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Into the Bear Pit
by Mark James with Martin Hardy
Virgin Publishing Ltd., 2000 | |
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It's hard to see what the fuss is about. There are far more menacing storm clouds gathering if the Ryder Cup is to again cross the Atlantic. Half the European side at Brookline has abandoned their tour for the more lucrative U.S. Monty's dominance is over. There's the undercurrent of the continental players getting a fair shake against a backdrop of perceived Anglo bias. Then there's Faldo. He succeeded in bullying James off the squad as assistant captain. Looking ahead, will the once dominant player's experience be an asset to his side or
discounted by his divisiveness? That's assuming, of course, he qualifies.
In hindsight, the author admirably tempers his ire. He doesn't raise his voice. As Jose Maria expressed it at the final press conference, one has only to watch what transpired to make up one's mind, to judge whether the best interests of the game were served.
The fallout continues, certainly, but steps
are already being taken to try and defuse the tinderbox. Sam Torrance said the other day: "One thing we must remember is that the Americans are our opponents, not our enemies." Someone close enough to Curtis Strange assures me that, with respect to all we hold dear, Curtis gets "IT." We'll see.
James pokes easy fun at those sublime shirts worn by his team's opponents, teases about their Boy Scout-like ways and generally revisits the matches for the most part with a weary satirical bemusement.
A tour journeyman with a past (he was once fined for throwing a club that hit a tree that deposited a piece of fruit on a Zambian spectator's head!), James skillfully disarmed the media to his team's advantage.
That it was apparently news to the P.G.A.
of America officials, even recently, that his players' lockers were ransacked during the event lends considerable credence to his arguments.
Surely in hindsight anyone who cares about the game can see the patent unfairness of what took place. If there were indeed spectators who studied the Europeans' pre-shot routines to know exactly when to shout, or that the gates were opened to any and all - to name two of the more scurrilous charges - obviously, things need to be different next time round.
Controversial details? Oh, my. The reader learns that Jarmo Sandelin prefers pasta with chicken and tomato sauce for breakfast, while Miguel Angel Jimenez (nicknamed "Mechanico" as much for his steady play and penchant for tinkering with engines as his blue collar mien) is partial to a cereal bowl of boiled eggs in olive oil.
While he may truly be unaware of his sense of humor - James is really quite amusing - it quickly becomes apparent that he does have a somewhat naïve blind spot with respect to his actions. But one can hardly blame him in his role as captain. He did what he thought was best by his players. Period. He tried to keep things loose, keep them happy and work with what he had.
Had his team prevailed imagine the outcry.
"What makes a good captain?" James was often asked.
"A good team," he always responded.
Nothing's changed. Whether the bear pit will be any more hospitable next time is the question. The answer may portend consequences with ramifications far into the future.
James calls for better regulation of alcohol consumption (by the crowd, one hastens to add, not the players), no day tickets, stricter security, better marshals and fewer hangers-on permitted inside the ropes.
He goes on to suggest that incitement of the crowd should carry the penalty of loss of hole. This may not be realistic but make no mistake about the seriousness of the slippery slope. "And if we do not come down hard at the next Ryder Cup," James writes, "it will be too late."
Rating: Whip Cracker * * * *
Duly Noted - Edition I - Shouting at Amen Corner
Duly Noted - Edition II - Precision Putting
Duly Noted - Edition III - In the Women's Clubhouse
Duly Noted - Edition IV - Royal and Ancient
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