There will never be another Barry Pepper

It's a shame that there haven't been very many good sports biopics made recently. Especially since the ones I've liked have been from more obscure sports, such as Cinderella Man and Seabiscuit. The last good one about an athlete in a major sport that I can think of is Billy Crystal's 61*. One of the great things about that movie, as Krehbiel rightly put it, is that Barry Pepper was born to play Roger Maris. To me, the most exciting part of a biopic is seeing who will be playing the featured figure. Now that gets me thinking: what are some other actors that could play an athlete or coach in a film? Here's a list of five guys who were either born to play, might decently portray, or just look eerily similar to a particular sports figure. 

1. Sean William Scott as Andy Roddick

     

He's got the frat boy mentality, athletic physique, and strikingly similar facial features. This combo is hard to pass up. 

2. David Paymer as Jeff Van Gundy

 

It's much more rewarding to find a good match for sports figures who are different or odd-looking. Add the fact that Paymer already played a coach in The Sixth Man, and you have a stellar movie in the making. Plus, who doesn't want to see a movie about Jeff Van Gundy. The Alonzo Mourning incident would be a great turning point in the film.

 

3. Ron Jeremy as Stan Van Gundy

  

Nothing more needs to be said. 

4. Kyle Chandler as John Stockton

  

He would have to lose 30 pounds and begin filming immediately. If that didn't work out, he could gain 60 pounds and play Alec Baldwin instead. 

5. Denzel Washington as Magic Johnson

 

Bust out your ball sneakers from He Got Game, Denzel! They've both got the million dollar smile and trick photography can take care of the height disparity. Plus, Denzel would love to play this role (unless a role for Jackie Robinson came up first). 

97.5 million. Really?

The Giants just signed lil' Eli to a contract extension worth $97.5 million over 6 years. The contract at 15.3 million a season, makes him the third highest paid player in the NFL after Julius Peppers and Carson Palmer. This is pretty amazing because no one in their right mind would rank Eli in the top 5 QBs in the NFL. Somewhere in Mississippi, Cooper Manning is grinding his teeth and muttering under his breath about how he could have been the greatest.

This got me thinking about some ridiculous sports contracts, and I came up with 5 that I thought were especially excessive.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, record setting $130 mil. transfer fee, just for the opportunity to sign him, and $15.5 per season for six years with a 25% increase. All this comes $304 mil total. That means he costs Real $50.67 mil per year for him. This dwarfs A-Rod's $27.5 mil per, widely considered on of the most lavish contracts in American sports. All that for a guy who weighs 165 pounds and has a faux hawk haircut.

2. Derek Jeter, the Yankees, 10 years $189 mil. He just doesn't deserve it. The average shortstop in the A.L. this year is making $2.7 mil. and Jeter is making $21.6 mil. It sickens me.

3. Eddy Curry, New York Knicks, 6 years $60 million dollars. Wow. 60 mil for a fat, 6-10 guy with a bad attitude and a heart defect. Who sees Eddy Curry play and wants him to be a part of their team? I wouldn't take him for a pick-up game at the Y. Every Bulls fan should go and write Isaiah Thomas a thank you card.

4. Milton Bradley, everybody's best friend. 3 years $30 million, plus incentives for moping and having a bad attitude.

5. Whatever the Reds are paying Dusty Baker to manage them. If its more than nothing, he's being grossly overpaid.

Goodbye, Sweet Friend

"But now that you're gone I'm in the zone, thinking I don't wanna die all alone. But now ya gone. And all I got left are stinkin' memories..." 

-Tupac Shakur 

It's hard to lose somebody. It's especially hard to lose that all-purpose restaurant that was there for you no matter the situation. You could be in the mood for something with substance. Bam! Enjoy your gyro burger. You could be in the mood for something with a little flair. Bam! Enjoy your chicken fingers, which are off the chains by the way. You could be in the mood for something exotic. Bam! Enjoy your Italian Beef. 

There wasn't much Windy City Express II couldn't give you. Now, it's more limited than ever. The only thing it can give you is pain. For those of you who enjoyed this great Chicago-style restaurant, I urge not to go by it for one last goodbye. It's too painful. 

Why is it always the best ones that are the first to go? First it was Wienerschnitzel, then it was Chicken Shack, and now Windy City. It's hard to look around and see the Subways and Za's Cafes, knowing what could be there instead. What should be there instead. 

We'll miss you Windy City, like we've missed all those who have gone before you. We'll pour out some liquor for you. Life goes on. 

This Week in Golf

PGA Tour - The Bridgestone Invitational is being contested this week at the challenging Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Golf enthusiasts are excited about the return of fan favorite Phil Mickelson. Phil's wife and mother were both diagnosed with breast cancer this spring, and their treatment began in July. Mickelson has been caring for them most of the summer. In his last appearance on Tour, he nearly won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. He will now play Firestone as a warm-up for next week's PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Phil has never won at Firestone, and even though I do not expect him to contend on Sunday, I'll be pulling for him all week along with thousands of others. Tiger is in the field once again. Much has been made about his unprecedented back-to-back events leading up to a major. I predict he will do well both this week and next. When Woods is in the field, you cannot bet against him, especially at a course he has such a strong history at. My sleeper pick this week is J.B. Holmes. The course is long, and no one is longer off the tee than the young Kentuckian. If he can keep it straight, he has a good chance to win. Weekend coverage of the event can be seen on CBS.

The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open is also being held. No one ever pays attention to it. The Montreux Golf Course is lovely, but the field is weak as a result of playing opposite the Bridgestone. Bryce Molder is finally breaking through with some low rounds. I expect the Georgia Tech grad to have a solid showing outside the spotlight on the Golf Channel.

Kyle English - Congrats! English is a Flordia Gulf Coast University freshman-to-be. However, he did not let his inexperience stop his chance to become only the second golfer to win the Bloomington-Normal Golf Association's Triple Crown. English won all three of the 2009 major BNGA events, the Match Play, Two-Man Best Position, and Medal Play tournaments. The only other man to do so was Tom Kearfott in 1994.

Golf in Illinois - The Rail

In part 2 of my Golf in Illinois series, I will highlight Springfield's crown jewel, The Rail Golf Course. After playing this Robert Trent Jones Jr. gem, I cannot understand why the LPGA Tour moved the State Farm Classic from this course after 30 years as its gracious host. The Rail exemplifies Central Illinois like no other course. Not long ago the land this course sits on was a sprawling dairy farm. The cow pies deposited by those big, beautiful Holsteins laid the foundation for the best greens I have played in the state. Large greens, often guarded by massive bunkers, typify The Rail, and they are as true and smooth as any you will come across. The saying around the state capital goes "There's no jail at The Rail." This adage may have multiple meanings. However, I will leave the political translation, and partially disagree with the sporting one. Most of the trees on the course are mature and strategically positioned, but the number of trees is much smaller in comparison to places like Aldeen or Lick Creek. Many holes have large areas of benign rough with few obstructions to the green that high-handicappers, such as myself, appreciate. The Rail boasts 85 bunkers, and as previously stated, most come into play due to their size. Water is not absent here, either. Even though they only have five water hazards, each one is dangerous. The signature par-5 8th hole has water bordering the fairway all along the right side. You are then forced to cross the same lake to reach the green on the opposite side. My favorite stretch of holes from 15-17 also feature water hazards. The Rail's 15th hole is a short par-5, reachable in two. The danger lies in the water to the left of the green. The 16th is a 170 yard par-3 with the same lake from 15 separating the tee box from the green. The 17th hole is a short par-4 that doglegs left around another large pond. The tee shot is fun when deciding how much of the hole to bite off. Super long hitters may even try driving the green over water the whole way if a record score isn't on the line. And while playing 17, wave to my aunt and uncle who live just off the beginning of the fairway. The Rail is certainly affordable for such excellent quality. After 4PM on weekdays, the green fee is only $21.