Wichtig » back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-

LATROBE, Pa. -- Arnold Palmer didnt care for funerals. The ritual made him uncomfortable. He didnt see the purpose in so many solemn faces gathering together to mourn the dead, to reminisce about a lifetime of yesterdays. Unless he felt obliged to attend, he skipped them.He tried, instead, to see friends and family as often as possible while people were alive. This was the essence of the man. Indulging in nostalgia was fine, but he preferred to soak up the joys of the present. Palmer liked hugs, liked making eye contact, and he made a habit of putting his arm on whomever he was talking to, drawing that person fully into his orbit. He did this, in part, because his hearing was notoriously bad. But also because engaging with people, no matter their origin or status, is what made him feel alive.Palmer is gone now, heart disease having taken him from us Sept. 25 at age 87. His family and friends gathered together here Tuesday at the Saint Vincent Basilica to mourn him and remember him, and people from around the country watched the service as it was broadcast live on the Golf Channel, a network he cofounded. For two hours, people told stories, sang songs, wiped away tears and remembered. But putting him in context, measuring his impact -- not just as the founding father of modern golf, but as a businessman, a family man and beyond -- was almost impossible.How do you tell the story of a man, and an era, in two hours?Perhaps you start with Palmers ethos. He wasnt the greatest golfer who ever lived. No one could credibly argue otherwise. He won a lot, but others won more. He hit the ball with ferocious power and delicate precision, but players soon came along who hit it farther and better. Its almost pointless now to list how many tournaments he won or majors he claimed. Stats always have been the wrong way to understand him. Palmer was an unflinching artist of blue-collar aggression, a man who preferred the adrenaline rush of a bold swing, even if it cost him, to the smart but timid play.His close friend Charlie Mechem, the first speaker at the memorial, remembered a lunch he had at the Masters several years ago with Palmer when the subject of course strategy came up. Had Palmer, Mechem wondered, ever considered laying up on Augusta Nationals 13th and 15th holes? Instead of taking on the two challenging par-5s with a long and perilous second shot to greens guarded by water, what if he had instead been tactical?Do you know how many times Ive finished second at the Masters? Palmer asked, by way of explaining.No, Mechem admitted.Neither do I, Palmer said.Its easy to understand why he became a magnet to whom so many felt drawn. The son of a greenskeeper who grew up in a house that lacked indoor plumbing, Palmer had no use for golfs aristocratic roots. He didnt play the game so much as he tried to make every hole surrender to his will. He came along at a time when America was booming, changing so fast it was bursting at the seams, and to a generation of working-class sports fans, Palmer became the embodiment of an idea: Why shouldnt your reach exceed your grasp?He was an everyday man, everyones hero, said Jack Nicklaus, getting choked up as he spoke to those inside the church. Arnold managed to remove the I from icon and instead let the world share his greatness.They were not friends. Not at first. They were too different, too competitive, both wrestling for pieces of history. But over time, they warmed to one another. They began to realize they needed one another. For anyone who has ever loved golf, Im not sure who needed the other the most, Nicklaus said. Lets just call it a love affair to last a lifetime. The game gave so much to Arnold, but he gave back so much more. Arnold came along when golf needed him most, when TV first embraced the sport of golf. They had a swashbuckling hero, with Arnold as its face.Theres no denying it was primarily Palmers influence that brought golf to the masses. Golfers of every generation that followed him happily acknowledge the debt they owe him, which is part of the reason Phil Mickelson, Curtis Strange, Nick Faldo, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and dozens of others were in attendance Tuesday. Davis Love III even brought the Ryder Cup the United States won over the weekend to the service, something he believes Palmer would have loved. I got to see him in his office in Bay Hill this year, said Love, the U.S. captain. He was just as adamant we bring back the Ryder Cup. He said, Youre the right man for the job. Ill carry that with me always.Mike Davis, the director of the U.S. Golf Association, pointed out that if you go back 100 years in the United States, the vast majority of golf courses were private playgrounds for the wealthy. Now, 78 percent of the courses in the country are public access, the highest percentage in the world.You have to think Arnold Palmer had a lot to do with that, Davis said. Arnold made the game cool. We can argue about who is the greatest golfer of all time is, but I dont think there is any argument on this: No one did more than Arnold Palmer for the game. When he came on the scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, men wanted to be like him. Women loved looking at him. He could relate to the country club set, to world leaders, to business leaders, but he could also relate to the guy cutting grass or playing at his local municipal course. When all of us are long, long gone, people will still be talking about him and what a wonderful man he was.Palmer loved flying, logging nearly 20,000 hours as a pilot during his life, and as a tribute, his personal jet circled the memorial several times at low attitude, its big engines roaring while a bagpiper played Amazing Grace. Musician Vince Gill, a good friend of Palmers and frequent golf buddy, played a cover of James Taylors Youve Got a Friend. Annika Sorenstam talked about his philanthropy and shared the story of her son, Will, who was born prematurely at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. Will would not have lived, Sorenstam said, without the care he received, and he eventually grew to think of Palmer as an uncle.But it was Sam Saunders, Palmers grandson, who told a story that seemed to best encapsulate the man people so frequently referred to as The King. Palmer, Saunders said, liked talking on the phone to his grandkids. And Saunders, also a professional golfer, would often call him from tournaments around the country, just looking to catch up. Palmer had a funny habit of asking Saunders, every time he got on the phone, Where are you? It was one of his most endearing quirks. One day, Saunders called Palmer and flipped the question back at on his grandfather.Where are you? Saunders asked.Im with the president, Palmer said.The president of what? Saunders asked.Of the United States, Palmer answered.Why did you answer the phone? Saunders said.Well, Palmer said. I wanted to talk to you.Russ Grimm Redskins Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Montez Sweat Jersey . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. http://www.redskinsfansproshop.com/Redskins+Darrell+Green+Rush+Jersey.html?cat=1294 . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Wes Martin Womens Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Washington Redskins Jerseys . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records.Soon to be restricted free agent Alex Burmistrov reportedly does not want to be a Winnipeg Jet anymore. According to a report in the Winnipeg Free Press by Gary Lawless - who is also a drive-time host on TSN 1290 Radio in Winnipeg - two league sources stated that the 21-year-old, who wished to be moved at the trade deadline in March, is standing by that requuest.dddddddddddd. When contacted by the Free Press, Burmistrovs agent Mark Gandler didnt have much to say. "The only question Im going to answer is to say that Alex is not going to sign in the KHL," Gandler stated. Burmistrov, who was a healthy scratch in four straight games in March, has 23 goals and 58 points in 194 career NHL games. ' ' '