One Man’s Mansion Is Another’s Fixer-Upper
It was reported recently by the Palm Beach Post that Tiger Woods had agreed to buy a $40-million, 10-acre oceanfront estate on Jupiter Island, Fla., an area described by Forbes magazine as “America’s most expensive ZIP Code.”
According to the Post, Woods plans to tear down the 13-year-old, 16,000-square-foot main house and build another one.
“The main house is in very good condition, but I’d think that someone who paid that much would want to put their own stamp on it,” Dolly Peters, a real estate agent in the area, told the newspaper. “I’d be surprised if he didn’t tear it down.”
Trivia time: On this day in 1958, the NCAA rules committee made the first change in football scoring since 1912 by adding the two-point conversion. What change was made in 1912?
A different con-cept: In an SI.com column about Vince Young and all the other college underclassmen making themselves available for the NFL draft, John Walters wrote: “Let me tackle Young [since nobody from USC was able to] first. To me it all comes down to this: It’s your choice, Vince. My only concern is whether the people who counseled ‘Suddenly Superman’ were trying to Convince Vince or Con Vince.”
The heart of the matter: Walters also wrote, “When Young is 33 or 34 years old and owns more land in the Lone Star State than J.R. Ewing and Lamar Hunt combined, will he want this year back? ... It all comes down to whether he wanted to hang around with Mack Brown and his fellow Longhorns another year.... Young’s dilemma: Brown or Bored of Education.”
More pros and cons: “Texas quarterback Vince Young has decided to go pro,” Jay Leno said, “and Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick has decided to go con.”
Not a remote possibility: Syndicated columnist Tom FitzGerald pointed out that when announcer Mike Tirico informed viewers to pick up their remotes and switch channels for continued coverage of a golf tournament, colleague Ian Baker-Finch said, “A real man doesn’t put down his remote.”
Bruce not mighty: Greg Cote of the Miami Herald wasn’t pleased about Bruce Sutter’s being voted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
“Bruce Sutter got in?!?” Cote wrote. “Where did they hand out the ballots? In the bleachers at Wrigley Field? Who tabulated the votes? Mrs. Sutter?”
Looking back: On this day in 1969, quarterback Joe Namath, after guaranteeing a Super Bowl victory, led the New York Jets to a 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts, a 17-point favorite.
Trivia answer: The value of a touchdown was changed from five points to six.
And finally: Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, 80, after being hired as general manager of the Buffalo Bills, told reporters, “They say two things happen when you get older. One is you begin to forget things. And I can’t remember the other thing right now.”
Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.