Welcome to The Pulse. If you want to know what the sports world is thinking, look no further. Every day on ESPN.com, SportsNation registers its opinion on a wide range of topics by casting votes and soliciting analysis from experts in The Show. We will collect these daily highlights and put them in one easy-to-read, easy-to-find location we like to call The Pulse. Need more? Then tune in to ESPNEWS 1-4 p.m. ET Saturdays for the weekly Pulse show, which recaps everything that's going on.
Thursday's Story of the Day: Scotland's Tiger Habitat
Watch out for the haggis and don't let the wind wreak havoc with your kilt, it's time to revisit the most hallowed ground in golf. The Open Championship, known to us Yanks as the British Open, is up for grabs, and Tigers Woods is once again on the prowl.
Woods fired a six-under 66 in the first round at St. Andrews, good enough for a one-shot lead over Mark Hensby. So is the outcome a foregone conclusion? SportsNation thinks so, with more than 80 percent of voters already ceding victory to Woods. Perhaps that's why his pursuit of another major ranks second on the list of golf stories currently on SportsNation's radar, ahead of Jack Nicklaus chasing one last weekend at the Old Course, but behind teen star Michelle Wie chasing a Masters' berth at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
After shooting an opening-round 66, will Tiger Woods win the British Open? (34,669 votes)
82.7% Tiger Woods
17.2% No
Which unfolding golf story interests you most? (4,754 votes)
38.6% Michelle Wie tries to earn invite to the Masters
36.5% Tiger Woods tries to win another British Open
24.7% Jack Nicklaus tries to make British Open cut
SportsNation Rankings: Who is your pick to win the British Open? (6,459 votes)
1. Tiger Woods
2. Ernie Els
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Vijay Singh
5. Retief Goosen
6. Sergio Garcia
7. Jim Furyk
8. David Toms
9. Adam Scott
10. Darren Clarke
11. Luke Donald
12. Chris DiMarco
13. Davis Love III
14. Kenny Perry
15. Stewart Cink
16. Tim Clark
17. Angel Cabrera
18. Todd Hamilton
Click here to rank the British Open favorites
SportsNation's Show: Gene Wojciechowski at St. Andrew's
Rich (Rahway, N.J.): If for some reason the golf gods want to play a joke on us again, and a "NO-NAME" Cinderella wins again this year, will it hurt or help the British Open?
Gene Wojciechowski: That's the beauty of golf. To me, if you win a major, it doesn't matter if you are a known or unknown, you have accomplished something incredible. Do you have any idea how hard it is just to win a regular tournament? Multiply that by 20 and that's winning a major. In a way, the no-names are more interesting. But I don't like their chances this week.
Anvi (Raleigh): Is Tiger back in form?
Gene Wojciechowski: Absolutely. In fact, you could make the argument that he has been at or near his top form in his last three events. Had he been able to putt, even a little bit, at the U.S Open, he probably would have won there. I'd be shocked if he doesn't win this thing.
Click here for Wojciechowski's entire transcript
More SportsNation: MLB Resumes
The baseball season resumes just the way it began, with the Red Sox and Yankees squaring off in a rematch of last year's ALCS. In other words, those sick of the East Coast Bias had better watch some golf this weekend.
Rob Neyer and Jayson Stark appeased everyone by taking questions on a host of topics in Thursday's chats, but voters think the Yankees will leave Fenway the worse for wear.
How many games will the Red Sox win in their series against the Yankees at Fenway Park? (16,129 votes)
33.0% Three
30.0% Two
17.0% One
11.0% Four
9.0% None
Voice of the Fan: Who Claims AL Wild Card?
Indians have easiest schedule in the second half.
Mike (Cleveland)
I think the Tigers will. They're coming on really strong at the end of the first half and Magglio's bat is coming alive. Not to mention Bonderman is pitching great right now.
Matt (Ann Arbor)
I think the Rangers will pull it out. They have the offense, the defense, and if they acquire one pitcher, they could win it.
Steve (Dallas)
I'm gonna say that team that's in line for it right now: Twins. I don't see the White Sox slowing down, and I don't see the Yankees gaining anything resembling consistency.
Clint (Indianapolis)
Minnesota will win the wild card, because the Yanks and Sox are going to split everything from here on out and kill each other. The Twins are a fairly complete team, and if Boone can help with defense at second base, then they should be set
Alex (Halifax)
The Chicago White Sox will win the wild card. They will struggle to score in the second half, causing them to lose those one-run games and allowing the Twins to pass them up.
Joe(Chicago)
Cleveland. Best pitching in AL and a great lineup. Even with a terrible start they are still in it, and second half should pick up where first half left off.
Eric (Boston)
I think the addition of Boone will help the Twins more than people think. Santana will have a huge second half. They're my pick.
Robert (N.Y.)
Click here for the entire transcript of Dan Shanoff's Morning Quickie
SportsNation's Show: MLB Chatter
Herman (Montreal): Jayson Stark suggested that Jim Bowden might be the NL executive of the year. Isn't that crazy - Cristian Guzman, anyone? Who else could it be? John Schuerholz?
Rob Neyer: Considering the Nationals could, without a lot of effort, finish in fourth place, I'm not quite ready to send a trophy Bowden's way quite yet. Schuerholz is certainly a good candidate, but the keys to the Braves' season have been 1) Cox and Mazzone, and 2) the organization's player development. Now, obviously Schuerholz is largely responsible for both items, but not specifically in 2005.
Tim (St. Paul, Minn.): Johan Santana's K-rate and walk-rate are the same (if not better) than last year. What are some reasons for his struggles?
Rob Neyer: Hard to say. I believe he's given up more home runs this season, which is his fault. I know he's got a significantly higher batting average on balls in play, which is only partly his fault. I do think he'll be much better, ERA-wise, the rest of the way. But we should probably temper our Hall of Fame predictions, huh?
Click here for Neyer's entire transcript
John (N.Y.C.): How well do you think Curt Schilling is going to do out of the pen? He could make or break the Sox.
Jayson Stark: I think this has to work, because Curt Schilling - as much as any player I've ever covered - loves the Big Moment. And by pitching at the end of games in a pennant race, that makes every inning he pitches one of those moments. When he gets strong, he also can be a guy who can serve as his own set-up man, because he certainly doesn't have that classic one-inning closer mentality. But they know they have to ease him in and allow him to get healthy. And maybe an even bigger question, if he can't start again this year, is who replaces the Curt Schilling they once expected to return and be the dominator in that rotation in September and October?
Jayson (Chicago): Will GM Hendry pull off any big deals for the Cubs? How about one of the Reds outfielders? If Dunn might go to Houston is there a chance the Cubs could get him?
Jayson Stark: The Cubs have enough prospects to make multiple deals or a major deal. The question is whether they're serious contenders. They're like a bunch of teams in this respect: They want to see where they are in two weeks. If they draw closer in the wild-card race, they'll be significant buyers. And Dunn figures to interest them in either case, because he's not a rent-a-player. He is someone who would fill a long-term need.
Click here for Stark's entire transcript
More SportsNation: College Football
Why are we giving so much attention to college football when August is still weeks away? Because with games like Ohio State vs. Texas looming on the early schedule, you can't come late to the party this season. Yesterday's Pulse showed USC is still SportsNation's favorite to win it all, but that early game between the Buckeyes and Longhorns pits two of SportsNation's top three picks to dethrone the Trojans.
Which team is most likely to dethrone USC this season? (7,559 votes)
32.3% Texas
20.9% Michigan
18.9% Ohio State
16.3% LSU
11.3% Florida
SportsNation's Show: College Football Chatter
Paul (Pittsburgh, Penn.): Why is Michigan not being hyped to take a run at the national championship this year? They have over 15 returning starters, not to mention Mike Hart, Chad Henne, and Steve Breaston. Shouldn't they be getting some attention as a national-championship caliber team?
Bruce Feldman: Paul, I don't think anyone really is being hyped to win it all because USC is such a prohibitive favorite. That said, you're correct, UM has a ton of talent back and a favorable road schedule. I think they might stumble against Iowa, and I'm not sure they match up well against Ohio State.
Tony (Lanham, Md.): I don't get a lot of information on the Buckeyes down here. Can you update the QB siuation? All you ever hear about is Smith/Zwick, but as I understand it, Todd Boeckman has looked very good. Even had some defensive starters tell the coaches to give him a start with the first-team offense? Any chance when the smoke clears he ends up with the job over both Smith and Zwick?
Bruce Feldman: I think Tressel will go the conservative route with Zwick and then Smith when he is back. Smith can make things happen, which is a huge plus considering OSU hasn't had a semblence of a ground game since Maurice Clarett was there. I think OSU's D is so good they can still win a lot of games 17-9, but the one thing I think people need to remember is they lost a huge weapon in Mike Nugent.
Click here for Feldman's entire transcript
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