TV Coverage (Or Lack Thereof) Part 2

Hello. Well, today is the 1st round of the 1st LPGA major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, celebrating its 35th year. Right now Lorena Ochoa is -10, 5 ahead of 2nd place Michelle Wie.
Where is it on TV? Well in 35 minutes it will be on ESPN2. TSN and Sportsnet are not covering it in Canada. TSN has the PGA events, so it's covering the Bell South Classic, this week's stop which no one but the immediate residents, the players playing and their families care about. All PGA golf fans are focused on the Masters. Sportsnet is covering a poker tournament.
What is going on here?
The LPGA has star quality galore these days. Distinct personalities. Incredible stories. And finally a date for the Kraft Nabisco not competing with the Players Championship.
Would you like to be watching Michelle Wie now? Whatever she does, it's a story. How about Annika Sorenstam going for the career records in wins and majors, and possibly a Grand Slam? Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis, Christina Kim, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel,... the list is seemly endless. The LPGA should be the talk of the golf world, maybe even the sports world today.
Instead it's on ESPN2 for 2 hours for 3 days, then on CBS for 3 hours Sunday. Even CBS will have a backup crew, as their main teams will be going from NCAA March Madness to the Masters.
9 measly hours of coverage. How much more obscure can it be?
If I were Rogers Sportsnet, I would be buying LPGA rights in a second. There's a goldmine there to be had for minimal cost. Let TSN have the PGA tournaments, where over half of them don't have Tiger Woods, so significantly less interest. With the LPGA you have a story every week, for years to come. At least start with the LPGA majors.
The LPGA has never had a better time than right now. Let's hope we get to see it.

Regards,
Steve

A Week Without Curling?

Hello. I went to the TSN website today to get the dates and times for Canada's games at the Ford Men's Curling Championships near Boston. I was excited about what should be a good competition.
Guess what? Nothing there other than "see you next season".
I then read an article about the Men's Worlds, and found out CBC owns the rights to the entire bonspiel. It then said CBC is only televising the semi-final and final.
I went to the CBC website to confirm. It was the same info as TSN.
No more curling on weekdays on a main network. No round-robin. No tie-breakers. No Page playoff games. Nothing. Zero. Zilch.
What is going on? I could understand if it was in Europe. This championship is near Boston. The same network has gone there for many years to do Hockey Night in Canada.
After last year's TV disaster, I thought everyone would be doing their best to televise as much top-level curling as possible this year.
Why didn't the CCA ask (force?) CBC to televise the games? Why didn't CBC sell (give?) the rights to TSN or another network for the week? Why didn't CBC put these games on Country Canada and/or The Score like it would've done last year?
To go without televising them at all just seems strange. I'm upset, but I'd be even more upset if my fellow alumni Glenn Howard was in them. Still, I wanted to see Team Quebec perform live.
If anyone knows why we're not seeing these games, please let me know. Thanks.

Regards,
Steve

Why The Masters Is a Major

After watching the Players Championship Sunday, one question came to mind - why is the Masters a major golf championship, and the Players Championship isn't? A comparison:

Category Masters Players Edge
--------- -------- -------- -----
# in Field --------------- 100 150 Players
Strength of Field (*)----- 40 80 Players
Prize Money ------------- $7 M $8M Players
TV Coverage hours ------ 14 18 Players
Golf Course Equity (**) 8 9 Players
Years of Tradition 70 32 Masters

(*) how many players have a realistic chance of winning
(**) does the course favour one type of player (rating out of 10)

In my mind, the Masters is a major only because of tradition. There I've said it.
I really feel the Masters is lacking in a few areas, not the least of which is TV coverage. Why there isn't at least 5 hours of coverage every day is beyond me. Missing the end of last year's 3rd round because it was on Sunday morning was a travesty. Would any other tournament (or major sporting event) not show so much action especially at such a pivotal time?
Believe me I like watching the Masters. However I do not think it should be a major. It should be recognized for what it is - a celebration of the past. Even if it wasn't a major, it would still be a prized event to win, and highly watched. I think both the Masters and Players would flourish if the Players became the 1st major, especially with its date change to May.
Will it ever be considered? Maybe. In spite of getting a letter sent to me to the contrary, I believe the PGA Tour would like to change the major designation on these tournaments.
Would there be fallout? Probably big fallout, like when Martha Burk stirred the gender membership pot. That was 3 years ago, and has become just a memory to most of us.
Let me know what your thoughts are.

Regards,
Steve

4 Canadian Sports Stories

Hello. Congratulations to Team Sweden for winning the Ford Women's World Curling Championships. They can add that to the Olympic gold from last month, and last year's world championship. What a 12 month stretch!
Kudos to Team USA for taking Sweden to the last rock. An excellent tournament.
Team Canada unfortunately came up short in their semi-final against the USA. The USA were the better team all week, and deserved to move to the final. However, Canada was right in it until their last rock. Definitely a tough loss, especially on home ice.

I was a bit heavy and wide on my $25,000 throw. My rock was just past the T-line, half on the 8-foot, half on the 12-foot. Oh well. It was fun to be involved. The closest shot of the 10 was half 4-foot, half 8-foot.
It was a great curling season for our team. We're really looking forward to next year. In fact, we're even going to play in the men's competitive together (other than Sue). I'm hoping we'll still have fun while improving with the better competition.

Going into the final round of the Players Championship, Stephen Ames was one shot ahead of Vijay Singh, with a stellar group right behind. What did he do? Only put together a 67, 2 shots better than anyone else that day, to win by 6. Congratulations Stephen on your biggest career win. All the best on the PGA Tour over the next 5 years! Maybe everyone here will consider you a Canadian now.

Mike Weir was 3 back going into Sunday's play. He ended up +1 for the tournament after shooting a 79. Combine this with an 80 in the last round of the AT&T, and things aren't looking great. In fact I'd call it a mental obstacle. Let's hope he can overcome his difficulties by the Masters.

Regards,
Steve

Canada Comes Back, Hands of Stone Doesn't

The end of the line for Hands of Stone's playoff hopes unfortunately. We shook hands with our worthy opponents after 7. I forget what the exact score was (intentionally by the way), but we did have a chance. We were 3 down after 6, and were lying 4 . Unfortunately a misplaced guard by myself and a couple of takeouts later, it ended up being 4 the other way.

Rather than drag all the rocks back to their starting place, I took the opportunity to throw all 16 of them back to practice for my $25,000 shot Saturday. I had some time to reflect, and concluded my issues during the game (several of my misses cost us) were because I "forgot to not think". Last Sunday I was able to not focus on my technique. Tuesday it worked fine. Thursday I couldn't forget about it and it cost me. I think it was because I was matched against arguably the best player at the club. Face it, I was intimidated.

While it was crushing to lose, I can now after a few hours say what a great time we had this season. We made the "A" playoffs and beat an old nemesis. If someone would've said a year ago we would've done either of those things, I would've laughed.

Way to go Team Canada! Down 8-4 after 8 ends, they scored 3 in 9, stole 1 in 10 and 1 in 11. They now play Germany tonight, with the winer going to Saturday's semis. All the best!

Time to get some pregame sleep. I want to be rested for tonight's game and Saturday's throw and wind-up party.

Regards,
Steve

Oh Canada!

What a shocker! Denmark 11, Canada 9. In reality it wasn't even that close. Denmark stole 7 points in 2 ends. Full marks to Denmark, who is now tied with Canada for 4th place at 6-4. China is 5-4, so they could be tied after this afternoon's draw. Denmark plays Norway this afternoon, and Canada plays Norway tonight. Kelly Scott's rink has to win to assure no worse than a tie-breaker. A loss could mean they're gone.

What happened? Well, I think the pressure may be intensifying for Canada. This morning they played an 18 year old skip (Madelaine Dupont) who is playing in her 6th world or Olympic competition representing Denmark. That's way more international experience than anyone in Canada other than Colleen Jones and Randy Ferbey has. Throw in European Championships, and this rink has a lot of international experience.

This double whammy of little international experience and heavy favourite makes it tough to keep your hopes up when things go bad. Still, after going to the Olympic Trials finals and winning the Scott Tournament of Hearts, Canada should be battle tough. They'd better be, because no one has more international experience than Dordy Nordby of Norway. Norway has an outside shot, so she could be extra tough.

Well, it's time to prepare for our semifinal playoff game. We're playing a tough team tonight (as we do every week). The opponent's skip was our fifth player, and filled in as skip when we were short a player. He's arguably the best player at our club. I'm hoping this makes him overconfident. We'll see.

Regards,
Steve

What a Ride It's Been

Last night our curling team, "Hands of Stone", played the top ranked team in the first game of the "A" playoffs. We were heavy underdogs, as we just managed into "A" flight. In our playoffs, the winner goes to the championship flight, and the loser to the consolation flight. IF you lose your second game in either championship or consolation, you're done.

We only played 6 of a possible 8 ends. We won 9-3. Believe it or not, it wasn't that close.

What happened? I have to believe the favourites were overconfident. I would've been if I were them too. We lost on the 2nd last rock of the game in our regular season match, but both teams struggled.

Last night we were bang on, forcing them into shots I'm sure they haven't faced too often. We managed to get them out of their comfort zone, and it resulted in victory.

Afterwards I had to pretend my dog died. I didn't want to rub it in. It was tough, because every one else there was congratulating us. They wanted to see Goliath fall. Apparently this team isn't well liked.

We now move on to the 2nd game Thursday. Another sudden victory game, with the winner going to the final Saturday, and the loser going home. I believe we can win, but no matter what, it's been quite a ride.

Canada is now 6-2 after beating Italy this morning. Way to go! It looks like Canada, Sweden and the U.S. are locks for the playoffs, with the others scrambling. Time will tell however.

One thing troubles me with Canada's strategy with the lead. They seem to allow a lot of rocks in play. It unfortunately prevented them from going to the Olympics, when they gave up 3 in the last end of the final to Shannon Kleibrink. I see signs it may be happening again. If it does happen in the playoffs against a Sweden or U.S., it could be all over. In fact this is what happened in our playoff game. Please Canada keep your house clean!

Regards,
Steve

China and Quebec Come Through; I Hope I Do Too

Hello. Congratulations to Team Quebec for winning the Brier. While you all know I was pulling for Team Ontario and Glenn Howard, I say "tres bien" to Team Menard for holding onto their large lead. Unfortunately I missed the first two ends, when Quebec got up 4-0. Ontario played well to get back in contention, but there was little doubt in my mind Quebec was going to come through. Bon Chance in the Worlds!

Quebec wins its 2nd Brier, the first being in 1977. I hope this leads to an increase in curling in that province. Also, it was the first time since 1990 there were no Western teams in the semi-final or final of the Brier. Does this mean the Eastern teams are becoming more competitive? Perhaps.

Congratulations to Team China for beating Canada in the Women's World Championship. Last year China lost to Jennifer Jones by 10! What a difference a year makes. While China did make some questionable strategy calls (I could hear Ray Turnbull squirming in his seat from here) they executed very well. Their mechanics are sound. Hopefully they will learn and grow together.

China had a video camera/computer hooked up near the ice. The computer tracks every rock, and provides stats. The camera studies deliveries, body language, team chemistry, etc. Very interesting device. I hope Canadian teams are using something similar.

Sweden looks like the class of this field. Right now I'd be shocked if they lose a game, let alone the title. Norberg and her crew remind me of the late Sandra Schmirler's rink of the '90s. If they're half as good (which I think they are) they'll be almost impossible to beat.

Closer to home I got three pieces of good news. First, Hands of Stone made it into the "A" playoffs. We are 3 wins from the championship. The first game is Tuesday at 6:45pm Eastern. Everyone was so excited to find out we had enough points to make it. I believe we can pull a "China" over the Team Canadas in "A". Time will tell. We're thrilled to be here and hope that relaxs us so we can play our best. We play the top-ranked team, and even my son's JK teacher is coming to watch. Neat, huh? She may double our previous record gallery size.

Secondly, our original team will be together. Our newest member informed me she'll be able to play in our games. I'm so happy, because her presence made us what we are today. While I had a pretty good spare lined up to play lead, it wouldn't have been the same chemistry. No matter what happens, we'll do it together, and that's what counts.

Last but not least, I found out I'll be 1 of 10 people at our club throwing in the Investor's Group Draw to the Button contest. One throw with no one holding a broom or sweeping to a circle within the button that give a centimetre of clearance around the rock. If successful, the winners will each get $25,000! It's tougher than a hole-in-one in my opinion, because the throw has to be perfect. I'm cautiously optimistic. I also know what I'll do with the money, but I'll wait until next week to say.

Regards,
Steve

The End of a Curling Era?

Congratulations to the final 3 teams left in the Brier! Nova Scotia won two big games in a row against Alberta, one in the final round-robin game just to get 4th place alone and avoid the dreaded tie-breakers, and now today in the 3rd vs 4th playoff game.

Quebec came through as well with a win in their final game to clinch 2nd place. They had an identical 8-3 record with Alberta, but got the nod due to beating Alberta in the round-robin.

And finally, congratulations to my former University of Waterloo classmate, Glenn Howard, and his Ontario rink for a stellar 10-1 record, and first place. Ontario annihilated Manitoba 8-2 last night in a game Manitoba had to win to stay alive. To beat Jeff Stoughton, who lost by a millimetre to Brad Gushue at the Olympic Trials, in such convincing fashion, is quite an accomplishment. And to beat the entire field by 2 games ranks right up there as well.

Three questions come to mind:

1) Is this the end of the line for Kevin Martin's team? Both Don Bartlett and Don Walchuk have hinted at retirement. Obviously the Olympics was the big prize for all teams this year, but the world championship was another prize that has eluded Martin and Bartlett. I know it meant a lot to both of them to win here this week.

Now that the both dreams have been postponed, will the team still be committed enough to go through what it takes to get back to the big dance floor? Or are they ready to get a sunburn in February? If this is the end for the rink, they should look at their careers with pride. They can look back at all those bonspiels knowing everyone thought they were the team to beat.

2) Was Kevin Martin a victim of his own stubbornness? I didn't see all the game this afternoon, but one moment stuck out. Nova Scotia was lying one with the hammer, and Martin had a chance to play a guard to prevent any more Bluenose counters. He decided to try a tough takeout through a small hole. Even if he would've gone through, I'm not sure he would've been able to remove the Nova Scotia rock, as it was frozen. We'll never know, because Martin removed one of his own guards, opening the door a crack for Mark Dacey to capitalize and score two.

I can't think of anyone else who would've tried that takeout. It ultimately resulted in a one-point loss. Why did you do it Kevin? How many other times have you tried the circus shot and ended up having it backfire? Maybe there are some advantages to having a limited skill set in curling like I do.

3) What is the reason for having a Page Playoff system? Is anyone going to get too excited about tonight's Ontario-Quebec game when the loser stays alive? I know it does generate extra revenue for everyone, but that's all I can think of. If you have a problem with Glenn Howard going directly to the final, just remember 30 years ago the round-robin winner was the champion, because there were no playoffs. Surely Howard's performance deserves something more than two chances to get to the final. I'd say this is anyone won the round-robin by 2 games, not just a fellow alumni.

If there is a need to make more money (hearing the CCA is $100,000+ in debt from 2005 is a good enough reason) why not take the "less is more" strategy, and charge higher prices for one less game? Anything has to be better than seeing a game that's essentially meaningless.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. Last night we tied. It may be enough to get us into A playoffs. I hope to know this evening. Have a nice Brier!

We All Have Some Territories In Us

Today is a big day for the Territories. After losing last night, they won this morning to go 5-5 at the Brier. One more win could get them into a tiebreaker Friday.

It's tough for me to comprehend how big an achievement this would be. To have to travel thousands of miles to play top-notch competition requires a lot of time, money and dedication. It's amazing anyone would go through the commitment needed to compete at the national level facing those long distances.

What's more amazing is mentally overcoming such a handicap. In prior Briers it was considered a fluke if the Territories won a game. Having that mental obstacle of history to overcome is quite a burden, maybe even harder than the travel. Now they are a win away from possibly playing past the round-robin. What an accomplishment!

In some ways, our curling team has done the same thing. We have played in a gender-neutral league for 6 years now. There are 36 teams in it. At the end of the round-robin, which is also tonight, the top 9 teams will go into A division playoffs, the next 9 into B, the next 9 to C and the bottom 9 to D.

In the past we've always been a D team. Each week as I was leaving the house I would tell my wife we had a tough game ahead of us. When she'd ask who we were playing, I'd always reply, "I don't know". It didn't matter because we'd always finish 2nd in our game. We had people coming off their deathbeds to play us ("Just one more win!" they'd say).

Last year in the playoffs we lost to the team that lost to the team that won D. We were lower than a January overnight temperature. We tried to console ourselves. One of my teammates asked who had more fun playing than our team. After a moment of thought I replied "our opponents".

After last year's performance I concluded we were missing two things - an identity and talent, and not necessarily in that order. We got a new team name we felt proud to wear (Hands of Stone) and matching jackets and caps, self-sponsored.

We also had a player move away. We managed to have a fun girl named Sue replace him. And the rest is history. Going into tonight's game, we were in 9th place, as in A round of the playoffs. A win tonight should secure our place in A, unless someone just behind us has a win-all-8-ends game. Even it we lose, the worst we'll be is in B.

To say this has been a tremendous turnaround is an understatement. I had so many one-liners for being on a loser that I can't use anymore. I don't know if it's sunk in yet that we are so much better this year.

I guess we can all do what the Territories are doing, no matter how great the odds.

Regards,
Steve

My Apologies to the Territories

What do you know? I saved myself from insulting Saskatchewan (who have won 4 in a row, and are leading tonight), and instead insult the Territories, who are also 4-4.

What can you say about the Territories? For them to be doing as well as they are is incredible. Think of the distances they have to travel to get to any type of bonspiel with high-calibre talent. I heard some of the Ontario women's teams were complaining about having their provincial championship in Fort Francis (between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg) this year. That's nothing compared to the Territories. They have to travel that distance just to get out of the Territories, let alone to a major populated area.

In the past, the Territories have been fortunate to win a game. Now they're right in the playoff hunt, with only 3 games remaining. After this morning's draw they were tied with Manitoba after beating Manitoba for arguably the Territories' biggest win ever. Unbelievable! If they win 2 of their last 3 games it may be good enough for a tiebreaker the way things stand now.

The Good
----------
Alberta (l0oks like they want to get that elusive world championship)
Ontario (if Richard Hart stays hot, look out!)
Quebec (tres bien mon amis!)
Manitoba (may be starting to get back in gear after 4-game losing streak)
BC (great first Brier record)
Territories (bodly going where no Territories team has gone before)
Nova Scotia (stumbled today against Manitoba, but still in position)
New Brunswick (can control their own destiny)
Saskatchewan (on a 4 game roll after disastrous 0-4 start)

The Bad
--------
PEI (similar position to the Territories with small population to draw from)
Newfoundland/Labrador (Brad Gushue should be representing them for years to come)

The Ugly
---------
Northern Ontario (should there just be one team coming out of Ontario now)?

Regards,
Steve

Home Team Coming On

Some times the smartest thing you can do is say nothing. That was the case for me on my last posting. I was going to do a "Good Bad and Ugly" of the Brier, then decided against it. If I had done one, I would've put Saskatchewan in the Ugly column. When I wrote my last blog, they were 0-4, with Manitoba, then 4-0, set to be their evening opponent.

Well now, 24 hours later, Pat Simmons and his team are 3-4. They demolished Manitoba last night, then won this morning and this afternoon. Needless to say they're on a roll. Not only that, but they've got a relatively easy schedule now, because they played all the "top" teams first. While 4 losses may already be too many, you just never know. The Territories have already won a couple of times against all odds, so you never know.

This afternoon, Alberta put on a clinic against Ontario. Glenn Howard and team curled in the 80% range, and were no match for Kevin Martin. It was over after 2 ends once Alberta took a 3-1 lead. The Alberta foursome jsut kept making everything. It was something to see. Ontario still has a half-game lead over Alberta, but it looks like these will be the top 2 teams.

Manitoba has lost twice in a row, and are in danger of being overtaken by Quebec and maybe Nova Scotia. Are they suffering burnout after losing the Olympic Trials final? I'm not sure. All I know is it must be tough to play 11 games in 6 days against top competiton. No wonder first-time teams usually struggle.

How "lucky" we are to be in the Leafs Region, so our Brier coverage is delayed for Toronto-Boston. Instead of watching 8 teams battling their guts out for a playoff spot, TSN gives us two teams struggling for the draft lottery. Does anyone seriously believe Toronto will contend now that Luke Richardson is back in town? Say what you want about the man (belive me I hated him), but Harold Ballard was the smartest owner of all time. He made the Leafs what they are today - irrelevant on the ice, a cash-cow off the ice. The Leafs are the envy of all pro sports teams. If anyone ever motions to take Harold out of the Hockey Hall of Fame, I'll be first in line to stop them. He was crazy like a fox. The new regime should take a page out of his book, and cut their salary expense. Put 6 monkeys out there and make more profits! What? You're headed that way? Well then, bravo......

Regards,
Steve

Many Thanks

Many thanks to the wonderful people I met at the Toronto Golf and Travel Show. In particular, it was nice to catch up with Al Graham, now of Rebel Creek. Al and I met when he became head pro at Dundee Country Club some 20 years ago. Al shares the Dundee course record of 65. I'm not sure if it's been done since Al did it, but I told him when he tied the record that his round was even more impressive than his predecessors. Dundee's trees have gone from "free lift size" (under 6 feet) in 1970 to 30+ feet. Combine that with very small greens, and you get a course demanding accuracy.

I had to go back to the Alberta booth a second time to share my memories with Karen, the competent booth attendee. I was there in 1991. My parents and I did the Banff-Jasper-Kamloops triangle. Every view seems like a post card shot. Looking at the photos, which are lovely but don't do the scenery justice, reminded me of how different life is within Canada. I'm going to have to look at returning soon.

Thanks to Al, Steve and Rick for your generous gifts. I'm sure they will really help my cause. Donors never cease to amaze me.

Now it's time to focus on the Brier. The cream has already risen to the top. Glenn Howard of Ontario (did I mention we went to the University of Waterloo together 25 years ago? He must be famous!) and Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba are 4-0 heading into tonight's draw, followed by Kevin Martin of Alberta at 4-1. All of them want to make up for not winning the Olympic Trials. If even one of them misses the playoffs, I'll be shocked.

Quebec and Nova Scotia are my early 4th place picks. Both will have to improve to secure that spot, however.

Enjoy the curling!

Regards,
Steve

Going To The Toronto Golf and Travel Show

Hello. The warm weather here today (10 Celsius) is just in time for the Toronto Golf and Travel Show. I'm going down Friday to see what the latest and greatest is in the world of golf.

While I've enjoyed my irons, their age is starting to show. I've always been partial to Taylor Made clubs (still waiting for that sponsorship deal), so I'll be trying their demo sets to see if there's an iron with my name on it.

The travel side is always interesting. It's interesting to see what spots are represented. Michigan has historically had one of the biggest displays. Who would've thought that. While it's right next door to Ontario, I've never had the pleasure of playing there. Maybe this is the year.

Of course, there are great flights to take to faraway lands. What better way to learn about this world than golf on it? Right now I'd be hard pressed to name a country without a golf course. There may be a few in Asia and Africa, but their numbers are dwindling.

Of course, Ontario (the province, as in right here) has some of the best quantity and quality you'll find anywhere. I'm always amazed at how many top-notch golf courses have been built here in the past 20 years. Two people could write down their top 50 Ontario golf courses, have no two the same, and still have no arguments.

While there are several top private clubs not available to everyone, the public courses are no slouches either. Start with Angus Glen, home to the 2002 and 2007 Bell Canadian Opens. The courses and facilities are highly regarded. My wife and I are playing a golf tournament there May 5th for our favourite charity, cystic fibrosis.

Have a nice weekend. I know I will. With the Toronto Golf and Travel Show on Friday thru Sunday, and the Brier starting Saturday, it's a good time to be a golfer and a curler.

Regards,
Steve

Getting a Clearer Perspective The Hard Way

Hello. I've gotten some disturbing news today. A "friend" (it's not in my immediate family, and the identity is not important at this time) had to be rushed to the hospital last night. Apparently domestic issues triggered an attempted suicide. Fortunately it was unsuccessful.

I know what it's like to experience domestic abuse. My father did what would now be called "verbal abuse" to all 3 of us. It was not pleasant. He was never physically abusive. In a way, that made it worse. I could've rationalized it easier. I could've then said for sure that he hated me.

I've come to learn my father's outbursts were due to insecurity. It's helped me overcome the low self-esteem I developed. Of course moving out after I graduated from university helped too.

The more I think of it, the more I realize I would've been suicidal if I was a woman and the abuser was my husband, like this new situation is. It's easy for someone to say she should just leave him, but after decades of being a wife and mother, does she know any other way? Both of them think their relationship is the same as everyone else's, when it's painfully obvious to everyone close to them that it isnt.

I'll give the abuser the benefit of the doubt that he hasn't been physically abusive. However, he is a physical threat, and verbally abusive to everyone I know, including me. And yes, like my father, he's insecure.

Fortunately, I know someone is watching the situation closely. It gives me time to calm down.

What am I going to do? I'm going to ask the woman if it's okay if I can send some verbal insults and/or some fists her way. I'm sure she'll respond the way you probably did, which is no way. I'll then ask why not. Hopefully she'll say because she doesn't deserve it. Then I'll ask her why her husband thinks she does deserve it.

I'm also going to ask the husband what his reasons for being insecure are. I'm sure he'll have a surprised reaction. Maybe it will start the ball rolling on a constructive conversation. Then again, maybe not.

If you have some other advice for me or this couple, please feel free to share it. And thanks from all of us.

Regards,
Steve

Tiger, Scott Excel At Causing Opponent's Mistakes

Congratulations to Kelly Scott's rink for winning the Scott Tournament of Hearts. Scott scored a last rock victory over defending champion Jennifer Jones. Scott will now play in the women's world championship in Grand Prairie, Alberta starting March 18th.

Congratulations too to Tiger Woods for his victory at Doral. Tiger has already won 3 times in 5 starts. He withdrew at the LA Open with the flu, and lost in the 3rd round of the WGCMP to Chad Campbell. What a tremendous start! Who knows, maybe we're seeing yet another record-breaking year in the making.

I noticed there was one thing these wins had in common. Both victors played steady the whole day. They were so consistent, in fact, they forced their opponents to try exceptional shots. These opponents (Jones and David Toms) felt they weren't going to have the title handed to them because Scott and Woods were playing so mistake-free. As a result, when they did take a big chance, and didn't succeed, Scott and Woods only had to make consistent shots to win, instead of brilliant ones.

I saw first-hand in curling last night how this consistency works. We were playing a higher ranked team. After 6 ends of an 8 end game, we were tied. There were some ends where we could only take 1, but other ends where we forced the opponents to 1.

In the 7th end, we were lying 3, with the opposing skip having to play a hit-and-roll to count 1. He was inside all the way, just ticked our rock, and rolled out, leaving us with 3 counters. I'm convinced if he was ahead by 2 or more he would've made the shot no problem, as he'd already made harder ones. But because we were even, and had showed no signs of making a big mistake, the pressure was on.

What would've happened if Toms had 2 putted the 18th Sunday? Would Tiger have had a tougher time making a par to win?

What would've happened if Jones had been able to get her last rock inside the rings? Would Scott have drawn the 4-foot?

We'll never know the answers, because Scott and Tiger made them academic.

Stay consistent when you play. Your ability to hang in there will be noticed by your opponents.

Regards,
Steve

The Good, Bad and Ugly of a Sports Friday

Hello. Well, it's a great soprts Friday if you're a golfer and/or curler. The Scott Tournament of Hearts has a tiebreaker and first 2 Page playoff games, and the Ford Championships at Doral is the PGA Tour stop, with an excellent field.

The tiebreaker game between Quebec and Newfoundland was a clinic by Quebec, 8-2 in 8 ends. I can count on one hand how many total shots Quebec missed. They would've beaten anyone this morning. Team Canada is going to have to be ready for action tonight, or else this game with be their last. It seems Quebec is handling the first-time Scott pressure very well. One reason may be their experience in the Canadian Mixed Championships. Here's a partial list of the people who are former Mixed participants:

Mark Nichols (Olympic gold medalist)
Shelley Nichols (Newfoundland 3rd)
Shannon Kleibrink (Olympic bronze medalist)
Eve Belisle (Quebec champion)
Mark Dacey (Canadian champion)
Colleen Jones (world champion)

BC and Nova Scotia played a great game. BC cleared a hurdle, winning the trip to Sunday's final. Kelly Scott is looking very steady. Whoever she plays will be in for a tough one.

Doral is such a nice course to play at. I was there 21 years ago. It looks even nicer now. These guys do not make it look like "The Blue Monster" anymore. The 18th hole used to be one of the toughest. Now they're lighting it up. Amazing. And Tiger and Phil leading at -13. That should be a 72-hole total. How would you like to be -6 both days and not in 1st?

The Good
1. BC
2. Nova Scotia, good in defeat
3. Quebec
4. Newfoundland. Considering they were 1-10 in last year's Scott at St. John's, their home province, an amazing improvement
5. Tiger Woods. Has anyone since Edwin Moses ever met unbelievable expectations better?
6. Phil Mickelson

The Bad
- nothing comes to mind

Yet to Come
1. Team Canada. Jennifer Jones will have to play her best

The Ugly
1. Why was the Scott tiebreaker game starting at 8:30am? I would've started it later, at least 9am. It didn't give Quebec, Newfoundland or the fans a lot of recovery time
2. Tiger and Phil are both done for the day. Why are they both playing at the same time? I would always split them up, have one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, so someone taking the afternoon off would be able to see one of them.

Regards,
Steve

Scott Looks Good at the Scott

Hello. Well, look at Kelly Scott's BC rink. Big wins today over Team Canada and Alberta clinch first place for BC at 9-2. Nova Scotia is 8-2 with a game tonight, but Scott beat them head-to-head. Canada and Newfoundland are 7-3, with Alberta and Quebec at 6-4. Everyone else is playing spoiler or for experience.

Scott's team looked great against Alberta, particularly since Alberta had to win to control their own destiny. BC just doesn't seem to make any crucial mistakes. Alberta almost seemed to know this, because their tension level seemed to grow as the game progressed.

It's amazing to see Scott curling over 80% for the week. It's almost unheard of for a skip to be that high in such a competitive field.

Here's my good, bad and ugly for the Scott field:

Good
1. BC
2. Nova Scotia. For some reason Colleen Jones never seems to be favoured. All she's done is win more Scott games than anyone.
3. Canada. Their game against Alberta will be the one to watch tonight
4. Newfoundland. Boy are they on a roll! 7 in a row
5. Alberta. Have to beat Canada to avoid going to my bad list. Very inconsistent.
6. Quebec. Very good showing for first trip to the Scott
7. New Brunswick. Out of playofs, but what a showing for a junior-eligible team

Bad
1. PEI. Suzanne Gaudet did so well 3 years ago, but it's been downhill ever since
2. Ontario. Beat BC, should've beat Nova Scotia, but very inconsistent
3. Territories. They go straight from the cold to fire. No chance really.

Ugly
1. Manitoba. Hard to believe curling rich province can't field 2 competitive teams.
2. Saskatchewan. See Manitoba. This rink beat a lot of good ones to get here. Must've left their game at home.

Regards,
Steve

Keeping Up With The Joneses

Hello. The Scott Tournament of Hearts is 7 draws away from completing the round-robin, and guess who's ahead? Defending champion Jennifer Jones and her Team Canada rink. A half game behind is former multi-champ Colleen Jones of Nova Scotia and Kelly Scott of BC, who lost last year's Scott semi-final and this year's Olympic Trials final to bronze medalist Shannon Kleibrink.

What can we conclude so far? Experience matters. Going to a national championship where there are thousands of people watching live and hundreds of thousands on TV can be a daunting task. Add to it having to play 11 high-pressure games in 6 days and it can be overwhelming.

The battle for 4th took a turn today when Heather Strong of Newfoundland beat Cathy King of Alberta. Strong is now 4th alone. If she keeps winning (now 5 in a row) she'll finish no worse than 4th, by far her best finish in 6 Scott appearances.

Will the top 4 prevail? I believe they may, because they're all hungry. Strong, as mentioned, wnats to go to the playoffs. Jennifer Jones wants to get back to the worlds (in Grand Prairie, Alberta on March 18th) to avenge not winning a medal in Scotland. Georgina Wheatcroft at lead, a new addition this year at lead and former world champion, will keep them from becoming complacent. Colleen Jones is trying to shake off not surviving the Scott tiebreakers last year and missing the Olympic Trials playoffs. The fact her team is still intact means in my mind they want to try for Vancouver. And Kelly Scott also wants to make up for her recent near-misses. It should make for exciting curling.

It also makes for educational curling. I find I learn so much from watching curling on TV, especially when the women are playing. They are very good strategists, which is something I need as a relatively new skip.

All the best to everyone competing in London! I'll pick Jennifer Jones to repeat, because I think they have the best talent throughout the lineup. Then again, it's tough to not pick the other teams. On any given day, anything can happen.

Regards,
Steve