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I keep seeing ads on TV for the Masters Golf Tournament.  It doesn’t take place until April - that’s 3 months away!  First of all, if you like golf, you already know when the Masters is.  Secondly, if you don’t like golf, telling you about it 3 months early isn’t going to change your mind.  I don’t get it…

J

This week, Sam Bradford won the Heisman trophy, even though he didn’t get the most first-place votes.  Last year’s winner Tim Tebow finished in third place despite getting the most first-place votes.  According to the Associated Press, not since 1956 had a player drawn the most first-place votes and finished third. 

So, ironically, Tim Tebow ultimately gets “The Heisman” by NOT winning the Heisman.  Funny when you think about it - if it’s not funny, ask a sports fan what I’m talking about.

J

I took the boys to “the range” to try out some new sticks today.  I just got offspring #1 a new set of “Loco Kids” clubs.  He outgrew the ones that offspring #2 is using.  I also scored a Big Bertha 460 for only $100 at a killer of a sale.  My old driver is good, but it’s not the “new” titanium style and it’s the size of a normal 3 wood these days.  Anyway, our photographer caught us all in mid swing here.

J

Wow - baseball season is over.  It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, the “baseball begins” and “baseball ends” posts are almost back-to-back in an ironic double-header.

At the next-to-last baseball game for offspring #2, he completed an almost unassisted triple play.  He was playing short, left, centerfield/deep shortstop, mid-second base (you know…one of those positions you only see in T-Ball leagues).  Some kid hit a pop fly that ends up in his glove followed by that look on his face of “how’d I do that?”  Since it’s T-Ball/coach pitch, all the kids had taken off running as soon as the ball left the bat.  We’re all yelling “touch second base, touch second base!”  He finally complies to get the second out.  The kid that was on first base had run almost all the way to second by now.  If he had just tagged him out, it would have been the coveted unassisted triple play.  Instead, he threw the ball to first base to complete the sweep!  Cool stuff.  It was all the talk for the next few days when discussions turned to baseball.

But alas, baseball is now over.  It was a long season, but it somehow seems to have ended as soon as it started.

J

Saturday was opening day for our baseball season.  It was  a long day of baking in the sun, but it was a good time.  Here are a few snaps to keep you busy.

J

This Monday was Presidents’ Day, marking a nation-wide outburst of white sales and furniture discounts.  It also marked my second running of the Great Aloha Run.  It’s an 8.15 mile run from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium.  Heading into the day, my goal was to finish the run in 1 hour and 10 minutes.  We started out really strong, running the first mile in about 7 minutes.  We slowed down a little and passed the 4-mile mark at 33 minutes. 

Everything was looking good until about 6 miles, which was the first of 3 hills.  I made it over the first hill pretty well.  I made it over the second hill in decent shape too, but by the time I got to hill 3/mile 7, things were starting to slow down.  All the pacing and “lead” on my goal was quickly fading.  I finally crossed the finish line in the official time of 1:14:01.  That put my pace at 9:05/mile for the race.  I was disappointed to miss the goal, especially after such a good 6-mile start.  However, when I checked my time from last year, I realized that I had shaved over 1 minute/mile off last year’s pace, beating that time by 9 minutes and 19 seconds.  So, overall, I am happy w/this year’s performance.  My legs are still sore, but I was able to get out and run today.  Next stop, the Ford Island Bridge Run in April.

 J

Yesterday was our last flag football game of the season.  The kids learned a lot this year about football and playing as a team.  Hats off to the coaches!  Here’s the highlight reel:

J

I’ve taken the kids to the driving range at the golf course on numerous occasions.  There was very little instruction going on.  The kids and I were content just for them to smack the ball around.  We signed offspring #1 up for a Junior Golf Class this summer.  For about 4 or 5 Mondays, he and about 6 other kids spent several hours at  the golf course learning the game.  For their final “class,” they all went to the 9-hole, Par 3 course and played a round.

In an effort to make the most of the last few days of summer vacation, I took him out for our very first father/son golf outing.  We had a great time.  One of the cool things about the course is that it’s lit at night.  So, we didn’t even tee off until 7 pm.

I must, say, he learned a lot at the camp - he swings really well.  Hopefully he will continue to play and enjoy the game.  He’s got about a 7-year head start on me.  Here are the final results:

J

Two…two…two BLOGs in one.

Part one: First of all, I want to say how much my friends and I like eating at Moe’s. It’s one of those giant burrito places, much like Chipotle and Qdoba. Of course, they didn’t have any of those places out here until they put in a Moe’s about 3-4 months ago. The cool thing is that when you walk in, they yell, “Welcome to Moe’s!” We eat there about once a week - usually on Friday. Being the mature people that we are, we yell “Welcome to Moe’s” all the time to each other: answering the phone, in the hall at work, etc. The rule is…if someone says it, you HAVE to say it back. It’s really a fun game. You should try it.

Part two: A group of us did the Ford Island Bridge Run today. It is a 10K race that goes…well, across the Ford Island Bridge. This is my second sanctioned running event this year. I ran the Great Aloha Run in February (on President’s Day). It goes from the Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium. Officially, it’s 8.15 miles. Unofficially, it’s way to far to be running. I was shooting for a 10 minute mile pace. Blistering, I know, but my friends tell me that slow and steady is good for the distance runs. Most of them have finished a marathon, so who am I to question? I ran the Great Aloha Run in 1:23:20…right around the 10 min mile pace. So, my goal for today was the same. I started a little too strong, but overall ran it in the official time of 1:00:41. We got to use the automatic timer chips that kept track of your time for you. The pace? 10:01 per mile. Right on track. I came in 613th place overall.

To merge the two parts of this BLOG, my friends and I got a “sponsorship” from Moe’s. Essentially, we got free T-shirts out of the deal. We all wore them during the race and yelled “Welcome to Moe’s” at every mile marker. I got a few strange looks. Of course, the most confused guy was at mile marker 2. We yelled “Welcome to Moe’s” and this guy behind us yelled “Yeah, 2 miles.” No…that’s “…to MOE’s.”…not “2 miles.” Whatever….

J

While watching the Olympics, I’ve been intrigued by the “sport” of curling. It’s like watching a chess match on ice. It takes great skill, strategy and precision. However, it takes more than skill and ice to be worthy of an Olympic event.

Let’s be honest…some of the women’s teams have members that look 50+ years old and a little on the hefty side. Do you really think that a 200lb Merry Maid wearing a polo shirt and carrying a broom is worthy of the same exact medal as a downhill skier or 1500m speed skater? I say “No!”

Here’s what I think are the minimum requirements for an event to be “Olympic worthy.” Assuming that all events require great skill, we’ll just cross that off the list as a given. The event must either be physically demanding or the risk of serious injury must be present. Many events combine both. Let’s look at a few examples:
1) Downhill skiing - Physically demanding and a high potential for injury
2) Speed skating - Physically demanding. I guess a fall could cause some injury when you slam into the wall
3) Ski Jumping - Doesn’t look that physically demanding, but a fall would mess you up. Just think back the ABC wide world of Sports dude that slipped off the end of the ramp. Not good.

OK - you get the idea. Let’s look at curling again. Physically demanding? Ummm, your pushing a rock on ice…not that hard. Serious injury? Maybe a splinter from the broom…tweezers and a band-aid and you’re right back out there. It just doesn’t fit the bill.

Let’s put this in perspective. Curling is shuffleboard on ice. This is the same game that 75-year old men wearing polyester are playing on cruise ships! Worthy of an Olympic Medal???? DEFINITELY NOT!! It’s a good thing they didn’t ask me.

J