Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 30, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page d4 d 4 Winnipeg free press saturday August 30, 2008 sports Winnipeg repress. Com n Orton mass. Mike Weir shaved his playoff Beard when his wife and children flew into town this week but that had no bearing on his Golf Friday. This was a round to enjoy not explain. Determined to get off to a better Start Weir birdied the first four holes and one putted his final nine greens in the Deutsche Bank championship to tie the course record at pc Boston with a 10 under 61, the lowest round of his pea tour career. The Brights Grove ont., native had a three shot Lead Over a group of four that included Vijay Singh whose Victory last week at the Barclays put him atop the standings in the pea tour playoffs for the Fedex cup. Singh previously had the pc Boston course record to himself a 61 in the third round two years ago. And the fijian set the tone for a Day of Low scores when he ran off five birdies in a six Hole stretch for a 64. It took Weir Only 10 holes to catch him. There was no indication on the putting Green when i was warming up that was going to Tell me it was going to be like that Weir said. It just Felt Normal. Just one of those Days where i made about a 15 footer on the first Hole another on the second Hole. I just kind of built on that momentum. I just tried to keep the pedal Down because i knew the scores were pretty Low. John Merrick Heath Slocum and briny Baird joined Singh at 64, while Ben Curtis had a 65. Ernie Els and Jim Furyk were in a Large group another stroke Back. More than half of the 115 Man Field shot in the 60s, and Only 23 players failed to break Par. Even so Weir never saw a 61 coming. In his 20 previous stroke play events this year he had shot in the 60s Only one time at the Canadian open. Its been kind of my goal the last month or so to get off to better starts he said. It seems like Ive been having to come from behind. Ive just put it in mind to try to get off to a better Start. Obviously this was Way exceeding my expectations. Only three of his Birdie putts were inside 10 feet including a five footer on 18 that gave him his career Low on tour one shot better than a 62 in the first round at doral seven years ago. The Only noticeable difference was a clean shaven face. Weir had been on vacation when he grew a Light Beard and he kept it for the first round of the playoffs last week at the Barclays where he tied for seventh. He also stars in a pea tour commercial with Wayne Gretzky who urges Weir to grow a playoff Beard As if these were the Stanley cup playoffs. But when his wife and daughters Ages 10 and 8 arrived on tuesday and his girls kiss him Weir gave each a razor and let them Start stripping away the Beard. The playoff atmosphere was not As great As last year perhaps because Tiger Woods Isnit around to make his playoff debut and there a snot the Star Power centred on one group As there was last year when Woods Singh and Phil Mickelson played the first two rounds. Mickelson the defending Champion suffered through a familiar malaise. He hit the Ball Fine but 31 putts kept in the Middle of the pack at a 69. The worst score belonged to British open and pea Champion Padraig Harrington who finished with a triple bogey 8 for 75. The associated press they re the defending Vanier cup champions and the most dominant team in their conference for the past decade. So Yourd think the University of Manitoba bosons would head into the 2008 season with a big target on their backs. Yourd think wrong. Indeed to hear head coach Brian Dobie Tell it his defending Canadian University football champions Are getting very Little respect As their season kicks off today at Home against the Regina rams 1 p. M., University stadium. The word out there on the Street says Dobie is Good for the bosons they did Good last year but now they re done. Thatus the kind of thing Ive been hearing around the country. Now this is the part of the Story where the coach normally grits his Teeth and goes on to say How his opponents will regret not showing his team the proper respect How its All great fodder for his locker room bulletin Board How his team is going to punish their detractors. But the truth is Dobie says hers not sure his teams critics Arentt completely right. Or completely wrong. Or something in Between. We could be 1 7, Dobie says bluntly. Or we could be 7 1. Or we could be 4 4. I really dont know what will happen until the bullets Start flying. The problem As Dobie relates it is that there Are just too Many question Marks on this defending Champion squad heading into the new season. To begin with they ave lost an Eye popping nine starters from last years defence including All five from what was a Stellar secondary. Thatus bad and the news on the offensive Side of the Ball Isnit much better with four starters from last years squad gone including three fifths of the offensive line. Put it All together and Dobie says dont be surprised to see some blown coverages go for Long touchdowns and his teams quarterbacks spend some Long afternoons staring at the Clouds. Were going to have our struggles and challenges no question says Dobie. But were also going to have some strengths. And those strengths Are not inconsiderable. Starting a a and Vanier cup map John Makie will be Back. And so too will All Star running Back Matt Henry who has the makings of a great Story As he attempts a comeback from a stomach churning leg injury suffered in last Falls championship game. Add to that Core a Trio of returning receivers in Terry fire Randy Simmons and Simon Blaszczak plus kicker Scott Dixon and Dobie says his teams detractors Are foolish to so easily count out his squad. I think were a Sleeper heading into the season says Dobie and i think Well get better As the season goes on. To Days Home opener should give Dobie a great indication of where is team is and where they have to get to in order to be competitive. The rams have their Star Veteran quarterback Teale Orban Back and Are being picked by some As the favourites to win the Hardy cup in a season where the bosons and another traditional Canada West powerhouse in Saskatchewan both have some serious rebuilding to do. Paul. Wiecek free press. . Ca by Paul Wiecek Bison football Vanier cup champs Start answering questions today Cincinnati maybe receiver Chad Johnson can go by the name that his head coach hates. The Cincinnati bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward county fla., a switch that became official this week according to several Media reports. Johnson who lives in Miami did not return a message left on his cellphone Friday night. Its something i dont think anyone has Ever done before he told the teams website. Have i Ever had a reason for Why i do what i do ism having fun. Two years ago Johnson gave himself the Moniker a reference in Spanish to his no. 85 and put it on the Back of his uniform before a game. Quarterback Carson Palmer ripped it off before the Kickoff. After the season coach Marvin Lewis who dislikes Johnsons attention getting stunts referred to the receiver As Ocho psycho. Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said the bengals had no comment on the matter. Johnson has been a concern for the bengals this season. He unsuccessfully lobbied for a Trade in the off season threatening to sit out if he did not get his Way. When the bengals refused he relented and showed up for mini Camp but complained that his right ankle was bothering him. Brawling Vike suspended Minneapolis the nil suspended Minnesota left tackle Bryant Mckinnie for four games without pay Friday for violating the leagues personal conduct policy a blow to the Protection of Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jacksons Blind Side. Mckinnie has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a Street Brawl outside a Miami nightclub in february. He will be eligible to return to the Vikings Active roster following the teams sept. 28 game against Tennessee. Manning expects to Start Indianapolis Peyton Manning expects to be in the starting lineup when the Indianapolis Colts open the season against the Chicago bears. The Colts quarterback who underwent knee surgery in july was activated tuesday and went through a pregame workout with the team before the final pre season game thursday night. He and the rest of the team went through a Short practice Friday before coach Tony Dungy sent them Home for the weekend. I dont really want to get into daily Progress reports of How it went. But it was something that we decided to do last week Manning said of his increased workload in practice. Were going to just keep progressing. The associated press Mike Deal / Winnipeg free press archives Brian Dobie wont know what to expect from Herd until bullets Start flying. Stew Milne / the associated press Mike Weir tees off on the 10th Friday. By the time he finished the Hole with a Birdie he had caught clubhouse Leader Vijay Singh at seven under. Weir shaves Beard strokes 61 lowest round of pea career ties course Mark by Doug Ferguson i made about a 15 footer on the first Hole another on the second Hole. I just kind of built on that momentum Mike Weir Vancouver a posh Golf course in b. S lower Mainland is denying membership to non English speaking players similar to a controversial plan by the Lyga. The private Vancouver Golf club which opened nearly 100 years ago in Coquitlam b. C., rejects potential members who dont speak English. The clubs general manager Brent Gough has said the policy is designed to ensure All members Are Able to communicate and understand the clubs rules. Gough stopped taking Calls on the Issue Friday but he told Csc that the policy was introduced a few years ago after prospective members in particular East asian immigrants started applying with the help of translators. We ask them to go away and take language courses and reapply he said. Earlier in the week news surfaced that the Lyga tour plans to implement a policy that would suspend players who Arentt fluent in English. The Lyga policy which will Sanction women golfers for not speaking English in pro ams trophy presentations and Media interviews faced immediate criticism including from male golfers who Arentt subject to the same rules. Human rights and Legal experts agreed the Coquitlam Golf club is Likely within its Legal rights to limit membership but prof. Michael Inzlicht of the University of Toronto suggested the club has a social responsibility to accommodate not exclude immigrants. I would be one of the people that would say this is not morally Correct Inzlicht who teaches a class on the psychology of discrimination said in an interview. Not speaking English does not exclude one from Good manners does not exclude one from being a very Good Golf player so if you re really worried about rules and regulations. Theress definitely some other ways of getting around this. Inzlicht said there Are other ways to communicate the club rules such As translating them or having multilingual members explain them to players who Arentt fluent in English. Courts have already grappled with a private clubs right to limit membership. Last year the b. Court of Appeal ruled the provinces human rights legislation did not apply to another Vancouver area Golf course because the clubs services we rent customarily available to the Public. The Canadian press Vancouver Golf club declares Oral Victory made members speak English 2 years ago by James Keller National football league Ocho psycho changes Legal name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco a 04_ aug 30 08. Ind d4 8/ 29/ 08 10 23 12 pm ;