PGA Tour Qualifying School

Just checked he scores from the PGA Tour Qualifying School, a few quick notes.

- Glad to see Tommy (Two Gloves) Gainey T3. Can you imagine a Boo Weekley/Gainey weekend twosome? If you haven't read the Weekley article in the December Golf Digest, it is a must.

- Unfortunately, Greg Kraft T152. He'll be throwing up in the toliet in his living room in no time. I smell a WD.

- Chris Riley T86 (chuckle).

- Other names of note in the tournament, Ryan Palmer, Skip Kendall (is he in it every year?), Kent Jones, Harrison Frazar, Bubba dickerson, Greg Owen, Steve Lowery, Bob May, Ted Purdy (didn't he just win a tournament?), and Notah Begay III.

Trade Off

I (obviously) have no interest in the ACC Championship Game between 'ACC Extenders' BC and VT. I am still chagrined the ACC diluted a basketball conference for the sake of football.

There need to be changes to improve the conference. I understand the changes won't always be in the best short-run interests of the ACC, but they would be mutually beneficial over time.

1.) Trade NC State (possibly Clemson) for Vanderbilt.
- Vandy is serviceable as a football team (5-7 in 2007) and would be comparable to UVA/GT on the gridiron. They are an emerging basketball power and would be an academic improvement over either NCSU or Clemson. I'd hate to lose Clemson, one of the founding schools of the ACC, but when I see Clemson/Auburn matched for the Peach Bowl, it appears to be a Saturday evening SEC game, aka a 30 point game. I wouldn't sweat the loss of NCSU from the ACC. Their fans have an SEC mentality.

Early Thanks

Thanksgiving is a great week. I figured I'd post a few sports-related bullets for which I am thankful.

1.) I'm back at the gym, considering I broke my big toe last Wednesday, and it still stares at me like a mini-Grimace in the shower, limited mobility is a good thing.

2.) College basketball is back! Hallelujah. I'm in the initial week - to - month giddiness where I can watch any game (Oklahoma State / LSU and UMD / Kansas yesterday). UVA beating Arizona on the road certainly exceeded expectations. Really like UVA's balance and depth (they start 2S, 1JR, 1FR, rotate the last spot, and have playable depth to 10 guys).

3.) Finally hooked up the HDMI on my new TV, wow.

4.) Sean Singletary in a UVA uniform.

5.) One more Chris Long home game in a UVA uniform, for a trip to Jacksonville.

6.) Kevin Ogletree, out for the year with an ACL, suiting up for the scout team to mimic Tyrod Taylor. Doing whatever it takes to help the team.

7.) The maturity of Jameel Sewell. I'm going to remember the 2007 UVA football team as one of my favorites, for a long time.

Under Pressure

I must be retarded, I never realized Queen had any part in 'Under Pressure', I thought it was all David Bowie.

Enjoy this CNNSI piece where I get criticized.

Layover in Charlotte

On a weekend trip to San Francisco, and Charlotte has great internet access (who knew?). Was thinking on the flight from DC that Velvet Revolver is a badass band, but if I were to create an uber-group who would I include:

Just missed:

Drums - Chad Smith - RHCP, Dave Grohl - Nirvana

Bass - Les Claypool - Primus

Guitar - Keith Richards - Stones, Slash - G N'R / VR, Mike Cooley - DBT

Vocals - Sebastian Bach - Skid Row, Jay Farrar - Son Volt / Uncle Tupelo

Best Band Ever:

John Fishman
Nikki Sixx
Warren Haynes
Brian Johnson

Get Over It

1.) Jerry Seinfeld
2.) Poker on TV
3.) Every DC sports radio personality bemoaning the fact the Redskins don't have a WR touchdown through Week 8. Czaban gets credit, the rest are bandwagon.

Still Enjoying

1.) Rolling Stones Rarities
2.) Spooner Oldham
3.) Gov't Mule (Friday in SF)

Agent Zero

With the NBA underway, it means Gilbert Arenas is up to his usual business. Great stuff. He is the biggest athlete/sports celebrity in DC, surpassing Joe Gibbs.

I can't get enough of his rhetoric. I find his repartee immensely enjoyable. Keep it up! (Sadly, it is the only drawing point to watching the NBA).

Back in Action

I just realized I hadn't written in a while and had a number of good thoughts to post (sadly, I forgot most of them).

UVA-wise, it was disappointing to drop our last contest to NC State, and give them a W they can hang their season on. Losing to an underachieving, injury-plagued team is unforgivable, even at home. In the interest of TV, UVA got screwed, with their bye week not arriving until November 17 (week 12), no other ACC team has a bye later than week 10, and injuries and weariness have started to creep up on the two-deep.

I was disappointed to learn a top basketball target, Elliott (E-mail) Williams, from Memphis, had chosen Duke over Memphis, Tennessee, and us. While 95% of recruiting efforts end up making the final school choice predictable, his recruitment was the only example I can remember where he could have chosen any of the finalists and I would not have been surprised. Would have preferred UT or Memphis, if not UVA. "E-mail" checked in at 6-4, 175 (rail thin). Seems as though basketball recruits have typically gotten thinner. I don't know ow many 6-5/180, 6-10/210 guys are out there. Does no high school run a strength program?

7-1

7-1. Great heart tonight by a team playing their 4th RB, 2nd & 3rd WR, and 2nd/3rd TE.

Go Hoos!

Indiana v. PSU

I've been watching the Indiana/PSU game. Indiana is going to lose, but James Hardy is a freak! He made Justin King look like a Shemp.

DD

Watched 10/15 minutes of the Fry's Open yesterday, which is a microcosm of how boring the 2007 PGA season was. The majors provided little drama and the FedEx playoff tournaments/WCGs make off-week tournaments virtually unwatchable. Effectually (I admit) any tournament without TW is unwatchable.

I miss a guy who has the ability and cockiness to stir emotions a la TW. In a revelation (based on his pairing with Mickelson), what I/golf am missing is David Duval, circa late 1990s.

When DD was winning 3/4 tournaments a year, and was on his game, he was great to watch. A bit paunch, with a swing he laid off at the top, which I still consider to be a compact/great swing to behold, he fired darts. Along comes 2000 and DD shows up at the Mercedes 30 lbs. lighter and with a Mossimo clothing deal, and nothing has been the same since. I am convinced his decline was vertigo-based (quit dipping, a la Pete Harnisch) and he was never able to recover.

DD was a great golfer, I miss his game. I hope he regains respectability and form. We need some of these newer/younger golfers to step up. Glover has been in neutral for the past two years, Baddeley is too prick-ish to support. Adam Scott needs to find his game.

Turnaround Jumpshot

I like Wilco. After 'not getting it' for years, I've listened to a few of their live shows and they've got some great stuff that flows together very well. They are apt to letting their songs dissolve into a musical Brillo pad, but it is a small price to pay for some good tunes, mixed with some experimentation. I guess I was missing the mark by only listening to their live albums.

Who cares? I do. Should you care? Probably not.

Took in a great Gov't Mule show on Friday night, they played at 930 for 3 1/2 hours.

10.12.07 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
Set 1:
Brighter Days
Thorazine Shuffle
Banks Of The Deep End
I Believe To My Soul
A Million Miles From Yesterday
I'm A Ram->
Love Me Do->
I'm A Ram
Feel LIke Breaking Up Somebody's Home
Devil Likes It SLow with Ron Holloway
Find The Cost Of Freedom with Grace Potter
Ohio with Grace Potter and Scott Tournet

Set 2:
Play With Fire
Sco-Mule with Ron Holloway
Jealous Kind with Ron Holloway
Like Flies
Drums
Catfish Blues
Mr. High & Mighty
32/20 Blues I'm A Loser Tease

Encore:
Indifference->
Fallen Down->
The Other One Jamwith Ron Holloway

Classic

Today's Washington Post calls out taxis for being miserable, extorting pieces of garbage.

The article couldn't be any more on point.

A Few Nuggets

Read where Miller and Coors are merging distribution to combat Bud/AB. Made me ponder what I would drink if Miller Lite were to go extinct? Amstel? Molson Ice?

To reference posts from a bygone era, Tom Friedman brings (slight) attention to Social Security reform . I am not the biggest TF fan (the Mike Golic of "travelism"), but agree politicians must address SS reform. By the way, have you seen the leak from his latest soon-to-be published book, called 'Technology left me at +2.'?

"I was golfing at the Qatar Country Club, early 2007. The 2nd hole is a picturesque four-par, with a peninsula green outlined by black crude. As my seven-iron sailed the green, and I prepared to drop four, the depleted lake of oil left my ball playable! As I descended into dried lake, took a stance, and prepared to attempt a flop, a 320 story uber-building was erected between my ball and the hole. I pitched out sideways and made 6."

Hope for Regulation

If Washington D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty regulated meters in DC cabs he would cement himself as my favorite politician. Ever.

Reading the article made me scoff. It it wonderful that DC cabdrivers are studying to be lawyers, doctors, teachersetc., but it doesn't address how they are trying to pay for their schooling on my fare from DC to Alexandria.

I've been repeatedly ripped off or attempted to be ripped off by DC cabs. yeah, I'm the guy on M Street at 12:30AM yelling at cabs trying to charge me $40 to go two miles, or who refuse to estimate my fare.

DC cabs are price-gouging vultures, their hand is tipped by saying, "I ask, what is the purpose of changing the system, which is working really very well?"...yeah, very well for the drivers, not the passengers getting their money stolen, or being taken through multiple zones by greedy cabdrivers.

Please regulate these f*ckers. There is a reason why every other major city has a metered system, to avoid gouging.

College Sparxxxxx

Attending the UMD v. GT game tomorrow, after a weekend in Cleveland, can it get any worse? Actually rooting for the Terps, as a GT loss creates greater separation for the Hoos.

Is there any band better than the Black Crowes? Some would argue Stones/Panic/obviously DBT. Right now I am digging the Crowes.

Cell phones are really starting to resemble pocketknives.

Going to a friend's 30th tonight, definitely feeling age setting in.

Weekend in Cleveland

Was in Cleveland over the weekend for a (surprise) wedding, a great wedding (Little Italy). Drove from DC on Thursday night, took @ 5:15 (not bad) and stayed at the Hilton in Beachwood. Massive hotel. More like a compound than a hotel.

Got in a round at Pine (...?? something) on Friday morning. 70' and sunny. Had our normal DC pairing, with the substitution of the bride's brother, who can play (a pro in Chicago). Was a good complement to the group, and gave him a few people to know over the weekend. Ate dinner at Hyde Park Steakhouse, which was good (not great) but better quality than I expected for being attached to a Clarion.

Reception was held at a facility next to an outdoor mall, which planted a good bar (Louie's) across the street to watch games pre/post/during the reception. We all got carted home in a limo bus, which provided some humor.

Drive home was long, it is amazing what is discussed when you're tired:
1.) Funny/painful pledging stories
2.) Who hates Tony Romo more, and how the 'boys aren't America's Team
3.) How, as a kid, all I wanted to do was eat dog food. Who doesn't remember the Snausages and Chuckwagon commercials? The meat pouring out of the Chuckwagon can looked delectable.
4.) Great snacks (in lieu of dog food) while growing up (peanut butter and celery, potato sticks, red stick cheese and crackers).

Really enjoying the new 50Cent & JT tune (AYO Technology).

Chad Johnson'ed

There is no better showmanship/sportsmanship move than Barry Greenstein autographing a copy of his book for each busted opponent.

NFL = NCAA

Eli Manning - Matthew Stafford - Georgia
JP Losman - Anthony Morelli - Penn State
Tom Brady - Matt Ryan - BC
Brett Favre - Andre' Woodson - Kentucky
Jason Campbell - Tyler Donovan - Wisonsin
Donovan McNabb - Kyle Wright - Miami
Duane Huard - Casey Dick - Arkansas
Matt Schaub - Colt McCoy - Texas
Phillip Rivers - Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
Derek Anderson - Colt McCoy - Hawaii
Peyton Manning - John David Booty - USC
Matt Leinart - Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame
Ben Rothelisberger - Blake Wilson - USC-E
Tony Romo - John Parker Wilson - Alabama

Despise / Like

I've been meaning to write this post for a while. Below are companies that I absolutely despise, and a few that are great.

Despicable:
1A) Geico - Rates are exorbitantly high, they rely on outdated metrics, which result in charges which other insurance companies include gratis (additional drivers), and they screwed me in 2003 by doubling my insurance premium with no notice.
1B) USAirways - Miserable staff, many delays, lost luggage, keep employees (and in turn, passengers) in the dark. How can you have self-centered employees in a service industry? I have no idea how their stock continues to rise.
1C) Comcast - For $160/month, I get the NFL network taken away (now premium), and must pay $5 if I want to interact with an employee to pay a bill. Increasing profits by adding fees (not improving/adding services) is bad business. Leave customers in the dark when the system is out, and offer no discount. Attached at the hip of Comcast is Scientific American (who make the Comcast boxes), which is a terrible company, one which my client refuses to do business with.

Excellent:
1) Continental / Lufthansa - Timely, good food, knowledgeable service staffs.
2) Progressive - Cheaper rates than counterparts, friendly staff, prompt service
3) Pandora - Great time waster, has introduced me to a bunch of tunes in genres I like