Senior Golfers Provide Great Memory

Thanks to the generosity of USGA PR man extraordinaire Pete Kowalski, I was able to spend some time this morning at the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club in Samammish.  Man, what a neat event.

After picking up Preston's buddy, Mitch, the three of us joined more than 2,000 volunteers (myself included - I'm planning to help out in the media/player mixed zone on Saturday and Sunday), several thousand spectators and around 156 of the world's best golfers over 50 at a beautiful Pacific Northwest golf course.

Of all the sporting events I've attended over the years, golf is probably the most under-represented.  I attended a Senior Tour event in Charlotte back in the mid-1990's.  And, I was local media coordinator for a LPGA event when I worked at Raycom Sports around that same time.  That's about it, other than a number of college golf tournaments over the years (which brings back memories of typing results, scorecards and pairing sheets on an IBM Selectric as an intern at Houston about 20-something years ago - ugh).

This morning, though, as soon as I made my way to the course I was impressed.  The course was beautiful.  The crowd was respectful (and large, I might add).  And the golfers were entertaining.  They engaged with the crowd, made a few jokes and surely made a few new fans along the way.

I spent some time following two specific and popular threesomes:  1) Tom Watson, Eduardo Romero and Fred Couples; and 2) Tom Kite, Loren Roberts and Ben Crenshaw.  How about that for some of the greatest names in golf history?  What a fun time watching those guys play.

I also got a kick out of seeing Hal Sutton, Joey Sindelar, Mark Calcavecchia, Corey Pavin, Bernhard Langer and several other greats.  I also enjoyed exposing Preston and Mitch to some of the great golfers in the game's long history.  Hopefully the experience will be memorable for them.

It was for me.

Another couple of lookalikes

Uruguay's Diego Forlán, the winner of the Golden Ball as the top player at the recent FIFA World Cup, seems to me to bear a striking resemblance to the cartoon movie character Tarzan. 

South American media, though, appear to have given him the nickname "Cachavacha" after a famous Argentine cartoon character.  Cachavacha is a witch dedicated to do evil with his/her magic against the inhabitants of Trulalá.

Draw your own conclusions:

I thought this photo of Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero and Bruce Springsteen was also pretty good.

Perhaps A Nice Pulpo Gallego?

So, Paul the psychic octopus is considering retirement.  The most accurate mystic since Mona Mondieu, Paul is apparently considering a number of job prospects.

With the entire world watching, Paul correctly selected eight FIFA World Cup winners - all seven of Germany's games and the Spain victory over Holland in the final.  Interestingly, one of Australia's top cephalopod researchers says it may very well have psychic powers and an ability to predict the future.

Much to the dismay of German supporters, the mollusk correctly chose Spain over "Die Mannschaft" in the tournament semifinals - which prompted an array of octopus recipes posted on the Internet.

Here's a nice recipe for a Spanish dish - pulpo gallego (Maybe Jeremy Cothran can whip this up for us?).

Speaking of Hamburger (Helper)

Was ambling through Grocery Outlet a little while ago, hungrily dreaming of having a great hamburger (see previous blog post - apparently, I'm jonesing for a burger), when I was in the aisle with the various boxed, pre-mixed, dried meals - such as mac-'n-cheese, Tuna Helper, etc. - and the memorable quote from the 1983 comedy Vacation popped into my head.  Check out this classic and see if you don't chuckle!!!

Cousin Eddie: "I don't know why they call this stuff Hamburger Helper. It does just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than Tuna Helper myself, don't you, Clark?"

Clark: "You're the gourmet around here, Ed."
 
 

Best Hamburger In Seattle

Every city in United States makes a claim as having a place that serves the "Best Hamburger in America," right? 

Simply turn on the Food Network, Travel Channel or any one of a myriad of cable channels dedicated to the topic of "Best of.." and you'll find thousands of excellent eateries (and, obviously, plenty of critics willing to sample them all!)

Seattle, clearly, is known more for its seafood than anything else.  Anthony's, Waterfront Seafood Grill, Ivar's and The Crab Pot are among my favorites.  But, for some strange reason, it seems burgers in Seattle are a pretty talked-about item.

Ask anyone who knows the city where to find the best burger and you'll get a variety of answers.  Inevitably, though, most people will point straight to one of two places:  Red Mill Burgers or Dick's Drive-In. 

I'd agree that Red Mill is excellent.  Dick's, in my opinion, not so much.  If forced to choose a local burger joint, I'm more of a fan of Mr. Lu's Seafood and Burgers and Blue Moon Burgers.  Both are excellent, not that well-known and rarely seem to have big crowds - thus quick and friendly service.

Outside of Seattle?  In Texas, I like the old standby Whataburger.  In California, no question it's In-N-Out Burger.  In Atlanta, I enjoyed a chiliburger at The Varsity recently (What'll Ya Have?).  In Phoenix, Preston and I tackled the "The Shaq Stack" burger at Cooperstown - a sports bar owned by Alice Cooper and Randy Johnson.

What's your favorite and why?

Words To Live By

"The j's for just, the k's for keep, and there ain't no g on livin, cuz life's a verb." - Matthew McConaughey, one of the original cool people.

A few Matthew McConaughey-related Internet links:

• Official Facebook Fan Page
• j.k livin.com
• Wikipedia
• Official Site

Toughest Teacher Ever

This morning, for some unknown reason, I was thinking back to my college days (no, not the fun stuff.  Actually going to class... ugh).  I was reflecting on how in the world I became interested in the profession I've chosen.

Like a lot of people, I entered college with absolutely zero idea of what I wanted to do for a living.  I started out as a fashion merchandising major (insert deep belly laugh here) in the college of business.  After I realized math wasn't my thing (nor fashion, for that matter!), I changed my major to landscape architecture.  Well, I figured out pretty quickly that I couldn't draw.  So, I switched again - this time to physical education.  I was going to be a coach.

Heck, why not?  I liked football, basketball, golf, etc. And, other than playing, I thought coaching was the only way to work in sports.

However, one day a casual conversation took place that would change my life.  A buddy of mine, John Rafferty, and I were talking.  He told me about a speaker at one of his classes who was the Texas Tech sports information director.  He described what the guy did for a living and, I thought it sounded pretty cool.

Come to find out, my journalism TA was working as a grad assistant in that very same office.  So, he suggested I contact the SID and volunteer my time.  To make a long story short, I volunteered, got hired as a student assistant, was selected for an internship at Houston and away we go...  ending up loving it and have been working in the industry for the last 23 or so years.

There were so many people who had a big influence on my early decision to get (and stay) in athletic communications as a student.  A few who come to mind are:  The Johns (Rafferty & Walls - mentioned earlier), co-student assistant Russell Warren (who is now a big-wig in marketing with the San Antonio Spurs/Silver Stars), Joe Hornaday (the aforementioned SID, who I eventually replaced at Texas Tech and I should have maintained a better relationship with).  There are clearly many, many more...

But, for some reason, I frequently think back to the toughest, meanest, most demanding teacher I ever had.

Long-time Texas Tech professor of journalism Harmon Morgan, who died in 2003 at age 79, was a huge influence.  With Dr. Morgan, it was darn near impossible to ever be right.  It didn't matter how perfect you thought you could write, he'd find errors.

But, he was consistent, fair and, above all, logical.  I hated him then.  But, I appreciated him afterward.

When I was surfing the Internet for information on Dr. Morgan, I came across a letter he wrote to the editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.  I thought I'd share a really interesting part of his letter here:

"What we have today is millions of words, spoken and written, which are not clear and are not understood by readers and viewers.  What is needed is not more academic superstructure, more deans, more vice presidents, etc.  What is needed on the part of all teachers is a drive to improve the correct use of words, to improve the clarity of writing and speaking, to improve the ability of students to read and understand what has been read, and the application of logic to the task of understanding the world in which we live."

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day to Americans throughout the world!

In case you completely forgot your elementary school history lesson on the United States' successful battle for independence from Great Britain, there are some great web resources to refresh your memory!

According to history.com, "Independence Day, commonly known as July 4th or the Fourth of July, commemorates the Continental Congress' adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, served as a formal announcement that the 13 American colonies were no longer part of the British Empire and would henceforth be free and independent states. Regarded as the birthday of the United States of America, the day is typically celebrated with parades, fireworks, ceremonies, barbecues and family gatherings."

If you are interested in similar national holidays from around the world, here's a great list.  Note the U.S. is the only country to celebrate its independence on July 4.  Belarus (home of Olympic gymnast Svetlana Leonidovna Boginskaya - sister-in-law to the one and only Karen Yee Kilwien!) claims July 3 and Venezuela has July 5.

Bundesliga All-Star Team?

As the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ starts to wind down, there have been so many interesting stories emerge from one of the great months in sports.  Even though the final script has yet to be written, here are a few observations (since I know everyone is on the edge of their chair wondering what I'm thinking) from South Africa.

»  Who would have thought that Uruguay would be carrying the torch for South America as the only team left among the final four?  Much to our family's dismay, the Uruguayans defeated Costa Rica 2-1 in a two-leg aggregate playoff just to reach the World Cup finals.  Listed by many sources as historically one of the most successful national soccer teams in the world, Uruguay is easily the smallest country left in the competition (3.4 million inhabitants).  Germany is the most populated country remaining (81.8 million), while Spain is second (47.0 million) and Netherlands is third (16.6 million).  For the record, the United States has more than 309.6 million inhabitants - the most among all the countries to qualify for the World Cup finals.

»  Until Jérôme Boateng officially signed transfer papers recently to move from Hamburg SV to the English Premier League's money-laden Manchester City, every member of the German national team plied their trade in that country's professional league - the highly-respected Bundesliga.  Boateng, who was born in Germany to a German mother and a Ghanaian father, is the half-brother of fiery Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng (a central midfielder for Portsmouth in the EPL).  Hmmm, maybe an All-USA Major League Soccer all-star team should serve as the U.S. national team?   Oh my gosh, did I really write that?  (For the record, just four Americans play professionally full-time in MLS).

» Martin Tyler and Ian Darke have so awesome as analysts for ESPN's coverage of the World Cup!  They do an incredible job of describing the play on the field without overdoing it.  Not sure the same can be said of one of the color analysts (cough, cough... name rhymes with marks).  I was caught a little off-guard today when the color analyst pronounced the spanish names of the players involved in their native language.  Perhaps he should take a caue from Tyler and Darke, who simply pronounce the names in ENGLISH!

»  Speaking of ESPN.  How thrilled must they have been that their studio analysts the last two days were from winning countries.  Ruud Gullit was in the chair as Holland defeated Brazil and was g-i-d-d-y with excitement!  Jürgen Klinsmann was in the studio for pregame and halftime of Germany's victory over Argentina, but had to leave for another television commitment in the second half.

» Even though I'm not happy with the lack of playing time for Spain's Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler (i.e. Cesc Fabregas, the star Arsenal midfielder), it does give him a little less wear-and-tear heading into the new English Premier League season.  Perhaps he'll be fully fit as the Gunners prepare to win the EPL title this fall!

» A quick update to my list from yesterday.  There are only eight EPL players left in the World Cup!  Neither Germany (unless you include Boateng) or Uruguay have any players currently playing in England.  All eight are from Holland or Spain!

» Not World Cup related, but I really enjoyed this great story on Arsenal.com on former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman.  Nice mustache.

So, Where Are The Red Devils?

After watching Holland send vaunted Brazil back to Rio in shame in today's FIFA World Cup™ quarterfinals, I got to thinking it didn't seem there were many Premier League players left in the competition.

So, a little Google searching provided a couple of interesting facts I thought I'd share:

1)  There are more players from newly-promoted Newcastle United left in the World Cup than there are from Manchester United (awww, poor United - at least Nicky Butt should be thrilled!).

2)  There are a total of 17 Premier League players left in the World Cup (prior to the Uruguay vs. Ghana game today).

3)  Liverpool leads the way with six players left in the WC.  Manchester City is second with three.  Arsenal and Sunderland have two apiece.  (Doesn't it seem The Reds should have finished higher than seventh last season?).

Here is a list of Premier League players remaining in the World Cup (thanks digitalsportsdaily.com):

NED	F	Robin VAN PERSIE	Arsenal
ESP	M	Cesc FABREGAS	Arsenal
NED	D	John HEITINGA	Everton
GHA	D	John PANTSIL	Fulham
ARG	M	Javier MASCHERANO	Liverpool
ARG	M	Maxi RODRIGUEZ	Liverpool
NED	F	Dirk KUYT	Liverpool
NED	F	Ryan BABEL	Liverpool
ESP	F	Fernando TORRES	Liverpool
ESP	GK	Pepe REINA	Liverpool
ARG	F	Carlos TEVEZ	Manchester City
NED	M	Nigel DE JONG	Manchester City
PAR	F	Roque SANTA CRUZ	Manchester City
ARG	M	Jonas GUTIERREZ	Newcastle Utd.
GHA	D	John MENSAH	Sunderland
PAR	D	Paulo DA SILVA	Sunderland
GHA	GK	Richard KINGSON	Wigan

Overuse Injuries - Preventable?

There was a great story on overuse injuries caused by kids' excessive participation in sports in the June 7, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Here's an excerpt:

One recent morning two patients of Dr. James R. Andrews sat side by side in a rehab center in Birmingham. Both were shirtless. Both had fresh surgical holes in their right shoulders. And both were attentive as physical therapists hovered, advising them on how to put on a T-shirt a day after an operation (injured arm first).

On the left was Angel Guzman, whom the Cubs pay $825,000 to blow his 95-mph fastball by National League hitters. Three years ago Andrews also did Guzman's Tommy John surgery. The patient on the right was Tommy Ventura. Tommy is 17 years old, a righthander who this week is finishing his junior year at Archbishop Spalding High in Severn, Md.


...Andrews estimates that 60% of the athletes he operates on these days are high school athletes or younger. Sixty percent. "I don't think epidemic is too strong a word," the surgeon says. "We're seeing kids hurt before they even have a chance to become athletes."

Messi & Dustin Hoffman?

ESPN's Bill Simmons made this lookalike observation today:  Argentina & Barcelona FC star Lionel Messi and Dustin Hoffman from "All The President's Men."  Draw your own conclusion:

Here's my favorite Messi picture of all-time!

It's OK To Be a Cheapskate?

There was an interesting segment on The Today Show this morning.  Host Matt Lauer interviewed Jeff Yeager, the author of a book titled "The Cheapskate Next Door."

Yeager talked about a novel concept for Americans these days - GASP... actually living BELOW your means!   His book suggests that it is, indeed, possible to conduct your life happy, comfortable and debt-free.

He includes a great quote from Will Rogers:  "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like."

The book includes a number of tips that Yeager alleges could save approximately $25,000 per year.

Sounds like a good idea to me (particular these days!).  The book is available on Amazon.com for $9.35.