Like so many today, I watched in tragic disbelief as the videos started streaming in about the devastating fire that occurred at Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield Hills. It is a building I have been in many times. Like so many great old country clubs, the historic memorabilia that is contained throughout the country club is not replaceable. The cynics can say, it is nothing more than a palace built for rich white men to get away from their business and personal responsibilities, but it is more than that. Oakland Hills Country Club has a place in U.S. sports history. The following is from their website. “Founded in 1916, Oakland Hills Country Club has, and will continue to play a significant role in the history of golf in the United States. Walter Hagen, five-time PGA Champion, was the club’s first head professional. The South Course has played host to 17 Major Championships including: six U.S. Opens; two U.S. Senior Opens; U.S. Women’s Amateur; two U.S. Men’s Amateurs; Western Open; the Carling World Open; the 35th Ryder Cup in 2004; and three PGA Championships–including the 90th PGA Championship in 2008. Some of the greatest players ever to play the game including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Ben Hogan have competed and won on the famed South Course, also known as “The Monster”. The membership is proud of the heritage of their club and consider themselves stewards of a national golf treasure.” You can add, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, and many others. It is a place that brings national and international attention to the Detroit area. Major golf Championships and the Ryder Cup are attended by the press and visitors from around the world. It is not a stretch to say, that it has brought more national and international attention to the area, than the Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings.
Is anyone shocked that Russian 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva, struggled in her long program last night and finished fourth. The pressure on this 15-year-old had to have been unbearable. Can you imagine having the entire Olympic spotlight on you when you were 15? Most of us at age 15 couldn’t get in front of our classrooms to make a speech without becoming a major nervous wreck. It appeared she had the entire Olympic community outside of Russia rooting against her. No wonder she didn’t medal. But then again, she finished 4th in the world as a 15-year-old. I do not consider that a failure. There were many adults who failed her, but the real failure belongs to the IOC for not deciding on her eligibility prior to the event. Declaring her ineligible would have been better than putting her through what she went through during the last week.
Onion of the Day: Juwan Howard, Michigan head basketball coach for walking onto the court during tonight’s Michigan/Iowa basketball game and grabbing a live ball. Iowa had the ball at the other end of the court and the ball bounced off one of the Michigan players legs all the way to Michigan’s bench. Howard thinking it was called a “kicked ball” violation, innocently walked onto the court to retrieve the ball thinking he was doing everyone a favor. Howard immediately recognized his mistake and apologized to the referees. Unfortunately, coaches and players are not allowed to walk on the court during a live ball. The penalty is a technical foul. Since Howard had received a technical foul earlier in the game, a second technical requires disqualification. However, there are certain instances where a technical foul is considered an “administrative” technical, which does not count against a coach’s two technical fouls. The referees ruled the violation an “administrative” technical and Howard was allowed to continue for the remainder of the game.
What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: The firefighters who were able to gain control of the fire at Oakland Hills and save many of the historical items by hand carrying them out to people waiting near the entrance of the building.
Quote of the Day: “It’s a tough, tough day. It’s really a devastating day for Oakland Hills, for the golf community, for our members, for our staff. There’s so much history. But the blessings are, nobody was injured, and everybody got out of the building.” ,” Rick Palmer, Oakland Hills club president.
Video of the Day: