The Daly show is not headed for a happy ending
Discussing the behavior of someone as self-destructive as John Daly is dicey business. Too snarky and it comes off as cruel. Too preachy and it comes off as too self-righteous.
Not sure we'll hit the right tone here but Daly's weekend is a little instructive. He started off at a tournament in Palm Harbor, Fla., that's in the greater Tampa-St.Pete-Clearwater area (the tournament is actually called the PODS Championship and boy, I can really get on a riff on these stupid corporate names for golf tournaments -- I mean PODS are portable dumpsters where you stuff junk that you should probably throw out, right?) Anyway, back to Daly.
So Daly doesn't make the cut -- Thursday and Fridays of 78-80 will do that to you every time. Guess he's just not a PODS people. So Daly, whose problems with a variety of vices are well documented, sounds retreat to a place just off the 17th hole called the Hooters Owl's Nest. The come-on here is $69 for all the chicken wings and beer you can shovel in your face.
Just what John Daly needs -- bottomless plates of wings and bottomless mugs of suds.
I will give Daly some credit, though. Putting himself within the firing range of golf fans who are also doing all-you-can-guzzle brews, he appears to have been pretty accommodating in the meet-and-greet department
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So the weekend moves on and so does Daly, but not too far, ambling over to the Phillies' spring training camp where he exchanges greetings of mutual admiration with another big hitter, the Phils' Ryan Howard, and tosses out the first pitch.
So there you have it. Florida in March, temperatures in the high 60s, low 70s. A little golf. Banging back some brewskis. Catching a little spring training ball.
For the average Joe, it feels like a good thing. For John Daly, though, it feels like a waste of talent.
Last week, many of us were all misty over Brett Favre's retirement, reflecting on his good ol' boy, touch-of-the-common-man way. On Favre, that sort of thing wore so well because he also honored the super athletic gifts that he was blessed with.
In Daly's case, the average schmo routine overwhelms his extraordinary gifts as a golfer, which is mainly an ability to wallop the ball down the fairway. And rather than try to beat back vices -- as Favre did when he tackled pain-killers and his impulse to party too hard -- Daly not only continues to succumb to those vices, he seems to throw himself headlong further into the pit.
So, not being snarky and not being preachy -- just being realistic. This doesn't seem to have much of a chance of ending well for John Daly.
Photo credit: (Pin),from HootersGear Web site; (Daly) Adrian Wyld/AP/CP
Comments
Wow the man had a drink after missing the cut and hung out with fans!
I see another NFL player is up for rape this week....but no youd rather join the Daly bandwaggon
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Ben,
The guy has been in rehab ... we get on NFL guys for being bad people all the time but we're talking apples and oranges. In this case, I'm making an observation about a guy who just keeps going down this trail when he really could do himself so much good by focusing. The weekend was a nutshell of what he does or does not do with his career. He has miised four cuts in seven tournaments so far this year. ... maybe he could be working on that short game rather than hanging out with the Phils in Clearwater. Daly is one of those guys I'd like to root for but he makes it so darn tough.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Ben | March 10, 2008 3:40 PM
Another athlete basher looking for some media friction. Tooo bad you don't know the real person and how much he does for kids and families that need help !! Instead, you lash out at him because he is not as prim and proper as you think you are !
GET A LIFE !!
Posted by: Richard H | March 10, 2008 10:26 PM
Daly is a two time major winner, the third bigest draw on the tour, and a sweet guy who stays busy giving to and making appearances for various charities. Rest assured he is not on the verge off falling off any cliff or any similar predicament. He's a hellraiser and a goodtime charlie who likes to have a few drinks. He's done more with his life than any of the naysayers out there and has a good time. Will all of you stop worrying about this man, we get sick of hearing about it.
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Patrick,
Mainly for Daly's sake as well as for that of of his fans, I hope that what you believe to be true is, indeed, true. Obviously, if I didn't see a continuing disturbing trend, I wouldn't have written what I did but as I've already said, I hope for the man's sake that your impression is closer to the truth than my own.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Patrick Gallagher | March 11, 2008 12:29 PM
Bill,Unlike the others I agree with you about Daly. Waste of talent and I don't get the fascination many fans have with him. I could have something to do with the 'inner rebel' in that Daly does things like gamble away millions, drink like a fish etc. that some fans relate to more than the country club image of many pro golfers.
Personally, I think pro golf is pretty boring to watch and would rather play it. Guys like Daly are different in he can hit the ball a mile but the 19th hole at most courses is full of loud , overweight beer drinkers so I don't get it the appeal over guzzling a beer with him or the staunch defense by his 'fans'.
I think the best thing the media can do is just ignore him and maybe he'll disappear into oblivion.
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Terry,
Thanks for writing. The shame is that is Daly would tone down the drinking and gambling to reasonable levels, he would still be the type of player that average fans could identify with and still make a ton of money even if he doesn't win a lot of tournaments.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: TerryP | March 11, 2008 9:35 PM
Excuse me, but did the author not say that he was attempting a neutral tone here? Come on, people! John Daly has an extrordinary gift that he squanders. If he does indeed give as much to charity as you say he does, then that is admirable. I just think it's a shame that he doesn't use his talent to it's full potential.
Just my 2 cents...
Posted by: Jason | March 12, 2008 8:00 AM
I see Johnny Boy's enablers are out in full force here.When will you realize that the man is in serious need of an intervention
to save his life,let alone career(?)And fi-
nally,this obsession with identfying with
beer slobs as "just good ol' boys" slays me.I'll bet you wouldn't be doing this if Woods or Singh or any other golfer of colour were behaving thusly-oh,I forgot-
Tiger and Vijay are the only two black men on the PGA Tour.
Posted by: Brady | March 12, 2008 10:12 AM