No Good, Bad and Ugly At 2008 Women's Worlds V

Hello. Congrats to all the following at the 2008 Women's World Curling Championships:

1. Cathy Overton-Clapham. For much of the week, "Cathy O" was "Cathy Uh-Oh". On Sunday you were "Cathy Oh-Yeah!". A well deserved world championship after years of slugging it out in the trenches. I was crying too.

2. The rest of Team Canada. These ladies were not going to be denied. They dug deep in their final two games to get the win. Well done. Keep that drive alive for 2010!

3. Team China. Congrats on the first ever Asian medal. You looked golden all week, but can't be disappointed with silver. You're not going away.

4. Team Japan. An extra end loss away from an all-Asian final. Your future is as bright as China's

5. Team Switzerland. A bronze to add to Mirjam Ott's 2 Olympic Silvers.

More tomorrow.

Regards,
Steve

No Good, Bad and Ugly At 2008 Women's Worlds IV

Hello. Thanks to US Curler for correctly pointing out it's Debbie McCormick, not McCormack as I said yesterday (my apologies). And yes, the US-Canada game was exciting, but not well-played. It unfortunately reminded me of my limited curling skill-set. Since I see it at the curling club, it doesn't excite me as much seeing it on TV. Keep that feedback coming!
There now is a bit of a gap at the top. China and Canada have clinched playoff berths at 8-1. Switzerland is 7-2, and Denmark 6-3. The saving grace for the US (5-4) may be Denmark has to play Canada this morning. A Denmark loss would help a lot of teams. However, the US has to play Switzerland, who gave China its first loss. Those are two of the biggest games today.
And in keeping with this week's theme, no criticism of teams who are obviously out-gunned this week. They have all made a strong commitment to curling. That's what I'm celebrating. If it weren't for all these countries curling, there would be no Olympic curling. Without Olympic curling, a lot of Canadian players and teams (in particular Randy Ferbey, Kerry Burtnyk and Colleen Jones) would've retired a year or two ago. And there would be no Olympic Trials, which is the best curling I've ever seen.
Kudos to all!

Regards,
Steve

No Good, Bad and Ugly At 2008 Women's Worlds III

Hello. Congrats to Canada for overcoming a 6-1 deficit to defeat the US last night. These gals know how to fight back! Their performance reminded me of the Scotties last month. Will the result be the same?
It would be easy for me to lambast Debbie McCormack for her team's performance in the 2nd half of the game. She and her 2nd in particular struggled. However, in keeping with this week's theme, I'll only mention they have a regular teammate who unfortunately got very ill last Friday. She's being sent home now, which is a huge disappointment. It obviously had to rattle the US squad. I know how much it affects my teams when one of our regulars is missing.
Canada is now 6-1, in second alone behind China. While a playoff berth should be secure, Denmark may be a foe to be reckoned with. They beat the Swiss last night to make both teams 5-2.
The US is 4-3 now and may not make the playoffs. I never would've predicted that.
I'll be interested to watch Japan this morning. Japan is also 4-3. It may be hard to believe, but 10 years ago they almost knocked off Sandra Schmirler in the Olympics. We'll see how they do today.

Regards,
Steve

No Good, Bad and Ugly At 2008 Women's Worlds II

Hello. Congrats to China for beating Canada this morning. While I didn't see it, I'm unfortunately not surprised. Canada in general and Dawn Askin in particular struggled Monday, although they still won. Canada is going to have to get pumped for a United States battle tonight.
China is obviously the story so far. They have really looked good up to this point. They've put a lot of resources into the game. There should not be a shortage of people to find good curlers from. Still, their rise to the top is unexpected to me anyway.
I had the pleasure of playing against some Americans in Chicago in November. They told me there are only 15,000 curlers, of which very few curl competitively. Debbie McCormack makes every effort to come to Canada and curl, particularly on arena ice. She was in Winnipeg at the Brier practicing.
It says a lot for her and other countries that they're competing as well as they are. In theory Canada should win every year. The fact we don't says a lot about these other countries.
Good luck to all the teams the rest of this week.

Regards,
Steve

No Good, Bad and Ugly At 2008 Women's Worlds

Hello. It would be easy to do my usual "Good, Bad and Ugly" for the 2008 Women's World Curling Championship. After all, the field is not very deep talent wise.
However, after watching Sunday's games, it's evident to me all these teams should be commended for just being here representing their respective countries. We should never take for granted how fortunate we are to curl in Canada.
Team Japan, who's doing quite well, moved to Canada to prepare for this event. Can you imagine going to another hemisphere to curl? Me neither.
Team Czech Republic has a member who lives in London, England. She goes back to Prague every other weekend to play. And is not sponsored. Would you do that to curl? Me neither.
Team Germany, in spite of winning the world championship and the higher profile of the Olympics, still has to get a transplanted Canadian to fill out the roster. Would you go to those lengths to fill out a team? Me neither.
Instead of watching this event wishing it was more, I'm looking at it realizing it could be much less. Good curling the rest of the way ladies!

Regards,
Steve

Jones Looking For World Title

Hello. Jennifer Jones has got to be excited about the upcoming Women's World Curling Championships. It will be a far different experience for her than 2005.
For one thing, the championship is in Vernon, BC. Jones has had success in BC, winning last year's Canada Cup in Kamloops.
Another reason for excitement is the ice conditions have to be better than what she faced in 2005. Mike Harris told me using the word "ice" to describe what the curlers faced in Scotland was almost inaccurate. It apparently took away any type of draw game that Jennifer Jones excels at. Ironically, Harris mentioned Colleen Jones would've probably loved it!
Finally, Anette Norberg of Sweden is not in the field. While Debbie McCormack is, in looking at the names I think Jones has to feel she's no worse than co-favourite to win.
Will it happen? In Jones' case I think it will. Dawn Askin looks like an all-world lead. Jill Officer is a great second and sweeper. I would probably pick Jennifer Jones to throw any must-make shot I'd ever face. That just leave Cathy Overton-Clapham, who can be brilliant, to hold her own.
Look for the world title to remain in Canada.

Regards,
Steve

One Perfect Season Over, Another Still Going II

Hello. While Tiger kept his perfect year going, Lorena Ochoa's came to an end in Mexico. Ochoa fell way back early, and was never in contention.
People will say Ochoa had the pressure of playing in front of the home fans, and they'd be correct. However, this only puts Tiger Woods' accomplishments into better context.
Tiger plays in front of the entire golf world every time he steps up to the tee. In fact, he's transcended golf. Most of the sports world, and a lot of the non-sports world, know who Tiger Woods is, and whether he won or not. And if Tiger doesn't win, they only know he didn't win, not who did win, because that's what the lead story usually is on Monday morning.
Can you imagine the media Tiger faces every day? Having only followed him 3 times in tournaments, it's tough for me to comprehend. No wonder the guy plays practice rounds at the crack of dawn.
And just think how much the media crunch is going to increase if Tiger keeps winning. If he goes into August with a chance to win the Grand Slam, the entire world may be watching. Will he be able to handle it? I hope we find out.

Regards,
Steve

One Perfect Season Over, Another Still Going

Hello. Congrats to Tiger Woods for winning at Bay Hill. The length of accomplishments just keeps getting longer:

1. He ties Ben Hogan for PGA career wins with 64
2. He wins Bay Hill for the 5th time. Surprisingly he's won two other tournies (both World Golf Championships) 6 times.
3. He stays undefeated this year (3 PGA wins, 1 Euro)
4. His PGA wins streak is at 5. He's done that 3 times, the only one to do it more than once
5. He goes for his 7th World Golf Championship CA Championship win in 9 starts.

What more can you say about Woods? He loves Doral, which makes it as much of a shoo-in as Bay Hill and Torrey Pines were this year.

Good luck to the rest of the field.

Regards,

Steve

2008 Brier Good, Bad and Ugly V

Hello. Here's the final Good, Bad and Ugly on the 2008 Brier:

The Good
1. Alberta - Congrats on a well-earned championship. You were hungry and it showed.
2. Ontario - Too many mistakes. Only they could be disappointed with a 1 point final loss
3. Saskatchewan - You came of age this year guys. Well done.
4. BC - Very good playing to advance this far. As good as you could expect.

The Bad
1. Newfoundland - The Olympics seem so long ago. Have to bring their game up a notch
2. Manitoba - Too bad they couldn't make a tiebreaker game in home province

The Ugly
1. Quebec - Went out with a whimper, not a bang. I expected more
2. Northern Ontario - Does beating Saskatchewan justify your existence?
3. Nova Scotia - Very erratic.
4. PEI - Came on late, but still not a force
5. Territories - No surprises here
6. New Brunswick - I expected more from a Russ Howard pupil
7. Ice for the Finals - Please, ice crew, be proactive next time, not reactive.

Regards,
Steve

2008 Brier Good, Bad and Ugly IV

Hello. Things are still up in the air:

The Good
1. TSN (50-50) - After several questionable "feature" games, they decide to televise Alberta-Ontario this morning. Great job realizing the blatantly obvious error boys!
2. Alberta (9-0) - This morning will tell if they are truly this dominant. I suspect they are.
3. Saskatchewan (8-1) - Could win it all. Has always had the talent.
4. Ontario (8-1) - I'm still unfortunately worried. They're in tough

The Bad
1. BC (5-4) - The way Bob Ursel is playing, they should be a playoff lock.
2. Newfoundland (5-4) - This team is too good to be in this position. Could easily be worse.
3. Manitoba (5-4) - 3 straight losses have them in a bind.

The Ugly
1. PEI (3-6) - Get smoked by Ontario in a must-win game
2. Quebec (3-6) - Proving bad strategy and sweeping calls can cancel out talent
3. New Brunswick (2-7) - Maybe "Jimmy the Kid" no longer has potential
4. Northern Ontario (2-7) - Did anyone expect more?
5. Territories (2-7) - See Northern Ontario
6. Nova Scotia (2-7) - Flashes of brilliance cancelled out by mediocre play

Regards,
Steve

2008 Brier Good, Bad and Ugly III

Hello. Things are a-changing:

The Good
1. Alberta (7-0) - I don't think they can lose right now
2. Saskatchewan (6-1) - Big win vs Ontario last night
3. Ontario (6-1) - Cracks in the armour. I'm fearful.
4. Manitoba (5-2) - Slipping. Big games coming up vs Newfoundland and Saskatchewan
5. Newfoundland (4-3) - Back from the dead. Big extra end win vs BC

The Bad
1. BC (3-4) - Seem to be in win-loss-win-loss mode
2. PEI (3-4) - Have probably exceeded expectations

The Ugly
1. New Brunswick (2-5) - After 5 years playing with Russ Howard, did any strategy sink in?
2. Quebec (2-5) - Reminds me of my curling teams with bad sweeping calls
3. Nova Scotia (2-5) - Gave Alberta a fight, but still hurting
4. Northern Ontario (1-6) - Making a case for no longer fielding a team
5. Territories (1-6) - Nothing to play for now

Regards,
Steve

2008 Brier Good, Bad and Ugly II

Hello. Some changes:

The Good
1. Alberta (5-0) - The team to beat right now, painful as it is for me to say
2. Ontario (5-0) - Have covered up some chinks in the armour
3. Manitoba (4-1) - Doing well, but looked bad vs Ontario
4. Saskatchewan (4-1) - Simmons could do some damage
5. Newfoundland (3-2) - Two win day saved them

The Bad
1. BC (2-3) - Two win day got them out of the Ugly area
2. New Brunswick (2-3) - Some signs of life, but I don't expect much

The Ugly
1. Nova Scotia (1-4) - Two games giving up 13 points! Sinking like a stone
2. Quebec (1-4) - Two loss day has really got them stuck
3. Territories (1-4) - Being tied for 7th this late may be the highlight
4. Northern Ontario (1-4) - Where have you gone Al Hackner?
5. PEI (1-4) - Avoided the perfect record by crushing Nova Scotia. Don't expect much more

Regards,
Steve

2008 Brier Good, Bad and Ugly

Hello. This has never been easier:

The Good
1. Alberta (3-0) - After watching John Morris play, I may break my pinkie finger
2. Ontario (3-0) - Despite some hiccups, still one of the teams to beat
3. Manitoba (3-0) - How good is Kerry Burtnyk playing with 3 Brier rookies?
4. Saskatchewan (3-0) - Pat Simmons is a riverboat gambler. So far so good.
5. Russ Howard (1-0) - Very good in first broadcast. Was unbiased in Ontario-Quebec game

The Bad
1. Quebec (1-2) - Playing well, but came up early against the elite
2. New Brunswick (1-2) - Grattan better draw better than he did against Alberta
3. Nova Scotia (1-2) - Got destroyed by Quebec after extra-end loss to Manitoba
4. Territories (1-2) - Can relax now after getting a win
5. Northern Ontario (1-2) - Why does this area have a team again?

The Ugly
1. Newfoundland (1-2) - Are we missing Jerry Korab yet?
2. BC (0-3) - Jim Cotter is playing like me, which is not a compliment
3. PEI (0-3) - See Northern Ontario
4. TSN Feature Game Selection (1-3) - One great matchup turned dud (Ont/New), 3 ugly ones (BC/Sask, Ont/BC, Alb/NB). Can you work with the CCA to get one "marquee" game a draw when you have 4 former Brier champs and an Olympic champ?

Regards,
Steve

Slow Play On The PGA Tour? Egads!

Hello. Well, Tiger Woods really let the cat out of the bag. No he didn't say guys were using steriods. It was much worse. He said there are slow players on the PGA Tour!
When did this happen? The media reaction would indicate it must've just started. Slow play? Egads!
Let's face it, slow play on the PGA Tour (and elsewhere) has been around for quite a while. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say it got to the point of no return because of one man - Jack Nicklaus.
The reaction to Tiger's statement by some of the "turtles" is predictable. JB Holmes says he has to play slow because he's got a lot on the line. No one will argue the stakes are high. Question for you JB - if you're slower than Tiger, and he's more successful than you, shouldn't you speed up?
I think Tiger is better than Nicklaus because he plays faster. I feel you can better if you can play faster. I'm a little biased however since I'm a marshal.
Thanks Tiger for letting the cat out of the bag! Maybe now a solution will become more urgent.

Regards,
Steve

Monkey Finally Off Els' Back?

Hello. Congrats to Ernie Els for winning the Honda Classic. Els shot a final round 67 in difficult weather to win by 1 over Luke Donald.
How long has it been since Els won on the PGA Tour? May 2004 at the Memorial was his last taste of PGA victory. To put that in perspective, as someone said Sunday, Tiger has won 23 times in that span. That's a Hall of Fame career!
While Els has had some success in Europe, even there he's blown leads. He lost in his native South Africa with a triple bogey, then lost in Dubai with another water shot.
Will this victory get the monkey off Els' back? Is he closer to his dream of getting to #1? I think so, but it's too early to tell. The Honda field was not the strongest. And Els came from behind. While that's impressive, it doesn't quite measure up to going head-to-head with Tiger. Right now I'd put Els with Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh, behind Phil Mickelson for the Most Likely to Challenge Tiger award.
With some tournaments to go before the Masters, it will be interesting to see if Els can get on a roll.

Regards,
Steve

Another Perfect Season In The Works?

Hello. Tiger Woods may not be the only person to have a perfect golf season this year. Lorena Ochoa debuted last week in Singapore with a strong field. She was in the last group Sunday with the two previous LPGA Tour winners, Paula Creamer and Annika Sorenstam. And Ochoa won. By 11!! So much for rust.
So who has the tougher task? Ochoa or Woods?
Ochoa plays more than Tiger, meaning the odds are tougher. However, Tiger only plays the "top" PGA events.
Tiger is older, and more experienced. I also think his fields are weaker. Ochoa still has to deal with Annika, who shows signs of rebirth. Lorena has won only one major so far, so she's still growing.
An advantage Lorena may have over Tiger is media coverage. Not as many people follow the LPGA, so she may "sneak up" to a perfect season, whereas Tiger cannot sneak up on anyone.
Having said the above, I believe both are capable of going undefeated this year. Really. An unheard of statement for any golfer, let alone two. Good luck to both of you!

Regards,
Steve

A Changing of the Curling Guard?

Hello. Congrats to Teams Lawton and Koe for winning the Strauss Canada Cup. Lawton won convincingly over Kelly Scott, while Koe finally slayed the dragon, beating Kevin Martin on the last shot.
By winning, Lawton has now qualified for the Canadian Olympic PreTrials in November 2009. Koe took a big step towards skipping the PreTrials, and going directly to the Olympic Trials in December.
Are we seeing a curling changing of the guard? I think so. Koe and Lawton are both young teams. They have very tough provinces to get out of for the Scotties and Brier, which is why we don't see them every year. They have to work hard, and regularly take some hard knocks, which make them tougher.
I can honestly say I worry for Glenn Howard's Olympci Trials chances. Even if he wins the Brier this year to get directly into the Trials, the field in 2009 will be tough.
And what of Randy Ferbey? He was so dominant in the early years of this decade. Now we hardly hear about him.
The field is getting deeper and tougher!

Regards,
Steve