British Open leaderboard: Mr. Watson, I presume

Tom Watson's rounds for the (middle) ages yesterday and today at the British Open were inspiring to me and other graying baby boomers who refuse to act our age when playing competitive sports.

Shooting a 65 and a 70 just two months shy of his 60th birthday at a major tournament makes a geezer want to grab his clubs, racquet, baseball bat, hockey stick - whatever - and head to the nearest golf course, tennis court, baseball diamond or rink.

Yes, I realize Watson could blow up in the final two rounds, but it's cool seeing a legend close in age to many of us, ahem, 'experienced' citizens post scores like those against a field that includes the greatest golfer of all-time (Tiger Woods) in the prime of his career.

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I thought that was rather magnanimous of quarterback Brett Favre to tell the Minnesota Vikings that he'll let them know by July 30 whether he's going to come out of retirement. I was worried there that he might wait till the eve of the regular-season opener.

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I was happy to hear that "The Express'' won an ESPY for best sports movie of the year. I know a lot of people grumbled because the movie took some historical license, but I thought the film was extremely well done. The bottom line is that, unless you lacked a heart, you walked out of the theater after that movie realizing what a remarkable player and person Ernie Davis was.

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Congratulations to Don McPherson, who will be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame tomorrow. I know this sounds like homerism coming from a Syracuse alum, but I still can't get over how the former Orange quarterback was screwed out of the Heisman Trophy after a fabulous senior year that saw him earn first-team All-America honors and the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation's top QB while leading the 'Cuse to a 10-0-1 record and a No. 4 ranking. There's no way Tim Brown from Notre Dame should have beaten him out for that honor in 1987.

Students of college football history recall a similar injustice when Jim Brown was edged by another Notre Dame player - Paul Hornung - for the award in 1956. Brown was a first-team All-American do-it-all running back who led his team to the Cotton Bowl. Hornung, meanwhile, quarterbacked an Irish team that went 2-7. In retrospect, it was pretty obvious that racism played a role in Brown's snubbing.

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I don't know which repulses me more - the drug trafficking that landed former Bills running back Travis Henry in prison for three years or the fact he fathered nine children with nine women.