Archive for the 'Golf' Category

Thoughts at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on June 16, 2008
in Golf, NBA, NBA Draft 2008, NFL and Thoughts
. 1 Comment

- If I hear one person mention the words “Willis Reed” and “Tiger Woods” in the same sentence this week, I’m going to light myself on fire.

- I can’t help it. I told you so.

- I don’t really think I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m going with… Brook Lopez = BUST.

- Here in LA, Laker fans are absolutely going crazy. Not “crazy” like cheering and happy, but “crazy” like this series is wrapped up… for them. In 7. In Boston.

- Speaking of Los Angeles, we need to seriously consider making rules for TIVO and telling people when they can and cannot tell people about what has happened on a sports game, sitcom, reality show, or whatever.

Last night I emerged from a play (I had TIVO’ed the game) and one usher was just shouting - “The Lakers won! Celtics lose!” for no reason. We had just watched Glinda and Elphaba sing to each other, possibly a very touching moment for some, and the usher thought it was a good idea to let everyone know what had happened in the game. Thanks, Dick.

First off, these were people going to see a PLAY. A PLAY. Not at the Dodgers game or a Kings game, not even at a comedy show- it was a freakin’ PLAY. The majority of these people get hungry when you mention the word “Kobe”, not think of one of the greatest players of our time. I don’t think they cared enough to walk right out of the show and hear what happened.

And second, on that topic, way to ruin the show for these people, Douche. These nice old ladies just saw a great Musical and want to talk about it and they get bum-rushed by Lakers news- You are an usher at Pantages Theater, not a security guard at Staples! The old ladies were so confused, they were still in the Land of Oz, they didn’t know what was going on.

And last, but certainly not least- I TIVO’ed the game, ASS. I turned my cell phone off, didn’t check it at intermission, stayed far away from any person that said words like “Ball” even though they were talking about the dance they just saw or words like “Perkins” even though they were talking about where they were going for dinner after the show. I managed to ignore every one and every thing and all I had left was a straight shoot down Hollywood Blvd. back home, ignoring random Homeless Men in Lakers jerseys, the blonde-black midget, and Tom Petty Spiderman- or anyone else who talks to me.

I, too, have let the proverbial cat out of the bag before, once telling a friend “Oh, you missed that last ‘Office’ where they kissed at the end?”, so I know both sides of this. And I have since tried my best to understand that you cannot tell anyone anything about anything on TV unless you preface it with “Did you watch… (blank)… yet?” I don’t care if it is Game 7 of the NBA Finals or the 3rd episode of the 5th season of Tila Tequila, I don’t talk about anything on TV to anyone.

And that should be your rule now, too.

Golf at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on July 17, 2007
in Golf and Rap
. 3 Comments


Checking my email late one evening several weeks ago, I came across a scathing rant addressed to a “Daniel-san”, which is my blogging nom de plum, obviously not my real name, nor how I should be addressed when being attacked personally.

The assailant was a person who signed off as “Ja Skillz”, but had claimed the nickname of “Daniel-san” as an alias… an alias he used as a Rapper (he also claimed “The Elite”, “The Franchise”, and “The Commissioner”). He wanted me to cease using the name “Daniel-san” to write posts… immediately.

After a few entertaining- but vicious- emails back and forth, I became very intrigued about this “Rapper” and asked him to send me some of his stuff. A week after I quickly turned down his offer for me to buy an album for $35, he sent along a couple of songs and this “Bio”:

Born in the dead of winter in the rugged streets of Buffalo, NY, Ja Skillz learned to fend for himself by the time he was a mere toddler and moved to the 6 Mile neighborhood in Detroit, MI (2 Miles tougher than Eminem’s neighborhood). After hustling for 2 and a half years, he moved to Trenton, NJ to sell crack. During the infamous crack shortage of 1996, he was forced to move back home to South Buffalo to run drugs in from the nearby Canadian border. After three years in Juvey, he tried to set himself straight and get into the Rap game. After spending an entire year working on the now classic album “Where’s My Forty Acres and a Mule?” (2002) in the ghetto of Syracuse, NY, he was shot eleven times (2 more than Fifty) in a beef that stemmed back to his days hustlin’ in the streets of Detroit. He was in a coma for 16 months, lost his ability to smell and hear, but was still able to make a strong comeback with the hit “Norwood Wide Right”.

At this point, I was disappointed, a little amused, but mainly just disappointed that this whole thing was nothing more than a hoax. I figured the songs were dangerous viruses and I didn’t download them… until a week later when “Skillz” emailed me:

Have you listened to the tracks yet? What do you think?

He seemed serious. So I went to the Library and downloaded the files on that computer.

And what I found has to be the only Rap song ever that is solely about the game of Golf.

I thought now, right before the British Open, would be the perfect time to unveil this song, as Skillz even references Jean Van De Velde, the man who we last saw at Carnoustie (also the site of this year’s Open Championship), gracing us with “the least clutch moment in all of sports.”

Even if Ja Skillz is trying to make up a persona, he actually recorded this… he actually wrote it out, made a beat (although it’s tough to hear sometimes because of poor audio quality)- I no longer cared what lies he was telling me or what stories he was making up- you can’t lie about a song. I can hear it. He actually made this gem. And by “gem”, I mean… well… you’ll see.

So, without further ado, here’s Ja Skillz- with “Game’s Displayin’”:

Ok, so maybe it is a virus.

(I’m actually slightly entertained- the reference to Tom Watson’s 1982 U.S. Open chip, rapping about Arnold Palmer being Golf’s first millionaire, a random Mike Myers SNL reference- it’s just messed up… but strangely appealing. I don’t really know what to say.)

Link to song

Golf at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on June 18, 2007
in Golf
. 0 Comments

During the 2002 PGA Championship was the first time I saw the stat.

Tiger Woods was 26-years-old, had 8 Major Championships, but his first 2nd Place finish in a Major here seemed destined to be. He had bogeyed 13 and 14 at the Hazeltine National Golf Club and no-namer Rich Beem had taken a 4 shot lead on the final day of the Championship.

That’s when the guys at CBS put up the stat. It flashed on the screen and I immediately thought, no way, that’s got to be a typo. Jack Nicklaus, to go along with his 18 Major victories, had 19 2nd Place finishes. 19. They didn’t blame it on his conservative play, but actually congratulated him for such a feat- which it was, it was an amazing feat- but as a guy who lived in Buffalo for 4 consecutive early 90’s “2nd Place” finishes, I took it as more of a failure.

I know Golf is a different sport than most and a person who wins 10% of the time is considered a legend, but the stat just took me aback for a second. Today, I realize the significance of the stat and how great a top 2 finish in a Golf Tournament truly is, but it meant failure to me at the time and, by the end of the 2002 PGA Championship, that stat meant absolute failure.

That is because Tiger, playing ahead of Rich Beem, went on to birdie 15, 16, 17, and 18 to finish his day 5-under. The crowd was going positively insane. Yes, it was a Golf crowd, but it actually seemed to rival the nearby Metrodome crowd during a Twins Playoff game. Tiger wasn’t going to take anything less than 1st Place.

But then something strange happened. That pesky little Rich Beem birdied 16 and won by 1-stroke. Tiger had “failed”, it seemed. He had never been this close without winning before. It seemed like he detested this feeling of “2nd Place”, too. This was just a fluke. He had come on strong down the stretch, when it really mattered, so there would be no way he’d even come close to those 19 2nd Place Major finishes that Nicklaus had. Oh, but he’d smash that 18 victories for sure.

Now it’s almost 5 years later and, yes, Tiger has won a few more Majors (12 total now), but he also finished 2nd three more times, including twice in a row now. I don’t want to just be another guy who questions whether Tiger has lost his edge or not and blame it on his family life (many say families ruin your killer’s instinct)- which is not an awful theory, though. He did met his wife, Elin, at the 2001 British Open and, obviously, they became more serious as they got engaged in late 2003 (Tiger didn’t win a Major in 2003 or 2004- could be an unrelated stat).

All I’m saying is that we are starting to look at Tiger very differently now. While I once thought that 2nd Place Major stat was a “failure” and unreachable for Tiger, anyway, I now think it’s starting to look reachable- even in the distant future- but, more importantly, I wonder if that record is going to be considered a “failure” to Tiger?

His post game comments didn’t seem to show which side of the fence he really is on yet. He said “placing 2nd’s never fun”, which reminded me of the old Tiger, but he later went on to say that his last 4 Major finishes (won 2, 2nd Place in the other 2), “isn’t terrible”, which is fine for every normal human being, but for Tiger Woods, no matter how good it is, we want him- we expect him- to say that, unless he won all 4 tournaments, that it “is terrible”. That it is a failure (even though it clearly is an accomplishment).

Maybe with time, 2nd Place finishes just look better. Maybe that’s why Jack’s stat was so amazing to a Golf aficionado. Because it truly is an amazing stat- but for the Tiger I once knew, it was all or nothing- that stat seemed no different than 19 last place finishes for him. But now he may be realizing that 2nd Place is no so bad in the game of Golf.

And maybe someday the early 1990’s Buffalo Bills will be considered one of the greatest teams of all-time.

But I doubt it.

Thoughts at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on April 9, 2007
in Golf, MLB, New York Yankees, Rap, TV and Thoughts
. 2 Comments

- Boy do the Yankees need pitching- and Bernie Williams. Miguel Cairo was playing the Outfield and a hurt Johnny Damon was put in late in the game. Bernie refused to come to spring training without a guaranteed contract and now the Yankees are calling up guys from Triple A. I know Bernie is possibly not in baseball shape right now, but what does that mean? Bobby Abreu looks like a cross between John Kruk and Sammy Sosa and he’s fine. It’s sad that Bernie has gone out like this, but he or Cashman or somebody is just being stupidly stubborn here.

- I’m not sexist, but I do like the fact that when the Yankees win, they play Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” and when they lose some woman sings it.

- I’ve finally figured out why people hate A-Rod: His at-bat music choices were “Walk It Out” by Unk and “This is Why I’m Hot” by Mims at the game on Sunday. Awful. Just awful. This is one of the times in Rap History that I’m glad Biggie and Tupac aren’t alive to see this.

- Bobby was right on “The Sopranos” last night, but I still enjoy playing with the Free Parking Rule- i.e., how Tony and Carmela played, not just placing $500 in the center to start the game. Come on. That’d be ridiculous.

- I know it’s just how his shirt is, but at the end of this video, Zach Johnson looks like he popped his collar when he put on the Green Jacket. I bet the members at Augusta were none too pleased with that move.