Tough day in baseball yesterday, as two men who made major contributions to the game passed away. Former Detroit Tiger pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and radio and television broadcaster Harry Kalas both left us on Wednesday, but neither will be forgotten.

I was a little too young to catch "The Bird" in his prime, but from everything I've learned over the years about the game, the unusual pitcher with the unusually quirky delivery came along at just the right time and provided a shot in the arm to a game that needed exactly that. His career produced just 29 victories before being cut short by several injuries, but before he flew off the diamond for the final time, he had already made a dramatic impact on the game.

As for Kalas, he left his mark in the world of baseball and football. His trademark home run call, "Outta here!" will forever resonate in the Philadelphia area and throughout the country. Perhaps better known as the man behind the voice of "Inside the NFL" highlights, I can't think of the show going on without him. In all likelihood, the show will continue and a new voice will emerge, but to me, it will never be the same.

In other news, I was reading how Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomorie and Padraig Harrington are all lobbying to get golf recognized as an official Olympic sport for the 2016 games. Apparently the fairway heavyweights have all authored hand-written letters to the Olympic officials with hopes of beating out baseball, karate, rugby, and squash who are vying for a spot in the regular rotation. My prediction is the Olympic committee will listen to the cases being made for all the sports in the running and then make the obvious choice and give golf the nod. Tiger is the most recognizable athlete in the world today and easily the best at his sport. None of the other contenders would capture a worldwide audience like a Tiger-led field of golfers. And as we all know, the Olympics, like any other sporting event, are revenue driven, and Tiger equals ratings so to me it seems like a no-brainer.

As for the other sports in contention, hurry up and find yourself a world class superstar and you might have a fighting chance. If not, better luck in 2020. Until then, you're "Outta here!"