Thank you ladies!

The golf world and the tennis world lost two champions this week. Annika Sorenstam and Justine Henin both bowed out calling for early retirement. Both these women were at the top of their game and who knows how many victories left on the table.

Annika is ready for the next stage in her life. She’s ready to settle down with her soon-to-be husband and start a family. Justine, on the other hand, went through a public divorce and is ready to start the next phase of her life. It will be interesting to watch. Will either decide that the thrill of competition is too hard to walk away from? Only time will tell, but we should be thankful for their commitment to their sport, their impeccable reputations, and their gracious exits from the sports that they so love!

Warrick Dunn Gives Back-again!

Too many stories in the sports section are about athletes gone bad. College kids cheating, stealing or accepting cash from “should know better” alumni. Baseball players loading up on juice and women. Soccer players running around with prostitutes (allegedly male prostitutes). Football players doing all of the above.

But Friday, I opened the paper to read about one of the good guys. Warrick Dunn, began the Warrick Dunn Foundation “Home for the Holidays” charity almost the very day he was drafted back in 1997 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has already assisted 77 single parents and 201 children realize their dream of owning their own home. Warrick focuses on families who have “demonstrated a commitment to advance financial independence and stability.” In other words, parents (mainly mothers) who have worked their butts off to provide for their families, but still struggle to make ends meet. Warrick does all this in honor of his mother, Betty Smothers, a single parent police officer who was shot and killed in 1993.

The Foundation provides, not only down payment assistance but also, with the help of community sponsors, furnish the house with everything from appliance to hand towels, stock the kitchen and gives a monetary contribution to help support the family. This past Mother’s Day, Warrick helped three families in the Tampa Bay area. Happy Mother’s Day.

Ernie Els’ champion cause

As the Player’s Championship enters it’s second day, all eyes are on the #2 golfer in the world. Okay, that sounds a little less romantic than #1, but Tiger is sitting this one out while recovering from knee surgery.

If you’re looking for someone else to cheer for, here are a couple of my favorites.

1. Brandt Snedeker. He’s my new favorite. Though he did win Rookie of the Year last year, he came into the spotlight during the Masters a couple weeks ago. He was in contention for the win all four days but began to fall apart on the last nine holes. Brandt’s tearful post round interview was all the talk on Monday. Golfers usually try to subdue their emotions, but there was Brandt, out right weeping for the cameras. He realized just how close he had come; he thought about his mother, who had had open heart surgery a couple months back, and still carried his bag during the practice round on Wed.; he thought, “why am I crying on national TV…” Watch him this weekend. He has a goofy grin on his face no matter how bad it gets. He’s fun!

2. Ernie Els. The Big Easy. Ernie recently announced that his 5 year-old son has autism and Ernie has come out as a spokesperson for the Autism Society. He has a new logo on his golf bag: “Autism Speaks”. Ernie Els is a very private, family man, so for him to come out and expose personal information regarding his home life was probably very difficult, but he knew he had to bring autism into the public’s eyes and fight for a cure.

3. Adam Scott. Well, see for yourself: