Lucas and I were in the mall today at a retail golf store. We were practicing our putting and lo and behold, we saw several men and women browsing around the store with confused looks on their faces. At 2 years old, Lucas didn’t take much notice, but I knew the look. I have seen it before. It’s the “Oh crap, my husband/wife asked for the 9.5 degree, Nasa plutonium shafted, jimmy-doo-hicky, high launch driver from, oh what was it, Taylorland, or was it Clevemade?” look.

Husbands and wives, please, do me a favor. Do not ask for golf equipment for Christmas! That is not until you have been properly fitted and can write down in vast detail the exact make and model of the latest doo-hicky driver that you want. Because if you just say get me the “9.5 degree, Nasa plutonium shafted, jimmy-doo-hicky, high launch driver from TaylorMade”, you will be lucky to get it and when you do get it, the thing will work just as poorly and slice the ball just as far as your original jimmy-doo-hicky driver. Get Fitted!

www.grandrapidsgolflesson.com

www.golfacademyofmichigan.com

Thanksgiving is upon us.  Since I don’t think I will be posting in the next couple days (and because I’m thinking about food) I figured I’d give you a few sports/politics and food related links.  Enjoy and best wishes to all of you for a very happy and healthy (kind-of) holiday.  Travel safely!

The best wedding cake of all time!

An unfortunate turn of events for noted Turducken lover, John Madden

What athletes would you like to have over for Thanksgiving dinner?  For me, my table would include me, Bill Belichick, Theo Epstein, Peyton Manning, Shaq and Kobe (that should be fun), Dan Rooney, Maria Sharapova, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shannon Miller, Tiger Woods,  Larry Bird, Natalie Gulbis, Magic Johnson and Pete Sampras.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without this really really odd tradition.

Lorena Ochoa luce en su grip la bandera mejicana

Ellas tienen un sueño para 2016. Todos solpan las velas con un mismo deseo: ser el primer oro olímpico de la historia del golf. Tiger Woods lo quiere en su vitrina, Sergio García quiere marcar su nombre en la historia con letras doradas. Y ellas también.

Lorena Ochoa, número uno de la LPGA estadounidense desde 2007, no sólo promete acabar en la cabeza de la clasificación de la liga femenina más importante del mundo sino llevarse el primero oro olímpico. La jugadora quiere llevarse para Méjico un título que supondría un orgullo para su país y el único título que le falta para culminar su carrera.

Pero no lo va a tener nada fácil. La mejicana tendrá que luchar a capa y espada con la sensación juvenil de la LPGA, Michelle Wie, que tras hacerse con el trofeo del Lorena International, confirma su recuparación tras una salida al estrellato algo accidentada – llegó a competir infructuosamente a sus dieciséis años con hombres-. No tenemos que decir que las españolas también están preparadas. Ella quieren demostrar que en su país se juega a esto. -recordemos que en España el golf es el tercer deporte con mayor número de federados-, y muy bien. Azahara Muñoz , María Hernández, Paula Martí y sobre todo Tania Elósegui no piensan tirar sus palos antes de conseguirlo.

Y no nos olvidemos de las grandes veteranas o de las sensaciones del momento como Anna Nordqvist. Porque hay sensaciones efímeras y otras que pueden prolongarse hasta 2016.

Nos vemos en Brasilia.

It’s been quite a day for lil o’ me. In the Nov. 24, 2009 edition of The Wall Street Journal, there was a story about President Obama and his newfound affection for golf, which, God forbid, may take the place of his first love, basketball. I was quoted in the Elizabeth Williamson’s really well done story, and she even closed her feature with a line from my column that I wrote about the subject in The Sanford Herald in August.

I talked to Elizabeth three weeks ago for her story, which she said was inspired by my column. What wonderful thing for her to say. I am grateful, and decided to re-run my column in this space for anybody else who might stumble across it:

Whatever Happened to Baller-In-Chief?

No shanks, Mr. President.

Look, I like Barack Obama as much as the next guy (well, given the recent poll numbers, maybe the next guy, or that guy over there, or maybe that woman who still has hope across the street — you know what I mean!), but this golfing thing has got to stop.

I’m not saying the president needs to give up the game — actually, that is what I’m saying, because I think it’s getting in the way of more important things.

No, not universal health care. Or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It’s getting in the way of his jump shot.

When then-senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Chapel Hill to practice and run with the Tar Heels, I thought that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen so public of a figure do. He has a silky little left-handed J and was man enough to take a game he knew well and mix it up with players much better than he. I loved that.

More, I liked the idea of a hoop being put up at the White House and the golf slacks put away for the next four years. Basketball is smooth. Athletic. Young. Golf, um, isn’t any of those things. It just felt, I don’t know, more hip that our new president was more playground metal nets than country club starch.

More now. More today. More he got next.

It was change I could believe in.

Because, for some strange reason, even though I haven’t handled a basketball in ages and play more golf than anything else, I felt like I could relate more to Obama when he was putting up jumpers instead of, uh… putting.

I’m a hacking golfer, too, though, thankfully, not to the degree of our president. And really, it’s not like any of our past Golfers in Chief were gunning for any sort of course records. Besides, Obama looks the part. Carries himself well on the links. Looks natural. So it’s not because his swing is lousy.

But it is lousy. I’m talking Charles Barkley-bad, here.

Let me put it in language you might be better able to understand, Mr. President.

Basketball? Yes, you can. Golf? No, you can’t.

And that’s OK. Nobody solves golf. Unless you count Tiger Woods, and even he didn’t win a major this year. Maybe he was playing too many pick-up games at the local Y.

I’ll admit, I can see something worthwhile in this debacle. Maybe, like his suiting up with the Heels, Obama is confident in his abilities and has enough self-assurance to play such a difficult game in front of the glaring public eye. He’s taking the challenge head-on, a physical kind of metaphor that fits in well with the current state of the country as a whole.

Just don’t do something because somebody thinks you should, O. That’s what this golf endeavor feels like. A bunch of past presidents played golf, so you feel like you should, too. It seems contrived, like W caring about lower-income people or something. Do instead what got you there — what you believe is right. I think that’s what we want in a leader.

We want a point guard, not a D player on a captain’s choice team.

So don’t post a score, Sir — post up. Don’t hit the range — show some range. Don’t dribble one off the tee — dribble.

And then take it to the hole.

The hoop, I mean, Mr. President.

The hoop.

Golf is an obsession for millions and now an Olympic sport. The intricacies, delicacies and finer details of the game are what set it apart to makes it one of the most loved and hated sports in the world. Golf is a rough sea of changing hope and fortune, a game of highs and lows, altercations and frustrations. At the centre of this sporting mosaic lies the swing. The way the club moves through the air determines everything from whether the ball feels like a rock or marshmallow on impact to its resulting trajectory and indeed, its destination. Every golfer dreams of the perfect swing, of hitting that monster drive, of playing that perfect approach. Coaching is essential for improvement; and even the best players in the world receive regular support. However, lessons can be expensive and sometimes self-analysis can be an easier and more rewarding option. Recording and watching your swing is a crucial first step and seeing it properly for the first time is akin to hearing the sound of your own voice. The next step is to compare your swing to one that works and who better to look to for guidance than the Pro’s? For years I have compared my swing to that of a certain Mr Eldrick Woods, believed by many to have the greatest golf swing of all time.

Before the days of high speed Internet, when classic dial up was the pinnacle of technology, I subscribed to the Golf digest website. There, amongst the plethora of help articles, were frame-by-frame visual maps of all of the top golfer’s swings. It was basic, but strangely rewarding despite having to wait 15 minutes for the pictures to load. Since the advent of high speed Internet and video upload sites, it has become relatively easy to find clips of almost any professional golfer on-line. In seconds you can access fast loading, high quality streams of your favourite player on youtube. To add to this, advances in camera technology have meant golf swings can be captured at extremely high frame rates. For instance, BBC golf coverage now makes regular use of its ARRI Tornado camera, which operates at 1000 frames per second (fps). The combination of high-speed cameras and broadband means that professional golfer’s swings can be analysed online and in detail by almost anyone. Below is some stunning high-speed camera footage of Tiger captured by Nike with a Phantom V5:

Armed with Tiger’s footage, it should be relatively easy to compare the differences in his technique with my own. Unfortunately for amateur golfers like myself, capturing my swing in such detail is a rather expensive affair. High-speed cameras such as the Phantom typically cost in excess of $10,000. Not exactly a small time investment and a factor that has kept high-speed filming firmly planted on the professional side of the line. However, that could be all about to change. No longer will high-speed footage be a privilege reserved only for those who get special passes at tour events and wear funny green caps. A new Casio range of cameras delivers rapid frame exchange at a price that doesn’t require you to sell your Pings and get a second mortgage.

The EXILM High speed range delivers high-speed filming to the masses. The new EX FS-10, EX FH-20 and EX-F1 are all capable of shooting slow-motion (which is really high-speed) video at at least 1000 fps, putting them on par with much larger, pricier commercial systems such as the Phantom. No tripod is needed and they work well in a variety of light conditions so you can leave the high-powered halogens at home. Casio’s flagship high-speed camera, the EX-F1 can shoot 1200 fps at a resolution of 336 x 96 and 300 fps (an industry standard for high speed golf analysis), at a respectable 512 x 384. This particular camera is already being employed in commercial applications such as crash dummy design due to its relative low cost to performance ratio.

The cameras are already available for purchase in the US. However, most interesting is the recent announcement of the addition of some virtual golf pro firmware to a new version of the EX FS-10. Casio clearly understand the impact their cameras are going to have on the golfing market. The firmware will allow the posture and swing plane of the player to be analysed in tandem with the high-speed video modes. In video review, corrective positions for key body parts such as the head and elbow as well as adjustments in spine angle are suggested in an attempt to improve general swing technique. This means that as well as being able to see what your swing looks like in glorious slow motion and compare it to Tiger’s; you can get advice on how to improve it, straight from the camera.

How exactly the feedback is given will be an essential component to the success of the product. As the general population is being targeted the information needs to be easy to understand and interpret without requiring expert knowledge on the golf swing. However, the system could also potentially be an affordable way for professional golf  coaches to implement high-speed camera analysis into lessons.

But how effective is the camera at capturing high-speed footage? A crucial aspect is the resolution as this is typically what is most affected by an increase in frame rate. According to Casio, at 1000fps the resolution of the EX-FS10 is 224 x 56. To put this in perspective an image of the same size is shown (below right):

The Resolution of the EX-FS10 at 1000 fps

It is clear that at this resolution, it is not really possible to capture the entire swing, rendering the accompanying software somewhat useless at the maximum frame rate. Having said that, at 210 fps, which is still quite high, the resolution is 480 x 360, which is actually not too bad. This is most likely the frame rate for which the firmware update is intended and at which it will be most effective.

The high-speed capability paired with the virtual pro feature comes as a surprise, and a very pleasant one. It is important to note that this technology has been implemented in a consumer product rather than at the top end of the EX line, meaning it is going to be available to the average golfer. Sadly the firmware will initially only be made available in Japan. Possibly to test the waters before the all-important US golf market is targeted. Not that the firmware itself is essential. You can download a whole host of swing analysis software online, with features exceeding those to be implemented in the EX-FS10. What sets the Casio firmware apart is the ability to analyse on the go, which makes it ideal for swing tweaks on the course or at the driving range. The release of cameras with such high-speed capabilities highlights the sharp rise we are seeing in imaging technology. For instance, at the top end of the scale, the latest Phantom V710 allows for a 7520 fps capture at full resolution (1280x 800). At an equivalent resolution to the 1000 fps on the Casio Ex-FX10, the Phantom can capture an astonishing 288,800 fps. It is only a matter of time before some of this high-speed filming prowess further trickles down to the consumer market.

The new Casio EX-FS10 with Virtual pro firmware will be released in Japan on November 26th 2009, with an RRP of around $350. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more slow motion golf swings on youtube very soon.

JXPUFWHA5DJX

I just wanted to take the time to congratulate Lee Westwood on his big victory in Dubai, as he won the Dubai World Championship by a solid six strokes, and won the Race to Dubai in the process.

Here’s the AP story on the final round action.

Westwood has been so close so many times this year, as we’ve seen him play some great golf at times. But there has just been a few holes here and there all season that have cost him victories, and made him settle for top ten finishes.

While Westwood has said some things in the past that may have been questioned by golf fans, there is no doubt that this guy is one of the best golfers out there today. He’s the kind of guy that can step up and win a big major, as he almost did it at last year’s U.S. Open. With the enormous battle taking place between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, people sometimes forget that Westwood was so close to winning that one.

But again, congrats to Westwood on the huge win in Dubai, and this should definitely give him some momentum heading into next season.

She wields her “Big Bertha” clubs about as well as any other Georgia teen. She’s been to Scotland, the cradle of golf. She’s shot an 81 to take first place in the GHSA regional tournament. And she’s been within an approach shot of Tiger Woods. She’s Tyler Lawrence, a Grady High senior and one of Georgia’s top golfers whose performance on the greens is matched only by her performance in the classroom. Read more about Lawrence and her trip to Scotland in the Fall issue of The Atlanta Educator, which arrives at school and district-office newsstands this week — just in time for the Thanksgiving break!

Bruce Irons aime le golf et invite Tiger Woods à la pêche…

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Click Here for the November Junior Golf Newsletter NovemberGolfNewsletternonmember

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www.grandrapidsgolflesson.com

Oprah Winfrey made it cool to be reading self-help books. She (and her staff) realized that self-help was not just to resolve your problems-Self-help is for those who want to achieve at the highest level and be more successful and happier. Self-help is for everyone!

I am proud to write self-help books and Oprah made the genre accepted by all-Oprah..we will miss you!

Dr. Gregg

www.drgreggsteinberg.com

So it’s another Who Dey Sunday in Athens and I wish it was golf season. So here is one of my favorite commercials of all time.

Enjoy your football today, and don’t forget about the futbol tonight. MLS Cup at 8:30. Let’s Go Galaxy.

I was beginning to worry just  a bit since I had not heard anything from  the 47th occupant of that lofty office in a while. But as if on cue, up pops two examples of  the Biden factor. One can be characterized as political while the other is a bit harder to define. It isn’t really thuggish behavior but overly boorish and sort of amusing.

First, the political. As is possibly the case with many leading Democrats, the 2010 elections are on Biden’s mind. At this point, he is not as confident a she would like to be. His comments are from a fundraiser held on  September  21 in Greenville, De for Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords. A fundraiser held in Delaware for a member of Congress from Arizona. Gotta love politics. Anyway, Biden made reference to House seats currently held by Democrats but in traditional Republican districts. He said that  a loss of 35 of such seats wold doom the president’s agenda. Or in his words, “be the end of the road for what Barack and I  are trying to do.” He went on to say that the retention of those seats would bring in a real era of bipartisanship. It would  then embolden  Republicans to move away from party dictates and vote their convictions, i.e., the Administration’s way. Sorry, Mr Vice-president, you lost me there. (Biden’s comments were reported by ABC  White House reporter Karen Travers.) Depending on who is counting and what time period is used, average mid-term House losses  are around 25 seats.

Biden plays golf. Newsworthy, not unless he plays with Tiger Woods, you  might say. Well, he didn’t, but it still is and amusing as well. it happened in Las Vegas, how appropriate is that. The members only club in question is The Golf Club at South Shore and it took place a week ago today.

It seems the Mr Biden was in town for  a fund-raiser for Rep Dana Titus, D, Nv and wanted to get in a round on the links. The call  came in early Sunday morning from a Biden staffer and the PGA pro running the pro shop declined, citing the  club’s membership policy. Gotta wonder if he still has a job? Not to be deterred, another call came in and  theses words ensued,”you know the vice president would really like to play.” (Know what I mean?) Apparently the connection worked and the club reversed its decision, said membership director Mark Barrett. Biden and his people arrived about 11:00 am, played 17 holes and left. He does know that around consists of 18 holes, right?

Afterwards, Barrett could laugh about it saying it gave the club a boost of needed publicity during  a time when it could really use it. Suppose that Biden left one those economic stimulus at work signs? His score, who knows. Doesn’t what happen in Vegas stay in Vegas?

Lee Westwood lidera indiscutiblemente en Dubai

Sergio García encabeza la caza del líder en el Dubai Wold Championship. El español ha puesto el turbo y ha embocado birdies en el 2, 5, 6 y 7. Este último ha estado a punto de convertirse en eagle, al igual que el hoyo 8 en birdie, pero se ha quedado corto por muy poco. García ha desenfundado el put como nunca en un intento desesperado de alcanzar la primera posición.

El de Castellón ha cometido su primer error en el hoyo 9, un segundo golpe al rough y un difícil tiro a bandera, se ha convertido finalmente en un doble bogey que le debajo sin posibilidades de llevarse el triunfo ante un incontestable Lee Westwood. García está ahora mismo con menos once en cuarta posición a falta de siete hoyos para finalizar.

Lo peor, es que Westwood no cede un golpe y ya acaricia el premio. Puede embolsarse 810.000 euros más un bonus de un millón por encabezar el ranking de puntuación de este año.

Ahora mismo, el británico lleva en cinco hoyos un acumulado de menos veinte y ya le saca seis impactos a su más cercano perseguidor, Ross McGowan (- 14). Westwood está dando ahora mismo un recital de cómo jugar a esto del golf. Impecable de tee a green son muchos los que ya le coronan rey del golf europeo.

Miguel Ángel está con menos ocho a tan sólo dos golpes de meterse nuevamente en el top ten. Mientras, Quirós y Cabrera ha firnado excelentes tarjeras para finalizar bajo par en la última jornada del Dubai Championship.

Ciento sesenta jugadores, 26 países, cuarenta y nueve torneos, un premio. Y todo termina en Dubai.

]]> http://dailyphiladelphian.com/2009/11/21/bill-romanowski-i-can-help-brian-westbrook-heal-quickly/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:28:15 +0000 Frank http://dailyphiladelphian.com/2009/11/21/bill-romanowski-i-can-help-brian-westbrook-heal-quickly/

By FRANK WARD

Editor, DailyPhiladelphian.com

Lowering your head like a battering ram ready to bust through a brick wall is something all NFL players are trained to do. Get the extra yard on offense. Stop opponents dead in their tracks on defense. That’s the game. It’s a war over territory.

When you get a really good hit on someone, the fans in the upper reaches of stadiums can hear the pop or thud echo throughout the arena.

While the fans love it, and TV spotlights the hits with segments like ESPN’s “Jacked Up,” the results can be devastating for players. Concussions can result and they are no laughing matter as they can impact your quality of life over time.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has suffered two concussions in one month.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook knows all too well what effects of these collisions as he has suffered two concussions in less than one month. Speculation about his career has overtaken talk radio shows, newspaper articles and water cooler conversations. One former player thinks that talk could subside with a specific treatment plan.

Bill Romanowski played for 16 years in the NFL and had 10 documented concussions, which ultimately forced his retirement.

In an exclusive interview with DailyPhiladelphian.com, Romanowski talked openly about how concussions impacted his life. He also offered advice for Westbrook and others across the nation who are dealing with the debilitating side effects common from concussions and brain injuries.

“The last two years I played, these are the things that happened on a daily basis,” said Romanowski. “I would look for my car keys around the house and the keys were in my hand the whole time. I slurred my words; I was mixing words up. I would listen to my all-time favorite song on the radio and not remember who sang it.”

Then he had a couple of scary of moments that ultimately led to the end of his career.

“Two weeks before I left the NFL, I left the Raiders parking lot and couldn’t find my way home,” said Romanowski. “And here’s as scary as it gets. I remember filling out a document that asked if I was male or female and literally, for a split second, I had to think about that.”

The four-time Super Bowl champion says he always continued to play, even when he knew his concussion symptoms were lingering. He lied to trainers just so he could play.

“That is the damage I was up against because of the fear of losing my livelihood, my career, what I thought defined me,” he said. “I would go back on the field knowing I shouldn’t be out there.”

While Westbrook is not at the same point that Romanowski was when he had to retire, Romanowski knows what the Eagles ultimate weapon is going through, the questions people are asking, and the questions he is asking himself.

The two-time All-Pro linebacker has been through the same tests as Westbrook and went to the same concussion experts in Pittsburgh who told him he should end his career.

Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski suffered 10 documented concussions during his career and says he can help Brian Westbrook.

“I’ve been through these tests. They’ll put you through tests where they ask you to memorize some words and then have you do something else for five minutes,” says Romanowski. “Then, they’ll ask you, ‘Can you remember the words?’ They’ll also ask you to write down all the words you remember that start with the letter ‘D’ or “F” in one minute.”

Westbrook’s outlook, according to the doctors, is good and they expect him to make a full recovery over time. He will be reevaluated in two or three weeks.

While concussion treatment has come a long way in the last few years, Romanowski says he has the answers for Westbrook’s recovery.

“I can help Brian Westbrook heal very quickly,” says Romanowski.

He says a three-pronged approach will help all athletes dealing with concussion symptoms, and act as a proactive approach to limit concussions before they happen.

First, he says athletes such as Westbrook need Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy such as the one developed by Dr. Paul Harch in New Orleans.

Second, is a chiropractic element. Romanowski, who has worked with doctors and scientists on concussion remedies since his retirement, says years of hits against the head or neck area can throw the neck and occiput out of alignment. The occiput sits at the base of the neck and can impair blood supply to the brain.

“You can get a concussion when the occiput is out of alignment,” says Romanowski.

The third part is nutrition. Romanowski has worked since his retirement with doctors, scientists and others to develop Neuro1, a vitamin product from Romanowski’s own Nutrition53 line. Neuro1 provides neuronutrients to the brain. Essentially, it fuels the brain the way weightlifters might fuel their body with protein to help muscles. He says vitamins with neuronutrients help the brain heal better and more efficiently.

Bill Romanowski has worked since his retirement to develop a nutrient to help with post-concussion symptoms.

He says that while the NFL has made strides in the area of concussion research and treatment, they need to add what they are doing with the three step approach he has learned about since leaving the NFL.

“Combine what they are doing regarding testing with hyperbaric chambers, nutrition and chiropractic elements and really create a documented process, like Dr. Harch has,” says Romanowski.

“Brian Westbrook needs to be on my product or something with the same ingredients as my product,” says Romanowski. “He needs to get in the hyperbaric chamber. Then he needs to see a really good chiropractor.”

Romanowski recommended his former chiropractor Dr. Mark Lindsay, who has also worked with athletes such as Tiger Woods, Payton Manning and Alex Rodriguez.

“When I was in Oakland, I got Oakland to hire him,” says Romanowski.

Romanowski is extremely passionate about getting the best treatment available for athletes, and others around the world.

“I’ll go up against any doctor on this issue,” he says. “Mark my words, in 20 years every NFL team in every stadium across the country will have a hyperbaric chamber. They will all be doing IV treatments of neuronutrients. And, every single team will have a chiropractor on staff.”

Twenty years will be too late to salvage the careers of players like Westbrook. Let’s hope the Eagles at least explore and research this possibility and others as they work to help their stud tailback enjoy the highest quality of life after football.

Frank Ward is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area. You can reach him at DailyPhiladelphian@gmail.com.

Well let’s be honest, there hasn’t been a golfer over the past few months that has been as outspoken as Robert Allenby. And well, he’s talking yet again, and it’s sort of turned some heads. This time? He believes that American players have it too easy.

Seriously, is he going to continue to do this? First he rips into Anthony Kim, and then gets it handed to him by Kim out on the course. Now he’s talking about American golfers having it easy?

Does he not realize who these guys play against? They’re competing against the greatest golfer of all-time, Tiger Woods. Yet they have it easy? I don’t think so. I know, I know. He’s talking about more of a money thing than competition. And while I know the players want a shot at some big money, they also want a shot at glory. And they’ll get that glory if they knock off Tiger.

But I guess Allenby will continue to give his thoughts, and there’s nothing wrong with that. While I may not agree with them, he does have the right to his opinion. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Allenby says next.

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My trusty accomplice Elisa and I went to the red carpet gala for “Once Upon a Time in Manhattan” to benefit Ronald McDonald House. HUGE SPORTS AND FILM MEMORABILIA

Click the picture to view more!

Click to see more pictures!

Click to see more pictures!

Once Upon A Time in Manhattan is a charity gala to benefit Ronald McDonald House, hosted by Fox 5’s Dari Alexander with a live performance by Bradford. Guests will enjoy a strolling black tie dinner catered by Cipriani, cocktails by Diageo Spirits, and music by celebrity DJ Catherine Oullette (a.k.a. “SynCity”). Following dinner, a large silent auction will be held.

Held at NYC hotspot Marquee, “Once Upon A Time In Manhattan” includes a celebrity-studded red carpet, speakers, food catered by Cipriani and cocktails by Diageo Spirits, entertainment, silent auction by the Autograph Store, Winspire Travel, Judith Ripka and Steiner Sports, VIP gift bags, and music by our celebrity DJ Catherine Oulette (a.k.a. “SynCity”).

RMDH serves to comfortably house cancer patients and their families while receiving treatments for life-threatening diseases.

First off, a brief explanation for my lack of recent blogging. My work is seasonal and I’m entering the peak season, from December to March. Not only that, my family is moving to another home, so between work and everything else, I’m swamped.

I might be able to get out to the golf course one last time as it is day-to-day on when it closes, but I was very happy with the last swing I recorded a week ago, which was my last time out.  But I have one more thing I want to try out- my theory on the crucial difference in the Address Positions for both the Classic swing (Mike Austin, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus), where the leading heel comes up during the back swing, and the Modern Golf Swing (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy), where the heel remains planted during the back swing.

I was watching a little of the Dubai Championship last night and Rory’s swing in particular when it struck me what is wrong with the Modern Golf Swing in how it’s either taught or executed.

I still think Classic method is the more natural and powerful swing, but in playing golf, accuracy is what matters, and a controled, properly executed Modern Golf swing technique could be deadly in competition, if lacking the full power of the Classic technique. Of course, you’ll find power hitters like Alvaro Quiros and J.B. Holmes who use the Modern Swing and are monster-long, but accuracy is a big problem with both of them.

My Modern Swing Technique, 2008

—–

It’s all in the most crucial part of the Fundamentals Trifecta, the Address Position.  The Grip on the club and the Ball Placement should be exactly the same for both swings, but the positioning of oneself in the Address Stance is what differs.

Alvaro Quiros

——

Rory McIlroy

—–

In the Modern Swing golfers on television, you’ll see the flaw in their positioning either on the back swing, where they have to shift laterally to get behind the ball (the pre-surgery Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim and even my Modern Swing of last year), and/or in the downswing as they either compress the lower back violently to get through impact (Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim) or snap the leading leg straight (again, Tiger Woods).

The problem is body mechanics, or kinesiology. And I think I have the answer.

Not everyone is going to want to learn my vision of the Mike Austin swing, as not everyone is obsessed with the perfect swing. For those who insist on using the Modern Swing, I am working on the swing that will maximize power, accuracy and still eliminate the physical dangers of injury that all modern swingers eventually encounter.

I intend, next year, to be able to teach both swing styles.

I recently attended an alumni event at my law school.  It was a career forum to help 2L and 3Ls find a career path (I’m not a social alumni event kind of person).  The minute I arrived I was approached by a guy who offered me a huge smile and a crushing hug.  He told me that I looked great – “just like in law school” – and that he couldn’t wait to catch up with me.

To most normal people this describes a lovely interaction – particularly the looking great part.  But to me it is a scene that gets played out on a regular basis – each time with eerie similarity (except, sadly, the “looking great” part).  You see, I didn’t remember this guy…and after talking with him for a fair amount of time, I really still don’t.

It’s actually quite distressing this lack of memory capacity.  I have the unenviable, although perhaps not uncommon, repeated experience of being approached somewhat enthusiastically by people that I neither recognize nor remember but who go into elaborate detail about the times we spent together anywhere from 1-20 or sometimes 30 or more years ago.  What’s worse is that these perfectly nice and well-intentioned people often open their hearts and tell me that I meant something to them in the past and even that they’ve thought of me throughout the years (what they’ve thought of me may be another story).

This leaves me feeling at once honored and sick.  How is it possible that I can have literally no recollection of people to whom my existence obviously meant something  even if only for a brief period in time?

My husband matter-of-factly tells me that these people whose names and histories I don’t remember “just aren’t important enough” for me to remember.  Worse, he jokes that if I “really cared about people” I would remember them.  Ugh.  Awful.  But how far off is that from the truth?

When I was younger I pictured my memory as an endless expanse that could grow and stretch like a really great pair of nylons (this was during those very brief periods of time when I wasn’t picturing Michael Schoeffling -  http://bit.ly/schoeffling and for a laugh and a visual http://bit.ly/akajakeryan )

The older I get though, the more I’ve come to picture my memory as a box – a box of finite size and capacity and unyielding in shape or dimension.  If I put something into the box – a new acquaintance’s name for example, or a “to do” for my kids of incredible importance (e.g. remember not to recycle the plastic containers because the art department needs them), something has to be ejected from the box.  Sorry friend’s story about husband having played golf with Tiger Woods, no room for you.

It’s not that I don’t care, really.  I just didn’t care enough somewhere one to twenty or more years ago when these folks were fresh in my mind to keep them in the box.  Some were probably bumped for useless 80’s music trivia (many were probably bumped for useless 80’s music trivia), some for temporary reminders (like don’t forget to show up on your first day of law school – which I forgot to do).  They were ejected from the box.

I feel badly thinking that this is a matter of my not caring enough.  I choose to say I have a bad memory for people…a really bad memory.  I think it’s just less mean that way.

So if we meet (again) and I smile vacantly when you say “hello” please don’t be offended.  I’m just trying to make sure that I remember every line from every character in The Breakfast Club (http://bit.ly/TheBreakfastClub). And unfortunately the box is full.

So today is the Thursday before the (not so)big Michigan game up at Ohio State, which means the dumbass tradition of jumping into a freezing lake will add another year to its tenure.

I have never been one for the jump into Mirror Lake, primarily because I hate OSU with the exception of my buddy Mac, but also because I don’t see the point. For my experience, most of my friends think they went to jump in the lake, but can’t really piece it all together because of alcohol-induced memory loss, so why bother? And it’s Michigan. Who gives a shit? They are 5-6. The point of this whole babble is this story from the Columbus Dispatch today with one of the best ledes I’ve seen in a while…

During the big Michigan Week jump, Ohio State University’s Mirror Lake and a baby pool have a lot in common.

I’m sure you know where this is going. The College of Earth Sciences at OSU decided to do a little research. They tested the water in the lake before and after for temperature as well as ammonia. Yes, ammonia, like exits the body in the form of urine. Guess what the good people from Columbus found?

“Interesting results from last year’s study include a lake-wide temperature increase of approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit during the course of the night and an ammonia spike around 1in the morning,” said Steve Goldsmith, a postdoctoral research associate.

The temperature increase could be chalked up to warm-blooded people standing in a cold lake, Goldsmith said. But, yes, that ammonia spike means exactly what you think it means.

Urine.

Enjoy the jump tonight, pee pants.

-An interesting little tidbit from Golf.com’s blog, the Press Tent on what they call Tiger’s Superstar Effect. One take was that players pretty much decide that they have no chance to win when Tiger’s in the field. Here’s the first take…

Despite the individualistic nature of the sport, the presence of Woods in the tournament had a powerful effect. Interestingly, Brown found that playing against Woods resulted in significantly decreased performance. When the superstar entered a tournament, every other golfer took, on average, 0.8 more strokes. This effect was even more pronounced when Woods was playing well. Based on this data, Brown calculated that the superstar effect boosted Woods’ PGA earnings by nearly five million dollars

And the complete opposite view..

I’d argue that the superstar effect has more to do with “paralysis by analysis” than with decreased motivation. I’d bet that playing with Tiger Woods makes golfers extra self-conscious, and that such self-consciousness leads to choking and decreased performance. The problem, then, isn’t that golfers aren’t trying hard enough when playing against Tiger — it’s that they’re trying too hard.

YE Yang subscribes to the second idea of thinking, saying that when great players play against T. Woods, they try to hard to beat him 1 v 1 and end up wearing themselves out. He said he’s not that good, “below average” compared to the other players on Tour and he just played his own game. Worked out well for Yang, but he got a little help from Eldrick. Anyhow, an interesting take.

-Back on the Bengals beat, my boy 1-5 was back in the locker room for the first time since he broke his arm a couple weeks back. He’ll be in his cast for 10 weeks effectively putting him into free agency. The good news, he wants to be in Cincinnati for the rest of his career, which means I won’t need a new jersey for a long, long time. Now we need Mikey Boy to pay the man.

“This is the team that brought me in and stuck with me. I pretty much want to finish my career here and get something done when the time comes.”

-A lot has been made about the ROC in the building, some good, some bad. But what about poor Ced. He’s not “jumping out of his seat about it.” We don’t wanna make Ceddy mad, hopefully he doesn’t go back to the bottle after feeling like he got snubbed.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ced, I just hate the move to bring in LJ. Why not Dede Dorsey? Why compromise our sensitive number 1 by bringing in @ToonIcon? I just hope Ced is good to go and shits all over LJ.

-The biggest story from yesterday’s World Cup Qualifiers was France cheating its way to South Africa via Thierry Henry’s hand-ball.

‘I will be honest, it was a handball,’ said former Arsenal striker Henry, ‘but I’m not the ref. It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I’m not the ref.’

Here’s the video…

The Irish are appealing to FIFA for a replay now. That’s shitty. I still stand by my idea of pulling a Zach Kummer and tearing my ACL in early June 2010 so I can sit home and watch the World Cup. We’ll see how it goes.

-Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is going to be on a Simpson’s episode next year ripping on Twilight, which is awesome because those movies blow.

But this is still my favorite Twilight Spoof. Twilighticus Suckus.

-Finally, I can’t believe I haven’t talked about one of my new favorite TV shows, The League, on FX. It’s quality. The Cincinnati Man sums it up better than I, so I point you in that direction. But here’s a good video from the first episode. RPS says check it out tonight. 10:30 after It’s Always Sunny.

Tonight at midnight is my buddy BJPete’s 22nd. Wish him a happy one. He’s too cute not to.

Cheers.