Aerials Deflated

If you're a regular reader of the blog, then you probably know I am watching things other than US PGA Golf this week and I probably won't be watching European Tour golf next week (definitely avoiding the golf channel). Well, one of those other things I'm watching is Aerials - skiing. Yes, I hate snow and I'm watching skiing. But anyway, I saw something I don't normally see when I watch this event during the Winter Olympics. I saw a skier fall flat on his belly and face. He flew off the big ramp, high up into the air, and plop! he slammed to the ground. The guy got up and walked off the landing zone so he appeared to be okay. It was neat. I like watching this event. Cross Country skiing, though, is very boring. Later tonight is the US Figure Skating Championships - the men's competition. And in case you were tuning in here for an update on the Australian Open (as I posted quite a bit about that earlier), Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova are the big winners.

Qatar Masters Final Round

Adam Scott shot a final round 61 to win today at -20. Sergio was -10 on the weekend and moved up into the top ten. Adam had his chances for a 59. I'm sure golf fans found a more exciting round of golf to watch here than in California at that other tournament.

Pretty Dresses for Pretty Girls

Winnie and PJ now have pretty party dresses to wear for their birthday party in March. I made these today. They are such pretty girls, but then with honorary daddies like Sergio and Jose Maria, they can't be anything but pretty.

Qatar Masters Round 3

Here are some observations from the leaderboard:

Johan Edfors in leading at -12 - he had some pretty impressive shots today.
Rory McIlroy -8
David Howell -7
Luke Donald and Lee Westwood -6
Sergio Garcia and Jose Manuel Lara -5
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Carlos Rodiles -2

Adam Scott and Andrew Coltart both shot the low round of the day - 65

Qatar Masters and Other Notes

I think I saw that Sergio was 3 under in the first round but 3 over in the second. I didn't see any of the golf and only briefly scanned the leaderboard in the mornings before leaving for work so I'm short on golf notes.

Tennis notes, however, I'm full of because between ESPN and the Tennis Channel, I've seen the same matches three and four times each. The women's Australian Open final is Maria Sharapova vs Ana Ivanovic. I'm hoping Ivanovic wins. I like her. Not that I don't like Sharapova, but she's won majors before. Ana just made it to #2 in the world with the Australian Open. As for the men, it's Novak Djokovic vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. I'm hoping Djokovic wins. While he's got this crazed and scary look in his eye sometimes, he didn't knock Nadal out of the Open and he didn't express an egotistical attitude during his press conference. I read that Tsonga actually said that if he's playing well, it will be hard for anyone to beat him. I mean really, no one likes a braggart. Plus, he's French. And we know how the French are with sports - just look at the many, many accusations they throw around during the Tour de France. During Federer's press conference after he lost to Djokovic, Federer said he had created a monster by being so successful - everyone expects him to win every match and when he doesn't, it's big news. I know how he feels. Everyone at work expects me to be perfect and great because I happen to try to do my job well. Apparently, doing your job well is rare in government work. The talk this week has been about Federer possibly breaking Sampras's record of 14 majors by winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He would have to win 3 majors to break the record. I feel bad for Federer that no one is giving him a chance at the French Open. Sure, Nadal has won it for three straight years, but Federer is the #1 player in the world. And it's sad that no one's giving him a chance there. In order for him to set the new record of major championship wins this year, he will have to win the French since the Australian Open is out.

This weekend I hope to watch some of the Qatar Masters. It would be nice to see some golf while I'm busy boycotting Tiger Week Part 1.

Qatar Masters

Well, Sergio's playing. Jose Maria isn't. I really hope Jose Maria is ok and is fit to play. It worries me that he's been out this long with injuries. He was supposed to play this week but I read that he postponed his return until next week.

As for me, I'm watching tennis this week, with a little bit of American Idol thrown in. I might manage to see some of the Qatar Masters on the weekend, but it depends on who's playing the weekend at the Australian Open.

Tennis: The Other Sport

I haven't been watching much golf this week. I saw a little bit of the women's world cup, a little bit of Abu Dhabi, and a little bit of the Hope today, but mostly I've been watching the Australian Open tennis tournament. Today seemed like Roger Federer Week as they aired his 5 set match at least three times on two different networks. But this wasn't just because he's Roger Federer (You know, like the golf media treats Tiger). This was because the match was exceedingly good and because it's very rare that he's taken to 5 sets. I would like to give the networks the benefit of the doubt and say they aired the same match because there was a weather delay, but there are two courts with roofs there and I'm sure there was some tennis going on. Oh well, at least it wasn't a Williams Sister match shown three times. You'd expect that of the American media.

Another Insult

Have you ever noticed that lately when the women play on the Big Break, they are in Hawaii in bikinis? The men, of course, aren't in swimming trunks when they get their turn at the Big Break.

The Tiger comment, women exploited as sex objects - I'm beginning to think that there is just a problem in the Golf Channel workplace culture that needs to be examined.

Another Entry For the "Puke File"

Last night on the Post Game Show on the Golf Channel, Tim Rosaforte reported that the Barclay's tournament may move to a course in New Jersey. Rosaforte ended his report by saying something about not knowing if Tiger Woods would like the course. Is the Golf Channel now suggesting that Tim Finchem had better pick courses that Tiger likes? That somehow Tiger has some power of this part of the PGA Tour's operations?

It's utterly absurd (I feel like I'm repeating myself) that the Golf Channel or anyone should happen to suggest that the PGA Tour needs to be ran in a manner that would flatter, indulge, or otherwise give an advantage toTiger over the rest of the field.

Questions I Would Like to Hear Asked on the Golf Channel

To:

Rory Sabbatini: Why did you choose Adams equipment? (I personally hope it had something to do with watching Bernhard Langer almost win that tournament last year.)

Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker: What kind of activity do you do in the winter to keep your game sharp?

Alejandro Canizares: How much do you plan to play in Europe this year?

Kenneth Ferrie: See Alejandro's question.

JB Holmes: With the Ryder Cup being played in your home state this year, what specifically do you need to do to make sure your game is good enough to make the team?

Kenny Perry: See JB's question.

New Spotlight

With the first full field event on the PGA Tour, I've decided it's time to update the Spotlight On section in the sidebar. Last year, I had Will MacKenzie and JB Holmes on there. Today, I've put Alejandro Canizares on there. Winner on the European Tour and rookie on the PGA Tour, it should be an exciting year for Canizares. And he's from Spain :)

From The "I'm Gonna Puke" File

The golf channel is advertising "Two Weeks of Tiger". Apparently they are going to celebrate the fact that Tiger is reporting to work. Gee, does anyone else get a celebration when they go to work? Other than Mickey Mouse, who gets a parade every day, I think not.

First they had Tiger Week because Tiger was born some odd years ago - which I think was a bigger job for Tiger's mother than for Tiger. Now they are having two Tiger Weeks because he's doing his job. I have absolutely had it with all of this blatant pandering. These people who run the Golf Channel and work for the Golf Channel are not journalists and do not present responsible, balanced golf coverage. In order for golf to survive and grow in the coming decades, it will have to become bigger than any one person, and unfortunately, all of this obsession with Woods is only serving to kill the sport, one tv special at a time.

Round 1 Sony Open

Well, it's been a half an hour and I haven't heard them mention Tiger Woods once. Kelly Tilghman needs to stick her feet in her mouth more often if it keeps the Golf Channel from sucking up to Tiger.

And it seems that Nick Faldo is very happy and relaxed this week. He has a sparkle in his eye and he's actually speaking in coherent sentences and not stumbling over words and trailing off.

One thing about it, Rich Lerner can talk golf a lot better than Kelly Tilghman. I hate saying that because I don't really like Rich Lerner, but when you watch him call the golf action, you really get a sense that he is a walking encyclopedia who doesn't need notes.

On to the golf: Tadd Fujikawa is at +4 after the first round. He really needs a good round tomorrow to have a chance at making the cut. Rory Sabbatini is breaking in his new clubs in good fashion, he's at -4.

Unfortunately I won't get to watch much of this because I'm going to watch the National Body Challenge on Discovery Health at 8pm eastern. I'm working on losing some weight so I'm into all the weightloss stuff right now.

At Least His Personal Life is on Track

I was perusing the news stories listed on www.fark.com and found this story: Tennis star Venus Williams has apparently become engaged to her boyfriend, Hank Kuehne. That's right, pro golfer Hank Kuehne is apparently now known as Venus' boyfriend, and husband to be. Congratulations to the couple, but I have to say it's a bit sad that the only billing Hank received in this story is that he's her boyfriend. Hopefully in the future, if it's what he wants, he will again be known for a career and a life of his own, independent of their relationship.

On a different note - what is it with tennis players and golfers? Chris Evert and Greg Norman, Venus Williams and Hank Kuehne. I'm leaving Sergio out on purpose. You'd think they wouldn't get along considering the opinion of some tennis players that golf isn't a sport. Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever heard of a relationship between a male tennis player and female golfer.

I guess I need to take up tennis.

The Most Dominant Athlete Ever

No, not Tiger Woods. Try Esther Vergeer. I was watching the Tennis Channel this morning when I saw a feature on this woman from the Netherlands. She has not lost a singles match since 2003 and is on a 286 singles match win streak (as of November 2007 according to Wikipedia). She has been ranked #1 since 1999. And she has won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles in 2000 and in 2004.

So, why haven't you heard of her? Probably because she is a wheelchair tennis player and they don't get a whole lot of media coverage.

So, the next time the Golf Channel sings the praises of a man who plays all of 15 weeks a year, take a minute to look up Esther Vergeer on the web and read what she's been doing. Click on the link above to see what Wikipedia has on her.

Did She Really Have That Breed of Dog?

The new Precept commercial with Nick Price and Paula Creamer - Did she really have a dog like that when she was little? It looks like either a Papillon or a Chihuahua. Hopefully I will find some interview or something on the web that will answer my question.

"I'm Lazy"

That's a quote from Boo Weekley during his after round interview with Rich Lerner and Nick Faldo. It's a good thing Boo's already married. While women do appreciate honesty, they also want a worker.

Round 1 of the Mercedes-Benz Championship

Initial comments:

It took them 10 minutes to show golf today when the golf channel began their coverage. Blah, blah, blah - they just talk and talk on there - as if they think they are reason we watch instead of the golfers. Their opening sequence I think showed the babies of some of the players. This was while they played the Pat Green song. I don't know what the babies have to do with grown men playing golf. I mean if it was the LPGA tour, I could understand. Those players have to actually stop playing the tour for a bit when their babies are born (gee, can you tell I'm an accountant by trade). I saw some blonde haired woman with a baby and thought "Was that Tiger's wife and kid? Can't they stop trying to make money off of him for even one second?" I don't know if it was his wife and baby, but if it was, it was in poor taste and Tiger should look into trademarking his baby's likeness to keep people from making money off of her. All babies should be left out of the media. They can't give their consent, they can't sign contracts, and they can't even apply for work permits and pay taxes.

How much sucking up to an Absent Tiger Woods can the golf channel do? They just had to delve into the Rory Sabbatini - Target World Challenge controversy. I happen to think there is no controversy and much less of a story. Rory is that kind of guy who's going to do things to tick people off. And his favorite person right now to tick off is the ultra-favored Tiger Woods. So what. It would have been a story if Tiger had demonstrated some uncharacteristic response, but he didn't. He downplayed it so I think the media should do the same and move on. In any event, it's a personal issue and doesn't really have anything to do with this week's tournament. Rich Lerner is the biggest Tiger suck up so far this year with his 'writing the sentence on the chalkboard' editorial he did. As for Nike 'dropping' Rory - another blah, blah, blah moment for me. The announcers alluded to some 'conspiracy' that Tiger had Rory axed, but it's a more likely conspiracy theory that Nike is yet another big suck up to Tiger and proactively dismissed Rory because they thought it would keep their #1 Cash Cow happy. Faldo, for what it's worth, said that there were rumors circulating for a while that Nike was going to let Rory go, so I doubt that the Target World Challege had much to do with it. Don't really care. There are much better stories to follow.

Billy Andrade is doing some commentary for the golf channel this week. Sure, they just had to hide his cute smile and cute face behind the microphone.

As for the golf itself - it's hard for me to get interested in the first round when everyone is all bunched up together on the leaderboard. I don't know who to cheer for yet. I do hope Steve Stricker does really well. He wasn't doing so well when the golf channel's coverage began at 6pm eastern. Angel Cabrera is playing this week, as is Daniel Chopra, Mike Weir and many other winners on the PGA Tour last year. For all of the whining that Tiger and Phil never play the event, there are two of last year's Major Championship winners in the field - Cabrera and Zach Johnson. And you can't really fault Padraig Harrington for not playing - I'm sure it's a long trip from his home to Hawaii just to play one event. I don't think his year on the US Tour is starting for a few weeks yet. And how about some other players in the field this week: George McNeill and Mark Calcavecchia. And Jonathan Byrd. No one is talking about Jonathan Byrd so I'm going to mention him now. All the players in the field this week should be featured at least for a few minutes by the golf channel.

I'm not going into the Boo Weekley ammo story. You all can find that on the web if you want to read about it. My thoughts right now aren't that nice and I'm going to keep my fingers idle on that one.

And as for Hawaii in the middle of winter - well, we've had some snow this week and the temperatures at night have been really cold so it's nice to see the lush, green course and sparkling blue water. It wasn't so nice to see the nasty rain that half of the course is experiencing, but rain means warm temperatures so rain isn't so bad.

The Golf Channel has a new tech gadget thing - it lists a player's club head speed and a bunch of other stats in the corner of the screen. Not too exciting for me, but I'm sure players will like that. They also have a doppler radar thing where they show the flight of the golf ball - that's interesting. They still have aimpoint, but I don't know if they are calling it aimpoint.

Right now Scott Verplank is discussing some ruling about his ball moving at address. They were talking about addressing the ball and I couldn't help but think of the Honeymooners' sketch where the one guy tells the other one to address the ball, and the other guy says "Hello, Ball." Oh no. They've decided to play two balls to carry on the round while the issue is still in debate. I don't like that 'play two balls' idea. That just sounds like it would lead to even more rulings and trouble. I think I'm going to flip through some channels or go do something for a bit to get away from this little drama.

Golf Magazine - feb 2008 issue

I just got the new issue in the mail today. There's an interview with Justin Rose, a small interview with Natalie Gulbis, a feature article by David Feherty - this article spotlights his trip with the USO to Iraq. And of course, Feherty's Side Spin column is also there.

First of the Year

Well, it's that time again to start watching golf. The first tournament of the year on the PGA Tour schedule starts this Thursday in Hawaii - The Mercedes-Benz Championship. I took a look at the field listed on the PGA Tour website and I have a sneaky suspicion that the list is for last year's tournament - they have JB Holmes, Will MacKenzie, Kirk Triplett, Jeff Maggert and others listed and I don't think they won in 2007. So, it appears that some people just aren't ready for the new year to begin.

Anyway, if you are tired of winter wherever you are, you can tune into the Golf Channel on Thursday night and experience winter in Hawaii.