Sunday, February 28, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Morning

-Weather - it's a-changing.  Next Friday and Saturday - sunny and temps in the high 40's.  A little bit of heaven coming our way?

-LPGA in Singapore: Ai Miyazato had seven birdies, seven pars and four bogeys during her fourth round and got her second victory of the season.  That's two for two.  Not all that shabby for the young lady from Okinawa (I remember that place fondly - was there when word came that oldest son, second child, Marty, was born back in Yokosuka back in the year 1963.)  The Wie Lass shot two under for the day, and ended up tied for 15th some six shots back of the winner. Julie Inkster had a two over day and went from a share of the lead after three days to a tie for 9th at the end of play on the fourth day.

-Indiana Girls semistate in Bedford: The Rivet girls stamped their ticket for the state finals in Fort Wayne next week by wearing down Waldron - the Waldron girls had a four point lead in the third quarter but then only made one basket thereon in.  Think Vincennes just wore them out and the fresh legs, especially of Chelsea Meeks, ran over them in the second half, eventually winning by seventeen points.  Very impressive.  Next up: Fort Wayne Canterbury, last year's state champs.

-Lakeview Golf Leagues: The 2010 version of the Lakeview Leagues are now finalized and the information sheets are posted on the website:  Tuesday Men's League here, Thursday Match Play League here, and Community League here.  You can sign up by calling the clubhouse (812-295-5678) or by email (golflakeview@gmail.com).  Golf really is just around the corner...  At last.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Friday Morning

-The weather: High of 37 expected today with some sun.  Nice break for us considering what the month has been like.  The average temperature for today is 47 and the record a mighty 77 but then what do averages and highs have to do with anything...

-The ladies are off and running - golfing - in Singapore at the HSBC Champions TournamentSong-Hee Kim and Angela Stanford lead the pack at 5 under.  Julie Inkster, whose rookie year was way back when Ronnie Reagan was in his first term as president and Madonna released her first ever album, is three back and tied for third while the Wie Lass is six back and tied for 27th.  Would love to be in attendance for the third and fourth rounds.  Hey, maybe that would be a good thing to do next year to get away from some of this inclemency - go to one of the Asian LPGA events?!  Of course, you know that next February is going to be the polar opposite to this one, right?  It's only fair...

-Golf Babe: Hee Young Park.  But the blog entry also wonders about the length of the shorts the young lady is wearing and references this article from Golf news/Golfweek that wonders "when are shorts or skorts too short?"  Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie are shown and the author's position is revealed when she admits that "seeing shorts on good looking ladies does not hurt the (LPGA) game."  I agree.

-Camilo Villagas leads down in Phoenix at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  Guess one does strange things when times are tough.  Waste Management?  Lord knows we need it - just hadn't occurred to me that it would end up being the name of a golf tournament.  And next?  Local product, Jeff Overton, is five back at -4 and tied for 19th after one day of play.

-Be sure and do some stretching today and tomorrow and the next day.  Ed Thunehorst and I made a pact yesterday: I'm ensuring temps in the 40's if not 50's within the next four or five days and he's going to arrange for some sun and that means golf weather at Lakeview!  In the meantime - stay out of the cookie jar!  Or not.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Wednesday Morning

-Lion Boys won last night in a close one with the Jasper Wildcats.  From Lagote74 over at the Indiana Basketball Digest:

BIG WIN FOR THE LIONS IN A TOURNAMENT ATMOSPHERE AT JACK BUTCHER ARENA TONIGHT. CONNER WITTMER TAKES A FEED FROM BRYANT ACKERMAN TO WIN ON TIP IN WITH 2.2 SECONDS TO GO! RIGHT OUT OF THE MOVIE HOOSIERS LOOGOOTEE ENROLLMENT 280 BEATS BIG BAD JASPER ENROLLMENT 1040!
CONNER WITTMER BECAME A MAN TONIGHT! JASPER HAD JUST TAKEN FIRST LEAD OF SECOND HALF WITH 8.8 SECONDS BEFORE EXCITING FINISH.

Whale of a game with the Lions being on top for most of the game and then needing a last second basket to prevail.Around the Arena photos here.

-Talked with Dave Wininger at the game - he just got back from 117 holes of golf in Orlando.  One of those 'hey-lets-go-golf' suggestions by a friend last Thursday.  Eight of them ended up in sunny and delightful Florida for so much golf that their hands hurt by the time it was over.  Guess that would be like going to spring training in baseball and starting with double or triple headers for three days running.  Ernie Banks would enjoy that but for most of us it would mean some aching muscles for a week or two at the end.  Nonetheless, us guys who spent the weekend back here in southern Indiana, have to be just a bit envious.

-Ladies are in Singapore this week.  Michelle Wie is playing as well.  Mostly Harmless is picking Ai Miyazato again - worked last week.

-Did go out to the golf course late yesterday afternoon.  Just a bit of snow still on the ground.  Need some warm weather and a few golfers to make it feel like home.  Patience, Mike, patience.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

-Putting on my mind: Have been experimenting with a shorter back stroke and a longer forward stroke.  Remember Eric reading Pelz's book a while back and telling me of Pelz's suggestion that the ratio of the back stroke to the forward stroke should be one to two.  The shorter back stroke makes sense - the less you move the club, the greater the opportunity for a clean hit.  Could that also be a reason to get a heavier putter club head?  Does give me greater control, the shorter back stroke.

-Ai Miyazato wins over in Thailand at the Honda PTT with a final round 63 that made up six strokes on the leader, Suzann Petersen, over the course of the day.  Michelle Wie finished well back in a tie for 22nd.

-Ian Poulter wins the match play down in Arizona.  Had it on for just a bit as I practiced my chipping and putting.

-Weather changed over the weekend - lots of warm - into the 50's here - and now very wet and more cold on the way.  Yuck.

-Was up in Odon watching the Rivet girls Saturday night - they won.  Missed the Lion boys beating Mitchell down here in Loogootee.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Friday

Photo: Sledders at West Boggs. They aren't hitting golf balls down towards the 9th green; rather they are throwing themselves on a bit of wood or platic or rubber or cardboard and then slipping and sliding down the dam side.

-Tiger spoke: in brief: sorry for the mess, leave Elin and the kids alone, heading back to therapy, see ya. My comment: oh boy.

-Michelle Wie is at four under after two rounds, four back of the leader, Suzann Petersen, over in Thailand.

-Oh, and btw, some guys are playing golf down in Arizona. Match play, right? Guess Ill catch some of it tomorrow on tv.

-Girls basketball tomorrow up at North Daviess. The Rivet girls take on South Central in the first game (don't know what time they start though I'll be there - 10?); Wood Memorial faces NE Dubois in the second game. Winners meet tomorow night. Here's a listing of all the regional match ups in each class.
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Thursday Morning

-Certainly you've heard: Tiger speaks on Friday!  My golly gees, you would thing that the last tiger in the world had found voice and was going to utter some truth that we have all been waiting for for centuries (I'm reminded of Aslan, though he was a lion).  Well, we will see what we see now that he's got our attention.  Do like that he reminds the world that "what happened is fundamentally a matter between him and his wife", and that he is seemingly very much in control of the setting.  Hope it goes well and that he will be back playing golf sooner rather than later, like next week.

-LPGA up and running in Thailand.  First round complete - the wrap from Mostly Harmless.  The leaderboard.  The Wie Lass played an even round the first day and is six behind the leaders, Susann Petersen and M.J. Hur.


-Here's the Evansville Courier's write-up of the Vincennes Rivet girls basketball win over the Barr Reeve Vikings for the sectional championship.  Guess the stats will be printed in the Loogootee Tribune which will come in the mail today. 

-Working on the final stages of the 2010 Leagues.  The usual regular season competition for both individuals and pairs but with added emphasis on the tournaments, most of which will be 36 hole events (four 9 hole rounds).  A Grand Poobah award has also been added to recognize mastery in both the regular season and the tournaments.

-If you haven't looked out your window here in southern Indiana, it's still cold, snow packed and wintry.  Keep working on the chipping and the putting.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Wednesday Morning

-Offhand, I would say that Phil Mickelson is not having the start that he had hoped for or the one that many people expected.

-Was cheering for David Duval again this past weekend.  In contention at Pebble Beach and a 2nd place finish.  Not bad for the guy who used to be #1 and has fallen off the edge these last ten years.

-The ladies kick off the season over in Thailand on the 18th.  Here's one prognosticator, at Mostly Harmless, who is picking Ai Miyazato to win the season opener.  Michelle Wie is playing and has one the the later tee times.  Let me see now, the 18th on the other side of the world is the 17th on this side and the clock is around twelve hours advanced.  So that makes it about...  Go here to check out Bangkok time.

-Local weather is still in the yuck mode: lots of snow and cold.  Still looking for that early and glorious Spring.

-Chipping; doing some every day.  Remember what the golf gurus say: practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.  Note to self and others: bone up on what you should be doing, then go and try doing it.  Here's a Stan Utley clip with a tip.  And then there are my own notes from a while back here.

-Just curious: what's the maximum length for a driver nowadays?

Friday, February 12, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Friday Morning

-Colt Nation, as well as a few other locales, has been blasted by Mother Nature this week.  Expect we'll see the end of this wintry weather directly and be hurled into an early and glorious Spring.  Right?

-In the February 8th issue of GolfWorld, Ron Whitten celebrates nine hole golf courses with his article entitled Small Wonders with a subtitle of - Nine-hole courses offer as much charm and challenge as 'regulation' 18s, and are usually more ecological and economical.  So, why do so few golfers play them?  Well, speak for yourself, Ron Whitten, cause around here, our Lakeview Golf Course is a favorite.  I do agree that they should be played more, especially since they are geared to a nice and tidy round that is done within an hour and a half or two, a timing that is perfect for early morning, noon time, or an after dinner walk.  And let's not forget a ten o'clock or even a two o'clock tee time.  Btw, he does mention several courses in the area - Signal Point Club in Niles, MI, Wyoming GC in Cincinnati, and Pottawatomie GC in St. Charles, IL; but only one here in Indiana - Hillcrest G&CC in Batesville, and that for the wrong reason - it made the list of courses that lost charm when expanded to 18.

-On the arrival of golfing weather:  Are you ready?  Have you stretched out and kept your body (and mind, for that matter) in some kind of shape for the coming rigors of your own personal golf world?  I, for one, have paid slightly more attention to my exercise routine.  Walking I do on a daily basis - at least two 20 minute jaunts on Diane's eliptical; and a little weight lifting, some fifty crunches, and every now and then some chaired push-ups.  But I need to do more stretching - the leg, back and shoulder muscles.  And then there are the swing mechanics - certainly they need a tune up.  Putting is not a problem cause I often will get up from the computer or the tv chair and roll ten, twenty or thirty putts of variable lengths.  Chipping and iron play, on the other hand, are saved for the outdoors.  But...  I did buy myself one of those Cleveland lob wedges, 60 degree and black, and I have tried to hit just little bitty chips here on the inside - using those yellow foam balls.  Guess what?  Absolutely miserable performance the first several times.  Yes, an occasional clean hit but that far too infrequently.  The body is not doing what my mind is telling it to do.  It's like learning how to walk all over again.  Very frustrating.  So, need to do much more with that area, something that will be easier once the weather turns just a little bit.  Note to myself: continue the putting, increase the stretching, do some of that little bitty chipping on a more regular basis, and, of course, keep sending those offerings to the golf goddesses to send some nice weather.

-Girls sectional basketball tonight - after two postponements due to weather.  Expect Vincennes Rivet and Barr-Reeve to end up in the finals on Monday night but watch out, both Loogootee and Shoals know how to win.  Expect Rivet to walk away with the trophy because of their superior depth and no doubt their passion to finish the job this year - no stumbling, something they did in the last minute of the State championship game last March.  I'll be there in Jack's arena, cheering on the whole bunch of them.

-initialisms:  You know, like 'btw' and 'wtf'.  Came across a new one (in a comment over at Birdman Photos) which I had to google to get the meaning of:  'ttfn'.  Know it?  Ta ta for now.  Wonder if I could fit that into my vocabulary every now and then?  ttfn?  guys?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Remember this young lady?


She's the wife of one of our occasional golfers, the daughter-in-law of one of our senior league members, and is the able assistant of one of our Men's League golfers - that's where she is in the above photo - work. Bet she know quite a bit about golf just from being around these guys. Time for her to come on out and try it out herself, don't you think?
Posted by Picasa

Kravitz: Colts didn't play to win

That would be Bob Kravitz at the Indy Star in this article.  Need I say I agree?  There is one thing I would clear up, at least on my part: the not playing to win extended back to the Jet game in December.  Not so sure Kravitz is saying that, but he might be...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Colt Nation Weeps...

Saints beat the Colts in the Super Bowl, 31-17.  Oh my.  Got to give credit to the Saints - they wanted it and they did the things that needed doing to win.  My list of turning points:

-Garcon's drop of a pass that would have kept the third drive of the Colts on track for their third score.
-Decision by the Colts not to go for points at the end of the first half, going three and out and then watching as the Saints took it down the field for three points to close the half.  This was after the Colts defense stopped the Saints at the one yard line.  Ouch.
-Onside kick by the Saints to start the 2nd half recovered by the Saints who then went down and scored the go ahead touchdown.
-Interception of Payton pass in 4th quarter and return for a touchdown by that guy from IU.
-Drop of the touchdown pass by Reggie Wayne with less then one minute to go that would have prolonged the game and given the Colts the chance to recover their own onside kick and go in for a tying touchdown.

So, no Super Bowl, no perfect season.  Polien and Caldwell get 'F's from me.  The football players get a chance to sleep on it and come back next year to do it all over again.  Next year's number one goal: win every game.

Congrats to all the Saints.  They did good.

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Morning

-Super Sunday!  Hurray!  Go Colts!  Colts favored by only 5?  Oh my.  Colts easily cover the spread.

-Indy sports fans having quite a weekend with Colts today and Danica yesterday - she finished 6th in her stock car debut.  Not a big racing fan (yet) though am warming to her more and more.  What's not to warm to?  I see she once did a Playboy photo shoot - or was it just an article?  with a few photos of her as the 'sexiest athlete'?

-Stricker sticking it to his fellow competitors out at Riviera.  Up by five going into the final round on the Big Boys Tour.  Switched over to the coverage after watching the completion of the NFL big game history show on CBS.

-On that big game history:  We were living out in Oakland when the AFL started up and became hugh Raider fans.  One of the more famous of the Raiders, for a variety of reasons, was Ben Davidson, the defensive end who brutalized quarterbacks for years.  And it was way more brutal way back then.  Looked like a gangland free for all in some of the clips they showed yesterday afternoon.

-Followed up all that bare knuckled stuff with the PGA tour where I heard Johnny Miller talk about the Tiger Woods and how he's hurt golf with his after-dark-away-from-home antics.  Did I really hear Johnny say that golfers don't do that sort of thing?  I'm not so sure about that, that I heard Johnny say it or even that golfers don't engage in such after golf high jinks.  Maybe, do you think, it's one of those things that we just don't hear about?

-Sunday Morning is on in the background as I write this.  Just had a segment on Charlie Chaplin.  Do you think he might have been the first Charlie Brown?  (Just finished a biography of Charles Schulz and his Peanuts gang - a goody.)

-Guess the Lions did not play last night - I did show up for the game - me and several others who didn't get the word.  Oh well - got me out of the house for a spell after dinner.

-Did I say Go Colts?

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Wednesday Morning

-Did you know that Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, was a pretty good golfer?  (From David Michaelis' Schulz and Peanuts)  He played the #2 position while in high school and continued to play throughout his life, sporting a handicap of 8 along the way and making his first (and only, I think) hole-in-one when he was a 72 year old.

-Michelle Wie looking inscrutable and mysterious (from Golf Babes).

-McCarron 'falls on his sword' and apologies to Mickelson on the groove issue, reports this story from cbssports.com.  It also sayss that Finchem told players that they would have to come to grips with the use of the Ping wedge that was grandfathered in but also that Finchem has talked with Ping on the possibility of banning the club.  Expect that will take place directly.  Till then?  I would think that players would avoid the use of the Ping club and go along with the spirit of the new rule.  I would if I was playing at that level.

-Time for lunch: Going to the China Wok with Diane and Jim and Wilma Bateman. 

-Go Colts.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

-Phil Mickelson did not win yesterday; in fact, he imploded with shots that were way off the mark right at Sunday's start.  Calling in Butch Harmon for a mid tournament fix a good idea?  Not this time.  Of course, maybe without Butch, Phil's Sunday exploits would have been several shots worse.

-And what's all the fuss about the new V-groove rule?  Expect the PGA will have to do something about those Pings that got the exception back in the late '80's, early '90's.  Btw, I've been playing with a set of Ping Eye2's from the '80's (George Templin's old clubs) for over a year now.  Did just buy that Cleveland 60 degree wedge though.

-Ben Crane did win the Torrey Pines affair with a putter that found the hole from the back forty on a couple of occasions.  What was his putting distance yesterday?  Number of feet his made putts covered? (157 feet)  Of course, he made it interesting by missing a couple of close ones on the back nine.

-Crane's decision to keep himself in the dark as to his whereabouts on the leaderboard till he finished his round?  Not my cup of tea - I want to know where I am and where everybody else is as well.

-Glad John Daly is going to play Pebble Beach even though he was so disgusted with his play last Thursday and Friday that he said he was going to quit. 

-Go Colts!