Maui Golf

We made it to the beach, and the only thing my son talked about the entire drive down was going to play miniature golf at Maui Golf. It is safe to say that Maui Golf is not the greatest miniature golf course out there. The obstacles are not very difficult and there are no moving parts like windmills or the like. However, it is the course my son likes so we usually end up there.

The reason my son likes it so much is because of its name, Maui Golf. He has a real interest in the Hawaiian islands and can name most of them along with their nicknames, like Kuaui being the garden island. He actually learned all these things by watching game shows and YouTube videos. He loves when contestants win trips to Hawaii. Playing miniature golf with my son is an interesting adventure in and of itself.

The concept of taking turns is lost on him. He will play from the tee until he knocks the ball in the hole. Most of the time, he doesn't even wait for the ball to stop rolling before he hits it again.  Keeping score is also a mute point with him, but we do it anyway.  It doesn't really matter what the score is, because he doesn't seem to have a competitive bone in his body.  Though he does get excited when he gets a hole in one.  I learn a lot about play from that guy.

1/1/11

Image via WikipediaI am not sure why I chose today's date as the title for this post other than I just like the way it looks. 

January 1st used to be a pretty big deal for me years ago.  Not because it symbolized a new beginning of the year or because it was a time to start working on all those New Year's resolutions.  No, it was a big deal because it was the day that all of the major college bowl games would be played.  At the end of the day, the arguments would begin about which team is #1, and the college football season would be over.

Call me a traditionalist, but the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has ruined today for me.  Sure, there are still six bowl games being played today, and if I wanted to, I could watch college football from noon until midnight.  Now thanks, to the BCS, the championship game will be drawn out until January 10th.  Plus there is a string of minor bowl games between today and the championship game.  I mean really, the Birmingham Bowl and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl?

The goal for college teams was to play in a major bowl game on January 1st.  The closer to January 1st, the more successful you could consider your season.  The Birmingham Bowl features two very mediocre teams; Pittsburgh (7-5) and Kentucky (6-6).  This is a game that should have been played in mid-December, not January.  Some of the other games between today and the championship game feature equally exciting match ups.

The old system of the traditional bowl games and the polls to determine the national championship was far from perfect, but for some reason, I liked it.  There are not a whole lot of folks that have anything good to say about the current BCS system.  With games scheduled now until January 10th, I don't think they can use the argument of how a playoff system would draw out the season.  A playoff, at the very least, would eliminate meaningless games like the Birmingham Bowl in January. 

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Are You Ready for Some Football

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

The NFL preseason kicks off tonight with the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.  I haven't really thought too much about football yet; it has been too hot.  I usually associate football with the start of fall and the cooler autumn weather.  Though the first game of the preseason is an indicator that we will soon get a break from the summer heat. 

I suppose I should be a little more excited about the start of the football season.  My Redskins have upgraded themselves in two key areas this season over last season.  First the addition of Mike Shanahan as head coach over Jim Zorn, and Donovan McNabb at quarterback in place of Jason Campbell.  Both are significant upgrades over last season.

As for tonight's game, I have no real compelling reason to watch the game other than former Redskins Russ Grimm was inducted into the Hall of Fame yesterday and will probably be interviewed and highlighted at some point during the game.  The game itself will feature the dreaded Dallas Cowboys, who I despise, and the Cincinnati Bengals.  Like most preseason games, the front line players will see very little playing time and it will be mostly 2nd and 3rd team players trying to make the team.  Still, it is football, and in the end, that is all that really matters.

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Favre Retires Again...or Does He?

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Yesterday, with my viewing of the offensive truck on the beltway, I almost missed the opportunity to talk about the annual drama that revolves around whether or not Brett Favre will play another year in the NFL.  It was reported yesterday that Favre had decided to retire for the third time in the last three years.  Frankly, I would have to put the news in the "I will believe it when I see it" category.

Today, it is good that I waited.  There are a couple different things being reported today.  One that I saw on a crawl on ESPN that reported that Favre's agent and the Vikings were having discussions about raising Favre's salary for the upcoming season from $13 million to $16 million.  The second report is that Favre says he wants to play but only if he is healthy.  He is scheduled to meet some time next week with Dr. James Andrews.  Andrews performed surgery in the off season to remove bone spurs and scar tissue.

There is no question that Favre can still play.  He had an excellent season last year with the Vikings.  I have grown tired of the annual will he or won't he retire.  I mean seriously, Brett, just shit or get off the pot already.  Apparently though the annual drama is too much for another drama queen out there.  I saw on USA Today that Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson sent a tweet to teammate Terrell Owens that read "@terrellowens How come Favre isn't a attention whore but we get hell for having fun but he makes a spectacle about coming back its cool?"

Well, Chad, I don't particularly care for the whole Favre spectacle, and I definitely don't care for your antics either.  Maybe I am just too old school.  I would just like all of you to just shut up and play ball.

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Tiger & the Porn Star-Part 2

Image by Jimi Photog via Flickr

Back in February, when Tiger Woods finally made a public statement of apology after the news of all of his marital infidelities came out, there was one person who made a big to do about the fact that Tiger did not apologize to her or the other women that Tiger fooled around with.  That person was porn star Joslyn James.

After Tiger's press conference, Joslyn held her own press conference to air her grievances (I guess she couldn't wait until Festivus for the Airing of the Grievances.)  Among her complaints was that she had given up her porn career for Tiger because he asked her to.  I remember thinking as I watched the press conference video, that she still looked like she could perform in her previous line of work.  I didn't put those thoughts in my post at that time, because I thought it might sound a little crass.

In the time since that initial press conference, Ms. James just doesn't seem to want to go away.  Tiger never did apologize publicly to her or the other adulteresses.  As the old saying goes, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  So it is with Joslyn James.  First she released several sexually explicit text messages she received from Tiger.  Then she went on a tour as a featured dancer at strip clubs across the country.

Somehow, I always knew that James would end up on her feet, or should I say her back.  James continues to try to cash in on her notoriety as one of Tiger's playthings.  Earlier this month, Vivid released a new movie starring James.  Of course it is a porno spoof with the title "The 11th Hole."  Each scene is based on the text messages that James received from Tiger, and the title is a play on her being Wood's 11th mistress.

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A Few New Baysox Pictures

It has been a while since I have posted any of my Baysox photos, so here are a few from the last couple games that we have been able to attend.

A New World Record

Image via Wikipedia

Well, the Tiger Woods/Elin Nordegren saga appears to be over, or at least getting closer to the end.  It is being reported that the couple has reached a divorce settlement after Tiger's multiple affairs.  Nordegren will reportedly walk away with $750 million and custody of the two kids, and Tiger will again be able to swing his club wherever he chooses to.

The settlement will set a new record in terms of celebrity divorce settlements.  As part of the agreement, Tiger will not be able to bring any new lady friends in contact with the kids unless he ends up marrying them.  For her part, Nordegren will not be allowed to make any public comments about his alleged affairs as he tries to rebuild his image.

Though as I type this, there have been new reports that she will not get as much as originally reported.  No matter, she deserves every penny she gets from him for the way he publicly humiliated her.  I guess this shows there is truth in the old saying, "it's cheaper to keep her."  If Tiger ever marries again, let's hope he has learned his lesson.

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Manute Bol 1962-2010 RIP

Image by RoninKengo via Flickr

Former NBA player Manute Bol passed away yesterday at the age of 47 from acute kidney failure and a painful skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

Bol was drafted in the second round of the 1985 draft by the Washington Bullets, so I was able to watch the start of his NBA career.  At the time, he was the tallest player ever to play in the NBA at 7'7".  Bol was an incredibly thin player with long, slender limbs.  He lacked a lot of the bulk and strength needed to be an everyday player in the NBA.  Despite his frail frame, he managed to play 10 season in the league.  As I heard someone say one time, "You can't teach height."

The one part of his game that Bol that made him stand head and shoulders above others was his incredible shot blocking ability.  In his rookie year, he managed to play in 80 games and averaged 5 blocks per game, still a rookie record.  Despite only averaging 18 minutes a game during his career, he still is second all time in blocks per game, and first by a large margin in blocks per 48 minutes played.  He also shares records in most blocks in a half and in a quarter.  He is the only player to finish his career with more blocked shots than points.

Bol was always a bit of an oddity throughout his career in the NBA.  In his third season in the league, the Bullets drafted 5'3" guard Tyrone Bogues pairing the league's tallest player ever with the league's shortest player ever.  After his career, he was not above doing a variety of things as a publicity stunt, but there were reasons behind that.  Throughout his career and after his career, Bol was a huge philanthropist.  He sent millions back to his native Sudan to try to improve conditions in his homeland.  After his career, he participated in events like Celebrity Boxing when he fought against William "the Refrigerator" Perry.  All so he could continue his charitable works.

At the start of his NBA career, the Bullets played at the old Capital Center in Landover, MD.  It was not unusual for players for the Bullets or the Washington Caps to live in or near Bowie, MD.  As it turns out, Bol lived for a while in the same townhouse complex as my younger brother here in Bowie.  Consequently, I have a couple second hand stories about Manute in and around the Bowie area.

One day, my brother was shooting baskets with three other guys, when Manute walks on to the court and asks to play.  My brother was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, and since Bol played his college ball in New England, he and my brother were teammates against the other three guys.  Bol mostly passed the ball to my brother, and rarely took a shot.  When he did, it was a long range shot.  He actually had a decent outside shot and one year with Golden State made 20 three point shots. 

Another story involved a friend of mine.  He was in the drive through at the bank when he looked over at the SUV next to him.  He did not see a driver in the vehicle and was somewhat shocked.  As the SUV pulled away, he saw Manute sitting in what would normally be the back seat of the car.  He had to have the front seat removed so that he could drive it.  Quite a sight I am sure.

The world was a better place because of Manute Bol.  Not because of his basketball playing, but because of his basketball career he was able to help so many others.  Manute, you died too young.  May you rest in peace.

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The Future Looks Bright

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The future is definitely looking brighter here in the DC area.  No, I am not talking about Barack Obama and his policies.  That looks as bleak as ever.  Instead, I am talking about the debut of Stephen Strasburg as the ace of the Washington Nationals pitching staff.

Tuesday night was the night that Nationals fans have been waiting all year to see.  Stephen Strasburg was the first player selected in the 2009 baseball draft.  In spring training, he was arguably their best pitcher, but started the season in the minor leagues at the AA level.

Strasburg pitched five games at the AA level before being promoted to AAA.  In AAA, he pitched six games before being called up to the Nats.  In eleven minor league starts, Strasburg went 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA with 65 strike outs.  He dominated.

To say the least, his debut was impressive.  OK, that could be an understatement.  He was tremendous.  In seven innings, Strasburg struck out 14 batters, a franchise record.  At one point, he registered 101 mph on the radar gun on one of his strikeouts.  He made one mistake, giving up a two run home run and left with a 4-2 lead.

The bullpen did it's job, shutting out the Pirates for the final two innings.  His teammates added another run in the eighth inning.  So the Stephen Strasburg era in Washington DC is off to a rousing start with a 5-2 win in his major league debut.  Yes, things are looking good in Washington.

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Washington Nationals Home Opener

There were two things that I learned from the Washington Nationals home opener yesterday.  First; with the Nationals losing 11-1 the season is off to a rousing start.  Their poor spring training has flowed right into the start of the regular season.  Sure it is a long season, but a blowout to start the season isn't encouraging.

The second thing that I learned, as you can see in the ceremonial first pitch below, is that Barack Obama hasn't been working on his arm during his time in office.


Compare that with his pitch in the 2009 All Star Game.


And just for old time sake, here is an example of what a ceremonial first pitch should look like.

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Riding With The King

When I was a kid, my favorite race car driver was Richard Petty, mainly because we have the same first name.  Besides being my favorite NASCAR driver he is also the greatest and well earned the nickname "The King."  During his career, Petty won the NASCAR championship seven times, the Daytona 500 seven times, and 200 career races, all NASCAR records.   Last week, NASCAR announced their inaugural inductions into their newly formed hall of fame.  In pretty much a no brainer, Petty was among the inductees.

While these trade shows that I attend are a lot of work, and a lot of walking, they aren't all work.  Yesterday, I went by the Hunt Brothers Pizza booth who sponsor one of the cars that Petty owns.  The King was there signing autographs.  I was honored to have a few moments to talk with and shake hands with the greatest driver NASCAR has ever seen.  Not only is he a great driver, he is truly a gentleman as well.  Here I am below with Richard Petty.

 

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Michael Vick

Image via Wikipedia

I am not a Michael Vick fan. I am a dog fan, but Vick's conviction and two years in prison for operating a dog fighting ring is not the reason I am not a Vick fan. Arguably, when Vick was playing in the NFL, he was the most exciting player on the field. However, I just don't think he is a very good quarterback.

If you take a look at his career statistics, especially at the complicated quarterback rating, his career rating is 75.7. That is also the rating he had in his last season in 2006. That would have placed him 28th in the NFL last season. His career best single season rating in 2002 was 81.6 which would still have made him only the 21st ranked quarterback last season. So if you put any stock in the quarterback rating, Vick would be a below average quarterback.

The part of Vick's game that made him the most exciting player in the league was his running ability. Vick was faster than a lot of running backs in the league. He was always a threat to break off a long gain running with the ball. In fact, in 2006, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1000 yards in a single season. He has a cannon for an arm, but he was never very accurate. His best season of completion percentage would have made him the 29th most accurate quarterback last season.

Yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated Vick to the NFL. If any team were to sign Vick, he would immediately be allowed to practice with the team. In the preseason, he would only be allowed to participate in the last two preseason games. As far as full reinstatement and regular season game play, Goodell said he would consider full reinstatement by week 6 of the regular season.

Any team that decides to take the plunge and sign Vick will immediately draw the protests of PETA and other animal rights groups. Vick will face taunting in every stadium in which he plays. I can hear the fans barking every time he steps on the field. One has to wonder if Vick would have the temperment to face that consistent barrage of taunting. In one home game, the fans booed Vick's performance and he countered by giving them a double flip off.

In my opinion, Vick probably deserves another chance to play. Personally, I would not want him on my favorite team. It has been two full season since he last played a down in the NFL. No doubt, he will have a lot of rust to shake off. Since he was never very accurate to begin with, I would expect him to be more so when he plays again. I would not expect him to have much of an impact this season, but maybe next year.

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Steve McNair 1973-2009

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I was supposed to work my part time job of delivering pizzas this evening. I had a feeling it would not be a very busy night. After all, how many people have pizza on July 4th. Especially when it is a sunny day with temperatures in the 80's. So it was no surprise when I walked into work and was told that they did not think they would need me and that I could go home if I wanted to.

So I walked back to the car to head home in a pretty good mood. It is always more pleasurable to be at home with the family than to be working. My good mood was tempered when I heard the news that former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead in his apartment. McNair and a woman had been shot to death in a double homicide.

McNair played his college football at Alcorn State University where he earned the nickname "Air" McNair for his proficiency in executing the passing game. During his college career, McNair finished with over 16000 yards passing and averaged 400 yards passing per game. In his senior year, his combined rushing and passing yardage was nearly 6000 yards. He won the Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding offensive college football player and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

McNair's success at Alcorn State led to him being the third player selected in the 1995 NFL Draft by the then Houston Oilers. The Oilers later moved to Tennessee and became the Tennessee Titans. McNair led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance. He finished his career in 2007 after two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Among his accomplishments in the NFL was being named co-MVP of the league in 2003 and three Pro Bowl appearances.

McNair had begun to move on in his life after football having opened his first restaurant, Steve McNair's Gridiron9. The restaurant opened just two weeks ago on June 19 and was talking about opening more. Sadly, McNair's life is cut short at the young age of 36 years old. Let's hope that the police in Tennessee will quickly find the murderer.

UPDATE: It is now being reported that McNair was the victim of a murder/suicide. The woman also found dead in the apartment was 20 year old Sahel Kazemi. McNair was shot several times, and Kazemi died from a single gun shot to the head. A gun was found at the scene.

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Cowboys Practice Dome Collapses

I hate the Dallas Cowboys. Whenever I have played fantasy football, this hatred of the dreaded Cowboys has led me to keep any Cowboy off of my roster. The reason is simple. I just can't see myself rooting for any member of the Cowboys to do well.

However, as much as I hate the Cowboys, I would never want to see anybody get seriously injured. So I take no pleasure in the near catastrophe that took place yesterday when their practice dome collapsed during heavy winds.

About a dozen people were injured when the dome collapsed. The most serious being special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered a broken back. Thankfully, none of the injuries sustained were life threatening.

UPDATE: It has since been reported that a scouting assistant Rich Behm has suffered permanent paralysis below the waist as a result of the incident. Best wishes to him and his family.

A Day at the Track

Horse racing used to be a thriving enterprise here in Maryland. Thoroughbred racing used to take place 6-7 days per week and rotated between 3 different tracks. Now, there are only two active tracks, Laurel and Pimlico, and they only run 4 days per week. I have been off of work all week on vacation during my son's spring break. Today, I spent a couple hours at the Laurel track for the purpose of taking a few pictures.

My First Ebay Venture

During the course of my life, I have had a number of hobbies.  One of my favorites over the years has been collecting sports memorabilia.  I have built up a fairly large collection of autographed photographs, balls, and other items.  All told, I probably have close to 100 pieces.

I had hoped that when I had a son that he would share my love of sports and of memorabilia.  He does love the sports, but the idea of collecting autographs is more or less lost on him.  Plus, with his autism, he has a difficult time with treating items with care.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to burn new copies of CDs for him because he has broken other copies.

I have reached a point in my life where "things" mean very little to me.  All I really want to do is read some books, listen to tunes, and provide for my family.  The last time that I had some spare cash that I could have splurged on something for myself, I ended up buying something for my son. 

So taking all of this into consideration, along with the fact that money is just plain tight, I have decided to jump into the wonderful world of ebay and part with my collection.  I am going to go at this slowly to see how things go.  Tonight I put my first item up for auction, a set of Country Time Lemonade autographed Brooks Robinson baseball cards.  If all goes well, I will add more items to the auction block.

Some Baysox Photography

I know that baseball has been over for a while now, but I just wanted to post a few photos I took during the last two seasons at Bowie Baysox games. One of the things I love about minor league baseball is that there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

Adam Loewen pitching.

Oscar Salazar makes contact.

Chorye Spoone delivers a pitch.

Nolan Reimold connects for a homer.

Mike Singletary

As a Hall of Fame NFL player, Mike Singletary was an intense, hardhitting linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Whenever the cameras would zoom in close to Singletary's face during the game, you could see the intensity in his eyes. The man was a dominating force on defense for Chicago.

On October 20th, Singletary was named interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers after the firing of head coach Mike Nolan. In his first game as a head coach in the NFL, Singletary showed that he is just as intense as a coach.

During the game, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Singletary pulled Davis from the game and sent him to the locker room, benching him for the remainder of the game. Here are a couple of quotes that I particularly liked from Singletary:

"I told him that he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower
and coming back and watching the game than going out on the field. Simple as
that."

"It was something that I told everybody at the very beginning of the week. I will not tolerate players that think it's about them when it's about the team, and we cannot make - we cannot make decisions that cost the team and then come off to the sideline and it's nonchalant. No."

I love Singletary's attitude. If there were more coaches in the NFL that would demand the type of discipline and commitment from their players, the league would be better off. I hope that Singletary does a good job in San Francisco. If they don't improve, it won't be because of Singletary.

Joe Torre and the Yankees

I have always hated the NY Yankees. When my Washington Senators left town, I eventually adopted the Baltimore Orioles as my favorite team. That is until the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals.

While I have always hated the Yankees, I have always respected Joe Torre and his demeanor while in NY. Joe always exhibited a lot of class. In 1996, his first year as manager of the Yankees, Torre led the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series title in 15 years. They missed making the World Series the next year, but then picked up three straight titles.

During the remainder of his 12 year career, Torre and the Yanks wouldn't win another World Series. They would make the Series in 2001 and 2003, but ended up losing. In the last four years of Torre's tenure with NY, they would make the playoffs each year, but fall short of making the World Series. With each elimnination in the playoffs, the speculation began on whether or not he would be fired. Finally, after the end of the 2007 season, the Yanks offered Torre a contract with a paycut with incentives and bonus incentives for each post season series the team won. Torre turned it down.

That is why I take pleasure in the fate of the Yankees in 2008. Torre moved on to manage the LA Dodgers, and Joe Girardi took the helm in NY. During all 12 of Torre's seasons as manager, the Yanks made the post season every year. This year, they failed to make the postseason. Meanwhile, out on the left coast, Torre and his Dodgers have won the first three games of their playoff series against the Chicago Cubs. Nothing against Joe Girardi, but it serves NY right for getting rid of a class act who did nothing but get the most out of his team, and did it with class.

Fan Reaction and Tom Brady

I was driving to work this morning and listening to Mike & Mike in the Morning on my local ESPNRadio station, and they were talking about fan reaction to Tom Brady's injury. Now I understand that if you are loyal to a particular NFL team, and that team isn't the Patriots, then there is a pretty good chance that you hate the Pats. Especially if your favorite team is in the same division, or if your team was one of teams humiliated by them last year (as my Redskins were.)

It makes me wonder even more about the state of our society when I hear about the various fan reactions. When Brady's injury was shown on the jumbotron at the Dolphins/Jets games, fans cheered. At Fanhouse, there were several messages posted from Jets fans about how they cheered at the news of Brady's injury. A Pittsburgh Steeler fan site has started the "Bernard Pollard Fan Club" and is selling t-shirts commemorating the date of Pollard's hit on Brady.

I can understand if your reaction was, "Well this helps my team's chances this season." I don't understand the logic in cheering somebody's injury, and a season ending one at that. I mean it is football for crying out loud. It is supposed to be entertainment. It isn't supposed to so important that is skews our sense of right and wrong.