STATELINE, NV -- I couldn't make it across the pond for the British Open, but I'm thrilled to be at the American Century Golf Celebrity Championship. I've watched the tournament for years, and I was fortunate when my sports editor asked me if I'd be interested in coming out here for a few days.
In the meantime, someone on Twitter asked for some odds. I don't want to list all the athletes but here's a sampling:
Who says no to an assignment like that?
It's been a scramble, since I arrived late last night. I drove through mountains and on winding roads, but I had no chance to appreciate the beauty since it was pitch black out.
As a golf fan, this would be a perfect weekend for me. British Open in the morning, then the American Century Celebrity tournament in the afternoon/ early evening. NBC Sports Network will televise the first round starting at 3 p.m. CST to 6 p.m. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, from 2 to 5 CST.
Tony Romo, 5/2
Rick Rhoden, 4/1
Billy Joe Tolliver, 7/2
John Smoltz, 5/1
Dan Quinn, 7/1
Defending champion Jack Wagner, 7/1
Jeremy Roenick, 8/1
John Elway, 12/1
Mark Rypien, 12/1
Grant Fuhr, 15/1
Brett Hull, 18/1
Marshall Faulk, 20/1
Jerry Rice, 20/1
Joe Theismann, 30/1
Jason Witten, 30/1
Michael Jordan, 40/1
Miles Austin, 40/1
Alex Smith, 40/1
Alfonso Ribeiro, 40/1
Urban Meyer, 40/1
Tim Brown, 40/1
Greg Maddux, 50/1
Robbie Gould, 50/1
Aaron Rodgers, 50/1
Jim McMahon, 50/1
Oscar De La Hoya, 50/1
Vinny Testaverde, 50/1
David Wells, 60/1
Emmitt Smith, 100/1
Jared Allen, 100/1
Steve Spurrier, 200/1
Dan Jansen, 200/1
Ray Romano, 300/1
Herman Edwards, 300/1
Brandi Chastain, 300/1
Charles Barkley, 1,000/1
A few observations: The bookies are being generous with a lot of these athletes. 1,000 to 1 is too generous for Barkley, and there's no way that Gould and McMahon, for instance, should both be at 50 to 1. Gould is a far superior player.
* Elway can really pound the ball... And it's effortless.
* Richard Dent showed tremendous touch on the putting green.
* Barkley, of course, created the most chaos among the fans.
* Shane Battier may be an NBA champion... but he's a terrible golfer. 300 to 1 odds are generous for him. He could barely get the ball off the ground.
* I kind of got a kick out of seeing Dennis Haysbert, the actor who played the president on 24, one of my favorite shows. If you don't watch 24, then you may know him from the Allstate commercials.
* Some of the interesting pairings for Friday are: Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin and Vince Coleman; Jerry Rice, Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers; Charles Barkley, Ray Romano and Brian Baumgartner; and Steve Spurrier, Dan Quayle and Steve Kerr.
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