If none of you have seen the recent Inside Sports with Bryant Gumble, I heartely suggest you do.

It hi-lights the plight of Conrad Dobler and the greediness of not only the NFL, it's owners, but the NFL Players Association. It will have you weak at the knees (literally, as the best way to describe Dobler's knees are that of pin cushions with slice scars.) and not ever wanting to give the NFL one dime of your precious time and energy.

PRINCETON, Fla. He always found comfort in the lonely fight.

Eugene "Mercury" Morris, a star running back for the 1972 Mia mi Dolphins, has a favorite movie: "To Kill a Mockingbird." He has watched it countless times, ever engrossed by the fix that was in for Tom Robinson, an African American man accused of raping a white woman in an early-20th century Alabama town. In the heavy, hopeless air of that courtroom, Tom Robinson sits by himself facing a system too big to beat with only his lawyer, Atticus Finch, at his side.

"The guy was on trial where he simply could not win," Morris said.

He also said that the National Football League, or more specifically, its retirement plan, will not acknowledge that the headaches are a result of the injury and thus is denying him benefits he believes are his. He will not accept this explanation. And for the last 20 years, he has waged a one-man war against the plan.

"Which is just the way I like it," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/27/AR2007012701184.html


I think Phil should take care of all the NFL players not just one.

Greatest example---Johnny Unitas

Sad, indeed

C'mon Geoff, we all know Vijay is the man!
Only Vijay would call the head pro at Spyglass Hill "stupid" in front of other people because he has to wait in line like a "normal" person

Johnny Unitas....R.I.P.

http://www.christinelavin.com/092202johnnyunitas.html

"I think Phil should take care of all the NFL players not just one."

Anyone wonders why most private charity donors wish to remain anonymous? Give them a finger, they request the whole hand...

Exactly AHW, and BTW, (jumping up and down while waving arms furiously ) "I don't want people to know, really! This is such a private thing I'm doing, did you get that last part, I've even included cost of living increases in my contributions, make sure you don't leave out that part DAN."


At the same time, the Mickelson sidebar is a beacon, evidence that there is still some humility and decency among sports figures. The winner of 29 PGA Tour events and three major championships, Mickelson also contributes $100 per birdie and $500 per eagle to Birdies for the Brave, which forwards the money to Homes for Our Troops and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Both are organizations that support wounded soldiers and families that have lost loved ones in combat.

Mickelson does that in a public way, to raise awareness, invite additional contributions. When asked about assisting the Doblers, Mickelson politely declines to comment. He's not looking for publicity, just looking to help. He has even included cost of living increases in his contributions.


OH Brother, this is totally a PRIVATE issue, nice quotes from the Dobler's too.

What will Phil exploit next time with all his good will?

I'm as cynical as the next guy (at least the next guy here in NYC), and I agree with RGT that there's something about this story that feels wrong. It's good that Phil wants to help people in need, and better that he do something like this than nothing at all -- because, yes, he can. But helping the Doblers because (if I read this correctly) Conrad's disability and his wife's accident got coverage on HBO ... and that came about because of Dobler's notoriety as pro football's dirtiest player in his heyday ... well, yes, their daughter's an innocent here, but there must surely be worthier recipients of Phil's charity. (As an aside, let's also note that in pro football, "dirtiest player" means someone who doesn't care if his tactics cause injuries to others, so Dobler's own ailments are a case of chickens coming home to roost.)

The implication, I hope, is that there are lots of people for whom Mickelson does this, impulsively, when he becomes aware of their plights. If so, then my hat's off to him, but there's gotta be a better way to choose his recipients than the winds of publicity.

And having said that, cynically, I'd still rather hear a story like this than the usual pro golfer's lament that the American tax system takes hard-earned money out of his own pocket and gives it to people who are too lazy to work.

Man, you people are tough. Guy helps a brother out and he is then accused of exploiting with his good will. Who cares? He did something good for someone.

As an inveterate FIGJAM basher on this blog, I have to say I was impressed by the generosity demonstrated in this circumstance. Maybe not as much as JD who paid for college for the guy who was killed by lightning at Crooked Stick (when he donated a significant portion of a purse that he really needed), the fact remains that the players at the highest levels of the game make extraordinary amounts of money -- it's nice to see someone making an effort to do something nice. Way to go Phil.

I agree PC, it's all good.

Got any evidence to support your sorry little insinuation, RGT? I'm guessing you don't, that your post is just another in a long line of anti-Mickelson posts, you know, the "owes 8 figures to the casinos in Vegas, has a love child," posts we've been reading ad nauseum for the last 2 or 3 years, but then again, I've been wrong before.

Your right Michael, I don't know why I've regurgitated that kind of pithy information.


Exhibit - A
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:1tPpUlpAiFUJ:www.pocketfives.com/C1EB3C1C-1640-4F95-9531-D54ED785F7D8.aspx+Phil+Mickelson+Callaway+pays+off+debt&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

Exhibit - B
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:-GQugZoPRcYJ:www.thegolfblog.com/2006/04/phil-wins-second-major-in-row-is-he.html+Phil+Mickelson+Callaway+pays+off+debt&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us


Where There's Fire There's Smoke.

As I suspected, your evidence is unsubstantiated rumor mongering, internet innuendo, and that old chestnut, "...where there's smoke, there's fire..." Sad to see it hit one of the classiest blogs on the internet.

Somehow, these references by RGT suddenly casts new light on the various conspiracy theories, starring the USGA and PGA Tour in association with everyone from the equipment industry to the taliban regime, presented here regularly... Using "whispering game"-blogs like those as main points of reference doesn't exactly make one more credible. I'll leave it at that.

**REAL SPORTS SPOILERS BELOW**

I saw the episode of Real Sports while Mickelson was teeing off at Spyglass. It was a fantastic episode, and Dobler's segment was by far the most touching. At the end, he was asked, what would he do if things got worse?

Dobler replied, "Check out." The reporter seemed amazed, and asked "Why?"

Dobler responded, "They shoot horses..."

In short, I understand why Phil, a notorious football nut, would be touched by this episode, and I believe Phil did this out of goodwill.

Why he was on the couch at home watching Real Sports instead of playing TPC Scottsdale is another story.

Nice guy?

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/mickelson12.html

The only regret is that Mickelson, a dozen shots out of the lead, isn't joining the fun. He was a victim this week of Vijay Singh -- the jerk, not the golfer. Time was when we complained golf didn't have enough rivalries and competitive conflict, that Woods was allowed a monopoly on monotony. Thankfully, deliciously, those days are gone. Not only is there an intense tug for the world's top ranking, we've seen flareups between the Augusta raindrops that remind us how golfers can be petty mopes.

Everyone knows Singh, the current No. 1, is rock bottom on a clubhouse popularity list. But not until this week did we discover the depth of his disdain for Mickelson. The drama started on HBO's "Real Sports" show, when Singh was asked about the booming popularity of the reigning Masters champ. "Yeah, but is that the true Phil? Is that the true person?" Singh sang. "Do you see the true side of Phil? I don't know. I cannot speak for Phil. But you see the true me. I don't hide things."

Mickelson got 'Singh-ed'

The timing wasn't good for Mickelson, who has been dogged by questions about his private life -- specifically, the depth of his gambling involvement and why he said he covered the issue in Chapter 13 of his new book when Chapter 13 has nothing about it. Nor was it a proud moment for Singh, who, in 1985, was accused of altering a scorecard on the Asian Tour (he denies the allegation) and suspended from tournament golf. But Vijay the Viper was just getting started. As if the inclement weather wasn't aggravating enough, Singh, playing a group behind, rattled his rival by bellyaching to officials that Mickelson's metal spikes were too long and divoting up the greens. Mickelson offered to change his shoes, but the officials realized there is no USGA rule about the length of spikes and let Mickelson play on. After the round, Mickelson heard Singh talking about the episode with other players and confronted him.

Q. What's it like -- you've been the favorite to win tournaments before, but what's it like to come to the Masters finally, you win yesterday and you clearly are the favorite this week? Does that feel any different for you?

PHIL MICKELSON: It feels different to have you say it, yes (laughter).

No, no, not personally, I say in general. It's cool. It's really cool to play well at the start of the year and to be looked upon as a favorite, but that doesn't mean anything. I've still got to come out and hit the shots and prepare myself, not just with my course preparation, course management preparation, but getting my game sharp, too. The greens are treacherous; they are as fast as I've ever seen this early in the week. If we don't get a little rain, I know we're supposed to, it will be a good thing; if we don't get any rain, it will probably be as difficult as I've ever seen them.

Q. When you won here, there was a great fascination with you both on and off the course. An off-the-course question, you were quoted in Golf Magazine recently saying that you made the decision two years ago to stop gambling --

PHIL MICKELSON: I never said that.

Q. The quote that I have here is, "I heard" -- this the question. "I heard you haven't gambled since 2003; is that true?" And your quote here is, "Yes, it is, March, actually." I was wondering why.

PHIL MICKELSON: I just referred to my book, Chapter 13 and I'll do the same with you.

Q. I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

PHIL MICKELSON: It's at every bookstore (laughter).

Q. Well, for those of us under perhaps a deadline before we have a chance to hit the bookstore --

PHIL MICKELSON: It's a 30-minute drive right down the street, downtown Augusta.



That says it all.......