If you weren't glued to your television set from 4:30 p.m. until 6:10 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, you missed one of the most exciting sporting events ever. Not this year, not this century, but ever. People claim that golf isn't exciting unless Tiger Woods is leading on Sunday, but I'm here to say that those people aren't real sports fans. If you were watching CBS on Sunday afternoon, you witnessed history, and it would be improper for me to claim that I could put Sunday's emotional finish into words that even remotely compare to what was felt by Phil Mickelson and the millions of viewers watching both in person and on television.
Often in Major Championships, because of the difficulty of the courses, we talk about how a player lost the championship on Sunday and how the winner was the last man standing after the battle between player and course. But on Sunday, Phil Mickelson won the Masters and conquered Augusta National. Anyone who watched Mickelson's dramatic back-nine finish of birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie understands what it means to turn up the adrenaline, bear down and will yourself to victory.
It's funny how a guy's reputation can change from "the best golfer to never win a major" to one of the best golfers ever, even though this win was his 22nd career victory. But that's exactly what happened to Phil Mickelson when his improbable journey ended on the 18th hole at Augusta, with quite a different result from five years ago when the late Payne Stewart dashed Mickelson's hopes on the 18th hole of Pinehurst (No. 2) with a putt of similar length.
Watching Mickelson on Sunday, you couldn't help but notice the glow in his eyes, the smile on his face and the confidence in his swing. While everyone around him made at least one shaky swing on the back nine, Mickelson never seemed phased by the pressure. For the first time I can ever remember in a major, Mickelson seemed to be enjoying himself. It was as if he knew something special was happening and he wanted to make sure he enjoyed each and every moment of the ride. If, when Mickelson watches tapes of his incredible back nine, he is able to recognize the difference in demeanor between this final round and the other numerous final rounds when he has fallen short, then the floodgates may have been opened for Phil Mickelson.
My former golf coach often told me that once you know what it feels like to put the finishing touches on a great round of golf and once you feel comfortable winning, it becomes much easier. There's a comfort zone that athletes slip into sometimes that is inexplicable. It's the disappearance of the natural bodily reaction to nervousness. Who knows why it suddenly disappears after that first spectacular athletic achievement, but it's such a relief when the nervousness is no longer present. For Mickelson, pressure will never feel quite the same. He'll never again have to make a swing with his hands shaking or his stomach feeling queasy. Now that he's done it once, the next time will be easy.
Former Cy Young regains form
Last season, Tom Glavine struggled. There was no denying it; Glavine was not the same pitcher with his new team, the New York Mets. For the first time since his first full season in 1988, Glavine failed to win 10 games. For the first time since 1990, Glavine had a losing record. Critics wondered aloud whether Glavine had lost something, whether he couldn't handle being the center of attention, or whether he just missed the Atlanta Braves' pitching fraternity.
In games against his old team last season, Glavine posted an 0-4 record with a 10.35 ERA. He allowed eight home runs, almost 40 percent of his total on the season and five more than he allowed against any other team. The Braves batted .393 against their former teammate, drawing 11 walks as well in four starts. This was not the same Tom Glavine who won the Cy Young in 1991 and 1998. This was not the same Tom Glavine who kept his ERA under 3.00 six times in his career and who has led the league in wins five times.
This year, Glavine looks like the Tom Glavine of old. His resurrection is one of the feel-good stories of the early baseball season. In his first start of the season, on Opening Day against his old team, the Atlanta Braves, Glavine allowed two runs in the first inning and it looked like this season wouldn't be any different than the last. Glavine, however, settled down and pitched five shutout innings to earn the win. In his second outing, on Sunday night, Glavine was brilliant once again, pitching seven innings and allowing only one unearned run.
So Glavine is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA through two games. No big deal, it's early, you say? Sure, but for a 37-year-old pitcher like Glavine, getting off to a bad start could have stimulated thoughts of retirement (like his old buddy, John Smoltz). Glavine is also a leader in the clubhouse, one of the most experienced players on a young Mets ballclub. Glavine's success could very well jump-start his teammates into believing that this team has a chance to succeed. Of course, Glavine doesn't have the support that he was fortunate enough to have in Atlanta (can you say Maddux, Millwood, Smoltz, Neagle, etc.), but he does have a talented squad with a great defense behind him. Glavine could easily win 20 games this season, an amazing feat for a 37-year-old former hockey player from Massachusetts.
And it's only fitting that Glavine, the crafty southpaw and a tremendous golfer, improved to 2-0 on the same day that another lefty, Phil Mickelson, had golfers all over the world practicing their left-handed swings.