Hole-In-One!

I made a hole-in-one on May 21, 2007. It happened on Number 4 at Spring Hill, a down hill Par 3. It measured 168 yards. Because it was a gusty day I decided to hit a knock-down 6-iron instead of a 7-iron.

I stepped-up made a good swing, catching the ball just as I’d hoped. It was headed right for the pin, thinking I had hit it too hard I started yelling at it to “get down.” The ball landed softly on the green… and then disappeared.

Neither Joe nor I were 100% sure what we had just seen… or hadn’t seen.

I made my way down to the hole and nervously peered over the lip… and saw my golf ball sitting snuggly in the bottom of the cup. Ace! My heart was racing for the remainder of the round.

After the first 4 holes I was 3 shots under par. I was playing well, but knew it was going to be difficult to finish the round with a good score. I tried to settle my nerves and quell my inner-doubts… this was going to be my best chance to shoot below 80. (Which I had never done before at Spring Hill)

Front 9: Birdie, Par, Par, Ace, Bogey, Par, Birdie, Par, Bogey (34, two under par)

Back 9: Bogey, Par, Par, Bogey, Par, Bogey, Bogey, Bogey, Double Bogey (43, seven over par)

77! Tying my career best, and my lowest score ever at Spring Hill. I couldn’t be happier.

Just in case you were wondering… the odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one: 1 in 12,750. And with my swing… the odds must have been much longer.

Bunggling Bush Strikes Again, And Again...

It’s beyond comical, it’s down right sad. The Bush Administration continues to bungle through the “death-throws” of its tenure. Gaff after gaff, Bush and Co. have maintained their unwavering dedication close-minded stubbornness. Bush has taken his my-way-or-the-highway attitude to new levels, undaunted by his abysmal approval rating. The Attorney General and the Wolfowitz / World Bank brew-ha-has are the latest examples of Bush’s inept leadership.

I think it is safe to say that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales either did know about the politically motivated firings of U.S. Attorneys, or, at a minimum, should have known about them. After listening to some of the congressional hearings, I’m convinced someone should have put a limit the amount of times Gonzales can say, “I serve at the pleasure of the president.” He has waffled between “I had no idea” and “That’s the nature of the job.” Either way, Gonzales is to blame, he should be fired. (or have the dignity to resign)

But then again, I don’t think Bush is even giving him the option of resigning. Bush and Rove have no interest in picking a new Attorney General at this point. They would have to bend to the will of a Democratic controlled Congress, against the backdrop of the recent scandal and the failed Harriet Meyers Supreme Court nomination. There is no way that Bush and Rove would be able to get one of their cronies through. I guess they have decided that a wounded, embattled Gonzales is better than anyone the Democrats would confirm.

And while the Gonzales controversy rages domestically, the Wolfowitz / World Bank fiasco is coming to an unceremonious end.
Paul Wolfowitz has resigned as president of the World Bank, after it became known that he used his position to give his girlfriend a large, unearned raise. (Well, maybe she earned it.) At least Wolfowitz has the good sense to step-down.

In the past week, before Wolfowitz’s resignation was announced, the Bush administration refused to back-down on its public support of Wolfowitz. The Wolfowitz and Gonzales scandals are similar in a lot of ways. In both cases, a “Bush’s guy” was embroiled in an embarrassing debacle. In both cases the administration plugged its proverbial ears and yelled “LA-LA-LA-LA…. WE’RE NOT LISTENIG…. LA-LA-LAAAAAAA.” And the administration knew that if either Gonzales or Wolfowitz were canned they would be undoubtedly be replaced by someone less sympathetic to the Bush platform.

I can’t wait until these clowns are out of office. I really don’t care who is next, they HAVE to be better than this. I’m just tired of feeling embarrassed. I’m tired of all the double-standards. I’m tired of the gross mismanagement.

And I think (hope) most of America is tired of it too.

Making Mythical Money On Mauer

I've got a new addiction. As if I didn't have enough on-line time-wasters already. A bunch of sports junkies created a hypothetical stock market where sports teams and players are traded like stocks. You can buy, sell, short, or cover your favorite players' (or team's) stocks.

I'm still relatively new to Protrade.com, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've learned that player values are more about perception than reality. Any injury, no mater how minor, will send a player's stock sliding. Some players and teams are over-priced, inflated by their large viewer markets or general above average popularity.

The problem is, it is way too easy to get sucked in for gross amounts of time. I sit there continually refreshing, following my meager investments. I follow the market movers and read pertinent news.

As I was researching the potential values of a few players I started thinking... if I spent this much time doing actual economic research I could be making real money. At its essence, It is the exact same work. I pour-over box scores, check a few "expert" sources, and try to predict the potential gain or loss.

If you've ever had a hankering to try your luck as a stock trader and you pay way too much attention to popular American sports, then Protrade.com is for you. If you are in the midst of finals... stay away. Aw, who am I kidding? Protrade.com is exactly the kind of psrocrastination-aid that I would have sought out during finals.