Weekend Wake Up: Yankees’ Stylish Send-off, Oosthuizen Leads British, Jolly Done for 2010

Grand Yankees. The New York Yankees do tributes right. With roses laid across home plate, “Taps,” and moments for silence and ovation, the Yankees and their fans made sure the farewell to George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard was fond and classy. And then the team did its part, winning 5-4 in walk-off fashion on a two-out single by Nick Swisher. Wherever the Boss and the “Voice of God” are, they’re probably smiling today.

Peter Whoosthuizen? Wind wreaked havoc at St. Andrews on Friday. Rory McIlroy followed up his sublime 63 with an 80. Tiger Woods was happy with a 73. The final 75 players to complete the second round failed to break par, and play was halted at a British Open for the first time in 12 years. Of the Old Course, Tom Watson said, “She was naked yesterday, but she put on her boxing gloves today and just hit us with all she had.” But Louis Oosthuizen was still being more or less caressed: He followed up an opening 65 with a 67 on Friday, and has a five-shot lead entering the weekend. Not bad for a guy who had made one cut at a major, the 2008 PGA Championship, and wound up dead last among players who made the weekend.

NFL Gets Their Jolly. The NFL has a stringent personal conduct policy, and a rigorous substance abuse policy. Interestingly, when a player combines a little of Column A and a bit of Column B in his offenses, things go bad. Green Bay’s Johnny Jolly was suspended for at least the 2010 season on Friday, a punishment stemming from a July 2008 arrest in Houston for possession of over 200 grams of codeine. It’s a hit to the Packers’ front seven—Jolly’s started for the last two years—but it’s nothing unsuspected for a team tabbed by many analysts as a strong Super Bowl contender.

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