European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday. April 27. 1987 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary an authentic american sports hero anybody who Ever galleried an open can Lell you what made Jack Nicklaus a growl golfer character. Of he hit the Ball fun her than anyone else when he first came along. But Long hitters have appeared on he scene pro Ghoul Golf history drawing their oohs and aah from inc galleries without making much Ofa real Dent on the scoring records or Victory Rolls. In the Case of Nicklaus it was Noi hit Long drive thai made him the greatest Ever to play the game. Neither was it his Short game his putting Chipping trouble shots he never needed any. He could t do anything with a 5-Iron that two or three dozen other toners could t do. He did t have any Secrel body turn any mystery to the cock of his wrist or his motion through the Ball. What made Jack great was enormous self respect the Tunnel vision that All sports geniuses have from Tycobb to babe ruin to Jack Dempsey to Joe Louis. The great thing about Golf is your opponent is never inc Sand the water the Trees the wind the rough or the slickness of the greens. It s yourself. Before he Ever beat Arnold Palmer or Oakmont or Pebble Beach or acc Trevino or Gary player he had to beat Jack Nicklaus How Well did he do it Well did you know that Jack Nicklaus smoked and did for most of his Ca reer probably not. That s because you never saw him do in. Nicklaus never smoked in Public. He did t think in was a Good image. You Ever see him throw a club curse a Spectator a marshal you Ever see him lose his Imper he s got a Reily Good one. You never saw him closing a bar giving any kind of scandal. You never even saw him drinking from a can. There Are a lot of people who Don t even know Nicklaus was fat that when he joined the Golf tour he looked like a sausage in cleats. He did t walk he waddled. His clothes fit him like a tent. He moved Down a Fairway like a sack of potatoes. Spectators hated him. That was partly because he was beating Palmer who in those Days was Ameri Ca s golfer to inc sport what Dempsey had been to boxing or Stan Musial to baseball. But if Jack had looked like Ronald Trueheart or even Ronald Reagan or Sieve Harvey the blow would t have been so hard to take. If he d had Broad shoulders a tiny Waistline and movie Star Good looks audiences might have been mollified. As it was this ill listed chunk of a kid who looked 45 when he was barely 20, outraged America As if he had been caught stoning stained Glass windows. No one liked to eat like Nicklaus. But he stopped. He gave up the oysters the baked alaskan the pizzas with everything. He hired a color consultant he s color Blind and he made Over Jack Nicklaus he went from looking like Herman covering to looking like Lochinvar. Now lots of Guys have lost weight. Even on he Golf Lour. But not Many keep in off. Jack did. Jack does whatever he sets out to do. He took off the beef even at the risk of losing distance off the tee or losing tournaments because no had to drop one or two clubs Down from his Besl shooting. Jack Nicklaus never gave in an Inch to Jack Nicklaus. If he was going to be in command of the play he was going to be in command of the player. You had to respect Nicklaus. He became an authentic american sports hero on sheer will. On recent sunday afternoon Abc conducted an interesting  on Nicklaus and his career through the words of sin men who were Inspru mental in fashioning it. Each mounted a Challenge to Nick Laus and either fell Back or settled for a draw. The sin were Palmer he Man Jack supplanted As King of the Golf Hill player who shot at the King and missed Trevino who beat Jack out of three major titles but who concedes that Jack is Over Here by himself and we re Over there Day a Day out we could t beat Jack Nicklaus Tom Watson who wonders How Nicklaus Lumen a villain into a hero seve Ballesttros who can t believe that Nicklaus could handle 25 Yean of relentless pressure without burnout and Greg Norman the Only one of the sex Tel who has not been sufficiently clawed by the Golden Bear to concede anything. Even Norman Hough sol a Sample of an attacking Nicklaus Al last year s masters ii was a fascinating piece of americana Demon Strating the extraordinary revealing Powers of the medium ii was evident. Tor instance thai with Palmer the wounds arc sell Una Calvd and in Healing Arnold is the least accenting of the rivals almost As if he were still hoping for one More playoff to Settle the Issue. The whole Point is inc comp Clinion Between them is going to be there so Long As we live and maybe longer says Arnold. So far As Arnold is concerned Palmer and Nick time seemed comfortable in Nicklaus Shadow. Watson As a Man who however briefly in one British open and one . Open stomped on the Nicklaus legend was More fascinated to learn How Nicklaus handled the Public abuse attached to Beai ing Palmer. "1 never noticed it confesses Nicklaus. I had blinders on. I never heard the crowd. I did t care what they said. 1 was going to get where i wanted to  Ballesteros wanted to know How Nick Laus bore up under the terrible pressures of being Nicklaus. You always took Happy relaxed marvelled the spaniard. Explained Nicklaus i look around at the crowd the cameras and i say this is what we arc All work ing for. This is whal we came for so i relax and enjoy it. I never get  no one has come close to Jack s record As a play the jewish people have a word for such a Man a imn seb. The gaiters have a word for one Loo. They Call him a player inc highest compliment. Well Jack was the player s player. He had the i Jyh club in the bag and in was an Iron. Iron will till lot Angal to Row temperate Sil scratched from Kentucky Derby Louisville by. A temper ale Sil who was this year s Kentucky Derby Hope for Charlie Whittingham and Bill Shoemaker the Golden boys of 1986, will miss the famed race next sat urday because of illness. Tali num apparently will miss the Derby As Well because of a leg injury Dis covered saturday. Whittingham trained and Shoemaker Rode Ferdinand to Victory in last year s Derby and both had High Hopes of repeating with temperate Sil Winner of the Santa Anita Derby on april 4, he s had a very slight fever and he s been coughing the 74-year-old while Gingham said. He s already missed two Days of training so i d have to work him next week and that could really Knock him  veterinarian Alex Harthill said tem Perate Sil had pharyngitis and a guttural Pouch infection and would miss at least 10 Days of training. Whittingham said  Sil started coughing after the 54-year-old Shoemaker worked him ,1 mile in 1 43 .1 5 last wednesday. He has run been Back to the rack since. There Are no Ihor Oculi Whittine Ham said. As Long As the horse is ready 10 fight another Day this won t Manor. I be missed a lol of derbies in my  Tali num Winner of the Flamingo and Hird in the Florida Day came Back lame from a morn ing Gallop. Michael Spinks left and Gerry county hold the championship Belt they will Bat War at the Shore lie fur in june 15 in Atlantic City. They new York pics conference at which the nuanced. App Luna wat us the Shore mils an