Bits and Pieces

-Weekend golf for the big guys:  Especially good for Bubba Watson, one of the longest guys out there and, of course, used his short sticks to win the tournament - think sand wedge and putter on the 72nd hole but other examples out there as well.  Found myself rooting for the lad from Venezuela (Vegas) there at the end, but he blew himself out of the water with the approach shot at 18 going into the water.  Tiger: big disappointment: first 27 holes of the tournament were just fine; last 45 holes, not good.  Jeesh; the man is definitely not ready for the big time yet.  (Boy, it hurts to say that.)  Big John Daly:  Beautiful Thursday and Friday and then a weekend to forget, especially the 79 on Sunday.  And, another blast from the past, David Duval - two 70's to open, two 71's to close; imagine he is very happy with his play.

-We got back from Branson/St. Louis just before 4pm.  Most of Tiger's day was over by then.  Still, the remainder of the tournament was fun to watch with drama right up to the end with the three at the top (Watson, Mickelson and Vegas) needing to do something at the last hole to win.  One question:  How many people do you think expected Phil M. to make that approach shot at 18 to force a playoff with Watson?  I would say about zero.  I certainly didn't and was surprised when it came as close at it did.  Nice shot, Phil.  Nice last two shots, Bubba.

-Wonder if anybody got out and played golf around here?  Snow gone by Saturday morning?  Looks like the skies and the temps were plenty good enough both Saturday and Sunday.  Not so nice today.  Dang.

p.s.  See the Loogootee boys got a couple of more wins this weekend:  A close one at White River Valley on Friday, 40-39; and then another seemingly easy one at home against Springs Valley, 64-47.  That makes eight wins in a row.  Impressive.

Golfing in Branson

Well, I could have but choose not to. This is a shot of Thousand Hills just down from where we're staying. There were some cars in the parking lot but I did not see anybody actually playing golf. It really is golf weather; even warmer today and tomorrow with temps in the 60's.

Note: Tiger did good yesterday. Better today? Expect he will if he can hit more of the fairways and take care of those par fives like he used to.

Bits and Pieces

Note from Branson: Go Tiger.  Tees off at 1 eastern time this afternoon.  He should have fun playing with Rocco Mediate and Anthony Kim. 

Btw, sunny and in the 50's down here in sw Missouri today.  Does that sound like golf weather?  Got to admit I didn't even consider bringing my clubs.  Should have, especially since this place is pretty much a wasteland in the off season.  No problem finding a parking place.

Bits and Pieces

Photo: Local kids enjoying the fine sledding opportunities. If your ball was down there after your tee shot at #1, would say that you had yourself a dandy of a shot to make to get on the green in regulation. Far from impossible though.

-Travel day for Diane and me as we head to St. Louis and then Branson. Don't think we'll be getting much golf in - not much of a weather change between here and there. Won't be all that long though before we will be putting the sticks back in the cups and chasing golf balls all over the place. Hang in there.

-Golf tip of the day: Work on getting back in shape: walk an extra mile, watch your diet (if you must have one of those goodies from the Donut Barn, make it just one - share the other five that you bought with your friends).

-Thought for the week: Go Tiger.

Bits and Pieces

-Too bad the Bears and the Jets came out missing on about seven cylinders yesterday.  Would have preferred them meeting in the Super Bowl.  I mean after the Colts and whomever.

-Pittsburgh: pretty damn impressive team.  Bradshaw years in the '70's; now the Roethlisberger years here in the early part of this century.  Or maybe we should label them the Tomlin and Noll years. 

-Congrats to the rookie winner at the Bob Hope Classic.  In overtime, the guy from Venezuela, Jhonattan Vegas.

-From my amazing but true golf facts calendar for the weekend:

"No, but I've only been out on tour for 16 straight years."  -Paul Goydos in 2009, when asked if he'd ever held a 54-hole lead.

-More golf:  Tiger Woods now in third place in the world rankings with Kaymer win in Dubai.  Wonder where TW will be after this week's win at Torrey Pines?

-You thinking donuts on a Monday morning?  Heading up to the Donut Barn here directly to make a donut run.  Photos of what is being offered here at the Donut Barn's web site.

-Golfing tip for the day:  While practicing your putting in your living room or den, pay attention to your back stroke.  For me, that means going straight back along that imaginary target line I've drawn on the putting surface.  I admit, my back stroke gets away from me way too often which results in an outside in swipe at the ball.  Not good.

-Local boys basketball last Saturday night:  Both the Lions and the Cougars win.  The Lions dispatched the Jeeps down in Dubois while the Cougars beat the Vikings in the Buggy Bowl, in overtime (that one must have been a humdinger).  Shoals lost to Bloomfield.

-Local girls basketball last Saturday:  Lions lost to Linton-Stockton, a 2A team, 40-35.  Barr Reeve beat Pike Central, a 3A team. 52-41.  And Shoals lost to North Knox, another 2A team, 49-39.

-The night has been chased away by a gray slate morning.  Time for me to get out of here.

Bloomfield Cardinals Fall To Loogootee Lions 68-51

The Lions looked good in their win last night - sharp passing, agressive play and continuously taking advantage of scoring opportunities under the basket - I imagine the bulk of their scoring was of the chippy variety. Did see Van Baker in the stands sporting a Cardinal sweatshirt; had forgotten that his son Todd was a coach up at Bloomfield, this his second year. He's the guy in the middle in the top photo. Bottom photo: Cardinal cheerleaders watching some of their own in a pregame routine.

Bits and Pieces

-Harrington dq'ed in Dubai after another call in rules violation.  He's very upbeat about it, saying it's good for the game and he hopes 100 million will be watching him.  The powers that be may not be thinking a change is necessary yet but once they have to dq a headliner or two, and then another headliner or two, maybe even a Woods or a Mickelson, before the weekend, the other powers that be, the guys paying the bill, might have something to say.  Of course, the rules makers may not give a hoot what those money changers have to say anyway, right?

-Btw, Phil M. is nine back at the moment over in Dubai.  Martin Kaymer leading through two rounds at 12 under.

-At this week's 'B' event, a rookie from Venezuela, Jhonnatan Vegas, and Boo Weekley are on top of the leaderboard at 13 under.  That would be at the Bob Hope Classic.

-In case you missed it, Tiger Woods first event of the year is next week at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  So, a win for TW?  He loves that course and has won repeatedly out there, including the last four times he's been there.  You remember the last time, the 2008 US Open and the dramatic Monday win over Rocco Mediate.  Highlights (utube) of the Monday round here.  Forgot that Tiger kept leaving his putts short.  Prediction: Tiger gets his first win in a long time at a venue he dominates.  I say he even does it in dominating fashion.

-Suggestion for the day: Walk an extra mile.  Breakfast time now here on the hill just north of Loogootee and just south of the Lakeview Golf Course (I love that place!).

Bits and Pieces

Photo: Somebody hit a slick spot on our road yesterday morning. No sirens so I'm assuming nobody was hurt. Local authorities and G&M were 'johnny-on-the-spot'.

-Weather is an issue: 4"s of snow overnight and still coming down. No golf today except maybe some putting in the den.

-Girls Basketball: The Barr Reeve Vikings almost toppled the unbeaten Vincennes Rivet team on Tuesday night, 49-48. They had two shots, one a put back, in the last ten seconds that wouldn't fall. You remember that the Lions lost to Rivet on the 13th by 30 some points. Haven't seen the Rivet girls yet this year. Guess it will have to be in the sectional.

-Did you know that there is a mouth spray out there that can enhance your performance? Made from deer antlers and pretty expensive at $68 a bottle (I'm assuming a small bottle). Dan Wetzel at Yahoo Sports has more on the story here. It's natural so it's ok?

-Btw, it is time to get serious about your preparations for the upcoming season. Can start by losing those five or ten pounds that Santa dropped off at your house at Christmas time, and by getting back on a regular exercise routine.

-Time for breakfast with Diane here on the hill just north of Loogootee. Best throw another log on the fire and go join her.

Lakeview Leagues, etc.

Working on the 2011 Lakeview Calendar of Events.  Leagues and tournaments and Saturday Morning golf games.  Got any special requests?  Maybe a couple of 18 hole events on Saturday morning?  Am adding more inter league tournaments like the September Challenge.

Mary LaVerne Eichmiller Wake May 2, 1926 - January 15, 2011

Our sympathies to long time golfer and friend Clyde Wake on the loss of his wife LaVerne.  She passed away this past Saturday.  Visitation is at Brocksmith's here in Loogootee from 4-8pm today with a mass at St. John's tomorrow morning at 10am.

Bits and Pieces

-NFL stuff:
   -Belichik, Brady and the Pats: one and out.  (Smile)  Jets play Steelers for the AFC title next Sunday evening.  The Steelers beat the Ravens on Saturday after Steeler 1st half errors made the Ravens look like world beaters; the Baltimore team returned the favors with their own errors in the second half. 
   -Bears buffalo the Seahawks while Packers actually do look like world beaters with an easy win down in Atlanta.
   -So, that makes it two #6 seeds still in the hunt along with two #2 seeds.  I say we root for the #6's and see the Jets take on the Packers in the Super Bowl.  Just for fun.

-Mark Wilson wins the Sony Open.  Okay.

-Sexiest Bodies in Sports - #44: Guess.  Danica is #23.  Just so you are not surprised, the competition is limited to females only.

-See that the Loogootee girls' basketball team got pummeled by the Rivet team last week, 63-26.  Boys fared better at Barr Reeve, winning 54-44.  Boys appear to be finding their rhythm with three wins in a row after the embarrassing loss to the Washington Hatchets.

-Temperatures in the 40's today.  Too bad there's snow on the ground and rain predicted - would have been a good day to go out and play a little mid January golf.  Dang.

Bits and Pieces

Photo: More donuts from The Donut Barn.

-Yes, I haven't had breakfast yet and the yummies in the photo are extremely attractive. My stomach growleth.

-Speaking of attractive, happyfan08 is celebrating some of the lady golf happenings of 2010 at the Seoul Sisters blog (several excellent photos). In this entry, the 'Best Korean Confrontations' are highlighted. Michelle Wie wasn't a part of the 'best' confrontation however she did receive an honorable mention for two events: her loss to Jiyai Shin in the Sybase Match Play Tournament, and the Canadian Open where she exacted revenge by besting Jiyai in a final day head to head confrontation to take the title. (You remember, that tournament is where the Wie Lass got a hole-in-one, one of the best shots of the year.)

-Cudos to Brittany Lincicome for challenging the men at a for pay event. She failed to make the cut in what she contends was a warm up for the LPGA season.

-The NFL weekend playoffs - predictions: Patriots over the Jets in the rubber match (with my 'hugh' success at predictions, maybe this will jinx the Pats and give the victory to the team I really want to win!). Steelers over the Ravens. The Bears over the Seahawks. And the Falcons over the Packers. That looks like a sweep for the home teams.

-Ok, have held off long enough. Time to eat.

Bits and Pieces

Photo: Sam Potts at Ketchum the other day.

-Update: On Wednesday, Sam Potts was taken from the nursing home to the hospital after some stuff but is expected to return to Ketchem today. We're rooting for you, Sam.

-Sony Open gets underway in Hawaii later today. Too bad Michelle Wie isn't a participant this year. Expect nobody even considered giving her a call. Probably couldn't make it anyway, what with schoolwork and other things going on in her life right now.

-about.com wants your opinion on tv officiating in the world of golf. Mine: No tv officiating; leave that to the players and the officials on site.

-Too bad about #1 Duke losing to unranked Florida State last night. Yea, right...

-The weekend NFL playoffs: Want the Seattle Seahawks to win what with their most unlikely victory last weekend. A 7-9 regular season team moving on? Heck, don't particularly like Pete Carroll for all those bad things he did to the Irish while at USC, but for now count me in as being in his corner.

-Gotta get outta here. Heading east towards Bedford to see the dentist in a little bit.

Bits and Pieces

Photo: Donuts and other goodies at Odon's The Donut Barn.

-Spent part of yesterday morning taking photos up at The Donut Barn in Odon, the place where Eric is spending part of his off season helping out his wife, Colleen, in her almost one year old made-from-scratch donut business. The link provides directions in case you can't resist and need a fresh sweet to get your day started.

-Before heading home, stopped in at the Ketchum Nursing Home and visited with Sam Potts (Greg's dad, Mark's granddad). In his younger days, Sam was a pretty fair golfer and was a league regular at Lakeview, partnering up with another pretty fair golfer, Bob Norris. He and Bob (photo of the two here) won the 2007 team title in Lakeview's Senior League.

-Lots of snow in our neck of the woods but Diane and I went out to dinner anyway. Stopped in at the China Wok for some Chinese food and, as it turned out, enjoy some birthday cake (Yang Lu was celebrating her 4th birthday). Other golfers enjoying Chinese on a stromy night in southern Indiana: Van Baker and Randy Graber.

-Just about time for breakfast with Diane. Think I'll climb on the elliptical for a bit; don't expect I'll be doing much walking out in the weather today. Well, maybe down to the mail box and back.

Bits and Pieces: College Football and Flag Sticks

-Pretty neat trick play used by Auburn there in the last minute of play last night: the roll-over-the-tackler-and-never-touch-the-ground play.  I can see the Oregon player not wanting to 'pile on' and be given a 15 yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.  Don't think it really mattered - Auburn was going to march down the field and score anyway, right?  Final score of 22-19 with the last three points coming on a field goal from the half yard line.

-Heard at the end of the telecast (caught a bit of the game on espn 360 on my computer): 5th national championship in a row won by the SEC.  Impressive.  Time for some other conference, or maybe an independent (think ND and that doesn't stand for North Dakota), to take home the trophy.

-Closed our local golf season yesterday by going out to the golf course and putting away the flag sticks.  Hope to be putting them back in the cups within a few weeks, maybe three.  That's plenty long enough to go without a round of golf.

-It's snowing in our backyard.  Throw another log on the fire and curl up with a good book.

More Photos From Fiday Night In Odon

Top Photo: Lion's John Sherfick on the floor and Eric Bird in the stands. Middle photo: Cheerleader with after game snack (apple) along with Jeff Doyle, and Chris and Mikel Bateman. Bottom photo: A lone male apparently bored by it all, or maybe just needing a nap.

Adam Wagler Playing Cougar Ball

One of Lakeview's better younger golfers as well as one of its longest drivers, Adam is apparently also one of North Davies' better young basketball players with a knack for hitting the long one. Here he is up against a Lion defender in last Friday's hoop game up in Odon.

A Day Not To Remember

Had three games on my radar yesterday, all of which turned into losses for the home team.

-In an early afternoon game, the Bloomfield girls beat up the Lady Lions in beautiful but cold downtown Loogootee, 45-34.  Did like the way our clubhouse girl, Hannah LaMar, has improved over the season after being recruited to a team that needed warm bodies at the start.  She had played in grade school but had concentrated on volleyball and tennis in high school.  Btw, the team still needs bodies: one injury and one drop out has again left the team without a junior varsity.

-In a mid afternoon game, the UCON Husky women nipped the Lady Irish in a game that was nip and tuck throughout and easily could have gone the other way, 79-76.  That was up in South Bend where the fans showed up in spite of a foot of new snow in the area.  Take that, Philly/NFL.

-The New York Jets sent the Indy Colts packing with a game ending field goal, 17-16.  And that was after the Colts had taken the lead with a Venetieri three pointer with 53 ticks still on the clock.  Way too much time... 

A day to remember?  Well...

Bits and Pieces

-Sobel on the Villegas disqualification: bum rap.  The golfer was dq'ed after an outrage by the social media revealed that he had hit some turf while his ball was still in play.  Sobel suggest a time limit on golfing errors.  I suggest maybe like immediately, that would be a one second time limit - catch it, note it, make it public or let it go; no call in from the tv audience.  Change in the rules - why not? 

-Didn't take long for my prediction that Jim Harbaugh would remain at Stanford to be proven wrong.  Like about seven, maybe eight, hours.  I saw the 'Harbaugh going to the 49'ers' announcement late Friday afternoon.  Well, good luck to him.

-Lions handled the Cougars last night, rather easily as it turned out.  Chris Bateman passed in front of Eric and me  just before the game started and predicted that the Lions would win by ten.  Pretty good prediction as the final score was 49-38.

-Three games of note today:

  -Lady Lions (6-5) vs Lady Bloomfield Cardinals (7-4) at 1 o'clock here in Loogootee.

  -Lady Irish (13-3) vs the Lady UCON Huskies (13-1) at 2 o'clock up in South Bend and on CBS.  Unfortunate that the Huskies lost that game to Stanford a few days back, breaking that record setting win streak.

  -Colts vs the Jets.  Kravitz predicting a Jet win.  I don't buy that.  Colts have the momentum and the home field and Manning.

So, go Lions; go Irish; and go Colts.  And for me for now, breakfast with Diane on a sunny but cold and windy Saturday morning here in southern Indiana.

Bits and Pieces

-Jim Joyce and the positive that has come out of the blown call that cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game last summer.  Good write-up by Amy K. Nelson over at espn.com.

-Question: With Andrew Luck's announcement that he is staying at Stanford, does Jim Harbaugh end discussions with NFL teams and also stay?  Could be a run for the national championship at the elite school come next Fall.  My guess - he stays at Stanford.  And no, they do not win the national title when they lose to Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish in a high scoring shootout in the title game (!).  Luck does win the Heisman Trophy for 2011 though.

-The LPGA firms up its 2011 schedule (clip of Michael Whan at the Golf Channel), opening with a charity event and closing with a Titleholders tournament.  Titleholders tournament?  New and different - the top three players from each of the year's tournaments will be eligible to participate in the season finale down in Orlando.  Could be interesting and my hope is that they have a full field - sixty or seventy players.  Wonder if anybody looked at 2010 to see how many players would have made the tournament if it had been played?

-On the local scene: Winter here in Loogootee with a dusting of snow on the ground and temperatures in the 30's.  Do have boys' basketball tonight - Lions are going up to take on the Brent Dalrymple's North Daviess team in the Cougar Den.  Eric said the Lions are going to get whupped.  Expect Hogan and Ackerman and Wittmer and Bough and Mathias will have something to say about that.  And, yes, I plan to be there.

-Time for breakfast with Diane.

Bits and Pieces: LPGA Stuff, Phil Eyler, and a Rayhill Dog Photo

Photo: Carroll Rayhill's young Alaskan Huskie working on a pretty good sized bone.

-via bangkokbobby, a couple of Golf Channel vids that review the LPGA. Worth watching if you missed it on the Golf Channel and are a fan of women's golf. Btw, the second clip has the shots of the year, something we mentioned here a while back though it expands the list to the top ten rather than just the top five.

-More on the LPGA: from espn.com, the Ladies first domestic event supposedly will be for the fun of it with all the winnings going to charity.

-Here at home: Ran into Phil and Susan Eyler at the Corner Cafe here in Loogootee this morning. Hold on there - they were supposed to be in Florida sending me greetings as they played golf in the sun and the warm of that way south state. Wasn't meant to be, at least for the moment. They were packed up and ready to go last month when Phil went in for a routine stress test and ended up having his chest split open for a bit of by pass surgery. Holy Cow! Here's a guy who always walks and totes his bag at the golf course, and looks as trim and fit as a twenty something. As Susan said, genes trumps almost everything else - exercise, diet, good thoughts. Lesson to be learned here: Do all the good things but also pay attention to your gene background and also watch for those little signs that just might be telling you everything is not hunky dory (i.e., shortness of breath, getting tired too soon). One other thing: Phil looked just as good as ever this morning and he and Susan got the Florida plans back on the front burner.

-Breakfast at the Corner Cafe, with Diane and Jim Bateman, was delicious. Now for the rest of the day...

Surprise Golfing at Lakeview

Yesterday.  Well, the sun was shining and why not play golf?!  The boys needed a fourth and I raised my eyebrows just a little what with the expected high of the day being just 38, but then agreed to the suggestion for a noon start.  Jack Lents and Jack Butcher took on Dick Lemmon and me in a nine hole low ball low total game with skins and flags thrown in to boot.  The two Jacks jumped to an early lead at hole #1 with Butcher, off to his usual fast start, rolling in a 15 foot putt for the only par.  Dick and I matched them at the second hole with a pair of pars to their pair of bogeys and then took the lead for good at four, again with a pair of pars to their par/double bogey.  Dick Lemmon surprised everybody, including himself, by rolling in a couple of 10+ foot putts at six and seven for birds, the one at seven also earning him a couple of flags.  Dick's nine hole score of 41 was well below his average  while the rest of us took a couple of extra strokes along the way what with all the cold and wind and hard ground and winter greens and numb fingers and extra clothing, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.  Still, good to get out and swing the club.  Am sure, DL would say it was great to get out and swing the club.  Good game, Dick.

Bits and Pieces

-Stanford doing things right these last few weeks.  First, the Cardinals' Ladies basketball team stops UCON's record setting winning streak.  And last night, the football team toppled Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl (40-12), completing a 12 win, 1 loss season.  In attendance were former Standford qb's John Elway (Broncos...) and Jim Plunkett (Raiders!), both pretty good players in the NFL.  Two questions:  Does standout Stanford qg Andrew Luck opt out of his last two years at Stanford and head for the NFL and maybe end up being the #1 pick and go to the Carolina Panthers?  And, two, was Michelle Wie in attendance?  Can't imagine her not being there.  Oh, and another question:  Was that other Stanford golfer hanging out in the stands somewhere?  That would be Tiger Woods for those wondering.

-Speaking of Tiger:  From my 'Amazing but true golf facts calendar' (which I received as a Christmas gift from ever sweet and lovely Laura Tarr):

According to a recent survey of 648 American golfers, 21 percent of Average Joes believe they could beat Tiger Woods if he spotted them one stroke per hole.

I can understand that.  Imagine Tiger, or any pro for that matter,  coming to Lakeview and taking on anyone and giving them a stroke a hole in a nine hole match.  Now, wouldn't you be willing to take him on?  I would.  Of course, if I had my druthers, I can think of another pro whom I would much rather have taking me on in that friendly challenge.  Do the initials MS suggest any particular Korean American golfer?  Hint:  She was mentioned earlier in this post.  Still flummoxed?  Here's a whole set of visual aids.

-Wish the temperatures were about ten degrees warmer.  Snow's off the golf course, sun's up, and I would love to head out and play a round or two.  Expect I'll have to settle for a good walk instead.  First though, a little breakfast with Diane.  She fixed waffles yesterday morning - yum.  Today maybe just oatmeal with raisins and blueberries and a banana along a bit of milk.  That gets a yum as well.

The Luke Zeller Miracle Shot

The shot that won the state tournament for the Washington Hatchets in 2005. Eric and I were in the seats behind the backboard and were electrified.  Wonder what happened to that Plymouth freshman who threaded himself between Washington's two big men to score the go ahead points with an underhand scoop shot?  Without Zeller's heroics, he would have been an instant Hoosier Hysteria highlight and a hoop hero whose name wouldn't be so hard to remember.

The Milan Miracle of 1954

Finished reading Greg Guffey's The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told, and am finally finding out a few things about that miracle in Milan.  Like, for one, the Milan team was in the state finals the year before and were definitely way above the radar as one of the state's elite teams throughout the 1953-1954 season.  Other stuff:

-The Milan team defeated Crispis Attucks with Oscar Robertson (sophmore year) in the semi-state along the way to their title.
-'Cat and Mouse' was used extensively in the last quarter but Milan did go into their offensive routine with about four minutes to play.
-Ray Craft, the other guard, missed a layup with about a minute to go that would have given the Milan team a four point lead.
-Muncie Central had several opportunities to take control of the game in the last four minutes and just did not do it - Milan the better team during that period - see vid clip here.
-I was a 13 year old freshman at brand new St. Joseph's High School in South Bend and have no recollection of the hoopla that was Hoosier Hysteria (we moved from Long Island, New York when I was a ten year old thus no inbred hoop sense like most Indiana boys).
-Vague memories of South Bend Central's state championship of the year before.
-The Jasper Wildcats won the 1949 state title after going 11 and 9 in the regular season - pretty good turnaround and tournament run for our neighbors to the south.
-Marvin Wood, the coach, took over the team the year before, replacing the fired Snort Grinstead, and immediately took the team to the state finals.  He ended up coaching basketball at St. Mary's College across the street from Notre Dame.
-Bill Jordan, one of the ten players on the squad, went on to an acting career and appeared in a play with a 50's and 60's actress and hottie whom I haven't thought of for years, Lee Remick.  (Photo here; wikipedia write up  here.)
-And, finally, somewhere along the line, Mary Lou Wood, the coach's wife, reminded her boys (the team) that "It's nice to be important but more important to be nice".

What a story is the Milan Miracle of 1954.

Colts Win On Game Ending Fieldgoal By Vinatieri

How sweet it is!  And a good game to boot with the final bell sounding as the winning points were put on the scoreboard as the football sailed through the uprights.  Nice little turnaround in the last couple of minutes, from the yes-Payton-is-leading-them-down-the-field-for-the-game-winning-fieldgoal feeling to dispair with the Rhodes fumble to the jubilation a couple of plays later with the Collins fumble to the yes-Payton-is-leading-them-down-the-field-for -the-game-winning-fieldgoal feeling once again.  Job well done?  Yes, job well done.  Lets go on to the next dance.

Last Game of the Regular Season for NFL Teams

Going to be up with Eric, Colleen and the boys to watch the Colts go up against the Titans this afternoon.  Expect they know what they have to do and will not allow what happened in Philly last Tuesday night happen in Indy today.  Colt faithful, in spite of what Kravitz writes, expect a win today and then again next week, and the week after, and then one more after that and then...  Would be a nice way to get rid of any more mention of curses.

The UCON Ladies Lost!

Eric mentioned it to me midday yesterday.  Stanford beat them and thus the big win for the Irish Ladies is not going to be.  Dang.  That game, btw, is going to be on national tv next Saturday.

Happy New Year!

Hope your New Year's Eve wasn't too riotous.  Mine was quiet though Mother Nature provided some excitement with rain and thunder (and lightning somewhere, I am sure).  On with the New Year!

Some of my wishes for the New Year:

-An undefeated season for the Fighting Irish (they closed out 2010 with a win yesterday, having a fairly easy time against the Miami Hurricanes).

-Several wins for Tiger along with a couple of Majors.  And a successful relationship with a woman or two.

-A breakout year for Michelle Wie even though she will still be taking classes.  Three or four wins plus a major, please.

-A World Series for the Cubs.  Make that a World Series win for the Cubs.

-Another Super Bowl ring for Payton and Company.  I know, an uphill battle and one they must start with a win over the Titans tomorrow.

-Fine weather and good health for all my golfing buddies; my non golfing buddies, too.

-And lots of Peace the world round...