Think Safety First On Halloween

Hello. FYI I found a startling stat when researching for my Breakfast Television spot this morning.
Apparently primary school aged children are 4 times as likely to get hit by a car on Halloween evening as comapred to any other evening. 4 times! That's a devastating stat.
Please when you're going out tonight make sure you're safe. Please walk on the sidewalks, and look for traffic. Many costumes are hard to spot in the dark because they are usually made of darker colours.
Consider getting a FrightLite for your travels. They are only $3 each, and glow for 8-12 hours. It's a small price to pay for increasing a driver's visibility, and part of that money goes to cystic fibrosis research.
Because daylight savings time has been extended this year, it will be lighter longer. You may want to consider going out earlier than normal, so it's not completely dark. While this may take away part of the fun, it may help you get home safer.
Happy Halloween!

Regards,
Steve

Breakfast Television Spot Greatly Appreciated

Hello. Tomorrow my whole family is going to be on Breakfast Television on CityTV around 7am. We're all looking forward to it.
We are raising awareness for the FrightLites campaign. FrightLites are individual sticks that glow in the dark. They're used to help kids be seen by drivers during Halloween. I just found out 4 times more accidents occur during Halloween than any other time of the year.
Not only do FrightLites help kids be safe, but they're also used to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research. In the past 7 years, FrightLites have generated over $1 million!
Where would cystic fibrosis be without our sponsors? I shudder to think. When I was born, kids with CF had a very low quality of life. Now there are more CF adults than CF kids for the first time ever. It's very encouraging. I can honestly say the glass is half full.
I'm always humbled when I think of someone with no connection to CF putting in their time or money to help our cause. I'm afraid I lack the intelligence to tell them how much that contribution means. Hopefully I'll be able to find the words Wednesday.

Regards,
Steve

Titanic Exhibit Worth a Second Look

Hello. Today my golf efforts were thwarted by frost, so I went to the Ontario Science Centre to see the Titanic Exhibit for the second time, and the movie "Titanica" for the first time.
When visiting the Titanic Exhibit the first time, I guess I was looking for the equivalent of special effects in a movie. As a result, the display looked a little barren to me. While it was still impressive (and giving everyone a boarding pass with someone's name to see if you survived was a great idea!), I didn't really appreciate what was there.
I can honestly say that now I'm much more appreciative of what is there. That's because this time I focused on the equivalent of a movie's plot. And what a plot it is. No other disaster comes close to capturing the Titanic's impact on the imagination. So many subplots come together with the main story of the doomed ship. You could study it for a lifetime, as many have. Please go see it if you can.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. My name on the boarding pass didn't make it

Two Days At Rattlesnake A Great Season Ender

Hello. Yesterday and today I golfed at Rattlesnake Point, a Clublink property just south of Milton, Ontario.
Wednesday was 18 holes at the Sidewinder course, followed by the 9-hole par 3 Rattler course. It was a nice sunny day with a high of 17 and not too much wind. In other words, an ideal fall golf day.
Today was 18 holes on the Copperhead course. A little cooler, but again not much wind and a fair bit of sun.
What was great about both days was I was not held up at all. I played alone and played through one group each day. I played all 45 holes in 6 hours! Needless to say, I was thrilled to be able to play that quickly. It made up for a lack of good play.
While Rattlesnake is relatively flat, I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting the courses were. Course condition was top notch.
Finally, the staff treated me like a king. It's been a pleasant surprise to be considered one of the family fraternity. Thank you all very much.

Regards,
Steve

NLL Becomes NIL

Hello. The NLL (National Lacrosse League) has become NIL, as in no games, and no season. There is currently no contract between the players and owners. According to the father of one of the players, the owners want a 5-year contract;the players want 2 years. Both want a 3% increase every year.
What's going on? Wasn't a lesson learned from the NHL? Cancelling a season is going to turn off many fans. The players lose money. The owners have mixed results. Franchise values go down. People, including groupies, go elsewhere.
Can they make it work? Time will tell. I would think a 3 or 4 year deal may be alternatives.
What's sad about this one compared to the NHL is the owners and particularly the players need the money. No one's living high on the hog.
Do these stoppages signal the begining of the end for sports in general? I do believe they could. Like most businesses, salaries are the biggest expense. If salaries escalate quicker than revenues, it could be time to close shop.

Regards,
Steve

Fusion Gala For Cystic Fibrosis A Huge Success

Hello. Last Saturday my wife and I were honoured to attend the Fusion Gala for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at Angus Glen Golf Club. Congrats to the organizing committee for a very enjoyable evening, and a personal thanks to Kevin Thistle, president of Angus Glen, for letting this event take place at his locale.
While I don't have a final number, I believe this event will raise over $100,000, and bring the 6-year total to over $600,000. Needless to say, it's moeny that's well-needed.
It's very easy for me to be involved in this cause, because I'm the father of two CF children. When I gave Nicole a $200 donation, she said it wasn't necessary, as we already give on a regular basis. I replied that it was necessary, because until a cure is found, no meny is too much. I don't want to say we didn't give enough.
What always amazes me is how energetic people are who don't have that personal connection. Believe me, all of us who have had CF come into our lives really appreciate your efforts.
Congrats again to all involved for a lovely evening!

Regards,
Steve

Is The Fall Series Working? II

Hello. What can be done to boost the Fall Series? Good question.
It does help when someone like Mike Weir wins (congrats) an event. Weir is known in more than just Canada because of the President's Cup and the Masters 2003 win.
I would do one thing to boost these events - appearance money. Pay the Mickelsons and Furyks whatever they want to come and play. Who cares if they get a little on the side?
I know the PGA Tour has a "no appearance fee" policy with its tournaments. However, the Fall Series is really crippled for attention (as I discussed last Thursday). The sponsors have not put up as much money as the earlier events, but they aren't exactly paying with petty cash. Because they aren't getting the top players through normal tactics, they should be allowed to use abnormal ways.
If they promised to give money to the individual player's favourite charity, it could be a win for everyone. The PGA Tour would get a boost to its "money donated to charity" total. The player would contribute to the charity without being out of pocket. And the tourney would get a top player and a tax writeoff. If it works, it could be tried for all events.

Regards,
Steve

Is The Fall Series Working?

Hello. Is the Fall Series working? Yes and no.
Yes, because there are some great stories out there. Every week some guys are winning enough money to get safely into the top 125. And of course the winners are getting to go to Hawaii and have a two-year PGA exemption.
Also, some top players are playing, which may not have happened before. Phil Mickelson is coming out this week because it's in Arizona, where he spent his college days. Mike Weir played last week, and is planning to again. Both these guys have no-showed in the past because they can, really.
However, in a lot of other ways the Fall Series is not working. There are many Europeans who are now going back to that tour to compete because of the weaker tournaments here. The press coverage is obviously lesser now that the top of the money list is secure. And when the Fedex Cup was hyped up so much, with the main reason being to avoid conflict with the football season, indirectly the PGA Tour was saying everything following the Fedex Cup was anticlimatic.
Can something be done to boost the Fall Series? More Monday.

Regards,
Steve

Wie Have A Lot Of Opinions

Hello. Michelle Wie finished 19th out of 20 in the Samsung last week. She was a distant 30 behind Lorena Ochoa, and 15 out of 18th place. In other words, she had a disasterous tournament. It was one of many. In fact Michelle herself says she should've taken 2007 off.
What to do? Most people say Wie should take 2008 off as well. Just enjoy Stanford. And with as little parental obstruction as possible. Be a normal 18 year old.
Doesn't that sound like any parent? Stay in school, get a good job, get married, buy a house with a picket fence....
What parents (myself included) fail to realize is over 95% of people do that, and over 95% over 65 years old are not financially independent.
Michelle Wie may be many things, but normal is not one of them. I'm not sure how much she'll make in endorsements in 2008. Or whether the media will follow her every move like before. She may not automatically get sponsors' exemptions to tournaments on any tour.
One thing I do know is Michelle Wie stopped living a normal life a long time ago. If she wants to stay"abnormal", she should be allowed to, irregardless of what we all think.

Regards,
Steve

Why I'm Not Watching The Grand Slam of Golf

Hello. Today is the first round of the Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda. I've been a faithful viewer for years. However, this year I won't be watching for the following reasons:

1. It's in Bermuda. As a result, it starts in mid-afternoon. I have to get kids from school, prepare dinners, go to piano lessons, then get ready for curling.
2. It's not in Hawaii. I played at the Poipu Bay resort course in Kauai, Hawaii when my wife and I were on our honeymoon. It was in '97, when Tiger Woods was winning his first Masters. Since then I've been very interested in seeing the Grand Slam of Golf to re-live that great memory.
3. Tiger's not playing. With all due respect to Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington, it's just not the same when Tiger's not around. And while I understand how he wants to be with his new family member for an extended period of time, it's just one more case of biting the hand that feeds you. I wish Tiger and other pros would realize they have certain obligations.

Regards,

Steve

Lucky #7 For Ochoa

Hello. Congrats to Lorena Ochoa for her 7th win of the season at Samsung. Her final round 66 let her cruise through Sunday.
Is it just me, or is Ochoa one of the most special golfers to come along in some time? I think she is, but unfortunately she seems to be in the same situation Mario Lemieux was in playing at the same time as Wayne Gretzky.
Because Ochoa is following Anika Sorenstam so closely, we probably don't appreciate her accomplishments as much as we should. 7 wins! 9 tournaments in a row in the top 3! Over $3 million in a year (first LPGA player to do that)! These are great things, yet they don't seem to be getting the attention they should.
Part of the reason is Lorena is very understated. This is a good thing. She has enough class and dignity for an entire town. In a world that lives on hype, Lorena doesn't seme to fit in. Again, I'd take Lorena and Annika's personalities and accomplishments anyday over the forced buildup for other stars (not mentioning any names, because they don't deserve to be mentioned in this column).
Congrats again Lorena!

Regards,
Steve

Ontario Election Has Some Interesting Twists II

Hello. Well, all 3 of my predictions were correct. Unfortunately, voter turnout was one of them. To have only 4.4 million out of over 8 million (52.6%) cast a ballot is disgraceful.
Maybe I take this a little too seriously, because of having 3 uncles who were in World War II. However, it's the one thing that makes our country a democracy, and gives us a high standard of living. To not even vote to try to improve your situation is pitiful. And it'll be easy to pick out those people, because they'll probably be the loudest complainers.
John Tory says he'll stay on in spite of this disaster. All I can say is he's now in the same category as Bill Buckner and other infamous people. If I'm a Conservative, I don't want him around. I hear he's a great guy, but he's now lost mayor of Toronto and premier of Ontario races, and he lost his riding last night. To me, that equals "Good Night Irene".
Finally, MMP was soundly defeated. I'm hoping it will be the last time. If the Liberals do a great job, it should be, as one of the big drawbacks was it would be tougher to get majorities.
Congrats to the winners last night, and sympathies to the losers.

Regards,
Steve

Ontario Election Has Some Interesting Twists

Hello. Well the polls in Ontario have been closed for some 20 minutes now. I'm looking for the following things, as they in particular interest me:

1. Voter turnout. This one always gets my attention. We can have over 8 million voters in this province, but will be lucky to have 5 million. Why? I consider it my duty to vote whenever possible. If you didn't vote, I don't want to hear your complaints.
2. Referendum. I don't think MMP (two votes, one for local candidate, one for party) has a chance. The argument I've heard for it is so you can get a few seats if your local candidates are defeated, but the party has a certain % of the vote. My reply back has been that if your candidates are being defeated, you should be focused on getting better ones from the millions of eligible people.
3. Majority or minority? I don't think anything will stop the Liberals. The economy is excellent, and John Tory made arguably the greatest self-inflicted political blunder of all time.

Regards,

Steve

LPGA Logo One To Cheer About

Hello. I'm sorry, but I cannot get into the PGA season anymore. While congrats go to Justin Leonard for winning the Texas Open (for the 3rd time, tying Arnold Palmer for the all-time lead), the PGA is passe to me at the moment.
The LPGA is another story. Lorena Ochoa became the 1st LPGA player ever to earn $3 million after losing a playoff to Suzann Pettersen, the new #2 player in the world. It was the 3rd win this year for Pettersen. She and Ochoa are definitely players to watch in the future, and could be starting a great rivalry.
The LPGA is boldly venturing into new popularity territory, and now have a new logo to reflect that movement. I must say it's one of the best pro sports logos I've ever seen. It reminds me of the Olympics logos for the host cities. It's modern, colourful and progressive. In short, it's everything other pro sports in general (and the NHL in particular, especially after the lockout) should be doing. I think it will be a big hit.
Will it translate into more fans? It certainly won't have less after this.

Regards,
Steve

The End Of The Golf Amateur III

Hello. It flew under the radar due to the President's Cup and Lorena Ochoa's failed bid to increase her win streak (great run Lorena!). However, Colt Knost is now a pro. He took the money and forfeited his exemption to the Masters and US Open.
Is he nuts? I answered that question in my August 29th post (The End Of The Golf Amateur).
Another question to ask is why he has to forfeit his eligibility? After all, Colt EARNED his way into both events. Does anyone at the Masters or USGA now care that Colt is a pro? He is still the 2007 US Amateur champ. Tiger Woods is still the 1994-1996 US Amateur champ.
This leads to another question, which is if Colt has set a precedent for future US Amateur champs. Will any future champ accept these exemptions with the amateur condition stamped on it? Obviously the Masters and US Open are not going to lose a lot of fans if Knost is not in the field. However, doesn't this point to something being wrong with the system?
I wish Colt Knost good fortune in his future. Hopefully he will become good enough to be a regular participant in both events.

Regards,
Steve

Some President's Cup Thoughts III

Hello. Some more thoughts:

7) Whose career is sagging? Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, KJ Choi, Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby, Rory Sabattini, Tervor Immelman, Nick o'Hern, Charles Howell

8) I like the 4 day event, but I'd change it to the following -

Thursday would be a fourball with all 12 playing
Friday would be a fourball with all 12 playing
Saturday morning would be a foursome with all 12 playing
Saturday afternoon would be a foursome with all 12 playing
Sunday would be the singles matches with all 12 playing

Regards,
Steve

Some President's Cup Thoughts II

Hello. Some more thoughts:

4) The Mike Weir vs Tiger Woods match hype was overboard. The team result was not in doubt, so it wasn't as big as a major. Having said that, give Weir credit for not giving up in spite of Tiger being 12 feet from the 17th hole with a 1up lead. Weir hung in while the rest of us would've either folded up the tent or left looking for Pampers.

5) Whose careers may be enhanced by this week? David Toms, Scott Verplank, Woody Austin, Jack Nicklaus, Jeff Sluman, Weir and Ernie Els

6) Whose careers may stay the same? Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Lucas Glover, Hunter Mahan, Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera

Whose careers may start sagging? More tomorrow.

Regards,
Steve

Some President's Cup Thoughts

Hello. Congrats to the US for winning the President's Cup Sunday. They managed to hold onto a huge lead for a 19 1/2 to 14 1/2 victory.
Some thoughts:

1) Boy, did some International players ever stink! Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbitini, KJ Choi, Stuart Appleby, Nick O'Hern and Adam Scott all had periods of utter futility. If Adam Scott doesn't end up spending 90+% of his practice time on the short game, he'll never be anything more than a poor man's Jim Furyk.

2) Speaking of Furyk, why is he about 10 wins shy in the win department? On paper it looks like he should be winning 3-4 events a year. One thing I noticed in the last two US Opens and again Sunday is he pulls his irons when under pressure. That and a too-slow putting routine is what keeps him out of the winner's circle

3) Woody Austin is great for golf, a sober John Daly.

More tomorrow.

Regards,
Steve