a 8.7 boards per outing (third in the Big East), also adding in 21 blo

Steve Stricker made it clear that money was not important. His plan was to defend his title at Kapalua and walk away from the PGA Tour for the rest of the year. Over the holidays leading into 2013, he reached a compromise and cut his schedule roughly in half. He contacted his sponsors, and they supported him. Stricker didnt have great expectations starting his year of semi-retirement. "If I could just make enough money to pay yearly expenses, Im fine with that," he said. "If we dont have to touch anything Ive put away ... I dont need to do what Im doing just to make money. Id rather be staying at home, doing things at home with the foundation and with my kids." No one else was around during this conversation, but Stricker still leaned in and lowered his voice as he stated what everyone already knew. "You know, were pretty conservative with our money," he said. Stricker was runner-up that week at Kapalua and made $665,000. He didnt play for six weeks, and then reached the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship to earn $275,000. Two weeks later, he was runner-up at Doral and brought in $880,000. That should pay the bills. He finished the year with just over $4.4 million, the third-highest total of his career. His world ranking improved 10 spots to No. 8. And by the end of the year, he had several players contemplating a similar schedule. Along the way, there were plenty of other moments that showed more about players than just their birdies and bogeys, and the checks they cash. ------ Rory McIlroy generated a buzz no matter where he went at the start of the year. He had the hefty deal from Nike. He was No. 1 in the world. And he was struggling early with a missed cut in Abu Dhabi and a first-round departure in Match Play. Nothing caused a stir like Friday at the Honda Classic, when he abruptly shook hands with Ernie Els as they were making the turn and walked straight to the parking lot. Information was a trickle. He was vague during a brisk walk to the car. Later, a statement from his management company said he had a sore wisdom tooth. There was a golf tournament still going on. Michael Thompson shot 65 on that Friday to move to the top of the leaderboard. It was early afternoon and no one seemed interested. The announcement sounded more like a plea. "We have Michael Thompson in the interview room," the official said. One voice broke the awkward silence. "Is he a dentist?" a reported asked. No. But he did win his first PGA Tour event that week. ------ Angel Cabrera is a man of few words and loud actions. A month after losing the Masters in a playoff, he was walking off the 18th green at TPC Sawgrass following a practice round. Fans thrust programs and flags for him to sign. There was bumping and pushing, and a marshal started to bark at everyone to back up. Cabrera stepped back about 10 feet, and then instructed only the children to come under the ropes and join him. He spent the next 15 minutes signing for them. ------ It looked like the scene outside the mansion in "Young Frankenstein," missing only the pitchforks and torches. The Pure Silk LPGA Bahamas Classic was played on a 12-hole course at The Ocean Club because of flooding. The first round didnt finish because of another storm system in the area. Players gathered in darkness outside the rules trailer to find out the plan for Friday. A computer error led players to believe -- only for a moment -- that they would keep their same tee time for the second round. Chaos ensued, filled with heated arguments among players and rules officials. And it was at this moment the LPGA showed its true international flavour. A group of Swedish players were off to the right, raising their voices in their native language. The Americans were in the front of the pack. The South Koreans were in the back. The Spaniards were in the middle. The Germans were over by the hedges. It was the ultimate melting pot. And they ultimately got it all worked out. ------ Among the visitors at The Players Championship was Ulises Mendez, who plays on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. The Argentine earned his card last year when he tied for 15th in Latin America Q-school. His player badge allowed him access to the tournament, and he camped out just beneath the bleachers behind the 17th green. He stood there for an hour as the best players came through the 17th. It was an inspiring day. "To know where you need to be," Mendez said, "you need to see where you want to go." ------ There is no love lost between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, as both made clear at The Players Championship and in the weeks that followed. The same could be said for Garcia and Padraig Harrington, as the Irishman showed on a couple of occasions this year in his subtle style. Speaking to a small group of reporters at the TPC Sawgrass, where the Woods-Garcia flap was starting to unfold, Harrington said of all the times he has played with Woods he considered his etiquette "absolutely impeccable." "Ive played with Tiger many times," Harrington said. "I give him an A-plus on his etiquette on the course. I give him an A-plus for his respect for fellow players on the course." A British reporter then asked Harrington what kind of grade he would give Garcia. "Im not in a position to rank players," he replied. Later that summer, Harrington finished a practice round at Muirfield and was signing autographs. One fan had the British Open program turned to the page that showed Harrington winning his first claret jug. That was in 2007 at Carnoustie, after a playoff with Garcia. Harrington signed the page and held onto the book for the longest time, staring at the photo with a satisfied smile. "You like that picture?" the man said. "More than you know," the Irishman replied. ------ The woman behind the counter at Starbucks in the Denver suburbs was making small talk with a customer when she learned he was headed to the Solheim Cup. "Annika Sorenstam was just in here," she said. "Well, I think that was her." Think? Not only is the Swede the most famous LPGA Tour player of her generation, one would suspect writing the word "Annika" on the cup would be a dead giveaway. Except that in this case, she can be excused. Turns out Sorenstam doesnt go by "Annika" when shes in Starbucks. Her code name is Maria. "Maria is the one name that translates on every continent," Sorenstam said when she confessed to her alias. "So Im Maria Swenson." ------ The first day of the Solheim Cup nearly didnt finish because of a rules decision that took nearly a half-hour to determine -- and as it turned out, it was the wrong decision. It proved a pivotal part of the fourballs match, which Europe went on to win. It wasnt the first time a rules official had made the wrong call. Former USGA President Trey Holland, one of the most skilled in the Rules of Golf, mistakenly gave Ernie Els relief in the U.S. Open from a temporary immovable object that was movable. But when an official makes a ruling, it stands. Brad Alexander, a respected LPGA official, made the wrong call at the Solheim Cup. When the day was over, confusion and anger lingered. Alexander volunteered to accompany both captains to the media centre to handle any questions from the press. He explained what happened. He made no excuses. He accepted all the blame. It was classy. That kind of accountability would have come in handy at Augusta National this year. ------ The final week of December is the one week no meaningful tournaments are played on any tour in the world. The golf year is endless, and it can feel even longer. Mark Fulcher, the caddie for Justin Rose, has been at this a long time. The crowning moment was at Merion, where Rose won the U.S. Open for his first major. This was in late October, halfway around the world in Shanghai. Everyone was tired. Rose was just starting the stretch run to the end of his year. The caddies were talking about the drudgery of early rounds at a tournament. Except for "Fooch." "The day I stop caddying, Ill either be dead or I wont be excited on a Thursday morning," Fulcher said that day. "Thursday is the greatest day in golf. Its the perfect reset, isnt it? Youre reminded, even if you won, that everyone starts all over the next week. And if youve played absolute rubbish, theres always the belief that its about to turn around. I love Thursday. Just love it." Its a good reminder for everyone involved in this game. You never know whats going to happen next. Or when. Nike Epic React Flyknit Dames . -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a broken bone below his right eye after being struck by a bad-hop grounder, sidelining the star slugger for at least a week with opening day on deck. Nike Vapormax Nederland .J. - Trying to learn and absorb the new West Coast offence being installed by new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo, the New York Giants wrapped their final organized team activity Thursday before a three-day mini-camp next week. http://www.vapormaxsalenederland.com/ .Brazil midfielder Ricardo Goulart scored the winner in the 50th minute to give the defending champion a four-point advantage in the standings over second-place Sao Paulo, which beat rival Palmeiras 2-0. Nike React Element 87 Nederland . Henrik Samuelsson and Luke Bertolucci also scored for the Oil Kings, who are now 9-0 on home ice in the playoffs to cut Portlands series lead to 2-1. Chase De Leo and Mathew Dumba responded for the Winterhawks, who suffered just their fourth loss in their last 46 games, a string of success running all the way back to Jan. Nike Epic React Flyknit 2 Kopen . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014.Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - The Seton Hall Pirates broke into the Top-25 earlier this week, but will try to avenge a loss Saturday as they travel to face the Creighton Bluejays in a Big East Conference matchup at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Seton Hall emerged on the scene after big wins over St. Johns (78-67) and Villanova (66-61 in OT). But the Pirates dropped a Wednesday night clash with Xavier, 69-58, that set the team back to 12-3 this season and 1-3 on the road. The Pirates are 2-1 in Big East play. Creighton, on the other hand, is suffering through a four-game losing streak that includes a 70-60 home defeat at the hands of DePaul Wednesday night. The Bluejays are 7-2 at home this season, but are 0-3 in Big East competition. Seton Hall owns a 6-3 all-time series advantage over Creighton, although the Bluejays took both games a year ago against the Pirates, with a 72-71 win at CenturyLink Center being the most recent. Seton Hall, fresh off of two huge wins, found itself down to Xavier by five points at halftime, 33-28. The Musketeers made it difficult for the Pirates to catch up in the second half thanks to a 52.2 shooting percentage from the floor for Xavier, which kept the lead at an arms length until the final buzzer. Angel Delgado led the way for Seton Hall with 12 points off the bench, while Haralds Karlis chipped in with 10 points. Sterling Gibbs dished out seven assists, and Desi Rodriguez grabbed seven boards to lead the team in the loss. Gibbs wasnt able to do much in the way of scoring Wednesday against Xavier, as the teams leading point getter notched just eight in the defeat. Still, Gibbbs leads the way heading into Saturday at 16.dddddddddddd0 ppg, adding in 59 assists to top the squad in the category. Isaiah Whitehead (11.9 ppg in 11 games played) and Brandon Mobley (10.1 ppg) round out a trio of double-digit scorers for the Pirates, who are netting 70.8 ppg as a unit this season. Whitehead, who has a stress fracture in his right foot, is listed as out for Saturdays game. Delgado leads Seton Hall in rebounding with a 8.7 boards per outing (third in the Big East), also adding in 21 blocked shots. It was a slow day offensively for Creighton against DePaul, although the Bluejays did outscore the Blue Demons in the second half - not enough to make a comeback, though. The Bluejays shot just 35.1 percent from the floor in the game, and didnt lead for a single second of the contest. Toby Hegner led all Creighton players in scoring with 15 points, while Avery Dingman came off the bench to add 10 points with five rebounds before fouling out. Austin Chatman chipped in with nine points in the teams fourth loss in a row. Hands may be reaching for the panic button in the Creighton program after the teams second home loss of the season Wednesday. The Bluejays are netting 69.5 ppg (just ahead of Marquette, which is last in the Big East in scoring), and are allowing opponents to score 65.6 ppg on 43.1 percent shooting. Chatman tops the squad in the scoring category with 13.1 ppg this season, adding in 71 assists to lead the team. Isaiah Zierden is the only other Creighton player to net a double-digit point total at 11.1 ppg. Devin Brookss 5.0 rpg mark is the best on the Bluejays roster. ' ' '