Lefty, a True Gent

Phil Mickelson might be a crackhead. He might enjoy looking at videos of young boys having sex. How do we know, really, what the man is all about? His own wife might not even be aware of his predilictions.

But I'm willing to wager my sand wedge that Mickelson, who won his second Masters today, is a pretty decent sort. He seems well-mannered - the kind of man who says "Thank you" when the waiter fills up his water glass. And that's why Mickelson, as well as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tiger Woods, and the rest, are good for sport- they are the last good guy athletes.

We have yet to find Andro lurking in the golf bag of any top ten player, and I doubt Rocco Mediate, say, will someday dissemble his butt off about some mysterious substance , which he rubbed on his 3-wood prior to the final round of the British Open, that might or might not have been flaxseed oil. Golfers are true gents - almost too good to be true, I suppose. But it was so refreshing to see Mickelson and Fred Couples, the last pairing on Sunday, engaging in the kind of sportsmanship that has completely vanished from the sports landscape - giving each other reassuring pats on the back, sharing private jokes, laughing, just enjoying the heck out of the moment. Never mind that a major title and a million-plus dollars were at stake.

So I salute Phil Mickelson for a job well done and a code of behavior that should be a model for every high-priced athlete. In this Barry Bonds era, it's a salutary corrective indeed.