斉藤愛璃は“84”の大乱調の幕切れにも「悪くなかった」

2012年04月01日18時08分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア優勝 笠　りつ子 -3
2 イエ・リーイン -1
一ノ瀬　優希 -1
服部　真夕 -1
茂木　宏美 -1
6 ジョン・ミジョン 0
ヤング・キム 0
8 キム・ソヒ +1
N・キャンベル +1
10 井芹　美保子 +2


順位の続きを見る





ティグラウンドをリスが横切り思わず笑顔（撮影：ＡＬＢＡ）







＜ヤマハレディースオープン葛城　最終日◇1日◇葛城ゴルフ倶楽部(6,587ヤード・パー72)＞

　「ヤマハレディースオープン葛城」の最終日。優勝した笠りつ子と同組で大ギャラリーを引き連れてラウンドした斉藤愛璃だったが、この日は“84”と大崩れでトータル13オーバーの65位タイに沈んだ。

笠りつ子、古閑先輩に続いた！目標の大会でツアー2勝目

　笠、斉藤、諸見里しのぶの同組の中で、序盤もっとも安定したゴルフを見せたのは斉藤。7番はボギーとしたものの、持ち味である粘りのゴルフでトータル2オーバーで前半を終える。しかし、風が強まった後半に大失速。11番でダブルボギーを叩くと、12番、13番と連続ボギー。14番パー4ではティショットを2度OBとし“9”を叩いた。

　今大会は2日目が降雨中止のため、ツアーの規定で賞金額は75％、賞金配分は50位タイまでとなっている。これにより、65位タイの斉藤は予選ラウンドは通過したものの賞金を受け取ることが出来なくなってしまった。ところが、大乱調の幕切れにも当の本人に引きずる様子はない。「叩いているところはほとんどパターで、スコアはボロボロでしたが、ゴルフ自体はそこまで悪くはなかったです」とケロリ。「こういうこともありますし、また気持ちを切り替えて頑張ります」と前を向いていた。

【最終結果】
優勝：笠りつ子(-3)
2位T：葉莉英（イエ・リーイン）(-1)
2位T：一ノ瀬優希(-1)
2位T：茂木宏美(-1)
2位T：服部真夕(-1)
6位T：ヤング・キム(E)
6位T：全美貞(ジョン・ミジョン)(E)
8位T：キム・ソヒ(+1)
8位T：ニッキー・キャンベル(+1)
10位T：原江里菜(+2)他6名

21位T：横峯さくら(+5)他7名
65位T：斉藤愛璃(+13)他3名

国内男子賞金ランキング、藤田寛之が首位に！

2012年09月17日11時28分






賞金ランキング首位の藤田寛之（撮影：米山聡明）






＜国内男子賞金ランキング＞

　国内男子ツアー「ANAオープン」終了時の賞金ランキングが発表され、今季3勝目を挙げた藤田寛之が首位に立った。

藤田寛之が今季3勝目！「とても大きな1勝」

　3週連続2位フィニッシュの池田勇太は7位、石川遼は29位となっている。

【国内男子賞金ランキング】
1位：藤田寛之　(93,623,722円)
2位：ブレンダン・ジョーンズ　(73,062,788円)
3位：イ・キョンフン　(63,836,694円)
4位：金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)　(59,475,880円)
5位：藤本佳則　(58,298,894円)
6位：谷口徹　(51,273,891円)
7位：池田勇太　(51,255,590円)
8位：武藤俊憲　(39,523,941円)
9位：金庚泰(キム・キョンテ)　(39,459,557円)
10位：I・J・ジャン　(38,652,827円)

29位：石川遼　(17,388,001円)

アジアナンバー1決定戦！ホストプロの遼は平塚、D・シンと同組

2012年09月18日13時09分




＜アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン　事前情報◇18日◇東広野ゴルフ倶楽部(7,020ヤード・パー71)＞

　アジア太平洋ゴルフ連盟、パナソニック株式会社、公益財団法人日本ゴルフ協会主催で行われる、国内男子ツアー「アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン」。毎年開催コースが変わるサーキット方式の今大会。今年は兵庫県にある名門・東広野ゴルフ倶楽部を舞台に開催される。

　アジア太平洋のトッププレーヤー達が集結して開催されるだけに、日本ではなじみの薄い選手も多数出場。ホームで迎え撃つ国内勢との激しい争いに注目が集まる。

　予選ラウンドの組み合わせは大会ホストプロの石川遼は、ディフェンディングチャンピオンの平塚哲二、インドのディグビジェイ・シンと同組で7時59分に10番スタート、「ANAオープン」で今季3勝目を挙げた藤田寛之は藤本佳則、アニルバン・ラヒリ(インド)と同組で7時50分10番スタートとなった。

　3試合連続2位フィニッシュ中の池田勇太は宮本勝昌、ナティポン・スリトン(タイ/アマチュア)と同組で7時27分に1番スタートとなっている。また、今大会には「ANAオープン」に続いて今田竜二も参戦する。

遼、「一打一打に全力を尽くす」

2012年09月19日20時52分






21歳の初戦はどのようなプレーをみせてくれるのか（撮影：福田文平）






＜アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン　事前情報◇19日◇東広野ゴルフ倶楽部(7,020ヤード・パー71)＞

　国内男子ツアー「アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン」が20日(木)より兵庫県の東広野ゴルフ倶楽部を舞台に開幕する。ホストプロとして今大会に臨む石川遼はイン9ホールをラウンドし最終調整。「先週は終わり方が良かったし、ショットの安定感も増している」と手ごたえを口にした。

【関連リンク】「1打速報」でこれまでのプレーを振り返る

　「初日、どういうスタートを切れるのか集中したい。一打一打に全力を尽くして、その結果どうなるか。結果が出なければまだまだということ」と抱負を語った石川。大事な初日、目の前のプレーに集中し先週以上の結果を残すことを目指す。

　石川は予選ラウンドはディフェンディングチャンピオンの平塚哲二、インドのディグビジェイ・シンとのペアリングに。初日は10番ティより7時59分にスタートする。

＜中間速報＞遼は前半イーブンパー、池田＆藤田が好スタート！

2012年09月20日10時29分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 池田　勇太 -9
2 宮本　勝昌 -7
小田　孔明 -7
宮里　優作 -7
藤田　寛之 -7
山下　和宏 -7
7 キム・ドフン -6
8 近藤　共弘 -5
上平　栄道 -5
野仲　茂 -5


順位の続きを見る


＜アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン　初日◇20日◇東広野ゴルフ倶楽部(7,020ヤード・パー71)＞

　国内男子ツアー「アジアパシフィック パナソニックオープン」が兵庫県の東広野ゴルフ倶楽部を舞台に開幕。ホストプロの石川遼が前半のプレーを終了。1バーディ・1ボギーのイーブンパーで現在32位タイとなっている。

　現在、首位は12ホールを消化し6アンダーまでスコアを伸ばした池田勇太。ここ3戦連続で2位と後一歩のところで足踏みしているが、今大会では待望の今季初勝利を挙げられるか。1打差の2位にはプラヤド・マークセン(タイ)、2打差の3位には先週の「ANAオープン」を制した藤田寛之ら3選手がつけている。

Find An Effective Golf Training Routine

Proper training is an important factor in improving your game. An often overlooked aspect of golf training is the short game. Extra time at the range hitting the long ball is a blast; nothing will improve your game more than spending you time working on shots ranging less than 100 yards.

The secret to any training system is to stick a routine. Split your training time evenly between both the long and short game. Two hours pounding drives should equal committing to two hours putting on the green.

Do not neglect approach shots either, or chip shots and or shots out of the sand. A long, arrow straight drive is a thing of beauty to watch, but an accurate chip shot will save two-puts and win matches. When training, it is best to simulate real world conditions. Sure, you could rake the sand perfectly smooth for each and every practice shot and place ball gently on top, but that will never happen on the course. Toss the ball straight up in the air to simulate the dreaded fried egg flop. Set your practice shots up right against the wall of the sand trap practice high angle outs, or the smart shot off to the side.

There has to be a park in the neighborhood that is not always trimmed on time. Train at rescuing your game from the deep salad. Not making it to the driving range is not a reason to skip training. If you spent an hour at the driving range this morning, then you owe yourself an hour of short game practice. A bucket of balls is the only equipment you need to practice chipping from the unattended edges at the park.

Your putter swing is absolutely the most important part of your routine training. Matches are lost and won on the green more than other sections of the course. Practice shots from inches to feet, uphill, cross slope and downhill while on the putting green.

It is also important to remember that you can practice at home as well. There may be a part of the garden that a few deep chips will not hurt. You can let the back yard go without mowing an extra week and practice short, gentle chip shots without hurting the turf.

Metered practice will improve your game more than any elements of your golf training routine. Spending an hour, a few days a week, will pay off more that long stints on the weekend. Weekends are best-spent playing eighteen any way.

Golf Swing Instruction

The golf swing can always be improved, it's something which you can always be building upon, whether you're a beginner or not. In this article I just want to give you some really simple yet effective golf swing instruction that you can put into practice very easily for great results.

So let's get started!

The Basics

First of all I would just like to cover what I consider to be the basics of the golf swing and that is swing path and swing plane. This is pretty basic so if you're not a beginner you may want to skip over this, but anyway I just want to give you a quick definition of these terms, and how they relate to one another.

The golf swing to put it simply is a circular shape, your club follows this circular shape as it tracks through the ball. The 'swing path' refers to the circular path which your swing takes, whereas the 'swing plane' refers to the angle of the swing path in relation to the ground.

So let me just explain this in a little more detail just so it's a little clearer, your club travels on a circular swing path however this swing path is not flat, but rather as the club is following this circular swing path it follows an inclined plane.

As you can see these terms are different from one another, but they are very much interrelated as the swing path follows the swing plane. As I said earlier your swing path is not flat instead it follows an inclined plane. So this plane is not horizontal like a merry go round, but it's also not vertical like a Ferris wheel instead it is tilted somewhere in between.

So that's the basics out of the way I hope that's cleared a few things up for you. Don't worry too much about the technicalities of the swing plane, it's going to differ depending on your height and other things anyway.

Now it's time to move onto the more advanced golf swing instruction.

Using Your Body Correctly

Any golfer knows that in order to swing and swing well you must have a really great body rotation. The swing is lead by the body, not by the arms! One of the most common swing mistakes is starting the swing from the arms and letting the arms just become way too overactive through the swing.

If you're starting your swing with your arms that's going to cause all sorts of problems. the most common being a slice. Not only that but a swing that comes from the arms has no power, causes miss-hits and is going to take your club off of its correct path.

In order to achieve a great swing you must begin the rotation with your body, so at address the hips and shoulders should be parallel as you swing to the top of the backswing, the hips will complete their turn before the shoulders.

The shoulders rotate at a right angle to your spine until your back faces the target. On the downswing the hips begin their rotation before the shoulders

When it comes to lower body rotation a problem which a lot of golfers have on the downswing is that when they start the rotation of the hips, they make the mistake of jutting their hips out and slide their lower body out too much.

Golf Psychology: Coping with Anger

Coping with Anger

It is extremely difficult to play well when you are angry. I know we have all hit a peach of a drive that was loaded with anger after 3 putting the last green but if you're honest that's the exception rather than the rule. If things go wrong on the course for you, you can't loose it because you will jeopardise the whole round. The following exercise is designed to help you tap into a more positive reaction when the red mist rises. We'll be incorporating the idea that your mind works though habitual behaviours*, as discussed in other articles. So we will train it through repetition, how to handle anger. Only now you will be using an accelerated learning technique and reducing the time it takes to make the change by 80%. It's time to change the anchor* from one that sets you off - to one that calms you down.

Exercise:
Sit down and use your peripheral vision to induce calmness and relaxation.
Recall a typical round and count how many times you clearly reacted with anger
Make a pact with yourself to reduce that number by one the next time you play.
Now watch a movie of yourself in one of those moments of anger and make sure that you see it in black and white.
Once you have played the movie, get a picture and feeling inside of someone you admire. A person who's opinion really matters to you. Someone you truly respect.
Now, imagine YOU are this person you admire. Act as if you are in their skin watching the movie of you on the course loosing it.
While watching the movie and feeling like this person you admire, what are they thinking of you as a person who explodes in anger and over reacts to what, after all, is just a game? Take your time; try to fully engage with what you believe this person would think of what they are seeing.
Now, with this sense of the person you respect, how do you feel about the way you handle yourself on the course?
With this new understanding, ask the person you admire, "how would you like to see me respond?" Wait for their answer and seriously take note of it
Now step back into your own body in the movie and while watching the movie of your old self reacting with anger and imagine exactly how you want to respond in every future situation on the course that might cause you anger. Use the insight provided by the person you admire and respect.
Get fully associated into these desired feelings. Fill your sense with this new feeling of being completely resourceful. See the new you in full glorious" Technicolor".
Run the movie from just before the anger reaction and relive it with this new feeling. Repeat the movie. Be fully associated with this new, calm confident you.
When the feeling are at their peak, anchor them so you can recall the feelings of control on the course at will.
Spend the time necessary applying and repeating this exercise and your new habit will enter your game as effortlessly as downing your first pint at the 19th.

Hand Axe Or Knife, Which Is More Important?

If I am in a survival situation and can only have one edged tool, which is more important the hand axe or the knife? Today, this is the start of long and sometimes heated discussions around a campfire. In this article we will look at the attributes of each and try to formulate an answer based on knowledge.

The hand axe from its beginning was used as a chopper to remove large pieces of meat from harvested game and get at bone marrow, needed for its nutrients. It was probably used to chop wood and numerous other tasks. The earliest examples of hand axes were just a stone with one or more sides that were sharp. In the truest sense a hand axe has no handle and is the oldest tool of man.

For the last 6,000 years the hand axe and axe have been hafted, handle attached, and the head has been made of metal. Technological advances have improved their power, efficiency, durability, and transportability, but altered their purpose minimally.

Today, hand axe is a general term used for short axes. Hatchet and tomahawk are names of hand axes with specific design characteristics, but are sometimes mistakenly used as the general term.

The knife has been in existence for about 21/2 million years. Many scientists consider it as the oldest tool of mankind instead of the hand axe. A knife can be an edged tool that has a handle or has no handle.

A knife’s primary purpose is for slicing or light cutting. It cuts smaller pieces of meat, hide, sticks, vines, etc. A knife may be as short as about 1 inch and as long as 4-5 feet in the case of some swords. This diversity of size allows the knife to be used in a variety of ways and instigates the argument of importance.

Small to medium, 6 or 7 inch, knives are ideal for gutting, skinning, and slicing bacon or vegetables. Large knives are ideal for cutting larger pieces of meat and wood and used as weapons. Machetes and swords are the heavy cutters of the knife world.

With the exception of the bolo machete, a knife generally has its weight balanced between the blade and the handle. The bolo is weighted forward to increase the force delivered with each stroke for heavier cutting.

A hand axe concentrates most of its weight in the head for optimum power. A longer handle on a hand axe increases the mechanical advantage and the resulting power. A knife and hand axe of equal weight and length will not have equal striking force because of the differing concentration of weight. Therefore, the hand axe will always be superior when chopping large or tough substances.

A knife can be used to cut large pieces of wood by utilizing a baton, a large piece of wood, to strike the back of the knife which increases the force applied. It is labor intensive, however. In a survival situation where food is scarce or non-existent the increased expenditure of energy could result in exhaustion and ultimately death.

Most hand axes are bulkier than a knife and do not have as sharp an edge. The Firestone Belt Axe may be the exception. Due to the extra bulk and duller edge, it is difficult to perform tasks such as opening the body cavity to remove the guts of game. Small game or fish intensifies the difficulty.

It has been shown that the hand axe and knife were developed for very different tasks and remain so today. Therefore, an answer to the question of which is more important will depend on temperature, vegetation, and game present in the survival location. A hand axe might be relatively useless in the desert. However, a knife could not provide enough fuel to stay alive in the forested areas of the mountains and northern climates during much of the year.

An in depth look at the attributes of the hand axe and knife has shown us much about their capabilities, but still does not give us a clear answer alone. Geographical concerns are as important as the attributes of the tools. I can’t answer for you, but I will carry both almost always since I consider each unique and of equal importance.

The reason why The Golfer Require Clicgear 3.0 To Win The Game?

When you are playing golf, do you ever before see your friend who seemed really tired when the game has been running for half of the game. After I asked him, he said it was so tired when moving "push cart" which is heavy and hard to be moved, a lot of useless spend of power.

Without a doubt, Push carts are golf equipment that is essential, because it assists us place our arm. However when push cart is overweight and hard to be moved, it will make us to be slower Finally our power drained away only to drive the "push-cart" only. And if this occurs frequently, we will immediately tired and make us reduce concentration in the game

To be able to plays golf with more concentration, not a lot of energy is wasted then one technique is to use a golf push cart which is excellent quality and reputable.
Some of the characteristics that you need to look at before replacing your old push-cart with a new one as follow:

Material:
A good push cart made from lightweight and strong materials. Most of the lighter and stronger materials are made of aluminum. It is better if matched with grade aluminum for airplanes industries

Wheels:
Size of the wheel. Bigger diameter wheel push cart could make it easier to be shifted and do not need much effort. Note also bearing wheels. The better the bearing is used, the more smooth the wheels to move.

Next, simply folded to be placed in the trunk of the car and do not need a lot of area.

The height of the push cart:
Push carts can be set to match the height of the body. So if you're tall, so no need to bow when pushing the push-cart. If too often bend the back will be sore and you do not come home with a happy but instead makes your back injured.

Other additional characteristics that you need to look at are the accessories such as holders to put umbrellas, hats, gloves and so forth.

One of several push-cart that is currently quite good quality due to ever win the Winner of the 2007 Best New Product Award at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida is the three-wheel golf push cart. The newest version is 3.0 which has a benefit than the previous version 2.0 model.

Super Bowl Hangover Edition of the LAP Dance

** Packers QB Aaron Rodgers capped off a super playoff run with a 308-yard, 3-TD performance against the Steelers. It’s easy to imagine he would have had another 100 yards and at least 1 TD had his teammates not dropped 4 perfectly thrown balls. Aaron Rodgers’ 2011 postseason performance will go down as one of the greatest of all time. In 4 playoff games, A-Rodg racked up 1,094 yards and 9 TDs, joining Kurt Warner as the only QBs to throw for 1,000+ yards and 9+ TDs in one postseason. And with his 111.5 QB rating in Sunday’s game, Rodgers’ career postseason passer rating now stands at 112.6 – the best all time among QBs with at least 150 attempts. The previous record-holder? Packer great… Bart Starr.

** Packers WR Jordy Nelson saved his best performance for the biggest stage. Forced into a bigger role due to Donald Driver’s ankle injury, Nelson set career-highs with 9 catches and 140 yards against the Steelers on Sunday. Sure – he dropped 3 balls, but no one will remember those in a month. Nelson is a name to track this offseason with Driver considering retirement and James Jones hitting free-agency.

** Throughout most of Super Bowl week, the mainstream media began speculating on whether a Steelers victory would mean (i) this version of the Steelers was a dynasty, and (ii) Ben Roethlisberger was a Hall of Fame QB. File those two musings as putting the cart before the horse. A quick look at Ben’s Super Bowl performances shows a not-ready-for-prime-time player. Against the Seahawks, his QB rating was a putrid 22.6. He rebounded with a 93.2 and game-winning drive vs. the Cardinals. And backslid against the Packers with a 77.4. In each of those Super Bowls, he was outperformed by his counterpart. Matt Hasselbeck pitched a 67.8; Kurt Warner posted a 112.3; and Aaron Rodgers had an MVP 111.5 QB rating.

** Gene Collier from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this on Saturday: "Without the benefit of experience, for example, how would Ben Roethlisberger know to take his offensive line to a piano bar and, according to TMZ, ‘sing his face off’ until 1:45 a.m.? ‘I haven't been out carousing,’ Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the morning after Steelers karaoke. ‘I am a homebody, so I've been spending a lot of time in my hotel room watching film.’ The Green Bay quarterback is the most productive player on either team right now, partly because his maturity has paralleled nicely with the Packers' peak performances." In his hotel room watching game film the week of the Super Bowl?! Not out sampling the local strip joints like Hines Ward and Ike Taylor?! Not being the Piano Man at the swankest dueling piano bar in Dallas? Huh. Who knew winning the Super Bowl could be so damned boring?

** The most disappointing Steelers performance goes to S and Defensive Player of the Year, Troy Polamalu. He finished with only 3 tackles all game. Part of it was the function of the Packers spread offense, and part was a player who always looked a step too slow in the playoffs this year.

** Major props to the Steelers O-line. I trashed them in the last LAP Dance, but they played a standout game in opening holes for Rashard Mendenhall, as well as pass protecting for Ben Roethlisberger. They also had a very strong game against the Jets in the AFC Championship Game.

** With 12 minutes left in the game, and down by 2 scores, it was hard to figure out why the Steelers offense seemed to be running out the clock. Didn’t they watch the Patriots pull the same blunder against the Jets 3 weeks ago?

** The new playoff overtime rules didn’t get tested at all this season. All that over-thinking for nothing.

** If you’re wondering what the consensus 2011 fantasy football rankings might look like, check out the free article on the Draftsharks site.

** Just another reminder that you can still take advantage of our Early Bird Special and get a 1 or 2-year subscription to Draft Sharks for the lowest price of the year. If you were a 2010 member, simply log-in and click the link for the Early Bird Special. If you weren’t a member last year, just click right here to join our exclusive community!

** So let’s say you dropped 5 grand on a couple Super Bowl tickets, another $1,000 on a round-trip flight to Dallas, and another grand on your hotel. Then you show up to the much-heralded Cowboys Stadium on game day only to find out that your seats aren’t available because they didn’t meet safety codes. How would you react? Here’s how a few of the 400 displaced fans decided to handle the situation.

** Best Super Bowl commercial of 2011 – and perhaps of all-time – was the Faith Hill’s Teleflora commercial. Who woulda thought sending flowers could be such a tender moment?

** Worst commercial was Joan Rivers as a GoDaddy girl. It brought up a little chili I had eaten 20 minutes prior. Honorable mention goes to M&M who pimped Brisk iced tea and Chrysler cars. That whole perpetual white, whining, angry kid from the inner-city act doesn’t mix with corporate America.

** Suggestion for future Super Bowls. Bag the halftime entertainment. The performers are typically marquee names way beyond their prime – or current stars who bomb. Speaking of which, why is it so bloody difficult to remember the words to the national anthem? I understand it takes talent to hit all the notes. But to memorize just 8 lines when you have weeks to prepare... How hard is that? From now on, just have a military honor guard walk out with a wounded veteran. And ask anyone who can blow a horn well to perform the honors of the national anthem.

** How’s this for a confident head coach… Less than 24 hours before the biggest game of their lives, Packers HC Mike McCarthy had his players fitted for Super Bowl rings. "It was just something to show that he had a lot of confidence in us," CB Sam Shields said. "Getting fitted for the ring showed he had confidence in us." Gotta like that. McCarthy had my vote for Coach of the Year even before yesterday’s Super Bowl win.

** The Packers might have been a 6 seed, but remember that all of their 6 losses this year were by a combined total of 20 points. And 6 of their Week 1 starters were on IR by the end of the season. They should see a few more Super Bowls before Aaron Rodgers retires.

** In a season filled with all sorts of injuries, it was fitting that the Packers were able to pull out another victory on Sunday despite another handful of guys leaving early. WR Donald Driver, CB Charles Woodson, and CB Sam Shields all missed a large portion of the game with various ailments. "When somebody goes down, you know you still have to play football," Woodson said. "It doesn't matter who it is or at what point in the season it is. You still have to go out there and perform. That's the kind of example you try to show to your teammates and they follow. They followed all the way to the Super Bowl with a victory."

** And DC Dom Capers deserves all sorts of props. He’s been brilliant all season long, but he was at his best on Sunday. After Woodson and Shields went out, Capers went with a more conservative game plan, cutting back on his blitzes and going with more zone coverage. "We were scrambling there for a while because a big part of our game plan went out the window," Capers said. "We planned on playing a lot of man coverage and when those guys went out we had to become more of a zone team." And just when Capers had Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers lulled to sleep, he dialed up 3 straight blitzes on Pittsburgh’s final drive of the game. Capers deserves another head coaching job and should get one in the near future.

** The price just went up for Eagles QB Kevin Kolb. On Saturday, news leaked that Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald is campaigning for his team to go out and acquire Kolb. You can bet that will be brought up in any negotiations between the Eagles and Cardinals.

** A couple crazy internet rumors have been spreading since late last night. One is that the Eagles were getting ready to fire HC Andy Reid and replace him with Jon Gruden. The other: HC Sean Payton was leaving New Orleans for a position with the Cowboys. Both rumors have been shot down and were pretty ridiculous to begin with.

** In case you missed it from the Draft Sharks YouTube channel… check out the latest.
** Next on the DS agenda… The NFL Combine starts on February 23. We’ll be hitting the Draft information in the coming weeks, and beyond. And keep your eyes open for our 1st mock draft later this month.

Basketball Wear: How to Make Sure You Are Happy With Your Online Purchase

For dedicated sports lovers, NBA basketball wear is a pre-requisite to earning the coveted status of true 'fanhood'. Whether you are part of the crowd or watching from home, every game is more exciting when you can proudly wear your team jersey and stand and cheer for your favorite player.

Nothing speaks loyalty louder than game gear.

You can support your franchise, create the spirit of competition - and maybe even a little rivalry - with NBA apparel that will make you feel like you are part of the team.

Basketball is one of the world's most popular sports, and with the recent influx of European players joining American leagues, the NBA has received international interest and gained fans from all over the world. But, if you have been a fan for any length of time you know that finding authentic jerseys or officially licensed merchandise is not as easy as it would seem.

Finding what you want can be difficult, especially if your favorite team is not local or if you live outside the United States. Buying online is usually your best choice, but the options can be overwhelming, prices can vary, and you often question whether or not you are getting the best quality for your money.

From retro Michael Jordan or Larry Bird jerseys to authentic Lebron James or Kobe Bryant merchandise, true fans love to remember their heroes and cheer on their idols.

Whether their team is winning or losing, through challenges and championships, basketball followers everywhere will proudly wear their jerseys, hats, jackets, watches, and even shoes, wildly wave their foam fingers and shout at the top of their lungs in an effort to push their team to victory. But, basketball wear can be costly, so before you spend your hard earned cash for an online purchase, there are a few things you should consider.
Is the seller reputable?

It is important to make sure that the website offers a safe and secure way to make a purchase and guarantees that your personal information will be protected. Also, it is a good idea to check customer feedback and seller ratings or reviews before making a final decision to purchase a product from any particular online store or company.


Selection.

There is nothing more frustrating than finding the perfect jersey or jacket only to discover that it is not available in your size or for your favorite player. Does the online store offer a variety of products, sizes, or teams, and if they don't have what you are looking for, will they find it for you?

Is their merchandise in stock or does it always seem as if everything is sold out or unavailable?

When buying basketball wear, you will be much more satisfied with your experience if you find a website that is reputable and able to please the customer by offering a wide selection of available products so you can get everything you need and want at one place.


Quality.

When purchasing online you run the risk of receiving counterfeit or poor quality products. Cheaper basketball wear is not always the best option since it does not look like what the players wear on the court and will not be as durable.

Look for stores that sell licensed goods that carry the official NBA logo. From the authentic player jersey, to the popular swingman or less expensive replica jersey, hats, jackets, or footwear, make sure the store you are purchasing from carries high quality and licensed merchandise so you will be pleased with your selection and be able wear it proudly.


Customer Service.

Buying basketball apparel should not be a difficult task, especially if you are using a reputable online store with excellent customer service. Your purchase will be more enjoyable if the website is simple to use and if the seller is easy to contact by phone or email.

Are the prices reasonable, is the shipping reliable and quick, and does the seller put the customer first?

Basketball wear is a great way to encourage team spirit, cheer for your favorite player, and increase the excitement of any game. But, purchasing merchandise and proudly supporting your home team can be costly, so you want to make sure that you are getting high quality, officially licensed products for a fair price, and that you are receiving your purchase from a reputable seller that offers great customer service with a user friendly website.

By doing a little bit of homework, you can find basketball wear that will fit your budget and make you feel like you belong on the court with the pros.

Real Madrid opens the transfer market

Hamit Altintop and Nuri Sahin have not only become the first two signings towards the next season for the Whites, but also the first two players from Turkey to ever join the club.

Planning ahead of time, that is what Real Madrid has decided to do. After losing their third Liga championship in a row to Barcelona, added to the UEFA Champions League, the Whites know that to put an end to the defending champion’s hegemony they will need to be a stronger team than what they were this season. To do so they know that the transfer market is the only way to go and they have decided to be one of the first teams to make a move towards the upcoming 2011-12 season.

Just like they did last year, the Whites have decided to go fishing in the German Bundesliga, destination from where Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira arrived from this season. Once again they have decided to sign two midfielders to reinforce the roster, which obviously leads us to assume that at least two players in this position will be leaving the team this summer to make room for them.

But who are these two new faces? None others than Borussia Dortmund’s 22-year-old star Nuri Sahin, and Bayer Munich’s 28-year-old multitask man Hamit Altintop. Both of them already know what being teammates feel like, for they are part of the Turkish national football team.

Altintop has reached an agreement with the Whites this last week after refusing to sign a contract extension with his former team. Arriving as a free agent makes of this transfer a great deal considering his ability to adapt to a defensive or offensive role according to the needs of the team. His contract is for a four year period.

As for Sahin he was the first one to sign for Real Madrid this season. He did so a few weeks ago, right after Borussia Dortmund was crowned as the new Bundesliga champion. Somewhere in between 10 to 12 million Euros was the price that the Whites had to pay for him, in a deal that will keep him linked with the club for the next six years.

That way these two midfielders become the first Turk players to ever play for Real Madrid, something that can be considered as great honor, as they are now part of the "best team of the 20th century" according to FIFA.

One player that wants to be the next one to sign a contract with Real Madrid is the Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who arrived during the winter market on loan from Manchester City, with an option to keep him in exchange for 16-milllion Euros.

Five goals in 21 appearances during this 5 month period in Madrid are not sufficient to convince Real Madrid about keeping him at that price, especially when the player that he came to replace while injured –Gonzalo Higuain- is fully recovered.

The only chance that Adebayor has to stay at the club is that the Citizens reduce their demands to a more reasonable price, because since Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho’s arrived to Real Madrid this season the policy of expending great amounts of money has been regulated.

Tips When Picking Wakeboard Gear

Using the proper wakeboard gear is extremely important to making a difference in wakeboarding. While proficiency and mastery of the basics in terms of the sport are the major factors in becoming a competitive and expert wakeboarder, still the ideal piece of gear absolutely impacts one’s performance. If you ask skilled wakeboarders, they will definitely tell you that the simplest way to influence your skills and wakeboard performance is to have the correct gear, specifically, a good board. Now the real question is, how do you pick the best board? Is there any particular size, shape, or board maker that can be regarded as the ‘right’ one? Or does the suitable board mean one that entirely satisfies your feel and skills?

To offer you the answer, here are some tips from the experts in picking the best board.

• Look at the label - Nearly all boards have labels showing three general skill levels which are beginner, intermediate and advanced. Each of these types has specific board properties and they can vary in relation to materials, rocker, fins, and all other board features. To be able to find the appropriate board, test first your skill level and depending on that, one should be able to identify the suitable board that will fit your skills. A vital thing to make note of is that, should you be just new to this sport and you are just trying to learn it, you don’t need a competition-level board. Most of the time, you will end up spending much on pricey boards that feel too fast or too loose.

Boards for starters are a bit slower and more forgiving thus making the training curve a lot easier. Advanced boards are designed for more hostile stunts and made with the most solid materials while intermediate boards are generally older versions of advanced boards that have been re-designed for all-around use.

• Choose the right size - It is important to pick a board that suits your weight and height. A board that is too small will sink and will enable the boat to tug you at uncontrollably fast speeds. Then again, a board that is too big can be large and hard to spin. Furthermore, this can pop off the wake. To select the right size, be sure to check the manufacturer’s sizing charts. This reveals the right weight with regards to length as well as the height to length ratios. When you are unsure about this, pick the longer board because it can offer more harmony in starts and turns. In addition, you can modify with a longer board as your level of skill gets better.

• Find out the materials used in the board - Nearly all boards are produced from fiberglass enveloped either on a foam core or a wood core. Foam-based boards are less costly, lighter and have far better durability. However, wood-based boards flex better. While foam deem to be the most typical in the market, but nothing can beat the performance that wood provides because it gives better snap on the wake. Other material used in board making is graphite. This claims to lighten the board and gives added stiffness.

• Look at the fin - Fins are what allows for direction to your board, avoiding it from uncontrollably spinning in the water. There are different varieties of fin - fat, thin, deep, shallow, and molded in. For starters, fins are deeper while for more advanced, fins are shallower. The performance of the fins greatly relies on its size and style. The simplest way to know which one fits is by trying it.

Todd Haley Fired By Chiefs

It’s funny. For the last week I have been planning to write an article entitled "The Pioli Decision". The gist of the article would have been that Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli will be faced with a difficult decision when the year is over. Actually, two decisions that have consequences on each other. One, what to do with the quarterback. And two, what to do with the head coach.

You would think that the Chiefs will have to at least consider drafting a quarterback in the first round of the draft this year. And head coach Todd Haley has (had) one year left on his contract. If Pioli believes in Matt Cassel, then he can allow Haley to coach the team through the final year of his contract before making a final decision on extending Haley’s contract or replacing him. But if the Chiefs draft a quarterback, you can’t let Haley dangle with just one year left. You either have to fire him at the end of the season, or extend his contract. It wouldn’t be fair to tell Haley he’s coaching for his job, and then hand him a rookie quarterback.

But on Monday, Pioli fired Haley.

Is it fair? From a coaching standpoint, probably not. Haley made mistakes this year, but there were circumstances well beyond his control. I’ve read many of the local and the national articles about Pioli’s decision, but I want to take this from a different perspective. The perspective of an employer.

I seem to be in the minority, but I like Todd Haley. I think he’s a good coach. Is he good enough to coach a team to the Super Bowl? Maybe. With the right team. But I don’t think Haley’s coaching ability had anything to do with why he was fired.

I have employed and managed hundreds of people. And one lesson I learned the hard way was that when you have an employee who is the wrong fit for your organization, the sooner you replace that employee, the better. There were rumors that Pioli wanted to fire Haley last year. Then there were rumors that Pioli would have fired Haley if the Chiefs had lost to the Colts and started the season 1-4. I tend to take rumors with a grain of salt. Many rumors are untrue and unfounded. But in hindsight, I think we can now assume they were true.

It’s clear that Pioli and Haley had a dysfunctional working relationship. And it’s likely that Pioli had come to the conclusion long ago that Haley was the wrong fit for the Chiefs. Or at least, the wrong fit to work for Pioli. But how do you fire a coach that just won the AFC West? That would have been a tough sell to Chiefs fans. Pioli decided he had to wait until he had "public justification" for the firing of Haley. And he finally got it with the loss to the Jets. The Chiefs could no longer pretend that they still had a shot at the playoffs. And Haley was fired.

I think the jury is still out on whether or not Scott Pioli can lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. There are some glaring holes on this roster, and Pioli is responsible. Some have even speculated that Pioli sabotaged the roster so that he could justifiably fire Haley. I don’t believe that for a minute. But that doesn’t mean that Pioli made all of the same decisions that he would have made if he had full support of his head coach. Only Pioli can look in the mirror and decide if he did everything possible to make this season a success.

And while I tend to like Haley more than I like Pioli, I might have come to the same conclusion and fired Haley. It’s great to have fire and passion. I like that in a head coach. But I don’t like disrespect. A heated discussion between Haley and Matt Cassel doesn’t bother me at all. But some of the public arguments between Haley and his assistants bothered me a lot. Those discussions should be behind closed doors, and should always be respectful. As a business owner, I would never undermine one of my managers by berating them in front of other employees. (Actually, I don’t think I ever berated an employee.) Haley not only berated his assistants, he seemed to relish that atmosphere. He wanted the confrontations, and obviously believed them to be beneficial to the team. I’m guessing Pioli came to a different conclusion.

One more comment and we’ll move on. I listened to the press conference with Scott Pioli and owner Clark Hunt. I’ve been surprised that I haven’t seen this comment anywhere else. On multiple occasions, Hunt said that he wanted a team that the fans could be proud of. I’m guessing that Hunt was not proud to have Haley as the face of the franchise.

How To Improve Your Golf Game Quickly

Golf requires technique and practice! Train yourself to swing your club correctly. You also need to be aware of other aspects that will contribute to a well played game. This article was written to help you with some tips and tricks to improve your game.

Once you have caught the golf bug and decided to devote some serious time and money to the game, you should invest in professional lessons. Don't bumble around trying to learn techniques from friends and fellow golfers. Get a pro to evaluate your style and ability and help you become the best golfer you can be.

If at all possible, golf with strong players and pay attention to their technique. There is more than one way to benefit from the expertise of a fellow golfer. You need not engage a pro to benefit from the company of a superior player. Paying attention to the way they play will give you new ideas, and their presence may spur you to play stronger yourself.

Avoid the feeling that you always get more accuracy off the tee with a three wood than a driver. Odds are that you have spent much more time practicing and playing with your driver off the tee, so don't over-think things and pull out a club that you are not as familiar with in hopes of gaining more accuracy, because this is rarely the end result.

When playing golf, you will make ball marks on the green. Ball marks are the small indentations in the green which are caused by the impact of the spinning golf ball when it makes contact with the green. When you get to the green, you should always repair your ball mark. When a ball mark is repaired, grass will start regrowing properly within a day. With a ball mark which has not been repaired, it will take ten days before the grass will begin to grow again.

Everyone wants to be able to one or two putt the green instead of the old three putt. Usually this occurs when the first putt is just not fundamentally sound. This can happen when during a long putt you are concentrating on accuracy instead of distance. Aim near the hole and concentrate on distance. Then, you will have a better chance of actually being closer and can hit your next putt.

Golf gloves can help prevent blisters on your hands from playing golf. They also help you get a good, firm grip on the club. You would wear a golf glove on your non-dominant hand. To improve your game and protect your hands, be sure to get properly fitting golf gloves made of flexible, breathable material.

When you make contact with the golf ball, don't worry too much about how far it will go. Instead, concentrate on hitting dead center to control its direction. The momentum will take care of distance, but you must have a direct influence on the direction of the ball to play your best game.

Now that you have read some ways to improve your game - go out and hit a bucket of balls. Apply the tips and tricks you have learned, and you will surely see a great improvement! Enjoy your game and you will always come out on top!

Picking the Exact Racket in Table Tennis

In table tennis, we do have not anything more important of the gear than the racket. It is used to bat to receive also to strike the small plastic ball or the table tennis ball back and forth across the table. Like a paddle the surface of the table tennis racket is made of firm wood. There is no added materials in the racket like strings of blade but rather there is simply a sheet of thin rubber which may be glued on it for better performance.

Whenever you are playing table tennis, you absolutely need a table tennis table, table tennis net, a ping-pong ball and naturally a racket. If you have already got this equipment you , yourself are already set for your game. Although, sure you must also consider the standard on the equipments that you're going to use, particularly the racket.

Below are a number of hints that you need to consider when deciding on for the best racket:

Check the blades:

In picking for the fitting table tennis racket, we must always begin searching for the precise blade or the frame in the racket. Choosing the proper table tennis racket starts using the finding the best blade or frame. In the end, it is the a part of the entire racket, this will likely possess the direct contact in the table tennis ball. The effectiveness on your blade or the frame to the racket is set by the way it receives and drive the ball back towards the opponent. There are some table tennis rackets that is offered that suits the player’s preferences.

For anyone who is newbie in table tennis you can begin on using rounded blade at first. The key basis for selecting the best blade is because it can make your shots awfully slow or extraordinarily fast. An everyday round blade could be a big help in improving your game at the time you practice.

Mind the Grip:

To be told a good blade on your racket is just a halfway to find an excellent table tennis racket. You furthermore mght might want to discover the handle which will offer you a powerful hold or a high-quality grip. A fine grip as part of your racket is very important since this will have an effect on on the way you handle the racket being a whole. This could also to the highest degree influence on the way you drive the ping pong ball to your every shot back to your opponent. There are a number of grips available in the marketplace for table tennis, regular types are penhold and shakehand grip styles.

There is a guideline concerning the type of the handle, always pick the one who you feel that you will be secure. This means that the choosing the right handle is subjective and obsessed on where the player is lighter, but it is very difficult to change the style of your hand grip when you are already well into this sports because it can drastically affect the best way you drive the ball.

Check out the rubbers:

Whenever you are selecting the type of rubber that will be attached to both sides of your racket. It really is recommended to have the smooth surfaced rubbers for the reason that these are more flexible. The rubber with not many small blisters can only enable you to have few varieties spins, while alternatively smooth rubber can grant you a greater performance and permitting you to possess any kind of spin that you choose and want. Even though using smooth rubbers might take a while for helpful to it, it would likely
speed up your enhancement in table tennis

Getting and looking for an ideal racket can undeniably take a variety of time. Few rounds of game in table tennis could decide if the racket you are usually using is perfect or not, selecting a wrong style racket can grant you consequence at made the effort you play a game title most of they are hindered by self-improvement and hand accidental injuries.

on the bamboo

Yang Kang MBT Shoes
had clearly showed his ignorance on the bamboo stick’s name, and the Clan members all glared at
him with displeasure. Yang Kang realized that he had said something wrong but could never have
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such an uncouth name. Huang Rong smiled, “Treasure? Take it if you like.” She held the stick out
for him.
Yang Kang was delighted and wanted MBT Shoes sale to take it but was afraid of Guo Jing. Elder Peng said,
“Leader, we’ll protect you. Take it first.” Yang Kangjumped up with Elder Jian and Elder Liang. Lu
You Jiao saw that Huang Rong was alone and jumped up too. He thought, “Though my fingers are
broken, I still have my legs. My name Lu You Jiao (Lu Has Legs) is not for nothing.”
Huang Rong gallantly handed the MBT Shoes clearance bamboo stick over to Yang Kang. He was wary of her and made
sure his vital organs were protected before taking the stick. Huang Rong let go of the stick and
laughed, “Are you holding it tightly yet?” Yang Kang said sharply, “What?” Huang Rong suddenly
laid her left hand on the stick and shot her leg up. She tossed the stick down and said, “Once you’ve
held it properly, I’ll snatch it again.” Elder Jian waved his sleeve and retrieved the stick. This move
was clean and fast, and the beggars around cheered. Elder discount MBT Shoes Jian then handed it back to Yang Kang.
He gripped it and thought, “Unless you chop off my hand, you’re not going to snatch it again.”
Huang Rong laughed, “When Chief Hong handed this stick to you, didn’t he teach you to hold it
properly so that others wouldn’t snatch it easily?” The crowd laughed as Elder Jian and Elder Liang
moved in front of Yang Kang. Elder Jian’s leg moved out as he tried to grab her but Huang Rong
used a leaping technique MBT from Hong Qi Gong’s [Carefree Boxing]. She moved like a swallow,
causing Elder Jian to grab thin air even though he was so close to her. His heart trembled slightly
just as he heard the bamboo stick swishing towards their legs. The 2 Elders jumped away to avoid
the strike. Huang Rong laughed, “Pardon me, but the name of this stroke is [Rod Hitting 2 Dogs]!”
Her white sleeve floated as she stood at the edge, MBT Shoes discontinued the bright green bamboo stick glowing radiantly
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Longboard Surfboard – Benefits of Riding Longboards

There are several types and styles of surfboards to choose from when you begin surfing. When you buy surfboards, the first thing to do is look at the various styles that are available. When you shop surfboard styles, you will see longboard surfboards, shortboard surfboards, fish surfboards, and stand up paddle surfboards, to name a few. The longboard surfboard is just one of the options to consider, but it can be an ideal board style for surfers at any level.
If you are looking for old school style or you just want to buy surfboards featuring a classic responsive feel, then a longboard surfboard might be just what you’re looking for. Most longboard surfboards combine cutting edge shape and style with lightweight and durable construction. This means that you can take advantage of high-end construction and the right shape and feel when you shop surfboard styles. If the longboard is too long or not quite right for you, then a fish surfboard might be more your style because it’s a happy medium between short boards and long boards.
When you shop surfboard styles, you’ll find that the longboard surfboard can be ideal for any skill level. If you are just getting started, longboard surfboards are probably your best bet because they are easier to handle and provide better balance for beginners. You can transition to other types of boards later, including the fish surfboard, but the longboard style is generally ideal for learning fundamental surfing techniques. You should not buy surfboards in shapes and styles that are beyond your current capabilities. Hone your skills and slowly build up to new challenges.
If you are a seasoned surfer and you want to shop surfboard styles, you don’t necessarily have to rule out longboard surfboards. There are different longboard surfboard options, including a mini longboard style that might appeal to you. The fish surfboard style is a nice transition between longboards and short boards to learn advanced tricks and maneuvers on a shorter and more agile board. You can buy surfboards in different styles and experiment with each until you find the one that suits you best.
The author of this article has expertise in surfboards. The articles on longboard surfboards reveals the author’s knowledge on the same. The author has written many articles on buy surfboards as well.

Retro Fish Surfing with Retro Fish Surfboards

Beyond the traditional surfboard, there are other types of boards you can ride to enhance your surfing experience. If you are shopping for a new surfboard, you may want to take a look at the retro fish surfboards. Fish surfboards make it possible for you to perform all of the same cutbacks and turns of a shortboard, but the additional thickness and length make floating and paddling easier. You can always look for used or cheap surfboards, but the fish style is affordable and might be right up your alley.
Fish surfboards are ideal for intermediate-level surfers as well as surfers that are attempting to transition from long boards to short boards. The retro fish style of surfboards allows you to catch waves more effectively as well as perform specific maneuvers that a long board may not be capable of. If you want to increase the maneuverability of a new surfboard without transitioning directly to a short board, then this is a board worth considering. Whether you’re looking for expensive or cheap surfboards, the fish style gives intermediate surfers the best of both worlds.
If you’re looking to catch more waves, the retro fish style is perfectly designed for this task. When choosing to buy a new surfboard, if catching waves and trying new maneuvers is what you are looking for, then fish surfboards are a great jumping off point. Not all fish boards are going to be cheap surfboards, but you should be able to find a board that complements both your skill level and your budget.
There are two types of fish style surfboards. There are retro fish style surfboards and hybrid fish surfboards. Each is unique in terms of style, shape and maneuverability. The retro surfboard style is slightly shorter with a more pronounced fish tail. The hybrid fish is more like a traditional mini longboard with a less pronounced tail, a longer body and a slightly sharper nose. When you’re shopping for a new surfboard, either of these may be the right design choice for you.
The author of this article has expertise in surfboards. The articles on retro fish surfboards reveals the author’s knowledge on the same. The author has written many articles on cheap surfboards as well.

Yesteryear Of The Cb Radio

CB radio service revolutionized the world in the 1970’s. It was initially popularized by truck drivers who used it to communicate traffic problems and alert others to speed traps. Drivers also found solace in the CB during long trips.


The low cost and easy-to-use design gave the CB its much-needed popularity push. Initially, the CB was popular in the United States, but later the British, who began illegally operating them, imported the equipment. The UK government was forced to legalize CBs in 1981 while CBs gained popularity in

Australia during the 1970’s.

The CB radio and its uses were always regulated by a governing agency in Australia. Restrictions on the equipment, like antenna height and the maximum output power, had a damaging effect on its popularity. Apart from this, there were illicit users who modified the equipment to interfere with signals sent out by licensed users. Despite these illegitimate developments, the CB always had a loyal and growing following.

CB Radios Today

The 20th century focused on many different technological advancements, including the CB radio. Even with the advent of mobile services and the Internet—if you feel the CB radio craze has died down, you are mistaken. To those living in remote areas, especially those without a telephone line, CB radios offer the best communication system. For truck drivers, CB radio is still the preferred mode of communication. They are also popular among hunters and farmers and, in rural areas, CB radio is popular as somewhat of a party line.


Commercial truck and cab drivers still use CBs for communicating among themselves. While channel 19 is used to send emergency signals, some parts of the United States have dedicated channels on specific routes.

Today, most users have moved to the UHF band because of the clear performance it offers. The popular services in vogue today include FRS, GMRS in the UH frequency band, and multi-use radio service in the VH frequency band. FRS and GMRS are the perfect choice for those who intend to communicate with others living in the vicinity, and the equipment used for this service are of higher quality and can be used within the city as well as in dense areas.

Baseball - Baseball Tickets Will Be Sought-After As Nl Central Teams Sprint To The Finish

Four of the six teams in the NL Central remain alive for the postseason, which means that baseball tickets are still relevant in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Houston. The final standings are far from determined both within the division and for the Wild Card, so the next couple of months are going to be extremely interesting.


St. Louis Cardinals

Currently:
The Cardinals have a decent lead in the division, and they didn’t do anything to lose their hold on the catbird seat over the past month, posting a 15-11 record. On offense, this team is all Albert Pujols. He’s simply one of the greatest players of his generation. On the mound, Chris Carpenter is coming around, and that bodes well for the postseason.

Outlook:
The Cardinals, barring a collapse, should win the division.

Cincinnati Reds


Currently:
The Reds are firmly entrenched, for now, in second place, and they had a month that was both mediocre and streaky. They went 12-14 over the past month, but lost eight of nine games before the All Star break, only to win five of six to start the second half. Adam Dunn and Bronson Arroyo are the stars of this team in 2006.

Outlook:
It’s time for the Reds to make a move if they want to win the division. If not, they’re still in decent shape for the Wild Card.

Milwaukee Brewers

Currently:
The Brewers are hanging on for dear life in their quest for the Wild Card, but it’s not clear whether they think they’re buyers or sellers, given that they just traded Carlos Lee, but would only accept major league players in return. Milwaukee stumbled to a 10-15 record over the past month, and they’ll have to find a source of offense going forward.

Outlook:
The Brewers are all but out of it, but at least fans have a reason to use their baseball tickets in August for the first time in awhile.

Houston Astros

Currently:
The Astros are struggling, and time is running out to make a run for the postseason. They posted a record of only 11-15 over the past month. Where would this team be without Lance Berkman? He leads Houston in just about every offensive category.

Outlook:
The time is now. If the Astros don’t make a serious move immediately, the season is over.

Chicago Cubs

Currently:
The Cubs actually showed some signs of life this month, going 14-12. However, that’s way too little, way too late. They’re too far behind to climb back into contention. Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano have been bright spots.

Outlook:
The Cubs need to prepare for the winter and for 2007.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Currently:
The Pirates actually got a little roll going lately, going 13-13 over the month, but they have won five straight as of this writing. Regardless, this team is out of it, and only Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay have been bright spots.

Why Use Walking Sticks?

If you've ever been out hiking on a trail, or even walking along a back road, you've probably seen people using walking sticks. Walking sticks (also known as hiking sticks or poles) are long poles or sticks used to help a hiker keep their balance and for many other duties while in the great outdoors. Some people may wonder if a walking stick will help them out while climbing mountains or hiking trails, and the answer is unequivocally, yes!


Walking sticks are very commonly used by hikers in areas of Europe with mountainous terrain, such as in the Alps. The stick or pole can help you to balance while you're walking in areas that can be slippery or hard to get footing on – such as shale, mud or sand. You can dig into the material with your walking stick and then use it almost as a third leg so you don't slip. You can also use a walking stick to help your knees and back, as you can either prop yourself on it to rest, or use it as a lever to help pull yourself uphill when hiking. Among other uses for walking sticks can include using it as a place to prop up a blanket for a makeshift tent, or even as a way to push aside tall grass or brush so you can pass through these areas more easily.

A good height for a walking stick is between 4 feet and 5.5 feet, depending on your height and the way you plan to use your stick. Walking sticks can be made of all sorts of wood (some people even use broom handles), but an important necessity for a good walking stick is a handle or strap. Hiking poles, which are a type of walking stick, are generally made of metal and may have a spike or cleat at the end for digging into the ground. No matter which type of walking stick you choose for your hiking needs, you can definitely benefit from the use of a stick.

Becker Surfboards Deals - Doing Surfing At Sunrise

People used to have the perception that surfers were beach bums and some surfers during that time frame had no problem with being called a bum. It was a right that they worked hard for because being a beach bum required many talents. Beach bums originated the urge for people to surf at sunrise but today there are many surfers that are willing to hit the waves at any time of the day or night.


A beach bum surfer never worked at a regular job but they did have to come up with various methods that would allow them to eat a meal or two each day. They would vocalize their intent to ride the waves at sunrise to give someone in the crowd the indication that they were ready to call it a night. The locals would typically take turns in telling the surfer to stop by for a meal before they turned in, and perhaps they could share some surfing stories for a bit while the surfer ate.

Surfing at sunrise is as near a religious experience as some surfers come. The majestic waves seem calmer at sunrise than they are at any other time of the day. The sight of the sun rising up over a vast oceanic space will sometimes cause the surfers to pause and say a prayer. Some surfers spend that quiet time of the morning to wax their boards and think of the rides that they took on that surfboard perhaps many years back.

Getting to the beach early has other benefits too. Surfers enjoy seeing the undisturbed sand that was washed clean overnight by the tide. The thought of disturbing that sand bothered some slightly, but the idea of surfing at sunrise was too strong to ignore and many surfers took great care when they crossed over that beach and dived into the wave's enroute to the area where surfing was always best.

The term of beach bum is rarely used anymore but the old timers are still around and remember the fun times on the seashore. Surfers are more competitive and surfing is more of a sport than the pastime it once was. The old timers might still own that surfboard that they used to ride at sunrise, but now they prefer to just stay around the water's edge and hear the stories that the new brand of surfers have to tell. Without a doubt, the old timer will probably break-in to the conversation a time or two and let the young bucks know about the days when surfing was done just for fun.

Anniversary Favor - Planning Your Own Celebration

Here is a list of objectives which might be sought as a result of the time, money, and effort a company expends on a period of public celebration. That means your company is celebrating a company birthday, or the anniversary of a founding or incorporation date. These events form the most common basis for company celebrations.


You want your celebration to
1. Focus favorable public attention on the (company) name and organization.
2. Stimulate the friendliest possible attitude on the part of
the public toward the (company) name and organization.
3. Emphasize the present and future rather than the past.
4. Include improvement of things we already have or do.
5. Enhance community interest in and support of our local
enterprises.
6. Broaden services to the customer beyond the expected meeting of basic needs.
7. Further recognition of the (company's) contribution to

the community and its participation in community activities.
8. Increase the employees' pride in their company, thus making them a more potent force in relation to (company)
customers.
9. Leave a lasting favorable impression on the community.
10. Be modest in cost.
11. Increase the efficiency with which this company performs
its primary task {e.g., selling, caring for the sick, distributing news, making concrete mixers, managing estates, or
whatever).
12. Create closer working relationships with various community organizations.
13. Celebrate the anniversary (or observance period) in such a way as to make the public feel that they are participating in the celebration.
14. Include (company) acceptance of responsibility for active leadership in outside activities and functions which promote general community welfare.
15. Create local and even national awareness that (company) has been in existence (business) (so many) years.
16. Contain a direct benefit or potential benefit for company
customers, potential customers, and/or the community at
large.
17. Increase sales (i.e., expand customer acceptance of, and
awaken new-customer interest in, the company and its
goods, products, services, and thereby achieve a substantial increase in volume).
18. Contribute toward telling the public why it should deal with this particular company rather than with some other similar local establishment, institution, or organization.
19. Express appreciation to our various publics, and to the city, county, and state in which the company has grown and expanded.
20. Create the feeling that this is a down-to-earth organization, interested in people as well as in big business deals.
21. Launch, and create favorable public acceptance for, a new product, model, package, service.
22. Hold and increase stockholders' confidence.

Every activity or event considered for inclusion in the final anniversary celebration package, and every responsibility assumed in connection therewith, should be scrutinized closely in the light of whatever goals finally are chosen from, or developed from, the above (or any other) list.

Whatever goals or objectives are selected or created should be clearly stated in any blueprint for action and should be treated as key factors in the establishment of any specific activity touching anniversary observance.

Duration of the celebration

The duration of a celebration may be influenced by many considerations, but a great deal of leeway exists.

A company is perfectly free to do nothing at all right up to the Anniversary Month or the Birthday Week and then cut loose. Or it can wait until the actual anniversary date and make a splash.

There are three generally popular time spans:
a. A year-long observance, with special emphasis during the
Anniversary Month..
b. A six-month observance so planned that, if successful or desirable, it can be presented twice in a year.
c. A period of several months, naturally including the birthday
month and week and day, with events spaced throughout. This
avoids the strain of a year-long effort on the one hand, and, on
the other, the numbing effect of a couple of weeks jammed with
anniversary events.

Regardless of the period selected, pace your events carefully. Space the big ones - and see that they get progressively bigger right to the end - and introduce smaller ones in between to maintain public interest.

Consider your objectives and the time-scale of your celebrations and you no doubt will run a successful campaign.

Saltrock On-Line Coupons - Dangers To Avoid While Surfing

Most people will devote a lot of time and energy into learning how to surf but they might not be exposed to all of the dangers that surround surfers around the world. Some of those dangers come from the demons of the ocean depths that have a liking for surfers and sea creatures such as sharks are what most surfers fear most everytime they venture out into the ocean.


Most surfers use common sense to avoid other dangers when they are surfing. Surfers are known to venture out into the ocean during bad weather but there is a limit to the amount of danger that they are willing to take. Most surfers will avoid the ocean if there is lightning scorching through the night skies and they will seldom venture out to surf if a hurricane is in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.

Some of the dangers that surfers encounter come from their own kind. There are certain protocols that must be followed while surfing and the surfers that do not heed these simple principles are what makes surfing dangerous for all who are in the water. A surfer that is not willing to wait their turn to ride a wave to shore is one that could cause another surfer to drown by knocking them off their board.

Any surfer will encounter danger if they are not aware of what is happening in the water around them. There may be many surfers in the water along a small section of beach and those that do not keep count of how many other surfers there are in the water could end up hitting someone with the surfboard that they are on. Getting hit by a surfboard can result in severe head and spinal injuries. If those injuries are severe enough, the damage done could make surfing again an impossible task to accomplish.

Most cities will use lifeguards to alert swimmers and surfers to dangerous conditions. Surfers will observe all safety rules and keep an eye out on the flags that are posted by each lifeguard station. These flags serve as an alert system that notifies swimmers of water hazards and whether there are other hazards that are not viewable with the naked eye. Surfers that pay attention to flags with hurricane warning symbols on them are surfers that are certain to remain alive and will be able to surf on another day.

One of the biggest dangers that surfers face on any given day are the rip tide currents that can not be seen with the naked eye. A surfer must know how to handle the situation when it happens because the surfer can be carried out to sea by a wave and drown if they panic. A surfer will often lose sight of their surfboard when they are caught in a rip current but with the proper state of mind, they can swim even with the shoreline until they are clear to return to shore under their own power.

Thailand - Phuket Afther The Tsunami

Although it would misrepresent the facts to say that today's Phuket - Thailand's largest island and one of the world's top tourist destinations - looks the same as it did before the 2004 tsunami that was the greatest natural disaster in Earth's recorded history. But reliable anecdotal evidence does confirm that visitors to Phuket would have little reason to think that the island and its famous beaches were ever struck by the deadly wave.


Think what you will about ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, much of the credit for the remarkable recovery, arguably the most thorough of any of the places hit by the tsunami, belongs to him. In a move redolent of his effort to pay off Thailand's debt to the IMF for its recovery from the 1997 financial crisis, Thaksin determined early on that Thailand would attend to its own recovery - and not wait for international relief funds to arrive.

Some of that recovery has been laced with controversy. Chief among them are the charges that many of the former prime minister's friends became the recipients of the country's largesse, extra-legally taking over rights to lands that belonged to longtime Phuket residents whose documents of ownership were destroyed along with so much else during the catastrophe.

Still, contrary to dire predictions by many about the long-term negative effects the disaster would have on Thailand's important tourist industry, they have not come to pass. For the most part, tourists have returned to the beaches and resorts on the Patong Beach side of the island, on the Andaman Sea coast, and new or rebuild resorts are there to accommodate them - and to provide essential work opportunities for Thais in the tourist industry. No appreciable drop in tourist numbers has been reported in this critical region.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all of the parts of Thailand's Andaman coast struck by the tsunami. Reconstruction has been slower and more fraught with controversy in Khao Lak to the north, Phi Phi Island farther north, and coastal Krabi across from Phi Phi. Longtime visitors to many of those locations have, in various ways, tried to prevent the original owners of tourist properties there from losing their land and licenses. Not all of the efforts have been successful, and lawsuits regarding lands are choking Thailand's cumbersome court system.

Even so, the dramatic recovery of Phuket has become a beacon of hope for similar places on both sides of the Andaman and Indian Oceans, for whom recovery has been slower and fraught with even greater troubles.

Cigars - The Abcs Of Cigar Humidors

Casual cigar owners often ask themselves: is a humidor really necessary? The answer is: only if you care about the quality and taste of your cigars.


After all, for some smokers, the after-dinner cigar is more symbolic than anything - a conspicuous display, perhaps, of taste and leisure, or a social or familial ritual. If, however, you smoke for taste - which is the best reason to smoke - you should probably invest in a humidor: a specially-constructed box designed to maintain your cigars in near-70% humidity and at a proper temperature when they're not being smoked.

To understand why humidors are so important, remember what a cigar essentially is. It's a set of rolled-up tobacco leaves that have been cut, dried, cured, and fermented, then maintained at a very slight but essential level of moisture. If the cigar dries out completely - as can happen in open air, at the wrong temperature, or in low humidity - it loses its taste. If it's kept in an airtight environment, on the other hand, the necessary low level of moisture will, over time, cause mold. A cigar requires a very special set of conditions in order to maintain optimum taste.

The humidity in which cigars are stored is important because of the specific conditions in which most tobacco is grown. The natural climate for most such areas is in the neighborhood of 70% relative humidity; the tobacco plant has evolved for such a climate. Thus, humidity control is the sine qua non of a humidor - without that, it's not a humidor but a box with cigars in it. Humidors are able to maintain a relatively consistent humidity level partly because of the relatively porous wood used to line them (Spanish cedar and Honduran mahogany are popular choices for this reason).

Most humidors also, of course, have some sort of device that maintains moisture levels; some use hygrometers, which indicate interior humidity. (Digital hygrometers tend to be more accurate, though they lack the old-fashioned appeal of dial hygrometers.)

When packing your humidor, make sure you leave some room between the cigars to allow air to circulate between them. (Again, you want to avoid an airtight fit, which would promote mold. On the other hand, too much empty space will allow that all-important humidity level to drop. Check on your cigars frequently, at least once a week, to ensure that nothing needs to be adjusted). The cigars should, at best, exude a small amount of oil when stored; this is a sign that the humidor is working. Slight amounts of water can be added if cigars start to dry out.


If your cigars suffer an attack of tobacco beetles - a species of beetle that preys on tobacco and can sometimes bore through a humidor - you've probably been keeping the temperature in the box a touch too high (tobacco beetles flourish at temperatures over 75 degrees.) Remove the affected cigars and put them in your freezer for 48 hours, then move them to your refrigerator for another day, following which they should be safely returnable to the humidor.

Spanish-cedar humidors are a popular choice. This wood, as mentioned above, holds moisture well, maintaining humidity, and it holds an aroma many consumers find pleasant and complementary to that of the cigars themselves. It's also slightly favored for keeping tobacco beetles out, and it doesn't warp in high humidity.

When you buy your humidor, "season" it by applying a moist cloth to the interior wood and then leaving a small, closed container of water inside the humidor for 12 hours. If the humidor "drinks up" most of the water, leaving the container near-empty after 12 hours, repeat the process for another 24 hours. Once the water stops evaporating, the humidor is ready for your cigars!

Cigars - Tips For Novices On How To Smoke Cigars

Many novice smokers have embarrassed themselves trying to smoke a cigar with the same frantic, huff-and-puff energy that goes into cigarette smoking. But cigars aren't cigarettes, any more than cheap beer is fine wine, and just as you'd never guzzle a fine Cabernet Sauvignon, you shouldn't just inhale a cigar.


The first question to consider is, of course, the quality of the cigar. Handmade cigars are generally considered best. Machine-rolled cigars use scraps and bits of tobacco, rolled together, while handmade cigars use entire leaves, blended with specially-picked filler leaves to create a rich, full, subtle taste. Otherwise, remember the "wrapper rule": cigars wrapped in darker paper will tend to be sweeter, while lighter wrappers often denote a drier taste.

The second question for many cigar smokers is whether to smoke with the band on or off. The bands, which wrap around the cigar and give the cigar's brand name or manufacturer, was first introduced in 1850 by manufacturer Gustave Bock to set his high-quality Havana handmade cigars apart from knockoff brands. If you're smoking in the UK, where smoking with the band on has long been considered gauche, a form of bragging, you'll want to remove the band. Some smokers also collect bands, as a way of remembering all the different experiences they've had with cigars. Otherwise, it's up to you.

The next step is to cut the cap of the cigar, which must be removed so that air can flow through. Most cigar fans have small guillotines, which cut right across the top of the cigar. (You can usually purchase one from the same place where you buy your cigars - or bum one from a friend.) Some smokers still bite off the top of cigars, an unappetizing and possibly unhealthy alternative. Cigar "punches" and "piercers" (or V-cutters) are also available. Choose the method that's best for you, and keep your cutter sharpened.

How to light? Steer clear of paper matches, which will only stay live long enough to light a small portion of the cigar. You need a full flame that will cover the entire head of the cigar. Wooden matches may work, though it's recommended that you let the sulphur burn off the tip of the match before lighting.

Butane lighters are free of odor and taste and are the favorite method for many smokers, as are "torch" lighters. Whatever you prefer, make sure you turn the cigar as you light it ("turn and burn," experienced smokers say), so that the entire cigar is lit. Some aficiandos believe it's a bad idea to let the flame touch the cigar and prefer to use a lit cedar strip, but many American smokers argue that this is just a bit of unnecessary European pretension.


Inhaling the smoke is unnecessary and dangerous. Once again, cigars are not cigarettes. You pull the smoke into your mouth and, like a wine taster, allow its flavor to saturate your palate, without allowing the smoke into your lungs. For this reason, cigar smoking is more taste-oriented and less harmful to your health than cigarette-smoking.

The taste of the smoke varies depending on the tobacco type and the sorts of flavors added by the makers, as well as the age of the cigar, the conditions in which it's been stored, and many other factors. Regardless, the taste is richer, fuller and subtler than that of cigarettes, and many people who don't enjoy cigarette-smoking have found that they like the taste or odor of cigars.

The cigar can be stopped from burning and "finished" later, though its taste quality quickly declines (like that of an open bottle of wine) the longer it's left half-smoked. It's a better idea to wait until you have time to fully savor the taste, beginning to end.

As for the aftertaste, try a drink containing citric acid (such as orange juice or lemon-flavored liqueurs), followed by a hard cheese and, eventually, a good tooth-brushing. (You'd be brushing your teeth anyway, right?) After-dinner mints can help, too.

Most of all, remember what worked this time. Cigar smoking - again, like wine - is a pleasure that should improve with age.

Golf Lessons - The Top Resorts With The Best Golf Lessons

For many, thinking of the Resort Experience conjures up images of beautiful scenery, fine dining, relaxing Spas lavish room accommodations, relaxing by the pool and much more. Its important when choosing a resort vacation to look carefully at all the accommodations offered in order to find the right experience for you and your family.


If you are a new to avid golfer, however, who desires to improve upon your game while partaking of all the standard resort accommodations, you might want to dig a little deeper than most when choosing a resort to visit.

Whether your planning is business related or purely pleasure, there are many resort locations available connected with beautiful golf courses that offer instruction for golfers of all skill levels and experience. What factors you prioritize when researching these resorts will effect which course you decide to book.

One of the first factors you may want to look at is location. From Black Lake Golf Resort in California, to Chateau Elan in Georgia, to Arizona Golf Resort in Arizona, and Saddlebrook in Florida many of these luxurious resorts are located in areas that are known for their beauty and favorable weather conditions.

Arizona, for example, is famous for having some of the most favorable and predictable weather conditions for golfers, and when investing in any vacation experience predictability can play a very key role. After all no one wants to pay to watch rain from their room no matter how nice the other accommodations may be.

Beyond location and favorable weather, however, there are more specific factors that will play an important role in choosing a resort for golf instruction. Each resort is unique in what they provide for golf lessons, however many offering what would be considered the standard golf lesson experience including a few hours of lessons with an instructor, a 9 and 18 hole game, and of course a nice little golf gift bag to take with you afterwards.


If its pampering that you are looking for, you might want to consider Arizona Golf Resort which not only offers the standard amenities, but also includes a night before conference call with your instructor to discuss and strategize about what you want out of your lesson, over seven hours of on the course training, the option to continue your training with unlimited access to practice courses, and a post game video evaluation with you and your instructor.

If what youre prioritizing is fun for the whole family, perhaps Saddlebrook Resort in Florida would be right for you. Saddlebrook offers several golf instruction packages for beginners to nearly pro and for the child to adult golfer in your family. Beginners will enjoy a step by step hands on course that starts with the very basics of golf including course etiquette, posture, strategy, and of course the rules of the game.

The pro package offers the standard amenities but includes a two hour instruction with an Arnold Palmer certified instructor and Spa access. While the juniors in the family can look forward to a week long golf camp experience that will take them through all the aspects of the game.

There are also many golf resorts that offer lesson packages that focus on specific trouble areas of your game, so you can do some fine tuning of your skills while you are there. In short, whatever it is you may be looking for in golf instruction there are a variety of resorts that can meet your specific needs, and its worth doing the research to find the right one for you.

Arizona Golf Schools - Finding The Best Arizona Golf Schools

Golf courses are beautiful; there probably are not many people that would argue that statement. Golf is one of the few sports that can almost always guarantee its participants at the very least a tranquil and pristine surrounding no matter how bad you may be playing that day. Arizona is probably one of the most beautiful and climate friendly states to participate in the sport of golf.


People plan vacations around the game of golf, and one of the first things that can ruin a vacation is unpredictably bad weather. Arizona is one of the few golfing states that can boast probably the most favorable weather for golf in the United States.

When you receive on average of about seven days of inclement weather a year, and over 300 days of sunshine those make for pretty good odds that at nearly anytime you wish to take a golfing vacation Arizona is the destination to guarantee you enjoy the beauty and tranquility people have come to expect from the game of golf.

Once you have chosen to visit this golfer friendly state what better way to enrich your golfing experience by fine tuning that score at one of Arizona golf schools.

Some of Arizonas most popular golfing destinations like Wild Horse pass resort can offer you one of the top 25 listed golf courses in the United States, and a course that is home to the PGA tour Gila River Classic.

Wild Horse is one of a few resorts where you can receive one on one training with a PGA/LPGA professional, and receive an education that is geared towards simplifying the process into components each student can grasp.


Arizona golf schools/resorts are great places to not only get away for vacation, but also to plan off site corporate meetings. Some courses like Wild Horse or John Jacobs Golf Schools can offer packages that specialize in enhancing your corporate experience.
If you are planning on grooming the young golf professional in your family than attending a Junior Golf Camp at the Hilton Golf Academy in Tucson might be just ticket to turn him or her into a pro golfer in no time.

Arizona golf schools such as the Sedona Golf Resort can offer the whole family luxurious room accommodations, top of the line Spa facilities, designer golf courses and practice facilities, professional PGA/LPGA instructors, and one of the most magnificent golf settings in the world. For beginners and avid golfers an Arizona golf school would be one of the most satisfying investments one could make, and an experience to remember.

A kinder, gentler winner?

On Monday, Tiger Woods vowed to tone down his negative and positive outburts, but can he win without the fist pump?
Here is the question now about this new, softer, calmer, suddenly huggable Tiger Woods:

What if the same insatiable hunger that fueled his sex drive is the same insatiable hunger that fueled his golf drive?

What if becoming a better person makes him a lesser golfer?

I remember when Woods was 21 and leading the 1997 Masters by 12 shots with only four holes to play. It was basically a coronation parade in spiked shoes. On 15, he hit a meaningless shot from the rough that, for some reason, just fried his brain. He reached back and slammed down his club, just missing the skull of a small boy who'd snuck close just to touch him.

And I thought: Oh, my God. Nothing's ever going to be enough for this kid.

As a golf fan, you have to wonder: Now that he says he's changed, will his hit-man instincts change, too?

After 45 days of addiction therapy and four months of shame and three years of "lying to myself," you wouldn't have recognized the man who sat before the world Monday in his first press conference since he knocked over a fire hydrant and ignited his life.

Woods said things like:

"I just took it all in today [on his practice round]."

(This from a guy who I once saw blow by Nike chairman Phil Knight and his own mother, Tida, outside the Augusta National clubhouse like they were patio chairs.)

And ... "I want to be able to help people. ... If I win championships along the way, so be it."

[+] EnlargeTiger Woods
Harry How/Getty Images
The new Tiger Woods was happy to sign autographs on Monday.
(This from a guy who used to sign one autograph for every 1,000 Phil Mickelson signs.)

And ... "It's not about championships. It's about how you live your life."

(OK, I'm really going to have to see some ID.)

Look, worldwide humiliation and the fear of losing your family will change a man. I hope Woods really does believe it's about the way you live your life and not about championships. But what if the very traits that left him in the TMZ gutter -- self-obsession, a limitless appetite for domination, me-first-ism to the extreme -- are the same traits that delivered those championships?

I hope not, but you wonder. We don't usually build statues of nice, helpful, well-balanced men.

Exhibit A: Ben Hogan. A tournament winning machine and, by all accounts, one of the most miserable curs to ever stripe a 2-iron.

Exhibit B: Michael Jordan. Did you hear his Hall of Fame speech? Seven years after he'd won everything, he was still trying to step on his enemies' Adam's apples.

Exhibit C: Barry Bonds. Seven MVPs and almost as many friends.

Brad Faxon is a nice guy. Fred Funk, too. But Tiger Woods? He used to be the guy who ran the sword through your spleen, then danced on your corpse. Is that guy gone?

I once took a back-country snowcat ski trip with a bunch of buddies in Colorado. Turned out Woods and his buddies had rented the snowcat the week before. I asked the guide how Woods skis.

"I've never seen a guy get so mad at himself," the guide said. "He's just learning, but every time he'd fall, he'd throw his poles and swear. He wanted to beat his buddies down the hill so bad."

In addiction therapy, you hear these words a hundred times: acceptance, serenity, vulnerability. But not in a million years would you have heard those words applied to pre-hydrant Woods. The words arrogant, unquenchable, bulletproof, maybe.

If Tiger Woods is going to save his marriage and save his life, he'll have to be unselfish in the ultimate selfish game. Can't you just see it? He's studying a putt when he suddenly looks up and goes, "No, go ahead, take the call, ma'am. I'm in no hurry."

He vows no more "entitlement." But Tiger Woods always played as though the trophy had his name engraved on it when he showed up Tuesday.
He vows no more "entitlement." But Tiger Woods always played as though the trophy had his name engraved on it when he showed up Tuesday.

He vows to "tone down my negative outbursts and ... my positive outbursts." But can he win without the fist pump? Can he win without passion?

He vows to follow Buddhism, but Buddhism teaches "the greatest effort is not concerned with results." Has the Buddha heard of Jack Nicklaus?

Who knows? Maybe this whole Tiger Woods 2.0 will be even better on the course. He talked Monday about finally having "fun" again playing golf. He talked about wanting to find "balance." Who had his life in better balance than Nicklaus himself, who loved tennis as much as golf and his wife more than the two combined?

I'm thrilled for Woods that he seems to have found the first few rungs of a very long ladder out of his troubles. Even his face seemed lighter and brighter than it did last year. Maybe all those creepy secrets sag right through your mind to your eyelids. He seems to finally understand that even though his own father painted him as a god walking the earth, the same mortal rules apply to him: You can't cheat on your wife with your own personal harem and figure you can get away with it. But you wonder if golf's truest rule will also apply: 99 percent of the field loses.

Toward the end of Monday's press conference, somebody asked Woods if he almost "wanted" to get caught.

He shook his head and said, "All I know is, I acted just terribly, poorly, made just incredibly bad decisions, and decisions that hurt so many people close to me. That's enough."

So there it is. The kid finally got enough.