Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Vote Theresa From Milwaukee!



I always thought I was a pretty big golf nerd. Uber-golf-nerd. A real Jack Nerd-laus.

But I can't hold a candle to this gal!

Theresa Hucke is a big Bob and Brian fan, who happened to play in her first B&B Open this past July with gal-pals Renee Jepson and Tracey Hansen. (pictured below, those sassypants!)

So anyway, Theresa emailed me to see if the legion of Czabe.com readers, and Bob and Brian Show fans, could help put her "over the top" in this on-line PGA Tour contest.

Her video is cute, and makes fun of those knobs at the PGA Championship who screwed Dustin Johnson out of a playoff.

Plus, any gal who would learn some Japanese to get Shigeki Maryama's scribble, and paint her finger nails with Tiger stripes just to get Eldrick's autograph, is somebody deserving of winning.

Vote early, and often kids. Let's show them the mighty power of Czabe.com and put a hometown golf nerd into the winner's circle!

And Just Wait Until They Have To Manage Manny!



Unaware if you knew about this show already, but if not, heads up. MLB Network has a rather entertaining reality show about the Chicago White Sox, called simply, "The Club."

It's basically medium-security-level access to owner Jerry Reinsdorf, GM Kenny Williams, and skipper Ozzie Guillen. Nothing earth shattering that I saw, but then again I didn't watch that much.

Now that Manny's coming on board - and I'm not sure if they are still shooting new episodes - then "business is about to pick up!" as they say in wrestling.

On another note, I forgot to tell you that I got to play golf with a minority owner of the White Sox while at Grand Geneva Resort following the Bob and Brian Open.

He's a great guy, who wished to remain low-key and anonymous, but did let me sport his World Series ring for this photo.



Curiously, he has only a passing interest in the game. I asked how many games he goes to every year.

Answer: six.

Why? His answer: "I just have better things to do with three hours in the summer than sit around and watch baseball."

Sounds like a PERFECT guy to be a MINORITY owner!

"Home Ah dah Pats!



Classic spot from DirecTV! I love how stereotypical the Miami fan is portrayed. Of course he would have a perfect, GoreTex, Costanza puffy-coat, in Dolphins teal. Nick Saban perfect hair.

And the old warhorse woman. "Homeadapats!"

Monday, August 30, 2010

Maryland Keeps Firm Grip On Potomac Cup


Congratulations to the lads from Maryland. They were too tough, too deep, and too much to handle in the 10th Anniversary Potomac Cup matches at Rocky Gap Resort this past weekend.

Maryland won going away, 22.5 - 13.5.

Day 1: MD: 9.5-2.5
Day 2: MD: 7-5
Day 3: MD-VA Tie: 5-5-2

My eternal thanks to Director of Marketing Dave Sanderson who served as our weekend host. Also to PGA Professional Rick Flowers who helped set up the course for great match play competition, and Golf Course Superintendent Mark Jewell for polishing up the Nicklaus layout to a high shine!

Thanks to Maryland Captain Ron Thomas who was tireless in his promotion of the Potomac Cup this year, and indispensable at my side during the Finals. He did a masterful job of motivating his guys, and creating winning pairings.

Thank you to Jon Guhl and Dick Johns of the Middle Atlantic PGA. Your rules presence was essential on many occasions as players found many nooks and crannies of Rocky Gap's adventurous layout.

Finally, thank you to my players on Team Virginia for playing hard through the entire weekend, especially on Sunday when all chance to win was essentially lost. Over the final 3 sessions, we basically played Maryland even, so I would chalk up Day 1's dismal showing to Captain error on the pairings and matchups.

Below are just a FEW of the many great photos I was able to take from the weekend. A complete shot catalog will be available later in the week.

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Potomac Cup Preview - 2010


They say in match play, you should always assume your opponent will hole out their next shot.

Hole out?

Yes.

Even if they are 200 yards away in the fairway?

Absolutely.

In match play, nothing is quite as devastating to an opponent, or pivotal to a match, as the “dramatic reversal.” The kind of hole where one team is cruising to an easy win, only to be dealt a stinging loss by a shot that seems impossible. Or events that quickly spiral out of control.

The last time the Cup finals were held at Rocky Gap, “dramatic reversals” were all over the place.

Some have even become Cup legend.



Like 2004, where Bryant Hatcher and Chick Hernandez were playing Sunday singles. An all-square match came to the narrow, danger filled par-5, 15th hole. Hatcher proceeded to blow two balls out of play off the tee. One left, one right.

Hernandez responded with a sensible, but rather timid iron into the fairway. Hatcher was seemingly dead man walking, but he finally put his third ball in play.

Next thing you know, Hernandez is bunting his ball up the fairway, and four-putting to lose the hole, 9-8. It happened so quickly, it left both men stunned. Hatcher laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, not out of any lack of sportsmanship.

Hernandez could only sulk back to his cart in shock.



Likewise, Tod Castleberry and Michael Kurtz were playing Sunday singles in 2005, when Castleberry proceeded to blast two balls out of play on the brutal and lengthy 470 yard par-4, 3rd hole.

A seeming easy hole victory about to ensue, Kurtz strode to his tee shot and lashed a 3-wood toward the hole. Castleberry arrived moments later, looked down at “his” 3rd tee shot, sitting 5, and had a stunning revelation.

Kurtz had mistakenly hit Castleberry’s ball. Match play rules: loss of hole.

Shaken, Kurtz struggled the rest of the front nine, and ended up losing 7&6.

Dramatic reversal.

The 7,002 yard Jack Nicklaus layout at Rocky Gap will more than likely produce quite a few stunning reversals during this weekend’s 10th Annual Potomac Cup matches. However, the reversals are more likely to be outstanding golf shots, not gaffes and blunders.



The Potomac Cup was formerly a combination gross/net event, which brought into the team mix amateurs with handicaps ranging from zero to as much as 18. Now that it is an all gross affair, the caliber of play has soared.

This year’s Potomac Cup Finals will feature a record 10 players with a "plus" handicap of better than scratch. An additional five players have direct experience with this Nicklaus layout from previous Cups at Rocky Gap.

One of those players is Maryland stalwart Vance Welch, playing in his record 7th Cup Finals.

“Everyone will be pumped the first day,” Welch said. “The Potomac Cup is the closest I will come to playing in the Ryder Cup. You always want to play your best and never let your team or state down. Then, fatigue, stamina, sleep, how much the guys hang out late at nite, all play a part in Saturday's play. Your hope you have a team of grinders because once you get to Sunday's singles matches -Winning is about who wants it more.”

Virginia Captain Steve Czaban thinks the front nine par-5’s will possibly hold the key to his pairings.

“On day one, I pretty much plan to camp out on #’s 5 and 8, and even 10,” he said. “Back in 2004, only a few of the strong players could reach them in two. Now, I think those par-5’s are potential eagle holes for at least half of our players.”

“If I have some guys who start eating those holes up, then that’s going to change my thinking on better ball pairings. You just can’t afford to two guys paired where neither one has a chance to go for it in two.”

Then, there’s the infamous 15th.



A massive wall of deep grass frames the right side up to 90 feet up the hillside to nearby I-70. Sure, you can find your ball in there – if you have an hour to kill, and several good search dogs.

A deep dry creek bed slashes in from the left side, pinching the fairway to a claustrophobic 18 yards starting around the 300 yard mark.

Virginia’s Frank Romano, also playing in a record 7th Cup Finals opposite Welch, probably won’t be ordering a framed painting of the hole for his office.

“It’s just intimidating, the gunch, that hazard on the left, the “devil's vulva,” or whatever captain Czaban calls it,” Romano said, his voice wandering off a bit. “ I remember during the last Cup we would just cruise along on the back nine and then make a left turn into ‘where do i wanna hit this?’"

"I really didn’t play that hole very well at all. A par 5 with a 20 yard wide fairway with waist high grass on both sides of the fairway?”

“Hell, I couldn't throw it and find the fairway.”

The Devil’s Vulva?

Yes, that’s what Czaban called it back in 2004 as he watched the hazard wreak havoc with matches. The term was a tip of the cap to an infamous bunker at Pine Valley. A bunker so small, it was named the “Devil’s A**hole” by members.

“I just thought the hazard on 15 needed a nickname,” Czaban said. “And as body parts go, it’s just deep, shaped like a big “V” and hairy and nasty. It seemed to fit. And the guys took to it. So it stuck.”

And when the two most accomplished players in Potomac Cup history show so much deference to mere par-5, you know the hole is going to have a big say in the outcome of the weekend.

“The most intimidaing hole by far is 15,” Welch conceded. “You can hit anything from Driver to 5 iron off the tee. I’ve actually hit both. I am sure bogey will win the hole a few times.”

The series score in this event is Virginia 5, Maryland 4. But since a narrow Virginia win back at Nemacolin in 2007, Maryland has stepped on the throttle and left the Commonwealth gasping to keep up. This year, Virginia is closer to their foes on paper, but smart money favors Maryland finally pulling even in the event’s 10th Anniversary year.

The only question, is whether fortune will favor the bold, or the sensible.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Let's Give It Up For "The U!"


Now that Tiger's divorce has gone final, I'd like to dedicate this post to the woman perhaps MOST responsible for bringing down the mightiest single person sports empire since Air Jordan.

Rachel Uchitel, come on down! Take a bow, honey!

Oh sure, I know. Only Tiger's wayward penis is responsible for bringing down the Tiger Era in golf.

But "The U" as I call her, certainly helped. Supposedly, she was NOT "Mistress #1" even though her name was what led to that car crash on Thanksgiving night. She was the woman outed first by the National Enquirer (score another one for them. Boy, they sure are getting shit right a lot these days.)

They SAYYYYY that Tiger wasn't sleeping with her, instead she was just the high end Pimpstress who lined up other bimbos for Tiger. Oh sure, whatever. Like Tiger is going to say, "thanks for the ass, Rache, but you know we gotta be cool. This is a professional relationship."

I know many of you think "The U" is an overly collagen-injected, crooked eyeballed, fake flapjack wanna be.

You are entitled to your opinion.

I think she's got a quality about her that's a bit enchanting. And I do realize all of her technical flaws, as mentioned above. I still don't care. The good photos of her are jaw dropping. Even the bad ones make me stop for a moment.

So without further adieu, here's a totally biased sample of the BEST and MOST FAMOUS Rachel Uchitel pics I could find on the ol' interwebs today.

Here's the pic you see most often. She's holding a velvet entrance rope at some high end party, but I always think it looks like she's holding a vacuum. Probably hasn't operated one of those in 12 years.

Here's the smokin' hot pic of her on the beach somewhere, with someone else (cropped out of pic, thank you.). Just phenomenal.

Here's the pic of her getting into that cab in NYC after the shit hit the plantation style porch fan back in Windemere. Those jeans are like spandex!

Here's one of her I've never seen before until today. GOLFING! Yowza! Musta been cold that day on the course. Ahem....

Here's one that I wish I could find in greater resolution. She's got some kind of Pocohontas thing happening there, and it works for me.

She's also got some cute puppies. Okay, fine.

And she takes them to the beach. All right then.

Looks great in tighty-whitey.

Still looking just as fab in black.

The U can bring it when she's just out for a winter stroll in the city.

And if she ever decides to start modeling again, she'll be able to crank out more gems like this.

So there you go kids! Not like you couldn't surf the web on company time yourself to find these pics. I just did it FOR YOU! And you can thank me later, or not at all. Because I do it as a labor of love.