Friday High Fives (04/28/06)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Greg Maddux
Maddog, at 40 and off to the best start in his career with a 4-0 record and a sick 0.99 ERA, is showing that he still has something in the tank. Of all the things I love about sports (the competition, rivalry, pagentry, history) there is nothing that I enjoy more than the subtle details. The well turned double play, the foot work by an offensive lineman or cornerback, the soft hands and finesse of a 40 yd pitch shot that takes two hops and stops. The techniques and technical aspects that frustrate the amatuers and that are executed so effortlessly by the pros (what can I say it is the dork in me being expressed). Watching Greg Maddux work a batter is one of those subtle things and has been a real treat.

NFL Draft
You have to hand it to the NFL. The have their game extremely tight. No other sport commands the type of year round attention like pro football and the draft is one of the reasons why. It gives football junkies things to obsess about in the spring and puts a charge and hope in the fan base for the upcoming season.

Course Management
Typically warm spring days mean windy conditions here in the midwest (Skilling says so!) and this can be a frustrating thing when on the golf course. To post a respectable round you need to really be in tune with your game, your swing for that day, and the conditions to make proper decisions and get yourself around the course without embarassing yourself. As my game progresses I've really learned that course management isn't just about laying up on par 5's and punching out of trees instead of trying for the miracle*. It is about picking the right club, not trying to jump on or muscle everything, playing to spots, controlling distance, and knowing when to take risks. Of course you have to execute and hit good shots and it never hurts to have a hot putter to erase your mistakes on holes but when you are a struggling amateur player you need to save shots everywhere you can and using good course management is absolutely essential.

Wasabi
As I've grown I've noticed that my tastes have changed. Whereas I avoided spicy things in the past over the last 10 years or so (yikes that sounds wierd) I've gradually migrated towards spicier foods and deeper more complex flavors. One of my current kicks is wasabi. From dry roasted peas (awesome snack) to a smattering between my tuna and sushi rice I can't get enough of the root.

Ballpark Road Trips
G-Unit, current Phoenix resident and avowed Cub fan, has endeavoured to see the Cubs at all the west coast baseball stadiums this summer. This is of course an excellent idea and worthy endeavour and makes me extremely jealous. On a much smaller scale a road trip to Milwaukee's Miller Park (Wrigley North) is in the works and I suppose that will have to suffice for this year but consideration will certainly be given to hitting all the NL Central parks next year.

*- for another opinion on course management you might want to consult my Dad, the Danimal, for his views on course management. Hint: it has to do with fertilizer and lawn mowers.

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