Somehow golf just got interesting…

Family time is over, Tiger is back to work...

Hey ladies… Not sure how many of you out there follow golf, or are even interested in golf at all, but this will be one of the few times per year that I’ll even touch on the subject (the others probably being the 4 major tournaments).  In case you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods is coming back to the PGA Tour on Wednesday after an 8 month break to recover from knee surgery.  I mean seriously, have you ever seen so much excitement about someone just entering a tournament?  Well, as you may have figured out, Tiger isn’t just any normal golfer.  And by the way, have you seen the new pictures of him with his new son and the rest of his family?  Pretty cute, I must admit.

 

Tiger’s participation in a tournament makes golf “mainstream”… people who don’t usually care about who’s winning the Bob Hope Desert Classic or the Northern Trust Open will tune in if they know that Tiger is participating.  He is one of those elite athletes who transcends popular culture, people who don’t know the difference between a driver and a 9-iron (me being one of them) will tune in to watch the back 9 (that’s the last 9 holes of the round) on Sunday if Tiger is in the hunt.  So, with that being said, keep an eye out for Tiger starting on Wednesday as he participates in the Match Play Championship (Match Play means you just play against one player…not the entire field of participants)  in Tucson, AZ… the ratings will increase, attendance will increase, and the lead story on Sportscenter may just be about a golf tournament… all because one guy decided to tee it up.  He may not win this week, but I’m told he will be getting his game ready for the Masters, which is the first major tournament of the four, held the second weekend in April.

More info to come on the golf later ladies, will be back soon with some more timely info!

-sportsgirl

Absence makes the heart grow fonder…

Hey ladies… on this weekend where so much of the country is focused on love, I decided to discuss a matter of the heart:  the old saying that absence (or distance) makes the heart grow fonder.  Hopefully this is the case with my excellent writing.. since I’ve been away for a bit I hope that you’re all aching for another informative, quirky, and highly original post.  Well, if thats the case, here I am.  Lucky (or unlucky, as some may see it) for you, I’m not the only thing returning from a lengthy absence this weekend:  many of the 30 major league baseball teams start Spring Training this weekend, which is the first sure sign that warm weather is returning (or at least my husband likes to think so).  Apparently I’m one of those people who just doesn’t understand how “meaningful” this day is… this is a great day for baseball fans, probably running a close second to Opening Day (just wait until my blog post for that one…seeing as my husband already has a countdown going…I should have a lot of information)…  

For weeks now, maybe even months, my husband has been counting down with his Dad, his good friends, and basically anyone else who will listen to him, which isn’t really many people:  Pitchers and Catchers report in 5,4,3,2 days!  What is so special about pitchers and catchers, they’re only two of the nine players on the baseball field at any given time?  Well, it turns out that in the world of baseball the pitchers and catchers are required to report to Spring Training a few days before the rest of the team, usually 5-7 days, to give them time to build familiarity with one another and start getting their arms and bodies in shape for the season.  Apparently this is mainly for the pitchers, but they wouldn’t have anyone to throw to if the catchers didn’t show up too.  And this used to be a much bigger issue in decades gone by, when players typically didn’t work out in the offseason and commonly showed up to Spring Training 20-40 pounds heavier than the last time we saw them in the fall (rumor has it that Ryan Howard of the Phillies will be appearing 20 lbs lighter…look at him).

So, now that you know why they’re required to show up at camp before everyone else, my question is, why wouldn’t everyone show up as early as possible?  All of these teams train at luxurious complexes in Florida and Arizona, spending 6-7 weeks in great weather getting ready for the season, and also working on their golf games and their tans… I’d be there the first day I was allowed to show up!  The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies (wow, that phrase looks weird… and great) started Spring Training on Saturday, and I’m sure their long absence from the sporting landscape in Philadelphia (it has been about 15 weeks since the parade!) has made a lot of hearts grow fonder, and ready for the 2008 season.  So ladies, keep an eye out on the TV for glimpses of palm trees swaying in the breeze and catchers mitts popping with good fastballs, baseball is back, and that means warm weather can’t be far behind…damn groundhog!!

 

Alright..here’s to motivation that I can get my act together this week…I am just particularly bored with sports right now…but I don’t want to let any of you down….I’ll be back

 

-sportsgirl

I Bet Even Guys Don’t Know What “AFT” Means…

Well ladies… despite the unfavorable outcome from my perspective, after a very exciting finish to the Super Bowl we have finally reached the first weekend of AFT (After Football Time).  OK, well technically the ProBowl is this weekend, but according to my husband, this really doesn’t matter or mean anything….I know, I know, you can stop cheering now.  Just because football is over doesn’t mean that there aren’t any “great” sporting events to watch on TV this weekend… and even if you’re not interested, at least you can make your significant other happy by recommending them to him and then sneaking out to the mall after he dozes off on the sofa!  Here’s a quick look at a couple of events on tap for the weekend:

• The PGA Tour is holding what is usually its first ‘big-name tournament’ (aka Tiger participates) of the year, at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA.  Well, Tiger isn’t back from his knee surgery yet… this week he said that he is close to returning but he’s waiting until after his second child is born, which should be very soon.  So, in the absence of Tiger you still get Phil Mickelson and the incredible views of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean in HD.  Hey, if its freezing where you live, at least watching golf will help you feel warm!
• Two good non-conference college basketball games on Saturday to go along with the usual strong Saturday slate of conference games.  First, #1 UConn is hosting Michigan at 6:00 PM (ESPN), and then later on Sunday Memphis is traveling out west to take on Gonzaga.  Two good matchups among teams that don’t get together too often (or, so I’ve heard).

Lets be honest here… hopefully you are able to get away from watching sports this weekend, especially since most of you have been stuck watching football every single weekend since September.  If not, keep in mind the couple of ideas I gave you above, and enjoy the weekend! 

-sportsgirl