Cyber Max

Before Tiger Woods came along to re-define what golf dominance is all about, the man who used to stand head and shoulders over everybody else in the world of golf was Jack Nicklaus. They called him “The Golden Bear” and his shadow loomed large over professional golf, specifically on the PGA Toiur for over two decades, from the sixties to the late-eighties. After retiring from the Tour, he then lorded it over the Champions Tour for retired golf pros, from the late-eighties to the nineties. Woods may be closing the gap fast but, for now, the Golden Bear is still widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time.

Born in Ohio, Nicklaus attended public schools as a young child and had to overcome a mild case of polio. He started playing golf at the age of 10 and shot a score of 51 for his first nine holes, which is phenomenal for a first timer, whether adult of child. He won the Ohio Junior State title at age 12 and went on to win the same title five more times. He won the US Amateur title twice and an NCAA Championship once while he was still a student at Ohio State University.

He made his pro debut in 1962 and went on to win 18 major tournaments (three British Open Championships, four U.S. Opens, five PGA Championships, and six Masters) a record that still holds to this day, despite the recent assault of Tiger Woods on the record books. Nicklaus is only one of five golfers to win all four majors golf tournaments in their career (the “Career Grand Slam” as it is known). He is only one of two golfers (the other being Tiger Woods) who has won all four major tournaments more than once. However, he stands alone as the lone golfer to ever win all four major tournaments at least three times. Nicklaus also owns the distinction of being the oldest player to ever win The Masters which he set in 1986 at the age of 46. Overall, Nicklaus won 46 top-3 finishes in major tournaments (including 19 second-place finishes and nine third-places), 56 top-5 finishes, and 73 top-10 finishes.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Golf, Fitness, and Sports

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You may not like Trading Spaces, but you’re going to see a house cleanup anyway if you’re an NBA fan. Thanks to Ron Artest and Latrell Sprewell, the NBA’s reputation isn’t perfect anymore, and David Stern is out to change that. Starting last Thursday, NBA players will be fined if they aren’t wearing formal outfits during pregame.



It’s true that NBA players have the reputation of being overpaid jerks, but having them put on a Giovanni suit isn’t going to change that. Does the NBA think I’ll think more of Ron Artest if he dresses like Donald Trump? Remember when Vernon Maxwell, Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer played? Yeah, those guys were the model citizens that these youngsters could learn a thing or two from.



Believe it or not, the war on fashion and leisure has been going on for a while in the NBA. Since last year, players can’t listen to walkmans in pregame sessions, something that Vince Carter found out. Chris Gatling was policed a couple years ago when his orange headband didn’t match the Cavs team colors.

These guys already wear uniforms, so is it really necessary to give them a dress code? If anything, making them dress fancy will hurt the NBA’s image. Showing players who dress casual and listen to music will help relate these people to the fans. But outfitting them in $1000-suits will only intensify our opinions of them as snobby jerks.



And that’s not all. NBA players will be required to attend even more sessions of community service, because David Harrison doesn’t have enough to do.



It’s not like improving the NBA’s image is a bad thing. Looking at the stats, the sheer number of fines and suspensions given weekly is astounding. In total money fined from the athletes last year, the MLB collected a total of $170,725 from all fines. The NFL collected roughly $3.3 million. The NBA gathered a whopping $13.9 million from league infractions in 2004. Stern fined Jeff Van Gundy $100K alone when Van Gundy suggested that the games were rigged. Not once since the start of the regular season did the NBA go a 2-week period without a suspension/fine.



Besides their drug policy, the NBA does a good job policing its league, but having the players wear suits won’t help the NBA’s image at all. The only good thing coming from this new dress code is the humor we’ll experience seeing these guys in suits. Could you imagine Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitski or Yao Ming in a tux? That’s some funny stuff.

Visit NBA Odds for more expert articles on sports.

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The NBA Draft is approaching fast and NBA teams are taking a hard look at whom they can pick to improve their team. Last year a young man by the name of Chris Paul almost single handedly turned around the New Orleans Hornets and won rookie of the year. With his success many teams seem to notice the importance of a quality point guard which is why many teams are targeting Marcus Williams, a point guard from the University of Connecticut. Marcus Williams is a left-handed, pass first point guard that has the ability to make other players better. That is why so many teams want him.

Several teams including the Raptors, Lakers, and Hawks are very interested in drafting the guard. Their is so much talk about Williams, it would make some think he is the only point guard in the draft.

Even though he is highly touted he has had off the court problems in the past with the theft of some computers on campus. He is also considered to lack foot speed and good shooting ability. Even with that said he is a player that most feel has a lot of heart and that should allow him to overcome the negative and go on to have a solid NBA career.

Andre Bias is a webmaster and is the owner of several websites including, http://www.serioushoops.com, http://www.inkjetdealz.com, and http://www.kidfriendlyentertainment.com

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