Phils hurtin'; so is Tiger

Who do you think feels worse this morning, Phillies fans, the brass out at Aronimink or the folks at CBS?

Phillies fans are looking at the prospect of two months without All-Star second baseman Chase Utley. He underwent surgery on his thumb yesterday after he jammed it into the bag while trying to stretch a single into a double against the Reds.

The Phils were so excited about their prospects, now without half of their starting infield with Placido Polanco also on the shelf for a couple of weeks, they promptly went out and lost to the lowly Pirates. Cole Hamels took the loss.

It’s time for GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to earn his keep. This team needs help. The lineup that they rolled out last night is not going to repeat as NL East champs, and may not make the playoffs, let alone the World Series.

You almost get the feeling this just isn’t the Phillies’ year.

What could possbily be wrong out at Aronimink Golf Club? The place was packed yesterday on a perfect, sun-splashed day for the first round of the AT&T National.

But all those players were there to see one person – Tiger Woods. And the No. 1 player in the world didn’t play well, especially on the greens. Woods struggled to a 3-over 73. That puts him 7 shots off the lead, which is 4-under. That means he will have to play well to make the cut. There will be a lot fewer folks descending on Newtown Square if Woods is not around for the weekend.

And CBS? They’ll be praying all day that Woods manages to rally. They have the TV rights for the tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Without Woods as the drawing card, only the true golf fanatics will bother to tune in, especially on a holiday weekend.

It’s all Tiger, all the time. But if he’s not around, no one else will be either.

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