My Official Thoughts

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Not Again!

Today's lunch discussion revolved around Halloween, how it should be assigned to the last Friday in October, not the 31st, and the worst Halloween offerings, in lieu of candy.

4. Apple(s) - I hope your house doesn't have windows.
3. Raisins - Why did I waste my time walking up your driveway?
2. Mott's Applesauce - I guess if I come back next year, you'll give me the spoon with which to eat it, it will still be 'fresh'.
1. Roll of pennies - You may want to wear rec. specs and overalls the next time you mow the lawn, to mitigate the copper shower you are going to receive.

C-QUEL

Less words, more stuff.

Nine Things at Once

I have come to the realization my attention span shrinks as I get older, especially at work. I will literally leave something mid-sentence to attend to another matter. What is scary is I do it sub-consciously, making it what I consider to be the norm.

Any suggestions on how I can alter my behavior to be less skittish, more analog, more relaxed? Completing this post in one shot was a start.

Whew

An exhausting weekend spent in Charlottesville for the PDT 135th Anniversary. Gorgeous weather, a UVA win, and a great round of golf at Spring Creek. I cannot remember playing a course with perfect conditions, but it was extremely close. Additionally, nice to see ZJ pick up a PGA Tour victory. A very gutsy golfer, won with a birdie on the last hole.

Ryder Cup Champions

I am extremely proud of Team USA. Great golf was played over the last three days. Boo Weekley's personality was infectious. Azinger couldn't have been a better captain, his decisions were prescient. Who should be captain in 2010? To steal a quote from Herm Edwards, 'you play to win the game', and PA should be awarded another two years at the helm. I was wowed by the game and tenacity of Anthony Kim and the quiet (unnoticed) courage by Ben Curtis and Chad Campbell. Curtis had an awful Friday, unbelievably played again on Saturday, and found his game Sunday, when it counted. BC and CC had to wait, and watch the matches transpire, before teeing off. CC realized he would need a rock-solid game to upset Harrington, and he held serve.

Congrats Team USA. Well done.

Ryder Cup

15-13 USA. Get it done.

Anthony Kim dropkicks Sergio back to Europe.

JB does a shot of JD on the first tee. Perry plays Friday in overalls.

Justin Leonard is the quiet assassin.

Stricker and Mahan strike gold as a team.

Cink leads team USA in points.

Sunday Perks

European Tour mornings. Keep your head up Rory McIlroy, you'll have many victories in your career.

After a short miss by McIlroy, the best quote of the professional golf year,

'You can't put an old head on young shoulders.'

Back on the Horse

Picks for this week's BMW...for some reason I am feeling youth, and maybe someone making a push for the Tour Championship.

Anthony Kim
Camilo Villegas
Aaron Baddeley

Ryder Cup Captain's Picks

In increasing order of excellence:

Hunter Mahan - Trashed the RC, although he's never played. European bulletin board material. C-

Chad Campbell - Isn't Valhalla long and undulated? Why choose a player with a low ball fight? Does Valhalla get windy? Does he get along with any other Tour players? C

Steve Stricker - Swing holds up under pressure. Does he have the length for Valhalla? B

JB Holmes - Game is suited to match play and Valhalla. I envision him bombing it by Euros all day. B+

Azinger's picks - Lukewarm picks, but very little to work with. Glad he passed on Verplank and Austin. Overall - B.

Had I been picking? Stricker, O'Hair (solid all around game), Zach Johnson (pairs well with a longer/erratic hitter, aka Mickelson/Holmes), Holmes.

Badabing!

I just got off a call with my work service desk, located in India, and the technician punctuated the call with a 'Badabing!'. I was impressed. I didn't realize The Sopranos reached around the world.

2008 UVA football is going to be an uphill climb.

Amazing how quickly the summer passed, but I look forward to some cooler mornings, and a few golf rounds in the 60s/70s. Played yesterday and it was close to 90', which was a difficult round to walk. I walked way too few rounds in 2008, need to hoof it more next year.

Olympics - US Women's All Around

The US women are getting hosed. I couldn't agree more with the Michael Wilbon sentiment that he doesn't follow subjective sports which are judged (gymanstics, figure skating). Smells like home cooking for China, the type normally reserved for UNC basketball.

Watching the women on the beam reminds me of Deiter (Mike Myers) from Sprockets.

Bittersweet / Olympics

The day after the PGA is always bittersweet, another eight months of winter before a Major.



Last night's 4x100 men's freestyle relay was A+ television. An unbelievable event and great start to the competition. Two days in and we've seen;

USA v. China
Phelps with two WR, both shattering the prior benchmark.

Wow.

Speaking of USA basketball, I've bought into their teamwork and excitement/engagement in the Olympics. A far cry from previous teams, who stayed at off-site hotels and only showed up for the tournament. Kobe and Kidd at beach volleyball would not have happened in the past.

For me to buy into Team USA, it means two things:

1.) I am endorsing/supporting the attitude Mike Krzyzewski has instilled in the team.
2.) I am letting the excitement and joy of Kobe/others override the thought the effort is entirely PR-driven, to establish a Chinese bulkhead.

Elsewhere, Padraig Harrington is Player of the Year. Tiger judges himself by Major wins, and the tally on the year was 2-1 with an equal winning percentage.

Again

2007 Open
2008 PGA

For every fist clench, snarl, and flippant post-round handshake he delivers, it is really enjoyable to watch Sergio Garcia lose to Padraig Harrington. Post round interview is more gracious than the norm, but he still is bemoaning the lie PH got on 18.

Harrington is such a good guy, a great win, a great PGA champion.

Post script: my picks were atrocious, I need a stint in the minors before the Mercedes rolls around. Nationwide and Skins Game picks coming soon!

Post post script: JB goes Art Monk!

Come On...

Will one of the 20somethings on the PGA Tour please sack up and put themselves in contention at a Major? Of the young guns at the top of the leaderboard halfway through Friday, the two with the best chance are Baddeley and Rose, with Casey as a dark horse.

PGA

My picks for the PGA, mixed up by picking a favorite (gold), a middling pick (silver), and a longshot (bronze). Please enjoy the Olympic theme.

Gold - Jim Furyk, Oakland Hills has tight fairways, overgrown rough, and diabolical greens. Check, check, check.

Silver - Angel Cabrera, the OH setup reminds me of 2007 Oakmont.

Bronze - Nick Dougherty

Olympics

Sally Jenkins of the WP has been spot on in her assessment(s) of the Olympics in Beijing.

Today she writes about the revocation of Joey Cheek's visa.

Write on, Sally.

The Washington Nationals

Aside from sports, does any other industry exist where the quality of the product can decrease, yet the price increases? After attending last night's game, I can safely assess the state of the Nats franchise as atrocious. The team has no talent, and doesn't attempt to overcome the talent deficit by playing fundamental baseball. On separate occasions mental breakdowns led to runs for the Phillies; breakdowns a 13 year old wouldn't make.

The 2B or P not covering 1st on a bunt to the right side of the infield.

The 1B calling for a throw from the C on a dribbled ball in foul territory.

The P getting out of the way of a popup, so it can be fielded by the 3B, with the result being an unnecessary collision.

There is no way I'll be paying for Nats tickets until I see an improved product on the field. The stadium 'perks' (i.e. 'the homage to drinking', with a massive bar behind CF) don't overcome the shortfalls.

Last night's game should lead to the firing of Manny Acta, I'd be shocked if it didn't.

The Death of 980

The British Open can't be summed up any better than Steve Czaban's synopsis. Sadly, I won't be able to hear the recap on the morning commute any longer, as SportsTalk 980 became ESPN980 today. Instead I got the worthless, self-aggrandizing diatribe of Mike & Mike. I don't know of one person who enjoys M&M. In addtion, Doc Walker was moved to 12-2 and paired with Kevin Sheehan (???). DC sports radio now sucks.

Enjoy the Ride

Really enjoying watching Greg Norman remain in contention at the British Open. Somewhat bittersweet to realize it (likely) will never happen again. I'm enjoying each hole like a chapter in a book, relishing each simply, for what it is.