Friday, November 22, 2019
LPGA
Final Tournament-2019
Golf fans in
South West Florida are gearing up for this week's tournament. It is
the final tournament of the year, and the best women's golfers in the
world will be vying for the big money-plus the million dollar bonus
for finishing in first place in the bonus group.
The
tournament is entitled the “CME Group Tour Championship”, and the
ladies will tee off at the Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf
Resort in Naples. On Tuesday night, prior to the tournament, the CME
Group is hosting a little dinner for 350 of its top clients in Naples
entitled, “From Hollywood to Honkytonk-An evening with Nicole
Kidman and Keith Urban.” If you are interested in attending, I
might be able to arrange a ticket for you. Cost? $ 2 995 American.
Gratuity not included.
Why not wait
until Sunday when you can see Mr. Urban performing at the Grey Cup in
Calgary? Thanks to the wonders of technology, we were able to watch
the Winnipeg Blue Bombers advance to the Cup with a win over the
Saskatchewan Roughriders. There was a packed stadium in Regina,
really a tribute to those hearty, and some shirtless Rider fans! The
Hamilton Tiger Cats disposed of the Edmonton Eskimos in the other
semi-final. Unfortunately, that game was supposed to be on the ESPN2
channel, but was canceled, and replaced by a college game. I look
forward to the Grey Cup game, along with several other Canadians here
in Fort Myers.
There was a
fine article last week in the local “News-Press” which is
published under the “USA Today” umbrella. Beth Ann Nichols writes
for Golfweek, and she detailed some of the aspects of the ladies
playing on the LPGA tour. The title of the article is, “Solitary
Game”. Indeed it is. All of these ladies, and there are many young
ones, travel from week to week, sometimes in other continents,
virtually on their own.
“When the
hugs, and the handshakes, and the press conferences are over, the
victor often walks out of the clubhouse to the startling realization
that the tour is gone. The traveling circus has packed up and moved
on, and, unless family is on the road, there are times the winner is
left standing alone with the trophy.”
“I think I
felt more lonely when I played well,” said Na Yeon Choi, who won
nine times on the Tour. Amy Olson, now 27 years old, added: “ I
think far more people struggle coming out on tour because of the lack
of community and loneliness, rather than a technical problem in their
swing or their putting stroke”.
Brittany Henderson, the agent, the Dad
Canada's
Brooke Henderson has emerged as the finest Canadian player ever to
play the game. Still a youngster, she continues to excel at he game.
Part of his success, without question. Comes from her supporting
cast. To begin with, her older sister is her caddy. I am sure they do
not always agree on club selection, nor on many of the other
intricacies of the game. But it does not take long to realize that
they have developed a wonderful chemistry leading to Brooke's
success. Her parents are often on hand, strolling from tee to green.
And, of course, there is that huge contingent of Canadian fans,
sometimes waving the flag.
Mo Martin is
36 years old, and knows the grind. She won the 2014 Women's British
Open at Royal Birkdale. Calls and texts poured in along with
interview requests. But miss a cut, and there is silence. “I think
that's hard, mental health-wise to balance. You get a lot of exposure
when you're doing well. But when you're not doing well, you are
either criticized, or ignored.” She is currently rehabbing a back
injury.
The players
travel the world, but are so preoccupied with the game, they rarely
get to see it. One airport to another, hotel room to the tournament
and back. But this also applies to many other professional athletes.
Hockey players are on the go from city to city in North America
throughout the season, but rarely get to see the sights and sounds of
the cities they visit. And yet, that is the dream of many young
Canadian boys. So be it.
Enjoy the
Grey Cup! Hot chili and cold beverages! Oskee Wee Wee, Ticat fans!!
James Hurst
November 20,
2019.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
It's Time for Football!!
Carson Wentz-Eagles
In virtually
every nook and cranny in North America, it is time for football. The
Canadian Football League is in playoff mode, American colleges are
nearing the end of their seasons, and the National Football League is
at the halfway point in its season.
This coming
weekend, the Edmonton Eskimos travel to Montreal to play the
Alouettes in the semi-final game in the East. The winner will play
the Tiger Cats in Hamilton to determine the challenger for the Grey
Cup. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will travel west to Calgary to play
the Stampeders to play in the other semi-final. The winner of that
game will take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. The Grey
Cup is in Calgary this year, at McMahon Stadium on November 24th.
Wear your best woolies for that one!
In somewhat
shocking fashion, the Baltimore Ravens stunned the New England
Patriots last Sunday night. It was the first loss of the season for
the Pats, and Tom Brady. It will be interesting to see how New
England will respond to the loss. Brady is now 42 years old, quite
remarkable for a pivot in the NFL. He has proven himself to be the
greatest QB in the history of the game, surpassing Joe Montana in
that regard.
But the most
popular games of football are taking place in the stadia of the
colleges and universities of the NCAA. There are more than 250
institutions that take part in football at the Division One level in
the United States. It is certainly big business. Alumni come out to
the games in droves to support their schools. Typical venues will
seat between 50 and a 100 thousand fans to cheer for their beloved
institutions.
Millions of
other fans watch their favourite teams on television. The schools
benefit from this with the revenue from the television networks. I
have discovered that most of the fans for certain schools did not
even attend the school. For example, many of the Ohio State Buckeye
fans in this area live in Ohio, so they consequently cheer for the
team. There are Notre Dame fans scattered throughout the nation who
have never laid eyes on the school.
The object
of the exercise for American College football is to emerge, at the
end of the season, as one of the four top teams in the nation. Those
teams play off to determine the finalists for the NCAA. There are big
bags of money that go to the teams at that level. That money goes to
the schools, and their sports programs. None of it, I write with a
slightly jaundiced eye, goes to the players. Currently, the top teams
are: Alabama, Louisiana, (LSU), Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State,
Florida, Georgia, and Oregon.
That has
been a bone of contention for many years. It has been studied by the
NCAA, and they have decided that some of the funding received by the
schools will go to the individual players. This would include some of
the revenue from contracts with shoe manufacturers, and other
organizations that use the players to drive their sales. Players are
supposed to see some of the benefits in 2021. It will be interesting
to see how carefully they open this Pandora's Box.
Schools are
really careful about how players currently stay within the guidelines
of being on athletic scholarships. Several years ago, I asked the
coach of the local university baseball team if I might have one of
their Canadian players to dinner. He was from Peterborough, and I
thought he might like a home-cooked meal. Absolutely not, the coach
indicated. Against the NCAA rules to offer such a thing to a player.
I was a bit surprised, but understood the situation.
Get out your
old school scarves, and cheer loudly for your team!!!
James Hurst
November 4,
2019
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
Back to Houston
The World
Series headed back to Houston Tuesday night. It was a most unexpected
turn of events. The Astros started Justin Verlander, their main
cheerleader when he is not on the mound, and the Nationals countered
with Steven Stasburg, another of their aces.
The
Washington Nationals had won the first two games of the seven game
series on the road in Texas. It came as a complete shock to most of
the baseball world. It was not supposed to happen that way.
The next
three games were to take place in Washington. The expression “licking
their chops” comes to mind. The players on the Nationals had to
convince them selves that it was important to remain focused, and not
to become over-confident. That is simply something that is easier
said and done, especially when they took the field for the third
game. There were greeted by a house full of adoring fans. They
twirled their red flags above their heads.
It was a
nostalgic homecoming as well. The team had been repositioned to
Washington from Montreal, and Expo fans were seeing the first World
Series game for the team. The memories of the days and nights in
Montreal came flooding back; Le Grand Orange, Dennis Martinez, John
Bocabella, Rock Raines, Gary Carter, and Rowland Office. (Only
because it is his birthday!). Almost an endless list of cherished
memories to us from Jarry Park and the Olympic Stadium.
Nationals
fans were about to experience a rude awakening. Not once, not twice,
but three times did the Astros pound the Washington pitching to win
the games in the American nation's capital. Even the presence of
President Trump, who faced an unruly crowd, could not help the home
town team overcome the surge of power from the Houston bats. “Lock
him up,” they chanted.
As a
consequence, for only the third time in baseball history, the road
team has won the first five games of a World Series. Both teams boast
great pitching. And yet, pitching has not been the key focus of this
year's fall classic.
Even the
experts are divided on who would carry the trophy at the end of the
Series. The panel on the Fox network consists of Alex Rodriguez,
Frank Thomas and David Ortiz. They have entertained differing
opinions from the start of the Series. When asked to pick the winner
of each game, they remain divided, moreso as the Series progresses.
A recent
blurb brought to my attention was that on Sunday we experienced a
“Sports Equinox”. On that day, we had the World Series, NFL and
CFL football, NHL hockey, and NBA basketball. Needless to say, my
fingers were sore at the end of the day after pushing the buttons on
the remote.
It is
becoming a little cool for baseball, and that will wrap up just
before the first of November. I agree. Something should be done about
that. Now the focus changes to hockey, which has been full of
surprises at this point in the season. Can you say “Buffalo”? The
Raptors will have their hands full following the departure of Kawhi
Leonard. And, ho hum, the New England Patriots have not yet lost, and
seem to be headed to yet another SuperBowl. Brady has distinguished
himself as the greatest quarterback of all time. Ouch! It hurt to
write that.
Adding a
little more salt to the wound. Tiger Wood just won another PGA event.
So much for my predictability when it comes to sport.
James Hurst
October 28,
2019.
The Fall Classic-2019
For as long
as I have followed sports, the championship to determine the winner
of the World Series has always been dubbed “The Fall Classic”.
When you hear that expression, it is not necessary to consider other
games. The name of the game is baseball.
The seven
game series started on Tuesday night in Houston, Texas, and the
Astros faced the Washington Nationals. The Astros recently won the
American League pennant, while the Nationals represent the senior
league, the National League. That team was transplanted years ago
from Montreal. The Expos struggled for several years before being
moved to Washington. There were many reasons for the move to the
American capital: poor attendance, bad management on and off the
field, little fan support, etc. It was a shock to their loyal
supporters. Some have told me that they have paid little attention to
the game since that day.
The New York
Yankees proved to be worthy opponents for the Astros in the American
League Championship Series. In the sixth game in Houston, they tied
the game in the late innings. The Astros had their “last bats” in
the bottom of the ninth. The Yankees had called on their star
reliever, Aroldis Chapman, to silence the bats of the Astros.
Throwing the ball as fast as any pitcher, he mowed down the
opposition with pitches of more than 100 miles per hour. That is
until Jose Altuve came to the plate.
The
pint-sized second baseman for the Astros saw a pitch that he liked,
swung gracefully, and parked the pitch over the left field fence to
win the game for the Astros. It came all so suddenly, ending the
season for the mighty Yankees.
The
Nationals had previously disposed of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a bit
unexpectedly. They then faced the St. Louis Cardinals, and defeated
them with solid pitching. They had finished the season behind the
leaders, but had qualified for post-season play as a “wild card”.
Both teams
boast some of the finest pitchers in the game today. This final could
be a series of shutout games, one way or another. Then again, the
bats could heat up on both sides, creating wild finishes.
Gerrit Cole
is one of the aces on the Astros. He has not lost a game in months,
going 19-0 in his last 25 starts. He led the league with 326
strikeouts, and was a 20 game winner.
The
Nationals have had more than a week to prepare for the final series.
That is a distinct advantage, because the Astros have only had a two
day break. The Nationals manager, Dave Martinez, said that it gives
them a chance to “heal a little bit” after a season of 162 games,
and two playoff series.
Reliever
Sean Doolittle is learning about the exhaustion that comes with such
a long season. “One thing I didn't know about getting this far in
the postseason is it's emotionally exhausting. It just felt good to
have nothing on our plate after winning the pennant, and just recover
a little.”
Doolittle
and the other Nationals' pitchers will have to face the likes of
Altuve, Carlos Correa, Springer, Brantley, Bregman, Alvarez, and
Gurriel.
The Series
could run until October 30th, if it goes seven games. At
that time, we will be ready for a lot more hockey, football, and
basketball. Incidentally, the Raptors began their defense of their
championship on Tuesday night.
Yet another
great time of the year for sports' fans!!!
James Hurst
October 22,
2019
