We’ll have a report from Thursday’s minicamp, which Chris Baker is expected to attend. It will be interesting to see how incendiary the language from Baker is when he meets with reporters afterward. My guess is Baker will state his case for more money but not in a “get me the hell out of here” tone. We’ll find out soon enough. Also, Vernon Gholston, finally done with his school duties at Ohio State, will be at Hofstra on Friday. That day is open to the media as well.
Now, back to today’s New York Jets Fifth Annual Golf Classic, which contained some odd sights and sounds, at the Meadow Brook Club. First, however, there was one thing I forgot to tell Mike Tannenbaum, who is a golf nut. By moving from Long Island to New Jersey, the Jets are significantly downgrading the number of quality golf courses available to the organization. Nothing against New Jersey, it has its share of good golf courses, but that entire state doesn’t compare to Long Island [Shinnecock Hills, Maidstone, the Bridge, National Golf Links, Garden City Golf Club, Bethpage Black, Meadow Brook, Fresh Meadow, Sebonack, Deepdale, Fisher’s Island…and on and on and on]. The best collection of golf courses in one area in the country is on Long Island. Period. I’m just saying.
Now that I’ve done my part for Island tourism, among the things I saw and heard today at the Meadow Brook Club:
1. The 360-pound Kris Jenkins swing a golf club.
“I'm terrible,” Jenkins said, before later showing a certain depth of perspective about why he showed up in the first place.
“It’s a privilege to do what we do, and you have to make an opportunity out of everything,” he said. “If I have to come out here and embarrass myself, that's a part of it.”
Not always. Jenkins slammed a drive straight and long on the 537-yard par-5 10th hole that skipped through the fairway and into the rough. It easily traveled 275 yards.
“I didn’t know I could hit it like that!” Jenkins said after making some kind of howling noise upon contact. He then proceeded to relive the moment with several Flight Crew members [you remember them, of course]. They seemed impressed with Jenkins and, for a moment, I was tempted to tell them I once shot a 78. I decided against it.
2. David Harris taking a unique approach to the golf swing. On the range before the shotgun start, Harris, at the point of impact, was releasing his top hand, essentially meaning he was swinging through the ball using just his left hand. Harris told me later, “Well, this is only my second time” on a golf course. His first?
“Last year. At this event.”
3. The random cart that happened to be assigned to Darrelle Revis was No. 24 (his uniform number).
“This is my first time on a golf course,” Revis said. “I like it.”
4. Mike Nugent is not as good a golfer as his reputation.
“I guess I dress the part,” Nugent said.
Nugent spoke in almost reverential tones about former kicker Al Del Greco, a scratch golfer who has won his share of those celebrity golf tournaments.
“If you’re a kicker and you play a little bit of golf, you’ve heard about Al Del Greco and golf.”
I also asked Nugent about two of the OTA practices we’ve seen – the media has been at three of the nine practices - where he’s missed several kicks.
“That’s the funny thing, the one or two days you guys have been there easily have not been the on days for me,” Nugent said.
He said overall on special teams the unit is working on a few different things and that he’s fine.
5. Andre Woolfolk giving some pretty good reasons for why he’s an eight-handicapper who is playing more like “a 20” right now.
“Having a kid and a pregnant wife (Jaime) isn’t good for your game,” said the good-natured Woolfolk, who started playing golf just a few years ago. Woolfolk said his first round of golf on Long Island took place on the notoriously difficult Bethpage Black Course.
“It gave me crap all day,” Woolfolk said.
Your score?
“I’ll just say N/A,” Woolfolk said. “It’s not applicable.”
6. Kellen Clemens pelted a drive down the middle on the par-5 first hole but apparently that was his lone highlight of his first nine.
“You saw the one good shot I hit,” Clemens said at the turn.
Finally, a couple of more Tannenbaum comments…
On how the offseason after a 10-6 playoff season (such as 2006) feels different than an offseason that follows 4-12 (2007):
“There’s a feeling of anxiousness where you kind of want to get going and put 2007 behind us, learn from it and try to build on it.”
On what he looks for when he’s watching OTA practices with their non-contact drills: “You’re always looking to see how players move around and how they’re doing with their agility and those things. You’re looking to see how breakaway guys are moving, what kind of shape they’re in. Again, you’re not making any final decisions but you can get some read on guys.”
A process that continues Thursday with the start of minicamp.
Comments (19)
Boland,
I'm jealous. That sounds like a great day...who was in your group? and how did you shoot? A 78 beats me...the best I've posted is an 80 something...I'm probably a late-teens early twenties handicap, but I'm too young to even try and get that figured out. I've got a great golf course right down the road from my house in PA called Jericho...if you're ever in Bucks County, that's the place to go. Or maybe Commonwealth which is up farther. Since we've been tourist heavy I thought I'd toss a little of PA tourism in for everyone.
Hey Erik:
You are dead wrong by saying "The best collection of golf courses in one area in the country is on Long Island. Period." Look into beautiful Naples Florida. With a population of just over 300,000 we have close to 100, yes one hundred, gorgeous golf courses all within 25 miles off the beach. I'm willing to bet another NY hot dog with mustard and onions.
Patriots' Nick Kaczur Arrested for Loving OxyContin, Then Used in DEA Sting Operation
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/04/patriots-nick-kaczur-arrested-for-loving-oxycontin-then-used-i/
Hank, no disrespect intended to the Naples area - I have played there - but I meant in terms of the quality of courses, not quantity. Nothing there compares to Shinnecock Hills or Bethpage Black or National Golf Links et all, in terms of prestige. My opinion. I'll still buy the hotdogs.
And Cliff, my 78 wasn't yesterday. I said I had once shot that score, which was two summers ago at Tallgrass in Shoreham. A constant feeding of certain cold beverages that day - not to mention the cigarettes I used to smoke - helped keep my swing relaxed and easy. I'm a 14 handicap, so that score was an aberration to say the least. Thanks for the PA golf tidbit.
Erik, What happened to June 1st cuts? I haven't heard anything this year. From any team. What gives?
Eric, While you are an excellent blogger you're missing the mark on golf in NJ. With AT&T, Lucent, J&J (and all the other Pharmaceuticals) headquartered in NJ where do you think all the executives play? Long Island? No, they play in the dozens of local (high priced) country clubs that are a stones throw from the new Jets facility. Hamilton Farms is one, the site of the 2006/7 HSBC Women's Championship, 18 holes of pure heaven. Membership there starts at $250K plus dues and drinks, the Jets would do just fine playing their outing there. If they can't get in there try Trump National.
Sorry its a NJ pride thing, we look forward to seeing you all at the Florham Park grand opening.
Darrell, good question. There wasn't much along those lines June 1 last year, either. The reason was the extension of the CBA in 2006 that put significantly more money in each team's coffers. Bottom line: more money infused to each team meant less cap problems, along with the fact teams have simply gotten better at managing their respective caps and not have to make drastic salary dumps.
Also, Darrell, part of that extension meant the date itself simply didn't mean as much. This is from a story by ESPN's Len Pasquarelli written in 2007: "The CBA extension included a provision that permits each team to designate two players per year as June 1 cap casualties, even if they are released months earlier. The stipulation means that clubs can enjoy the post-June 1 cap benefits, principally being able to stretch the impact of signing bonus 'acceleration' over two seasons instead of one, but no longer have to wait until after June 1 to do so."
As for Doug, thanks for reading and for the welcome to Florham Park. All those courses you mentioned in NJ are great - I've been to Hamilton Farms before - but given the choice of playing there or Shinnecock Hills or Bethpage Black, I'd choose both Long Island courses - and quite a few others - every time. The membership dues argument is irrelevant to golf course quality, though the dues at Friar's Head on LI was rumored to be in the $750,000 range and the $250 K price you mentioned is standard fare at at least a half dozen LI clubs. Hey, it's golf, so it's all subjective anyway. Nothing wrong with you coming to the defense of NJ golf!
No s***. That makes sense. I guess I never realized that the June 1st wasn't a roster-trimming-date (as I had assumed) and more about the ledgers. Thanks, Boland... I guess you ain't all bad.
You guys are nuts...
Until you've sampled some of New Mexico's 12-15 scenic and panoramic Championship courses at half the price of what you guys are paying back there....you have not golfed.
And this is coming from someone who cut his teeth on golf as a caddy at Bethpage back in the late 60's.
What's better than challenging yourself by adding 30-40 yards to your long game (altitude) in near perfect weather conditions (80's no humidity, pure blue skies) with average 4.5 hour rounds?
Just my rant for the local tourist board.
last comment was me
Darrell, hearing that is all it takes to keep me motivated.
Islander505, forget the golf...what the you-know-what is going on with Nolan/Snow?
Read my give and take with Baumbach in The Final Score (I know, it pains me to give him "view hits" as well).
It "could be" the latest in a brewing storm between these two that goes back TO THE ONLY GAME I ATTENDED on the Island this past season....the March loss at home to NYR when Dubie started over DP.....
Or it could simply be a coupla guys stepping on each other's toes in a little hissy fit over Dubie and who wanted him on the team and vice versa.
I'm just hoping cooler heads prevail. I like 'em both and wanna see both of them given a chance.
BTW, I attended A LOT of Cleveland Baron games in 77/78.
Hated that drive south to the equivalent of North Akron.
Islander505, you must be referring to what SI's Curry Kirkpatrick once called "the Coliseum in the cow pasture."
Richfield Coliseum....
Where you had to drive PAST the Coliseum on the Interstate about 15 miles to get to an access exit and then turn around and come back.
A miracle of modern design at the time.
You seem to forget that Jersey is in a perpetual state of Nascar mode...except they only make right hand turns.
Also, just to clarify, I knew you meant a 78 at another time, I was more wondering what you shot when you played two days ago.
Sorry, Cliff. I misunderstood. At the Commerce Bank Media Day at Eisenhower Park I was awful and shot 95, helping my team not one lick. I did not play at the Jets event as I was "working." Come to think of it, I was working Monday at Eisenhower, too. Reason No. 2,548 you'll never catch me complaining about my job.
Islander505, "Miracle" doesn't begin to describe that place, though once inside it was a pretty good arena.
hey erik
what time are the practices today ,tomorrow and saturday?
Tom, two practices and this is how it looks both days:
10:20 a.m. Practice
3:45 p.m. Practice
And we have player access and an Eric Mangini press conference in between. Though, remember, minicamps are not open to the public. You'll have to wait until training camp.
oh erik there are always ways to sneak in if you know hofstra well enough
us diehard fans know