Bits and Pieces

-Notre Dame-Miami Sun Bowl preview.  Today at 2.  Go Irish.

-Several gofers did make it out to the golf course yesterday afternoon.  Cory and Tracy Rayhill took on Bric Parker and me for a little skins and flags game late in the day.  Played even through five holes and then Bric and I capitalized on a missed birdie putt at five by the competition to take three skins and two flags on the remaining four holes.  Expect the golf goddess was not very happy with Cory and Tracy at five - Cory had hit a super fade from the tee box that went out of bounds to the right, curved around some trees, landed in play and came to rest just off the green some 25 feet from the pin.  They did have a difficult chip/putt, having to come onto the green and navigate from the upper level to the lower level, which they did, leaving themselves a three footer for the bird.  But that would not drop.  Dang the luck...

-The golf course is open as I write.  Conditions are much better than one would expect with the snow and ice of the last four weeks.  Still, cart paths only today.

-Have a safe and festive New Year's eve.  Eric and his family will be joining us for the Sun Bowl and a year end feast.

Shoals-Loogootee Boys Basketball 2010

Connor Wittmer applauding Clinton Burch after Clinton had rang the bell from three point range, the first of two three pointers that the senior guard hit in the second quarter in last night's game with the Shoals Jugrox. The Lions prevailed in a close one, 57-50. Garrett Bateman was brilliant for the visiting Jugrox, scoring bunches of points (25 to 30) and just missing on a three pointer with under a minute to go that would have brought them to within two of the Lions.

Afternoon Golf?

Heading out to the golf course here directly - spent the morning in Bloomington. 

Boys Basketball - Lions and Hatchets

Just read about the Lions playing the Hatchets last week - boys' basketball.  Guess it wasn't much fun for the Loogootee faithful.  Guess the team has yet to jell in the way many thought it would this year.

Bits and Pieces

-Holidays continue with a visit and Christmas dinner with son #1 and Laura up in Noblesville (Diane and I rode up with son #2, Eric, and his family).  And, yes, I ate too much - I should be on a water diet right now but, alas, am still finding way too many goodies all over the place.  And then there is the regular food as well...  Do get a couple of walks in everyday and some sit ups.

-While there, watched the Colts, the team with the late season running attack and run defense, trash the Oakland Raiders.  And, of course, we all knew that Payton could have scored if he had wanted to on that last everybody-else-go-one-way-while-I-go-the-other-way run around to the left.  Smart play by the Manning lad, stopping before the the goal line and then running out the clock.

-Looking at the weather at the end of the year and the start of the new year, looks like we may have several opportunities to get out and play golf.  Flags are still in the cups.  Need for the remaining snow to melt these next few days.

-Irish play Miami this Friday afternoon, 2pm.  Looking for them to win a bowl game, another one.  (Weather around here is supposed to be rainy with temps in the mid 50's.  Hmm.)

-Tuesday Night Football - might be fun though it does make for a very short week for the two teams.  Was surprised, along with a lot of other people, when the game was postponed.  Times sure have changed, probably for the better.  (PA gov: we're a nation of wusses.  Viking tight end Visanthe Shiancoe adds that if it were in the Midwest, no way would it have been postponed.  Guess that makes us guys here in Indiana part of the 'we're tough' crowd.  Note that the 'domed' stadium is available in several of our NFL cities up here in snow country.  Tough but warm and out of the weather.) 

-Time for breakfast with Diane.

Happy Holidays

You all have a joyous and festive holiday season.

Bits and Pieces

-The Martin County Journal reports that the Shoals girls' basketball team was thumped by the Vincennes Rivet girls, 72-19.  Only 3 points in the second half for the Shoals girls - 34 turnovers for the game.  Rivet girls are apparently again racking up the wins (10 with no losses) and overpowering their opponents in their quest to go back to the State finals for the third consecutive year.

-I see the Loogootee girls are 5 and 5 for the season after losing to the Washington Hatchets on Tuesday night.

-I also see that the Loogootee boys got thumped by Washington last night, 70-34.  Ouch.

-Diane and I are still in Williamsburg where the weather has been mostly cool (30's) and cloudy.  See that you all back in Southern Indiana are having it a little worse.  For the record, December has been a very bad golfing month.  Maybe we'll get a few days in January to get outside and go smack a small hard ball around.

UCON Ladies Set New Standard

Congrats to the young Huskies who throttled Florida State last night, 93-62.  That makes it 89 wins in a row and pushes John Wooden's UCLA record of 88 down a notch in the record books.  Pretty impressive stuff for UCON coach, Gene Auriemma, and his talented basketball players. 

Bits and Pieces

-Colts win!  But of more concern to parents and grandparents of young football players is the injury to Colt receiver Austin Collie.  He went down after another blow to the head in the first half.  Third time this season.  Concussion or concussion related.  Ouch.  (Grandson Lucas' 2010 football season at North Daviess ended early with a concussion.  Yes, we worry for him.)

-Congrats to the UCON Ladies basketball team on their 88th consecutive win, tying the UCLA men for most victories in a row.  Expect they will set a new record here directly (Tuesday night against Florida State).  Now, when is it that they go up against the Notre Dame girls...  (January 8th at Notre Dame - would love for history to kinda repeat itself there and then.)

-Loved the way that NE linesmen carried the ball in last night's Sunday Night Football game.  So much for kicking short to avoid getting the ball into a speedster's hands.  Of course, the Packer coaches might have a thing or two to say to the players this week about their fundamental tackling skills.  Might even run a few drills to sharpen those skills.

-Have to love the Eagle punt return for a winning score to end the Eagle-Giant game.  Giant coach still in the throes of a conniption fit, I would guess.  Life is so much more fun when you add a little spice to it, right?

-Diane and I spent the night in Beckley, WV.  Continue on to Williamsburg, VA, in a bit.  Not warmer here in the mountains of West Virginia.  And Williamsburg isn't going to be much warmer although looks like sunshine and temps in the 40's during our stay.  That's not bad.

-Time for a round of golf, isn't it?

Colts-Jags Later Today

Big game coming up for both teams.  We'll be on the road, heading to Williamsburg, VA.  Don't even know if we'll be able to catch it on radio (bummer).  Mentioned in the Indy Star this morning: 

The Colts are eliminated this afternoon with a loss to the Jaguars and wins by Baltimore and the New York Jets. "The Curse'' will have claimed its latest victim. For the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, the team that lost the Super Bowl will have failed to return to the playoffs the following season.

Of course, we have the other Curse, the one placed on the Colt organization because of management's decision to forgo the perfect season for health reasons just about a year ago - remember the boos when Payton was taken out of that Jet game early in the second half?  Oh boy, that still hurts to even think of it.  Well, we don't have to go there.  As Al Davis used to say: "Just win, baby, win."  That just about takes care of everything.

So, go Colts, beat Jags.

More Johnny

More on Miller:  An article by Jaime Diaz at golfdigest.com referenced by Stephanie Wei.  A goodie.  Wei's interview is great as well.

Stephanie Wei with Johnny Miller

An interview that is lengthy - in the middle of it.  Am a fan of Miller, and Wei as well.

Saturday Night Golfers Identified, etc.

In case you wondered who the golfers were in the photos from last Saturday night's Lion-Ranger game: Ben Hogan, Clyde Wake, John Drake and Bryant Ackerman. 

etcetera:

Was reading the Basketball Program and saw a lot of stuff I didn't know not having been raised in this community.  Like Virgil Harper was best in field goal percentage back in the '61-62 season; and Chad Wade, Nick Toy, Steve Downey, Alan Burch and Mark Potts having seasons where they had the most three pointers with Steve's 60 in '96-97 being the most ever.  Also saw our business card displayed for the first time (on p21, if you missed it).  Note that the golf course somehow got relocated to 'Highway 31 North'.  Not really though I grew up just off of 31 up in South Bend.  Lots of other stuff in the program - makes for interesting reading, especially if you're looking for fellow golfers.  More than a few in there.

South Korea Celebrating Its Lady Golfers!

South Korea celebrates its lady golfers with an awards ceremony done up in grand style and televised.  How neat.  Seoul Sisters has coverage.

Bits and Pieces

-From waggleroom.com: LPGA wants out of Golf Channel contract.  That's good news.  Besides not getting the Golf Channel here at our house on the hill, what they did offer was generally tape delayed.  Would love to see the ladies do some streaming.  Of course, maybe a network or two will come up with an offer.

-Shasta Averyhardt makes LPGA Q School cut. She'll be a priority list 16 golfer, meaning she will play some LPGA events and have to earn her way into others.  She joins Joe Bramlett as African Americans playing in the Bigs in 2011.

-The Jets coach who tripped a Dolphin during live action on Sunday - reminded me of Woody Hayes, the Ohio State football coach (and certainly one of the significant people in Bobby Knight's development!).  Coach Hayes...

...was fired in 1978 after having a temper tantrum during the Gator Bowl against Clemson and striking a Clemson linebacker named Charlie Bauman after intercepting a pass to clinch the game for the Tigers as well as two of his own players.  Ohio State was embarrassed, and they had no choice but to immediately fire Woody Hayes.  The man who was so famous for his temper would lose his job because of it.  (From bucknuts.com.)

Temper, temper, boys.

-One other NFL note: Thought my old favorites, the Oakland Raiders, were going to do the Colts a favor by knocking off the Jags on Sunday.  But it didn't pan out with the Jags coming from behind to win a close one.  Dang.

-One week from today, Winter begins.  That doesn't necessarily mean colder weather (we've had our share of that already) but it does mean longer days, more daylight.  Hurray!

-On a sad note:  Our condolences to Tony Wease on the loss of his wife this past week.  Judith Wease passed away at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis early on the morning of December 8th.  She was also the sister of a second Lakeview golfer, Mike Strawn.

-If you were watching Butler play Mississippi Valley State last Saturday night, you could have caught son Eric with wife Colleen and boys Lucas and Ian in the stands.  Son Marty and Laura had them up for the game.  Butler won the first half by twenty-three, MVS the second but only by three points.  Wonder if they stayed for the whole game.  Should have, for the boys sake...

-Getting on with the day...

LPGA Best Shots of the Year

Go here to take a gander at the five candidates.  I voted for Se Ri Pak's shot that led to a birdie and an overtime win.  Alas, the winner was Michelle Wie's hole-in-one at the Canadian Open.  Other candidates included Cristie Kerr, Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato.  Cool stuff.

Around the Arena: Golfers Everywhere!

Bits and Pieces

-Yesterday was good enough for golf here in Loogootee. The Boys - Jack Lents, Ken Hudson (putting), Dick Lemmon and Jack Butcher went at it. Here the foursome is at #7 where Jack Lents got the flag with the only ball on the green from the tee, and Dick Lemmon got the skin with a nifty eight foot putt for the only par.

-Eric was also out there, seeding the fairways before the Saturday rains.

-Was hoping that those rains would hold off till later today and that we might get a chance for a scramble. But doesn't look like that's going to happen. Rains already here. Dang.

-Loogootee Lion-Forest Park Ranger basketball game last night. The Lions stayed close for three quarters but were thumped by the visitors in the fourth. Final score was 50-38, I think. Left at the end of three and listened to most of the rest of it on the radio with Greg Bateman (he's good, very good...).

-Over in Dubai: One of the LET ladies who is capping her career (because of hip problems) has won the tournament. Iben Tinning finished at elevan under while Michelle Wie came in at five under and in a tie for 6th. Guess the Wie Lass can rest her ailing back and look forward to next year now. (Thinking back to my college days - would have been kind of neat to pack up the books and the clubs and take off for 72 holes of golf on the other side of the world. Would have been a cool break from the usual campus routine.)

-Update: from bankokbobby:

Michelle Wie shot the low round of the day, a clean 5 birdie, no bogey 67, which lifted her into a tie for 6th.

-Time to get up and stretch and do a little walking. Btw, did get a clean bill of health from Dr. Poirier and Company. After the ER run a few weeks back, had a follow up blood draw and an office visit three days later (last Thursday). Cholesterol is a little high but the ratio is below 5; other things look good. So, prescription for staying healthy: eat right, exercise more, think good thoughts, and, of course, play as much golf as you can. Guess it helps to have good company and to laugh a bunch and to have a couple of passions in your life as well.

Bits and Pieces

-The Wie Lass is eight back after three rounds over in Dubai at the Omega Ladies Masters.  It didn't help that she double bogeyed the par five final hole.  She stands tied for 17th place behind leaders Denmark’s Iben Tinning and England’s Melissa Reid. Golfers have made up eight strokes in the final round and gone on to win.  Do I remember that a guy with the first name of Tiger did that not so long ago, maybe at an event in Dubai?  (Somewhere overseas...) 

-Colts win!  Beat the Titans in a close one, 30-28.  Looked like a blowout early on with the Colts going up 21 to zip, but Tennessee came back with a touchdown to close the first half and then another to start the second.  A nifty catch and run by Garcon late in the fourth quarter led to a three pointer that extended the lead to nine points.  Still, the Titans came charging back, scored their final touchdown with zero time left on the clock.  Good thing, right?!  Nice to win but I would say the Colts still have a long way to go.  I mean, they just managed to send a dismal team to its sixth consecutive defeat.  By two points.  In a close match.

-On the local scene: Sunny and in the 40's this afternoon.  Does that sound like golfing weather?  Depends on the wind.  Will watch closely.

Bits and Pieces

-Michael Wilbon letting us know who he is as he starts a regular writing gig with espn.com.  He's good, very good.

-Michelle Wie triple bogeys her 17th hole and falls four off the pace down in Dubai.  From mercurynews.com and the AP:

The 10th-ranked Wie, battling a bad back for weeks, was in second for much of the day after making two birdies on her first nine holes and an eagle after the turn. Wie was at 3 under before No. 8, where she hit her drive out of bounds and the next shot into a bunker. She finished with a birdie her final hole. 

Should have a little momentum with that birdie at her last hole.  England's Florentyna Parker leads after the first round with a 67.  (Don't think I've ever heard that name before - Florentyna.  Kinda pretty though a mouthful.)

-Looks like tomorrow's weather with a high of 43 is the closest we're going to come to golfing weather for a while.  Any golf withdrawal pains yet?  I've been putting here at home but nothing else - no chipping, no driving, no pitch shots to three feet or ten feet or thirty feet.  That means a whole lot of freshness the next time we can tee it up.

-Haven't celebrated a golf babe for a while.  How about Anna Rawson, who is being highlighted over at golf-babes.com? 

-More golf babes:  Andia Winslow.  Note in the write-up that she has played in one LPGA event and that she is African American.  More about Andia and Black lady golfers from blackvoices.com:

Winslow, a Seattle native, is the niece of former NFL great Kellen Winslow, and she claims that legacy proudly and takes it seriously. "The Winslow name is associated with strong competitors and I'm proud of that. Uncle Kellen is pretty good at golf. We are a family of competitors."

And that competitive spirit is what she intends to put on display when she becomes the first black woman since LaRee Pearl Sugg in 2001 to compete in an LPGA event. Indeed, if Winslow does what she has planned -- turn pro and play the LPGA tour full time -- she will become only the fourth African American to do so. Before Sugg, Renee Powell played more than a dozen years, from 1967 to 1980, and tennis great Althea Gibson played the women's Tour from 1964 to 1971 after her retirement from tennis.

 That answers a question I raised the other day, doesn't it?  And I'm sorry my interest in golf was not up to par back in the late '60's - I remember Althea Gibson and what a great athlete she was but have no memory of her playing golf.

-Colts and Titans tonight.  Both teams hurting bad.  A good match?  Or a blowout by Payton and company?  (A blowout by the Titans is not an option, right?)  Kravitz: "Must win.  Will win."  In any case, go Colts!

Lakeview League 2010 Players Average Gross Scores and Rank

Posted here and can also be reached through the Lakeview website's main page here.  Those players who were in more than one league: the lowest gross average was used in the ranking; the duplicate averages are listed at the bottom.

Bits and Pieces

-On Golf, Music and Love.  Michelle Wie and The Partridge Family.  I like it.

-Short article on Se Ri Pak, godmother/big sister to the bevy of super South Korean women golfers now starring on the LPGA.  Se Ri had quite a rookie year back in 1998, the LPGA Championship and the US Open.  More from wikipedia.com here.

-PGA's Q School survivors of note: Billy Mayfair, a guy who's been around the block a few times; and Joe Bramlett, just the second player of black heritage to play on the big stage (well, in recent times, anyway).  Complete listing of Q School graduates from Stephanie Wei's blog here.

-Question:   How many ladies of black descent have played on their biggest stage?

-Lots of chatter about Payton Manning and the Colts, most of it not very flattering.  Anybody got a name for the 'curse' yet?  Maybe we should wait a little bit before we name it.  As the believers would say, we ain't out of it yet.  And, btw, did you notice what other NFL/AFC team did some stomping last night?  Those hated...  Well, bet you already know.

-More cold today but the sun's out.  Think warm thoughts, or go back and listen to The Partridge Family song again.  Think I'll go have breakfast with Diane and read a bit - John Cassidy's dot.con.

Bits and Pieces

-Colts lose another.  Payton continues to throw interceptions.  People wondering if the Colts have had it - the good years are over and gone.  Still can get into the playoffs if they win out (tks, David) but what are the chances of that happening?  (Coming up in a few weeks will be the one year anniversary of the lets-rest-the-starters-and-get-them-healthy game.  You remember, the day the perfect season was thrown away.  Here's hoping the consequent curse is far shorter than the one the Red Sox had to live with after trading away Babe Ruth back in 1918 - the so called Curse of the Bambino, one that lasted 86 years.  Note: Saw Fever Pitch up at Marty's in Indy Saturday night.  Note 2: What curse are the Cubbies living under?) 

-McDowell and Woods traded punches over the last several holes yesterday.  That double bogey by Tiger at #13 was a killer but McDowell sure showed that he was a world class golfer with the bogey at #17 - could have been a two or three stroke turn there but McDowell did a little magic with a pitch and then a putt that got him a bogey; and then his two 20 something putts at #18 to tie and then beat Tiger on the first playoff hole.  Tiger played well, kinda; McDowell played five strokes better.

-From lpga.com, wrap up of last week's tournament and the awards for the season.  Big winners: Hjorth (the tournament), Tseng (Player of the Year), Choi (Vare Trophy for low average and money list).

-Time for breakfast on a cold and wintry Monday.

Colts Go Up By One With Touchdown On Blocked Punt

That's more like it!

McDowell Catches and Beats Woods at 1st Playoff Hole

Dang...

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Afternoon

-Looks like Notre Dame (the Catholics) is going to play Miami (the Convicts, supposedly reformed) in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve.  That's cool.

-The Lady Winners:
    -Maria Hjorth wins the LPGA Tour Championship by one over Amy Yang.  Yang quadruple bogeyed her third hole to make it an uphill struggle all day.
  -Yani Tseng wins the Rolex Player of the Year;  Kerr or Choi had to win to overcome her lead.
  -Na Yeon Choi wins both the Vare Trophy (scoring average) and the money title.

Pretty impressive stuff.  Too bad they had such cool weather down in Orlando for the tournament.  Might want to pick a for sure warmer climate for the final event next year.

-Michelle Wie Kia commercial (son Marty brought it to my attention).  Would love to have her drive up to Lakeview for a little golf.

-Woods and McDowell going at it in Thousand Oaks.  Lots of pars since coverage started.  Before, TW gave up 75% of the four stroke lead he had, missing some almost automatic short putts.

-And the Colts are behind in their game with Dallas.  Payton threw another interception after Dallas had marched and scored with the opening kickoff.  Not good.

Bits and Pieces

-Tiger still rolling.  Goes out with youngster Rory McIlroy, plays bogey free, fires a six under 66 and finds himself up by four at the end of two days.  Now for the third day.  One shot at a time, TW.

-The Girls: Amy Yang still on top with two rounds almost completely in the books.  Ai Miyazato and Jiyai Shin get to play another day - they are at the cut line with +8 scores but probably won't make the low 30 after today's play.  Na Yeon Choi is even, two back of Cristie Kerr who is five behind the leader.  Lot of ground to make up in 36 holes.  From lpga.com, the scoop on Choi:

Rolex Rankings No. 5 Na Yeon Choi is still within striking distance of the leader. Choi, who donated $30,000 to LPGA-USGA Girls Golf this week, sits seven strokes behind Yang. Choi is vying to win the LPGA money title, Vare Trophy, Rolex Player of the Year and become the new Rolex Rankings No. 1. She is the only LPGA player in a position to sweep all four awards. 

Don't expect she's thinking about any of that (yea, right...) but concentrating on the job at hand - make the right club choice, make a good swing. 

-Did you see that David Johnson (and wife) think the bird on the pole is a Cooper's Hawk or maybe a Redtailed Hawk?  Thanks for the input, David.


-For all of us down here in southern Indiana, a bit of winter with a dusting of snow during the night and cold for the weekend.  Better curl up with a good book or bring in some movies.  Don't forget the Loogootee Christmas Parade tomorrow.  Starts at 2.

Bits and Pieces

-Tiger up by one at Thousand Oaks!  Could have been two but he bogeyed #18.  Popped up his drive?  Jeesh.  Now the test: string four good rounds together; lets start with a second and worry about the third tomorrow.  Good round, TW.  McDowell and McIlroy one back at -6.

-And the girls, way back east in Orlando: Lots of trouble for the several fighting for the year end honors - Ai Miyazto probably shot herself out of the tournament with a round of +8, 13 strokes behind the leaders (Amy Yang and Seon Hwa Lee); Jiyai Shin is also in trouble with a first day +5; Yani Tseng is at +3 while Na Yeon Choi (she gave back five stokes on holes 13 thru 15 with two doubles and a single bogey - rough stretch) and Suzann Petersen are both at +1.  Cristie Kerr leads the group of contenders at -1.  They've already started round 2.

-Note from Dave Brown who's way down in South Texas:  He's gonna bring back a truck load of warm air when he's home for Christmas.  We appreciate that, Dave.  We're missing those hot days of summer.  Btw, 71 and mostly sunny for El Paso today; up here in the north, 39 for a high with mostly cloudy skies - sunny as I write though.

-Stopped in and talked with good neighbor Jack Lents yesterday.  He's gotten another couple of Warrior drivers he's wanting to try out.  Also went up to Graber Post and chatted with Duane Wagler with golf being mentioned a time or two.  And Brian Ader stopped over briefly last night - he needed stuff for the Christmas Parade coming up this Sunday.

-Missed the Stroll in downtown Loogootee last night.  Shoulda gone.  Oh well.  Gonna get on with today.  Sure would like to play a round of golf.

Barn Owl?

The big bird dropped out of the trees on the other side of #3 green around 5:20 this afternoon. Swooped down in front of me and then flew off to the south and finally settled on the distant power line support. Reminded me of ows that did the same kind of thing over along Lost River when we lived out there. Probably still do it even though we live over here now. So, do you know your bird silhouettes?

Bits and Pieces

-Predictions for Tiger Woods in 2011 from Pat Mixon over at the Bleacher Report.  Mixon has him returning to winning ways and winning several tournaments including the Masters.  How about this week's tournament?  How does he fare with seventeen other golfers who are out there in Thousand Oaks?  He has won the last two times he's played in this event, 2006 and 2007.  He goes out with Steve Striker at 2:10 later today, the 6th of nine pairings.  I'm herewith predicting a win and hoping that doesn't jinx him.

-Great News category:  LPGA allowing guys who have become gals to play on their tour.  As I may have said before, don't expect any great rush for SRS (that would be 'sex reassignment surgery'), for the sake of a buck or a chance to move up to the forward tees out at the golf course.  (Wonder when the LPGA put that rule on the books?  Here's Stephanie Wei's blog on the story which also includes a photo of Lana Lawless, the transgendered man/woman who filed the lawsuit which sparked the change in the rules.)

-With that little problem taken care of, the ladies tee it up today down in Orlando in their final event of the year.  Several really good golfers going for a variety of prizes in this tournament.  Over at Mostly Harmless, Ai Miyazato is the favorite.  I'm sticking with Na Yeon Choi with Yani Tseng chasing.

-Michelle Wie Imaging:  In case you've missed photos of the Wie Lass these last several weeks.  Here she is in glitzy evening ware.

-Somebody ran off with all the good weather while we were over in St. Louis.  That's not fair, is it?