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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Tuesday, February 1, 2000

Sports world off to
unreal start in 2000

WHAT is it about the year 2000? OK, for the purists and the anally retentive, it's not really the new millennium.

But it sure is a new century and the new era, or whatever you want to call it, in the world of sports is off to a helluva start.

And whoever's coming up with these Hollywood endings should get fired for being totally unrealistic. Get real.

I mean, the St. Louis Rams winning the Super Bowl with a quarterback from the AFL -- and I don't even mean the old American Football League?

Kurt Warner, a guy from the Arena Football League who was confused with the real Curt Warner at the start of the NFL season, goes on to become only the sixth player to win both the league and Super Bowl MVP honors?

Warner, Kurt not Curt, a one-time supermarket stock clerk, passes for more yards in the Super Bowl than Joe Montana, John Elway or Dan Marino -- the one and future Hall of Famers?

Besides earning Super Bowl rings, Warner and seven other Rams will be playing in the Pro Bowl this Sunday at Aloha Stadium.

What a difference a year -- and winning -- makes. Last season, the Rams had no players in the Pro Bowl. Running back Marshall Faulk made it as an Indianapolis Colt.

Then there's St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil, who was asked to take a hike a year ago after his team went 4-12. He wins the biggest game of the year to complete a 16-3 season and get a championship ring.

Somebody's making all this up, right?

Wrong.

ANYWAY, the National Football League couldn't have come up with a better script for Super Bowl XXXIV, unless the Tennessee Titans scored at the end to tie it and force the first overtime in Super Bowl history.

Great, touchy feely stories, all.

However, the NFL isn't the only one cornering the market on heart-tugging tales.

So far in the young 2000 season, the PGA Tour already has had more than its share of great stories:

Tiger Woods, the game's most dominant player, wins the tour opener to keep his winning streak going.

Paul Azinger, George Archer and Tom Lehman all return to the winner's circle for the first time in years.

And even the made-for-television Senior Skins Game had a fantastic finish as it went down to the 19th playoff hole with Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player all having a chance to win.

THE winner? Gary Player, who's hoping to become the first golfer to win a tour event in six different decades.

Shut out for 18 holes, Player birdies Mauna Lani's signature par-3 15th hole to zoom past his fellow golf legends with a zero-to-$220,000 finish to dust them all.

"It was a pretty good TV show and, in fact, that's what this is," Nicklaus said.

And you won't hear the last of the four guys. They won't be riding off into the sunset as yet.

Nicklaus, who had never played more than seven events since joining the Senior Tour in 1990, said he plans to be more active this year.

He'll also play in more regular tour events in order to play with his son, Gary, who gained his playing card for this year.

Watson figures he'll play about 20 senior events, besides the U.S. Open and Masters.

"That's a hell of a lot of golf for two guys who said they were going to retire at 38," said Palmer, 70, who had to be encouraged by his ball-striking.

Whether he's competitive or not, the Senior Tour still needs Arnie and his "Army."