Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Miracle at St. Andrews
If you are a
golfer, or if you just like the game, I suggest you get a copy of
Miracle at St. Andrews, a
novel by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge. Many of you will
recognize the name James Patterson. Almost 400 million of his books
have been sold, worldwide. Peter de Jonge wrote two other books with
Patterson: Miracle on the 17th
Green, and Miracle
at Augusta. I am going to
assume they are also about the game. I can't wait to get my hands on
those books.
There
is a quote from Patterson on the cover of the book that sums up his
feelings on the game. “There's no other sport where somebody who is
average at best can hit absolutely magical shots, on occasion. Most
of us can't dunk a basketball or hit a baseball out of Yankee
Stadium. But on occasion, I've had a hole in one, or hit a fairway
wood to within a couple of inches of the hole, just like Woods, or
Mickelson or Spieth.”
Obviously,
Mr Patterson loves the game. After Sunday's PGA tournament in
Minnesota, he might have added the name Matthew Wolff. The 20 year
old knocked in an eagle shot, on the last hole to win by one stroke
over Bryson De Chambeau and Collin Morikawa. It was his third pro
start.
The
novel is about the fortunes of a golfer named Travis McKinley,
nearing the end of his career. He is playing the Champions Tour, and
he is feeling the heat of the younger players entering the tour. We
are taken to the 16th fairway, and the pressure is on: he
must finish in the top 31 players to retain his card and playing
privileges the following year.
He
has a son in third grade named Noah. His older son, Simon, is an
outstanding soccer goaltender at the University of Virginia, well on
his way to becoming a professional player. His daughter, Elizabeth is
a doctor. Sarah, his wife, has been the foundation of the McKinley
family, especially during the four years that he played on the Senior
Tour.
He
spends a little time with his buddies at his home course, the heads
out to try to regain his card at the Tucson National course, playing
four rounds at “Q” school. As he approaches the green on the
final hole, he realizes he is in a trap, 157 feet from the front
edge, with a nasty lip.
He
tries a career behind the microphone for a golf channel, but
discovers he is just a little too honest, perhaps too brash, for that
life. He refers to himself as a “golf whisperer”!
Late
that summer, the family heads to England to do beds and breakfasts in
a camper van, with their faithful dog Louie. He finds his ancestral
home, tours Stonehenge, catch some scenic bits of Scotland. He
naturally wanted to play at St. Andrews, but the course was closed to
the public, anticipating the upcoming Open. His second choice was
Royal Dornach in the Scottish Highlands. He plays with a local, cards
a 61. Unheard of, it is the course record.
He
plays Loch Lomand, just failing to qualify to play The Open, at St.
Andrews. A little twist of golfing fate allows him to gain the final
spot. He meets with his caddy at a nearby pub, and sets out his
strategy for The Open.
A
really fine literary experience, for those of you who love the game,
for those of you who have spent some time in Scotland.
Miracle
at St. Andrews awaits
you at the library.
James
Hurst
July
8, 2019.
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Happy Canada Day!!
The Toronto
Blue Jays chased the Kansas City Royals out of town yesterday,
winning three games out of the four game series. The Jays now get to
face the Boston Red Sox in Toronto.
The Sox are
reeling after a rather unpleasant adventure across the pond. For the
first time in history, two major league teams-the New York Yankees
and the Boston Red Sox, squared off on European soil. Two games were
played in London, at the site where the Olympic Games took place
recently. The Red Sox simply were trounced in both games.
Two of the
Yankee players, Edwin Encarnacion and Masahiro Tanaka had their
passports ready to hand over to the customs officer. Encarnacion is a
relatively new addition to the Yankees, as he spent the first part of
the season with the Seattle Mariners. As a Mariner, he traveled to
Tokyo to play in the opening series this season. Tanaka played in the
Japanese League prior to his time with the Yankees.
In 2014,
Major League Baseball stretched its wings by playing a game in
Australia. The Dodgers beat the Diamond Backs in that tilt. The Cubs
beat the Mets in 2000 in a regular season game in Tokyo. It appears
that this is just the tip of the iceberg for these games. MLB has a
huge storage facility in London to tuck away all of the equipment
used in the game: lights, towers, outfield fences. They will be ready
for another sell-out in merry old England.
DiDi
Gregorious of the Yankees was the only European-born player in the
contests. He was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in Curacao, one
of the “ABC Islands”: Aruba and Bonaire are the others. Even with
all of the travel the players experience in a 162 game schedule, many
experienced jet lag from flying across the Atlantic.
The first
game they played ended as the second-highest scoring game in history
between these two teams. On August 21, 2009, the Yanks and Sox
battered pitchers to score 31 runs. Last Saturday, they managed 30
runs, the Yanks prevailing 17-13. Each team scored six runs in the
first inning. Neither starter was able to complete the first inning.
Aaron Hicks gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead with a home run off Rick
Porcello, sending him to the showers after recording one out.
DJ Le Mahieu
got the first hit for the Yankees. Mookie Betts singled for the Red
Sox to get them on the board. That opened the floodgates for both
teams.
The Red Sox
now trail the Yankees by more than ten runs. Both teams have stacked
rosters, and have been able to fight the injury bug with suitable
replacements.
The All Star
Activities will give most major leaguers a slight respite from the
regular season this coming week. One bright spot for Blue Jay fans
will be the appearance of Vladimir Guerrero Junior in the “Home Run
Derby”. It is an interesting contest that takes place prior to the
actual game. Many of us wished that he would have declined to take
place in the contest. More than one fine hitter has been negatively
affected by his appearance in the contest. It is not a natural event
for a baseball player, and the timing in different. Good luck,
Vladdy.
The hockey
and the basketball worlds are currently are in a frenzied mode, as
the teams are vying for free agents, and are trading to improve their
rosters for next season. The big fish in the pond is Kawhi Leonard,
who led the Raptors to the NBA Championship. He has not yet decided
where he will hang his hat next year. Wherever it is, he will be well
compensated.
And the CFL
is well underway. The Argos took another one on the chin Monday
night, after a spectacular lightning delay in Saskatchewan. It is an
18 game season, plenty of time to turn things around. The Tiger Cats
look strong, at least for now.
Enjoy!!!
James Hurst
July 2,
2019.
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
Big Wins for the Jays
The Blue
Jays are in New York for the next few days to face the Yankees. But
you can't blame them for having small smiles on their faces, after
taking two of three games against the Red Sox in Boston.
Saturday's
win was special. They trailed the Beantowners 6-0 at one point in the
game, then rallied to win 8-7. They followed that up with a victory
on Sunday behind a strong pitching performance from Marcus Stroman.
He had six strike outs in six innings, without allowing a run.
It has been
a somewhat difficult season for the Jays up to this point, but that
was to be expected. Their lineup is laden with rookies, and that
means that there will be mistakes: running blunders, mental mistakes,
rough outings for pitchers. All of that, and more, leaving the Jays
well short of .500 baseball. This will not be a year of playoff
baseball for the Jays.
No matter.
There are so many reasons to watch the Jays as they head into the
second half of the season. Primarily, all of the excitement surrounds
the young Jays, and the promise that they bring for years to come.
Most of the
hype came this spring in the form of Vladimir Guerrero, Junior. His
father was a star for the Montreal Expos, and many fans loved his
game: no holds barred, wild swings at pitches far off the plate. All
heart, every game. It was great to see him at his son's first games,
smiling broadly, surrounded by family.
Cavan Biggio
has also had fine results so far this season. He has reached base
safely in 19 of the 24 games he has played this season, and his .359
on-base percentage is second among rookies in the American League,
trailing only Oscar Mercado.
Rowdy Tellez
has spent a good deal of time lately playing first base for the Jays.
He is a giant, standing at 6' 5”, weighing 260 lbs. He has
explosive power, and has tallied 14 home runs and 35 runs batted in,
thus far. Watch for Houston's Jose Altube, when he reaches first base
against the Jays. You will then understand Rowdy's impressive size.
In any case, with a name such as his, how could he not be a fan
favourite?
Lourdes
Gurriel, Jr., has been seeing action in left field for the Jays. He
scooped up a single off the bat of Jackie Bradley, Jr., and in one
fluid motion, fired a perfect strike to nail Brock Holt at home
plate. He also is among the league leaders in slugging percentage
since being recalled from Buffalo.
Another fine
rookie, with a major league pedigree is Bo Bichette. He spent six
weeks on the injury list with a fractured left hand, not a great way
to start the season. And he admits he is learning how to be a major
leaguer. “I am starting to learn how to hone my passion. It's been
a blessing.”
The city of
Toronto is still basking in the triumph of the Raptors. Am I the only
one who has heard more than enough rumour talk about the possibility
of Kawhi returning next year? The Argos suffered a terrible loss at
the hands of the Hamilton Tiger Cats last weekend: 64-14! Back to the
old drawing board this week for the Boatmen. Maple Leaf pre-season
tickets are now on sale.
Four
baseball people have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of
Fame: Jason Bay, who played most of his career with the Pirates; Ryan
Dempster, a long-time Cub; Rob Thompson, who coached many years for
the Yankees; and Gord Ash, formerly an exec with the Blue Jays, now
with the Brewers.
Summer's
here! Enjoy the games!!
James Hurst
June 24,
2019
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
