on June 23rd, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
Anybody who has ever read my blog knows I’m a big fan of the game of
golf. Some might even say fanatical. It’s not that I’m that good at it
or anything, there’s just something about the game and the possibility
that on any given day, everything can come together and you can post
your best-ever score. Part of the lure of the game is also about being
outside on a warm, sunny day, although I’ve had just as much fun
playing on some colder days when the wind was blowing harder than my
John Daly-like swing (minus the eye-popping results) so maybe the
outdoor element doesn’t factor in as much as I initially thought.
Whatever it is, I’m drawn to the game like no other and the story of Lucas
Glover’s win at the U.S. Open makes me enjoy it just that much more. 
Sure, I would’ve enjoyed watching Tiger make another late-round charge with
the massive galleries of people on hand erupting in unison as he climbed up the leaderboard,
but there’s something about a longshot defying the odds as well. Glover was such an
underdog coming into the tournament that oddsmakers didn’t assign any specific odds
for him. So, if you were looking to wager on the now-famous Clemson alum you would’ve
had to do so via a 5-1 “field” pick of the other guys the sportsbooks deemed a waste
of time. One England-based book did acknowledge Glover’s chances, deeming him a 400-1
shot but my guess is Glover himself would’ve passed on those odds as well.
And its understandable why many would’ve overlooked Glover coming in. Sure, he had
several solid showings this year, but had never even made a cut at the U.S. Open in
three previous tries and had never finished higher than 20th in any of the majors
he had teed it up in. But that’s why the game is so great, because before the first
ball is teed up on Thursday, the tournament is there for the taking for anybody in
the field.
Glover, 29, somehow did the unthinkable and held off late surges by accomplished players
like David Duval (who’s comeback was equally as unlikely as Glover’s victory)
and Phil Mickelson, and that’s why the game is so great. They say that on any
given Sunday any team can put it all together and pull a major upset in the NFL, and
as teams like the 2006 Cardinals and 2007 Rockies proved, getting hot at the right
time can propel a team into the World Series, but golf, unlike any of the other major
sports, affords the opportunity for anybody in the field to turn four solid days of
play into a life-altering event.
And while Glover’s humbled and somewhat shocked demeanor after winning the championship
may have made it seem as though he was taking the win in stride, I’d give you 400-1
odds he was bordering on hyperventilating on the inside. And why wouldn’t he be? He
just won the U.S. Open. The tournament every American golfer dreams of winning and
every professional player worldwide covets. He instantly became $1.3 million richer
(the winner’s purse) and will undoubtedly be signing several new endorsement deals
that will triple those totals. He’ll also be hitting the celebrity circuit in the
next few days, making appearances on Letterman, Leno and Conan, not to mention
spots on SportsCenter, The Today Show, and of course, what championship run
would be complete without a parade at Disneyland.
You wouldn’t think four solid days of play could change a person’s life so dramatically
and that the days prior to the win will soon be viewed as ancient history, but that’s
exactly what’s on tap for Lucas Glover. A dream ride into the golf’s brightest
spotlight, a whirlwind cross-country tour and highered expectations ever time he tees
it up from this point forward. And while it will likely seem a little overwhelming
at times for the unassuming North Carolina native, I’m guessing all the extra fuss
will be worth it every time he looks at the new shiny, silver trophy on his mantle.
He won the U.S. Open playing the game he loves. And watching his incredible and unlikely
journey unfold is just one of the many reasons the game of golf can be so sweet. Ya
gotta love it.
Continue reading about Not So Deep Thoughts: A U.S. Open Win Worth Waiting For »
Posted in 7th Inning Stretch
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on June 23rd, 2009 by handcollated
See what happens, Topps, when you cut the Red Hot Rookie set in half? You get rookies people may actually want! And well designed cards help, too. It’s Topps Series 2 Red Hot Rookie #3, Andrew McCutchen!
McCutchen is ranked #2 by Baseball America in the Pirates organization this year behind Pedro Alvarez, last years 1st [...]
Continue reading about 2009 Topps Red Hot Rookie #3 »
Posted in Hand Collated
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on June 23rd, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
With the fast decline of Ricky Nosalsco’s status as the top hurler for the Florida Marlins, the few Marlins fans that remain had to wonder who would be the guy to step up for the team and take over that #1 spot in the pitching rotation. Anibal Sanchez – No. Andre Miller – No. Hayden [...]
Continue reading about Josh Johnson Takes The Title Of ‘Ace’ »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on June 23rd, 2009 by freeandylaroche
Want a Bluetooth headset? Don’t bother buying one from Samsung. Well, just hope it doesn’t ever break on you and you go for the mendacious act of taking them up on warranty service!
On 6/3/09, I received authorization to return a defective WEP170 Bluetooth headset for warranty service. The headset was then sent back to [...]
Continue reading about Customer Non-Service »
Posted in Free Andy Laroche
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Pheebs888
By John Jimenez aka gmoney168
Book value (BV) or sale value (SV)? It has become one of the largest disagreements for all card collectors. Some people swear by book value because it is the only set value for all cards, while others swear by sale value because it shows what collectors will pay for a card. [...]
Continue reading about Book Value or Sale Value? The Great Debate »
Posted in sports card forum
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Mario A.
When I returned to collecting and baseball in general in 2007, the big story of the year was Daisuke Matsuzaka. When bustin’ baseball boxes, collectors were so obsessed with Dice-K that more than once I traded a mid-end product’s base card of Matsuzaka for a game-used card or autograph.
Dice-K recently went on the disabled list [...]
Continue reading about Is Dice-K a bust? »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Pheebs888
By Keith Matheny aka UpNorthOutWest
So much of our sports card collecting hobby, for good reasons, is focused on the statistical greatness of the player and the card’s age, condition and monetary value.
However, I recently had an experience where digging a little deeper in researching a baseball card in my collection caused me to look at [...]
Continue reading about How an “ehh” Autograph Became a Prized Part of my Collection »
Posted in sports card forum
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on June 23rd, 2009 by deal
Posted in Phungo
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
Did you hear about this upcoming event in the Bahamas in which fans/collectors can get together with some high-caliber athletes for a few days of gambling and golf? It’s like a fantasy camp, only it has nothing to do with playing games on the field.
Here are some of the details:
Legendary Auctions has joined with The Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net
to produce the ultimate sports fantasy experience. On Sept. 14-17, the inaugural Sports
Legends Challenge, benefitting the Butch Kerzner Summit Foundation, will take place
at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. The resort will serve as a backdrop for a world-class
sports and gaming event which will feature sports fans and their sports heroes competing
in a variety of casino games, including No Limit Texas Hold ’Em, Blackjack and Slots,
as a well as a daily prize-money golf tournament.
Sports fans will compete with and against 25 sports legends, including: Troy Aikman,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Richard Petty, Sugar Ray Leonard, Emmitt Smith, Reggie Jackson,
Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Julius Erving, Herschel Walker, Jim Brown, Bobby Hull, Jerry
West, Brooks Robinson, Gale Sayers, Kyle Petty and more. The event will also feature
25 of the world’s top Poker Pros. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants
will compete in a wide range of tournaments for up to $10,000,000 in prize money.
The feature event will be a winner-take-all, No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em grand finale
televised nationally, Thanksgiving Day, on FOX Sports.
Legendary Auctions will also conduct a sports memorabilia auction event during the
event.
Well, that sounds like fun. I am curious if there will be more details as to the charitable
component of the event and exactly what the auction will entail. From the outside,
it looks like a free “guy’s weekend” for the athletes.
The idea is to hold a few of these events a year, with another one being planned for
2010 in London. I’ll post some more details as they become available. In the meantime,
I’ll start practicing my poker face and saving my dough so I can go on a “work trip.”
Continue reading about Latest Sports “Challenge” Sounds a Little Too Fun »
Posted in Leading Off
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on June 23rd, 2009 by chrisolds
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on June 23rd, 2009 by chemgod
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
We had a pair of winners in this past week’s Beat The Blogger contest, with Aubrey
Thomas II and Lukas each picking 9 of 10 matchups correctly and adding
their doublers to tie for the top spot. For those of you who came up short, check
out this week’s matchups below and post your picks to try and win again.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple.
The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners
of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on
the “Comment” section below the post with the matchups and then select their
own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a “Doubler” and
you will receive an extra point if you’re correct so don’t forget to designate your
“
Doubler”
pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger’s total and post
the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic
signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew
Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more.
From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that’s
where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this
week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread
the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.
This week’s Matchups
Saturday June 27
MLB
Philadelphia at Toronto
Minnesota at St. Louis
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
Florida at Tampa Bay
NY Yankees at NY Mets
Sunday June 28
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Boston at Atlanta
Washington at Baltimore
Colorado at Oakland
Detroit at Houston
GOOD LUCK
Continue reading about Beat The Blogger Results/Matchups »
Posted in 7th Inning Stretch
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on June 23rd, 2009 by T.S.
A couple of months back when we ran a cool two-part feature on the 1960s Auravision
Records, we included with the article a couple of paragraphs explaining how collectors
could enter to win samples of the 1964 Auravision Records in a random drawing.
Well, I am a little bit late doing the random drawing part, but better
late than never. A number of readers sent in their entries for a chance to win any
of the three prizes, and the winners picked out are as follows:
First Prize (5 records: Rocky Colavito, Frank Robinson, Warren
Spahn, Whitey Ford and Pete Ward) – John Wopershall of Youngstown, Ohio
Second Prize (4 records: Jim Gentile, Ernie Banks, Ward and Robinson)
– Jim Newsom of Virginia Beach, Va.
Third Prize (3 records: Gentile, Ward and Banks) – John Maiorino
of Woodhaven, N.Y.
Congratulations to all three, and, as they say, thanks for playing. We
also thank former major leaguer pitcher John Gray, who was featured in the two-part
article about the Auravision Records, and donated the dozen records for the drawing.
Continue reading about Winners of the Auravison Records Drawing … »
Posted in Infield Dirt
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on June 23rd, 2009 by Mario A.
One of the big improvements in Topps’ flagship this year was photography. Usually, it would take Chrome & Refractors to get me excited over the historic brand but not this year. Keeping up with the great theme of action photographs, Topps has releases information for Red Hot Redemption #3.
This time around, Pirates Outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, [...]
Continue reading about Photograph of the year? »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 23rd, 2009 by MMayes
Larry BiittnerFor a long time in the 70′s I misspelled Larry’s last name. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person that didn’t put in the second “i”. On Google, there are about 5,640 results for “Larry Biittner” and about 1,100 results for “Larry Bittner”. I …
Continue reading about #122 — Larry Biittner »
Tags:
outfield,
rangers
Posted in Baseball Cards
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on June 23rd, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
On September 25, 2001, Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson of the Milwaukee Brewers became the only players in major league history to both hit three home runs in the same game for the same team.
**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’
Continue reading about Did You Know… »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on June 23rd, 2009 by JT
BOOM! David, blogmeister of the excellent Confessions of a Sports Junkie site, has won the prize! He’ll get some Topps Ring of Honor cards, as well as a few random White Sox (his favorite team).
The answers can be found here.
Inspired by this post at Traded Cards, my 9-year old son has made his own “Shopped” [...]
Continue reading about Shopped Cards Contest! »
Posted in Writers Journey
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on June 23rd, 2009 by steveisjewish
Posted in Easy Life
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