Category: sports

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Sports: Baseball The Championship Series

We start the baseball championship series tonight with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Washington Nationals.  On the American League side we have the two so called super powers, the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees beginning tomorrow night.  Both the Cardinals and the Nationals are the surprise teams. The Nationals pulled the shocker by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in 5 games and sending the defending National League champs home very very early.  What did we learn from these division round games?

We learned that Dodger manager Dave Roberts, still cannot manage in the post season.  Trying to get 2 innings out of Joe Kelly was just what the doctor ordered for the Nationals and they took advantage in the 10th inning by scoring 4 runs.  You are eliminated from the playoffs with your best reliever looking through a fence.  They just gave Roberts a nice extension so here is what I propose.   As soon as the regular season ends just send Dave Roberts home and let Brian Kenny manage the team during the playoffs.  I am sure he would do it for nothing, so no extra expense for the Dodgers.   We learned that Garrit Cole  is just starting his post season resume, which could develop into one of the best of all time.  We will just have to wait and see.  One thing for sure, the Astros would have been the other super power to fall if it were not for Cole.  What a pitching performance in his last 2 games.  We learned that the Cardinals still have some of that post season magic left. From little bloops, to playing small ball better than anybody, the Cards may become the shocker of them all.

I am not a prognosticator, but there are some things that I do know will happen.  The winner of the Houston-New York series will be heavy favorites to win the World Series. If the Yankees do not go to and win the World Series, there will be  massive  fan disappointment  and backlash.   Both series should be extremely entertaining and fun to watch.  How super are the two super powers of the American League.  I am not too sure they are all that super. My view is both teams beat up on a lot of bad teams that are in the American League. The media mentions this from time to time, but mostly glosses over this point.  I admit, the most amazing of the two teams are the Yankees, who ran away with the Eastern Division, despite having more injuries than you would think possible.  I think the Astros and the Yankees are very good teams but I do not think that either one of them would have won 100 games if they played in the more balanced National League. I still feel the best team in baseball is gone. The Los Angeles Dodgers  needed a post season manager.  Maybe they will get one next year.  As they say on the airplane, it’s now time to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  The semi-finals are ready to begin.

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Sports: Pittsburgh Pirates

Yesterday, the season mercifully ended for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It ended with Steve Blass being honored for 60 years of service, and Clint Hurdle being fired. Leave it to Pirate ownership to even screw that up.   It was two seasons, one before the all star break, and one after the all star break.  Before the All Star break, this seemed to be a gritty team, that seemed to be overcoming devastating injuries and was only 2.5 games out of first place, and only 1 game below .500 at 44-45.  Even though the all star game is considered the half way point, it is slightly beyond the half way point. There were only 73 games left in the season.  It was like a switch was flipped after the break.  The Pirates went on a total collapse and lost 24 of the next 28 games and the season was quickly over shortly after August first.  They went from this gritty battling team to a team that fought among themselves, got arrested, and simply could not play the game anymore. I feel that it was this stretch of games and the depth of the collapse that led to Clint Hurdle being fired.  What the hell the happened?

First the cold hard facts.   They were one of the worst pitching and fielding teams, in the National League.   One of the  three most important pitching stats are ERA+, FIP, and Whip.  The Pirate staff ranked Last in ERA+, 11th in FIP, and next to last in Whip.  Their strike out to walk ratio was 13th.   They went from a little above average in 2018 to one of the worst staffs in the National League. Going into this year, this was supposed to be their strength.  On defense they were even worse.   Defensive Efficiency Rating, they were last. Defensive Runs Saved, they were next to last.   Total Zone Defense, they were last.  They went from a below average fielding team to one of the worst in the National League.  They had the worst fielding 3rd baseman in all of baseball this year and maybe in this century.  They had only one player who fielded his position at above average,2ond baseman Adam Frazier.  Even Starling Marte was way below league average this year.  This could not be offset by having  only an average run producing team. Runs scored the Pirates ranked 10th in the league.   Their OPS+ was 7th and OBP was 9th.   However, this team was able to stay in the race for 89 games.  Let’s move on to some subjective things and things that were not done that could have helped this team.

Injuries were a big part of this season for the Pirates, when in other years they have been very fortunate in keeping players healthy.  But not all injuries were a bad thing. If it were not for injuries, Kevin Newman and Brian Reynolds would not have had the opportunities to have the good years they had, with Reynolds being the WAR leader at 3.9. It was the pitching injuries, that were the most devastating, in more ways than one.  Jamison Talion won’t be pitching until 2021 and he was the ace of the staff.  Every member of the starting pitching rotation spent some time on the IL.  When they came off the IL they still did not seem to be back to 100%.  Trevor Williams and Chris Archer never seemed to regain their form once they returned from being injured.  Despite the bad fielding the  team collapse can be tied to the total pitching collapse. During the 28 game stretch the Pirate pitching staff gave up an average of 6.3 runs per game. The four games they won they gave up 2.5 runs per game and the 24 they lost they gave up 6.9 per game.   It was just horrible and they had worse stretches than that, later in the year.   Then, there was the clubhouse tensions. Even though most of the fighting that was reported was after the 4-24 collapse you had to know that this was not a happy clubhouse from  the start of the season.  Usually clubhouse harmony is not an essential part of winning, but I think it is more important when the teams talent level is middle of the road.  I think you have to have a bit of mutual respect and loyalty on the team to get the most out of the unit.  I have always felt in years past that this  was the case with the Pirates.  They seemed to be a close knit bunch. That was not the case this year.   Management did next to nothing to help the team combat the injuries.  They could have gotten pitching help that was desperately needed and some defensive help.  It was like they knew this was coming and that the team was going to take the plunge.  In the end it cost Clint Hurdle his job and the future is looking bleak.   The pitching staff has to be almost completely rebuilt.  This will cost money and this ownership has not done this in the past.  As the GM likes to say they will look to improve internally.  Don’t look now but your innards are pretty well diseased.   Naturally they will look for a new manager.  Who they choose under the current situation won’t make any difference.    It’s going to take some bold moves to get this organization back to contend. Don’t hold your breath.

 

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Golf

Golf, the game for the masses, that everyone can play and enjoy. You can play the game of golf until the day you die. People are playing golf in their nineties, and kids can start playing when they are five years old. It is the game for everyone, but is it. For what ever reason golf has always had some kind of unwritten caste system. There is really never an exclamation on why this wonderful game became this way. Even within the game, there was this elitist attitude with the general public, when it came to golf. The golf professional was looked upon as a lower class citizen, during the first third of the 20th century. During tournaments that were held at country clubs the golf professional was not allowed access to the clubhouse facilities. Speaking of the golf professional, their organization, the Professional Golfers Association of America, had in its  by laws until 1961, that in order to be a member you had to be Caucasian. Let that sink in for awhile.

Country clubs are the last bastion of I want to play with my own kind, philosophy. The unwritten rule that many clubs would not allow minorities and people of the Jewish religion is still going on, but there has been some change recently. In the last 10 years there are more  country clubs allowing in their first African American members. There are still many all male golf clubs. There are many rules at most country clubs. Women can only tee off at certain times on the weekend, usually after 11am. The clubs try to make up for this my giving women a day like on Tuesday from 8 to 11 when they have the priority. WOW. There’s the men’s grill, and other rules and regulations that do not exist in what I would call the real world. The justification for these attitudes are we paid a whole lot of money to belong to this club and we will make the rules and play with who we want to play and associate with. If this has been the policy  for years to exclude minorities in country clubs and treat women as second class citizens, why has there been this gradual change to begin to open up the doors to a more diverse group of people. We all know it has nothing to do with a change in social consciousness or attitudes. It has to with $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Yeah, no kidding. The country club world is hurting, and now needs more members to enjoy all those restricted amenities. This is all well and good. If this leads to more minorities being able to play and enjoy some of the finer golf courses that this country has to offer, great. If this leads  to better treatment of the female golfer, wonderful.   I am sure we may see more  of these positive changes as the golf economic crunch continues.  

This has been going on in golf for years and years, and I am not going to make judgements, or go on about golf’s apparent lack of social conscience.  My question here is, how did this simple game of knocking a little ball around to put it into a hole, develop  this elitist attitude. I am not sure, but here is what I think.  As golf became more popular over the years there was one thing discovered about golf when compared with other sporting endeavors.  Golf could humiliate you like no other sport could.   It’s so simple and looks so easy.   But when you miss that first 15 inch putt, make your first whiff, or take 10 shots to try and get out of a sand trap, before just picking up your ball and walking sheepishly to the next tee, you know that there is something wrong with this game or maybe it’s you. Now it’s bad enough to do this in front of your friends, but to do this in front of strangers, or in front of people that you perceive is  below your so called social standing, is even worse, and adds to the humiliation.  The solution is to simple keep them away, and play with your own kind, to suffer the shame with your dear friends, who know what you are going through. Let’s face it, humility is not one of the traits of captains of business. Golf is simply that game that brings out the worst and the best, out of everyone.  It is too mystifying to be believed, and impossible to explain to someone who has not been through it.  It is this lack of understanding of golf, that has led this great game to develop this caste system. See you on links.  I will be the one walking with my head down while shaking it from side to side.    

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Sports

Following sports, or participation in one or more sports, makes life more fun and entertaining. Sports and games have always played a big part in the American Culture. I do not think sports is as important as meditation in making life work, but it does help ease the frustrations, and disappointments that life can bring. This blog will discuss the sports that I follow and why. From the top, here is what I like to watch, and what I do not follow as much, or not at all.

College Football. This is my favorite thing to watch and enjoy. I love the pageantry and enthusiasm of the crowd, and it seems that every game has some kind of importance. The game is much more entertaining than pro football. It is fast paced and the offenses are more diversified. Football is one of those sports that is more fun to watch even though the quality of play is just a notch below professional football. I do not care who is playing, if I have some down time I will watch a college football game. I am an Ohio State grad so I have a strong rooting interest in the Ohio State Buckeyes but there are other teams I follow like the Pitt Panthers.

Ladies Professional Golf. I really enjoy watching the women on the LPGA tour. Their tournaments seem to be more exciting and their swings are easier on the eye. Their coverage is better now that the Golf Channel shows all their events. If the women could only putt, then I think they could challenge the men on certain venues. It is an odd thing that statistically speaking the women’s game is pretty much even with the men’s except for the putting stats, where they lag way behind.

Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball is almost second but the game has lost some touch with modern society. It is oh so slooooooooooooow, and the powers to be do next to nothing to speed up the game. If you are a long time Pittsburgh Pirate fan you will always remember what you were doing when Bill Mazeroski hit the home run to win the 7th game of the 1960 World Series. Even though the Pirates have had their struggles in recent times, I have been fortunate to follow a team that has had a rich and glorious history especially from 1958 to 1992.

The Pittsburgh Steelers. Talk about a rich and glorious history, this is one of the all time great professional franchises in any sport. It was not always that way. The Steelers of the late 50′ and the decade of the 1960’s were quite a cast of characters, that played some hard nosed football but with variable, but mostly bad, results. But it was those vagabond Steelers, that captured my heart and soul, and made me a life long Steeler fan. Again, all Steeler fans know what they were doing when Franco made the immaculate reception against the Oakland Raider in the 1974 playoffs. Other than the Steelers I really don’t follow other aspects of Pro Football. I find the game boring and do not get to excited by final scores of 12 to 9 , yawn.

The PGA tour. Since I play golf often, I naturally follow the PGA tour. The way I am putting these sports in order, translates into if all 5 of these sports were on TV at the same time, this would be my preference to watch them. As you can see the PGA tour is fifth, which is still better than my next list of sports, that I hardly watch at all. I like to see the outcomes of the events and watch the players perform. There is a certain sameness to the players. There are no more characters or personalities on the tour. Now the PGA tour does not like hearing this, but if you ever see a presidential poll taken of tour players, 98% of them vote for the same guy.

Sports I follow a little bit, is hockey because of the Penguins. I watch the NCAA basketball tournament but do not follow the regular season at all. Pro Basketball I rarely watch, except for an occasional play off game. There are various reasons I don’t watch these sports as much. Hockey, it is the fighting, College Basketball I feel there are too many games and not a lot of significance to them. With Pro Basketball I lost interest in, when they stopped running the fast break. So there you have the sports I follow and like, and thanks to the modern DVR, I can follow them in less time than ever now. Bless the DVR especially when it comes to Baseball. Get into sports, your life will work better.

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Golf

Golf, the sport that I have been playing for around 60 years, with the exceptions of 1964 and 1995. It is an activity that has given me enjoyment, heartbreak, and has kept me fascinated the entire time I have been playing. I was introduced to the game, as I was introduced to all sports, by my father. Our three main sports, were bowling, baseball and golf. I have many fond memories of golfing and bowling with my Dad, that will be with me forever. One of the things my Dad would always do, when we had to wait on the tee box, was to look for tees. During the round he and I would find anywhere from 20 to 30 tees per round. To this day, when there is a delay on the tee box, I do this, just as a remembrance to my Dad. The game has come a long way since those teenage days of the sixties. However, the game has taken a downturn in participation, since the turn of this century. The reasons given are, the economy, since the 2008 crash, not as much leisure time, it is not a game for the millennials, and it is just too hard to learn. It is a difficult game to learn, and then go out and play for the first time. There are people in front of and behind you, seemingly watching your every move. If you are learning and you play slow, which goes hand in hand, it can be stressful trying to keep up with the group in front of you. You have enough stress in life. You don’t need more, doing some leisure activity. Golf courses are not being built any more in the U.S, but there is still plenty of places to play. There is no doubt that it is a consumer market right now. Golf rates to play are more than reasonable.

If you have never played golf and are thinking about starting, now is as good as any, to give it a try. There are plenty of times when courses are not busy, and you can get out and get started. The best way to start is to take a lesson, but if you don’t want to get into that expense, then there are many great instructional books that can get you started in the game. If you have a group of friends that might want to start together, group lessons are usually very reasonable. To get started, hit balls at a driving range, for a few times. Then play par 3 courses and what’s called executive courses that are courses that have mostly par 3’s and some short par 4 holes. If you have a week day off, then play in the middle of day when these courses are not crowded. You should have freedom to take your time and learn the game. After playing these kinds of courses for about 5 or 6 times, then try a regulation course, that is around 6000 yards. Playing in the middle of the day on a week day, should work on these courses, as well. Sometimes very early in the morning will be good and weekends around 5pm, or after will find courses that are not crowded. Some of my favorite rounds were playing in the evening on Saturdays with my Dad. Most golf courses offer discounts for late in the day weekend play. Generally courses with only nine holes are not as busy. Equipment does not have to be expensive. Walking into a golf shop or sporting goods store and looking at new golf equipment can send you into sticker shock. You will fine one club costing over $500 and some sets of irons running around $1500 to $2000. You can find new equipment on E-Bay and other local pro shops that are older models for reasonable prices. A very good set of clubs can be had for under $500 very easily.

If you decide to take up golf, you will find it is a great way to spend time with family and friends. The environment is beautiful and the challenges are many. There is one caveat. Many people feel that golf is not a very physically demanding sport. This is one of many misconceptions about the game. When you learn to swing a golf club, you will be using muscles that you have never used in your life. That is how unique the golf swing is. It’s not to discourage you in starting to play golf, but more of a word to the wise. The greatest part of golf is that no two rounds are ever the same. Golfing in less than ideal weather can be fun and increase the challenge. This is also a good time to get out when the course is not that crowded. I feel you can play golf comfortable in temperatures around 38 degrees, as long as there is not a lot of wind. The most essential pieces of equipment in weather like this, is a good toboggan hat and golf winter gloves. Even playing in a light drizzle with temperatures in the 50’s is not bad, if there is very little wind. Golf will get you outdoors and just make you feel better for doing it. The game has frustrated me to no end, because I have always had some competitive goals when it comes to golf and in general have failed miserably to reach them. I will always be glad and thankful that I took up the game at an early age and have explored this game, more than anything else. It has been a very rewarding spiritual experience. The next blog on Golf will discuss the complex relationship golf has had with society.

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Sports

Sports the last subject in making life work. Sports can always be a two edge sword. Some people can be obsessed with a particular sport or a team, and it may prove detrimental to their well being and have a negative impact on most of their relationships. As a general rule I feel that being a sports fan has more benefits than problems. Its like anything in life, you must keep things in perspective, and not let the results of a sports event have too big of impact on your life. As a general rule I feel that people who follow sports, and participate in some kind of sporting activity, are more fun to be around, than people who have no interest at all in sports. There are some exceptions to this but I do feel this is significant.

So for myself, I golf, follow the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steeler, College Football, the PGA Tour, and the LPGA tour. Following sports is a nice distraction from the everyday happenings in your life and it allows you to focus on something that really has no negative consequences on how you do it. It can give you something to look forward to at the end of the day or the week. It is like any endeavor, you have to know what to follow and what to ignore. In the case of sports, you want to focus on the game and the action, not what is going on outside the sport. Athletes behaving badly, contract disputes, drug issues and controversies outside of the playing field are things that can make sports very distasteful to some. If you want to just follow it fine, but don’t get too caught up in it. The one world sport out there is soccer. Passion can run really high in soccer. There have been incidences where fans have been injured, and even killed after controversial endings in soccer games. Maybe its not such a bad thing that soccer has not caught on quite that much in the USA. That is carry things way to far. Love the game, love your team but accept the results and move on. Another one of life’s lesson that sports can help you learn.

So in the coming days and weeks, that is what this site is going to be about. I will continue to blog 100% Mental Golf, Golf in general, Meditation, Food, and Sports, in no particular order to help make life work. This not a self help site where this is going to help you achieve your goals, make great relationships and have great happiness. Hopefully it will help you make your life work. What does that mean. Well let’s look at other things in your life. Let’s look at your car. Everybody wants their car to work. When you get in your car you expect it to start. You expect it to take you from point A to point B and most likely back again. When it rains you expect the wipers to work. You want the car to stop properly, and when you hit the gas for the car to have a little pep and get your there quicker. In order for the car to work well, it needs to be taken care of. When all goes well , we sometimes take this for granted and when things don’t work quite right, it can be upsetting. This is the same as life. You want your life to work. It doesn’t have to be successful, but it has to get you from point A to point B and back again. It needs to know when to stop and go. In order for life to work well, it needs to be taken care of. It needs to be appreciative and thankful when things go well, and it needs to know what to do and how to react, when things don’t go that well. Life needs to work. Death is inevitable, no problem there.