The Masters

Well, here we are... a mere 2 weeks away from the "Mecca of Golf", Augusta, Georgia... The MASTERS! Azaleas in full bloom... Fairways perfectly manicured, Greens that are smooth, much like... well, you can finish that sentence via Gary McCord.
This will be a very interesting year. We have "Lefty" defending his Green Jacket, a crop of new arrivals (Martin Laird, Jhonattan Vegas, Nick Watney), Sergio Garcia playing well, and Tiger with a new swing and a new attitude, and likely, a new girlfriend.
This very well could be one of those Master's weekends that Amen Corner is a "Must Watch"! I'll be firing up the DVR, so I won't miss anything. One of the more unheralded features of this Tournament is the fact that there are very few commercial interruptions. I don't know why the other Majors don't follow suit here. They surely could find that 1 or 2 Sponsor(s) that would pony up for the exclusivity.
I will go on record and say that Tiger gets it done AND wins at least 1 other Major this year. Just a feeling... oh, and my constant love of his golf attributes. Move over Jack, Tiger will be passing you, soon!

"hitting 3 from the tee with that wayward shot"

Stadtusquo

Buffalo Sabres are relevant, again... I hope!

It's been way too long for the Buffalo Sabres to have a "buzz" about them. Less the 2003 save by Mr. Golisano and the 2011 Purchase by Mr. Pegula, this Team has not had much to talk about. Oh... don't get me wrong... all of the talk this time of year, for the past 8 years, has been something like this: "Hey, who do you think we will get at the deadline?" "Did Darcy get his fax machine fixed?" "Will we sneak into the playoffs?" "Did the Buffalo Sabres pay their cell phone bills?" These comments are comical, and seemed true, at times.

I get the sense that this "Trade Deadline" will be different. Maybe it's just me, but I have hope! Thank you Mr. Golisano for getting us to this point, and a BIG Thank you to Mr. Pegula for taking the reins of this often misguided franchise and taking us down a better path.... I hope! My only worries right now are that people just don't want to deal with Darcy. He always waits for the perfect deal. Let's face it, who is going to want some of our dead weight?

This Team seems to have begun to gel. I'd like to think it is the influx of the young, speedy talent that has been inserted... I can hope! I'd like to think that Lindy's message is still being heard... I can hope! I'd like to think there will be hockey in May and June... I can hope! I'd like to think we can FINALLY put the "in the crease" incident to rest... I can hope! Let's go Sabres... bring us Lord Stanley... I can hope! Let us wait and see....

"2 minutes for delay of game"

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Hockey Ramblings

Did anyone notice? This weekend was the NHL All Star Game. Me being a big Hockey Fan, I knew about the Game and the Skills Competition, but I doubt most of you outside the Hockey Realm even knew, or even cared.
I admit that I am a HUGE Buffalo Sabre Fan, insert the "in the crease" jokes here. This sport is truly a great sport. Just because ESPN doesn't show games, doesn't mean it isn't any good. In fact... I believe there is no better sport LIVE! Albeit from the freezing temperatures at the arena, this is a great watch! IMHO (In my humble opinion - for you non texters), Hockey on HiDef is a MUST SEE! I challenge you to find a better sport for the HiDef Viewers. The action seems like you can touch it... it's just too dang hard to find Versus on your selected viewing platform!
It seems that my favorite Team is about to be sold! This is a good thing, trust me here. The current Owner, Tom Golisano, has grasped the Sabres from extinction and taken it as far as he wants to. He now will sell it to a Buffalonian, Terry Pegula, that has a passion for hockey and, most importantly, deep pockets! It can't happen soon enough, as one of the most anticipated time for Hockey Fans is fast approaching... the Trade Deadline!
So here's to Mr. Golisano: Thank you for keeping Hockey in Buffalo! ... and here's
to Mr. Pegula: Thank you for giving all of us Sabres Fans HOPE!
Now only if the Sabres actually make some Trades......

..... "2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct".... Back in a bit....

Stadtusquo

2011 Golf Blog

Hello to the new PGA Season! And none too soon, I might add. There is a Tiger lurking, ready to pounce on a few Majors, no doubt. I am expecting at least 2 Majors for Tiger, this year. The Masters and the US Open! It was a strange year, by his own doing, but the rebound is here. If you didn't make any hay on Tour last year, this year will be difficult. Tiger wants to prove to EVERYONE, that he is back. This spells danger for all of his Competitors. It should be a fun Season to watch. So put on your seatbelt and watch with me! Go Tiger!

Who needs Tiger?

I never thought these words would come out of my mouth... "Who needs Tiger"? This past weeks Open Championship,
A.K.A. The British Open, was truly riveting! So many story lines developed that it left all of us forgetting The Greatest Golfer Ever. Who could not be drawn in, with the likes of..........(this is where the music from "The Twilight Zone" rings in your ears)...
David Duval, Jean Van de Velde, and Greg Norman blowing across Southport England? Are you kidding me? I mean... David "Disappearing" Duval? Jean "Rejuvinated" Van de Velde? Greg "The Shark" Norman? All of them exercising past Demons and proving to themselves the talent they have has NEVER left them!
All I could think about, while watching these amazing events unfold, was what was Tiger doing? He probably was sitting home on the couch, sipping some tea, and texting Roger Federer.... "Do you believe what this Old Guy is doing"? I never would have thought that a Major Golf Championship would be this exciting WITHOUT Tiger! Boy, those Executives at ABC must have been doing cartwheels in the Board Room. The gray cloud that evolved when Tiger had his knee operated on, broke apart and abundant sunshine streaked down upon the Brethren!
After all of this unfolded I decided to make 2 drastic changes in my life. I am currently in the process of changing my 2 Boy's names. I'm thinking that Lion and Piranha sound good! After all, we seem to have had a Bear, a Shark, and a Tiger dominate the Golf World over the past 40 years, or so.

Stadtus Quo

Tiger withdrawals

Here we are... almost to June. Baseball is just getting going, Hockey and Basketball are nearing their end, Football occasionally is in the news. I find myself "craving" some Tiger Woods. There... I said it! It has been very quiet in the Golf World, since Tiger had his knee scoped. I'm sure the PGA Tour is feeling the same, though they would never admit it. Sure, there are many great Golfers still out there winning. I mean, who didn't enjoy Sergio winning The Players? Or, how about K J Choi, or Adam Scott? All of these pale to Tiger being ANYWHERE on the Leaderboard. Maybe he will show up at the Memorial, and not just to be a guest speaker. Maybe we will have to wait until the U S Open. Maybe, just maybe, the St. Jude Championship.... maybe not!

Get well soon, Tiger

Fondly,
Stadtus Quo