tales from the rock

so I was writing about Tad Fujikawa, and how he’s doing well. then I used that to bring up Michelle Wie, and how even though for all intents and purpose she is doign well, perception is that she is not. I even went so far as to blame her daddy for it all. when I passed the 500 word mark, I knew I would never be a sports reporter. here is the abridged version.

Taddy Boy - still a fresh faced amatuer, so we celebrate his accomplshments that come amidst no expectations. game wise, it’s clear he has it. the Sony open performance was good, and the Pearl Open win was better, but his real crown jewel right now is his US Open qualification that came LAST YEAR. I’d explain it, but I’d start using lots of words again.

Michelle Wie - top 10 world ranking, top 10 money list. this on only 8 tournaments a year. that is good. as a pro though, we have expectations, so no wins equal problem. even bigger problem - she is self appointed as the next greatest golfer in the world, and yet apparently is backsliding. looks like she is a head case, and no matter what happens, she has someone or something else to blame. daddy has dumb excuses that shouldn’t exist when you have $10Mill in the bank, and his general lack of golf knowledge is well past annoying.

to remain celebrated (as in celebrity), you have to ride the wave of public perception. by building on his successes and following the path of el Tigre, Taddy is setting himself to be a star that the public is waiting for. Wiesy however, is doing it her own way, and not really succeeding (yet). she’s invoked the biggest names in the history of the game, while simultaneously dismissing the current great right in front of her. when you do it differently, you risk facing the wrath of the people. great rewards come with great risk though - thats the only way it happens. what I don’t see right now though is some sign that she has a plan.

when crazy Mr. Williams was raising his tennis prodigys, that’s all you heard from him - “it’s going according to plan”. he set lofty goals, worked them hard, and they shocked the world. with Michelle right now, I think the thing the puts the worst taste in peoples mouths is the idea that she is cashing in or selling out. I don’t think this is true - she is making the money that only she can right now (like Anna K.)

I love to watch the Jordans, and Tigers, and Annikas of the world do what they do. heres to hoping she breaks through and dominates the game. not so much for her success, but I’d be afraid to see what happens if the rhetoric continues past the patience of the people.

the great andy milonakis once said, ‘but I only LOOK like a kid….’

this football season was a bust man.  didn’t really have a chance to get into it, never really saw any games, fantasy teams sucked ass, and to top it all off, lame superbowl.

there is nothing more depressing than a lame superbowl.  I’m not really a fan of the modern NFL, but when you look at the playoff structure, it really is the best in sport these days.  you just assume that the final game represents some kind of clash of titans.  the game doesn’t need to be high scoring, or flashy even - I’ve seen some great defensive battles.  yards can be hard earned, scores grinded out, with big hits defining the action on the field.

this superbowl hoever, was just lame.  aside from the first special teams score (which was really more of a special teams breakdown on the Colts part), everything was just sloppy.  fumbled snaps, missed PATs, and never a worse case of nerves shared by the starting QBs.  to top it all off, there was the new rule about Peyton Manning having to break some ‘curse’ his family carries (he’s only the second fucking generation), and thus a Colts win = Peyton Manning MVP (which he wasn’t).

MVP honors should have been shared by Dominic Rhodes and J.J. Addai - the 2 stud RBs who worked the hardest that day, and produced the numbers to prove it.  compared to the mediocre 247 yd, 1/1 performance by Manning, even the punter had a better day (2 great pins inside of 10 yds).  some will claim it was the cool headed play calling by Manning that got them through the game - it wasn’t.  first of all, the guy has a staff of people behind him helping to call the plays.  also, once the rain really started, all he did was hand the ball off 2/3 times.  add that to the porouse Chicago D (other than that freak Urlacher), and Manning’s only job was to make sure he received the snap from center (which Grossman couldn’t figure out how to do).

the other component of Superbowl Sunday of course, are the commercials.  couple of good ones, but I guess it’s getting kind of old.  nothing really new - someone needs to invent a new way to entertain during the timeouts.

on the plus side, Prince rocked the fucking house.  I suppose he sold out a little - playing the old hits, but at least he didn’t wear a jersey, or try and come up with a football ‘theme’.  having seen the guy live, I can say that when he brings it, he brings it, and during the halftime show, it was brought.  Prince is not gay.

biggest gay moment of Superbowl Sunday - I spent the second half doing my ironing.

I swear, as I wander around during the day, my mind conjours tricky titles that helps create all this content in my head.  by the time I find a spare moment to sit and put them down, it’s gone.  lots of posts started, none finished.

let’s recap the horrible week I have had:

1. pc I use as a server is dying - moving everything to a backup proving to suck since I had the old os hacked to death.  no notes on what I did or how I did it of course.  lame.
2. planned remodel is about to die.  this house is just not worth the money it would take to make it pleasant to live in, and we are not committed to this place at this time to over-invest.
3. good friend died a horrible death.  really.

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