0 Have your say Graeme McDowell winning the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach was a source of pride for Northern Ireland. Rory McIlroy winning the US Open at Congressional the following year with a record score was a source of hope. And then a month later, Darren Clarke became the first Ulsterman in 64 years to raise the Claret Jug. In a span of six majors, Northern Ireland, with a population of 1.87 million, had produced three champions. What began as a question – “Could the Open return to Royal Portrush?” – became a drumbeat until organisers found a way to make it work. Golf’s oldest championship returns this week to the Dunluce Links of Royal Portrush for the first time since Max Faulkner’s victory in 1951, the only occasion in 159 years that the Open was not held in Scotland or England. “I didn’t see it getting big enough or sophisticated enough to host an Open,” said David Feherty, who grew up in Northern … [Read more...] about DOUG FERGUSON
Helga rabl stadler
The Phillie Phanatic could be a free agent. Here’s why
The fate of the Phillie Phanatic’s future hangs in the balance with a lawsuit that could determine whether the iconic mascot can enter free agency. The Philadelphia Phillies filed suit last week against Harrison/Erickson, Inc. (H/E) — the company which helped create the Phanatic in 1978 — claiming they planned to terminate a prior agreement which gave the team mascot rights. The Phillies are also arguing that the company is seeking to “make the Phanatic a free agent” unless their rights agreement is renegotiated for “millions of dollars.” How did this start? The issue stems from a dispute over who created the Phanatic. The suit alleges that the original concept for the Phanatic came from then-executive Vice President Bill Giles. It’s stated that Giles imagined the Phanatic as “green, fat, furry, big-nosed, and instantly accessible to children,” which is precisely as creepy as it sounds. This imagining of the mascot occurred … [Read more...] about The Phillie Phanatic could be a free agent. Here’s why