JohnFMurray.com

Recently, Taylor offered some words of his own to Wichard: “Thank you.”

This was after Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Roethlisberger, who was riding without a helmet, suffered a broken jaw, broken nose and other facial injuries. He underwent seven hours of surgery but otherwise was considered lucky. He might play again this season.

Taylor listened to Wichard and stopped riding his motorcycle. Roethlisberger listened to no one who urged him to do the same thing. Neither did Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams – who were also seriously injured in motorcycle accidents – and other players injured in off-field incidents.

The standard NFL contract prohibits athletes from engaging in activities that “may involve a significant risk of personal injury.”

The NFL contract actually is less specific than those of Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL, which spell out such activities, although risk clauses can be added to individual contracts (Roethlisberger’s contract does not have such a clause). The intent is to dissuade athletes from engaging in risky hobbies. In other words, if they are going to get hurt, let it happen on the field, the ice or the court.

Such clauses cannot keep athletes off motorcycles or the ski slopes or out of trouble. Rather, they prevent players from getting paid if they suffer a career-ending injury.

“I think the team and the league as a whole is just looking out for the best interests of the player and protecting a very valuable asset,” Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said.

The concept of risk clauses in contracts was inspired by Boston Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg, who after winning the Cy Young Award in 1967 wrecked his career in a skiing accident. Most serious injuries that have occurred off the field since Lonborg’s have involved motorcycles.

Williams has not played basketball since his 2003 crash. He is trying to come back. The same thing happened in 2005 to Winslow, the Browns’ No. 1 pick the previous year.

The Bulls released Williams and could have voided the $7 million remaining on his contract but agreed to a $3 million settlement. Winslow, who signed a six-year, $40 million contract, lost about $3 million in bonus money. He returned to the practice field this month and may recoup the money if he reaches certain incentives.

Although they suffered terrible injuries, Williams and Winslow got off easy financially.

But others, such as Ron Gant and Aaron Boone did not. An outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, Gant suffered a season-ending injury while riding a dirt bike in 1994 and the Braves voided his $5.5 million contract. Boone, a third baseman whose game-winning home run sent the New York Yankees into the 2003 World Series, blew out his knee in an offseason pick-up basketball game. He was released and lost most of his $5.75 million contract.

Grunfeld said he does not think athletes generally are predisposed toward taking risks more than anyone else.

“It’s just like any percentage of the population,” he said.

Said sports agent Ron Shapiro: “They’re not out of the norm. It could be an accountant or a lawyer. A lot of CEOs ride motorcycles.”

Capitals general manager George McPhee believes risk-taking to be more a function of age than occupation.

“You can’t stop them from being young,” he said.

Said George Mason sports psychologist Deborah Wilson: “There is going to be a certain percentage of these athletes who actually thrive on putting themselves in risky situations and really thrive on the thrill [but] they are not in the majority.”

Grunfeld and McPhee, in light of their own experiences, agree.

“These are professional, mature adults,” Grunfeld said of his own players. “I think we’re very fortunate. We have a group of extremely professional players who work very hard and want to get better and do what’s necessary. .. They’re very responsible in the way they handle themselves.”

McPhee said he does not believe any current Caps ride motorcycles. But several players, including Jan Bulis, Richard Zednik and Chris Simon used to ride, McPhee said, in defiance of the NHL contract. But rather than preach, McPhee brought in a Secret Service agent to dispense advice and safety lessons.

“We had one kid riding his bike with flip-flops,” he said.

Which helps illustrate why Wilson, who used to coach women’s basketball at Ohio State, acknowledges that athletes truly are wired differently from non-athletes.

“They have confidence in their bodies, they’re able to control and manipulate their bodies,” she said. “Most athletes are able to look at the activity and weigh the inherent danger and determine if it’s really worth it. But there are some to whom that thrill is addictive and they seek it, and they will take risks that are not necessary and put themselves over the edge.”

Another sports psychologist, John Murray, who is based in Palm Beach, Fla., agreed.

“Knowing what I know about behavior, if you make a living diving over the line of scrimmage and crashing into linebackers, you’ll also be more compelled to ride a motorcycle,” Murray said. “I don’t have the data, but it seems that is the case.”

Shapiro, who represented Orioles’ future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. – who had a clause in his contract that allowed him to play basketball in the offseason – said athletes are “probably more prone” toward risky behavior.

“I think that no one has ever said no to them,” he said. “They never learned a lot of discipline. Part of it is their physical makeup. They’re athletes. They feel they have a certain strength, a physical power that makes them impervious to injury.”

Wichard, a former quarterback at C.W. Post whose clients include Redskins Chris Cooley and Adam Archuleta, used to ride a motorcycle. He understands the mind set.

“They say, ‘Dude, I’m an athlete. I know how to handle this. I’m quick. I’ve got athletic reflexes,’ ” he said. “Heck, I said that to my wife. Then after one accident I saw I said, ‘You know what? It’s not worth it.’ ”

Wichard said he had trouble convincing Taylor at first.

“We went through many rounds of that discussion,” he said. “As long as he can get on that field and play he’s gonna continue to make a lot of money.”

Ironically, Taylor was slightly injured in April in an offseason accident, but it had nothing to do with a motorcycle. Driving his car with his wife, Taylor was cut on the arm by an out-of-control driver in what was described as a “road rage” incident. The other driver was arrested and charged with aggravated battery.

So, anything can happen. But, as Wichard says, “Why throw another obstacle in the way?”

GRAPHIC: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a broken jaw and nose when he wrecked this motorcycle earlier this month.

There are grumblings on the LPGA Tour that because Wie is playing in men’s events around the world, she’s diminishing the quality of the women’s tournaments she decides to play in.

It’s ludicrous thinking.

Wie is an absolute marvel to watch, whether she’s playing an international event, men’s event or women’s event. She brings fans. She brings excitement.

Most of all, she brings publicity to the sport. The LPGA can use it.

The LPGA’s star, Annika Sorenstam, is a great person and golfer, but people aren’t standing in eight-person deep galleries to watch her. She’s just not that emotional on the course. I like Karrie Webb and all and think she’s a great talent, too. But she doesn’t have that X-factor – as American Idol’s Simon Cowell would say – that Wie possesses.

Remember when former LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw encouraged female golfers to wear fun, fashionable, sexy attire a few years ago to increase the popularity of the sport? The LPGA Tour was losing sponsors and tour dates and was in danger of not generating enough TV ratings, fans and money.

Wie doesn’t need a short skirt to attract attention. Her mesmerizing shots off the tee are incredible. She’s a skinny teenager with dangly earrings. She pouts just like any 16-year-old when she misses putts. And she’s considered by some to be the next Tiger Woods.

Some LPGA players think she needs to either join the tour or go through qualifiers to play in this tournament. But Wie is an amazing ambassador for the LPGA Tour.

The LPGA should welcome her when she plays. Anything else is petty.

“I agree. Wie’s success is the LPGA’s success,” John. F. Murray, a renowned sports psychologist, said in an e-mail. “I think people grasp that. But the fear of Wie is probably real on the LPGA Tour. And there are always people who are threatened by change and find every reason in the world to cling to tradition.”

When Wie played in a men’s U.S. Open qualifier recently at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., workers stopped letting folks in at the gate because the course couldn’t handle that many spectators. Like at a hot nightclub, fans could only enter when someone left.

And people want Wie to stay away?

Some of the men on the PGA Tour don’t want her out there either, although the complaints are starting to die down. If not for a horrendous day of putting, Wie could have qualified for the men’s U.S. Open. She can play with anyone.

“If we took a poll, I would guess that most people find it quite interesting and exciting and there’s a percentage that find it absolutely horrendous,” Murray said. “Imagine what would happen if she were to win one of those men’s events. It might cause a revolution. You can bet your bottom dollar that everyone in the country would be watching that final round with Michelle Wie in the lead by two strokes.”

It would be great for the game of golf.

Wie has yet to win on the LPGA Tour, but she could change that at the U.S. Women’s Open. It’s not the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, but it is a major, and Wie wants to win.

She doesn’t feel a burden to singlehandedly improve ratings for the tour. But she can certainly help, and her peers should embrace that.

“No, I don’t think it is my responsibility,” Wie said at the LPGA Championship. “It’s what I want to do. My goal is to win an LPGA tournament. And to be able to win, you actually have to play in some tournaments.”

“Hey … Dad? You wanna have a catch?”

The moment melted the emotions of many a movie-going man, those who recognized a heartfelt attempt at renewing the father-son bond in the most traditional of ways.

As America celebrates Father’s Day today, thousands of fathers and sons will reaffirm their ties in the same fashion” whether it’s playing pitch and catch in the backyard, trading opinions in front of a televised game or cheering on a favorite team from bleacher seats.

While it may be a stretch to still call baseball America’s pastime, the sport remains a powerful tool for strengthening relationships between fathers and sons.

It begins with the simple act of spending quality time with one another, but can grow to include the passing on of knowledge acquired over decades, the sharing of raw emotion and the transfer of lessons that pertain to life itself.

“In this day and age, with kids spending so much time with video and computers and the Internet, I think baseball is sort of a return to more traditional values,” said Dr. John F. Murray, a sport psychologist based in Palm Beach, Fla.

“Baseball’s got a lot of folklore, a lot of history and it has a lot of exciting things that happen, so it’s a good way for fathers to share the joy they’ve experienced. It’s the ritual of doing something together and sharing that time.”

It can be argued that the father-son bonds formed through a shared love of baseball are no different than those crafted by any other means.

After all, fathers and sons can grow closer through any number of ways, whether through a sports-related field or otherwise.

But many people believe the baseball bond is special, even sacred.

Maybe it stems from all the tradition involved, the fact that so many men learned to love the game through their fathers. They feel as if they’re passing on a sense of the family history.

On a recent night at Greer Stadium, for instance, Rick Plese recalled what sparked his interest in the sport, even as he watched his own nine-year-old, Colin — baseball glove on hand — scramble after foul balls during Nashville Sounds batting practice.

“My love for the game has to go back to my dad,” said Rick Plese, who was born in Joliet, Ill.

“It was just Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, non-stop. And my dad also coached me all the way up to high school. He’s passed on now, but he’s still an inspiration.”

Baseball also lends itself to communication.

The sport by its nature is a slow-moving one, characterized by silent voids that onlookers can fill by dissecting details or trading strategies.

“We’re always talking about what pitches are going to be thrown,” Rick Plese said.

“I’m telling him breaking balls inside and he’s telling me fastballs outside. The catcher always comes in at the last second and he adjusts, so we’re trying to guess before that.”

Who’s right more often?

“I am,” Colin Plese says with a grin.

Nashville’s Byron Middendorf, another spectator at the Sounds last week, said he teaches his six-year-old son, Isaac, during the down time between pitches as well.

“There’s just so much strategy involved in baseball,” he said. “I’m always saying, ‘Watch what the second baseman does here.’ It’s not just the pitcher and batter who are doing things, because the nine guys on the field are always moving around.”

And what’s to prevent that all-important line of communication — one started through baseball — from extending beyond the diamond?

“Parents are always wanting to get into relationships with their kids and baseball’s a good opportunity do that,” said Nashville Sounds infielder Zach Sorensen, whose three-year-old son Jaxon cheers him at almost every home game.

“When you’re out at the ballpark watching the game, it’s a great way to create that bond that allows you to talk about other things in life that are more important.”

There are those who believe baseball delivers life lessons in and of itself.

Sounds outfielder Tony Gwynn, for instance, says one of the most memorable bits of baseball advice he recalls hearing from his father — future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn — could apply to most anything.

“The biggest thing I probably learned from him was about having a good work ethic,” the younger Tony Gwynn said. “He was really big on that — making sure that if I was going to approach something, I was going to approach it the right way and that I was going to make sure I was working hard at it to get better.”

The younger Gwynn also remembers learning about sportsmanship one day, when his father pointed out — during a one-sided contest — that Padres batters weren’t swinging at 3-0 pitches, even though they knew the baseball would likely be coming right over the plate.

“He said that when you’re up by a lot of runs, you don’t try to make the other team look bad by swinging at pitches when they have to throw you a strike,” Gwynn said. “That’s one of the first things stands out in my mind about what he’d teach — not really rules, but baseball etiquette.”

The younger Gwynn is only 23 years old and doesn’t yet have any children of his own.

But as he looks into the future, Gwynn, like many men who learned baseball from their dads, looks forward to sharing the same passion that years ago bonded he and his father.

“I think that’s the way it’s supposed to work in baseball,” Gwynn said. “It’s a big cycle. You learn from your father and then when you have kids, you do the same for them.”

Please, though, no righteous speeches about responsibility to teammates and the city of Pittsburgh. If Roethlisberger were some no-name on the punt coverage team then surely most Steelers fans wouldn’t have held their breath when news of his motorcycle crash broke three days ago.

So, all the consternation isn’t really about Roethlisberger, the person. It’s about his ability to play, his ability to throw touchdown passes. It’s about the possibility of a repeat championship.

Don’t Roethlisberger’s wishes count in this debate?

Asking Roethlisberger to drive a Volvo, which usually draws some of the highest safety ratings, is akin to asking Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro not to run. Even after Barbaro shattered his leg during the Preakness Stakes he wanted to run, tried to run.

Wait until your National Football League days are over to ride, they tell him. At least that’s what former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw said.

Donor Cycles

“Park that sucker,” was Bradshaw’s advice to Big Ben in an ESPN interview a year ago. “Those things are dangerous.”

Yes, they are. That’s why they’re sometimes referred to as donor cycles.

Nevertheless, some people prefer a perilous ride to something with doors, antilock brakes and air bags. At least many pro athletes do. More than, let’s say, sportswriters.

That isn’t amateur psychology. It’s Dr. John F. Murray, a Palm Beach, Florida, sports psychologist.

“There is a large segment of the sports world that needs and thrives on these high-risk activities and outlets,” he says.

Perhaps that need for a thrill explains why former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh was speeding in his customized Porsche before fatally crashing into a wall in 1985. Maybe that’s why basketball player Bobby Phills was drag racing with a Charlotte Hornets teammate after practice before dying in a wreck. Competitive juices don’t stop just because the game is over.

How Could He?

Those ripping Roethlisberger want to know how he could ignore what happened to former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams, whose career was derailed when he smashed his motorcycle into a light pole. What about Kellen Winslow Jr., who tore a knee ligament while performing tricks on his bike.

Roethlisberger didn’t ignore any of it. He didn’t ignore the pleas of his coach or his father. He made a decision to ride anyway.

“You can get killed walking down the street,” Roethlisberger told ESPN a year ago. “It’s a risk. Life is a risk.”

Winslow’s contract stipulated that he couldn’t ride a motorcycle. Roethlisberger’s didn’t.

If Roethlisberger did anything wrong, it was driving without a license. According to Pittsburgh television station KDKA, Roethlisberger had an expired learner’s permit to operate a motorcycle but never took the written and driving tests.

Team Protection

Either way, credit Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who didn’t forbid his player from doing what he wants, what he loves, for treating him like an adult. There are all sorts of restrictions in player contracts, ranging from skydiving to skiing to spelunking.

Make no mistake, though, those clauses are designed to protect the team’s financial interest — not the player’s ligaments.

You can be sure that Roethlisberger’s crash will lead to a new wave of contract restrictions. Here’s the catch: It won’t matter. The need for speed, so to speak, still needs an outlet.

“That yearning will probably express itself in other ways,” psychologist Murray said.

The world’s No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, six weeks ago won a celebrity stock-car race in New Zealand after crashing three times in an earlier race.

And no one whined about playing it safe when Tiger plunged 438 feet while bungee jumping.

`Live Once’

“I’ll only live once. It’s an adrenaline rush,” said Woods, who is preparing for the U.S. Open, which begins today. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle, so I don’t know what the rush is there, but I’m sure there is.”

Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal sometimes rides a motorcycle. So does his former coach with the Lakers, Phil Jackson, and his current coach with the Heat, Pat Riley, who recalled slamming through a plate-glass window some time ago.

“Luckily I bailed before I hit,” Riley said. “It’s a tragic thing that happens to a lot of people.”

Luckily, Roethlisberger avoided tragedy, even though he wasn’t wearing a helmet. The law says he doesn’t have to wear one.

Roethlisberger underwent seven hours of surgery to repair multiple facial fractures. He also lost some teeth. Somehow he avoided damage to his brain, spine or internal organs.

If you want to be angry with someone, make it the lawmakers in Pennsylvania who three years ago amended the state’s statute to allow those 21 and older to ride without protective headgear.

Leave Roethlisberger alone.

You know what they say about falling off the horse. It’s his decision to ride again or keep it in the garage.

(Scott Soshnick is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Either way, it’s going to be dramatic, especially if Woods is in contention on Sunday – Father’s Day. There’s something about fathers and sons and golf that can turn stoics into mushy romantics, and even a robo-golfer such as Woods will feel the tug in his heart.

It happens to the best of them.

A year ago, a teary-eyed Jack Nicklaus, in the midst of his final Masters appearance, was moved to recall the last words of his late father. Turning to his son at Augusta, Nicklaus said, “Don’t think it hasn’t been charming” – the same thing a cancer-stricken Charlie Nicklaus told his family as he was wheeled into surgery more than 30 years ago.

At the PGA Championship in 1997, Davis Love III was on the verge of wrapping up his first major title when he looked to the heavens and saw a rainbow, so vivid that it looked like it was painted across the sky. It reminded him of his late father and teacher, Davis Love Jr., a golf pro who had died nine years earlier in a plane crash.

That rainbow, by the way, happened over Winged Foot.

Maybe there will be more magic in the air this week at the breathtaking, but diabolical course in Westchester. This much is certain: Woods’ gallery will be filled with amateur psychologists, everybody trying to get inside his head.

“Tiger is going to be in the same boat as me,” Love says. “Every time he plays golf, he’ll think of his father. That’s not going to change. It’s going to be hard for a while, but it’ll also be a positive for him down the road.”

It’s not farfetched to say that, on several levels, this will be the most difficult challenge in Woods’ career. Think about it: He hasn’t played a competitive round in nine weeks (the longest layoff of his career), his perceived advantage over top rival Phil Mickelson is all but gone and he’s coping with the burden of having buried his father only five weeks ago.

Earl Woods died at 74 after a lengthy battle with cancer, and those with firsthand knowledge of their relationship say it transcended the typical father-son bond.

“I’ve never had to experience anything in life like this and never had a nine-week layoff before, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” Woods said last week on his Website, adding that he’ll be thinking of his dad, especially on Father’s Day. “Hopefully, my game will be sharp. No matter what happens, it won’t be from lack of effort on my part.”

Says Woods’ former coach, Butch Harmon, one of the few who walked in Tiger’s inner circle, “Earl and Tiger were so close. They were more than father and son. Earl was Tiger’s best friend, he was his mentor, he was his confidant.”

Says Love: “He made Tiger believe, and I think that’s the sign of a great motivator and a great teacher . . . That will always stay with him.”

Woods learned almost everything about golf from his father, who introduced Tiger to the game soon after he started walking. The old Marine wasn’t an overbearing, Little-League father, but he instilled mental toughness in his son.

Anybody who wondered about the closeness of their relationship saw it in that now-famous embrace at the Masters in 1997, when a victorious Tiger walked off the 72nd hole and into great big arms of his proud father – a forever hug.

Earl’s deteriorating health prevented him from attending tournaments in recent years, but he was always a phone call away.

Dr. John F. Murray, a Florida-based sports psychologist who works with golfers, believes there’s “no way to escape the devastating, understandable impact” that Earl’s death will have on Tiger. But hold the pity party; he expects the world’s top-ranked player to rebound with a vengeance.

“Golf requires the management of emotions . . . and Tiger is one of the greatest in terms of managing emotions,” Murray says. “If anyone can deal with the death of a father, it’s going to be Tiger. He’ll be playing more for his dad. It’ll be an inspiration for him. The tears have flowed, and probably will for a while, but he’ll be okay.”

According to Murray, Woods may benefit from a sense of closure, knowing that his father’s suffering is over. It’s such a personal matter, coping with the loss of a loved one, that it’s difficult to predict how someone will react, especially a premier athlete in the crucible of a world-class competition.

Nicklaus lost his father when he was 30, Tiger’s age, so he can relate. At the time, 1970, Nicklaus was mired in the longest major- championship drought of his career. He admittedly had become sloppy with his game, taking things for granted. His father’s death made him refocus. That summer, he won the British Open.

The Golden Bear said his father “would’ve kicked me in the rear end” if he had allowed the slump to continue. Asked about Woods, Nicklaus smiles and says, “You can’t say he needs to be kicked in the rear end.

“Everybody reacts differently to different things,” he adds. “It would be a pure guess on my part what his reaction will be.”

At a time such as this, Woods may rely on his father’s wisdom more than ever, according to his former coach.

“Earl groomed Tiger to handle any situation, and this is another one of those situations in life you have to handle,” Harmon says. “Will he get over it? No, you never get over that. But will he be fine? Yes, he will. I actually think it’s going to make him stronger. If you think that the last round of the Open is on Father’s Day, the extra amount of motivation for Tiger will be phenomenal.”

Ah, yes, but there other factors to consider, such as the long layoff – the Tiger Pause, so to speak. His last competitive shot was a putt on the 72nd hole of the Masters in April.

Two weeks ago, Woods skipped The Memorial, traditionally his final tune up for the Open, fueling more speculation about the current state of his game.

“I’m working my butt off to get ready,” Woods said recently on his Web site.

That preparation included a practice round at Winged Foot, where he worked on accuracy off the tee and distance control with his irons. The narrow fairways and heavy rough will make it difficult for the hottest, most active players, let alone somebody who hasn’t competed in nine weeks. Winged Foot isn’t an ideal place to chip off rust.

In 2003, Woods disproved that theory, returning from a two-month layoff after knee surgery to win the Buick Invitational. But that was Torrey Pines, this is the Open, which presents the most demanding test in golf.

Woods doesn’t have much of a track record at Winged Foot, having played there only once – a 29th-place finish in the 1997 PGA. He stumbled with a final-round 75 on a course that is playing much tougher these days, with longer holes and higher rough.

“I don’t think the layoff is going to hurt him at all because I know him,” Harmon says. “He’s been working hard on his game. I know how he is.

“I think the fact that Mickelson will probably be the favorite – and should be – motivated Tiger even more,” Harmon says. “So I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’ll come back stronger than he was.”

Indeed, Woods could play the underdog card, a rarity. That, combined with the swell of emotion from his father’s death, will make for great theater. If Woods can capture his 11th major on this course, under these circumstances, it would be an instant classic.

Somewhere over Davis Love’s rainbow, Earl Woods will be smiling.

Sidebar: Father figures

The U.S. Open’s traditional Fathers’ Day finish brings to mind these great father-and-child moments:

1. Jack & son

A 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus wins the 1986 Masters with his 24- year-old son, Jackie, on the bag. Twelve years earlier, the death of Jack’s father, Charlie, makes him rededicate himself and win the British Open.

2. The hug

Earl Woods hits balls into his practice net in the garage in Cypress, Calif., as his infant son Tiger watches him from his high hair. In 1997, Tiger comes off the 18th green at Augusta after winning the 1997 Masters and into the arms of his proud father.

3. The rainbow

A rainbow appears over the 18th green at Winged Foot as Davis Love III wraps up the 1997 PGA Championship, a win especially significant because his late father, Davis II, killed tragically in a plane crash when Davis III was young, had been a PGA club professional.

4. Old & Young Tom

The first British Opens are dominated first by Old Tom Morris and then by his son, Young Tom. Together, they win eight of the first 12 championships before Young Tom died on Christmas Day, 1875, a few months after his wife and infant son died during childbirth.

5. Double Duval

David Duval wins the 1999 Players Championship on the same day his father, Bob, wins the Emerald Coast Classic Senior Tour event.

6. Oh, happy day

Domingo Lopez, owner of a New Mexico auto repair shop, gives his 8-year-old daughter, Nancy, a sawed-off club and encourages her to “play happy.”

7. Just like in the backyard

In San Diego, Phil Mickelson Sr. builds a backyard putting green and bunker for his young son, Phil. In 2005, Mickelson wins the PGA with the same kind of shot he perfected, back then.

8. Has to be Haas & Haas

In 2003 at Olympia Fields, Jay and Bill Haas become the sixth father and son to play in the same U.S. Open and again at Shinnecock Hills a year later, where they both make the cut. Jay finishes tied for ninth and Bill ties for 40th.

9. Once in a lifetime

Gene Sarazen’s father, an immigrant from Italy, watches from the street as his son plays the 10th hole at Pelham Manor en route to his famous win over Walter Hagen at the 1923 PGA. It is the only time he sees his son play golf.

10. Wie believe

B.J. Wie begins to coach his daughter, Michelle, 4. Even in the old videos, the two always seemed to be arguing, but there is no denying how he has laid out her career.

[Illustration]
Caption: Tiger Woods will do something tomorrow that he’s never done before – play in a major without his father being alive.

And it’s that very mentality, a sense of invincibility and a willingness to accept risk, that might have contributed to his habit of riding a motorcycle without a helmet – a practice that has him in a Pittsburgh hospital recovering from surgery after a collision with a car Monday.

The accident has stirred questions about athletes’ off-the-field activities that potentially place their team’s fortunes, their careers and even their lives at risk.

“It’s hard to change who you are just because it’s not Sunday afternoon,” sports psychologist John Murray said. “A football player’s personality and behavior rewards that kind of conduct.”

And while those with a vested interest in an athlete’s wellbeing – team management, agents, fans – might take exception, it’s difficult for some athletes to curb their appetites for excitement.

“I think for the most part you do have a lot of risk-takers in sports,” said Eric Morse, a sports psychiatrist who works with many University of Maryland athletes.

“They have to be able to throw themselves at a 300-pound lineman with less fear of hurting themselves than a normal person would have. So I think there is a predisposition to risky behavior.”

Roethlisberger, 24, suffered multiple facial fractures, including some to his upper and lower jaw and nose, according to doctors who performed a seven-hour operation. The quarterback also lost two teeth, chipped several others and suffered head cuts and a mild concussion. He did not have serious knee injuries.

His accident and many others – some far more severe – are hard-learned lessons that team officials, coaches and player agents use to impress on athletes the importance of distinguishing between risk that’s a necessary component of professional sports and unnecessary foolhardiness.

“You hate for that to be a tragic reminder for all of us. … Beyond the moral and ethic responsibility to do the right thing, you got to respect the obligation you have to your profession and your team,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “As simple as that sounds, that’s a part of it.”

Last year, another young NFL star, Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident that cost him the entire 2005 season. And in 2003 after his NBA rookie season, the Chicago Bulls’ Jay Williams fractured his pelvis and tore knee ligaments in a motorcycle crash. He hasn’t played since and is still trying to get back into the league.

New Ravens quarterback Steve McNair said yesterday that he doesn’t own a motorcycle.

“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you right now,” he added.

“We all have responsibilities,” McNair said. “We have a responsibility to our family and a responsibility to the organization that you play for. Every year, something happens where a player gets into an accident or gets into trouble.”

In 2000, McNair’s teammate, Tennessee safety Marcus Robertson, required 150 stitches in his face because of a late-season motorcycle accident. As a result, Titans coach Jeff Fisher has banned his players from riding motorcycles during the season. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren strongly discourages his players from riding during the season.

Player contracts in most major sports usually include language addressing off-the-field activities deemed dangerous – motorcycle riding, skiing, auto racing, scuba diving and mountain climbing are a few. Sometimes, the contract provision is a general clause; other times, it lists specific activities.

If a player gets hurt while engaging in something that is forbidden in his contract, he could face the loss of his salary and might have to pay back a pro-rated portion of bonus money.

Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan said the club negotiates off-the-field activities on a case-by-case basis.

“You’re always sensitive because there have been cases like [Roethlisberger] along the way,” he said. “You can’t control everything. You can’t put people in glass houses. But it is something that keeps you up at nights sometimes.”

Orioles Kevin Millar and Javy Lopez both ride motorcycles. And both said they were unsure what their contracts said about that.

“Any time you get on the road with a motorcycle or a car, it is a risk,” said Millar, who owns three Harley-Davidson motorcycles and rides to home games. “You try to be as careful as you can. The helmet situation is always an issue. That was a lot with Ben. If there was not a helmet law, I’d be lazy and not wear the helmet. Now that I have kids, I thought about getting rid of [the motorcycles].”

While motorcycle riding is drawing attention because of Roethlisberger’s accident, other adventurous pursuits can pose dangers.

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In April, Washington Redskins center Casey Rabach required leg surgery after an accident on an all-terrain vehicle in Virginia.

When Ravens tight end Todd Heap was younger, he was an extreme-sports enthusiast who enjoyed snowboarding, wake boarding and even cliff diving. Now married with three children, Heap said he has stopped all of those things.

“You feel like you’re young and can do everything and it’s not going to hurt you,” Heap said. “All of a sudden, it sneaks up on you and it just happens. Instances like [Roethlisberger's crash] happen.”

Even athletes in more genteel sports can be attracted to the occasional adrenalin rush. In April, golfer Tiger Woods dove 440 feet on a bungee jump in New Zealand.

Things weren’t any different 35 years ago when Walt Garrison was playing running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Garrison was a real cowboy participating in the rodeo during the offseason. Even then, coach Tom Landry warned Garrison that if got hurt steer wrestling, the Cowboys wouldn’t owe him a dime.

“I didn’t see the danger and I told him that it’s ignorance that makes a sport dangerous,” Garrison said. “I understood rodeo, I had grown up rodeoing, but I’d rather pick up a rattlesnake than ride a motorcycle.”

Eventually though, after Garrison tore up his knee at a rodeo in Montana after the 1974 season, his football career was over.

When clubs seek to limit players’ off-the-field activities, it’s one of those rare occasions when player agents will eagerly embrace management’s point of view.

“In the last year, we’ve had situations where teams added language [about potentially dangerous activities] where it’s becoming more common,” said agent Mike Sullivan, whose firm represents Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller.

Pittsburgh-based agent Ralph Cindrich, himself a former player, said he advises his clients both orally and in writing to refrain from pursuits that could jeopardize their careers, even recreational basketball.

“You’re in a charity basketball game,” he said, “and some guy might take a shot at you because you’re a pro football player.”

Agent Gary Wichard, an ex-college quarterback and a former motorcycle rider, first confronted the issue with client Brian Bosworth, the much-hyped linebacker who starred in a 1991 biker adventure movie, Stone Cold.

“It starts with the invincibility factor,” Wichard said.

The agent says he encourages clubs to include language in contracts limiting players’ activities because it makes his job easier.

“You would think … these guys would do everything they can to protect their bodies – work out, wear their seat belts,” he said. “Look at [Cincinnati quarterback] Carson Palmer, he gets seriously hurt playing the game. Well, for 16 games, Ben Roethlisberger is getting those same bullets shot at him and he says, ‘Oh, I think now I’ll [take this same risk] every day.’”

Gina Gelman can’t remember exactly when she got the earrings. All she knows is that they probably weren’t very expensive, that they’re nothing really special to look at – and that she can’t possibly run a race without having them on.

‘I don’t feel completely dressed without them,’ says Gelman, 42, who started running more than 20 years ago. At some point – she doesn’t exactly remember when – she began wearing the pair of clear, crystal ball earrings whenever she was going to compete in a race. ‘I guess I didn’t want to go out with earrings, and needed a pair that was not going to get in the way, and still look a little feminine,’ she says.

One year, on the morning of the Long Island Half Marathon, the post fell off. ‘I thought, ‘Oh my God, I can’t go without them,” Gelman recalls. ‘I dabbed them together with Krazy Glue. That night, when I went to take them off, they were stuck to my ear.’

Lest anyone think that this is a woman who walks around all day quivering in fear that a black cat might cross her path, it should be noted that Gelman has a graduate degree in management from Stony Brook University, works in corporate communications for MetLife and is, by any measure, rational and logical.

Except for those earrings.

‘It’s just one of those things,’ she says. ‘Some people wear the same T-shirts, eat the same things before a race. I wear my earrings. People get their motivation from different things.’

Sometimes those ‘things’ involve not lucky earrings and T-shirts, but supplements or training aids that someone claims are effective, yet which really have no value. This is the ‘placebo’ effect, and it has long been used in testing the value of new drugs and medical procedures. The placebo often proves effective, despite its inherent worthlessness.

Common in sports Both superstitions and placebos are common in sports – even Michael Jordan had his lucky shorts – and the power of both derives from the same source: belief. ‘Whether it’s a rabbit’s foot that you believe will bring you luck or a sugar pill that someone tells you will make you faster, they both fall within the area of superstition or erroneous belief in the power of an object,’ says Dr. John F. Murray, a sport psychologist in Palm Beach, Fla.

Even those athletes who sincerely believe that God guided their touchdown pass may be tapping into something similar. ‘It goes beyond sports to religion,’ says psychologist Dr. Richard Lustberg, who practices in Rockville Centre and Commack. ‘Belief and faith supersedes all.’

The power of such beliefs in sport has been demonstrated in a new University of Wisconsin-La Crosse study, where researchers used ’super-oxygenated’ water (enriched with oxygen), under the assumption it would give the body greater energy, to test the placebo effect.

‘We’d done two studies on the effectiveness of super-oxygenated water and saw absolutely nothing,’ says the lead researcher, exercise physiologist Dr. John Porcari. But researchers heard claims to the contrary from many who swore by the stuff. ‘That made us think, ‘Wonder if we can fool people into thinking this works?”

‘Astounding’ results To that end, the researchers created a video espousing the so-called ’science’ behind super-oxygenated water and showed it to a group of 32 adult recreational runners of various abilities. ‘We really sold them a bill of goods,’ Porcari says. The runners – who had been timed earlier in a practice run – were then given some of the ’super-oxygenated water’ (actually, plain tap water), to drink before a 5K (3.1 mile) time trial. The results, Porcari said, were ‘astounding.’

The subjects improved by an average of one minute, 23 seconds – an enormous improvement in the 5K. What’s more, the people who had previous 5K times of greater than 20 minutes – generally, the less experienced runners among the subjects – made the biggest improvements: an average of 2 minutes, 22 seconds each. Many of these runners were convinced that the difference in time was the ’super’ water (placebo). ‘Several people said, ‘I felt so much lighter on my feet. Where can I buy this stuff?’ They thought it was liquid gold. And we’re trying not to laugh, knowing they just drank tap water.’

What the study really showed, Porcari says, is ‘the power of the mind.’ And the question it raises is, If people believe in a placebo – whether it’s super-oxygenated water or the latest infomercial product – and they perform better, then who cares? Is it really wrong?

‘If a placebo effect is working for someone, I don’t usually jump quickly to change it,’ says Murray. ‘Why remove helpful belief, even if it is based on a faulty or erroneous assumption?’

If it helps, go with it Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, which sponsored the placebo study, agrees. ‘Logically speaking, you say not to put your faith in those silly things,’ Bryant says. ‘If it’s helpful, however, to you psychologically and it’s not something illegal or harmful to the body, it’s really your prerogative.’

The power of superstitions, Lustberg adds, comes partly from the fact ‘the person is part of the solution. They’ve found it, they’ve come up with the idea.’ The lucky shorts or pre-game rituals may not always work, but they do so enough to convince you of their effectiveness.

‘If you believe it works, it just might,’ Bryant says.

Which may be why Gelman continues to wear her ‘lucky’ earrings. Not that she’s getting any faster, with or without them; it’s simply that they give her a sense of reassurance. ‘I’m like, ‘If I don’t wear them, something’s going to happen.”

Besides, she adds, with a laugh, ‘I was born on Friday the 13th. I guess I have to be a little superstitious.’

First of all, we are talking about the French Open. No surface other than clay reveals the variety of tennis endurance, skill, cunning and mental fortitude better than Roland Garros. Second, we have the two top seeds and the world’s best player attempting to become only the third player to hold all 4 Grand Slam titles at the same time. Finally, there is the intrigue of Rafael Nadal holding the longest recorded winning streak on clay and a decisive recent advantage against
Federer.

Will Roger step up his game and stop Nadal’s streak, establishing his place as perhaps the greatest player ever? Or will Nadal emerge as the true star on the slow courts and hit his own grand slam as the best player in the world?

No matter what happens in this match, it will help tennis grow. The return of Jimmy Connors to assist Andy Roddick is another good sign that this sport is on the rise.

Enjoy the match Sunday. Try to see it live, but tape it if you cannot. It might be the best match since Borg-McEnroe at Wimbledon 1980, and a match for the ages!

QUESTION: What do you offer athletes?

ANSWER: Improved mental skills, reduced distractions and positive habit formation. This is usually accomplished in two ways:

1. Specific mental coaching or performance enhancement counseling to help the athlete or team develop in mental skills areas such as confidence, focus, pain management, goals, imagery, resilience, discipline, anxiety reduction, relaxation or any variety of other areas as revealed in the assessment.

2. More general counseling to navigate the many challenges presented by life and the high-performance nature of their activity. Resolving off-court or off-field issues (e.g., difficulty in relationships, low self-esteem, past burdens) can be just as necessary as teaching an athlete to concentrate better in competition.

For teams I offer assessments, lectures and workshops for coaches and for players.

Q: Former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington told the Free Press that he went to a sports psychologist on “how to stay sane in an insane world.” What type of advice would you give him?

A: I would start by listening to him rather than giving him advice. He could probably give me advice with what he has been through! … A thorough assessment would reveal the needs as described in the report, and then we would have fun rolling up our sleeves together and addressing the needs.

Q: Regarding managing, what’s the difference between players’ coaches such as Steve Mariucci and Flip Saunders versus a stricter coaches such as Rod Marinelli and Larry Brown? (Or use Nick Saban as an example). Is one more successful than the other?

A: Both types of coaches win and will continue to win in the future. I’m not sure style is really as important as key principles such as leadership, intelligence, consistency, ability to teach and motivate, honesty and attending to details.

Q: The Pistons were a good shooting team in the regular season but faltered in the playoffs. How much of it could be mental?

A: It is all mental and it is all physical, too! In fact, I prefer to say that it is mind-body skills as the thoughts influence the physical performance as much as successful execution feeds into confidence.

Q: Any tips for fans bummed about their teams losing?

A: After your team loses, identify with the aggressor by going out and buying a Heat hat or jersey. (Just kidding, Detroit!)

QUESTION: What do you offer athletes?

ANSWER: Improved mental skills, reduced distractions and positive habit formation. This is usually accomplished in two ways:

1. Specific mental coaching or performance enhancement counseling to help the athlete or team develop in mental skills areas such as confidence, focus, pain management, goals, imagery, resilience, discipline, anxiety reduction, relaxation or any variety of other areas as revealed in the assessment.

• 2. More general counseling to navigate the many challenges presented by life and the high-performance nature of their activity. Resolving off-court or off-field issues (e.g., difficulty in relationships, low self-esteem, past burdens) can be just as necessary as teaching an athlete to concentrate better in competition.

For teams I offer assessments, lectures and workshops for coaches and for players.

Q: Former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington told the Free Press that he went to a sports psychologist on “how to stay sane in an insane world.” What type of advice would you give him?

A: I would start by listening to him rather than giving him advice. He could probably give me advice with what he has been through! … A thorough assessment would reveal the needs as described in the report, and then we would have fun rolling up our sleeves together and addressing the needs.

Q: Regarding managing, what’s the difference between players’ coaches such as Steve Mariucci and Flip Saunders versus a stricter coaches such as Rod Marinelli and Larry Brown? (Or use Nick Saban as an example). Is one more successful than the other?

A: Both types of coaches win and will continue to win in the future. I’m not sure style is really as important as key principles such as leadership, intelligence, consistency, ability to teach and motivate, honesty and attending to details.

Q: The Pistons were a good shooting team in the regular season but faltered in the playoffs. How much of it could be mental?

A: It is all mental and it is all physical, too! In fact, I prefer to say that it is mind-body skills as the thoughts influence the physical performance as much as successful execution feeds into confidence.

Q: Any tips for fans bummed about their teams losing?

A: After your team loses, identify with the aggressor by going out and buying a Heat hat or jersey. (Just kidding, Detroit!)