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-Digger's Daily-

It's time to talk about the lighter side of sports. Tensions are rising all across the nation as economic woes, political discourse, wars, tragedy and unsportmanlike conduct make headlines every day. "Let it rip" now applies to more than just Tiger Woods ferocious golf ball striking ability.

Tuesday's print edition of the New York Post page 7 headline reads "PGA lights a match on Tiger's 'fart'" (08/04/2009, by Andy Geller). It proves Tiger is human afterall. Who can blame him for letting off a little, ahem, steam after 72 grueling holes of championship golf? Apparently, the PGA Tour can after Tiger's gassy moment on the 18th hole during this past weekends Buick Open was rebroadcast on YouTube. The PGA Tour took exception and ordered websites to remove clips for copyright reasons. I guess the PGA has no sense of humor.

We've all heard the saying "farts are funny". They can make even the most sophisticated individual crack up. Thousands of jokes, rhymes, riddles and odd ball sayings have been created poking fun at a sound emanating from the human body. Here was a moment when Tiger showed there's still plenty of kid left in one of sports greatest stars.

Geller's NY Post article describes the scene: "The video shows Woods standing beside caddie Steve Williams, preparing for a shot on the 18th hole of the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich, on Sunday. Both men have their backs to the camera. Woods is seen lifting his right leg up and down. He stops, lifts his right leg a little and then there is an unmistakable "brrrrp" sound. Woods and Williams then giggle like kids."

Guess what? YouTube yanked the clip after PGA Tour applied a little pressure. Well, I found it on TMZ.com (video clip). To those questioning this sound bite keep in mind super sensitive microphones are placed in strategic areas throughout golf courses during tournament play. Judging by Woods and Williams giddy reactions this clip isn't a fake.

Geller's article concludes: "This apparently isn't the first time Tiger has used wind power on his way to winning a tournament. He reportedly let one rip when he won the Arnold Palmer Classic in Orlando in March."

Grip it and rip it takes on a whole new perspective now for golfers world wide.

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-Digger's Daily-

Yesterday, the focus was on nicknames for teams of the gridiron. Today, I'm focusing on some of the most well known players past and present who were given names which stuck in fans memory banks. Some stars were better known by their nicknames instead of birth names ("Too Tall" Jones, "Mean Joe" Greene and "The Bus").

The Nigerian Nightmare - KC Chiefs bruising RB Christian Okoye fierce head first pounding style quickly became a fan favorite. Led NFL in rushing attempts (370) and yards (1480) in 1989.

Joe Cool - Perhaps the best pressure QB of all time, Joe Montana guided San Francisco to 4 Super Bowl Championships and was named Super Bowl MVP 3 times. 117-47 career record as starting QB. Field general of West Coast Offense which has been emulated by many teams after 49ers successes.

Mean Joe - Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame DT. Little known fact, Joe Greene's birth name is Charles Edward Greene. One of most feared NFL defenders of his generation while playing for Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense.

The Frige (Refrigerator) - Nickname given to large Chicago Bears defensive lineman William Perry. He was somewhat of a celebrity due to his size. Often lined up as a blocking fullback in goal line situations leading the way for Hall of Fame RB Walter Payton during Bears 1985 Super Bowl season.

Sweetness - Legendary Bears RB Walter Payton. His evasive style was second to none. Retired as NFL's All Time leader in rushing yards (16,726).

Too Tall Jones - Dallas Cowboys 6'9" DE Ed Jones helped anchor one of NFC's toughest defense of the 70's & 80's. Took up a short lived boxing career after NFL.

Three Amigos - Denver Broncos WR's of 80's/90's. Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson & Ricky Nattiel.

Triplets - Dallas Cowboys 3 time Super Bowl winning trio featuring Hall of Famers QB Troy Aikman & WR Michael Irvin & soon to be HOFer RB Emmitt Smith.

The Playmaker - Name earned by Cowboys WR Michael Irvin for his game changing plays against defenses keying on him.

Flash 80 - Jerry Rice. NFL's All Time greatest WR. Holds many NFL receiving records set while playing most of his games for the San Francisco 49ers dynasty. Finished career with 22,895 receiving yards and 208 total td's (197 receiving, 10 running, 1 passing). Perhaps the greatest athlete ever to play professional football.

Marks Brothers - Miami Dolphins speedy WR's Mark Clayton & Mark Duper. They paved the way for many of QB Dan Marino's NFL records and lone Super Bowl appearance.

The Diesel - Former Jets and Redskins FB/RB John Riggins. Set NFL single season rushing TD record of 24 in 1983 (since broken).

Ageless Wonder - Washington Redskins CB Darrell Green who played hard on every down during 20 NFL seasons.

Roger the Dodger & Comeback Kid - Navy and Dallas Cowboys star QB Roger Staubach had 2 nicknames. Known as Roger the Dodger for elusive scrambling away from defenders. Comeback Kid for miraculous 4th quarter comebacks in big games.

Matty Ice - Current Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan earned his stripes as a rookie last season leading Atlanta to Wild Card appearance.

The Juice - OJ Simpson. Record setting Hall of Fame RB, actor and convict.

The Posse - Washington Redskins late 80's/early 90's steady WR trio of Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders.

Scramblin' Fran - NY Giants/Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkington for his ability to scramble away from defenders. Sometimes for big gains, sometimes big losses.

The Snake - Southpaw Ken Stabler received this name while playing QB for Oakland Raiders bruising teams of 70's for his twisting & turning avoidance of defenders to get off big passes.

Smurfs - Redskins small speedy WR trio (all under 6') Gary Clark, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown who played large making big catch after big catch against defenders often taller and while double teamed.

Prime Time - Multi-team, multi-position Deion Sanders was one of NFL's fastest men and was capable of scoring every time he touched the football. CB was primary position, also returned kicks and lined up as WR. Dual sport star also played Major League Baseball. Neon Deion was another nickname given to this flashy player who loved showing off his skills.

Player nicknames stretch far and wide. I'm sure to have left quite a few off of this abbreviated list. If you don't see your favorites, feel free to chime in on our comments section. Next installment will feature nicknames of NFL places (stadiums) and fan clubs.

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