The Right Call...

Last Sunday, Bill Belichick took a chance on his quarterback. While most would say chance is generally 50/50, with Tom Brady at quarterback, I'd say chance is more like 90/10. When a coach has that much faith in his quarterback, he's willing to do the unorthodox, expecting to be praised as a genius, rather than scorned as a goat. But even when chance is 90/10, there's still that chance everything won't work out. For Belichick and the Patriots on Sunday, it didn't work out.

Now the media can say what it wants about the call. They can dub it the worst call of Belichick's career if that'll make their story that much better. But the fact of the matter is, who wouldn't have had faith in that offense in that situation? And who wouldn't have wanted to keep the ball out of Peyton Manning's hands? The game was over if they get that first down. And ya know what? I'm pretty convinced Kevin Faulk got that first down. Yeah, he bobbled it, but only for a split second. If you look at it from both angles you can see he gained control as his left foot first hit the ground. At that time Faulk and the ball were still across the 30 yard line. The referee marked the spot just ahead of where he landed on the ground, short of the 30 yard line. The more and more I look at it, the more and more it is clear Faulk got the first down. Where the Patriots lost the game was when they had to use a time out on the first play of the drive without even breaking the huddle. That cost them the chance to challenge the play, which ultimately may have cost them the game.

But you cannot fault Belichick for making that play call. Manning had just picked the Patriots defense apart on a 79-yard TD drive in a minute 45 seconds. Odds are, he would have done the same if the Pats kicked the ball away. He's done it all year. The Patriots were in a position to win. Belichick saw this. He knew they could end it. Had it not been for a bad spot they would have ended it. The call defined Belichick, though. I loved it. I bet if he had the chance to do it again, he would. And probably 9 times out of 10 (90/10), the Patriots get that first down. Heck, they got it Sunday night. But hey, it's a chance Belichick was willing to take that didn't work out.

Don't be surprised next time if it does.

So what did we learn about the NFL this week?

1. The Patriots are better than the Colts. The Pats had Manning confused all game. When's the last time an offense with Manning at quarterback punted the ball six times in the first half? Unless you're talking about Eli Manning, which this probably happened to last week, the answer is likely never. The only reason the Colts won this game was because the Pats handed it to them on a platter. The Pats led by 17 on two occasions and never really seemed flustered. I took the Pats to win last week and in a postseason battle, I'd take them to win again.

2. The Colts are no different than they have been in the past. Although, throughout the regular season they may look like the best team in the NFL, let's be honest, come playoff time, almost any AFC team is a threat to beat them. With a weak defense, do we really think this team can win it all? I certainly don't.

3. The NFC East is still bipolar. The Eagles beat the Giants by a kajillion points. Dallas beat the Eagles. The Giants beat the Chargers for 59 minutes and 30 seconds two weeks ago. So you figure, the Eagles should beat the Chargers right? No, they got shelacked (made it closer than it was at the end). The Cowboys lost to the Packers, who just came off a loss to 0-7 Tampa Bay. The Giants didn't lose for the first time in five weeks, because they, thankfully, had a bye. And the Redskins, that's right the Redskins, took down the 6-2 Denver Broncos. What will next week bring for the NFC East? No one knows.

4. Fantasy owners regret taking Maurice Jones-Drew. His knee gave me the W this week though, so you don't see me complaining. And it made the Jets lose. This guy is the man!

5. Denver is going to blow it to San Diego...againnnnnn. In their crucial match-up this week, expect Phillip Rivers to be a d-bag if the Chargers win, and LT to complain and fight with people after the game if they lose.

6. Cincinnati has done it again. They made it through the tough part of their schedule at 7-2. Still to come: Raiders, Browns, Lions, Chiefs, Jets. You got this Cincy. I still believe. Every viewer of Hard Knocks still believes. No let downs. And don't let Larry Johnson play.

7. Who's better at being wildly inconsistent: the Texans or the Jaguars? It's really just a toss up, but I'm gonna take the Texans. I would compare them to Dip n' Dots. Dip n' Dots has been the ice cream of the future since it came into existence. At what point will the future become the present, and we'll actually prefer Dip n' Dots over all other forms of ice cream? At what point will the Texans go from being that team on the cusp of being an elite contender in the AFC, and actually become an elite contender in the AFC? I'm gonna say never for both cases.

8. Vince Young > Kerry Collins. For those of you that listen to my radio show, I've been saying all year: Vince Young should be the starter. And what do you know: Titans w/ Collins: 0-6, Titans w/o Collins: 3-0. I should be the owner of this franchise. At least I wouldn't flip off opposing fans.

9. There's a 99% chance Al Davis will call a play that entails a Raider going long this week against the Bengals. And there's a 90% chance Davis will make the executive decision to put JaMarcus Russell back in when he realizes Gradkowski can't throw as far. I wonder how Russell's inability to play quarterback will factor into Davis' draft choice next season. Will he draft a new quarterback that can't throw quite as far as Russell, or will he find a guy at wide receiver with a faster 40 time than Heyward-Bey (4.30)? I'd personally go for the quarterback. Russell over- and under-throws receivers by 20 yards. He would have to find a college standout that could run a 1.6 if they're gonna track down those balls. The lesson to be learned: Don't draft a quarterback no one has heard of until after his bowl game, especially when he's on a team everyone knows. If he's #1 pick quality and plays for LSU, we should know about him before the Sugar Bowl.

Just a thought.

Image taken from Yahoo! Sports

Predicting the Unpredictable...

So, this NFL season is no different than the others. Like always, the first two weeks have left some fans scratching their heads, others prematurely crowning their team Super Bowl champs, and many already worried their team is about to collapse. Yes, everything about the NFL is in order.

But what will Week 3 bring? Honestly, I have no idea. But I like to think that I do. So how about I try and predict the unpredictable?

Okay here goes:

Pittsburgh 10 - Cincinnati 17

My first pick, and it's already my upset pick of the week. The Bengals should be 2-0, and it infuriates me that they're not. Polamalu won't be looming in the secondary, which leaves Chad Ochocinco a chance to make Pittsburgh's D "kiss the baby" in a game to remember. Week 3 will leave Steelers' fans worried, and Bengals' fans thinking playoffs. I think Hard Knocks clouded my ability to properly assess the Bengals chances.

Washington 23 - Detroit 14

Let's hope this game is as thrilling as last week's Skins/Rams game was. This is the most boring a game outside the NFC West can get. Calvin Johnson and Clinton Portis fantasy owners are the ONLY people that care about this game.

Green Bay 35 - St. Louis 6

Aaron Rodgers has to have a breakout game this week, right? He's going to single-handedly lead my, to this point, embarrassing fantasy team to a win this week. Right? Please? I hope so.

San Francisco 20 - Minnesota 24

Great game. The Niners are my pick to win the NFC West, but they're not my pick to win this game.

Atlanta 20 - New England 17

Patriots' fans need a win, but they're not going to get it. Brady still seems uncomfortable in the pocket, their defense looks suspect, and Welker and Moss are nursing injuries. Rainy game. Turner and Gonzalez are the difference.

Tennessee 13 - New York Jets 16

I really had trouble picking this game. I think the Jets are for real though. Their defense is really buying into Rex Ryan's system and it's still early in the season. That scares me a little. The Titans will continue to fall from grace against the Titans of old in the Meadowlands.

Kansas City 10 - Philadelphia 20

Can you imagine if Michael Vick throws for 150 yards and a TD and runs for 75 yards and a TD? How funny would that be? Donovan McNabb better pray Vick has a rough outing.

New York Giants 30 - Tampa Bay 13

I love seeing the Giants play in warm weather. Expect the running game to get going now that the Giants have established a passing game, and look for Eli to have a nice game statistically. Kenny Phillips, you will be missed.

Cleveland 10 - Baltimore 26

The Ravens could be the best team in the AFC. And it's not even because of their defense. Go figure. The Browns, on the other hand, may be the worst team in AFC.

Jacksonville 13 - Houston 19

Jacksonville is pretty bad. I'm not even sure why. Steve Slaton, where are you? I still like Houston to go 9-7. Expect one of the 9 to come today.

Chicago 20 - Seattle 13

I can't bet on Seneca Wallace. I like the guy. But I can't bet on him. I could definitely see myself being wrong with this pick.

New Orleans 38 - Buffalo 27

I feel like everyone's picking the Bills in this one. Everyone but me. I love the Saints. There's just nothing not to like about them. Fun game to watch.

Denver 13 - Oakland 10

Oakland found a way to win with only 166 total yards of offense against Kansas City who had 409 total yards. Denver found a way to start the year 2-0. Both cases are miracles. Oakland won 13-10 last week. I think they'll lose 13-10 this week. Even though they're better than Denver.

Miami 21 - San Diego 24

Miami held the ball for over 45 minutes and still lost to the Colts on Monday night. It's not even that Miami is bad. They're actually a pretty good team. Tough schedule so far for them though. It seems last year's Cinderella might be doomed to drop to 0-3. They'll definitely put up a good fight though.

Indianapolis 23 - Arizona 17

I'm looking forward to this game. I might even wait for it to end before I watch Entourage. That's saying something. Intriguing match-up.

Carolina 17 - Dallas 24

You gotta figure Carolina is due for a win. I'm not counting them out. Jerry Jones needs this one though. I think the Cowboys understand that. The Giants rained on Jones' grand opening last week. I don't think Carolina is going to do the same. Look for Felix Jones to run wild.

Well, there you have it. The unpredictable, predicted right here.

Now if I could just pick the right starting lineup for fantasy. I lost by 0.4 points last week! Come onnnnnnnn!

If only Marion Barber tripped 5 yards earlier.

Image taken from Yahoo! Sports

Fantasy Draft Diaries...

Aside from my birthday, the best thing about August might just be fantasy football. That's right. It's draft season. And if you're a guy from age 16 to 59, odds are you know what I'm talking about.

Now let me introduce you to the greatest fantasy league, I've ever come to know.

Trung Candidate's Weekend BBQ features a core of 10 fantasy managers that together make up the stereotypical, yet ideal fantasy league.

First let me shine some light on the group, so you can truly get a feel for the war room on draft day.

I'm Vinnie Massuci (Vinnie Massuci) -
As the league's rookie, I'm Vinnie Massuci is getting his first taste of arguably the most competitive fantasy league in the country. And when I say competitive, I mean it. We've got a trophy. And pride on the line. So much pride. Massuci brought a new element to our draft we've never seen before, and I think the rest of us were a little shook by it. He took backups before taking all of his starters. Supposedly he likes to make trades, so he takes as many good players from each position off the board as he can. He's a darkhorse right now. It will be interesting to see how he fairs when he comes to light.

KDUBS ALL STARS (K Dub) -
K Dubs crew is good for a solid 5th-7th finish every year. He always finishes around .500 (sometimes just above, sometimes just below), and he always sneaks into the playoffs. A team that deserves respect.

Hoodrat Things (PL) -
PL is always good for one thing: An interesting, yet often offensive team name. There's also no way of telling how his team will do, and that's just the fact of the matter.

The Aura of Elitism (Toph) -
Toph knows just as much about football as the next guy, and should seemingly be a contender every year. But he never is. He once road Billy Volek to the championship, only to lose 162.70 - 43.94! Now I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but there's a 100% chance I may have been the team he lost to. Even that year Toph was still 5-8. His problem: he takes guys he likes. And the guys he likes refuse to be fantasy football studs. I think he's learned his lesson though.

Milwaukee Beers (Comerato) -
The man is an excellent fantasy football player. He does quality research, knows his football, and plays to win. When you see a player is having a great day and you want to pick him up, he's the guy who's already taken him. Comerato's never been a champion in the league, but he's always near the top.

Chicken Dinner (Millaa) -
Millaa's the guy who never shows up to the draft. And because our league is so unique, and picks so uncharacteristically of any league, the computer always autopicks a solid team for Millaa. This year, Millaa made the draft. The league isn't mad about it.

2 Mannings 1 Cup (Smooth Jota) -
J boasts the league's title for consistency. No matter what, J's team will always be terrible. There's really nothing he can do about it. The only question: will he go 0-13 this year? I'll let you decide.

Child Please (ZR, Zermanatrix, Zerm Germ, Ruby Tuesday's, the self-proclaimed "Movie Maven", and many more I cannot name) -
To sum up ZR -- he brought a printout of the entire Yahoo! Sports player ranking list with notes on it last year. This year he couldn't be present, but as always his presence was felt. He's just a great asset to the league. He knows his stuff and he works hard each year to win. And yet, everyone roots against him. He catches some tough breaks too. For example: After boasting about Tom Brady for days last year, Brady tore his ACL in the first quarter of the season. The irony -- ZR had a famous ACL tear back in high school. Only ZR could juke like Ladanian at the time. ZR is usually competitive. He's won the league once. And he likely expects to win it again this year.

ESPN85 TheOchoCinco (MC) -
How original is that name? It's awesome. MC is a two-time champion. He's good for two things: 1. A horrible start, followed by an amazing turnaround. And 2. An astronomically boring team. If you're wondering why none of the Redskins are on waivers, it's because Mike has them all. Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley -- seriously, all of them. David Garrard, Jamal Lewis, Kevin Walter...boringggg. And yet he wins titles. What's his secret? Not even the Dalai Lama knows. The guy was 1-5 last year and won 9 games in a row to finish. How does a fantasy team make that turnaround? Not from waivers with Comerato in the league, that's for sure. This year if he wins, we'll all know why at least. The guy did more mock drafts than Mel Kiper, Jr.

ChicksDigLongKicks (Myself) -
After careful deliberation, I finally decided to name my team, ChicksDigLongKicks, over my close second choice, One Man Wolfpack. Even though I'm a two-time champion, I'm known for jumping the gun on positions that shouldn't be even fathomed in the first 10 rounds of a draft. I'm talking about kickers and defenses. My 6th round pick of Neil Rackers two years ago was an embarrassment to the sport, and I'm pretty sure a curse has been brought down upon me ever since. I'm notoriously known for being the guy that takes the kicker 8 rounds too early. No one even jumps into panic mode and takes kickers when I pull this stunt. Why? Because their kickers, and they all know I'm an idiot. Hence, ChicksDigLongKicks. It's a nice play on words and it's a tribute to my love of early kicker selections.

Now let's get started.

I chose to wear the Michael Vick Falcons jersey to the draft. Perhaps it was too soon, but it symbolized a fresh start, which my franchise was looking for after two years under the curse. Plus it was either that or Burress. I couldn't do that to my team. Not yet at least.

Now even though I mock MC for all his mock drafts, I did a few of my own. And from these mocks I came to the conclusion that the best picks to have are 4, 6, 7 & 9. There's a good chance 8 is a good pick as well, but everytime I entered a mock, it put me in 7 or 9, regardless of how many times I picked 8. Anyways, the worst picks have got to be 1 & 2.

As soon as I entered the war room, my friends informed me I had pick #2. I was immediately shook. I hid that from my friends by cursing.

I spent the next 40 minutes contemplating whether or not I should take Michael Turner or Ladanian Tomlinson. It's a good thing I showed up 39 minutes early. With one second left on the draft clock, I selected Turner. I remember instantly feeling like Ron Burgundy, as I thought to myself, "I immediately regret this decision". I hope Turner doesn't turn out to be as bad a choice as milk was for Ron. Today, however, I'm pretty comfortable with my selection. I'm looking forward to Burner Turner work-horsing his way to hopefully ridiculous stats.

Oh, by the way, Adrian Peterson went #1 overall. But you didn't even have to read this to know that was the case.

J did have the #1 pick though. So half of us were inclined to at least check to see if J had selected the Adrian Peterson on the Bears by mistake. He didn't. Would've made my pick easier.

After my pick, I had 20 minutes to wait for my next selection. Ah, the #2 pick. Sweet! I have a player that might barely be any better than the rest of the first rounders, and I get to watch 16 players I want get taken before my next pick.

The only upside, I get to observe the war room. After all, there's no need to queue the players I want. They're all going to be taken anyway.

So J sits down on the couch (his couch, since he kindly hosts the draft each year), and in doing so, knocks over PL's soda -- spilling it on the couch.

PL: What the f**k dawg?
J: What the f**k dawg?! What the f**k are you doing putting a soda on my couch?!"

Nothing like some good draft entertainment to lighten the tension.

While this was going on, ZR, who was joining us through Skype (he could hear us, but could only type to MC), was providing his own unintentional entertainment/ridiculousness through the draft chat box.

He felt the urge to say "child please" a lot in honor of his team name. It wasn't as funny coming from him though. After all, he had never heard Chad Ochocinco even say it. It wasn't even his team name idea. Toph and PL gave it to him. His original name was Team Burress. Come on, at least get creative with it.

But back to the draft...

Drew Brees went 4th, Peyton Manning 8th -- our league loves quarterbacks. Especially me. This sparked an onslaught of quarterbacks to be taken. Brady, Rivers, Rodgers (my pick), McNabb. The rest of the guys are in shock it's round 2 and they already know they'll be starting Matt Cassell and Matt Schaub this year. You just can't replicate our draft strategies with a mock. No one drafts like our league. No one.

I decide to stack up my running back threat in round 3, since I always get knocked for having the worst running back tandem, ever. Steve Slaton me. I'm hoping for big things out of him.

It's not like me to have two running backs and a quarterback at this stage. Not to mention the fact I have to wait 16 picks for my next selection.

I feel vulnerable.

In round 4, Terrell Owens goes a few picks before me. That was my last hope at a skeptical #1 WR. It's WR, WR for me now or bust. Roy Williams and Chad Ochocinco. Remind me again why I didn't take Jason Witten? He's practically the #1 WR on Dallas. Chad, I better be right about you. I'm expecting big things.

Four picks later, Toph takes Witten, and within 15 seconds, Gates, Gonzalez and Clark are off the board. Looks like were riding Greg Olsen to the ship! Until Millaa takes him 2 rounds later before me. Oh well.

In round 6, KDub prematurely picks a defense. And since I'm the #2 pick, I'm forced to take Pittsburgh prematurely in the same round. I needed to be ahead of the curb at some positions. Let's hope this doesn't backfire like selecting the Chargers defense in the 6th round did last year. Man, what was I thinking? I know, I have a problem.

Before round 6 closes, someone jokingly says that it's about time somebody takes a kicker. Literally everyone's eyes turn to look at me.

I get it I have a problem!

In the next few rounds I snagged Bernard Berrian (my sleeper WR), Owen Daniels (just get in the end zone, please!), Larry Johnson (I hope last year was a fluke), and Domenik Hixon (cause I would be the guy to take a Giants WR).

Onto Round 11. We're now approaching sleeper-time. It's time for everyone to take what they believe to be the potential outbreak stars.

I take Matt Hasselback. ZR takes Joseph Addai.

MC: "Zach just gave himself a booyah for selecting Addai".
We all respond with an uproar of laughter and clapping at ZR's embarassing celebration.
ZR: "Stop laughing and clapping".

He never fails to disappoint.

Round 12. It's kicker time. A time I am very unfamiliar with, since I would have had Bironas or Rackers six or seven rounds ago. I take Jason Elam. I love the wind conditions in a dome.

At the turn of rounds 12 and 13, J selects Jamal Lewis and Michael Vick. That has to be the worst turn combo pick...ever. J even gave himself a celebratory clap for his pick of Vick. We all took a vote. It was unanimous. Vick was a stupid pick. And we wonder why J has the worst team every year.

I got some laughs from my comment that I would've taken Vick as a joke in the last round, maybe. Points for me.

After recovering from the laughter associated with J's pick, I took Kevin Curtis. Ehh. Not much to say about that.

I finished it off with Jeremy Shockey and Arizona's defense. Shockey I like. Arizona -- there was literally no one left at that point. So I figured, why not?

ZR finished strongly, selecting Saints kicker Garrett Hartley with his last pick. MC immediately informed him that Hartley had been suspended 8 games for testing positive for an illegal substance.

ZR: "F**k!"

I love fantasy football.

As for my team. It's not my usual eclectic crew (notoriously known as a "Bob team"). But hey, I think I kinda like it.

If you don't, then child please!

Images taken from Yahoo! Sports

Almost Perfect...

The PGA Championship doesn't start for another two weeks. But last Saturday, three buddies of mine and I, played a little tour championship of our own.

The stakes? A round of beers. Hardly the multi-million dollar purse the pros will be playing for in two weeks. But there was pride on the line as well. And the underlying theme of the match? Well, it was eerily similar to the three Majors we've seen thus far in 2009.

The matchup:
#1 Gervino & #4 Talbot vs. #2 Pascarelli & #3 Peo (rankings are subject to argument)

Lowest combined team strokes takes the match. Gervino & Talbot start the match five strokes back.

Gervino is the only player with true golf experience. In fact, three years ago, he was a handicap of just over 1. Since losing touch with the game at college, he's fallen back a step, but he was easily the best player of our group, and worthy of a 5-stroke penalty.

Player comparisons:

For Gervino, Tiger Woods seems the most fitting. But he's a lefty, so we'll go with Phil Mickelson.

Pascarelli is the John Daly of the foursome. The man can power the ball down the fairway and throw a few beers back in the process.

Peo addresses the ball like Tony Batista at home plate, knowing full well his shot will fade 60 yards to the right on his drives. He's the Jasper Parnevick of the group, although the rest of the guys will tell you the shorter distance the slice gives his drive makes him look more like Annika Sorenstam.

Myself? Well, I'm the Sergio Garcia of the group. I take too many practice swings, think too long about my shots, and shoot too many shots over par.

Here are the highlights:

1st Hole
My whole life I've been fighting a psychological battle with the opening tee shot. And much like the Yankees versus the Red Sox this season, I've lost every time. But even with that fact looming and all the pressure of the match hanging over my head, I still felt confident I was going to blast my first shot.

And I actually did. I crushed the ball with a nice draw towards the center of the downhill fairway on the short Par 4. I was thinking birdie. Until I realized I should be thinking bird's nest. This stupid tree on the right side had the longest branches looming over the right edge of the fairway. My ball didn't draw fast enough, and my 250 yard drive looked to be doomed, catching the last edge of the branches and leaves. But you figure a smash like that would still go another 60 yards, right? Nope. Those must have been some thick leaves, cause my ball went straight down into the wood chips. 250 yards to 80 in a moment. This is my golf game.

2nd Hole
After taking an early one stroke lead on the first, Tiger and I had a great opportunity to capitalize even more on the second. Tiger was on the green in one on the short par 3. I was in a small bunker to the right of the green. Parnevick duffed his drive. And Daly was hiking in the woods. Now I'm all for taking lessons from superior players. It's great for your game. But never take lessons in the middle of a round. Doing something right on your first try rarely happens on the golf course. Gervino explained to me that I should aim an inch behind the ball, and swing through the sand as hard as I could. I swung as hard as I could alright. But I came through the ball cleanly, and hit it 70 yards over the green into the woods. Right over Pascerelli actually.

I never recovered. Gervino and I found ourselves in the water on the next hole, and would spend the next 10 holes convincing ourselves that the next one would start our heroic comeback.

14th Hole
With only five holes remaining, Gervino and I had dug ourselves into a 12-stroke deficit. At this point, I was mentally "shook", convinced there was no way I would ever hit a good shot the rest of the way.

But Peo found his ball at the edge of a pond, somehow floating on the water (there had to be mud and muck under it). So we convinced him to hit the ball out of the water - a free stroke of course. The ball went four feet into the pond, Peo almost went with it, and came up with nothing but a face full of mud. Mud he wasn't aware was on his face. Mud we weren't about to tell him was there.

He then proceeded to reach his hand into the murky water and pulled out nine golf balls. I kid you not. Nine golf balls. From less than a square foot of the pond. There must have been thousands in there. He was never able to recover from the fiasco down by the water's edge. After his free drop, he hit the ball straight into the same pond. Joe and I took two strokes on the hole, now down 10 with four to play.

15th Hole
Peo continued to fall apart, and Gervino and I jumped all over the opportunity to mount a comeback. Pascarelli and Peo began arguing. Meanwhile, Gervino and I put together a nice string of shots, taking back seven strokes from the deficit. Three down, three to go.

17th Hole
After cutting their lead down to just one, we came to the par 3 17th. Peo struggled, Pascarelli overdrove the green, Gervino put one on the fringe, and I landed mine on the green. A few putts later, and Gervino and I had completed the greatest comeback in golf history! We haven't confirmed that with any golf historians yet, but I'm 85% confident it was. Overcoming a 12-stroke deficit in four holes? Unheard of.

What a story this was.

We were now on par with Kenny Perry winning the Master's at 46, Phil Mickelson winning the U.S. Open against all adversity for his wife, and Tom Watson winning the British Open at 59. If only any of these stories had actually come to fruition on the 18th hole.

18th Hole
You really have to see this hole to understand it, but I'll do my best to explain it. The hole's roughly 360 yards. The fairway extends 150 yards dead straight, before the last 210 yards dogleg to the left. There's a way to cut the fairway, putting you within 100 yards of the flagstick, but there's one problem. There's a huge tree right where the fairway doglegs left. There's a gap to the left of the tree, maybe 40 yards long. But if you miss left, you're in the heavy woods.

Since Gervino and I were in the lead, we decided to play conservative. After all, all we needed to do was match Pascarelli and Peo shot for shot. And that didn't seem like a difficult task at the time. Gervino took the safe route, but crushed his iron past the fairway and into the woods. Peo aimed for the difficult route, but naturally sliced his ball into the woods past the fairway, 40 yards behind Gervino. Pascarelli took a chance on the woods and hit the shot of his life - a 250+ yard smash between the giant tree and the woods, leaving him about 100 yards from the pin. Then I stepped up with a 4-iron (perhaps too lengthy, but the only club I trusted), and drilled the ball down the center of the conservative route. The club was too lengthy, indeed. I hit it over the fairway, into the deep woods.

Gervino punched out, Peo punched out, Pascarelli waited, and I prepared my shot. My ball was resting on dirt so hard I was practically hitting off a countertop. I had a clear opening to the hole though. Here goes nothing. For all the marbles, or free rounds of beer and pride I guess. I hit the ball hard enough, but not straight enough. The ball went flying right into a tree, that propelled it off another tree, and another tree, until it landed ten feet behind me, deeper in the woods.

I believe my exact words were, "What the f****************ck." Common golf etiquette at it's best.

I then gained my composure, convincing myself that Peo was playing so bad right now I could still beat him. Took a nine iron (smart golfers would know otherwise). Took another hack at the ball. And watched as my ball sailed straight up into the tree 20 feet in front of me. I heard it hit bark six times. It must have been going back and forth between trees. It finally came down, hitting the tree 20 feet in front of me, only to bounce back into the woods ahead of me.

That my friends, is collapsing under pressure. Gervino and I lost three strokes on the hole, losing our bet by two overall.

I felt like Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson all at once. To do the improbable, and feel like you've already won, only to lose it all on the last hole.

To quote Tom Watson:
"It would have been a hell of a story."

Images taken from espn.com, usopen.com & masters.com

Draft Diary...

The other night, I was privileged enough to attend my first live NBA Draft. Taking a Bill Simmons approach to the experience, I decided to document my thoughts. I'm gonna keep it under 17,000 words though.

Here goes.

4:47 pm - All aboard the train to New York Penn Station. Air-conditioned -- beautiful. I was worried I'd be sweating to death in my Dockers and button-down. I had been advised to dress nice, against my wishes, in case my girlfriend's aunt could take us into some VIP action.

5:15 pm - I realize I'm holding the smallest notebook in the world. Keeping it under 17,000 words shouldn't be a problem.

5:16 pm - I realize I brought a notebook to the NBA Draft. Not exactly one of my "cooler" moments.

6:01 pm - Sat down to a lovely dinner at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse outside the garden. Filet - quite good. Caesar salad - average. Saw ESPN's very own, Chris Broussard in a private room interviewing somebody. It bothers me I have no idea who it was. It was here, I also learned from a drunk woman that she thought Michael Jackson might be dead. I thought she was two apple martinis past her limit, but it sadly turned out she was right.

6:37 pm - I see Anthony Mason signing autographs outside the stadium. This is going to be a pretty cool night.

6:43 pm - Good ole' Craig Sager walks right by me. He's rocking an outrageous orange suit. The man knows how to stand out in a group of thousands.

6:45 pm - VIP action turns out to be the second to last row on the left side. The side Stuart Scott and the gang were reporting on. The side with the giant cameras capturing Scott and the gang, obstructing my view of the stage.

7:33 pm - Draft time. After David Stern announced that the Clippers had five minutes on the clock I was expecting him to immediately turn around upon entering his door to announce that the Clippers had selected Blake Griffin. I guess the Clippers wanted to wait the full five minutes for dramatic effect.

7:39 pm - "With the first selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select... Blake Griffin". Shocking.

7:40 pm - I notice everyone in the section next to me is leaning over the railing leading to the nearest Exit. Why would they do this? They seem loyal to the Draft. Could the players be coming this way?

7:46 pm - I thought they only had five minutes to make a pick. Hasheem Thabeet. He's even taller in person.

7:47 pm - From this point on, I become increasingly nervous David Stern is going to say Stephen Curry before the Knicks are on the clock.

7:49 pm - Suddenly there's quite a commotion to my left. As I glance over, I see Blake Griffin walking up the aisle towards our back corner. I knew those kids were leaning over the railing for a reason! Fortunately for me, I had an aisle seat right next to the railing. Unfortunately for me, I was still in the second to last row. As Griffin made his way through the exit trail below us, I took a quick picture of the security guards in front of him and reached as far as I could over the railing for a high five. Let's start the DAP count. I was on the left, at the highest point above the walkway to the exit, but I was thinking, "Ya know, I'm 6'2. I could pull this off." Sadly for me, the players exit out the right door into the hallway. So the guy before me was basically the last DAP recipient before the players avoid the people on the left (me), DAP the last guy on the right (the guy across from me), and make way to the interview rooms for the next two hours. DAP count: 0.

7:52 pm - Anyone but Curry. Anyone but Curry. James Harden. Yes!!! I don't think Oklahoma City could have picked anyone better from the perspective of a Knicks fan.

7:53 pm - Did I just admit I was a Knicks fan?

7:57 pm - Please don't be Curry. Please don't be Curry. Tyreke Evans. This might just happen!

7:59 pm - Focused too much on taking a blurry picture of Thabeet. Didn't spend enough time trying to get some DAP from the tall man. He's 7'3". What was I thinking? That may have been my only chance. DAP count: 0.

8:03 pm - The T-Wolves take Ricky Rubio. We're getting so close here.

[Let me take the time to say that I think Ricky Rubio is highly-overrated. He averaged 4 points and 3 assists in the Olympics. Why do stats like that in Europe make you a lottery pick? I will never understand that.]

8:10 pm - As long as the T-Wolves don't take Flynn or Curry, I'm satisfied. And why would they? They already have a point guard and they need size. Their starting power forward last season was an undrafted Free Agent out of Providence. Jonny Flynn. You selfish bastards! The Knicks are screwed.

8:15 pm - Agony is about to strike. There's no escaping it. But I can still hope. Stephen Curry. Ah, it sucks to be a Knicks fan again. Talk about sucking the life out of Madison Square Garden.

8:21 pm - Alright. Surprise me with something. Anyone but Jrue Holiday or Jordan Hill. Jordan Hill. That's just not fair. I think it's time I officially put the Hornets ahead of the Knicks as my favorite team. Ehh, I guess I'll wait until the Knicks manage to blow signing anyone significant from the loaded free agent class of 2010.

8:31 pm - Jordan Hill gets a welcome "wish you were Stephen Curry" from our section, as he extends my DAP Count to zero. It's gonna be a rough few years Hill.

I spent the next 30 minutes reflecting on the fact that the Knicks had put me through a miserable season just so, come draft time, they could get a guy like Jordan Hill. Thanks guys.

9:02 pm - Austin Daye goes to the Pistons. At this point I had moseyed my way down a few steps, and was ready to be denied in my quest for DAP once again. Now I wasn't quite sure who Austin Daye was, but I quickly became a fan when my outstretched arms grazed his fingertips as he walked down our aisle. DAP count: 1!

9:02 pm - I realize Austin Daye is probably the last player at the draft, and that my DAP count may very well be over already.

9:19 pm - Oh man. Here we go again. The T-Wolves. Why don't you go for another point guard guys? Ty Lawson is still available. Ty Lawson. Now that's just ridiculous. This is sabotage.

9:45 pm - Darren Collison gets drafted by my future favorite team, the Hornets. And he's here! Easy DAP.

9:55 pm - Now that I have my prime DAP spot, I easily get a solid high five from Collison. It's amazing how good it feels to get DAPped by a player you're not even that big a fan of. DAP count: 2. Hey, I wonder when the players will be returning from their interviews to go see their families again? Maybe they'll come back this way?

10:00 pm - Three minutes after I left my DAP spot to have a seat, Hasheem Thabeet comes right past my spot, returning from an interview. Talk about bad timing. He gave the only kid there an emphatic high-five. That could've been my DAP.

10:01 pm - I'm ready to wait here all night for some DAP.

10:02 pm - Okay, maybe just until my train.

10:04 pm - Rodrigue Beaubois DAP. I'm just as unsure as you are.

10:15 pm - The Knicks have made a trade. Come on Curry, Flynn, heck I'll take Rubio. Quentin Richardson for Darko Milicic. This has to be a nightmare. Wasn't he the guy that helped Lebron off the stage and helped Carmelo onto the stage a few years ago at the draft? It's only fitting he's a Knick on this night.

10:17 pm - At this point, my DAP count officially begins. Starting with Tyreke Evans.

10:17 pm - After giving up cash considerations to the Lakers, the Knicks were ready to make their second pick of the first round. I was expecting them to trade it away for the rights to Ronaldo Balkman after everything else they had screwed up on this lovely evening. But they took Toney Douglas. Not bad. Not bad. Could've been worse.

10:22 pm - Jonny Flynn DAP.

10:26 pm - Ricky Rubio.

10:28 pm - Jrue Holiday.

10:30 pm - DeMar DeRozan

10:40 pm - The #1 pick himself, Blake Griffin, walks through the door. As he walks down the aisle he gives me a look that says, "Yeah, I'm gonna give you some DAP". We both knew exactly what was up. Griffin emphatically slapped my hand, accepted my congratulations, and I'm assuming at that point knew, it was time to embark on his NBA career.

10:45 pm - I might as well stick around five more minutes for Curry, since my train isn't until 11:12. Why not?

10:48 pm - The doors open, and out comes Curry. The should've been New York Knick himself. Curry DAPs me. I ask if there was any chance he could take a quick picture with me. He tells me he can't and that he's sorry. I accept his apology, and with that, my first NBA Draft experience comes to a close.

10:51 pm - One last look at the stage as I walk towards the exit. DAP count: 10.

Maybe next year New York.

Image taken from espn.com

The Taste of Redemption...

Last night, for the second time this year, Kobe Bryant tasted a glass of redemption. And judging by the smile the size of Texas on his face, it tasted pretty good.

Roughly one year ago, a dejected Kobe Bryant walked off the court at the Staples Center, in arguably the toughest loss of his career, as it rained green and white all around him. But there was no time to sulk. It was on to Olympic training. There were less than two months for Team USA to make its final preparations for the Olympics, and the clock was ticking. Even after the tragic loss, Bryant didn't miss a beat. In fact, his work ethic impressed 11 of the greatest players in the NBA. By late August, he and his teammates were the Redeem Team.

There was no time for Bryant to rest at that point in time either. The NBA season was starting in two months. 82 Regular season games. 23 playoff games. One more feeling of redemption. And Kobe can finally rest.

Last night, the Lakers left no doubt in the eyes of NBA fans -- it was clear LA was the best team in basketball. In a battle of the last two heavyweights standing, Orlando fired its last punch at the start of Game 5, jumping out to an early 15-6 lead. But Los Angeles weathered the storm, chipping away at the lead in the first, before unleashing an onslaught of punches in the second, which would ultimately lead to the final knockout blow that sent the Magic to the locker room with their heads down.

It was pretty obvious from the second quarter on that the Lakers would have an answer for everything the Magic could throw at them. No one could deny the Lakers. No one could deny Bryant.

It took Bryant quite some time to realize the secret to success. It must have been hard to imagine for him that as the best player in the NBA for all these years, the key to success wasn't him making all the shots. It was him making the right decisions. The right reads, the right shots, the right passes. His coach and teammates made him realize that. And that's when redemption became a reality.

Bryant couldn't have won his first three titles by himself. He didn't. And he definitely didn't win his fourth title by himself either.

Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Trevor Ariza were HUGE in this series.

Gasol shot 60% from the field, averaging over 18 points and 9 rebounds per game. He also drew fouls on Dwight Howard on both the offensive and defensive end. He showed the toughness and strength he lacked in last year's Finals, vindicating all the hard work and time he spent improving his physicality throughout the year.

Derek Fisher hit two of the most clutch shots in NBA Finals history in Game 4, destroying any confidence Orlando had, and closing the door on any hopes of a championship for Orlando as well. He played solid defense throughout the series, and was always there to deliver a dagger on offense.

Lamar Odom proved to be the perfect match for Rashard Lewis. He saw a lot of time off the bench, and made the most out of every minute. He played confident, made huge plays, and hit big-time shots the entire series. Orlando had no answer for him.

Trevor Ariza was probably the most valuable player in my eyes. His defense was phenomenal. His energy, unmatched. It didn't seem like anyone on the Magic wanted it as much as this kid. He out-hustled everyone, shot lights out from three, and made so many big plays in big moments. I also believe he sparked the turning point in Game 5 for the Lakers.

With the game still close in the second quarter, Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu got into an altercation before a timeout. After the break, I watched their matchup to see how they would react to the fight. Right off the bat Turkoglu went at Ariza, but Ariza's defense picked up tremendously. He forced Turkoglu to take an off-balance shot, then came down and hit two threes on the next few possessions. Turkoglu would continue to try and one-up Ariza, but failed everytime, because of Ariza's great defense. Before I knew it, the Lakers had gone on a 16-0 run, and they never looked back. The Lakers can thank Ariza for that. I truly believe it's one of the main reasons the series isn't going back to LA right now.

With the victory, the Lakers added to their legacy of excellence, winning their 15th title in franchise history. Phil Jackson separated himself from the great Red Auerbach, winning his 10th career title -- a feat unmatched in any of the four major sports. He has to be considered the greatest basketball coach of all-time. He won't admit it. But it's an unbelieveable, and unparalleled accomplishment. The numbers don't lie.

Speaking of numbers, Bryant now has 4 NBA titles, 1 without Shaq (had to mention it), and ties O'Neal, Duncan, and Fisher for the most among active players. Bryant's legacy rivals the best in the history of the sport, but I don't think it's fair to compare him to his Airness, Michael Jordan. In eight years, Jordan went 6-6 in the Finals, and did things that can only make us dream to be "Like Mike". Bryant will forever be one of the best players in my eyes, though. I never thought he needed to prove his legacy on his own, but it's nice that he did. I don't think anyone could help but feel happy for Kobe last night. The joy on his face showed every ounce of effort he put into reaching this accomplishment. He truly deserved it.

As for the Magic, they truly didn't deserve it. They blew golden opportunities, showed inexperience and flaws throughout the series, and seemed overmatched from the get-go. There's definitely a lot the Magic can improve on, which is pretty scary if you think about it. Howard has so much potential. Nelson can be so good when healthy. They have a lot of young players with a lot of growing to do. This can be the team to beat for years to come with a lot of effort. They just have to stay together and really work on improving their flaws.

Only time will tell if the Magic will stay together though. Just a day after the Finals, Turkoglu has already opted out of his contract, and may not be returning next year. Turkoglu was their go-to player in the clutch, and might arguably be their best player. This would be a catastrophic loss for the Magic.

Orlando also has to decide what to do with Rafer Alston. It obviously didn't work having Jameer Nelson and Alston split minutes. It was a poor decision to bring Nelson back at that time, and may be one that will haunt them forever. These two need to be split. You can't have two starting point guards on one team, and expect to keep them happy.

As for now, the only players happy are the ones on the Lakers. And the only question that lies ahead is: If this team sticks together, can the Lakers do it again next year? If history has anything to say about it, they will. Phil Jackson has three 3-Peats to his name. Everytime he goes through a gap of not winning a title, he comes back and wins three in a row.

Hey Kobe. Can you do that without Shaq?

Image taken from espn.com

Let the Festivities Begin...

Now that Vitamin Water's dreams have been crushed by Dwight Howard and the Magic, it's time to accept that the Lakers will not be playing the Cavs in the Finals. Like most of America, I'm disappointed to see Lebron's un-Earthly season go, but hey, he gave us some good times. It's time to appreciate the quality matchup ahead.

The matchups between the Cavs and the Magic, were anything but quality. Rashard Lewis vs. Anderson Varejao? Come on. I think I could write another article on the problems with that matchup alone. Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. the most athletic center in recent history? Yeah right. Ilgauskas looked like he was running in quick sand. But even unfathomably worse than the matchup choices for Cleveland, was their defensive scheme. Honestly, what was Mike Brown thinking?

Gee, let's double and triple team Dwight Howard all game when his four teammates are unconscious from three. In the first four games the Magic shot 43% from deep. Rashard Lewis shot 58% in that stretch, which literally isn't real. Imagine if Jameer Nelson had been healthy for the series. He shot 45% from behind the arc this year. His replacement, Rafer Alston, shot only 38% for the series. It could've been ugly for the Cavs. Well, uglier I guess.

In the Conference Finals, the Magic demonstrated that their offense was lethal. Possibly even illegal. They hit 17 threes in Game 4. How is Cleveland supposed to compete with that? There was no amount of money David Stern could have paid the refs to help the Cavs win that game, or even that series. Cleveland made no adjustments and no open looks. And it seemed like every time Delonte West or Zydrunas Ilgauskas bricked another shot, the Magic would come right down in transition and bury an open shot to add insult to injury. Nothing was going to stop the Magic from trouncing the inferior Cavs, not even Lebron James.

So now the Magic roll into LA riding high and as confident as ever. And all of a sudden, people are beginning to question whether the Lakers are still the best team left in the postseason, and whether or not they can matchup with a seemingly un-matchable offense.

Defense usually win championships. But offenses usually aren't as good as Orlando's. It's been said that there are teams that live and die by the three. More often than not, those teams die. But Orlando might just be the healthiest three-point shooting team I have ever seen.

Speaking of health, I hear Jameer Nelson is trying to pull a Terrell Owens. After missing 40 regular season games and all of the playoffs with a shoulder injury, Nelson is trying to make a magical (so witty) return for the Finals. Is this a good idea? I really don't think so. I understand he averaged 27 points per game against the Lakers this season, and elevated his game to an all-star level, but he can't expect to return to playoff form after missing all those games. Alston has proven he can carry the load at point, and there's no need to risk causing controversy at this point on such an important stage. It must kill Nelson to watch his team embark on this remarkable run without him, but he needs to understand that it's not the time or place for him to return.

Nelson or not, the Magic will bring an unselfish offense with an onslaught of pure shooters and a powerful force in the paint. The Lakers will counter with a deep and athletic team of their own. They've got the experience now, as well as the best closer in the game. They also have the Zen master himself at coach, Phil Jackson. Don't expect him to double and triple down on Howard. He knows where the true threats on Orlando lie -- 23 feet 9 inches away from the basket. I expect the Lakers to use Gasol and Bynum interchangeably on Howard. This allows them to use the series' key player, Lamar Odom, on Rashard Lewis. Lewis is 6'10" 230, with a strong ability to take defenders off the dribble. Varejao was 6'11" 260, with no mobility whatsoever. Lamar Odom on the other hand, is 6'10" 230, with a strong ability to take defenders off the dribble as well. They're pretty much identical in body type and athleticism. Now that's a matchup. If Odom plays aggresive, and wins the point and rebounding battle with Lewis, there's no way the Lakers should lose. Kobe will be Kobe. I expect Fisher to be clutch as always. And Ariza's size, athleticism, and defensive prowess, should be an extremely valuable asset against the Magic as well.

My Finals Prediction:

Lakers 4-2: All in all, I think the 2-3-2 format for home-court advantage plays in the Lakers favor. I see them stealing one on the road, and protecting home court all the way. Odom will be the difference and Kobe will steal the show.


Unless Odom has a sweet tooth before the games.

Images taken from espn.com