Archives---April, 2004
...Took a couple days off---sue me. Phil winning the Masters was great, but not as great as the entirety of Sunday's final round in total. Yeah, Tiger blew em away, old man Jack came from way of the pace in '86 and good ole Greg Norman..., but Sunday was a real cliff hanger with half a dozen in real contention throughout the afternoon. It was everything the final round at Augusta is supposed to be and more, furthering my belief it is among the top five sports days of the year--two of the five coming only eight days apart (NCAA semis). Memo to Tiger coming soon. It was also a delight to honor the memory of our fallen friend Mark Gorfain by to repeatedly shout "Choi!"
...The President didn't necessarily hit a home run last night, but hit a pitch where it was thrown and legged out a double. Though opportunities were missed, President Bush was pretty clear about the resolve and direction of his administration. I'd give him 25, may be 26 (on the old 30 point debate speaker point scale), but it may well have been enough to ensure reelection. The incumbent is a prohibitive -$180 at present. No reason the voting public won't follow the betting public. Senator Kerry is +$240. (For the uninitiated, a negative number represents the amount necessary to wager in order to win $100. Positive numbers represent what a $100 wager would win.)
...The gentle surfer who may not hail from north Georgia has been advised of this area's horrific seasonal infestation of plant sperm. Metro Atlanta is among the top 5 in terms of pollen counts. Yesterdays number (p/cm---I think) was around 2100. That's on a scale that maxes out at 120. Follow nature's own Jacqueline Suzanne novel here.
...Glad to help Tiger. Email should you have any other concerns. Its now not a matter of just six strokes or thirteen being in front of him, its who's in front of him---a fairly impressive list of folks with serious game. Weather and conditions are perfect, as is the TV reception. Two of the year's five TV sports high holy days within a week of one another. Arnie's departure is not the end of the world, the emotion it generated simply one of confronting one's own aging. The sad part is Winnie wasn't there to share it with him. It was just a throw away line during Friday's coverage, but perhaps true. Arnold Palmer, the greatest sportsman in American history. Think about it. Ali didn't put boxing on the map. Michael?, nah, arguably the games greatest player, but...Others are welcome to chime in.
...It was a shameful omission to not return to the keyboard yesterday to chime in with the cascade of deserved tributes commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of arguably the most historic moment in baseball history---Aaron's 715th career home run. The city has done a notoriously poor job in showing the game's greatest player his due. Not that ole Hammerin Hank has exactly been a bowl of cherries himself the past three decades. Through time, Aaron appears a much less bitter man---an understandable, but awkward self imposed prison of professional victim hood so unbecoming the greatest player to ever pick up a ball and glove (doubters/unenlightened are encouraged to email and I'll splain it to ya).
...Hard to get real excited about the Masters til later today when one gets a feel for where the cut will be and who will and who won't make it. Though I have repeatedly ranted about those who talk of Tiger and a slump, I'm just about ready to bust off a memo to my man. Meanwhile, I would advise Eldrin to keep his head down, left arm straight, make the cut, and throw up a 64 Saturday to get within five or so. Devine intervention notwithstanding, Arnie will walk off 18 for the last time today. 50 consecutive years. Not living, not the same job, not a wedding anniversary, FIFTY FREAKIN YEARS AT THE MASTERS! And while Jack is still a jerk, you gotta be pulling for him to make the cut.
...I John Schurholz working. The Braves score in double digits every night and its all good.
...Shhh....Condy is testifying now. Full take a later.
...And later now it is. No historic moments that I saw during Dr. Rice's testimony yesterday. The greatest value of the day may have come the way of Richard Ben-Veniste. Imagine the cost of buying all that TV time to push one's political agenda, and he gets it for free. Such a deal. Yeah, hold this administration's feet to the fire, but with regard to an issue of such gravity I ask that you check your pompous, limousine liberal sanctimonious ass at the door.
...No doubt nutmeg will now become a basic food group. Props to the Husky chicks and their Tuesday night win to follow in the footsteps of their testosterone based peers. Not bad for a state without a TV station.
...Nephew Ridge returns for a visit today during spring break. A sabbatical of a yet to be determined length will no doubt enhance the fun had by all.
...Braves get whacked on opening day by Tom Glavine and the wasckelly Mets. I ask only for a competitive team. Less is more if it means not being up 25 games in August.
...Its playoff time the East Coast Hockey League! The Gladiators face the dreaded Mississippi Sea Wolves in the first round of their pursuit of the coveted Kelly Cup. Its a best of 5 series our Gwinnett guys start on the road. First home game (game three of the series) is Saturday at 7:35. Game four, if necessary, is set for the Gwinnett Arena Monday night. Stanley Cup playoffs set to start as well and will no doubt be great as always, though I have paid little attention to the regular season.
...Not at all surprised by UConn's win, but did expect a closer contest. Best team in the country won the championship, so all is right with the world. Well, all is right excepting I still got three teams to the Final Four in my brackets and didn't win a four person pool! The victor is none other than Karen Winter a resident of that quaint little island Manhattan. $44 baby!
...With the NCAA tourney concluded (yeah, I know the chicks play tonight, and I'll probably catch some if not most of it) I promise to clean up and archive this increasingly messy page. I need the room for Masters week. Brother Keith has advised as to course changes this year, but they escape me at the moment. Do seem to remember that trees have been planted along the right side of 10, a favorite bail out spot on a really tough hole. Regardless, the azaleas should be in full bloom, etc... What's not to like? Odd as it may sound, one almost wants to pull for Tiger as an "underdog" so everyone else will shut-up about him not having won a major in the past six weeks. Memo to Martha Burke: Iron my shirts. (not my line but worthy of repeating)
...There would appear to be a consensus that Saturday's doubleheader semis were the greatest ever. No disagreement here, though Duke failed to be Duke down the stretch, redoubling my Tech fever. A Jackets win brings the title to Atlanta and the pool to Suttle.
...Finally a complaint email. Well
sorta. Dear friend Paul of Vermont inquires as to why there isn't a
Georgia Tech link and/or update page on Suttle World. A worthy suggestion,
but unnecessary at the moment, given their prominence in the national press.
Suttle had em getting to the Final Four, but losing to Oklahoma State.
Being a pseudo Tech fan, Saturday night will be both glorious and
frustrating. If Duke beats UConn then an all ACC final is cool. If not, I
need the Cowboys to win it all as originally predicted to claim the pool.
Still don't understand how I can get three of four teams in (99th percentile I'm
thinking) and still not have a four person pool wrapped up. Only a little
over three months til the NFL pre-season begins. The gentle surfer, having
witnessed the genius effort in the typically unpredictable NCAA tournament, may
wish to pay a bit closer to
this autumn.
...On a personal note, condolences to the family and loved ones of Joe Glines. A good acquaintance of mine died last week. Joe had a history of heart problems, and had a major cardiac event. Friends will be received tonight (Fri., April 2) at the H.M. Patterson Funeral Home downtown on Spring Street between 6:00 and 8:00.
...With too much still up in the air regarding finger pointing and the September 11th Commission, one more sports take. Next Thursday the Frozen Four begins. This is the NCAA hockey championship and always a wonderful spectacle to behold. Thursday's games are at noon and 6:00. The finals are Saturday evening. These guys sell out with every stride of every shift. Gets one fired up for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Enjoy em this time around, cause they won't be around for the next year or so.
...I lied. One more sports take. Just a reminder that the Olympic games in Athens this summer will be an abortion. Old farts, such as myself, have graphic recollections of Munich in 1972, where terrorism became part of the American lexicon. Security is a huge concern, but the logistics of running the games is where the real nightmare lurks. Venues will not be complete. The city has no mass transit infrastructure. The Athens airport is infamous for being the worst in Europe, etc... Can't wait for the New Delhi games.
...All the boys and girls with three teams left please raise your hands. There's Gene's, and there's, well, ehmmmm... Let's just take a look at Suttle's bracket again.
...The most telling item of the whole Dick Clark deal was his recollection of the Clinton White House. When presented with information of who, what, when and where major Al Queda operatives would be following the bombing of the Cole (that they knew was the work of Al Queda), Clinton declines, because of the way it might look. You know after bombing the aspirin factory in Somalia during the Lewinsky hearings...There's the legacy. Q: "Mr. President, quick, wake up! The country is under eminent threat of attack, what do we do?" A: "Well, what does the polling and focus group data say?"
...
Win! Lead the dreaded Louisiana Ice Dogs 2-1. The
fourth, and perhaps deciding, is set for Friday evening at the Gwinnett
Arena. Seats start at $11. Come support your Gladiators in their
quest for the Kelly Cup. Crew to meet at box office until
7:45. Meet up around Sec 312 if late (buy the cheap/$11
ticket). All are welcome.
..
advance to round two of the Kelly Cup playoffs, and are currently
tied at one game each in their current series with the dreaded Louisiana Ice
Gators. The best of five series resumes Wednesday and Friday at the
Gwinnett Arena.
.
WIN!!! Trailing 5-3 in the third period, the Gladiators fought
back to force overtime. Out shot 16-2, the locals were very fortunate
to survive the first extra twenty minutes, and a good bounce nine minutes
into the fifth period sends Gwinnett into the ECHL Western Conference Finals
versus the dreaded Idaho Steelheads Tuesday and Wednesday at the Gwinnett
Arena. On to the Kelly Cup!
...
even their best of five western conference finals with Idaho at
one game each with a 3-1 win last night at the Gwinnett Arena. The series now
heads to Idaho for games 3 and 4. The fifth game, if necessary, will be
played here May 9.
...Baseball has to love it more than the myopic
northeasterners---serious interest in an April series. Myopic or not, it
must be nice to live in a city that knows the difference between a squeeze play
and cut off man. No doubt every locale has its disseminates, but when
"how bout them Dawgs" is likely to be the most insightful sports take
one is apt to hear on any given day, Chicago winters don't seem so harsh.