Welcome back to the NLU Mailbag. In this space, we’ll address topics big and small, smart and dumb, irreverent and serious.
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From mcriblet: It seems like (at least some) sports fans and sports writers have evolved their thinking to become considerably more pro-labor/pro-player than they were in the 80s and 90s - support for player safety initiatives, paying college athletes, not crushing guys for requesting trades and leaving in free agency, etc. So is it time for the players to revisit the idea of getting paid for the Ryder Cup, after Duval and Tiger were pilloried for raising it back in 99? I know it is already financially advantageous to be on the team for other reasons, and that they receive some donation for charity, but I have to think they are entitled to a greater share of the pie than they are getting.
I feel torn on this issue, even though I am extremely pro-labor and don’t make any apologies for holding that position. The Ryder Cup has become obscenely lucrative for the PGA of America and the DP World Tour, to the point where the Euro Tour likely could not stay afloat without the Ryder Cup refilling its coffers every four years. Why shouldn’t the players be fairly compensated when they’re the reason the event has become so compelling? This is what Woods, Mickelson and Duval were pointing out prior to Brookline, and I think it’s a fair argument. Someone is profiting off of this. Why are we okay with those profits going to organizations — where there is very little transparency over how that money is being spent — and not the people responsible for the product? Why should Tiger Woods work for charity but not John Lindert, the president of the PGA of America?
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The flip side of me believes while professional golfers attempting to squeeze every last dollar out of their marketability might philosophically make sense, it also feels a little gross to the people footing the bill (the fans watching).
Golfers participated in the Ryder Cup long before it was a lucrative event. The only reason Wyndham Clark and Max Homa would, in theory, be entitled to a large piece of the financial pie in 2023 is that people like Ben Hogan and Sam Snead laid the groundwork for it more than 60 years ago when the event almost didn’t return after the Second World War. If those men hadn’t played for free, traveling across the ocean, there wouldn’t be a Ryder Cup to profit from. I like the idea of honoring that tradition with a charitable donation in a player's name, not having their agents stick their hand out.
You are the 2023 US Ryder Cup Captain. You are making your duo selections for alt shot. Which pairings would you choose, not based on their golf skill of chemistry, but SOLELY based on how legit-sounding their law firm name would be if they were to represent you in a high profile court case (for example, is the law firm of Spieth & Thomas good enough to represent you if a LIVbot attempts to sue you).
I love the alliteration of Schauffele, Scheffler and Spieth, which would definitely have billboards all around town. My assumption would be that Xander would handle tax law, Scottie would be a calm civil attorney and Jordan would be an excellent criminal lawyer, his emotions and courtroom antics appealing to a jury. But Rahm, Straka and Rose would be a very intimidating law firm as well. Rahm would be a menace in the courtroom, frequently being threatened with contempt of court for his outbursts, but ultimately saved by his analytical co-counsel Justin Rose.
After @soly’s aggression against Sheboygan/Wisconsin of all places on Sunday’s pod, what would be the worst place in America to host a Ryder Cup and why is it Cleveland?
I want no part of this Wisconsin/Ohio blood feud, but I do think a Ryder Cup in Ohio wouldn’t be even close to the worst place you could hold it. I think a Ryder Cup held at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas would get my vote as the worst possible venue, just soulless and hot — too many full of fake waterfalls, fake smiles and fake breasts. No, thank you.
I do wish the Ryder Cup could travel to more venues, and places with an actual soul. But I also worry that the crowd at Bethpage in 2025 is going to behave so poorly, it’s going to make Brookline look like tea party at Buckingham Palace.
From: Clint Novak. If you could create 2 Ryder Cup teams for USA and Europe, using players from past 30 years only, who is going on each side?
Okay, 30 years is more limiting than I realized and perhaps more limiting than you realized. It’s 1993-2023, so I’m just barely able to sneak in Seve for the Euros, and Raymond Floyd for the US. After much deliberation, here are my squads:
For the United States: Raymond Floyd, Lanny Watkins, Corey Pavin, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Colin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele.
For Europe: Seve Ballesteros, Bernard Langer, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari.
Are there some glaring oversights? Absolutely. Tiger Woods getting left off the American side is difficult, but it’s hard to wrap your brain around the harsh truth. He won one Ryder Cup, in 1999, as a player. He was a headache in terms of pairings. He can be the captain. Phil Mickelson making my squad may seem like a curious decision, but he had two great Ryder Cups (1995, 2012) and two good ones (2016, 2014), even if he also had several stinkers. Anthony Kim makes this squad even though Brooks Koepka is likely more deserving simply because I loved his vibes in 2008 as much as any American player ever. Pavin’s inclusion might feel like a surprise, but he had a 8-5 record and won two cups as a player. In an era where U.S. wins were hard to come by, that’s pretty impressive. Xander gets the nod despite playing in only one cup over some other guys because of his ability to hit it straight, which we’ll need in Europe.
It gets more difficult on the European side, where Graeme McDowell gets left off, Henrik Stenson gets left off, Padraig Harrington gets left off and so does Darren Clarke. Faldo wasn’t great in this era, but he’s one of the best of all time, so if I’m going to put Seve and Lanny Wadkins on the squad based on past performance, it feels like Faldo should get the nod as well. Fleetwood and Molinari were as good a pairing as Seve and JMO, so I want them both on this squad. Honestly, Rory came closest on the European side to getting bumped, but some of his record doesn’t reflect how well he played at Celtic Manor and Hazeltine.
Turns out Soly and DJ were right, the course is an absolute joke and the players are throwing a fit through the first 4 sessions. A tied event on Saturday night and with a horrible weather forecast for Sunday, the teams decide to forego singles and instead they’ll compete in twelve, one round boxing matches, each “round” ending with a KO.
Having never been in a fight in his entire life, ZJ turns to the lone journalist on site who has actually thrown hands (who knows, I’m clearly making a lot of stuff up at this point). KVV, how do you structure the US team and who are their opponents? How do you see the boxing matches turning out, and who takes home the Ryder Cup?
Before we proceed here, I have to admit, I have only been in fights on the football field, while in full pads, and so I can’t claim much pugilist expertise. But I do enjoy this game, in part because so many golfers would look ridiculous in a boxing ring. We’re going to stipulate these are actual boxing matches, with 10-ounce gloves, not bare-knuckle brawls. If I’m advising Zach Johnson, I’m hoping these are my match-ups, because we are in serious trouble when I look over my line-up:
Brooks Koepka vs. Rory McIlroy: The Europeans always send one of thei
Source: https://nolayingup.com/blog/kvv-mailbag-2023-ryder-cup-edition