rivalry should be worth the wait. If you deem the near decade-long anticipation unbearable, the 2020 Ryder Cup will take place in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler, the home to Whistling Straits, is approximately a five-hour drive from the Twin Cities.

Actually, a slew of Minnesotans making a Whistling Straits appearance would be very beneficial. With the rest of the world watching, the last thing we need is a bunch of Cheeseheads tarnishing the image of Midwest golf fans. An image that the Land of 10K Lakes worked so hard to create.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

However, there are some sports stories, no matter where they come from, that need attention ASAP. This is definitely one of those times.

Tiger Woods is making another comeback. STOP. Don’t click out. I know it’s tempting. We’ve heard this 3328 times, just to see Tiger play below-average, at best; oftentimes dropping out of the tournament all-together either before or during play. But this time seems different. Here’s why:

Let’s quickly look at how we got here, from a place where Tiger Woods was the greatest athlete in the world… as a golfer.

When Tiger was dominating everyone on the golf course, and just a look from him would drop women’s panties and golfers’ confidence, Woods was a KILLER. He was better than you, and he knew it. Also, you knew it, I knew it, your brother/sister in-law knew it, mother, father, …… you get it. Tiger was better than everyone on the planet and it wasn’t even close. You would be checking scores on weekends just to see how far ahead he was.

His attitude back then was also that of a KILLER. In 2006, before his father died and before he was the newest superstar caught up in scandal, Tiger Woods did an interview with Ed Bradley for 60 Minutes. All you need is 30-60 seconds of part 1 to see what I’m talking about. He doesn’t even need to say what he’s saying to give away his confidence. YOU CAN SEE IT IN HIS FACE AND CONSTANTS SMIRK. It says ‘I’m untouchable.’ We all would come to find out that he was not untouchable. not even close. If you are having issues remembering the Tiger I’m talking about, just watch these. I was in love.

When this was the Tiger Woods everyone knew, I was the perfect age for fandom. Life was good back then, as a young Minnesota sports fan. I was 8-15 years old (1998-2005), the Vikings were running “Three Deep” and the Gophers 1997 banner was still hanging. Minnesota hadn’t won anything since ‘91 (which I didn’t remember) but with the teams we put out every year, it was just a matter of time before Minnesota won something again, right? WRONG. My dad was always right. I was just a dumb kid. (Don’t freak out. My dad loved me and we have a great relationship.)

However, golf wasn’t something I was used to watching back then. it was a niche sport. But, all of a sudden, this American 20-something is running EVERYONE on the golf course. And doing it with ease. As they talk about in these interviews, HIS PEERS WERE SCARED OF HIM. People, this isn’t an opinion. It’s fact. I’m so glad I found this interview because it shows everything I am saying in 2 simple videos, right before the spiral occurred. I immediately needed to get me a set of golf clubs so I could fist pump like Tiger. I was glued to the TV, watching golf? EVERY Sunday. I was going to school and talking about Tiger. Look at me right now… This is the first thing I’ve written, outside of Minnesota sports, in months. I was in love. I may still be. And, I wasn’t/am not the only one.

But then, in one bad turn, all of that disappeared. Tiger was human. And we all found that out very quickly.

He never came back. He was never the same. That killer was gone. And injuries piled up fast. The back injuries were the most frustrating. Tiger was changing his swing and swing coaches. He was changing caddies and just about everything else in his life.

We kept on waiting for his comeback… He was so dominant before that once he got things back in order, he would be back right? Other stars had scandals and came back from them.. So we waited. But, it never happened. And, that killer instinct… that confidence… it seemed to be gone.

And then, as everyone is wondering when Tiger will make his next come back, from his latest injury… this happens:

*DISCLAIMER*: What follows is strictly my opinion:

Tiger Woods is likely addicted to opiates. It shouldn’t be that surprising, if we think about it. With the continued back pain, repeated surgeries, and immense pressure Tiger succumbed to what so many other HUMANS have. That search for a fairy-land of no worries and no pain.

The world of prescription medication.

When Tiger was pulled over and arrested for DWI, there was NO alcohol in his system. But… well.. you watched the video. It dawned on me when I watched that video. That killer instinct is hard to rid yourself of but opiates are one thing that will do it (again: my opinion). Afterward, he was admitted into a rehab facility to better deal with the drugs he was taking. It’s a little surprising to me how little coverage this the drugs got. Nice work by he and his spin team.

My thoughts on Tiger’s demise only strengthened when I saw him interacting with the media, as he gets ready for another comeback that starts tomorrow. It’s like the old Tiger mind is slithering back into the now-older Tiger body.

Read/listen to some of the quotes from Tiger over the last couple days. If the first problem was the back pain, which he thinks the most recent surgery fixed, and the possible background problem was the prescription drugs, and he now has that under control…. oh shit… watch out PGA. The short version of this press conference, with some of the best quotes, is first. You can watch the full thing below that.

“I’m loving life now.”@TigerWoods had plenty to say during his press conference on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/aTM3pv9aLW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 28, 2017

At today’s press conference, @TigerWoods said when asked about the younger generation dominating golf, “I would like them to feel like what some of the past guys had to go against all those years.”

? is ready for his time to be ? again.#HeroWorldChallenge

— Play It Safe (@AlwaysLayUp) November 28, 2017

But hey… words are just words, right? Ha… Here is Tiger through 2 rounds this weekend. This tournament has 18 of the best players in the world. He isn’t even playing that well right now. Obviously plenty of rust to be knocked off.

Do not try this at home.

Results may vary. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/Knl9bAWBTv

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 1, 2017

Golf just became relevant again.

Since we’ve already had 47 videos in this article. Why not one more of the “YouTube Golfer”

MSF Boss Man
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan