Edge of your seat TV today

And yes, amazingly I am talking about Golf. Today is the single's part of the Ryder Cup, starting at noon EST on NBC.

Now, I know, its Golf vs the NFL. And really, without Tiger, how can golf be exciting? Well, the Ryder Cup is different. There becomes almost a good vs evil component to a competition like this, because the emotions of both teams, the Europeans and the Americans, come out more than you ever really see it any other time on the golf course.

Plus, the crowd actually gets involved, either with the "Ole Ole Ole" or "USA" chants. Plus, it's still danged close. The United States needs to win 5 and a half matches (5 wins and one tie) and the Europeans need to win 7 to keep the cup. Wide open still, wide open.

Stumbling Around

I love the summer. I love the feeling of the warm air as it surrounds you. I love wearing less clothes, plus I love the fact that there are women out there who wear less clothes (I'm married, I am not dead). But, I one thing I do not love is the fact that the weekends become filled with so much stuff going on. The winter at least allows you to have a down day because it is so dark so early. Summer gets the social calendar filled so quickly, that you blink and the weekend is over.

Not that I am saying that I do not enjoy friends and family and stuff to do, but sometimes you need the chance to get you brain to focus and right now it seems like its bounce bounce bounce. Of course, I am just whining here, not the best thing for a duck to do.

By the way, did I wake up in the early 90s? Is Greg Norman really winning the British Open Championship again?

That would have been painful to watch

Unfortunately, technology screwed me today, since my phone beeped to let me know that Tiger Woods had defeated Rocco Mediate in a 19 hole playoff today. I did my best to stay away from any news, keeping the radio off and not skipping off to the Action News website to make sure Philadelphia had not imploded today, and yet, I could not avoid it.

So while Mrs Duck and I half watch our TiVo, there is a part of me that is glad to know. Because, the Duck Family was pulling for Mediate, not only because he was born in Pennsylvania, but because he was a normal guy.

Subway told us a story while we were at the Heritage. He was outside his shop, setting up for the morning, when he saw Rocco Mediate having a conversation about what wine to buy across the parking lot in Hilton Head. I've done that, you've done that, we have all done that, which is why Rocco was just a regular guy.

So to see him lose in Sudden Death, without knowing it ahead of time might have ruined my night.

Im Like Mickelson

Ok, maybe I am not like Mickelson, since he went to college on a golf scholarship in Arizona and has won millions upon millions of dollars. Sparky on the other hand had to pay to go Delaware and is still buying powerball tickets. Yes, the title is an overstatement.

Yet for one brief moment, Phil and I were alike. Mickelson hit a 9 on a hole on the back nine, which was a quadruple bogey I think. I hit 9's all the time!! Phil and I are simpatico. Just remind me not to compare bank books.

As of 7:30, it was still Rocco Mediate, though Tiger and Davis Love III were in the US Open hunt.

Hilton Head Review, Part 2, Lotsa Golf

The weekend in Hilton Head was a golf fan festival.

Saturday was the latest day that I slept, and it was close to 9 am when I woke up. I think it was because I did not want to waste any moments of freedom that I had from that soul sucking job of mine. Sleeping can happen at home.

3 PM, Subway and I are on the golf course, the Golden Bear at Indigo Run. It was the first time I had picked up the sticks in about 7 months and really I did not play that badly. Especially since my sticks were still sitting in the basement of the home in Philly and I was using borrowed ones. The Golden Bear was a nice open course, with some great views and a some very tough greens to read. Plus there were spectators.



He was a small one.

By the way, Mrs Duck was at a spa with Doc at this time, somehow I think most of you will think she had a better time.

Saturday night was Wild Wings and Silicone Sister. Wild Wings was a positive, Silicone Sister not that much. Silicone Sister was a cover band of all those 80s hair bands. They were not half bad, except they may not have been the best for all the rebels in the audience. The feigned arrogance of the band did not help. Though a band that covers Bon Jovi works for me.

Sunday, the Verizon Heritage Classic was on tap. It was better tournament then last year, which is not that big a deal actually, since last year was a windblown, postponed mess. There were no big stars in last 2 rounds, besides Jim Furyk, but since it was not as crowded as last year, I was able to see Furyk and all the other golfers up close. Boo Weekley won again, which would have been more exciting if we had actually seen him chip in at the 10th hole to seal the tournament.

There was drunkeness and missed shuttles after the tournament, but really, doesnt every golf tournament end with drunkeness and missed shuttles? Oh and a few great pictures.

Trevor is the ImmelMan

There are still 5 holes to play, but Trevor Immelman is going to win the Masters. He has a six stroke lead as we speak with 5 holes to play and all he has to do is keep playing the same steady way he has played all day. One of my first signs of spring has been one of the most boringest days ever.

No one has made a run, in fact, everyone has gone backwards. Even Tiger Woods has been close to awful today. Two of the best rounds were posted by Heath Slocum and Miguel Jiminez, and these two were so far back that they needed to shoot 63s to have a shot.

Augusta National is still a breathtakingly beautiful course. The Magnolia's and the warm looking sun still does something that makes the viewer feel spring and warmth. I just wish I did not need to be distracted by the trees to actually find something exciting in this.

Maybe a bit Extreme

Subway and Doc are up from the Palmetto State for the big Eagles and Cowboys game. Now while Doc and Spice Girl are off to the afforementioned King of Prussia mall, Subway, Tin Man, Sarge and I are off on our own adventure.

It is November 2nd, yes November 2nd and we are going golfing. Now of course, some of you out there are saying what is the big deal? I hope most of you folks saying that are in Arizona and Down South. Because, its going to be 59 degrees here today and I am hitting the links. Yes I am nuts! Or more likely, one of the guys in my foursome today is nuts, because it was one of there ideas!

Now of course, it could be worse, since just before I finished typing up this post, I took Mrs Duck to work, so while she will be warm, but she will also probably want to be gauging her eyes out with a stapler.

Project 365 #91-Golf Sights

Trying to resurrect the Project 365 blog project here and also over at Sparky's Photo Hut, but I have to tell you, I am very very far behind. So, its gonna be a lot of catching up.



Back in April, we went to the Verizon Heritage Classic in Hilton Head. Though Sunday was not the best day to go, as you can see from the picture above, it did give me a great opportunity to take some pictures that you usually can't take at a golf tournament. The winds were bad that day, blowing the little white balls off the green. For some reason, I did not feel that sorry for the golfers though.

I hate my long irons

The good thing about a jam packed weekend, is the fact that it gives you plenty of blog fodder to work off as the week goes on. Heck, the danged weekend gave me at least 4 posts off the top of my head and then a few ancillary ones as well. Now thats my kind of weekend.

So, golf, a game that is supposed to be relaxing and fun. Many people say that you are supposed to get out all your aggression and tension by smacking the hell out of a little white ball. For me, it just seems to stress me out more.

Makefield Highlands is a beautiful, sort of links type course, with very few trees, wide open fairways and rolling topography. It also has some screwy dog legs left and right and some of the fun fun fescue. I spent alot of time in the damned fescue!

I throw the first hole out, I pretty much hopped out of my car and rambled quickly up to the first tee without any warm ups. And the middle holes, 2 to 8 were pretty uneventful, except for the fact that I could never really use my driver because it would have put me in a bad spot. So I had to rely on my long irons (clubs 2 through 7) and they just suck! They cause me to spray the ball all over the course, being a danger to everyone within two holes of me on either side. Hence, the tension.

Things did pick up after hole 10, a hole I was cursing on, so how much worse could it really get. But, on the 13th hole, I had a great drive, nice and straight, a nice shot with my hybrid club and then, holy shit, I chipped in from off the green for a birdie!! I mean, it looked like one of those dramatic, movie type Tiger Woods chips. The fact that I lost my golf ball three times on the next 5 holes did not deter the excitement I got from one freaking birdie.

Had a Grand Post planned

It was all political and complex. It probably would have pissed some people off, which is something I really do love doing. But, I turned around and it was 10:00 and the kitchen was still dirty from dinner, Garden State was the on TV set (a darn fine movie by the way) and I was stuffed.

Plus, golfing again tomorrow morning, at Makefield Highlands or something like that. Subway and Doc are in town, its Subway's annual family reunion at the shore and they come by and see us before they head down for the weekend. This happens every summer at this time and it usually involves an exhibition game of the Eagles. Yep, we got the tickets too, so we are off to do that tomorrow night. Sounds like a full weekend, all crammed into one day, which is usually how it is when Subway and Doc head up this way.

So, next week, the post in my head. So now, how do I tick people off before I go?

Starrlight sent this to me this week, and I said to myself I am going to go nowhere near it. Eh, Fuck it.

Ladies and gentleman, the V.P. as Kreskin...

A different Kinda risk

Any body that plays golf knows that not only is it a game that needs concentration and luck, but there is also a bit of risk involved. Do I try to drive my ball over the lake, or lay up (hmm that will seem like a bad term in a moment) short of the lake and just take a par. Do I try and whack (not good) the ball through this gap in the trees, or just chip it back onto the fairway and take my bogey.

Well, this week at the Island Green Country Club in Northeast Philadelphia, there was a different kind of risk, and probably a new way to describe an up and down on the golf course. (yes its a joke stolen from a beer commercial) Club Risque,a popular strip club, held a golf outing on Monday at the golf course, and apparently, some of the strippers that went along with the outing were doing a tad more then posing. Now, I wonder who didn't see this kind of trouble coming? Strippers in bikinis and there are just going to stay in bikinis? Sure they are. Now if this was a private course in the middle of nowhere, this may not have been such a big deal. But since Island Green is in the middle of one of the few straight up (eeps) suburban areas of Philadelphia and the fact that the some of the tee boxes and greens are close to the edge of the course, which leads out to those suburban neighborhoods, some of the innocent passersby were less then thrilled with the extra shows being done in the rough and buff.

NBC10 gets credit for answering the phone when the tip came through. Now, I have no real problem with strippers in bikinis on a golf course, of course I wouldnt. But, I wonder who came up with the brillant idea in the first place. Though, what would be worse would be if Chantal or Domica could out drive me. A lap dance would not compensate for the embarassment.

Where's Amy and El Pato

Its one of those times in a blog when you have two ways to go and you have to decide which way to go. But, I am going to take my cue from the Nightly News and do news before sports, weather, and the human interest story. But, try and hang on for it all, the human interest is a nice little thing to do.

Last week, or possibly even the week before there was a little boy left in an empty parking space at Christiana Medical Center in Newark, Delaware. A nurse discovered him, crying and hot from the sun, but overall healthy and agreeable in comparison to his situation. She brought him into the hospital and he eventually ended up with some foster parents while the autorities and the news tried to find his parents. The boy was 12 to 18 months, way beyond the safe haven law in Delaware, where you can leave a newborn baby up to one month old I think, with no questions asked. The child had a note with him, saying take care of John Vincent, since I can't anymore, God help me. Or at least something close to that.

Ok, sad story, the poor mother, what a shame, but at least the boy will probably end up with a good and happy home. Well, last week, their was a twist that takes the story from sad to something more sinister. Amy Giordano, the mother of the child is now missing. There have been statements that her abandoning her child at a hospital is irresonsible and she may be charged, if she is found. The problem is, she is from Hightstown, NJ. Hightstown is a good 2 hours away from Christiana. There are 3 hospitals that are closer, two of which within a half hour of where she lived. One of them is a nationally lauded hospital and another is run by a Catholic Church, who will not turn away an abandoned child. The third was my hospital as a kid, so its not going to be a fly by night operation. The note identified the boy as a totally different name then what his actually name was. There is an inkling in my brain that perhaps she has been met by some foul play, and Christiana was the first hospital someone found on 95 south for them to dump the kid.

Now to El Pato. See, we now quickly hop to sports! El Pato is the nickname of Angel Cabrera of Argentina. Cabrera is the 2007 US Open mens golf champion, defeating the number one and number 3 players in the world. Perhaps you have heard of them Tiger Woods and West Chester's Jim Furyk. Hats off to Cabrera, or even better, bills off to him, since El Pato stands for The Duck. Whats so remarkable about his win is that he is always one of those golfers that is right there, before the yips, jitters, or nerves hit him and he can not put a golf ball into the ocean. So, it was a shock that he beat Tiger, Furyk, a whole bunch of other name players, on a golf course that had greens as flat as a meatball pizza that has been jostled on the trip home. Nice one, Angel, Nice one!

Ok, real quick, if you have some time, hop on over and say hello to Chelle. She is having a really horrible day, having to do something none of us should have to do, so send her a cyber hug.

Blog Poke

And when I say poke, I mean the Poke that you can eat in Hawaii and not the other kind of poke, you sickos! Poke is a thrown together fish dinner on the islands, though its one of the few things that we actually did not get to eat out there.

Moving on, before I get really hungry, it seems that I actually have to talk about everything that I mentioned, terrific.

Lets get the sports out of the way first. The US Open is this weekend in mens golf and it is up in Pittsburgh. Its supposed to be at one of the hardest courses in the country and so far Oakmont is living up to its reputation. Turns out, it wasn't Chris Daughtry that was the first round leader, but it was Nick Dougherty of England. And Anthony is right, he does look like a bit of a pretty boy. The way the second round is going though, I do not think we will be seeing his name up on the top of the heap after day two. Of course, what do I know about golf really, since I think I would have trouble breaking 200.

So, sports over with, we move on to Mrs Duck and her injured knee. She probably just bruised it or something, because when I was pressing down on her ligaments and such, she never recoiled in pain. But, yesterday she was pretty much laid up, possibly bored out of her mind. She says she hurt herself while looking for something underneath her desk. I say, sue the company then! But, she must be feeling a bit better, because as I speak she is outside sweeping. She gets bored very easily. But the walk six blocks from the train station to the office might have taken her hours or even days, so she wastes another sick day. That actually could be why she feels bored actually, since she has to get something accomplished somewhere.

We decided to skip the neighborhood picnic get together yesterday, mostly because the wife was worried about standing there in pain. But, typical of this place we rent from, anything they try to do usually ends badly. Like yesterday, the weather has been close to gorgeous or at least warm for the last 2 weeks, well except yesterday. It was grey, windy and about 65 degrees. Not exactly picnic weather. But, no matter, its not like we paid for our hot dogs and hamburgers. On second thought, we probably did or at least will in a beverage based rent hike.

On the workfront, I am back into another interview on Monday. Please, no wishing me good luck though, since this will be a recurring theme throughout the blog, so you would have to be wishing me luck every week or so. After a while that gets old and I am sure some of ya'all would be saying, "sheesh, Sparky can't interview worth a damn." Every time I get a call to come in, I am hit by this internal feeling of should I or shouldn't I. I always seem to find the bad things about a job, as opposed to the good or positive things. I usually work it all out in my head, though Mrs Duck certainly sped up the process yesterday with her pep talk. Eventually, it broke down into a nice way of saying "get your butt a job!"

Well, there ya go, nothing really that exciting. When you are a blogging duck, things do seem to get slow at times. Oh, as for dumping my brain, I think that happens almost everytime I start typing at this laptop. Though Tiff did tag me for a meme last week, I may have to dump that all over the screen soon.

And no, I am not trying to get pregnant!

Thursday 13 #30-The South Carolina One

Thirteen Things about South Carolina The Duck Family is off this weekend, to the Palmetto State, Hilton Head to be exact. Its sun, fun, warmth, golf and in laws. No, no, really, its going to be fun. So, to help you share in the excitement, my list of course, I am not bringing you with me. 1.South Carolina has one of the coolest state flags ever. 2.The capital of South Carolina is Columbia, even though the most famous known city would probably be Charleston. Columbia is also home to the University of South Carolina. 3.South Carolina was also the first state to succede from the Union. The bombardment of Fort Sumter, in December 1860, is the first major battle of the Civil War. No one actually died from the hostilities, though a soldier supposedly was killed when his cannon blew up as the North was shooting off a surrender. If you are ever in Charleston, you should be sure to head out to the Fort Sumter monument. 4.James Brown, Joe Frazier, Stephen Colbert, Strom Thurmond, Eartha Kitt and Ben Bernacke are all famous sons and daughters of South Carolina. 5.Hootie and The Blowfish are known for getting their start in the many colleges and college bars in South Carolina. You can either applaud that or throw stuff at your computer now. 6.Mrs Duck & I are headed to Hilton Head, where we will stay with Subway and Doc. Spice Girl and the Tin Man will be following on Friday. 7.It is nearly impossible to get a direct flight from Philadelphia to Savannah or Hilton Head. So, not only do we have to deal with USAir, but we also have to deal with USAir transferring in Charlotte. Joy! 8.The key feature of the trip, besides visiting of course will be the final round of the Heritage Classic, being held at Harbourtown Country Club. 9.The tournament is worth 5.5 million dollars. Yes, thats right, a bunch of fat guys and the guys you called geeks in high school will be chasing a little white ball for 5.5 million dollars. 10.The last time we visited, Mrs Duck and Doc swear they saw Tom Cruise. I was off at the bathroom at the time, and since their is no photographic evidence of this occurrence, I am not sure I believe it. 11.The Island Packet is the daily newspaper on Hilton Head Island. The Packet makes your high school newspaper look good. 12. The best place to get sandwiches on the Island is Larry's Subs. 13.We are just looking forward to spend some time in the warm air and sun. Please do whatever thing it is that you do to be sure that we are safe in arriving and that we have some warm air and sun. I may not be able to visit as many blogs as I like to usually on Thursday, because of last minute details, but if you do leave a link, I promise to check your list next week when we come home. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Weekend, Holy Crap Im Exhausted

I understand that we are supposed to be tired on Monday. It is just a human beings right to be tired on a Monday. But this weekend was one filled with running around all over the place, so now I am still staggering as I type.

Ok, First things first, congratulations to Kailani for winning the Another All About Me book contest. We had 6 right answers and Kailani's number came up on a roll of the handy dandy Dungeons and Dragons dice roller. Way to go! Send me your book choice and your address, though the specificity of the correct answer is a tad scary.

By the way, the answer was an All Boys High School.

Though I do find it scary that no one has seemed to have ever heard of a coed Catholic school. At least in NJ, their were two all boys schools and one all girls school when I was in high school. Though, I am going to discount the High Schools in the way up north parts of NJ and the way way south of the state, since I don't even know whats going on in the places that are not mentioned on the Philadelphia or New York news. (editors note:Though I just meant the state of NJ when I meant Im discounting High Schools)

Anyway, the weekend in a nutshell.
Friday-Cleaning out closets, since Mrs Duck took the day off. That was depressing because I came to a sorry realization that I have become really really fat. Or at least outgrown all of my clothes in the midsection region. Though I guess it did not depress me that much since I still had a Slacks Hoagie and french friens with cheese whiz and BBQ sauce for dinner.

Saturday-Taxes, yick! Especially yick this year since we owe the government some money. Ok, more then some money! But it was by our own doing, ya need the money when you need that money and then pay the piper later. Looks like the piper is looking for his cash.

Sunday-Down to Spice Girls house for ham and the Masters. Dinner was excellent and I was drooling over their HDTV while watching the golf. Golf and hockey are supreme sports for HDTV, you could see the sweat on Tigers forehead as the tournament got away from him. And while most people have not heard of Zach Johnson, I am a sports geek. I remembered him from the Ryder Cup last year and in a golf pool that was held a few years back for the majors, he was one of the 10 golfers I picked. Though if I have to hear from Jim Nantz that Zack went to the University of Drake one more time, I may have to scream.

Speaking of golf, and yes I was, there will be no book giveaway contest this week, but I have been working on a golf contest that I have been very excited about, so please do stay tuned.

How was your weekend? Or have your eyes glazed over because this post was so long?

Yes, They are Playing for a Green Jacket

Another sign of the coming of Spring, though no one seemed to tell Mother Nature, is The Masters. It is possibly the most famous golf tournament in the world, though some Europeans will yell for the British Open, it is definitely the most famous tournament in the United States.
For my family, golf has always been a sport that we watch on TV. Tex was a golf coach once, so their is a part of him that actually watches these guys shoot and he knows what they are supposed to be doing. Me? I just go out and whack the hell out of the ball when I play and hope it goes straight. I usually enjoy watching the tournaments because it just looks warmer wherever they are playing. But, The Masters is also memories. I can still remember back in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus made his big comeback. He was old for golfers back then, and made a late charge to win his final green jacket. I don't know what I remember more, the excitement and cheers of the crowd, or the actually excitement Tex showed sitting in the living room watching it unfold. Another example of how sports can give you life long memories.
This year, I don't see how anyone can stop Tiger. Heck, I barely know who half these guys are and I am someone who pays attention to golf. Mickelson is not doomed yet, but he is surely teetering and is really only still in the tournament because Tiger had a lackluster first round, and a lot of the guys out in front are pretenders. If I had a dark horse pick from here, it would be Vaughn Taylor. And that's just a dark horse because you may have never heard of him.

Oh, a few other thoughts. If you are watching the coverage, keep an eye out for a wild colored haired photographer running around with her camera in the background. It could be Rhian. And if you do see her, ask her if she got my requests, er emails.

And if the board of Augusta National, weren't still a bunch of old fuddy duddies, keeping their club closed off and not allowing women as members, they might get to see sights like this some afternoon in Amen Corner.