David Fay, somewhat shockingly, retires as head of USGA

Since 1989, David Fay has been the face of the United States Golf Association, taking over as executive director that year, changing the way tournaments and golf was perceived for the following two decades.

But on Friday, Fay announced that he'd be stepping down from his position at the USGA, leaving a place he helped mold into a new generation.

You see, before Fay (number 57 in our top-100 most important people in golf history), the USGA wasn't nearly as everyday man, but he worked hard to change that perception. Fay dropped out of the famed Pine Valley Country Club in the late '90s because he didn't feel it was the right look for his organization, and made a bold, but eventually successful move, when he took the U.S. Open, the USGA's crown jewel, to a public golf course in 2002. The event at Bethpage Black was so successful (thanks to the crowds and Tiger Woods) that the USGA returned there in 2009, a year after they played the championship at another public course, Torrey Pines.

While Fay's course setup has caused stirs over the years (maybe the biggest eyebrow raise by players was the speed of the greens at Shinnecock Hills in '04), he has always stuck to his guns with tight fairways, high rough and mean but consistent greens.

"Things are in good order," Fay said in a statement. "Our senior staff leaders, each of whom I have put into place, are highly talented and motivated. And looking ahead, there are a number of multiyear projects on the drawing board ... which makes this, for me, a good time to move on. Leave on a high note, as Seinfeld would say."

Fay recently turned 60, and will be replaced by Mike Butz, the deputy executive director since 1995.

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Picture: Serena Williams' provocative workout outfit

Serena Williams was getting ready for a workout on Wednesday and decided to Tweet a picture of her gym outfit, which she described as "nuts."

Oh, Serena. You've worn crazy outfits in the past, nothing could surprise us any more.

(clicks on image link)

I stand corrected. 

That's quite a get-up she has there. Did she buy that from the Marilyn Chambers workout collection? Serena looks like she's auditioning for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation tour rather than getting ready to hit the elliptical. And what's with those forearm gloves? Does part of her gym time involve arm wrestling Sly Stallone from "Over the Top"?

Let's give credit where credit is due, though. Of all the famous athletes in the world, only Serena could pull-off wearing an outfit like that. Though if she's ever looking for a less-revealing outfit, I know just the garment for her. 

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Dimitar Berbatov is...The Continental

Well hello there.

I see you've caught me playing it cool like a Don Draper or a Mr. Bean. Since Manchester United's match against Chelsea was postponed over the weekend, I knew you would be experiencing some serious Berba-withdrawal. Shaking. Crying. The unshakable feeling of being watched whenever you take a shower or eat dairy products. ... You only feel those things when you know I'm around? Well, I'll take that to mean you appreciate my presence, then. Ha-HA! 

Anyway, since you didn't have the chance to revel in the sensual euphoria of watching me unleash my erotic will by scoring goals with ease, I have decided to take you on a sexy adventure. ... No, you can't say no to going on the sexy adventure before you even hear what the sexy adventure is. ... Well, yes, it does involve riding in my carpeted van that smells like underpants and wet dogs. ... Please stop gagging.

Just listen to this Berba-brilliant idea. First, we will enjoy a wonderful holiday picnic of squirrel meat and candy canes outside a strip club that I am no longer invited to enter. Then, we will rub each other's earlobes for several hours while I serenade you with an arousing rendition of "Berba-Bells." And finally, we will retire to a portable toilet and do things that will most definitely involve copious amounts of mayonnaise. Now. Did The Berba just fulfill your Christmas wish or what? Ha-HA!

Oh-OHHH! What was that?! Did you just throw a lump of coal at my head? Oh, that hurt so much! Oh, who carries coal around with them and then throws it at people who invite them on erotic holiday excursions? Oh, that was not the response I expected at all, even though I most definitely should have. Still, I'll pick you up at eight. 

Join us again next time for another chapter in the life of...The Continental...

Photo: WENN

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Which would you rather have, major wins or a No. 1 ranking?

Lee Westwood has been No. 1 for a few weeks now, and the big knock on him every time is that he's won exactly as many majors as you have. But according to a recent interview, that fact bothers him not at all:

"People confuse being world No. 1 with winning a major championship," Westwood said. "But winning a major doesn't make you the best player in the world. No, being the best player in the world is all about consistency -- just look at the world rankings. I have way more points than anyone else. And if you look at the number of tournaments, you'll see I have played five, six, seven tournaments LESS than most other people -- and yet I'm still world No. 1."

Yeah, he's got a point, but consistency doesn't quite match up to the cachet of a major championship win. Trevor Immelman, Mike Weir and Zach Johnson are good if undistinguished golfers, but no matter where they go for the rest of their days, they'll be introduced as Masters champions. Ian Woosnam, Ben Curtis, Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel -- all these guys have something that Lee Westwood, the No. 1 golfer in the world, doesn't.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum, you have Rory McIlroy, who said on Twitter that he'd rather have six majors than nine Order of Merit/Race to Dubai championships. He'd be willing to toss a Ryder Cup over the side for a major win, too.

How about you? Assuming you could reach the top ranking in golf -- and if you can, give us a call; we'll sponsor ya -- would you trade it for a major? Heck, what WOULD you do to win a major?

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Lions lock up Lulay

The B.C. Lions have signed quarterback Travis Lulay (pictured at right leaping for a touchdown against Saskatchewan Nov. 14) to a contract extension. If you go by the club's official release, that's all you'd know, with both the money and years being kept out of it (a far-too-common policy in the CFL, unfortunately). Sportsnet's Arash Madani managed to track down the details, though, and they're quite interesting.

Madani tweeted that the Lulay deal is for two years (including an option) and is believed to be in the range of $250,000 per year. That seems about right; it's not the $400,000 figure believed to be paid to some of the league's proven top quarterbacks, but Lulay hasn't hit that level yet. He has demonstrated that he deserves a chance to start for the Lions next season, though; he only took over as starter halfway through the year and completed 205 of 318 attempts (64.4 per cent) for 2,602 yards and nine touchdowns, adding 396 further yards on 62 carries (6.4 yards per carry). He even picked up three rushing touchdowns, including the spectacular leaping one below that proved crucial to a victory over Winnipeg and set the stage for B.C.'s playoff push:

Lulay also performed well under pressure, playing lights-out down B.C.'s stretch of must-win games. He was particularly spectacular against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in B.C.'s final game of the regular season, completing 30 of 41 passing attempts for 424 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also played well in the Lions' double-overtime loss to Saskatchewan in the West Division semi-final; he completed 28 of his 47 passes (60 per cent), threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and scrambled five times for 39 yards and a touchdown. Most impressive was his incredible Flutiesque Hail Mary to Emannuel Arceneaux to send the game to overtime:

Those kind of performances certainly piqued other teams' interest in Lulay, so it makes sense that the Lions want to lock him up for a little while. He wasn't on the official free agent list, so it's likely he still had one year on his current contract before other CFL teams could come calling, but Madani reports that the NFL's Dallas Cowboys were sniffing around Lulay. The extension keeps him north of the border for now and ensures that he'll be wearing Lions' colours for the near future.

This contract has the potential to bomb if Lulay struggles; remember the last B.C. quarterback who impressed down the stretch to earn a new contract and a starting job? However, it could turn into quite a deal for the Lions. $250,000 annually is probably one of the lower starting quarterback contracts in the CFL, which is fair given Lulay's inexperience, but could become a bargain if he continues his strong play. This deal could also work well for Lulay; he's only 27 and he hasn't exactly proven a ton in the CFL so far. If he performs well over the next couple of years, he could be set to cash in on his next deal, either in the CFL or the NFL.

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South African Open skips water-logged par-3 on Sunday

If you're randomly scouring scores for the European Tour's South African Open, and let's face, why wouldn't you be, you'd probably notice an eerie similarity. Everyone in the field made a par on the par-3 4th hole during the final round. Strange, right?

Not so much when you hear about what happened. The golf course sustained so much rainfall this week, that on Sunday, the fourth hole was basically unplayable, forcing players like Retief Goosen (pictured) to just walk past the par-3 and take a par.

It basically changed the Durban Country Club from a par-72 to a par-69, and made for another wacky instance to add to the list of strange things in golf that happened this season (two 59s, a major decided on a rules violation just to name one of the many rules infractions).

The forced par didn't stop Ernie Els from taking home the trophy with a score of 25-under, the lowest ever shot in this event. Maybe Ernie could have used that extra hole to add another birdie.

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Roy Hodgson is sorry, won't take the hint

Roy Hodgson ensured a cruddy end to his 2010 by losing to Wolves and then criticizing Liverpool fans for not cheering him as he sinks the team into the abyss of the bottom half of the table. And now, after realizing that this probably wasn't the best way to win over supporters, he's decided to apologize and pretend that he didn't mean to offend them by saying the "famous Anfield" support has been missing and implying that the fans think he's trying to lose games on purpose.

From the Independent:

"Things have been misinterpreted," said Hodgson.

"I was responding to a question about how it felt to be jeered by fans, making it clear it hurts me and I was disappointed by it because no-one wants to feel they are unpopular.

"It's not been an easy ride for me and I was not the first-choice appointment with a lot of fans.

"But if I have offended them in any way I deeply regret that.

"All I can do is apologise and make it perfectly clear there was nothing offensive in my comments."

Well, that's nice. But if Liverpool fans are hoping Roy will slink away from the club under the cover of night, they can forget it. Hodgson makes it clear that you're going to have to pry this job from his cold, dead hands. 

"It has taken me a long while to get to this elevated position coaching one of the best clubs in Europe.

"I was very pleased to get the job - I left a very good job to take it - so the last thing in my mind is walking away from a club like this or walking away from football.

"I want to be here, I want to change things, I want to turn it around and I want to help the club and the new owners get the success they want."

And I want my own pony and a reality show for Andrei Arshavin.

"I know with the right amount of time and patience and with a little bit of luck we will get back to where we should be.

"We are not there at the moment and we have to keep working towards it.

"Let's not make everything ridiculously 'doomy and gloomy' because we lost a game.

Fair enough. But what if we make everything ridiculously doomy and gloomy because you lost eight games? And because the fans really don't like you. And because the players are underperforming. And because you're in 12th place. And because the new owners kind of have no idea what they're in for. And -- I could go on, but I don't want to be responsible for any suicides. 

Photo: Getty Images

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