A Great Father's Day - UPDATED!

I must admit, I'm not much of a golf fan. But Sunday was not about me, it was about my dad, and golf has been a big part of his life, to say the least. His only request on Sunday, other than a small amount of manual labor from my brother and I, was to relax, cook out, and watch the U.S. Open.

So after we nailed a series of fertilizer spikes into the ground to help some struggling foliage (that my dog's errant urine streams helped to their current, weakened state, I must add), all that remained on the agenda was an afternoon of spare ribs and Oakmont.

After enduring Bob Costas and Jimmy Roberts wax poetic about life, Arnold Palmer, and Oakmont, it was time to watch some actual golf. I don't know how you can psyche yourself up to watch golf, but I could feel the excitement and importance of the event.

When Tiger Woods emerged for the day, he looked as if he could step onto the gridiron. To call him "jacked" would be an understatement. He was rocking the tight red shirt and black pants, his official "Eye of the Tiger" uniform. He didn't say anything to anyone, but you knew the other players could feel his presence on the practice tee. It was like watching Tom Brady get ready to beat Peyton Manning in the playoffs again. Only one problem: much like Manning finally got the best of Brady this year, Oakmont got the best of Tiger on this Father's Day.

Yes, it was Argentina's Angel Cabrera who would be victorious at this edition of the U.S. Open, immediately becoming the second-most memorable Cabrera in Pittsburgh sports history, trailing only the Pirate-killing Francisco Cabrera. Each had their own lasting impact: Francisco ruined the Pirates' chances of their first World Series appearance since 1979; Angel ruined the spectators' chance to tell their grandchildren that they saw the great Tiger Woods win at Oakmont. And much like the Pirates in 1992, Woods was the heavy favorite to emerge victorious.

Sidenote: Coincidence or not? On the very same day that an underdog named Cabrera won the US Open in Pittsburgh, Barry Bonds hit a home run off of former teammate Tim Wakefield, and SportsCenter showed a recap of some Bonds comments about Wakefield following the 1992 loss. Wow. I'm getting chills.

As my father and brother both suggested, considering the venue and proximity to a certain below-average baseball team, was this a day that Tiger should have worn something different? I present to you Exhibit A, the Pirates' "Sunday, red uniforms":

Yes, we dislike the Pirates so much, now they even get blamed when Tiger Woods fails to take home a major championship. Speaking of the Buccos, they did manage to pull out an 8-7 win against the White Sox on Sunday, but I must admit, they were justly relegated to third-string with our remote, trailing the Open and the Man vs. Wild marathon on the depth chart. Don't fret though, I saw more than enough, including an exquisite Jason Bay called strike three and the highly unexpected four-RBI day from Nate McLouth.

All in all, it was a great Father's Day. We saw some interesting golf, we saw as little of the Pirate game as possible, and unlike Ian Snell, we managed to not burn ourselves while preparing food. For a Father's Day on a quiet Western PA afternoon, that's all you can hope for.

UPDATES:

Here's a few points and related links worth adding on...

--Can we put an end to the Luke Ravenstahl-Tiger Woods controversy? Probably not. I must say, there is a true divide. I was at an event this weekend at Luke's (and my) alma mater of Washington and Jefferson College, and across the board, they believed the story to be false. Yet I get email after email from people saying they know this story is true. To top it off, the man himself, Jon Delano from KDKA, sent me an email and directed me and my readers to his blog as he tells his story one last time. Will it ever end? Probably not. But it's certainly become a white-hot topic of debate.

-Two things I forgot to mention about Angel Cabrera:

1. As long as we're on the topic of Sunday's final-round apparel, it should be noted that Cabrera was wearing black and gold. Or at least black and yellow.

2. Smoking in sports is always a popular topic on this site, and I think we found a Hall of Famer in that category in Cabrera, who spent the entire round smoking cigarettes.

-Jim Furyk, who grew up in nearby Uniontown, PA, got so fired up from the "Here We Go Jimmy, Here We Go!" chant of the crowd that he pulled his ball into the rough on the 17th hole. Steeler fans...they even make golf exciting.

U.S. Open: Cabrera defeats Woods, Furyk by one shot [Post-Gazette]

Pirates Notebook: Snell won't be cooking in Seattle [Post-Gazette]

Luke at Oakmont [Delano's Den]

It's Good to Have a Golf Champion Who Actually Looks Like a Golfer [Deadspin]

Encouragement from the crowd pleases Furyk [Post Gazette]