Rising to defend a wounded Shark

Sitting in the comfort of our family room Sunday night I heard something said on the TV that made me do something my wife would have thought next to impossible – get up from the recliner.

No kidding.

This twit – I know, a columnist is supposed to be able to call someone a twit without actually using the word twit. But this guy’s a twit – Mark McCormick said that Greg Norman “choked” in the 1996 Masters.

Choked.

Mark McCormick is the founder of IMG, a worldwide management company – so he’s probably not a twit when it comes to making money.

He started out as Arnold Palmer’s personal manager. He’s the guy who hooked Arnie up with Hertz, Pennzoil and others. That relationship went on until his company became so big that Arnie wasn’t getting that personal touch he was used to and fired him.

Question. Did McCormick choke? Is that what happened when Arnie fired him?

Norman didn’t choke at the Masters.

Here’s the scenario. Norman entered the final round of the 1996 Masters with a six-stroke lead, shot 78 and lost to Nick Faldo by five strokes.

Norman was so bad that it hurt to watch him. He still may be in the woods searching for the wheels that came off the cart that day.

But choke. I don’t think so. Anyone who has played golf knows how difficult the game is. Once you lose whatever feel you had or control you had over your game, it’s almost impossible to find it immediately.

I think once the wheels fell off the cart, Norman was in such a mental funk that he was lost. He didn’t quit. He kept trying. But shot after shot was so bad that he wasn’t the same man who had played the first 54 holes.

I also think he shouldn’t be called a choker because the man won two major championships. Two. Two British Opens. Which is exactly two more than McCormick.

We revel in other people’s misery. It’s a recliner game we play. It makes us feel better about ourselves to see someone else suffer, become humiliated.

Did Bill Buckner choke? I doubt it. He either didn’t bend over enough or have his glove close enough to the ground.

How about Jean Van de Velde? He entered the final hole at Carnoustie in 1999 needing only a six to win the British Open. He shot seven and lost.

Did he choke or just go brain dead? Brain dead, I think. He attempted shots he shouldn’t have tried. Repeatedly. But does poor choice and shot selection equal choke?

There are Web sites that list the great “chokers” of our time. Among them are people such as Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams. In the 2001-2002 NCAA basketball season he was considered one of the best players in the nation. Now he is being called a choker because he hasn’t performed the way those accusing him of choking expected.

Maybe Williams will turn out to be a great NBA player. Maybe not. He was an excellent college basketball player, which doesn’t always translate into NBA greatness. Choker? I hardly think so.

Well, that’s enough. Down off the soapbox and back to the recliner. I feel comfortable there. It’s safe and the only things I, like Mark McCormick, could choke on would be my words.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, (800) 310-8600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net