Tom Izzo joined WIP in Philadelphia with Howard Eskin and Ike Reese (former Spartan football player) to talk about whether he has seen his team grow since the loss to North Carolina earlier in the season, whether it is hard to get his team excited to play in the conference tournament knowing that they are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and what his formula is for winning games in the NCAA Tournament.

Whether he has seen his team grow since the loss to North Carolina earlier in the season:

“Well, number one, they were a little better then.  They have had some injuries and I think once their confidence went they young guys went down in the tank.  That is why I brought in a Knute Rockne-Reese.  I brought you in there to speak to those guys about it.  It is funny Ike, the things we did talk about there and they have kind of reared their ugly head throughout the year and it doesn’t mean anyone is bad it just means we never really had that leadership where I am big on a player-coached team over a coach-coached team.  You know in football, you can have a good coach and when those eleven guys are in the huddle with thirty seconds left and you are on the two-yard line your coach isn’t doing anything.  It is what goes on in that huddle.  It is kind of that way, what goes on the court.  Coaches can where their nice suits and make money and all of this stuff but players play the game.”

Whether it is hard to get his team excited to play in the conference tournament knowing that they are a lock for the NCAA Tournament:

“It shouldn’t be.  I think if I had some of the guys I had even back…  Probably Cleaves and Petersen, but those guys would have competed if it was checkers.  You know Magic Johnson, you hear the Larry Bird stories.  Ike Reese, I know when he was here he would have competed if they were playing a division II or Ohio State, but not everybody is like that and I think around the country coaches really play on this.  Tubby Smith did a great job this year of playing on this.  ‘This is the only way we can get to the tournament.’  Are you going to be a little bit more hungry?  I hate to say it disappoints me but I guess realistically the answer is, yes.  I don’t know if it is hard to get them up but I do like your quote.  I question whether they have outdid themselves.  We moved to eighteen games in the Big Ten from sixteen plus the tournament.  It just seems like we are beating the hell out of each other everyday.”

On his change of philosophy from recruiting the one-and-done players to more “project” players:

“Well you are right there with Jay Wright who I think is a heck of a coach.  He has really built it the right way but I got to tell you this Ike:  I am not turning down any of those seven-footers that want to go one-and-done.  Bu if you were a producer, I would be a little disappointed in you.  I mean you could have done that for me and sent me one.  The truth is that it is hard.  You look at Billy Donovan and they have lost some guys every year.  You look at some guys that have really been in trouble in the Pac-10 right now, UCLA.  When you lose a lot of freshman and sophomores it is hard.  It is hard to keep any consistency, any continuity.  It is hard to bring guys in that want to play for the university and the alums like yourself and that is what I enjoy about college…  I had Zach Randolph and I love Zach.  I still talk to him to this day.  Jason Richardson was two years and out.  I mean if it is right for them, Zach and JR helped me get to another Final Four.  I would be good with that.  I don’t think that we could get the players that Cal gets at Kentucky.  I am not sure that I would enjoy four guys coming in and four guys leaving every year because I don enjoy the relationship.  But if you two guys can find a seven-footer that Jay doesn’t want over there and he wants to be one and done, call me.”

What his formula is for winning games in the NCAA Tournament:

“Well we have made a run a lot of years, Ike, and some years we have made it is a seventh seed, five seed, two seed, we have done it different ways.  It is not always great teams but I don think our guard play has been good.  I do think our rebounding has been good.  It doesn’t do any good to play good defense.  It would be your version of playing good defense for three downs and on fourth and three give up a first down.  When we stop a team, the defense doesn’t finisih until we get the rebound.  Some people say that we are a good defensive team but we are not a good rebounding team or some people say that and I say, ‘How could you be a good defensive team?  We didn’t finish the job.’  I think that has been important.  I think two, we have a system here.  I have got great assistants.  We kind of have a system when our mangers video.  We have a real good preparation for tournament time and I think the quick turnarounds, if you play Friday, I think only once or twice if we won on the first night we have won on the second because we have a very good system for quick turnarounds.”

Tom Izzo on WIP in Philly with Howard Eskin and Ike Reese

Derek Anderson joined KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo and Ash to talk about what led him to the decision to pick Arizona, what went wrong in Cleveland, how he feels about playing with Larry Fitzgerald, and whether or not he is going to Arizona to be the starter.

On whether or not it was weird the last year and a half in Cleveland:

“To say the least.  It was a little bit frustrating at times, but I’m happy about a new opportunity, a new organization and new teammates.”

On what went wrong in Cleveland:

“A lot of different things.  You can say it’s one thing or another but the facts are we didn’t play well.  We had a lot of change and it was kinda hard.  You kinda stick with the same guys over time and let everybody progress.  It didn’t exactly happen.  I’m just happy that I’m out of there and headed to Arizona.”

On not having the kind of weapons at wide receiver that he had in 2007:

“Yeah.  Braylon (Edwards) played really well at times and he’s a really good receiver.  Obviously we traded him going into this last year and started with two rookie receivers that have  a lot to learn, but I think are going to be good players in this league in time.  That was obviously an issue for us this last year.  It was a struggle but when Braylon was rolling and Kellen (Winslow) was rolling, we were tough to stop.”

On getting to play with Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Early Doucet:

“Yeah.  Obviously Larry being one of those guys, I was telling someone the other day, just a guy you watch on tape, you would love to throw to, and kinda get the ball anywhere around his body.  He has such great body control and great hands.  He can make some amazing plays.”

On why he chose to go to Arizona:

“I just got a really good feel.  Coaching staff was awesome and I had a great meeting with them last week.  They made it clear what the situation was going to be.  I was looking to try and get back on the West Coast a little closer to home and obviously the weather doesn’t suck down there so I was kinda excited about that too.”

On whether or not he was told he would start:

“No.  Coach said I would come in as the backup and it’s my job to push Matt and make Matt better.  I know Matt a little bit from when we were younger.  I wanna come in and compete.  That’s what I always do coming into training camp and OTA’s.  That’s kinda always been my mindset.”

On what he thought about Brady Quinn being traded:

“Yeah, it was a little weird.  I just talked to him the night before too which was kinda funny.  I think that will be good for him.  Change will be good.  Just get out of there and start over in a new place.”

On the comments that he made about Cleveland fans:

“There were some hard feelings.  Like I said, it maybe shouldn’t have been said.  It’s probably the initial feelings, but I know it’s not everybody and I understand that.  Probably the feelings were mutual going both ways.  I’m alright with it, but I’m happy to move on and start in a new city.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about Arizona and their fans.”

Listen to Derek Anderson on KTAR in Phoenix here

But, Odom seems to still be his trademark laid-back self and appears genuinely happy. Now in his eleventh NBA season, Odom is also still getting it done on the court, averaging ten points and ten rebounds for the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers.

Lamar Odom joined Dan LeBetard of 790 the Ticket in Miami to talk about his wedding, how his life has changed, signing a pre-nup, Phil Jackson and Dwyane Wade.

On his wedding with Khloe Kardashian:

“A lot of candy. It was a big time celebration, bro. I never thought I would go down that road. I got married after 30 days knowing somebody, but when you know, you know. I never really trusted nobody to get married, but that changed when I met Khloe. It’s crazy, but you never know. Some people are together for years and then decide not to do it or even get divorced.”

On whether his marriage cost him any friends or family:

“Yes. That was tough. That was the most hurtful part losing friends and even some family. It’s hard to understand. People, especially that are close to me, any other decision that I’ve made, they were able to stick with me. Sometimes it’s too hard to figure out and I kind of let it go… I think a friend that tells you what they think should still support you if you decide to make that decision. When somebody totally turns your back on you and won’t support you and you’re still going to make the decision anyway, I think they’re living it wrong. That’s kind of not the way to go.”

On how his life has changed with marriage:

“Well you see me in Taco Bell commercials. I wouldn’t marry someone to make a career move. I’ve done pretty well. I’m in a good space financially as a young man, I’m good. If I fall in love with somebody and they happen to be on TV, then that’s my business.”

On signing a pre-nup:

“If you work at Burger King and you want to get married to someone and they clean houses for a living, you should probably get a pre-nuptial agreement because if something happens and something goes wrong, you don’t want to get caught with nothing. Catch my drift? Nobody wants to hear that, but it’s just something that you have to do.”

On Phil Jackson’s book recommendations:

“Andrew Bynum and I just finished 48 Laws of Power. That’s a team rule that everybody reads – at least the paper, at least the USA Today.”

On how close he was to signing with Miami:

“It was a strong possibility. After winning the championship and realizing that there was a possibility that we could at least play for 2-3 more, it was hard to do. I spoke to Dwyane on a regular basis. The offer was flattering. I still own a house in Miami, so the transition would have been pretty easy. It was just so hard. Who knows, if we don’t win a championship, then maybe it happens.”

And on if Dwyane Wade will stay in Miami:

“I can give you my opinion and my opinion is that he will.”

Listen to Lamar Odom on 790 the Ticket in Miami with Dan LeBetard and Stugotz

Flash forward to 2010 and Stephen Curry is doing similar things with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.  Curry is pushing Tyreke Evans hard for the Rookie of the Year award and making a number of General Manager’s regret letting him slide all the way to number seven in the NBA Draft.

Stephen Curry joined KNBR in San Francisco with Fitz and Brooks to talk about how he is adjusting to life in the NBA, how he has able to stay relatively healthy when a lot of people questioned it (editor’s note:  this interview took place Weds afternoon and he missed his first game of the season Weds night unexpectedly) , and what it’s like to play with Monta Ellis.

On whether or not he still feels confident taking the last shot after missing the other night against Los Angeles:

“I’m still gonna have confidence whenever that opportunity presents itself again to take a big shot.  The play was drawn up for me, Corey (Maggette) made a great pass and it just didn’t fall.  Next time it happens, I feel like it’s just another shot, I’m gonna take it, knock it down, and go about my business.”

On how he has been able to stay healthy:

“I don’t know what it is.  Just got a lot of energy and thank God that I don’t have any injuries that have lasted very long.  Just sticking to my routine that I started earlier in the year to get myself ready for every game.  Hopefully it’ll help me get a long career and get through this year.”

On transitioning his game to point guard in the NBA:

“If you watched highlights of my college career, my first two years, my freshman and sophomore years, all I did was come off screens and pretty much shoot.  I played the point guard for about three minutes per game.  Then last year, my junior year, that was something that I knew I had to work on if I was gonna make the transition to the NBA.  I played full time point guard, had to do a lot of scoring, but at certain points, you’re gonna see double teams and more aggressive defenses and you gotta be able to distribute the ball where is supposed to go to make the easy shot.  All of last year and the first half of this year, I really developed my point guard skills and hopefully will continue get better.”

On playing alongside Monta Ellis:

“It’s a lot of fun.  One for me, I get the best seat in the house to watch him do what he does night in and night out.  He gets to the basket whenever he wants to, he’s playing great defense, taking that challenge on, and I’m having a lot of fun playing with him.  I think we both take a little pressure off each other.  You can’t really take anything away from both of us because his speed and athleticism and my shooting and passing ability, I think it’s a pretty good tandem to have.  Hopefully we stay together, get some guys healthy, go from there, and see what happens.”

On dealing with the pressure of living up to his father’s reputation:

“In high school, I felt that pressure every day especially playing in a city where he was a legend in.  Everybody knew his face; he came to all my games.  Opposing school’s and there little fan sections would heckle me all game about me being a daddy’s boy and daddy can’t help you on the court and stuff like that.  Once I dealt with the pressures in high school, I felt like I was ready to go.  Going to college, it turned into how was I going to be successful going to such a small school and playing against the big guys.  It wasn’t really much my dad it was a whole ‘nother challenge to live up to.  My teammates in college and Coach McKillop at Davidson, they helped me get to where I am now.  Now it’s just about having fun, continue what I’m doing that got me here, and not really worrying about any pressure to live up to my dad or anything like that.”

Listen to Stephen Curry on KNBR here

Wes Johnson, the Big East Player of the Year and the ‘Cuse’s top scorer, joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about if Coach Boeheim was livid with the team for their poor showing in the Big East Tournament, what he thought when he saw Coach’s wife for the first time, the best team and player that he’s faced all year, if he thinks he’s too unselfish with the basketball, the injury of center Arinze Onuaku, and if he’s decided whether or not this will be his final year at Syracuse.

On if Coach Boeheim grilled the team after their loss in their opening game of the Big East Tournament:

“You know, he doesn’t like losing too much, but he gave us a good speech in preparation for the NCAA Tournament  about how this is the one that really counts. So him going in after the loss and saying that really helped the emotions a little bit.”

On what he thought when he saw Coach Boeheim’s wife for the first time:

“I was like wow. Go ahead coach!”

On who he thinks is the best team Syracuse has played this year:

“I would have to say Georgetown.”

Best player he’s faced:

“De’Sean Butler.“

On if he thinks he’s at times too unselfish with the basketball:

“I think so, I think so. That’s one of the questions everyone says – they say I’m a little bit too unselfish. But we have a great team. It’s hard not to be unselfish, we have a lot of great players. There’s seven of us that can lead the team in scoring any given night, so that’s what comes with it. I think a lot of people on our team are unselfish.”

On if injured center Arinze Onuaku will be playing on Friday in the 1st round game against Vermont:

“We hope so, that’s what we’re hoping. But if not, him being there, that’s enough for us. We’re hoping he’ll be there Friday.”

On if this will be his last year at Syracuse:

“I’m not really sure. I haven’t really put too much thought into it, but when the time comes for me to decide, I’m going to get with Coach and my family. But until that time, I’m undecided.”

Listen here to Syracuse guard Wes Johnson on the Dan Patrick Show

From what I can remember, it has been the offense that has plagued them for quite some time, not their defense.  Sure they have some talent at wide receiver with Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox and maybe Devin Aromashodu can validate last season with a solid 2010 campaign, but Jay Cutler needs some toys to play with.  These wide receivers aren’t exactly household names.  You don’t have to have household names to be successful, but when you trade for a franchise quarterback and fail to give him proven weapons some begin to question the thought process of the front office.  In my opinion, they paid Peppers way too much money to get him in Chicago.  With a head coach that is fighting for his job, I guess you have to take a few gambles here and there and hope they pay off.  If this one backfires on him, you can bet Lovie Smith will be looking for a job this time next season.

Julius Peppers joined ESPN Radio in Chicago to talk about whether he chose to sign with Chicago because they made the best offer or whether there was something that attracted him there, who he is most about excited playing with, and whether people mistake his calm demeanor on the field for taking plays off.

What it was like partying in Chicago the night he signed the contract:

“It was cool.  We had a great time.  We was just out celebrating a good moment.  It is not a normal thing, but for that night we just had a little fun with it.”

Whether he chose to sign with Chicago because they made the best offer or whether there was something that attracted him there:

“It was about a couple of different things.  It was about the team.  It wasn’t about the best offer.  It was about the team that was poised to make a leap in the league. Chicago fit that criteria…  Also the players that they had in place and the culture.  I saw a chance to play for Lovie who is a defensive minded coach similar to where I am coming from.  Also Coach Marinelli is one of the best if not the best defensive line coaches in the league so all of those things combined made it attractive to come here and sign here.”

Who he is most about excited playing with:

“Well everybody.  I can’t just single out one person.  I am excited to play with all of these guys.  I have known Tommie since Tommie was a teenager.  I have knows Alex for along time.  I have seen Urlacher from afar and admired him and his skills so I am excited to play with all of those guys really.”

What he liked about Lovie Smith and their conversation before signing with the team:

“When I came to the airport I met him.  We hit it off right off the bat so it was a good feeling between us two and that was the thing because you want to find the right offer.  You want to find the right team as far as the football team is concerned but you also want to find the right people to be around and work with.  We hit it off on that level and that was a great thing to have, not only a great coach but a good person to be around also.”

Whether people mistake his calm demeanor on the field for taking plays off:

“Yeah I have heard that a million times and I think that is true.  That is correct.  That is a fair assumption to make, a fair statement to make.  People do mistake that sometimes ,but that is just a part of my personality that it’s not going to change.  It’s not going to change.  Whether you mistake it for a lack of motivation or not playing hard or anything like that.  That is just who I am as a person…  Sometimes in your career people have to nitpick at silly things because there is nothing else to say.  You can’t say that there is a lack of production.  You can’t say anything else really but lack of motivation.  That is the thing that people are going to try to nitpick at.”

Whether he has a preference on the side he plays and whether he has spoken to any of the coaches about where they plan on playing him:

“We haven’t really talked about the schemes yet as far as left or right.  I am comfortable on both sides.  I am just here to do whatever I am asked to do and if it is right side it is right side.  If it is left it is left.  I don’t have a preference.  Whatever is going to help this defense be successful and whatever I am asked to do, that is what I am looking forward to doing.”

Listen to Julius Peppers on ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle & Silvy

The Rangers team president joined ESPN Radio Dallas with Randy Galloway and Company to talk about why the Rangers didn’t fire Washington last summer, how he still trusts Washington as a manger and as a  person, and how he’s confident Washington won’t let him, the team or the Rangers fan base down again.

On why the Rangers didn’t fire Washington upon immediately learning of the news of his cocaine use:

“You know Randy, we had a lot of discussions about what the appropriate thing to do was, and in the end we decided to treat Ron the way we do the rest of our employees, that if they have a problem we try to give them the benefit of treatment, get them diagnosed. Major League Baseball has a very strong program on that, so we chose to pursue that and have him go through MLB’s program. We felt like the way that the club was playing and was responding to Ron, and the way he was growing as a manager, we felt like we wanted to give him an opportunity to continue to manage and he assured us it was a one time situation.”

On if his initial reaction was to fire Washington before thinking and discussing things over with others in the Rangers front office:

“I obviously was in total shock by it. Thoughts of that nature had never crossed my mind, then I was angry that the organization was put in that position, then I was concerned about what type of problem he had. He was forthright with us, he came forward. He seemed to be very emotional about it, about the mistake he made, the impact it had, and how he had let everyone down. So I felt like that was sincere, and I felt like we the organization should give him an opportunity to try to right himself and try to build off of this, and to grow as a team off it.”

On how he found out about the news:

“Well when he found out he was scheduled for a drug test, he called Major League Baseball and told them that he was going to test positive. Explained to them how he had gotten himself into this situation. Then a after a game one night he told John Daniels, he called me on the phone. I wasn’t in the clubhouse. He called me on the phone and broke down, was very emotional about it, how he let us down, how disappointed he was that he did what he did and the impact it would have on our organization. Then he offered to resign. So we took all those things into consideration.”

On if he still trusts Ron Washington:

“Yeah I trust him. I’m a trusting person. I take people at their word. He has done everything Major League Baseball has asked him to do in terms of the testing program, and is willing to continue to be tested. And I think he’s been very upfront about that, he knows he made a mistake, and if he can help other people not make those mistakes he’d be willing to do that. I think our team is supportive of him. They certainly appear that way to me and so I’d like to think as a team and an organization we can grow from this experience.”

On if he thinks it’s likely that a man Washington’s age could possibly have just decided to try cocaine once:

“That’s a question that’s been presented. I don’t know the answer to that. Drugs were never an issue in my life. I never tried them, I didn’t want anything to do with them. I had teammates that dealt in that and had problems with it – and continue to have problems in their lives with it. So we know what it can do, what it’s done, and we know where it is in our society and the problems that come with it. A lot of those people wish they’d never tried it, the hold it has on their life now. But I can’t answer that because I really don’t know. It seems unusual.”

On what he’d say to angry season ticket holders that don’t want to take their child to watch a team managed by a drug user:

“Well Randy, those are obviously thoughts that we’ve had, discussions we’ve had. And obviously each individual will make their own determination about how they feel about this and what their thoughts are on it. I understand that. We as an organization, we have a policy in place where when we have employees that have an issue, we try to be supportive of them, try to get them the proper professional help and try to be understanding of these things. So we chose to do that with Ron. And we hope as an organization we help Ron as a person, help him understand the issues that he has and the challenges that he has, and also hope that he’s able to take this experience and help other people and that his players respond to him and support him. We feel like he’s growing as a manager and is doing a good job for us. So I understand people are critical of the decision we made, but I felt like we made it for the right reasons. Everybody has issues in their life – how you deal with them and how you handle them has a lot to do with who you are and what you do. So we feel like this was the right decision for us.”

On how/why he thinks this leaked out now so many months after the fact:

“How something like this leaks out, you’re not sure. It could be a disgruntled employee. Because of the confidentiality of the Major League Baseball drug testing program, we did not share it with people. We kept it quiet. But when you deal with as many people as baseball deals with, you don’t know if something like this leaks, where it might leak out from. We knew it was possible that this might leak out and we would have to deal with it on a later date. And that’s where we are today.”

Listen here to Ryan with Galloway & Company on ESPN Radio Dallas

Despite the acclaim, the record, the seed and the superstars, Duke is not a popular pick to win it all. Coach K may have something to do with that. He is stoic, rarely showing any emotion or affirmation of his team’s performance on the court. He even tends to downplay his successes and moonlights with NBA players as Team USA’s head coach in the off-season. He also wins a lot and consistently brings good, but not great teams to the tournament.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff may not be a concern for the Blue Devils in the first round, but the reputation of the team and the coach – and many people’s brackets – will be on the line soon as Duke advances.

Mike Krzyzewski joined Steve Hartman and Pat O’Brien on Fox Sports Radio to discuss keeping players focused in the tournament, how he feels about this year’s team, why he doesn’t smile, and the NBA.

On keeping players focused:

“We give them brackets for this weekend. We play (Arkansas Pine-Bluff) and if we win we play the winner of Louisville and Cal. We don’t want any other brackets. We don’t care who is seeded where. We really don’t care what happens in other games. If you start thinking ahead or looking at other games, you’re going to get beat.”

On if he has a gut feeling about this team going into the tournament:

“I think you should know what horse you’re riding. Do  you have a horse that can win? Do you have a team that has to do something amazing to get by. For the last few years, we have had a team that, to win the whole thing, you would have to get really, really lucky. With this year’s team, we need to be really, really good. We have some veterans. They are really old school like my teams from the ’80s. They are more of a half-court defensive team. Everybody in the starting five has a good ego about who they are as players. We are coming along. We are not a great team, but we are a very good team. We have a chance to beat anybody, but we could lose to more people than some of the teams I have had in the past.”

On coaching in the NBA:

“I love the pro game. I love the guys I have a chance to work with in the summer.We are getting ready for the World Championships this summer. We have a pool of about 30 players that we’ll choose from and those guys are great. If I was a younger guy and had some of the success I’ve had in the college game, there is a good chance I would go to the pros. The last time was with the Lakers – five or six years ago. I had created so much equity and it was too good to leave. But with the Lakers in LA, you know is a basketball town. And with Kobe and Mitch, they do a great job. I don’t go there and they get the best coach of all-time.”

And on why college basketball coaches don’t smile:

“In the tournament, you don’t want to be in the place you just finished at. You don’t want to be in that moment. You have passed it and you want to get ready – the coaches get ready for the next thing. Until you are in Indianapolis on Monday night, there is another game and you always want to make sure your team is ready for the next play. ”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on Fox Sports Radio with Steve Hartman and Pat O’Brien.

NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller, joined ESPN Radio Chicago to talk about why it makes sense for Tiger to come back at the Masters, if he could see Tiger winning in it, how he expects his fellow competitors to treat him when he returns, if he expects Tiger to be heckled by fans, and if he expects Tiger to field any non-golf related questions that week.

On if  non-sports reporters will be given any access at all to the Masters:

“Maybe that’s one reason why Tiger is coming back there. Just so you know, I haven’t given up hope that he’s not going to commit some time later this week to the Bay Hill which he’s won six times. It’s hard for me to believe he’s going to take that much time off and then not tee it up until the Masters. That is not the Woods tradition so to speak. I know he could play in the Tavistock Cup between Lake Nona and where he lives in Isleworth, but I just think he might commit in the next 5 days, 4 days he might commit to the Bay Hill and that would give him a good chance to see where his game is at and what he needs to work on a week and half before he tees it up in Augusta.”

On if he could you see Tiger either missing the Cup or winning the Masters?

“Well, let’s say if in the first round he shoots 70 or 69, 68 – he’s the guy to beat. With all the nervousness and he hasn’t played for a long time, if he happens to throw in a 74 or 75, he might be in trouble. I don’t know how much you can expect from him, but he is Tiger Woods. The scrutiny is going to be off the charts, but like you said, if they don’t allow entertainment tonight type crowd to come in with all the helicopters and everything else watching every move he makes, he might be alright. He does need to post some rounds, there’s a lot of differences between practicing and actually posting a number and you do that in tournaments.  I’m not saying he couldn’t tee it up until Thursday morning, he never hit a ball and still might win knowing him. But I like his odds better if he gets a chance to move into the thing smoothly with a few rounds under his belt.”

On how he expects his fellow competitors to receive him when he first walks in?

“There’s a lot of people that are probably disappointed in Tiger, I’m sure. He knows he’s injured himself and the game and his family. We are very forgiving people in America to an amazing point. He has done some things. With going to the rehab that gentle path and this other one he’s been to. He’s trying and maybe he’s made some real good commitments to his wife Ellin saying, “I will never cheat on you ever again. You watch” He made those real firm commitments to her and even to the public maybe he will say something similar, “I have the discipline to do this I just need to do it.” People are going to give him a chance. They might not give him a next chance if he messes up, but I think it was the sheer amount of girlfriends he had, if you want to call them girlfriends,  that really freaked everybody out. Golf is sort of a gentleman’s game and I don’t know how he kept it all so quiet to all the insiders.  It’s hard to think that all of these guys said they didn’t know a thing about it. The bottom line is, I’m ready to welcome him back.  To answer your question, they’re going to be very relieved to see Tiger Woods back. The game of golf, he’s sort of the spoon that stirs the soup. We need him big time even though this has not been good. He can make something good out of it if he makes good commitments and makes some good changes in his life.”

On if he expects Tiger to be heckled by any members of the gallery and will he allow questions other than golf?

“I do think that after a guy has had 3, 4, 5 beers on the course 1 out of 100 or 2 out of 100, there’s going to be some people that are going to say something. They might get kicked out of the tournament, but I’d be surprised if they do it at Augusta because they’ll kick them out for almost no infraction. The gallery’s infraction, they don’t allow that. At one of the normal events, there’s always going to be a guy who’s had a few and I guess there’s some pent up resentment over what’s happened and everything else and there going to say something. It might not be anything big. It’s not like an NBA game. From Golf’s standpoint, it’ll be a big deal. In reality, I think most people are happy to see him back.”

On if he thinks Tiger will answer questions from the media other than golf?

“He’s never really opened up. He had that one interview in Esquire magazine and let his guard down and it was not a good interview and he said some things he probably shouldn’t have said, but I guess he made a promise to himself, “I will never let my real feelings show to the press ever again” and he hasn’t. I wish he was a little more real and a little more from the heart instead of from the head. I’d like to see him say what is truly in his heart and what he believes at this point. His little statement was good. I take it and give him a chance, but I’d like to see him let down a little bit and give us the real deal”

Listen here to Miller with Waddle & Silvy on ESPN Radio Chicago

Daly has been attempting to get his personal life in order so that he can compete full-time on the PGA Tour and I think he is doing a pretty good job.  He no longer drinks, he has lost over one hundred and ten pounds since his lap-band surgery, and he has actually been practicing at improving his golf game.  He no longer spends more time drinking than he does practicing.  So getting this bad publicity, I guess, kind of ticked him off at how people still live in the past.  Daly remains one of the game’s most popular players and he should be able to defend himself like any person would want to do.

John Daly joined WDAE in Tampa to talk about his battle with the Florida-Times Union, what the parameters for the story that was written about him in the Florida-Times Union and whether it was about golf, and his thoughts on how the PGA Tour is handling the Tiger story.

On his battle with the Florida-Times Union:

“It was just bad taste for the timing of it and when they put it out.  You know I think I have got the players on my side on this one.  I have talked to about ten of them down there in Puerto Rico and they said they would have given his cell number to everybody too because it was wrong for what he did.”

What the parameters for the story that was written about him in the Florida-Times Union and whether it was about golf:

“No it was just living in the past.  That is what the media wants to do.  They want to live in the negative past and I am moving on.  I just thought that if he wants to put that on public record his cell phone was public record so I figured I would let my fans decide on how they felt about it.”

His thoughts on how the PGA Tour is handling the Tiger story:

“You know the thing is when Tiger comes out and he wins his first event, that is all that is going to matter.  We need Tiger.  I don’t care what anybody says.  They say that nobody is bigger than the game but there is an era in golf, Nicklaus, Palmer and Watson.  They were needed and they were as big as the game can be because people bought tickets to come out and watch them play.  And a true fan of Tiger’s when he comes out, they want to see him play golf and Dan Patrick hit it on the head about a month ago when he said, ‘People look at people at what they do.  Not off the scene and stuff.  People love Tiger for his game.’  Yeah he messed up but who doesn’t?  Why he did it, nobody knows.  That is between him and Elin, but like I said, his toughest major for him is to try to keep his family and it looks like he is doing it.  I just hope the fans come out and watch him play, don’t heckle him and stuff…  We are all tired of it.  We just want to see him out here.”

How he looks at his career:

“All I can say is that the two majors has been worth everything.  The ups and downs in my life and my career winning two majors it makes it all worth while.  Because they just don’t happen very often and very seldom guys have won majors.  If I look at it that way in a golf aspect of it, it has been a great career.  It has been a lot of ups and downs but you know what?  I keep persevering and I keep moving on and I am in the right path of where I want to go now and I am doing everything to get better at the game and do everything off the course better.  Like going back to the media, if they want to live in the past, I think most of my fans have read it all.  I have no skeletons in my closet so all I am going to do is just move on and move forward.  I have won two majors and I have to look at it that way.”

Whether he has thought about quitting golf:

“Oh yeah.  I think everybody out here has.”

John Daly on WDAE in Tampa with Dan Sileo