Another golfer gone wild...

An incident occurred last week that went by with very little media attention nationally, and absolutely no media attention locally that really needs to be discussed.

What the incident was about, related to PGA tour player Tripp Isenhour killing an endangered species of hawk by hitting it with a golf ball. Now, I am not a PETA member, or ascribe to any of PETA's doctrine. So what makes this issue newsworthy? It was that this "silver spoon-fed, frat-boy" targeted the hawk, because it was making noise.

This guy did not do kill this bird through some fluke accident. No, this moron deliberately and successfully tried to kill the bird by hitting shot after shot at it, until he finally killed it.

(Here is a link to the ESPN story about it: Isenhour, charged )

Many times over the course of sports history have animals been killed or injured in the course of playing the game. But nearly all are accidental. For example, in 2001, fireball pitcher Randy Johnson, while pitching in a spring training game for the Arizona Diamondbacks and facing Giants hitter Calvin Murray, literally blasted a dove that flew into the path of Johnson's fastball to the plate. Randy Johnson was visibly upset by the situation and noted that he was very sorry that it happened. The same type of situation happened in 1983 when Dave Winfield, right fielder for the Yankees, while throwing a ball back to the ball boy after warmups between innings against the Toronto BlueJays, hit a gull in the head, killing that bird. In that situation also, Winfield was upset, and even a few days later made a large donation to the Humane Society. (A sidebar anecdote to this, is that Winfield was charged with cruelty to animals. And while the charges were dropped the very next day, Yankee skipper at the time Billy Martin had this to say about the incident, "They say he hit the gull on purpose. They wouldn't say that if they'd seen the throws he'd been making all year. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man." Funny stuff. But note this was still an accident.)

So, while clearly there have been other examples of animals being killed in the course of engaging in sports by humans; where some golfers have been involved, these guys go out of their WAY to kill, harass or disturb wildlife, all for the sake of their idiotic and insipid game that, (as Winston Churchill once described), is nothing more than a "good walk spoiled".

Here is another example of a golfer gone wild.

In December of 2000, a 54 year old golfer named Harry Wagner killed an exotic black swan by breaking its neck at the Trump International Golf Club. Donald Trump had imported the rare bird from Australia. The reason this moron gave for killing the swan? He felt "threatened" by the bird. It was not clear why this idiot chose this path of action, when even the investigators noted in their report that the golfer could have very easily just have driven away in his golf cart. Luckily this guy was charged and found guilty of animal cruelty and through a plea agreement performed community service at a local animal shelter. Personally, I think he also should have been made to go through some anger management classes. This guy had some "issues".

In the case of Isenhour, not only should he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law, since this spoiled frat-boy, literally targeted an endangered bird, and committed an incredibly egregious act, but the PGA also should step in and ban him from play for at least a year. And I think until such time as he has completed BOTH 500 hours of community service and completed an anger management course. And that should be ON TOP of whatever legal action outcomes there are. Afterall how is what Isenhour did really any different that what Michael Vick did? Because let's face some facts here. If this guy so does not care about the life of a bird, what makes you think that he would even HESITATE to hit into you, or even your kids if they were ahead of him on a golf course. (And believe me, I have seen MANY so-called "weekend golfers" who do this sort of thing.)

Isenhour has NO business playing this game. At ALL! Look, this game is played OUT OF DOORS!!! Meaning that if you want to play golf with NO NOISE, then I suggest you buy the Golden Tee arcade game and play in the solitude of your basement! Otherwise, DEAL with the noise!

The PGA needs to take some action here. Because in recent years, the game of golf, has evolved from a gentle past-time where literary writers like P.G. Wodehouse would make fun of the gentry, to one where vicious competitive natures end up in violent acts. And the PGA needs to make an example of Isenhour that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.