Author: vet4golfing51

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Sports: College Football Playoffs, Semifinals

The bye teams took it on the chin again in the 2nd year of the 12-team format of the college football playoffs. Last year all 4 bye teams lost. This year only Indiana won as they easily disposed of Alabama 38-3. The bye teams’ failures were led by Ohio State, who lost to Miami 24-14. Miami jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead thanks to a pick-6 in the 2nd quarter. This was the first time Ohio State trailed by 14 all season, and it showed. One of the hallmarks of the Ohio State offense is that they took their time, ate up a lot of clock, and scored. They ran the fewest plays of almost any team in college football. This is all well and good when you are in the lead or the game is close. Despite the fact that they trailed by 14, they came out with no sense of urgency in the 2nd half. They scored on their first two drives of the 2nd half. They only got the ball one more time when the game mattered and could not cash in. Their vaunted defense could not get off the field, and Miami put 10 points on the board that sealed the deal. Oregon completely stifled the Texas Tech offense, and if they had taken advantage of all their opportunities, would have probably won the game 45-0. As it was, they easily won 23-0. In the 4th and final game, Mississippi continued to roll and upset Georgia 39-35. The key play of this game was when Kirby Smart decided to go for it on 4th and 2 on Georgia’s own 33-yard line. There was just under 10 minutes to go in the game, and Georgia trailed 27-24. The play was a disaster that resulted in a 10-yard sack and fumble. Mississippi wasted no time, scoring in just 2 plays and 29 seconds to take a 34 to 24 lead. Even though Georgia did come back and tie the game, we will never know if the outcome would have been different if Georgia had punted. One thing is for sure: the outcome could not have come out any worse. The bye teams are now 1 win and 7 losses in the playoffs. The obvious reason for this is the long layoff that these teams have to take. In the past, with 2-team and 4-team playoffs, the teams’ layoffs were equal. Now that we have this first-round game, the longest the 5 through 12 have off is about 9 to 10 days. The sample size is small, but if this trend continues, there will need to be changes. There are two easy solutions: go to a 16-team format, which would have no byes then, or start the playoffs the week after the field is set and play every week after that. At that schedule, the championship game would be played around January 1, with the pro playoffs not even starting. Let’s take a look at the semifinals.

There is no question Indiana looks poised to bring home the National Championship. They were most impressive in their drubbing of Alabama. They have a defense that nobody really seems to talk about much, and when the chips are down, the offense seems to come through. They will play Oregon on Friday night in Atlanta. Just like in the quarterfinals, they will not be able to mail it in, but with Curt Cignetti coaching, you just do not see that happening. I think Oregon has a chance, but they can’t squander the opportunities like they did against Texas Tech. The key will be, can Oregon slow down the Indiana offense? Both special teams seem to be solid. Of course, turnovers always play a role. Indiana is good at taking care of the ball. Oregon will have to be firing on all cylinders if they are going to pull off the upset. The first game has the two surprise teams: the Miami Hurricanes vs. the Old Miss Rebels. Miami’s defense has been the reason this team is in the semifinals. In the first 6 quarters of playoff football, they gave up only 3 points. No question, Ohio State moved the ball on them in the 2nd half. Maybe they knew that Ohio State did not like to play fast for whatever reason. When the game was on the line and Ohio State had the ball with a chance to tie or win the game, the Miami defense came through to stop the Buckeyes. Mississippi, on the other hand, has been an offensive juggernaut. They have never scored less than 24 points in a game all season. Miami’s offense has come alive somewhat at the end of the season. You get the feeling that if Mississippi can play their offensive game, then Miami just will not be able to keep up. My fearless prediction: Mississippi and Indiana for the title.

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Golf: Golf Season 2025 Wrap Up

There really isn’t all that much to wrap up since I wrote about the season on November 11. The reason being is that for the first time in 23 years, I did not play any rounds of golf in the month of December. I played only 8 more rounds the rest of the year, with the last being on November 24th. Mother Nature took over from that point, and that was that. I made it to 166 rounds for the year and managed to shoot my age 2 more times to reach a nice round number of 50. I must have thought it was a nice number because my last 2 rounds of the year I shot 76, including making a double bogey on the last hole of my last round of the year. I thought for sure I would make it to 170 rounds for the year, but it was not to be. The other news is that I got a new set of irons that arrived in mid-December. More about them when I start to play again. There is snow on the ground right now, but the temperatures this week are supposed to be in the 40’s all week through Saturday. There is supposed to be some rain also. Whether this will be enough to get rid of the snow is hard to say. It would be nice to get out and give those new irons a swing. As usual, I’m looking forward to 2026 to be able to try some new failed theories I have come up with as I am on this weather-induced hiatus. By far the shortest end-of-season wrap-up. It doesn’t take much to cover 8 rounds of golf.

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Sports: College Football Playoffs, Quarterfinals

The first round of the College Football Playoff had no major surprises. Oregon and Mississippi destroyed both teams that had no business being in the playoffs. In the two competitive games I was wrong on both games which is no surprise either. Oklahoma jumped out to a 17-0 lead on Alabama. Then Oklahoma started to give the game away. A punter that couldn’t punt and a pick 6 at the end of the half enabled Alabama to tie the game and completely turned the game around. It seemed to deflate the Oklahoma defense and a rejuvenated Alabama offense took over the game. There was no rejuvenating the Texas A&M offense. For the second straight game it really could do nothing. Field goal failures continued to plaque them. A late drive to tie the game ended in an interception and Miami pulled out the 10-3 win. The quarterfinals start on New Years Eve night.

Ohio State and Miami kick things off on Wednesday night. Then there is a triple header on Thursday starting with Oregon and Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. That is followed by Alabama and Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The last game of the day should be the most intriguing with Mississippi playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. To cut to the chase I think the 3 Big Ten teams will win and Georgia. Having said that, I think all the games will be competitive and all 4 picks will have to be on their game to win. There will be no gimme’s in this round. I think this will be the lowest scoring playoffs in history. These are very elite defenses with the final 8. The rematch between Mississippi and Georgia is by far the most interesting. They played a very strange game when they met earlier this year. Georgia scored a touchdown or field goal on every possession they had. There was no cheapies involved. The drives were all over 70 yards. Mississippi did the same thing until their first drive of the 4th quarter. This was when Georgia took their first lead of the game. I will be shocked if this rematch follows the same pattern. I expect all the games to be hard fought defensive games. Turnovers and special teams will be the keys to victory in all four games. A college football fans dream come true will start on New Year’s Eve.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Pirates 2nd Trade

The Pirates made their 2nd trade of the off-season this past weekend. They acquired Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery. They gave up Mike Burrows. I have a hard time believing how positively this trade has been received by the Pittsburgh media. The same people who think Ben Cherington should have been fired are now thinking he is brilliant. There is no question this trade could work out for all the clubs involved. The Tampa Bay Rays got two high prospects from the Houston Astros. In this blog, I will look at only the players the Pirates received and who they had to give up. The other news is that Japanese star Munetaka Murakami signed a 2-year, 34 million dollar deal with the Chicago White Sox. Another example of Ben Cherington being asleep at the wheel. Let’s look at the players that are involved in the latest Pirate trade.

Brandon Lowe: He is the biggest piece. Brandon Lowe has had some injury problems that have limited his ability in the last 4 years. His 4-year slash line is .241/.317/.444. His OPS+ over this time is 113. Last year he hit 31 home runs; he hit 16 on the road and 15 at home. He was much better on the road overall last year. He had a 134 OPS+ on the road and 98 at home. This bodes well for the Pirates. He is a below-average fielder, and that is being kind. He will turn 32 in July. This may not be a factor in Pittsburgh, but he has not performed well in the postseason. In 120 plate appearances, his slash line is .115/.167/.257. He will become a free agent in 2027. He is going to be a 1-year rental. The good news here is that many times a player performs really well in his last contract year. Even though the Pirates are not saying this, I would not be surprised if he becomes the primary DH. There is little question in my mind that he will be a considerable upgrade no matter where the Pirates use him.

Jake Mangun: Even though Lowe captured the headline, Jake Mangun may be the best piece of this trade. He will be 30 years old in March. He has only played one year in the majors. He does not have any power. He is a switch hitter. He had a nice 2025 season. He slashed .296/.330/.368 for an OPS+ of 96. He stole 27 bases with a 79% success rate. He is a plus fielder. He is essentially Tommy Pham with speed. He spent 4 seasons in AAA ball where he slashed .313/.357/.439. The Pirates may have found their leadoff man. What I find interesting is that the Rays never used him in that role. He batted in the middle of the lineup, 4 through 6. There is no doubt he would be considered a late bloomer. They do happen, and it would be nice for the Pirates if he turns out this way. He is not going to be a free agent until 2031. I would be even higher on this guy if the Rays hadn’t been the ones to let him go. Maybe it was his lack of power. If the Pirates use him right, and that is leading him off, he could be the best thing about this trade.

Mason Montgomery: Left handed relief pitcher. With the addition of him and Soto a weakness has turned into a strength. Montgomery was up and down between AAA and Tampa all of 2025. You have to wonder why? He appeared in 57 games for the Rays. In 37 of them he gave up no runs. In 13 others he gave up one run. His last outing on September 10th he gave up 5 runs in 2/3 of an inning which caused his ERA to jump almost a run to 5.67. He was sent down and never pitched again. Hopefully the new pitching coaches can help him with his command because this guy has good stuff. In 55 innings he averaged close to 13 strikeouts per 9 innings. At the very least he has some great potential from the left side.

Mike Burrows: The bad news is that he went to Houston. Whatever they do, they bring out the best in every pitcher that goes there. Even elite pitchers are even greater when they go to Houston. Gerrit Cole never achieved the heights that he did with Houston, even when he went to the Yankees. In his 2 years in Houston, he had an ERA+ of 164. If you take his best 2 years out of 5 in Pittsburgh, he averaged 130. Take his best two years in New York, and it’s 158. The same thing can be said about the great Justin Verlander. His best years were with Houston. They obviously see something in Burrows. Burrows last year only threw 96 innings, coming off Tommy John surgery. Fortunately, Houston is not in our division.

The Pirates have helped themselves with this trade. It would be hard not to help themselves with almost any acquisition. It will depend on how they use these players. Frankly, I like Brandon Lowe as the primary DH. Keeping him off the field should help with the defense and his health. He has not DH’d a lot, but when he has, he has been effective. In 2024, with 150 plate appearances as a DH, he slugged .598. Last year, he only had 39 PA’s but still slugged .638. Mangum looks to be the leadoff hitter that the Pirates have never had. He has speed and a good glove. That is the question. Will the Pirates use these players properly? Only time will tell. Mason Montgomery is another left-handed upgrade for the bullpen. There is still work to be done. The Pirates let one slip through their hands yesterday. It is looking more and more like Eugenio Suarez could be the next signing. Despite his many shortcomings—lots of strikeouts, low batting average, and not a great defender—he too would be an asset. I just can’t see him settling for a 2-year deal. He is going to turn 35 in July. It will be interesting to see if the Pirates take the risk and for how long. You never really know how a trade is going to turn out. If the Pirates had unloaded Mitch Keller in either of these trades I would be feeling a lot better about them. It is good to see the Pirates doing SOMETHING. I’m just not sure it is going to have much impact yet.

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Golf: The Pro Can’t Do This, Why Do You Think You Can?

There are lots of things that seem to frustrate golfers. Everyone wishes that their games were more consistent. Another one is the inability to take their game from the practice tee to the golf course. The reality is that the pros cannot do this either. The tour player is playing the game at its highest level. Their short games are unbelievable. They putt so much better than the recreational golfer. These are all things we can work on and improve. The pros, even though their games are so good, still seem to lack true consistency. They too can never predict how they are going to play based on their pregame warm-up. Let’s look at some examples of both problems. Then I will look at what is the best way to handle the problem, not solve it.

Even at the highest level of the game, the results can be inconsistent. My favorite example of this is when Peter Lonard won the Heritage Classic in the early 2000s. He shot rounds of 62-74-66 and 75 to win the tournament by two shots. His rounds varied by 12 shots worse, 8 shots better, and finally 9 shots worse on the last day. Lonard had won on other tours, but this was his first and only win on the PGA Tour. Even though this is the best example, there are many more instances of players having a great round one day and then shooting badly the next. There have been players who have had the first-round lead in tournaments but shot so poorly the next day that they missed the cut. We have seen players just barely make the cut and then play two great rounds over the weekend to win the tournament. With as much time as these guys work on their games and work hard, you would think they would be a little more consistent with their scores. The point of all this is simple: if this happens to pros on a fairly regular basis, then why do we get so upset when our scores may vary this much on a day-to-day basis? You can explain some of this due to the stress of playing in tournament golf, but certainly not all of it. Let’s get to the second issue before we look at how to handle all of this.

The problem of not being able to take our practice tee results to the golf course is a problem that has been discussed at length in articles, podcasts, and YouTube videos. To cut to the chase, all the solutions to this problem are simply wrong. I don’t care what you do on the practice range. Pretend to play a round. Change clubs at least every 3 or 4 swings. Go through your routine in great detail on every range shot. You are simply not going to fool the brain that this has anything to do with playing real golf. Another thing that proves it really can’t be done is to listen to the tour players after they have shot a particular round. After a very bad round, the player may talk about what a great warm-up session he had, but when he got to the first tee, the wheels fell off immediately. Other times, after a very good round, the player may speak of having a horrible practice session, and then when he got to the first tee, everything just fell into place. Then the final proof of the pudding is to simply watch the players on the practice range. During a big event, many times TV will cover players warming up on the practice tee. These practice tee swings do not even look close to the swings they will be taking coming down the back nine on a Sunday. Check it out. That’s not to say you do not need to practice. You have to take it for what it is worth. Anything from trying a new move or address position to just loosening up the golf muscles. This is what practice is for and nothing more. Do not try to recreate on the golf course. It is just not going to work.

So, what’s a mother to do? Number one, do not look for a solution to either problem. There is none. If there were, then you would not see the wide variance in the scores of tour players. What can you do when your game is going south? It starts with the first tee. Expect nothing and be ready for anything. If things are not going well, then get very conservative. Get the ball in play. Shoot for the middle of the green. Even in putting, just lag the ball to the hole on even shorter putts in the 15 to 20-foot range. Try to make some changes in your address position. Stand closer, open or close your stance, and change your ball position. I would not try to make any swing changes. You might try changing your rhythm or tempo. Sometimes swinging faster or slower will help. Be patient. Sometimes what changes a round is a lucky shot or a long putt that drops. All you can really do is as much damage control as possible and hope something turns it around. Finally, just accept it, get through it, and enjoy the day. Believe me, easier said than done, I will vouch for that. When it comes to practice and pre-round warm-up, you have to change your outlook. To be fair, there are just as many stories of guys having great or bad warm-up sessions and going out to play great or poor rounds. Do not look at any form of practice as the fastest route to game improvement. There are lots of golfers out there who really enjoy practice, and that’s great. It still boils down to once you get on the course, you have to find ways to perform. That is really the key to golf. I am not too sure there is really a wrong way to practice. What is wrong is what people expect from practicing. Remember, expect nothing and be ready for everything. It is your only hope in this goofy game.

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Golf: The Evolving Left Heel

When you start looking at golf swings over history, the use of the left heel is one of the biggest differences. It is hard to say exactly when the golf swings of the pros changed, so these years may not be exact, but we need to divide the left heel into three different generations of golfers: the pros from 1900 to 1935, the pros from 1935 to 1990, and finally, the pros from 1990 to the present. There will be some exceptions during these times, although for the present swing of the pros, I see no exceptions, which does not mean that there may be a few. From 1935 to 1990, the use of the left heel gradually and subtly changed over those years. Let’s go through the years and see what the left heel did.

From 1900 to 1935, the great players were Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Harry Vardon, James Baird, J. H. Taylor, Tommy Armour, Willie Anderson, Ted Ray, and Jim Barnes. They all lifted their left heel quite high during the backswing. There is no question they did this lifting of the left heel consciously. The left heel, in most cases, started to come off the ground just as the swing began. Many, but not all, even lifted the heel slightly on less-than-full shots. When it came to full iron shots, the left heel would come off the ground. It would not come off the ground quite as high as the driver, but there was no doubt the left heel came up for all shots. On the driver swings, the heel came way off the ground, where just the top of the shoe was touching the ground. Of all the great players of that era, Gene Sarazen’s heel came up the least on the driver swing. In fact, he came the closest to swinging the way the pros swung during the ’40s all the way through to the ’90s.

As we got into the 50s and pretty much into the 70s and the 80s, things began to change. The left heel continued to rise on the driver swings and most of the iron shots. However, for the short irons, the heel would remain on the ground for some players. Certainly, for short game shots, nobody would lift their heel. The great players during this time were Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, and Lee Trevino. This was the first boom period for golf, thanks to Arnold Palmer. While practically all the players raised their left heel distinctly for all long shots, it was more of a reaction to the turning of their bodies, especially their hips. They all felt that the left heel was being pulled off the ground by a full backswing turn. Nicklaus’s heel came way off the ground for his driver swing. The difference between this swing and the swing of the early 1900s was that at the beginning of the swing, the left heel did stay on the ground. Because the left heel came off the ground so late in the backswing, it was a much quicker up and down. It may have been more of a timing mechanism. It certainly was for Jack Nicklaus. He mentioned in his instructional books that he felt the first move to begin the downswing was to plant the left heel back on the ground. I looked at a lot of golf swings from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and all the players followed this particular rule. They all felt that the left heel coming off the ground was one of the last things that happened in the backswing. There was no question that practically all the good players raised that left heel.

Beginning in the late 80s and into the 90s, a new thought process was starting to take place when it came to the left heel. Good players started to have more of a rolling process when it came to the left foot and the backswing. These players included Greg Norman, Ernie Els, and Nick Faldo. From the rolling of the left foot came keeping the left foot on the ground through the entire backswing. This was to restrict the hip turn to create a stretch at the top of the backswing to create more power. In today’s game, we have practically all the pros with Tiger Woods topping that list. I did not get too technical here because even rolling the left foot inward does keep about 90% of the left heel on the ground. There is no question this is the modern swing. Keep that left foot on the ground throughout the swing. So how should this evolving left heel affect our game?

We all should consider at least trying to lift the left heel. There are two big benefits to lifting the left heel on the backswing. First and foremost, it guarantees that you will get your weight off the left foot during the backswing. The second benefit, which Jack Nicklaus mentions in his books, is that it will keep the hips level during the swing. As your left knee turns toward the ball, if you do not lift your left heel, you will feel your left hip move closer to the ground. What method should we use when we lift the left heel? Should we feel that the left heel is being dragged off the ground, or should we start lifting the heel as soon as the swing starts? I think you can experiment with either method, but I would start out with the left heel lifting right away, simply to get used to the move. One thing lifting the left heel will do is take the strain off the back and hips. I would practice by always incorporating the left heel lifting right at the beginning of the swing. For the real deal, if your results are better by lifting the heel late in the backswing, then go ahead and make that your backswing. Lifting the left heel has long been a forgotten part of golf. For us weekend warriors, I think it should be rediscovered.

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Sports: The College Football Playoffs

The teams are set for the 2nd 12-team college football playoffs. This imperfect system created by the NCAA showed its ugly head again as Notre Dame was left out of the tournament. It really boils down to giving too much opportunity to the non-power conference schools. There should have been a rule that only one of those schools can make the playoffs. If you want to have equal footing with the big boys, then you need to join and play the big boys. Simply put, to have both Tulane and James Madison in the playoffs is ridiculous. I don’t care if one or both pull off the big upsets. We all know at this point that the NCAA does not really have any empathy for the student-athlete. Every decision it has ever made has always punished the players and not the coaches and boosters that are at the heart of the corruption and greed of college football. But enough of that; it has been hashed out in many other media outlets. Let’s get on with the games that are set to begin December 19th.

The first game is by far the most intriguing. Oklahoma vs Alabama. Oklahoma, to me, is the most dangerous team in the playoffs. For parts of almost of every game they have played, they look terrible, especially on offense. They have had virtually no running game, and their defense has been given most of the credit for their success. After 8 games, their record stood at 6-2 and looked like they might be headed for another disappointing season under coach Brent Venables. Then they won 3 games in a row over Tennessee, Alabama on the road, and Missouri at home. In all 3 games, they were outgained by the opposition but managed to squeeze out victories. Then they dominated LSU, but 3 interceptions kept LSU in the game and in the lead midway through the 4th quarter. They scored on a 58-yard touchdown pass to take the lead 17-13 with 4 minutes to go in the game. Any misstep in those last 4 games and they would be sitting home as these playoffs begin. Will Oklahoma be able to keep the magic up? I think they will against an Alabama team that is reeling. They barely beat Auburn and were pretty much destroyed by Georgia. Oklahoma by 10.

The next game is Miami vs. Texas A&M. Texas A&M would have had the first-round bye if they had not lost to Texas in the last game of the season. The Aggies had many close calls against inferior opponents. They had the big comeback against South Carolina after trailing 30-3 at halftime. Miami, during this season, lost to Louisville and SMU. Other than their Notre Dame win, Miami never beat what you would call a playoff contender. Both of these teams did beat Notre Dame early in the season, which is what really knocked Notre Dame out of the playoffs. In Texas A&M’s only loss, they lost the turnover battle by two. In Miami’s loss to Louisville, they lost the turnover battle by three. Miami lost to SMU in overtime when they threw an interception at the goal line. They lost the turnover battle by one. They held SMU to 23 yards rushing but still lost. This should be a close game, with turnovers being a big factor. Miami does have a tendency to blow games. Whoever wins, it will be their last win of the season as they go on to face Ohio State. I feel Texas A&M will pull it out.

I will lump the last two games together. If Tulane or James Madison win their first-round games, it will be the biggest shock of the college football season. It will just add fuel to the fire that these non-power conference schools should be given more consideration, which I think is very wrong. This is really what kept Notre Dame out of the playoffs: both of these schools getting in. What even makes things worse is that neither team looked very good winning their conference championship game. Tulane, despite getting 5 turnovers, only won by 13. James Madison was only up by 3 going into the 4th quarter. Troy had lost to such powerhouses as Old Dominion and Arkansas State. Do I think that either one of those teams can pull off the upset? Not really. Tulane, I think, has the best chance since they took the pounding 45-10 earlier in the season to Mississippi. If they can keep it close going into the 2nd half, they might make a game of it. Certainly, Oregon and Mississippi look like shoe ins to get to the next round.

One of the most interesting things about last year’s playoffs was the fact that all the teams that had 1st round byes lost. If this happens again this year, it will be an even bigger surprise because the bye teams are much stronger this year. The most vulnerable of the group looks to be Texas Tech as they most likely play Oregon in the quarter-final round. Even though the bye teams look very strong, nobody will be playing any slouches if everything goes according to Hoyle. Despite some of the flaws in the selection process, it is so good to have a 12-team college football playoff. I will write a blog after each round with an analysis and fearless predictions. It all starts a week from Friday. We will all find out how right Hoyle is.

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Golf: Practice Swings

To practice swing or not to practice swing, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer doing something for no reason or take the risk of having irreparable damage done to your golf game for failing to do so. Back when Shakespeare wrote “to be or not to be,” nobody in golf was taking practice swings. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that golfers and golf instructors thought there would be a benefit from rehearsing your golf swing before every shot. When you think about it, no other sport really does a practice swing. You never see a pitcher turn his back to the plate and go through the complete wind-up without throwing the ball. You do not see a tennis player go through the motions of hitting a serve and then hit the serve. You do not see a bowler take a full 4 or 5-step approach without the ball. Practice swings have been part of golf for over a hundred years. There are many possible benefits to making practice swings. Despite these benefits, we do not seem to be able to hit the ball with the same motion as our practice swings. There are many videos on YouTube to teach you how to hit the ball with your practice swing. These may be some of the worst instructional videos in the history of golf. First, let’s take a look at the general consensus when it comes to the benefit of practice swings. There are different feelings about practice swings for each part of the game. The full swing, the short game, and putting all have different ways you should be thinking of practice swings.

For all full shots, the internet says the practice swing can benefit these parts of the game. The practice swing can serve as a muscle memory rehearsal. You can create the swing that you want for a particular shot. You can use the practice swing to ingrain a new swing thought. It can help you with your tempo and rhythm. It can give you a moment to increase your mental focus. After all of that, it is a wonder that anybody could execute a golf shot before 1900. Short game practice swings are more shot oriented. You want to engage with the turf on your practice swings with chips and pitches. You want to gauge how far you want to hit the ball and the trajectory you want to use. You want to establish your swing length for the shot. Putting is about the same as the short game for practice swings, but you want to be even more precise with your distance control and rhythm of the stroke. With putting, you may want to take your practice swings from behind the ball. There is not a lot of opinion that is against the practice swing. The biggest negative is if you are doing it wrong, then it is more of a problem than a help to your game. It may ingrain bad habits, plus it might slow down your game if you take too many. It may cause some overthinking of the shot. Then there is the problem of not being able to hit the ball with the same technique as you used on the practice swing. This is the same problem as not being able to take your game from the range to the golf course, which I have written about before. It simply boils down to the fact that you cannot fool your brain. The brain knows you are taking a practice swing just like it knows you are now going to hit the ball. I will get into that in a future blog. For now, do not worry about it because there is no solution for either problem. Needless to say, I disagree with just about everything that is written about the practice swing on the full swing and about half of what is written about it in the short game and putting. So let’s cut to the chase.

The full swing practice swing should be nothing more than a loosening device to help you swing. It is especially true for me because it is rare that I ever hit balls before a round. Usually, I will start out with big practice swings to begin with and then, as I warm-up, I will take slower or shorter practice swings. Maybe the practice swing can help with some rhythm issues, but it still boils down to executing the swing. I watch a lot of old film and videos of the pros during tournament play, and all of their practice swings were just a relaxed version of their swings. Few of them ever took a full hard swing with their practice swings. Basically, you should never try to create a full swing shot with your practice swing. You may create part of it, like a high follow-through for a high shot. When it comes to the short game, I think one thing that is overlooked when the pros are preparing for their shot is the way they take a practice swing. It is more of a back-and-forth motion, not taking any time to reset. It is like they are trying to get a feel from moving backward and forward, then forward to backward without ever stopping. I think in putting, the way you take your practice swing is dictated by how you are putting. If you are having a good day at distance control, then the practice stroke should be more of a loosening device. If you are having trouble with green speed, then the practice strokes need to be done more precisely to mimic the way you are going to hit the putt. We all know the one thing that practice swings do is to slow play down. You see it all the time the individual who takes 2 or more practice swings for every shot. The bad thing, is that individual is probably not going to break a 100. So just hit the damn ball.

So are practice swings a necessary and unique element of golf? Most likely yes. I have played a few rounds without ever taking a practice swing. Sometimes I have done this in the middle of the round. Like the practice swing itself, there is no rhyme or reason why I will suddenly stop taking practice swings. Sometimes I think it is just to show that the game can be played without the practice swing. One of the main reasons you should try not to make your practice swing exactly like your regular swing is how many times do you do something exactly the same way. One of the simplest ways to show this is to simply write your name. Then try to write it exactly the same way. You will never be able to do it. Same thing with your golf swing. Let’s say that you feel you make the perfect practice swing for the shot you are trying to play. In some respect, you have just wasted that swing. When you try and do it for real and the results are poor, it just increases your frustration. Even on the short game, you do not want to feel that your practice swings are that precise. Always think in general terms and just get a good feel for the shot. The practice swing in golf, even though it is unique when compared to other sports, is here to stay. Don’t overdo it and don’t overthink it. Take it for what it is: a way to loosen up and get ready for the full shots, a way to get a general feel for short shots. Don’t be lackluster with it, especially for the short shots. Just do not get into the practice swing too much. It’s only when you hit the ball that it really counts.

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Pirates Morning Report: Stop The Presses The Pirates Make A Trade

The Pirates made their first significant move during this off-season by trading Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox. The main player the Pirates received was Jhostynxon Garcia, soon to be 23 years old, an outfielder who has spent his career essentially in the minors. That first name will certainly be a mouthful. Greg Brown will probably just call him Horowitz Garcia. In 1,552 plate appearances at all levels of the minors, he has slashed .261/.351/.464. Good but not overly impressive numbers. This past year, in 351 plate appearances in AAA, he slugged .498. He is known to be a decent fielder and has played a lot of games in center field. This is the kind of trade that is low risk, high reward for the Pirates and the Red Sox. This trade could go either way for both clubs; it could be a dud for both teams, or one team could look like they fleeced the other team. It could be a great trade for both teams. Only time will tell. The Pirates now have two young outfielders with some high potential: Esmerlyn Valdez, who will turn 22 in January, tore up the Arizona Fall League. He has not seen any action higher than AA. It will be interesting to see how fast the Pirates allow these two to make it to the parent club. There were two other prospects sent to the Red Sox, a pitcher and a catcher. The Pirates received an 18-year-old pitcher to complete the five-player deal. The Pirates are fortunate that the Red Sox have such an abundance of outfield talent.

The Pirates still have their two big contract players, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller. Together, they will make around 31 million in 2026. I don’t see how the Pirates can make any kind of splash in free agency and still have both on the team. Getting rid of both makes signing a free agent with a long-term 35 to 40 million dollar contract very feasible. Keeping them makes that almost impossible. Keller would still yield a good return. Reynolds would strictly be a salary dump, and hopefully, the Pirates may get a good bullpen arm, especially a left-hander. The Pirates making some kind of move before Christmas is pretty miraculous. Now, if they do something next week at the winter meetings, I may have to go on some heart medicine. This first trade may not turn out all that well, but it does make you feel that the Pirates may actually be trying to put a better team on the field. Let’s hope we see some more moves sooner rather than later.

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Share Five Things You Are Good At.

Being retired, I am not sure there are 5 things that I do let alone do well. So let’s get down to basics. As I mentioned in the previous blog, I am good at sleeping. Not a small thing to be good at, but even that may be up for debate. Even though I have no trouble falling asleep, I get about 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night. At best maybe 7.5 hours, but that is rare. To me, this is another example of science trying to lump everybody in one basket. I am not too sure where they came up with 8 hours, but I would never be able to do that. Not before, not now, and not ever. Am I concerned about this? Not at all. I am good at golf. My index is 4.8. I played 166 rounds and have shot my age, 75 or better, 50 times this year. Good for an old fart. I am a good cook. I have been cooking for about 20 years now, and at least I like what I cook and have received many compliments when I cook for other people. Like many things, I read and learn and sometimes go my own way. That’s what I like most about cooking: the experimenting and creativity you can do. I do not always follow the advice of well-known cooks. One example is when I grill salmon. They say to start by putting the flesh side down. I start by putting the skin side down. I only cook it for about 2 minutes. What this does is let the skin release some of its fat onto the grill. Then I flip and cook the flesh for about 5 minutes. With the fat on the grates, it makes removing the salmon a lot easier when it is finished. I put the salmon right on the grill with no barrier. It comes out pretty good, even if I do say so myself. I never follow the directions for baking frozen pizza. Frozen pizza has come a long way. I heat the oven to 475 to 490. I get the pizza out for about 10 to 15 minutes before I put it in the oven. I cook it for about 8 to 10 minutes and turn it about 180 degrees depending on how it looks at the 5-minute mark. Try it the next time you do pizza. I take pretty good care of myself. I am a firm believer in moderation in everything you do. I must be doing a good job because I am 75 years old and on no medication except eye drops for glaucoma. Lastly, I think my blogging has improved to a good state. I have been doing it for 15 years, some years not as much as other years. I have written about golf courses in Western Pennsylvania, golf instruction, meditation, food, and those exasperating Pittsburgh Pirates. I have written about other sports subjects including the Steelers and college football. I have found 5 things. This would have been a much easier blog if it were to name 5 things I’m lousy at: taking care of things, cutting the grass, cleaning up, making money, painting, trimming shrubs, preparing for holidays, predicting sport outcomes, having a good diet, raking leaves, doing laundry, and organizing space. Now that would have been a very long blog.