Romero wins in New Orleans

I might be partial since I played that damn Carnoustie golf course a couple of years ago, but Andres Romero performance in the last round of the British Open was one of the craziest, yet impressive, 18 holes you'll ever see.

The kid made a total of four pars in the last round of the Open, shooting a 67 to miss out on the playoff by a shot, a round that included ten birdies on what some would consider the hardest course in the world.

As you know, Romero won his first PGA Tour tournament at the age of 26 yesterday in New Orleans, beating out a field that all seemed to forget how to play pressure golf in the closing holes.

The most notable stumble came from Woody Austin, who trumped his Aquaman impression by doing the "near whiff" impression on the 72nd hole where he needed a birdie to tie Romero. Instead, Woody hit his third shot about 11 yards, and his fourth into the drink right of the green. Sadly, no rain gear was needed to hack that ball out the gunk. Austin's double-bogey on the last hole, from one of the most nervous guys on tour, lead to a great interview after the round from the always amusing Woody.

"I choked my guts out. I flat-out played like a dog the last nine holes. I'm not afraid to admit it."

The Shell Houston Open is all that stands in the way of us and the Masters, which I couldn't be more excited if I was in the field (lie).

Well That Sure Was a Good Idea

I know that bloggers in general tend to hate on ESPN, some of it warranted, some of it because there really isn't anyone else to make fun of (name a friend that watches Fox Sports, really).

With ESPN hosting the first two rounds of The Masters this year, a few people, me included, were worried the WWL would end up throwing up on the beautiful white dress that is Masters coverage.

It appears they have decided to go the other way, with a great decision to televise the par-3 tournament on Wednesday at Augusta.

People that are richer than I that have attended the Masters have told me that some of the best parts of the week are the practice rounds and the par-3 tournament on Wednesday. You get to see a lot of the golfers, that normally show the personality of a coffee table, show emotion, laugh a little, and even play that "try to win without winning because nobody has ever won the Masters after having won the par-3 tournament" game.

Anyway, kudos to ESPN for this decision. Any golf fan worth their weight in tees will be tuning in or DVR-ing this thing.

(It must be a leaf-turning day here at DTCC. I just congratulated ESPN and showed a picture that puts Mickelson in a good light. Hey, it is Sunday.)

Getting to know Your Zurich Open Leader...

We all know and love Dean Wilson, the 6 ft., 175 lb. golfer that turned pro in 1992.

The big question here is, do you really know Dean Wilson, the leader at the Zurich Open in New Orleans at seven-under early in his second round.

Some fun facts about Wilson -

-Went to BYU
-Was born in Hawaii! (Neat!)
-Has this YouTube clip that's been viewed 3,665 times.
-Went to BYU
-Random Fact - Wilson was a bit of a prankster as an undergraduate: Once, on a dare, he ate an entire bunch of bananas while waiting in an all-you-can-eat buffet line. (So Goofy That Dean Wilson!)
-Random Fact - Dean loves any sport involving bulls - Bull riding both real and mechanical bulls or just running with the bulls (in Pamplona)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dean Wilson!

Briny Baird, Your True PGA Golfer

When I lived in Fort Worth, Texas for a summer, I bought Colonial tickets to my first non-Tucson Open PGA Tournament, you know, a golf tournament with actual guys you've heard of.

Anyway, I was going to a gas station on Friday, presumably to get a Red Bull, and ran into Briny Baird buying something. I never talk to sports figures, but I thought since it's Briny Baird, who cares. I told him something lame like, "Hit it well this weekend Briny" and the guy flipped around and looked at me like I'd hit him in the ass with a bowling ball.

Point of story - I don't think Briny Baird deals with a lot of fame-hungry fans.

Anyway, my boy is five-under in the first round of the Zurich Open, a round that included a hole-out from 208 yards for eagle. That's pretty impressive for a guy that is sponsored by P.F. Changs (I'm still convinced they aren't sure what sport he plays).

Dean Wilson is leading at six-under for the day. Dean Wilson and Briny Baird - the Zurich people must be jumping around like kids on a trampoline that they put down millions to sponsor the event.

Maybe, Just Maybe, The Wrong Choice of Words

I'm far from the PC police, but I thought this sentence on the front page of PGAtour.com could have used a little perspective.

Robert Karlsson has an idea of what it takes to survive in New Orleans this week. Nice and steady, he was 3 under at the turn.

I checked, and Karlsson is from Sweden, so no levies have broke down in his area for a very long time. Maybe "has an idea on how to win" could have been more appropriate. Just a thought....

A Good Week to Try and Win a Golf Tourney

You have to love these down weeks on the PGA Tour, a valley in between a manic two weeks and the Masters creeping closer and closer.

Tiger Woods is (obviously) not playing, included in the notable no-shows with Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay, Sergio, Adam Scott, and Louisiana native David Toms.

It is one of those weeks on tour where, if you're hitting it decent, you could go out and grab that first win and a couple more years of job security.

Personally, I like these weeks because you really have no clue who is going to win, kinda like those days before Tiger showed up and won everything and made "golf experts" look like Nostradamus.

They are playing a pretty solid TPC course built for the event, and as long as nobody else gets shot while lining up a birdie putt, it should be a good week for one person. I'm picking Steve Marino, just because the guy makes so many damn birdies and a lot of random winners pick up a victory in New Orleans.

(On a side note, what happened to Jim Furyk? I know he was injured and all that, but the guy won once in the last two years after being coined the most consistent golfer ever, having just about every golf analyst ever gush over his incredible internal fortitude. Anyway, I found it interesting that an injury could knock off the former U.S. Open so much. Just a question...)

Davis Love III, Maybe Not Augusta-Bound

We all know Davis Love III as one of those golfers that everyone gawked about for years until they are realized one thing - the guy isn't really that great.

Sure, he won the 1997 PGA Championship and took home the 2003 Players Championship after a flawless eight-under 64, one Fred Couples said was "one of the best rounds I've ever seen played."

Other than those wins, Love has underachieved, and is in danger of breaking a streak of 17 Masters in a row, dating back to 1991.

Love is in the field for the Zurich Classic, and a win would put him in the field at Augusta. Also, if 100 of the top golfers died, he would also get in the field.

Joakim Noah, Picture Perfect Form

ESPN.com ran a rather entertaining segment on what veteran basketball players this rookie class should form their game after.

For example, Kevin Durant should watch Allen Iverson and mirror the Nuggets toughness and determination. Get it, alright?

Joakim Noah was told to emulate Dirk Nowitzki, because Dirk is such a good big man shooter and, I guess, watching Dirk would make Joakim a better shooter? I'm not really sure, but I did find the accompanying photo of Noah extremely entertaining, especially since the paragraph was about his shooting.

Nice form Joakim.

New Orleans - beignets, Hornets and the Chance of Getting Shot at a Golf Tournament

So, you're a celebrity chef and you're sweating away at the grill, getting your food ready for a week of tourists excited to watch some PGA Golf while enjoying your cuisine.

You know, that is until you get shot by a stray bullet at 9:30 AM on a Tuesday.

Yep, "celebrity" chef Paul Prudhomme was capped in what appeared to be a vicious attack on his boudan. The amazing thing - Prudhomme just kept on cooking, the same way most would if they broke a nail or got a splinter (a little one, big ones hurt).

I can promise you one thing - nothing says "moving in the right direction for your city" like having to worry about stray bullets at a PGA Tour event. I'm almost positive they should stick this fun fact in the "New Orleans:Rebuilding" brochure.


Thanks 100% Injury Rate for the tip.

Fairly Entertaining Read

If you're bored and need to read a fairly entertaining article on a grown, married man stalking the one and only Tiger Woods, check this out.

To be fair, the author is writing a book about watching Tiger play golf at every tournament in 2008, so I'll be nice and change stalking to "following intently."

Attention to All Pros Other Than Tiger, Don't Show Up To Any of the Majors, Apparently

I'm all for projections, predictions and prophesizing about the future of sports, but I think at times we take it a little too far.

Sure, Tiger Woods is playing exceptional golf right now, but is it really the time to be giving him the Grand Slam?

I agree, Tiger is playing three venues that set up excellent for him. Augusta National (for obvious reasons), Torrey Pines (ditto) and Royal Birkdale, where he finished one shot back of Mark O'Meara in the 1998 British Open.

The thing about the Grand Slam talk that is a huge snag is the fact that Tiger hasn't even played in a major yet this year.

If Hunter Mahan or Retief Goosen head into the Masters playing lights out, this conversation is a waste. Obviously Tiger handles pressure better than anyone, but I think we deserve to let the coals of this fire burn a little before tossing on all the pine needles.

Say Tiger takes home the green jacket, dominates the U.S. Open like most believe he will and heads across the pond the front-runner, then it might be ok to print these columns. As for now, why don't we leave the end of the year to our crazy, golf imagination.

I guess you could say it's a compliment to his dominance that this even comes off our tongues. Some would say a career is made by winning one major - a lot think Tiger could notch four before Halloween.

D.J. Augustin Might Not Have Tiger-like Nerves

I haven't seen a lot about this, so thought I'd mention it again. In the Miami-Texas game, with the pressure pounding, the Longhorns best player and First Team All-American D.J. Augustin air balled the first free throw with his team up by two.

I've shot a ton of free throws in my day, and I've never been a Salim Stoudamire at the line, but I have never, EVER missed rim. I said this to a buddy and I want everyone to know this for life - I will never bet on a D.J. Augustin led team the rest of my days.

Not Texas, not his pro team, not even if he's asked to be a commentator and needs to make a clutch call in a tight game to draw the crowd in. My gambling plans from here on out is to bet against D.J.

Air ball it? Seriously?

The Tavistock Cup? WTF....

I went home today for lunch, was flipping through the vast world of television channels Comcast sends me, and saw "golf" on one of the HD channels.

I clicked on it, and it was "LIVE coverage" and Tiger was hitting a bunker shot.

Now I don't know a lot, but I'm pretty sure Tiger doesn't play a lot of golf on Monday. Like usual I was wrong, and they're playing something called the Tavistock Cup or something like that.

It must be pretty cool because if you make a hole-in-one on one of the par-3s you win a $55,000 golf swing simulator. Now you're talking my language!!!

According to Wikipedia, The Tavistock Cup is, "a unique team event that pits the touring golf professional members of Isleworth Golf & Country Club verses their counterparts at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club."

Oh, ok, now I got it.

Two big questions I have about this thing.

First, when did this thing start and how did I not know about it?

Second, how in the hell do they get these touring pros to play in this thing on a Monday and Tuesday? Tiger charges Dubai like three million to even show up, and he's playing in this thing? What next, pairing with me in the Dobson Summer Sizzler?

In Honor of the Tiger Run

Since Tiger Woods streak of five straight PGA Tour wins is finally dead to us, I thought it would be worth throwing out a couple of insane numbers from those five tourneys.

First, you have to note that all the numbers, except money, are for just four tournaments, since one was the match-play with no official scores. Also, note that we're not including the 22-under performance, including a second round 62, that Tiger posted at the Target World Challenge. Ok, got it, lets go.

-74 - Amount of strokes under par El Tigre was in the four stroke play events he won. Yeah, 74-under, not a typo.

2 out of 16 - rounds in the 70s Tiger shot over the stretch.

10 out of 16 - rounds Tiger shot 66 or lower.

2 - Rounds of 63 Tiger shot over the stretch.

5,850,000 - Amount Tiger won over the five tournament stretch.

So, that is fairly impressive. Also, Tiger has almost twice as many FedEx Cup points as second place, Phil Mickelson, in three less tournaments. Nice swing, Tiger.

Wow, It Sure is Nice Not Holding the Microphone

I'd like to preface this by making sure everyone understands this - I think I'm an idiot.

Ok, everyone got that?

Anyway, a cool golf website called Oobgolf sent me an email about a possible interview because of this here site. I told him that'd be fine, as long as I could keep my pants on and didn't have to speak of July 16, 2004 (don't ask).

So, the interview is here if you're into that sort of thing.

Pars are Good Sometimes

Geoff Ogilvy officially won the WGC event at Doral this morning in Tiger-esque fashion with a closing birdie to hold off Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen by making pars on his last 11 holes.

I guess when you build yourself a five-shot lead, pars are pretty damn important, but come on, how boring can you get?

I've always wondered something - if Puma or Nike send you shirts for the week, and it is rained out until a Monday, do you have to go to the local Golfsmith and just buy another one? I'd probably just re-wear the Thursday attire, but that's just me.

Also, I'm obsessed with this picture. For some reason, I now think Geoff Ogilvy and Tyler Hansbrough would be good friends.

Golf to Watch, If you're Jobless or Homeless

If I had to guess days of the year where people land in the office like college kids after a week Spring Break in Cabo, this would be the one.

Grown men and women with bags under their eyes, having just consumed more college basketball in four days than they probably watched all year. Everyone mailed in the Thursday and Friday of last week, either by "working" with CBS Sportsline blaring on their computer screen or by just not coming in for those days. Either way, Monday is one of those catch-up work days when you seem to be slamming on the gas until well after five.

So, after barreling through that paragraph, know this - if you don't have a job, golf is finishing up at Doral and Geoff Ogilvy looks like he is going to capture the crown.

Tiger put up a valiant effort this morning, shooting a four-under 68 that included three birdies on the back nine. He will probably fall two shots shot of a tie with Ogilvy, who has made only one bogey the entire tournament.

Good run Tiger, it was pretty amazing to watch.

I Really Hope You have Stephen Curry on Your NCAA Fantasy Team

I never thought I'd say any random March Madness player would eclipse my love for Bryce Drew, but Stephen Curry might have done it.

The scrappy ass kid that looks all of 14 had 30 points today in their upset over Georgetown after scoring 40 points against Gonzaga on Friday.

Yep, 70 points in two days for the only guy on the court that might be mistaken for the towel boy.

I asked for some excitement, and this game and the Tennessee-Butler game sure brought it.

An Honest Question....

How does Wayne Chism's headband stay on his head?

Easter Sunday Needs a Bit of A Jump Start

So far we've seen Villanova win a rather boring basketball game against Siena and now I'm watching Texas slaughter Miami in typical Longhorn form.

The problem is you can't switch over to golf because there is another weather delay at Doral and every time I turn to NBC they are showing a different replay of one of the holes from either this morning or yesterday of '05 and I'm so confused I keep thinking David Duval might be in the hunt.

Georgetown and Western Kentucky aren't making their games any more entertaining to watch as they are exploiting Davidson and San Diego, so I guess what I'm trying to say is it sure would be nice if something got a little exciting.

With all the golf confusion, Tiger did birdie his first two holes of the final round but followed that up with a bogey on the third before it started raining. Oh, great, CBS just switched it over to the Tennessee game which isn't in HD, so it makes watching basketball as enjoyable as "Full House" reruns.

Tiger Needs a Bit of a Roar

Starting five shots back of Geoff Ogilvy today, Tiger is going to need a Dubai-like performance (Where he shot 65 to win the tournament over Ernie Els on Sunday) to knock out his sixth straight PGA Tour win.

Maybe he has it in him - Tiger has already birdied his first hole of the last round with the leaders not having teed off yet.

It would be fitting if Tiger won in a comeback, but the way Ogilvy has played, bogey-free through 54 holes, is extremely impressive. What I want to say is if Tiger is going to lose, it would be fitting to come at the hands of a flawless performance.

With how crazy the first round of the NCAA Tournament has been, maybe it's the right weekend for Tiger's streak to end. I, for one, sure hope he can find a way to extend it.

Aggie Fans Aren't Very Happy, Maybe for Good Reason

These two photos show the last play in the UCLA-Texas A&M game, when Donald Sloan drove to the basket in hopes of a floater or drawing a foul.

I guess I'll just let the pictures show why a lot of Aggie fans aren't happy campers today.

Wisconsin, Hopefully Fads Faster than Soulja Boy

There isn't a time when this isn't fun to watch, but when Wisconsin is trying to make it to the Sweet 16, I find it very appropriate.

(Also, I really need Wisconsin to lose this game so I'm trying anything to jinx these guys.)

Wow, This is Strange

I'm about to write a sentence that hasn't been typed in 2008 - Tiger Woods is struggling.

Yep, it was as strange to type as it is to read.

Tiger, who started the day one shot back of Geoff Ogilvy, is now three shots back of the Australian through 11 holes.

Rain or lightening or tornadoes or something has suspended golf today, so it will be really hard for Tiger to make up ground at this point.

They are saying the course is "there to be had," which normally means it's really wet and easy to shoot at flags. An example of this has to be Vijay Singh, who is eight-under on the day through 16 holes.

I'm not sure if they are planning on finishing today or playing the remainder tomorrow, but it is pretty crazy that Tiger isn't tearing this thing apart.

I guess the weather delay gives Tiger a chance to catch his Cardinals battle Marquette.

How Smart Some Fans Are

As you can see in this picture, Da'Sean Butler is shooting a free throw for West Virginia at the end of the first half.

What you might miss is the fact that the people at the other end of the court are waving their hands to distract Butler.

I honestly can't come up with something funny enough to criticize the amount of stupidity that comes with someone thinking this might make Butler falter. Is 1:08 PM too early for my first shot?

Getting You Ready for Saturday

It's Saturday of March Madness and moving day at the Bridgestone, so a lot is going on in the next nine hours. Let's dive into it shall we....

West Virginia vs. Duke - Of course Duke is the only game today featured alone to the nation, but some would consider it the game of the day. I think after the Belmont experience, Duke is going to crush West Virginia, but that's just me. After that bad shooting performance, look for Paulus and company to maybe actually shoot a three through the orange circle.

Kansas State vs. Wisconsin - Ahhh, a "bite on it, please" Vegas game. Everyone is looking at K-State, which always scares me. I think Wisconsin goes to the Sweet 16, even if I can't name anyone on their team.

Purdue vs. Xavier - Look at me, I'm one of those guys that only picks favorites! Xavier smokes the bowl on this one.

Tiger Woods vs. Field - Sure, Tiger isn't leading, but that is because Saturday hasn't ended yet. Geoff Ogilvy hasn't made a bogey yet this week, so look for the bogey-bug to bite as Tiger pulls his red shirt out of the dresser tomorrow as the leader.

Notre Dame vs. Washington State - I would consider myself a decently smart guy, up until I picked Winthrop to upset the Cougars on Thursday. Tied at half, Washington State bested Winthrop by 31 (31!) in the second half. Washington State is like quicksand - once you start sinking to this team, you have no chance of coming back. I'm going Washington State mainly because I don't think Notre Dame is that good.

Marquette vs. Stanford - CBS just did a "feature" on the Lopez twins, and after watching it, I now think less about the educational value of a Stanford degree. If Marquette can actually knock down a few jumpers inside the three-point line (those are actually called mid-range jumpers), I think they win in a close one.

(Disclaimer - I know nothing about what I'm talking about.)

UNLV vs. Kansas - Ummm, next?

Michigan State vs. Pitt - You couldn't ask for a better second round game. One team always plays above their potential in the tourney, and the other is probably the hottest non-one seed in the dance. I think Pitt wins, unless that Drew Neitzel guy goes ape shit from outside the arc. Please Pitt, I need you so much right now.

Texas A&M vs. UCLA - I made a comment about people staying extremely loyal to their conference or region, and this was exemplified to perfection this morning as my buddy Rusty called from College Station. He said at the bars last night, all the Aggie fans were saying, "Well, Texas beat UCLA earlier this year and the Aggies beat Texas so they could really hang." I back up any argument with this by saying - "Yeah, my dad was taller than me five years ago, so he will probably always be taller than me no matter what because nothing in the world ever changes." Look for UCLA to get pounded tonight because of above theory (I'm a little confused, I'm not gonna lie).

Miami Heat vs. Charlotte - Can someone please find the over/under on this game? 125? 130?

Tiger Not Great at Shooting in the 70s

So far, in four tournaments (with one being the match-play so no official round recorded), Tiger hasn't shot over par. Actually, Tiger has only shot even par one time, the first round at the Arnold Palmer tournament last week.

Tiger is one shot back of Geoff Ogilvy today after finishing with a six-under 66, helped by two eagles.

Woods has made only three bogeys this week, and seems to be on "top of his game."

(The last sentence was practice for my generic golf statement class I'm taking.)

Chris BerMAN I'm Glad He Isn't Doing the Masters

If you didn't catch my article on Chris Berman doing the Masters, no worries, I have great news.

Chris Berman is NOT broadcasting the Masters this year.

Let me repeat that - Chris Berman is NOT doing the Masters.

Hooray, Yippee, Free Drinks for Everyone!!!

According to the New York Post article, Berman was a "behavioral risk."

I don't care if they told him he couldn't come because they have a strict no-Hawaiian golf shirt policy or they were scared to hear "You're With Me Green Jacket," any news of him steering clear of Magnolia Lane is good news.

They Are Golfing, and Holy Shit That Was An Amazing Shot

I was just about to write some golf stuff when Western Kentucky just hit that shot to win. Holy hell, that was absolutely great and exactly what this tournament needs.

Wow, somebody call the mortuary and tell them to get a really small casket ready for my bracket, because it's time of death was 3:10 Eastern. Anyway, congrats to Western Kentucky and thanks for giving us our "Whatever Sponsor Game Changing Moment/Performance" thing.

Well, on to golf.

I said yesterday that Tiger Woods was three-under through 13 so he'd probably shoot 66. I was off by one.

Also, Tiger is leading today, tied with Geoff (I still read his name G-Off) Ogilvy, at nine-under for the tournament.

I have heard reports of an Adam Scott sighting at the tournament, who is just one shot back of the leaders through nine holes.

If anyone was wondering who I thought was going to win, I'd probably have to pick Tiger on the off chance he can pull the tournament out. My Gatorade Tiger theory might hold up again.

Why March Madness is Both Great and Horrible

I guess it wasn't until last night that I realized that March Madness really only makes one fan base happy.

We all get excited for the tournaments to start, but once our team loses, the tournament lacks that personal luster. Sure, basketball fans still love to watch good basketball, but it's hard to cheer as hard as you did that first day after your team is history.

Last night, on the same court, I experienced both the ups and downs of the NCAAs.

THE Duke Blue Devils almost had an epic collapse, sliding past Belmont by a hair, even after Belmont threw all but the entire kitchen at Coach K's squad. The bar I was at started a "Belmont" chant with more than 10 minutes left in the game, giving it that "we've never heard of this school, and less than 1 percent of the people even know where Belmont is, but goddammit we're cheering" feel to it.

Nearly three hours later I was hanging my head, experiencing the low of college basketball as Arizona, once again, lost in the first round after a horrible season that had approximately zero high points. Near the end of my freshman year in Tucson I learned that the only way I would make it as an Arizona fan would be to handle the many loses to come my way. Honestly, if you don't love softball these days, enjoying Arizona sports is as much fun as open heart surgery.

Golf is On, Like Anyone Cares At All

I'm going to be typing this post as fast as possible, mainly because I want to check golf for about eight seconds today, then back to college basketball and the possibility of gray hairs starting at 24.

Anyway, blah blah blah, Geoff Ogilvy is leading after a scolding seven-under 65 at the Bridgestone Invitational.

(Just FYI, I went to click over a tab to check more scores, and accidentally went to my big ESPN Tournament Challenge Pool, and was about to write, "In second play is the JV Squad with 30 points" until I remembered this is still about golf.)

So, Tiger Woods is three-under through 13, which means he'll probably shoot 66. Phil Mickelson is in a tie for second with a five-under 67 and that is about all you want to know about that.

Golf is great to watch on any weekend, with Masters weekend taking my prize as best sports event of the year. The problem is - nothing makes your blood pump like watching these teams fight for another day.

P.S. This Marquette game is making me go batty.

Good Idea - Leave Joe Crawford Open

Hey Marquette, good idea - maybe put a fucking hand in Joe Crawford's face. He only has more than half of Kentucky's points. Yep, good defensive plan. JESUS!

A Large Group Just Sent Georgia A Thank You Card

Since this bracket stuff has pretty much ruined any and all wrinkles I've created in my brain over the years, watching my first game of the tournament and wondering if an Elite Eight team of mine was going to lose sure didn't help.

Georgia did exactly what my Vegas buddy said - come out hot, play really solid and fall at the end. Way to go Joshua Greenberg, you're a smarter man than I.

Anyway, the Marquette game is very interesting, as is the UNLV vs. Lufkin High School where I'm sure a buddy of mine that went to Marquette is taking his Tums with some Early Times whiskey shots.

Ahhh March Madness, good enough to make you almost want to die!

One Shining Moment, Before All The Craziness Begins

I'm sorry I have to do this, but as I sport the dorkiest U of A polo ever at work, I thought I had to attach this as a good luck charm. If you hate Arizona, I'd advise you to avoid the video.

Why March Madness Is So Awesome

This is a memo from a buddy of mine that transfered from Arizona to Kansas, and lives in the heart of Jayhawk country.

His boss sent this out yesterday to the entire company.

Join us for the annual "Tip Off" Lunch to celebrate the start of March Madness*.
11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 20th Food (pizza and wings) will be served in the Eagle Ballroom. We'll have TV's tuned into the games (KU plays at 11:25 a.m. - how lucky is that??) all afternoon so you can watch your favorite teams. And, feel free to wear your favorite team's apparel - but only if it is crimson and blue - ok just kidding - we welcome all school affiliations. For those of you working late, we'll be featuring the KSU game at 6:30 p.m. with leftover cold pizza and chicken bones.

That is a memo FROM THE BOSS!

Other things that I've received this morning that made me smile.

My brother-in-law, explaining his strategy and my sisters -

I basically just picked by where i would rather go to school. Your sister picked alphabetically.

March Madness - gotta love it.

Gatorade Tiger, The Reason for the Run?

Nobody is really talking about this, but shouldn't it be said - in 2008 Tiger Woods hasn't lost, the same year he started bringing Gatorade Tiger on the course?

I'm sure that is the reasoning behind his little run so far.

Anyway, I got this video about Tiger and his trials with Gatorade and thought it was fairly interesting, if not for anything else except you get to watch a male athlete lift weights and sweat for 1:29.

I actually tasted the yellow version of the Gatorade Tiger and it isn't bad at all, almost a mix between their signature drink, the Lemon-lime, and that horrible attempt at Lemonade they had a couple of years ago.

Enjoy!

Tiger Likes To Win Majors, Surprisingly

Much to my astonishment, it was revealed by Bob Harig over at ESPN that Tiger Woods likes to win majors.

"You can win every tournament for the entire year, but if you go 0-for-4 in the major championships -- you don't really get remembered for the number of wins in a career. It's the number of wins in major championships. Those are the biggest events."

Well, aren't we on a fairly high horse Mr. Tiger Woods. What about the little people that measure their careers on the petty, human-like performance of taking out the Buick Invitational? Um huh, maybe you're forgetting guys like David Toms or Ben Curtis? Career-defining-performance.

I still find it funny when people say Tiger "under-performed" in a major by finishing second.

Hahahahahaha, Joe Lunardi is taking Crazy pills

First, I want to applaud Joe Lunardi on his picks for every tournament game, showing that at least one guy at ESPN has a pair.

After being so nice, I would also like to be the first to tell Joe Lunardi from all the people that watch Arizona basketball - you have been Wildcat fooled. The Bracketologist has Arizona in the Elite Eight.

The question he asks - "Why is no one talking about the possibility of Arizona's winning two games and playing in Phoenix?" Well, maybe because of this.

People continue to forget that this is a Wildcat team with no bench, no Lute, and nobody that can produce except two young guards. I would love to see the Wildcats stun a ton of teams, but the bottom line is this - Arizona was 5-10 against teams in the field of 64, with two of those wins coming over an overrated Washington State team and two others coming against UNLV and Texas A&M, eight and nine seeds respectively.

Again, I would love nothing more than to see Arizona rise to the occasion and sweep the first weekend but we have to be realistic - this hasn't be the Arizona Wildcats in quite some time. Sorry Joe.

For All Picking UCLA, This Can't Sit Well

I can honestly say that there has never been a March Madness pre-week that has scared me more than 2008. I keep hearing different things, changing my mind, thinking this, deciding that - it is seriously driving me mad.

Why can't it just be more black and white this year?

Anyway, I was all set with my UCLA pick, even if I felt that they'd lose in the third round if they were in the UNC bracket, when I read this painful article.

He seemed in good spirits? That's your quote? Kevin Love, the best player in the entire West bracket, is in good spirits. I want to know about his back, not that he feels content with life. This isn't a Buddhist convention.

Also, "if he's able to go, we'll play him on Thursday" might go down as the dumbest thing anyone that went or worked at UCLA has ever said. Really? If he's able to go, you'll play him? I figured that the Freshman of the Year two years ago would probably sit most of the game if he was able to go.

This is seriously driving me crazy. I'm convinced that if March Madness had a two week window like the Super Bowl, men would eventually write their picks in their own blood.

Tiger Has More Houses Than I Do

Granted, I never complain about my one bedroom apartment in the quaint area of Denver. It really is all I need, including a comfy recliner and a sturdy couch.

It probably wouldn't be horrible, however, to be Tiger Woods, and own three houses totaling $130 million.

Yep, Tiger just bought a pad in the Hamptons worth $65 million. Think it's nicer than my apartment?


Via The Fanhouse

Mike Golic, Do We Really Have to Do This?

Nothing to me is more ignorant than people that are stuck in ideas that held true decades ago, continuing to harp on these thoughts with consistency as our world has long grown out of those pants.

Extreme cases are racism, sexism or changing the television by hand, and a mild case is when people continue to bash golfers as "non-athletes."

This happened when Mike and Mike appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman Monday night and Golic said golfers weren't athletes (around the 1:40 mark).

I will agree with a few things. Golfers in the past weren't that athletic. Some, like Jack Nicklaus, were born with a natural athletic mold, but there wasn't much training going on when golf started to become popular. The game is based mostly on mental toughness, like the Mikes talked about, but this holds true in all sports. A good example of this - in practice, I'm positive Jay Cutler could complete just as sharp a pass as Tom Brady, but in a playoff game when he needs it, would you trust him to be able to place it just like Brady could?

Anyway, this "are golfers athletes" argument is moot because golfers are working on their bodies as much, if not more, than other sports. I know that the sport has overweight golfers and people that don't appear to be in great shape, but when is the last time one of these guys has played at a consistent level? They might win a time or two, but the ones that are dominating are the ones that are beating up their bodies. As a trainer once told me, if there is an edge to be had in golf these days, it's found in the gym.

To complete my point about this, I will attach pictures of Mike Golic in his prime and a picture of Tiger Woods in top form. You decide which one is a better athlete.

Someone Should Probably Give Digger Phelps' Wife a Medal

I'm sorry, but the Digger Phelps "laugh at everything Bobby Knight says when you're not jabbing him repeatedly about never playing zone" has become such a problem to me, I almost find it funny (and by funny I mean horrible).

As the good guys over at The Fanhouse have pointed out, Digger now decided touching Bobby Knight is a better idea. I'm sorry, but if an older man that matches his highlighter with his tie kept touching me to make a point, I'd eventually get a little uncomfortable. Maybe the annoying, force chuckles weren't so bad after all (that is a lie).

Theory's to Win Your Bracket

I was talking to a girl friend of mine today about her theory on picking March Madness.

This, verbatim, is what she said.

"I think I'm going to follow most of (my ideas) and then chose according to mascot in typical ____ fashion, with a possibility of "I liked their campus or not.""

Since most of the time, girls win the bracket challenges I'm a part of based on such theories, I'm listing other things to follow to make sure you take home the "money" in all your pools.

-The "Which Coach Would Win in a Wrestling Match" theory (Can we still pick Bobby Knight?)

-The "Which Place Has A Better Bar Street" Theory (UT!)

-The "Best Chance for a Better Riot After a Big Win" Theory (Walking in Memphis)

-The "Better Chance for a Teacher/Student Sex Scandal" Theory (Stanford loses early)

-The "Better Spring Break destination School" Theory (Are the Rainbow Warriors in the field?)

-The "If I dropped $50 in the middle of Campus This Student Body Would Return it" Theory

-The "Guy on the Team with the Cooler Last Name" Theory

-The "Team Name with the Most Vowels" Theory

-The "My Pet is Quicker than Said Mascot" Theory (GO CHIP!)

Ok, that's enough. If Dicky V was coming up with a theory it would be something wacky like, The "Pick the Team With the Lower Number next To Their Name" Theory.