Carmichael's Position

Red Bull Air Races in San Diego!

While in San Diego this past weekend we had the opportunity to watch some of the Red Bull Air Races... actually they were taking place right outside our hotel room on Coronado! 

Words cannot do it justice, so here's a bit of a photo montage to capture the moments!  If only I had the sound of those props!  Wow!   Enjoy...

    

 

 

Busting my Balls

Played Racquetball yesterday...  In preparation for yesterday's game I went down to the local Dick's sporting goods store to buy a replacement glove for the two that I blew out in Tuesday's games.  Oh, and while I'm there I might as well pick up a couple of cans of balls.

Searching the shelf I find a couple of 3-pack cans of ProPenn green balls.  Racquetball always is better with new balls!  Or so the story is supposed to go!

Things were looking pretty good for our end of the week de-compress.  My racquetball partner Rich and I even managed to reserve the best court at our club.

After stretching and our warm-ups we commence the beatings with the first of the new balls.  We play very competitive racquetball, both of us are rated as "A" players, are very evenly matched and neither of us give up on points too often.  It is a great workout and usually lots of fun.

Well 12 points into the first game... that's right 12 points... the that first ball explodes!  Damn... That's rare, they usually last more than that.  Ok maybe a defective ball, happens.  New ball two. 

Ball 2 ...Lasts halfway into the second game before giving up the ghost!  "What are you friggn' kidding me?... That was a good shot too!"

Third ball... pops after 20 or so points!  "For the Love of....!!!"

Second can...  Fourth total ball.  Blows up on a low passing shot rolling out a whopping 4 feet from the front wall!  Would have been cool if said ball didn't look like it was gasping for air!  Like the two combatants!  JEEEZUS!!! This is NUTS! 

We went through 4 brand new racquetballs in 6 games!  Now, yes, both Rich and I can accelerate a racquetball above the 100 mile an hour mark, but in our combined 57 years of racquetball experience we have NEVER blown 4 brand new balls in 6 games!

So if I may... my appraisal of the ProPenn green Racquetballs is somewhere to the south side of whale poop!  These balls are the worst I've ever played! Dead at the start and even more dead after 50 hits or so... Not a good performance record.  No wonder they claim to be the World's #1 Selling Brand!  You have to buy a CASE of them to get through a tournament!

Ironic that one of the claims on their packaging is "Improved Durability"!  Compared to what?  A marshmallow in a microwave?

JungleGrub is Now in Costco!

Now there is something to cheer about!

Many of you know I have been assisting Steve and Teresa Brandt, the founders of Organic Nutrition mostly in the form of some gentle business cheerleading and encouragement as well as building the JungleGrub News Blog for them. 

Well through Steve's dedication and perseverance JungleGrub Snack Bars are now available a select COSTCO stores in Southern California (sorry to the rest of my national readership... although I'm sure Steve and "T" won't mind if you go to your local COSTCO manager and request they too begin to stock JungleGrub... just say'n).

 

For those of you who do not know...

JungleGrub Snack Bars are the brain child of Steve and Teresa Brandt, two exceptionally brilliant and determined people!  And these bars are AWESOME!

           

What's so special about JungleGrub? 

Well, for starters... these bars were from the ground up created with kids in mind! That's why they are certified USDA organic.

That means nothing has been genetically altered or fed growth hormones and of course grown without the use of pesticides.  Bottom line - its straight forward food. When you see the USDA logo it should put you at ease that you won’t find things like High Fructose Corn Syrup in the ingredients.

And unlike other nutritional snack bars these do not taste like the bottom of your Gym Shoe with the texture of a Roofing Shingle!  No!  JungleGrub is sweet, fruity, appetizing and best of all easy to eat!  When you bite into a JungleGrub you can actually sink your teeth into one... you don't have to take out insurance on your teeth as you try to visegrip your way through them!

The other cool thing about JungleGrub is that each bar is currently only 100 calories!  That equates to just 15 minutes bowling, 30 minutes playing Frisbee, 18 minutes golfing or playing 13 hands of cards.  More importantly these bars help you accomplish these types of activities rather than require these types of activities!

For example, here's the nutritional label for Berry Bamboozle (my favorite)

More details can be found here: Link

So if you happen to live in So Cal and want to try some of these outstanding bars for yourself, or get some for your kids... BTW... They are great Lunchbox stuffers and Gym Bag stuffers for those of you pursuing your New Year's Resolutions!... Just head on down to your closest Costco on the date listed below and visit the JungleGrub Endcap!  You could even meet Steve and "T"!

PLEASE COME AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO BUY PRODUCT AND SUPPORT THE EVENTS!

• Week 1 January 3rd – 6^th
• Location: San Juan Capistrano
• Address: 33961 Doheny Park Rd,
• San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
• http://www.priceviewer.com/costco_locations/429-California.html
• Week 2 January 10th – 13th
• Location: Tustin 2 (there are 2 stores in Tustin)
• Address: 2700 Park Ave,
• Tustin, CA 92782
• [no link available for this new store]
• Week 3 January 17th-20th
• Location: Laguna Market Place
• Address: 27220 Heather Ridge Rd.,
• Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
• http://www.priceviewer.com/costco_locations/690-California.html
• Week 4 January 24th-27th
• Location: Irvine
• Address: 115 Technology Dr,
• Irvine, CA 92618
• http://www.priceviewer.com/costco_locations/454-California.html

For those of you not in SoCal, JungleGub is also available on Amazon.com [LINK].

Oof! Yeah... Don't Want to be "That Guy"

Watching the Holiday Bowl tonight on ESPN between Arizona State and Texas.  I'm not really for or against either team, I just want to watch some College Football before the long dearth begins in January.

I just watched an amazing turn of events that will plague a young guy for some time to come.  Knowing Texas Fans, despite this really being only a game for "Pride" this year, no first or second place being on the line and all... if Texas goes on to blow their 21 point lead at the time of the incident and loses this game... well ol' Chris (What's His Last Name) will be infamous in University of Texas lore. 

In the first half, Texas was on top of AZ State 21 to squat!  But State was pressing into the "Red Zone" and looking like they might get 7.  When on a third down and 11 The Sun Devil's QB faded back into a rapidly desintigrating pocket!  Being pursued and grabbed by a Texas Defence the QB tried to throw the ball away.  Unfortunately for him the resulting pass was not forward but turned out to be a latteral and in reality a fumble!  LIVE BALL on the ground!!!

The escaping pigskin was rapidly headed toward the Texas Sideline, which would have resulted in Arizona State retaining the football albeit with a resulting 4th down and very long.  This is where things took a turn for the sublime.  An individual standing on the Texas Sideline, looking like he thought the bounding ball was the result of an incomplete pass, and thus "Dead" went to pick the dadblame thing up!  It is claimed that he touched it... but I ain't too sure, personally I think he might have retracted his hands prior to contacting yon wayward ball.  Anyway the ball somehow stayed in the field of play and was recovered by the Longhorns.  First and Ten headed the other way!!!   Or "Not so fast..." according to the official Zebra herd.

After reviewing the play a number of times the lead zebra stated that the ball was indeed interfered with by the Texas Sideline.  Dead Ball, and possession stays w/ the Sun Devils, with an additional "Half the Distance" to the goal line awarded.

Well... OK...

Except, ESPN continued to keep the cameras focused on the poor guy who went to pick the ball up... Good 'ol Chris!  Yeah Chris just got his 15 minutes of fame, as undesired as it may be.  You can tell the dude feels terrible, his innocent efforts did indeed change an outcome of a play... The outcome of the game??? Cannot be determined, it will be what it will be.  But Arizona State did get 7 in the turn of events.

Chris is young, and what is worse so are his friends, and many Texas Football fans never grow past the playground, so yeah Chris can expect that he will definitely make the Sports Pages of tomorrow papers, if not the Front Page in Austin!  Don't fret Chris, this will only be a "Defining" moment if you let it.  You define you... not ESPN. 

Well... maybe not ... but it sure sounded good.  My suggestion, play it up! Get a spot on Letterman, or Best Damn Sports Show on their Greatest Dumbass Plays of the year special.  Get rich... and get the chicks!  I recommend looking in Tempe for the latter...

That Sox!

Well... that's that...  Damn it has been tough being a Padre and now a Colorado Rockies Fan. 

But to be honest... Kudos have to go to the Red Sox.  They simply outplayed the Rockies.  Anyone who claims an 8 day layoff did not negatively affect the HotRocks is fooling themselves! 

The Rockies and Clint Hurdle will obviously claim otherwise... they are a CLASS ACT afterall... but streaks are all about momentum!

Thanks Rockies for getting there and bringing all your fans, be they fair weather, or fully dedicated... you did indeed bring some joy to us here this year!  Baseball in October is Fun! 

Here's to October Baseball next year!

Recommend Putting Your Wedding Checklist on a Roll of Toilet Paper, So you Have ENOUGH Room for All! ... But at least there is Still Baseball!

Yeah... I know... Huh?

I haven't been blogging much this week, due to work load, baseball, and the increasing urgency to "GET CRAP DONE BEFORE THE WEDDING!"

Believe me I'd rather be in Reno right now! At the Tailhook National Symposium and Reunion.

But no... I'm here knocking out the "Wedding Checklist" and I guess I'm making headway, I know my bank account is rapidly depleting, so I guess I'm progressing.

It is not to say I haven't had time to enjoy myself a little this week, I have.  Wednesday night, a buddy of mine, Clay, invited me to go to the Rockies-Giants game over at Coors Field.  It was a nice respite... despite the rain.  I even managed to get a few good pics of the cheater Barry Bonds at the plate... hitting a home run to boot!

 

 

 

Awww... Was that too inside for your liking? 

But on the bright side, the Rockies were also on the field of play so I had the opportunity to watch a quality individual play ball too, Todd Helton.

But the rains... they did 'a come!

But the Baseball continued on...

Onions the size of Jupiter!!!!

Wow! What do you get when you cross Paris Hilton Smarts with Steve McQueen Nads! 

This dude in a "Rollersuit" headed down the Swiss Alps! [link]

glumbert.com - Rollersuit in the Swiss Alps

 

[HT Keith]

Senseless!

Absolutely Senseless!

We Bronco fans are not alone today in mourning the loss of Darrent Williams.  He was killed last night in a shooting here in Denver.

No more of a senseless act!  We're tired of this!

My prayers go out to Darrent's Family, Teammates, Friends and Fans.  We've all lost someone special today.

Game of the Day! Boise State -vs Oklahoma

Wow!  What a Game!

After watching my Denver Broncos lose their playoff bid on Sunday, my interests turned to the college bowls.  I had been anxiously awaiting the USC -vs- Michigan Game expecting a super competitive match... I was disappointed.

I had all but forgot about the Fiesta Bowl.  But the Night Cap between the Boise State Broncos and the Oklahoma Sooners was by far the best game of the weekend.  The game proved as exciting as any game could.  It contained a number of bizarre twists of fate, including three attempts at a 2 point conversion due to penalties, resulting in OU tie-ing the game at 28 after having been down by as much as 28-10.

The following series OU intercepted a pass returning it for a touchdown putting OU on top 35-28 with only 67 ticks remaining on the game clock.

Boise State, with their backs up against the wall, dug deep into their play book and pulled out the classic "Hook and Lateral "for a touchdown to tie the game with only 7 seconds left on the clock.

Game headed into overtime!  Where in the first series the two combatants exchanged touchdowns!  OU's came easy with the first play from scrimmage resulting in 6 points.  They kicked the extra point without issue.  Boise State's effort to attain six was much more laborious, a turf war, with every yard hard fought.  Through perseverance they achieved their end zone objective.  But in a very interesting call, Boise State choose to go with a 2 point conversion to win (or lose) the game rather than extend the game with a high percentage extra point kick.  Again, digging back into the Street Football Bag 'o Tricks Boise State converts with a "Statue of Liberty" play!  Of all things!

Winning in Overtime!  43-42! INCREDIBLE!  And it sure was fun to pull for the underdog!

GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY!

Tomorrow is the day for one of the greatest traditions in Football!  The Army Navy Game! 

If you are in the Denver Metro Area and would like to come cheer Navy on to Victory against West Point, please feel free to join a number of us at Red and Jerry's.  http://www.redandjerrys.com/

Map is here [LINK]

Game is at 12:30 (MST) and many of us plan on being on site around 12:00.

Recognize 2010!

Golf at Sanctuary!

I don't know what you all did for your Labor Day... But I had the once in a lifetime (hopefully not) opportunity to play one of the world's most exclusive golf courses.  Sanctuary! (full set of high quality photos can be found on my Smugmug Account here...[Link])

There are no members at Sanctuary! To play, you need to be invited, or play in one of the numerous Charitable events put on every year.  I was fortunate enough to be invited by a good friend.

As their website describes Sanctuary...

Sanctuary was created as a place of refuge, preservation and nourishment. Not just for wildlife, flora and fauna, but for those who want to nourish unique relationships, enjoy spectacular golf and benefit from a superior event support staff. It is an upscale experience renowned for its exclusive golf course, elegant year-round clubhouse facilities and exceptionally beautiful location. Spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains are the backdrop to what Golf Digest has twice ranked among America’s 100 greatest golf courses.

Offering a stunning panorama of the Rocky Mountains, the Sanctuary golf course is situated on a dramatic 220-acre site. Designed by renowned architect Jim Engh, the course was built in 1996 by RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger.

Liniger created the PGA-quality course in large part as a private enclave for charity golf tournaments. In the eight-year history of Sanctuary, charities have raised more than $23 million. Sanctuary provides golfers with more than great scenery – the challenging layout also has a reputation for forcing strategic choices throughout a round.  For example, the first tee overlooks the Rocky Mountains, with a 185-foot drop to the fairway on the 604-yard, par-5 first hole.

I had a tremendous time!  I shot a respectable 87 (with a couple of mulligans but only a couple!!!!) I know... you USGA purists can give me all the hell you want!  But this was for the entertainment, relaxation, and thrill of being on the course!  And wow!  What a course! Pristine! Beautiful! And yes intimidating!

I want to thank, Mark, Robert, and Brandon for a wonderful time... But I especially want to thank John for his gracious hosting of us all at this great course!

Golf with Friends

A few more notes about a great vacation in San Diego. 

The purpose of this break was to get away from the daily grind and get out with some really good friends, take in some sites and more importantly... Play Golf!

So what courses did I play?  Avaria?  Torrey Pines? Singing Hills? You ask…  Nope! 

We played some of the courses that a near and dear to my heart.

NAS North Island
Admiral Baker
MCAS Miramar

Why are these the tracks of choice?  Well I grew up on these courses.  They each offer strong memories of my youth, from Dad teaching me the extreme differences in Golf –vs- Baseball at Miramar, to my first Eagle at North Island.

From Stu and I (the only 2 idiots on the course) playing 18 holes in a steady rain at
North Island to he and I regularly finishing up 18 at Miramar in the Dark! 

And not to be out done, Tim’s 4 yard drive into the Ladies Tee Marker on the 18th at Baker North!  (But it went about 73 feet straight up after tinking the marker!  Landing with a determined thud not 3 feet from him!)

This is what makes golf fun!  Not the price of the course, it is the memories created by simply playing with great friends and family. 

And for the record... I didn't shoot all that well... But I sure did enjoy my time spent!

Go Aztecs!

Congratulations to the San Diego State Aztecs!  My Alma Mater has once again made it to the show! Saturday, they clinched their spot by winning the Mountain West Conference, defeating Wyoming 69-64 in overtime.

I cannot say I'm much of a basketball fan, but having a horse in the race will definitely  make the NCAA Tournament a bit more interesting, hopefully for more than just the first round! One thing is for sure, they won't advance too far unless they can dramatically improve their shooting percentage!  28% is nothing to write home about!

Good Luck Aztecs!  Do us proud!

Racquetball

I'm fairly athletic...  well for a "Crap! I'm only 3 months away from 40" year old!  Now please don't confuse me with one of those runner perverts!  I cannot stand running for distance.  To me a long distance run is...well... a double!  Through high school I played the reflex sports!  Baseball (2nd base, 3rd base and catcher), I wrestled, well actually I counted a lot of ceiling tiles (weighing 89 pounds and wrestling in the 101 weight class will do that to you!), and I played tennis. 

Now, I play racquetball. 

I love the sport for the workout I get while forgetting that it is actually exercise and I am no longer 25!  I play it for all I am worth.  I play in the "A" leagues, and while I do not win them all, I do make them competitive.  I have a "Never Say Die" attitude on the court.  And many of my opponents will attest to the fact I refuse to call a hinder until I have made ALL efforts to get to the ball... yes even if you are between me and the ball!  I am respectful however, in that I know that my struck racquetball can approach supersonic (At least it sounds that way) and to be the surrogate front wall in such circumstances is not fun... but Damn you should see the welts that can leave!

I've played the sport for going on 24 years now, with a number of unintentional sabbaticals sprinkled in.  In the past year and a half, I have picked the sport up again in earnest in an effort to fight the impending floatation device that seems to be dead set on inflating around my mid-section, ruining my view of my size 12 Nikes!  So far it is paying off!  My size 34 Levi's are not tight!  And I can still wear belts with normal belt buckles, not those cowboy girdles!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have caught one "Pain in the Ass" of a cold.  This bastard really wiped me out for the past two weeks.  Which has precluded me from exorcising my stress demons on the court.  I have been grumpy!  Well this past Friday, I stepped gum rubber laden foot once again on the wood floor, and played a respectable game against one of my usual opponents.  He won the majority of the 5 games, but not all.  And considering my endurance was somewhat wanting, I still felt better for the effort.

Then came today.  Because of my layoff I had some matches to make up in my league.  So I played 3 independent matches, 3 games each!  Wouldn't you just know it, I couldn't win any one of them in the first 2 games, nor would I give in, so all went the maximum 3 games.  And damn it I only won 1 out of the 3 matches!

But I did learn a really interesting fact relating to Newton's First Law (Inertia) during tonight's matches.  When in the final stages of fighting a cold, the snot stays with you till the end... well... almost!  Snot doesn't like sudden stops and rapid changes of directions!  I felt like a rodeo bull!  Fortunately none of my opponents suffered the "Rodeo Clown Rinse!"  But I did manage to make a lasso or two.... I Hate Colds!  Don't get this thing!  It takes all the fun out of racquetball and other activities!

Navy Beats Air Force in Practical Joke!

You gotta love the fact that some of us haven't forgotten how to have a bit of spirited fun.  Especially those in uniform.  Every year the Armed Forces Academies (West Point, Air Force Academy, and the Naval Academy) exchange a number of cadets/midshipmen to the other service academy.

In so doing, the normal inter-service rivalry is significantly increased.  The "prisoner" cadets will often find a way to have a little fun at the hosting academy's expense.

This year the "Middies" attending the Air Force Academy pulled off one of the better practical jokes I have seen in a long time!

Every Military base, post, school has some form of static display to proudly show what they are all about.  Navy Bases have everything from Anchors to Cannons to Aircraft on display often referred to as "Gate Guards" or "Birds on a Stick."  Army posts have the obligatory Tank or Howitzer on display.  And the Air Force always has aircraft or rockets. 

The Air Force Academy has a wonderful collection of actual aircraft that served in the various conflicts around the world, ranging from a B-52 to an F-4D Phantom that actually shot down a number of enemy fighters in the Vietnam War.  The Pride of the Air Force on display for all future officers attending the school to see and be reminded why they are there.

Well the Middies pulled one off on the ole Cadets of Air Force!  This is approximately how their F-4D Phantom usually looks:

 

And after the Midshipmen of Navy got a hold of her...

LOVE THIS!  Bravo Zulu Navy!!!!!  Go Navy! Beat Air Force!

Hat tip to Matt Harthun of Matt's Angry Rants!  Here is the article about this wonderful prank.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2005/10_06-46/TOP

Even the worst day of golf...

It is amazing how the simple (at times Pain in the Ass) game of golf can be so cathartic.  I played this weekend (terribly I might add) with a couple of buddies of mine at a wonderful municipal course here in Colorado.  It is included in the Denver City Courses but is actually 30+ miles away from the city in the town of Evergreen, CO.

Any other course, with any other group of friends I might have been really ticked at my 4th 4 putt of the day!  But it was really difficult this fine Saturday to get overly upset.  Hell I was away from the office, away from the computer, hanging out with fellow "Average Golfers" simply enjoying the vistas and striking every third shot really well!  Enough to "Keep me coming back!"

Here's to "The worst day of golf!" with friends!  Thanks Stu, John and Jason... I needed that!

Why the Pink Hat, Tim?

Have you ever enjoyed good competition with a friend?  I love good competition!  My buddy Tim Husbands is very competitive, and loves to make sure something is a stake if we are truly going to compete.  In honor of full disclosure, Tim has not beat me too many times in golf.  Actually I think it was once.  Of course that could be selective memory on my part.  But I do remember that Tim played very well the day he did beat me.  I believe it was an 81 or 82.

Anyway, Tim, ever the optimist but truly the realist came up with a friendly competition between him and me during our golf junket just to keep things interesting.

Knowing the odds weren’t really in his favor if he simply made a bet on the overall winner of our round, came up with a hole by hole competition.  A “Skins Match” of a sort.  But the loser would have to wear the most effeminate pink hat we could find. I wasn’t too concerned, I’m quite confident in my masculinity, but anyone who knows the Carmichael competitive spirit (ask anyone who has ever watched my dad and I play racquetball), knows that… I’ll be damned if I’m going to wear that hat too often!  It was actually a very fun and friendly competition and to be fair, I did lose on a couple (or three I think) holes and I took my obligation under the pink chapeau!

And as promised on the course, I am publishing the evidence here for all to bear witness, of both Tim (nice pose!) and I as losers… temporarily.  What was actually fun about the whole thing was some of the comments and interest other 4-somes took in our wager!  As the group behind us caught up on the various par 3’s they were trying to cheer Tim on in his efforts to relinquish the not too stylish dome cover.  I was more than happy to disappoint them!  And amazingly enough the other two in our four-some wanted nothing to do with our little competition, I can’t understand why!

Anyway it certainly changes the focus of the golf game from the final outcome to one of immediate returns, I guess there is a small analogy to life there, focus on the here and now and take great pleasure in life’s little successes, and know that disappointment is only a sand bunker away.   I highly recommend that if you go play golf with some good buddies, come up with something like this, it makes the banter all that much richer.  And you’ll have stories to tell for years, and ain’t that what life is all about?

Thanks again Tim for all the fun!  Oh yeah and here's the pic of me after I lost a hole...

Oh yeah I almost forgot...  Over in my photo albums (upper right) I have posted a number of photos from this great trip.  Feel free to take a look.

Golf blog for the rest of us

I ran across a very entertaining golf related weblog today and I thought I would pass it along they are the “SortaGolf Association” which is to say Golf for the rest of us:  So much they have even made clear the seven stages of golf grief, submitted here in it’s entirety.  There is plenty more over at their blog so please go take a look.

The Seven Stages of Golf Grief

The Seven Stages of Grief has helped people all over the world deal with grief, loss and change.

1. Shock
2. Denial
3. Bargaining
4. Fear
5. Anger
6. Despair
7. and finally, Acceptance

Whether it's the death of a loved one, the death of a marriage, or other life-changing event, these seven steps identify the choices we make that allow us to move forward, making the changes that result in our integrating the loss rather than being stuck in it forever.

The same process applies to golf.  Coming to terms with the inadequacy and injustice of one's golf game is achieved through the Seven Stages of Golf Grief:

Shock:  "I can’t believe I’m not getting any better at this game.  My dream is to play better, consistent golf."

Denial: "Another crappy round. This isn’t happening to me, I’m gonna be better next round.  My golf dreams will come true."

Bargaining:  "Ok, if I’ll buy this new set of clubs and take a lot of expensive lessons then I’ll get better, right?"

Fear:  "Oh no. what if I never get good at this game.  What will my friends and family think?"

Anger:  "I hate this game.  With all the time and money I spend on golf I deserve to play better."

Depair: "I’m never going to be able to enjoy this game."

Acceptance:  "This is as good as I’m ever gonna get.  My golf dream is dead."

Grieve not golfers.  There is another group of seven that offers golfing fulfillment and satisfaction.  It's the7 Amendments to the USGA Rules of Golf.  It's the way golf was originally meant to be played and enjoyed.

Related...

[SortaGolf Association]

Myrtle Beach Golf Outing (AKA Tim and the Gator at 14!)

I just returned from a wonderful 4 day golf vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; almost Mecca for Golfers.  True Golf Mecca is Augusta National (Mecca West is Pebble Beach).   My buddy Tim Husbands, enabled this for me months ago when a slot opened in his neighborhood yearly golf junket.   Tim and I have known each other since our college days at San Diego State University.  And have constantly remained in touch with each other regardless of where our careers/family have taken us.

Tim is an interesting cat to say the least.  The word Enigma doesn’t even begin to scratch the pimple on the butt of the body of words that it would take to describe Tim Husbands.  But fun loving, dedicated, friend would be a good start.  I’ll post more on Tim in another blog where I can dedicate the proper space to describing his endearing qualities (you know a paragraph or two…).  But on to golf.  Myrtle Beach is definitively a golfer’s paradise.  There are at lease 100 high quality courses in a 50 mile radius, we played 4 of them.

River Hills  http://www.riverhillsgolf.com/
True Blue  http://www.truebluegolf.com/

Belle Terre Championship  http://belleterre.com/ 

Tigers Eye http://www.tigerseye.com/te.html

Of these, Tiger’s Eye was by far my favorite and in the best condition (with the exception of the waste areas and bunkers that were hard packed and wet due to days of rain).  True Blue came in a very close second.  Belle Terre greens were worse than many municipals I’ve played and River Hills was a fairly standard course (in the more traditional style).

I cannot claim that I set any scoring records on any of these courses; as a matter of fact my scores were some of my highest in the past 15 years.  I can certainly attribute this fact to my lack of recent practice, remember I live in Denver and our golfing opportunities in winter are somewhat limited.  In hindsight, if I had played in Denver through this winter I would have been aptly prepared for what greeted us on the first tee at River Hills on Thursday.  Drizzle, 15-20 knot winds and a 32 degree wind-chill!  This is South Carolina!  I promptly went into the proshop and acquired some winter golf gloves that saved my day!  And God bless Tim for the Rain gear!

The three of us Tim, Andy and I, played like the frozen pudding pop amateurs we were that day, the term warm-up round lost its significance in the icicles dripping off the golf cart’s fenders.

The next couple of days were little improved in regard to the ever-present overcast, but at least the temperature rose to a balmy 47!  Despite the weather we had a great time.  Any time on the course and away from life’s usual drudgeries is blessed.  Some of our fun came certainly at Tim’s expense.

There were only three of us on this trip, unfortunately the planned 4^th (a different Tim) had to pass on the trip due to an injury to his meniscus.  I was told by Tim and Andy that I had missed out on meeting a very fun and interesting individual.  From the stories I heard of previous excursions, I’m inclined to agree, Tim I hope I get the chance to meet you some day.  Anyway, because we were three, the opportunity for the course starter to add a fourth to our group presented itself.  Which on True Blue, he exercised that very option.  An elder named Charlie joined our group.  He had played TB before and provided us excellent council on a number of holes. To whit we were very thankful.  Especially on one hole! a particularity ornery par three over water.  Andy and I landed our tee shots on the relatively safe green.  Tim however, landed just short of the green in the waste area doubling as the shore line of the pond.  Tim the intrepid headed to his ball with sand wedge in hand prepared to pick the ball clean and deposit it safely near the pin.  While climbing down the embankment to the shoreline, Charlie gently counseled to “Keep an eye out for the Alligator,” known to inhabit this particular pond.

Tim with a newfound air of caution, pressed on.  Brave sole that he is!  No fear of a gator was going to ruin his up and down for par!  Tim began his ritual of addressing this challenging shot, keeping a wary eye toward the water’s edge.  About this time Andy, who was standing with me up on the green, slightly to the left and behind Tim’s line of sight, in a whisper asked if I had a spare ball on me.  Instinctively I checked my pocket and “Yeah, I got one… What do you need it f…. Ahhhh… Great idea!”

I quickly and quietly retrieved the spare ball from my pocket, and waited for the exact right moment.  As Tim started his club into his backswing, I lofted the ball high up over his head and beyond him targeting the pond immediately behind him.  The timing could not have been better!  Tim thinking “Chip and a putt for par… chip and a putt…  chip and a putt… now hit a clean one and don’t forget the alligator… chip and a putt…” started his downswing, made a great chip shot and stood briefly admiring his escape from the sandy shoreline.  Very Briefly!... For at that very moment, my spare, high lobbed, golf ball landed precisely on target 8 feet into the pond immediately behind Tim with a distinctively Alligator-ish splash!

Humans have an instinctive “fight or flight” reaction to impending danger.  Tim had no desire for the “Fight” part of that equation!  He was nothing but a scrambilin’ “Get me the hell out of here” mass of elbows, thighs, sand-wedge, raingear and firmly entrenched golf cleats flighting for all he was worth to get his ass away from that man-eating golfball, that clearly had its sights on him!  He was pure adrenaline at that moment!  What a spectacular!  Andy, Charlie and I were in tears!  Charlie, not having known us prior to this round certainly enjoyed the show, and I’m sure that evening was regaling his buddies with the adventure at 14!  Thankful that he wasn’t a longtime friend of ours having witnessed first hand how we treat our longtime friends.  Crawkie!

Tim didn’t come down off his adrenaline rush for the next two holes!  Tim, always the prankster was absolutely a good sport on the whole thing.  He, ever the practical joke connoisseur, appreciated the quick thinking of Andy and my expert marksmanship in leveraging a fairly innocuous statement by an innocent yet truly concerned bystander, Charlie.

That’s enough for now…  Next post: Why the pink hat Tim?

Army Navy Game Preempted for High School Football

High school football is not worthy of preempting the Army-Navy Game! I understand the interest by parents, friends and a select few prep-football zealots, and I’ll even concede a higher level of local interest in a State Championship game. However, a CBS affiliate in a semi-major market like Denver Colorado preempting, only to later join in progress, one of the most celebrated recurring events in college football is so inconsiderately narrow of focus it only leads me to have to begin to agree with those who claim that Denver is still just a wanting to be taken seriously "Cow Town."

I recognize the importance of high school football to a large number of residents in the Denver area. Hell I'm somewhat of a high school football fan myself. And I did have an interest in learning which team won the state championship game. I would even welcome the opportunity to view the game on local television. But… Colorado is a military state albeit more Army and Air Force than my favorite Navy, and as one of the big three affiliates covering the broadest area of the state the Denver CBS affiliate should recognize this and consider it an obligation to represent the larger interest in this case.

My buddy Ken and I have a regular yearly ritual of getting together and cheering on Navy to victory over Army. It is in our book as good a rivalry as Michigan –vs- Ohio State, USC –vs-UCLA, Georgia –vs- Georgia Tech, and dare I say it Colorado –vs- Nebraska. But understand something here… The Army Navy Game is more than football! It is ceremony, it is honor, and it is iconic. It allows America to witness the discipline and dedication of those young men and women who have chosen to serve their country. The pomp and pageantry prior to the game and after the game is as much a part of the tradition as the game itself! Again it allows Americans to see for themselves the dedication these young, and extremely bright individuals possess. It’s heartwarming to see the Midshipmen and the Long Gray Line enter the field in what is easily one of the most spectacular expressions of military pride. Followed by a National Anthem that you know those in attendance do not have to be asked to stand for. And then the obligatory Fly-Over of our active duty military personnel showing their respect to those on the field and in the stands and yes even watching at home and in their favorite sports bar. An honor to bestowed by those who understand the sacrifices these individuals are prepared to accept. This game is far more important as celebration than just the game. Millions who never served a day in their life love this game for it’s history, and millions more who currently serve view this game as a chance for a good natured dig to their service rivalry. Even Navy Juniors and Army Brats enjoy the rivalry and the pageantry.

But I along with tens of thousands of others in the Denver market were denied that opportunity by CBS, who did not even buy airtime on another minor channel to facilitate an option for those of us who celebrate our pride in our Armed Services in this manner.

Ken and I had even made the effort to watch the game at one of the Nationally Recognized Sports Bar Downtown where, we noticed a number of other Army-Navy fans had congregated to enjoy the game in a sports oriented atmosphere. We were all greatly dismayed when we were informed by a waitress, bartender, or assistant manager that we would not be able to see the Army Navy Game until after the Colorado State High School Championship game was complete. An expected hour into the Army Navy Game’s Broadcast! What! Change the Damn Channel!

"Can’t..., rules on local broadcasts of affiliate national broadcast stations via satellite, in a public access facility prohibit us from taping into another CBS affiliate, we’re stuck."

It was one of those situations where, despite access to over 200 channels we couldn’t do a damn thing! And simply leaving the bar for another destination would have been to no avail, thanks to a CBS affiliate who deemed a high school football game as more commonly interesting than a national icon.

The most frustrating is not knowing who to take out our angst on. Now mind you we all understand that at its core it is a football game. And certainly shouldn’t rise to the level of protest rallies and boycotts etc. I do not think it was CBS-4’s intent to frustrate, disappoint, and by their actions disrespect the 10’s of thousands of military supporters and fans of one of the greatest rivalries played who by the decision of a program director were prevented from enjoying this once a year spectacle. (or at least I hope not!) Who planned this? Can’t the State Championship Game be played on Friday Night in a big stadium like in California and Texas as to not interfere with Rivalry and Championship weekend in College football?

Find a better solution CBS-4! When you’re the affiliate carrying one of the most watched games of the year, you need to be a bit more accommodating to your viewers.