All about Benjamins
For all those dads who can’t wait to put a football, basketball or bat in their toddler’s hands, perhaps golf clubs should now be taken into consideration. For the first time, two golfers head SI.com’s “Fortunate 50” as the U.S.’s richest athletes. Tiger Woods is No. 1 at $97.6 million – $10.6 million in winnings last year and $87 million in endorsements. No. 2 is Phil Mickelson at $45.9 million – $5.9 million in winnings and $40 million in endorsements. Next on the list are Shaquille O’Neal at $34 million ($20 million yearly salary and $14 million in endorsements) and Kobe Bryant at $33.6 million ($15.6 million salary and $18 million in endorsements). Rounding out the top 10 are the Cincinnati Bengals’ Carson Palmer ($31.55 million), the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James ($28,621,800), the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter ($28 million), the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez ($27 million), driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($25,761,83) and the Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Vick ($25.4 million).
Aces in the hole
An insurance agent playing in a weekend tournament followed up his first hole-in-one with another one day later. On the same hole. Using the same club. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing,” said Jack North, managing director of the Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, where Danny Leake accomplished the feat. Leake, 53, aced the sixth hole Saturday with a 5-iron from 174 yards out. He aced the same hole with the same club from 178 yards out in Sunday’s final round. “My 5-iron is becoming my favorite club,” Leake told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, adding he was more than satisfied with his hole-in-one Saturday and had no thought of repeating the gem. “That’s what makes this whole thing crazy. I’ll probably never hit another one as long as I live, but I’m OK with that,” he said.
Silent in Chicago
“For the first time in my life, I’m speechless. It’s been two tough weeks. It’s tough for me to point at any of the players. I blame everybody.”
Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox manager, on the defending World Series champs being 3-7 over their past 10 games and 8 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central entering Monday’s games
