Forgive me readers (not that I have any) for I have not written since many important sporting events have occurred.
I must congratulate my favorite team for winning the NBA finals. I can't help but gloat a bit, even if I think it would be good for the NBA to have a talented LeBron leading a talented Cleveland team to a classy win. Seriously, we don't worry about the media share with any other sport as much as we do the NBA finals.
The Spurs bored us because none of them are bad boys or cocky. Heck, Tony Parker's fiance couldn't even get us to pay attention. There's a problem with that if you're a sports fan.
Oh, what are we to do about the NHL? NBC tried and not even I, someone who knows what the crease is (and have screamed at the television about the player preceding the puck) couldn't keep watching it for all that long. But, so I mention it, congratulations Anaheim Ducks. I don't know why, but unless my Blues are playing, I can't watch hockey on television. And as many people know, the Blues were and are the biggest disappointment in my 'fan girl' world.
Every year, around this time, I prattle on about my favorite Hockey Trophy, and that is the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, earned for the second year in a row by Pavel Datsyuk. And I prattled, just last year, in my other blog, just a bit about Sidney Crosby and the fact that the world is missing one of the greatest hockey players, ever. What the heck? We call Gretsky "The Great One" and this kid is doing exactly what Gretsky did. I'm almost rooting for him to play on the Canadian team in the next Olympics so that maybe, just maybe he can win the Stanley Cup, all of the other awards and the Gold Medal in the same year. That would be pretty cool.
Roger Federer, why the heck can't you take a year off and play clay only for that year with the goal of the career Grand Slam? It's the only chink in your 'greatest tennis player ever' armour. On the bright side, it brings about a rivalry for those of us who are tennis fans that is pretty cool to watch. Congrats Rafael Nadal on yet another (where's your greatness ribbon?) French Open.
And who among us doesn't like seeing the prize fighter win in the dirt?
Having been at the Player's Championship for our honeymoon, I can speak from personal experience... Tiger's so big, much bigger than the game. It is a good thing he's in the final group at a major, otherwise, non-serious golf fans wouldn't watch. My hubby and I, we would watch even if Tiger wasn't there. You may not know this, but I like a lot of the new young players and just want them to do well. Strangely though, Zach Johnson wasn't one of those that I knew about all that much before the Masters.
To get back to the point: I watched the US Open start to finish, sometimes sneaking into the boss' office at work, he does have the only television in the whole building. Still makes me wonder what happened on the 'big news' days. Did no one find out? Nonetheless, it proved to be quite exciting and fun to watch from start to end. I knew Tiger wasn't going to make that last putt. In my own mind, I couldn't compare what Tiger's impending fatherhood to anything I have been through, but I know I played some of the worst tennis of my life just before our wedding. Sure Tiger's got a lot more skill and ability than I do (at his sport, according to his buddy Roger, he isn't that good of a tennis player, or so I have read), but for a man who's usually such a clutch putter.... what the heck caused him to miss so many putts? I think that was a lack of concentration. And I think that was because his baby girl was due in less than a month.
Oh, and if you didn't know, apparently Sam Alexis was born June 18, 2007. And I congratulate the new Dad.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Enough About Sports
Not Really, but...
I'm sure that someone might be curious. Someone, anyone, the air out there, someone might be curious. So, I thought I would tell. If you aren't curious, there will be a blog entry after this and there are a few before this.
Yes, I love many things besides sports. I'm a gardening nut. This year, due to financial issues completely unforeseen, I don't have much to spend on the yard, so the new and exciting, the stuff I would love to buy, I definitely can't. I quibbled just the other day about buying two books I was looking forward to reading.
I don't normally quibble about such things. So, gardening this year is simply weeding, cutting and plant tending. And most definitely enjoying what blooms. The roses endured a lot last year. They aren't quite content. My hostas (the great variety I have) are abundant and exuberant this year. And the phlox and the butterfly bushes are going quite crazy, something that has made my yard smell quite divine (especially since the honeysuckle quit blooming). It's rather restful and enjoyable.
My irises bloomed this year and I didn't even really notice. Damn the garden, full speed ahead for the wedding. They'll be around again next year, I just feel guilty.
I do, very much, enjoy my garden. It's been around since I came back to the United States in 2002. It's been one of the few constants in my life. My dear husband could not care any less about the garden. The only thing he cares about is that it makes me happy.
It, like sports, and reading, are the 'things' that make me happy. There... I've shared.
I'm sure that someone might be curious. Someone, anyone, the air out there, someone might be curious. So, I thought I would tell. If you aren't curious, there will be a blog entry after this and there are a few before this.
Yes, I love many things besides sports. I'm a gardening nut. This year, due to financial issues completely unforeseen, I don't have much to spend on the yard, so the new and exciting, the stuff I would love to buy, I definitely can't. I quibbled just the other day about buying two books I was looking forward to reading.
I don't normally quibble about such things. So, gardening this year is simply weeding, cutting and plant tending. And most definitely enjoying what blooms. The roses endured a lot last year. They aren't quite content. My hostas (the great variety I have) are abundant and exuberant this year. And the phlox and the butterfly bushes are going quite crazy, something that has made my yard smell quite divine (especially since the honeysuckle quit blooming). It's rather restful and enjoyable.
My irises bloomed this year and I didn't even really notice. Damn the garden, full speed ahead for the wedding. They'll be around again next year, I just feel guilty.
I do, very much, enjoy my garden. It's been around since I came back to the United States in 2002. It's been one of the few constants in my life. My dear husband could not care any less about the garden. The only thing he cares about is that it makes me happy.
It, like sports, and reading, are the 'things' that make me happy. There... I've shared.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Golf is Golf
I adore watching golf. I fear playing the sport. Strangely, I only play one sport: tennis. I watch and have an opinion on almost every sport, including tennis. But golf, golf is good.
About a month ago, I was on the way, with my husband, on our honeymoon, to The Players. And that has taught me more about golf than I had already known. A few years ago, I was in 'military protocol' and was, at least twice, somewhat in charge of a golf tournament. Years before that, I 'worked' at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I had a 'contact' in the golfing world due to an instructor I had in military tech school. Her husband was Grounds Keeper (or something of that ilk) for Pebble Beach. So, she got whoever wanted to work the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I had an incident the week prior with a famous person, someone who I will always admire, and I saw him play at the Pro-Am. It was exciting and fun.
And between the PB Pro-Am, the Golf Scrambles that I was 'in charge of' (there should be an asterisk, as I didn't even know what mulligan meant) and various other things, including a grandmother who thought Fuzzy was dreamy and that the Golden Bear was a god (she was right on one part), I have learned that golf is the perfect sport.
It's the great equalizer. No matter how great an athlete you are, golf is a game of patience and sometimes controlling and not reveling in your athleticism. Just ask MJ, the greatest basketball player ever. Just ask the recently humbled New England Patriots QB. And ask the duffers and people out there who just adore the sport, and play at it.
Golf is a sport that is unlike any other. Golf is a sport that no one is afraid to say that they play, if they own the clubs (or at least rent them) and yet no one will admit just how bad their handicap is....
But back to The Players, since I started there. The Players... the 17th. I've seen it now, and I swear, it looks smaller than it does on television. My husband and I spent the Final Sunday propped on the hill beside the 17th watching the golfers hit their dimpled spheres onto the island green. Strangely, few missed. And none missed more spectacularly than Sean Ohair. You should have felt the collective gasp and release when his first shot went into the water. You should have felt the audience sag when he missed the third shot (second shot taken, third because he had lost a stroke). Hubby and I were duly impressed by Phil that afternoon. He was such a gentleman. We had believed the hype and the back stories about Phil being rude. He wasn't. Maybe he has finally grown up.
And maybe it's just Butch.
But golf is golf, and on that final Sunday in Ponte Vedra, everyone knew what Sean Ohair felt. And that is, golf is golf. It's not conquerable, it's not beatable, it's just golf.
And that's why I am afraid to pick up the clubs, but I will do it soon.
About a month ago, I was on the way, with my husband, on our honeymoon, to The Players. And that has taught me more about golf than I had already known. A few years ago, I was in 'military protocol' and was, at least twice, somewhat in charge of a golf tournament. Years before that, I 'worked' at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I had a 'contact' in the golfing world due to an instructor I had in military tech school. Her husband was Grounds Keeper (or something of that ilk) for Pebble Beach. So, she got whoever wanted to work the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I had an incident the week prior with a famous person, someone who I will always admire, and I saw him play at the Pro-Am. It was exciting and fun.
And between the PB Pro-Am, the Golf Scrambles that I was 'in charge of' (there should be an asterisk, as I didn't even know what mulligan meant) and various other things, including a grandmother who thought Fuzzy was dreamy and that the Golden Bear was a god (she was right on one part), I have learned that golf is the perfect sport.
It's the great equalizer. No matter how great an athlete you are, golf is a game of patience and sometimes controlling and not reveling in your athleticism. Just ask MJ, the greatest basketball player ever. Just ask the recently humbled New England Patriots QB. And ask the duffers and people out there who just adore the sport, and play at it.
Golf is a sport that is unlike any other. Golf is a sport that no one is afraid to say that they play, if they own the clubs (or at least rent them) and yet no one will admit just how bad their handicap is....
But back to The Players, since I started there. The Players... the 17th. I've seen it now, and I swear, it looks smaller than it does on television. My husband and I spent the Final Sunday propped on the hill beside the 17th watching the golfers hit their dimpled spheres onto the island green. Strangely, few missed. And none missed more spectacularly than Sean Ohair. You should have felt the collective gasp and release when his first shot went into the water. You should have felt the audience sag when he missed the third shot (second shot taken, third because he had lost a stroke). Hubby and I were duly impressed by Phil that afternoon. He was such a gentleman. We had believed the hype and the back stories about Phil being rude. He wasn't. Maybe he has finally grown up.
And maybe it's just Butch.
But golf is golf, and on that final Sunday in Ponte Vedra, everyone knew what Sean Ohair felt. And that is, golf is golf. It's not conquerable, it's not beatable, it's just golf.
And that's why I am afraid to pick up the clubs, but I will do it soon.
Baseball (something) Like It Once Was
You've probably seen the field before. It was in "A League of Their Own" and still has the "Support Your Racine Belles" on the walls above the exits. The signage is vintage 1940's. It was built in 1915, three years post Fenway and one year post Wrigley. And it's a place that has hosted many players and many games. It's Bosse Field. Google it, you'll find the facts that have been ingrained in my mind for years.
The evening was warm, beautiful and clear. The Evansville Otters were playing the Southern Illinois Miners. And it was a wonderful game. We were all rooting for the Evansville Otters, all the while using modern technology (my cell phone) to keep up with the Cardinals game and the first game of the NBA championship. So maybe not like 'it once was', but the seats were slatted wood with backs, the stadium was full (over 7,000 fans) and we were all cheering for the Otters.
The game was a little slower that we were accustomed to. The music was, in my mind, unnecessary, but a part of modern baseball that is inevitable. Scott Rolen (who is from southern Indiana) will inevitably walk onto the field with strains of Metallica playing in the background.
But the hot dogs were good and the pop (soda or carbonated beverage) was cold. The beer was inexpensive and the fans were all happy.
And the Otters won the game, 7-2. The crack of the bat, the throw of the ball, all musical with the chatter of the crowd. It was, and will remain, one of my favorite games I've ever been to.
And besides, at one point in my life, Jim Leyland lived in Evansville and coached at Bosse Field.
It's a wonderful place to watch a game.
The evening was warm, beautiful and clear. The Evansville Otters were playing the Southern Illinois Miners. And it was a wonderful game. We were all rooting for the Evansville Otters, all the while using modern technology (my cell phone) to keep up with the Cardinals game and the first game of the NBA championship. So maybe not like 'it once was', but the seats were slatted wood with backs, the stadium was full (over 7,000 fans) and we were all cheering for the Otters.
The game was a little slower that we were accustomed to. The music was, in my mind, unnecessary, but a part of modern baseball that is inevitable. Scott Rolen (who is from southern Indiana) will inevitably walk onto the field with strains of Metallica playing in the background.
But the hot dogs were good and the pop (soda or carbonated beverage) was cold. The beer was inexpensive and the fans were all happy.
And the Otters won the game, 7-2. The crack of the bat, the throw of the ball, all musical with the chatter of the crowd. It was, and will remain, one of my favorite games I've ever been to.
And besides, at one point in my life, Jim Leyland lived in Evansville and coached at Bosse Field.
It's a wonderful place to watch a game.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Perfect Baseball?
Tonight, I am going with my family, in this case my husband and my parents, to a Frontier League baseball game. We are heading to a storied field that has been in movies (real ones, with famous people and all).
We got the tickets as part of a promotional event. The tickets, while normally eight dollars, were quite free. And this lead me to the thought of what is perfect baseball?
I live within hours of several baseball teams, some of them MLB, some of them various forms of MiLB, and of course, several Frontier League teams. And what is it about Chillicothe, Ohio and Florence, Kentucky that make them so good for baseball?
And why do people go to the games? It's not the free tickets, as I was saying to my parents the morning they stumbled across the promotional, "We should go to a game sometime..." It's close and it's only eight bucks.
Well, I'll make the determination tonight if it's perfect baseball... The weather is right, and we'll see.
We got the tickets as part of a promotional event. The tickets, while normally eight dollars, were quite free. And this lead me to the thought of what is perfect baseball?
I live within hours of several baseball teams, some of them MLB, some of them various forms of MiLB, and of course, several Frontier League teams. And what is it about Chillicothe, Ohio and Florence, Kentucky that make them so good for baseball?
And why do people go to the games? It's not the free tickets, as I was saying to my parents the morning they stumbled across the promotional, "We should go to a game sometime..." It's close and it's only eight bucks.
Well, I'll make the determination tonight if it's perfect baseball... The weather is right, and we'll see.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Er, Maybe I Meant Daniel Gibson...
Cleveland is a young team. When a 22-year-old phenom calls a 21-year-old "kid" then we all know that Cleveland is a young team. But it's a team with character, so far as I can see.
And I admire that.
I'll be rooting for my fundamental San Antonio Spurs, but if they lose to these young and wonderful Cleveland Cavaliers, I won't be kicking and screaming.
And now, maybe there won't be talk of trading LeBron. He belongs in Cleveland like Jordon belonged in Chicago, Magic belonged in LA and Larry belonged in Boston. Sometimes a wonderful team player is the one who leads his team by inspiration. LeBron inspired on Thursday, and Daniel Gibson won the game for the Cavaliers tonight!
Congratulations to the Eastern Conference Champions.
And I admire that.
I'll be rooting for my fundamental San Antonio Spurs, but if they lose to these young and wonderful Cleveland Cavaliers, I won't be kicking and screaming.
And now, maybe there won't be talk of trading LeBron. He belongs in Cleveland like Jordon belonged in Chicago, Magic belonged in LA and Larry belonged in Boston. Sometimes a wonderful team player is the one who leads his team by inspiration. LeBron inspired on Thursday, and Daniel Gibson won the game for the Cavaliers tonight!
Congratulations to the Eastern Conference Champions.
Why I Think the King Will Reign
Let me say clearly that I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan. I love the Spurs for the reasons that most hate them. I love the fundamental basketball. And I fell in love with the Spurs when I was living in San Angelo, Texas for four months (not during the basketball season) and met some of the Spurs organization. I fell in love with the Spurs when I was in basic training in the Air Force.
I love the Spurs.
But, if anyone knows anything about my love of sports, one of the things I always say is that if it's "good for the game", I'll usually be for it. Let me cite a non-NBA example.
If the Yankees are doing well, then everyone pays attention to baseball. I'm not a huge Yankees fan, and as a part of my standard protocol, I will say I don't like George Steinbrenner and what he's doing for his team. I don't like the Yankees. But, if they're doing well, people watch. People will still watch the Yankees-BoSox games because they're gluttons for punishment (and they live in the East), but the national pull isn't is great (is it? It isn't here in Don Mattingly country). Just trust me when I say that the Yankees being good is good for the game.
And I think a young 22-year-old is, so far, very good for the game in the NBA. My San Antonio Spurs aren't bad for the game, but their fundemental basketball doesn't play well on national television.
Taking over a game, playing it like it were your last, that's good for the game. We all know Jordan, Kobe, even Byrd or Walton, could and can do it. We've seen others do it. But LeBron James is different. He had the hype to end all hypes (thank our media crazed world for that), and he finally, for at least one game, lived up to it.
I wonder, and I feel that I can postulate, he will continue in this vein. I think that with the strong background, the good behavior and his downright ability, LeBron James will be one of the greats of the NBA.
And for the short-term, I bet more than one person will be watching tonight as Game 6 is played. And in that, I mean that LeBron is good for the ratings.
So, LeBron is good for the NBA.
And I seriously do believe that this isn't the first excellent game, and it won't be the last.
I love the Spurs.
But, if anyone knows anything about my love of sports, one of the things I always say is that if it's "good for the game", I'll usually be for it. Let me cite a non-NBA example.
If the Yankees are doing well, then everyone pays attention to baseball. I'm not a huge Yankees fan, and as a part of my standard protocol, I will say I don't like George Steinbrenner and what he's doing for his team. I don't like the Yankees. But, if they're doing well, people watch. People will still watch the Yankees-BoSox games because they're gluttons for punishment (and they live in the East), but the national pull isn't is great (is it? It isn't here in Don Mattingly country). Just trust me when I say that the Yankees being good is good for the game.
And I think a young 22-year-old is, so far, very good for the game in the NBA. My San Antonio Spurs aren't bad for the game, but their fundemental basketball doesn't play well on national television.
Taking over a game, playing it like it were your last, that's good for the game. We all know Jordan, Kobe, even Byrd or Walton, could and can do it. We've seen others do it. But LeBron James is different. He had the hype to end all hypes (thank our media crazed world for that), and he finally, for at least one game, lived up to it.
I wonder, and I feel that I can postulate, he will continue in this vein. I think that with the strong background, the good behavior and his downright ability, LeBron James will be one of the greats of the NBA.
And for the short-term, I bet more than one person will be watching tonight as Game 6 is played. And in that, I mean that LeBron is good for the ratings.
So, LeBron is good for the NBA.
And I seriously do believe that this isn't the first excellent game, and it won't be the last.
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