My two favorite things to wear (Not 1 or 3 but 2) are underwear and a toboggan. Underwear because it keeps my testicles in place and therefore, I do not sit on them. There is no question as you age your testicles have a tendency to hang down just a little farther than they did in your younger days. The difference is just enough that if you are not careful you can sit on them, and it can really hurt. I wear jockey underwear. I just do not trust boxers to do the job. Before I write about why I like a toboggan, it does go by different names such as ski cap, beanie, watch cap, and snookie, just so everyone knows what I am talking about. When I googled this, it claimed that toboggan was more of a southern term for this kind of cap. I don’t know. I grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio and that was only name I ever heard it called until I was an adult in Western Pennsylvania. Anyway, the reason it is one of my favorite things to wear is that it allows me to play golf in some pretty cold temperatures, around 36 degrees and above. When I was a younger golfer and played golf in these cold conditions, I use to secretly make fun of other golfers that wore toboggans. I actually considered this non golf wear. I don’t even remember what started me doing it, but as soon as I covered my ears, I could not believe how much warmer I felt. Just like your hanging testicles, as you age, one becomes more sensitive to cold weather, and I really thought my cold weather days of playing golf were coming to an end. My usual threshold for playing golf was 38 degrees Fahrenheit and no wind. As I was getting older, I was moving this up to about 42 degrees. Then when I started wearing a toboggan, I was able to go back to my original conditions of play, because of how much warmer I felt with my ears covered. In fact, I would have to say that the toboggan is my favorite piece of clothing even over the underwear. However, I would always get in the golf cart very carefully.
Golf: Mystery No. 1. With Those Swings How Did They Make It To The Tour.
One of my golf mantras has always been the swing is not the thing. Despite our obsession with our golf swings over the years, there have been many ugly, fundamentally bad swings on the PGA tour. There is nothing derogatory meant here. In fact, I have a high admiration for these players, that they were able to break free from the so-called norm and develop some kind of swing that allowed them to play at the highest level of the game. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there have been players that have had beautiful swings that are about as technically perfect as any swing can be. These players have had success on the tour, but not as much as some people think they should have, because of their great looking swings. This list is far from complete but here are some of the golfers with bad looking unpleasant swings that have had good to great PGA tour careers: Doug Sanders, Chi-Chi Rodriguez, Miller Barber, Gay Brewer, Lee Trevino, Hubert Green, Ray Floyd, Paul Goydos, Jim Furyk, Matthew Wolf, Allen Doyle. There are many more that could be added. Even Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus when they came out on tour, had things about their swings that observers were quite critical of. In Palmers case, it was his big turn and how hard he swung at the ball. It was described as a lash at the ball. Nicklaus on the other hand was criticized for the uprightness of his swing and that flying right elbow, that many said would be his Achilles heel. Women tour players have a tendency to have more fundamentally correct swings, but they did have a poster child for the unorthodox swing, if not ugly, in Nancy Lopez. She had such great tempo and balance, that her swing was far from ugly, but there was not one thing about her swing that was fundamentally correct, except for her impact position. The beautiful swingers over the years, whose careers did not achieve what they should have according to some, were Gene Littler, Tom Purtzer, Tom Weiskopf, George Knudson, Steve Elkington, Adam Scott, Greg Norman, and Louis Oosthuizen. These players had very good careers but the general opinion on all of these players is that they should have won more. You could put many more names to this list, but you get the point.
I am not too sure that a lot of golf observers get the point. What I mean by that is, when all of these unorthodox swings are discussed, the golf media is always looking to say something good about them. I saw one golf magazine have a headline that read what you can learn from Matthew Wolfe’s swing. In my view, absolutely nothing. At the top of his backswing the clubhead is directly over his head. Try that sometime but don’t hurt yourself. The other mystifying thing is how did they get to some of their swings. Many of them had fathers that were teaching pros. Everyone has to start somewhere and that is usually the fundamentals. How do you go from there and wind up with the finished product that you see on tour? However, they got there, I think it is brilliant. Some of the players were self-taught and explains some of the quirks that these players have in their swing. No matter how they got there, it still remains a mystery with those unorthodox swings, or whatever you want to call them, how they were able to have such success at the highest level of tournament golf. Some of these players success may have been short lived, and I am sure that makes people wonder if they had had more fundamentally sound swings, would they have had longer periods of success. But slumps are common in golf no matter what kind of swing you seem to have. What about those esthetically pleasing fundamentally sound golf swings that do not seem to be able to achieve what they should. What all of this says to me is that all these swing changes that you read about these players making from time to time is one big waste of time. It boils down to one basic thing that most everybody knows but just refuses to believe. That when you get to a certain level everything is determined right between the ears.
I know some that will read this and think that this really is not all that big a mystery in the game. They will say that the unorthodox swings have enough of the fundamentals of a good golf swing even though they do not look like it to explain their success. The more orthodox swings have some small non apparent flaws in their technique, which explains their lack of success. It is shown that players that change their swing seem to come out of slumps. Yes, these players do come out of slumps and players have won majors after changing their swings, Tiger Woods being that prime example. Nick Faldo is the poster boy for swing change. Hooking up with David Leadbetter he went from basically being a journeyman tour player to a 6-time major champion. He only did this once. In other examples of players who went through swing changes it did bring them success, but no more than they had before they changed their swing. There are some players who changed their swing for whatever reason and never regained the form they once had. Even though this is a mystery to me, I feel that it is a mystery that is not worth solving. What one needs to take away from all of this is that the swing is not the thing. If you really want to improve your game, and who doesn’t, you had better look somewhere else other than your golf swing.
The All-Time Favorite Animal
Being a veterinarian, I have owned and treated many dogs and cats. However, this is without a doubt the all-time favorite animal. When I did farm work back in the mid 70’s I use to drive by a farm that used another vet. I couldn’t help but notice that there was a 3-legged cow running around the field. I could not imagine why someone would have a 3-legged cow. That farmer called me one day when his regular vet was away, to see if I could look at one of his cows. I said sure and I would be there in an hour. After I got done treating the cow and he was paying me, I said to him, I have to ask you one question. He, of course, already knew the question, why do I have a 3-legged cow. He said ” Let me tell you something about that cow. When I was out in field one day, I hit something unexpected, and the tractor rolled on top of me. That cow came over and pushed the tractor off of me and probably saved my life. Then about a month later, in the middle of the night, we had an electrical fire. The cow came on the front porch, knocked the door down, stuck its head inside and let out the loudest moo you ever heard, waking up the entire family, saving everybody’s lives”. He then turned to walk away. I called out to him, I don’t understand, why does it have only 3 legs. Without breaking stride or looking back the farmer said ” When you find a cow that good you don’t eat it all at once”. Now, that is a favorite animal. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Favorite Meals
The number 3 is way too limiting if you are a foodie which I am. Let’s divide this up into meals that you prepare and meals that are eaten out. When family and friends gather to eat it is always fun, but it is even better when what is being served is a favorite and really good. When you eat out, sometimes you will get a surprise, and obviously if it a good surprise, that even makes it better. When you eat at home you know it is going to be good from previous experience, and that is part of the fun of looking forward to it. I will start with my favorite eating out experiences.
I had a surprise eating experience not too long ago in Connecticut. This was at an Italian Restaurant and the experience was triggered by the bread being served with roasted garlic and a marinara sauce. When I dipped the bread in the marinara, it was the best marinara I have ever tasted, and I might add, that I make a very good marinara. This led to ordering the pasta Bolognese and it was again the best I have ever had. I had the grilled Octopus for an appetizer, which was amazing. Topped off this splendid meal with a Tiramisu dessert which was the perfect ending. I have had many amazing meals in restaurants, and I usually stick to seafood. Love fried shrimp and fish. I had a scallop dish in pasta shells with a cheese sauce which was to die for. Grilled Sea Bass is another one of my favorites. I love Mexican food and some of the best I have had was in San Diego in Old Town. The enchiladas were the best. The margaritas were delicious which made all the food taste even better. Short Ribs done right is another meal that is mouthwatering and delicious. I have had steaks years ago when it was affordable that were dry aged and were superb. The eating out experience can be wonderful, and it is a shame when it is not. Fortunately, I have not had many of those, since it can put a damper on a wonderful evening.
When cooking at home it can be even a more festive time. Thanksgiving and Christmas are one of those times. Turkey is always one of my favorites and one Christmas I did a prime rib that turned out perfectly. It was my one and only effort and it could not have been better. Homemade pizza is one of my favorites with lots of beer. The smash burger is another family favorite. My favorite dinner time meal is to make Enchiladas, beef, pork, and chicken. It is a lot of work, but it is worth the effort. The homemade ones are very delicious and better than most when you eat them out. Again, served with lots of beer. Last but certainly not least, we cannot leave out BREAKFAST! Oh my God. You name it, eggs, bacon, ham, steak, sausage. toast, waffles, pancakes, fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, home fries, and I mean real home fries (does anybody really know how to make them anymore), Bagels, English Muffin, Crumpets, and cheese. In England they serve bake beans for breakfast, and I loved that. With all these things for breakfast, who needs lunch. One of my favorite things is breakfast for dinner. Right now, I am drooling on my fingers. I could go on, but it is obvious that naming 3 favorite meals is ridiculous. I even left out soups, chili, and chicken. Well time to eat. Did I mention that I really like meatloaf leftover, especially the one I make. Yum!
Where Would I Live?
If I would stay in the United States I would live right where I am living now in Western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. Even though I grew up in Ohio, it was a little town Martins Ferry right on the Ohio-West Virginia border, it was only 60 miles from Pittsburgh. You could say that I have been in this area for my entire life. A four year sojourn to Columbus to go to Veterinary School and a 6 month stay in Athens Ohio to finish my pre-vet curriculum at Ohio University and that has been all the places that I have lived. There are so many pluses to living in Western Pa. that you could write a book on the subject. Here is the short list. The cost of living is more than reasonable especially for such things as housing and recreation. There are lots of things to do culturally and recreationally. It is without a doubt the best place to play golf. There are around 90 to 95 public courses with 90 minutes from my house and most of them are very reasonably priced. The weather is better than what most people think it is. Our winters are not that bad, and the most important thing is we do not get that disastrous destructive type of weather, such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Over the years we have gotten what is referred to as a microburst that has caused some damage, and some flooding here and there, but overall compared to a lot of areas of the country we have been spared. We have very successful sport teams. In my lifetime I have been able to watch 6 Super Bowl champions, 3 World Series champions, and 5 Stanley Cup champions. Having said all that there is one drawback. Pittsburgh happens to be in the state of Pennsylvania. As I use to tell many of my clients, I love Pittsburgh, I just wish it was in Ohio. Not that Ohio is any kind of utopia, far from it, but Pennsylvania is one of the most backward states in the union. If something is good they are in the bottom 5. If something is bad they are in top 5. This does not say that this totally offsets all the attributes of living in this wonderful area. It just keeps it from being perfect.
If my family were not here, or if I had no family, then I would probably live in the United Kingdom. If you have to ask why then you must be living in such a remote area that you’re not reading this anyway. I would go into more detail, but I have to get ready to play golf. Check the calendar, its November 14th, I am going to play golf, and with the winter rates, it is going to cost me $16 with a cart for 18 holes. Beat that all you southern rebels.
Don’t Have To Do Screens Anymore
How do you manage screen time for yourself?
Since we have air conditioning we don’t have to set aside a time to put in screens. I can remember when I was a kid my mother telling me “Bobby don’t make any plans this weekend because we are going to put the screens in”. We had a lot of windows so it was about a two day project. We usually did it the first weekend in May. It’s nice that I don’t have to worry about this any more. I hope everyone out there has air so every weekend can be nothing but fun. This prompt seems a little outdated. The next thing you know, they will ask us, what do you do when you have to stand in a long line at the bank? They probably don’t even know that there are drive throughs now.
Golf: End Of Handicap Season Wrap Up
Needless to say, the golf diary ended about 2 months ago, and even though hell did not freeze over, I continued to play. I am at 132 rounds and counting. The season has a ways to go, but the handicap season is coming to a close. I stopped the diary format because as much as a stats geek guy I am, when it comes to baseball, I’m about as much of a non-stats guy when it comes to golf. Unlike a lot of people who put a lot of emphasis on greens in regulation, I’m all about the putts. Putting is the most important part of the game. This is a very hard thing for most golfers to accept. With all the tinkering and swing changes we go through to try and hit the ball better, it is not a surprise that many golfers feel the most important thing in golf is to hit the green. I have had many a good round in my life where I have hit less than 6 greens in the round. I consider a good round 3 over par or better. I have never had a good round where my putting total is 34 or over. It is a simple equation. If you make putts, you score and if you don’t you don’t. Ball striking is a very complex process. Putting is a very simple process. It takes a man to hook and fade a golf ball at will. Anybody can putt. This is the ball striker’s mantra. Unfortunately, it is not true. Putting is what separates the men from the boys, so get over it. Putting is the most important part of golf and I do not need any stat analyses to tell me that.
The good news this year is that I shot my age 73 seven times this year, after failing to do it at all last year. I had four 71’s, two 72’s and one 73. In all 7 rounds I had 28 putts or less. Since the last golf diary on July 31st I have been the model of inconsistency. I have shot two of the 71’s but also shot 90. I am on a bit of a run now with 7 straight rounds in 70’s. I almost got my 6th hole in one when I left a 7 iron on the 15th hole at South Park 1.5 inches short of the pin. I got a new set of irons and ditched the graphite shafted Titleist AP 3’s. That has improved my iron play from horrible to mediocre. I have been driving the ball well. The short game is mediocre, and the putting is really up and down. The yips have been bad to ok. The one thing that has plagued me in my so-called senior years is the horrible shot. I am the perfect example of it is not where your good shots go as much as where your bad shots go. They are definitely round killers. I am working on a new iron philosophy that started on shots from 50 to 100 yards. Once I got inside 90 yards, I would start to use my 60 degree wedge and make the adjustment when I got closer to the hole. In the last 2 weeks, I have started hitting my gap wedge (48 degree) or my pitching wedge (44 degree) when I have a shot of less than 100 yards, depending on how much green I have to work with. The results have been good so far, which is a big reason why I am on this little 70 run. I have begun to apply this to some longer shots depending on the situation. I will hit my 6 iron 160 yards instead of the normal 170 to 175. I have just started doing this, so it is hard to tell what the effect will be on my scoring abilities. Will update when appropriate.
I will end the year with a handicap index of 5.8. During the year I got it down to as low as 4.0 and it reached a high of 6.2. Most of the increase was due to the bad shots mentioned previously and to some horrible putting. I really had some great putting rounds through about the middle of June. Since then, I have struggled on the greens with just a few good putting rounds sprinkled in. The Handicap season is over but playing golf will continue as long as the weather holds up. I played 7 rounds beyond this date last year. Hopefully, I may be able to get more in this year. No matter how many rounds I play I am going to start a little series about the mysteries of golf of which there are many. The articles may be endless. Let’s hope not.
Pirates Morning Report: Baseball Season Over, Rangers Win World Series.
The Texas Rangers win the World Series 4 games to 1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers had an amazing playoff run not losing one game on the road. In a nutshell, they were the only team where their offense did not disappear for an extended period of time. The Rangers were 13-4 in the playoffs. They scored 3 runs or less 5 times and were able to win 3 of those games. In the 3 games in Arizona, the Diamondbacks scored 1 run in game 3 and 0 runs in game 5. They fell behind 10-0 in game 4 and were able to score 4 in the 8th and 2 in the bottom of the 9th to make the score respectable, but this was against the B squad of the Rangers bullpen. The Rangers deserved this title, and it was nice to see Bruce Bochy win another series. The Rangers fans get to celebrate the franchise’s first World Series title. For whatever reason, when the Diamondbacks got home, they became their own worst enemies.
It started in the 3rd game when Christian Walker led off with a double in the top of the 2nd inning. Tommy Pham hit a sharp single to right field. Walker went right through a stop sign and was thrown out at the plate. Many people were on the 3rd base coach for waving him on as he was heading to 3rd, and then putting up the stop sign, when he hit the bag. The argument was that the 3rd base coach should have anticipated that if the ball was hit to right field sharply, that he should have automatically held up the runner, because of the strong arm of Ardolis Garcia. I guess this is true when the runner on second puts his head down about 30 feet from 3rd base and never looks up again. In my view this bonehead baserunning play was all on the runner. I do not think it has been proven that you run faster with your head down compared with your head up and looking straight ahead. The Diamondbacks continued to pitch to Corey Seager even after Garcia was scratched from the rest of series. He made them pay and he made them pay big. In the final game the Diamondbacks could not get the big hit. They had 6 walks and 5 hits but could not score because they went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 runners on base. It was just like watching the Pirates and I thought I was done with that. For the second straight year, the 6th seed of the National League, screwed up the playoffs but could not pull out a championship.
The season ends and now the off season begins, with the Pirates most likely just sitting on their hands watching other teams improve their teams. This was a new era for baseball with all the rule changes and I must say they worked out marvelously. I liked all the rule changes, but I was skeptical of how much not allowing shifts would have an impact. It had a huge impact. There were many balls hit just to the left and right of 2nd base that would have been outs if the shift had still been allowed. Baseball was a much more entertaining product thanks to the rule changes, including the ghost runner on 2nd to start the extra innings. It will be interesting to see if there is any tweaking of the playoffs. I not too sure what they can do but I am sure there is going to be some talking going on to see if they can give the lower seeds more of an advantage. The only thing that I think might help is to start the wild card series the very next day after the regular season. Then start the division series the very next day after the Wild Card series ends, even if it is a sweep. This way there would not be such a down time period for the teams that have a first round bye. I don’t know if there really is anything that can be done. This is just what happens in playoff sports. However, because the baseball season is so long, people just want the regular season to have a greater significance when deciding who will make it to the World Series. My next blog will be about what baseball really should do to crown a champion, but I know they won’t. Of course, I will blog when the Pirates do something significant between now and opening day. That means my next blog about them will probably be in March.
Kid At Heart
Another writing prompt ask when you knew you became an adult or something like that, and there were a few answers that said they never did. When I was kid I played a lot of sports on the playground. I did play some organized sports, mainly baseball, but most of the time it was just pick up games with the neighborhood kids. I watched a lot of sports. I was a good student and did my homework with no prodding. I always enjoyed watching movies and TV shows and reading. Believe it or not, over the course of about 10 years I read the Bible twice. As I got into my later “kid years” I got more obsessed with golf and played every chance I got. I was always stubborn and was going to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I was an only kid, so I did not have to share with anybody, but I had no problem letting friends use my stuff. I never even minded if I did not get it back. My stuff never hugged me. I was always curious about things. In school I was a bit of a math whiz, which was the main reason I did well in college and got into veterinary school. Naturally when I became an adult by age, I got a job and had a career. Now I am retired and 73 years old. Other than playing on a playground, I do everything today that I did as a kid. The only difference is that I do not have parents bugging the crap out of me. I guess you could say I am a kid at heart, but I much prefer being thought of as just a kid.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 