LINCICOME: Norman's inevitable fall botched an alluring story

There was pain in this Open, too, not the illustrious kind when Tiger Woods defied good sense and the limits of his sport to win the U.S. Open in June, but this was the kind that comes with not knowing at just what point Greg Norman would blow another chance. It was nice for Norman to get one last walk in the sunshine, but rather it could have been in some other fashion, not as usual, losing from in front. No other athlete in no other sport has sniffed so often around the edges of glory, if one does think of Charles Barkley, maybe Mario Andretti, possibly Mary Decker, the other Barry Bonds story, besides the steroids, always coming up short. Think of entire teams, like the Atlanta Braves with all those division titles and one World Series or the Buffalo Bills losing and losing and losing and losing in Super Bowls. The Cubs... [read full story]