Golf let Dustin Johnson down. Not the other way around. He got jobbed.
What were those officials thinking when they made the ruling, before the tournament, that bunkers, not maintained outside the ropes, would still be considered bunkers? It was simply bad thinking - and greatly marred the tournament. Also, crowd control wasn't exactly good at that tournament. It's was unreal how the gallery was allowed to crowd Johnson as he approached the shot in question.

Random Thoughts

- Granted, he was running against third-team players in a preseason game, but I did think Tim Tebow was impressive during his debut. At one point, he dove toward the end zone, was hit hard by two defenders and did a helicopter whirl in the air - ala John Elway in the Super Bowl.
Obviously, he does not have the kind of arm strength Elway possessed, but he is a superior athlete otherwise, and with an uncommon drive. I don't know if he'll be a great player in the NFL, but I'd be surprised if he isn't, at minimum, a very good one.
I like his chances of becoming a quality QB more than those of Brady Quinn.

- On the first play of the Atlanta-Kansas City preseason game, running back Michael Turner of the Falcons broke into the open field. He was tackled one-on-one by Chiefs' first-round draft choice Eric Berry. I think Ndamunkong Suh is going to be a terrific player, but it wouldn't surprise me if Berry is just as good - and at more of a position of need, at least currently, for the Lions.

- Brennan Boesch's batting average has fallen to .127 - in more than 100 at bats - since the All Star break. Yet, Tigers' manager Jim Leyland hit Boesch third Sunday. I can understand the reasoning behind not sending him to the minor leagues this close to the September callups, but to keep featuring Boesch in such a prominent spot in the lineup is more than a little peculiar.

My latest column in The Oakland Press - Lions preseason opener presents a mixed bag: http://tinyurl.com/2324o3k