Die Macht » federation made no attempt to persuade him to ext

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Tom Watson gives an edge to the long hitters at rain-soaked Shoal Creek. Watson figures guys like Bernhard Langer, Kenny Perry and Fred Couples could have an easier time of it on some holes in rainy, chilly and windy weather at the $2.2 million Regions Tradition starting Thursday. It is the first of the Champions Tours five major championships. "The par 5s really play into their hands," Watson said on Wednesday. "The rest of us, were stretching it getting to the par 5s, especially when it gets wet. "With the predicted rains, it will be tough to get to these par 5s. But Kenny and Freddie Couples shouldnt have a lot of problem." Then theres Langer, who has already won twice this season and reached 20 victories on the 50-and-over tour. "The way Bernhard Langer is going, we need to break his leg," Watson joked. The weather could once again have a big impact on the scenic 7,145-yard, par-72 Shoal Creek course. Rain shortened the pro-ams on Wednesday with more showers expected on Thursday and temperatures possibly plunging into the 40s over the weekend. Play was twice suspended in last years Tradition, the second straight year rain and/or lightning had affected the tournament. It remains to be seen if rain can slow down Langer, coming off his third victory at the Insperity Invitational and finishing eighth at the Masters. "The rain will make the course play much longer," the German said. "The rough will be heavier because of the wet grass. The greens will be a little bit slower. Id rather see the other conditions, but Ive played well in all sorts of conditions. You just have to adjust and do the best with what you find." Langer finished second behind two-time winner Tom Lehman in 2012 and 10th last year. He beat Couples by a stroke at The Woodlands in Texas on May 4. David Frost held on for a one-stroke win over Couples last year at Shoal Creek. Couples opened the season tying for second with Jeff Sluman in Hawaii, behind Langer. "Fred Couples made it pretty clear, I think, in Hawaii, that hes trying to win the Schwab Cup, so were trying to give him some competition here and make it hard for him," Langer said. Fellow World Golf Hall of Famers Watson and Colin Montgomerie arent as well acquainted with the course as some of their peers. Watson, a two-time Masters champion, is competing in the Tradition for the first time since the events debut at Shoal Creek in 2011. He finished tied for 32nd. His history with the course goes back a few decades, though, to the 1984 PGA championship won by Lee Trevino. Watson said the Bermuda rough was so deep "they had three marshals on each side of the fairways because you could lose your golf ball." "Lee Trevino, it was right in his wheelhouse," he said. "He hit the ball so straight off the tee, and he just rarely missed a fairway. And thats what you had to do on this golf course." Montgomerie of Scotland is nearing his anniversary on the 50-and-over tour and makes his Shoal Creek debut. He said the course has a good reputation. "Ive heard a lot about it," Montgomerie said. "You talk about youre going to Alabama and then you say Shoal Creek and everybody in golf knows where youre going or where youve been. This is one of those classic courses. Having played nine holes (Tuesday) and nine holes today, I understand what theyre talking about. A very, very good golf course. "You can drive the ball great but at the same time its more of a second-shot course where I can see there are some pins in awkward places — backside, middle, front, whatever. It will be a great test. Im looking forward to trying to challenge this course." Cheap Shoes Fake . It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally critical hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes. Fake Shoes Outlet . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. https://www.fakeshoesonline.com/ . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Fake Yeezy . And, just for good measure, lets say the lottery team finishes the game short-handed because two starters come down with the very same injury. Fake Jordan Shoes . Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Bostons run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it "in the archive" with his memories of the teams improbable championship.MADRID, Spain -- Luis Aragones, the former Spain coach who shaped the teams rise from perennial underachiever to global powerhouse with a long-awaited title at the 2008 European Championship, has died. He was 75. The Spanish football federation announced the death early Saturday, saying Aragones died at a Madrid hospital. He had been battling leukemia. Federation president Angel Maria Villar said Aragones would be remembered as "very special" -- both for his contributions to Spanish football and as a person. "With him we have lived the beginning of an extraordinary phase in football as well as for Spanish society," Villar said. "This has been a painful dawn for our football." Aragones had a successful playing career as a sharpshooting international forward who earned 11 caps for Spain, and then spent the rest of his life as a much-travelled coach. However, he will mostly be remembered for what happened on June 29, 2008, when his team beat Germany 1-0 in Vienna to claim its first major title in 44 years. "Luis Aragones changed the history of Spanish football," Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas said. "And for that we will always be thankful." The Euro 2008 triumph was the culmination of Aragones four-year reign as Spain coach, having taken over a team that for the last 20 years had earned a reputation for always coming up short in major tournaments. But Aragones instilled a new sense of belief in his players, even after losing to France in the second round of the 2006 World Cup. He also made the team adopt the quick-passing "tiki-taka" style of football made famous by Barcelona, and which his players came close to perfecting at Euro 2008. Led by Barcelona midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta -- and the goalscoring of David Villa -- Spain went undefeated through the tournament, but needed a penalty shootout against Italy to advance from the quarterfinals. While Aragones stepped down after the tournament, the team went on to win its first World Cup two years later and then added an unprecedented third straight major title at Euro 2012 under his successor Vicente del Bosque. "Without a doubt, our current run of success is a result of his legacy," Del Bosque said on Saturday, after paying his respects to Aragones family. "He had a long history of coaching experience and he had a special appreciation for the game." But Aragones time in charge wasnt without controversy. He made a racist slur about France striker Thierry Henry -- who is black -- during a training session in October, 2004, and followed that remark with an outburst about Englands colonial past.dddddddddddd His comments were believed to have prompted ugly racist chants directed at Englands black players during a friendly against Spain in Madrid. The Spanish Football Federation refused to bow to pressure to fire Aragones, although it fined him 3,000 euros, a punishment which many felt was too lenient. Denying he was a racist, Aragones explained that his comment about Henry was an attempt to motivate forward Jose Antonio Reyes, and he received important backing from several black players he had coached previously. In February, 2007, Aragones won a legal appeal against the Spanish Committee for Sporting Disciplines ruling that his behaviour could have fostered "violent, racist or xenophobic acts." Spanish media also often complained about his grouchy demeanour and had regularly called for his dismissal during the two years before the teams triumph. There was another uproar toward the end of 2006 when he dropped the national teams all-time leading scorer and captain, Real Madrids Raul Gonzalez, arguing that he was past his prime. It proved a masterstroke. The team embarked on a 22-game unbeaten run which culminated with the 2008 title, making Aragones the oldest coach to win a European Championship title. Despite the victory, the Spanish federation made no attempt to persuade him to extend his contract and five days later he moved abroad for the first time to take charge of Turkish club Fenerbahce, a couple of weeks before his 70th birthday. "Im leaving because there wasnt more done for me to stay," Aragones said at the time. His playing career began 43 years earlier, when Aragones joined Atletico Madrid. He scored 123 times in 265 games for the team -- the second highest in its history -- and helped the club win three Spanish league titles and two Copa del Reys. It also reached the 1974 European Cup final, where it lost to Bayern Munich in a replay. Aragones, nicknamed "The Sage of Hortaleza" in reference to the Madrid suburb of his birth, was then appointed as Atletico coach and led the team to the 1975 World Club Championship, the 1976 Copa del Rey and the 1977 league title. He coached Atletico on a total of five occasions and he had two spells each at Mallorca and Real Betis. He was also in charge of Barcelona, Espanyol, Sevilla, Valencia and Oviedo in a career total of 757 games, a Spanish league record. Aragones is survived by his wife Pepa, five children and 11 grandchildren. ' ' '