The Masters
Augusta, Georgia.
That's all you have to say to a golf fan and they'll sigh.
Probably because going to The Masters is on their bucket list. As it is mine.
Golf is a ridiculously challenging sport. If you do not play golf, it's hard for you to imagine the difficulty of hitting a small ball into a small hole in the ground.
It may even seem silly to you, but then I'd challenge you to look at every sport out there and name one that doesn't seem semi-ridiculous.
As for The Masters and Amen Corner, it's a tradition.
I grew up watching this tournament at our home with my Dad, Mom and two older sisters. It's where champions are made! I even remember the years Tiger Woods was starting to play. All of high school and college, for me, he dominated this tournament and so many others.
Crazy to know he's playing again this year, at 42 years of age. Maybe I still have time to become a pro?
I'm not partial to Tiger winning, but it's fun to see Phil Mickelson (Lefty) in the mix and Tiger in the shadows. Not a sight we would ever have seen during Tiger's prime. Every one was chasing Tiger, now he's chasing them.
Since golf is a "lonely" sport. These guys seem to all be friends and competitors. They cheer each other on, and want to destroy one another at the same time. Mental toughness. Here are ESPN's predictions on who will win.
Who do I think will win?
So many left handed players have won before. Bubba, Phil, and Mike Weir. With how Bubba and Phil are playing, it's hard not to pick one of them.
Of course we know DJ (Dustin Johnson) has the ability, but he hasn't played his best lately. Jordan has one green jacket, and has a tough Masters loss too.
Then there's Rory McIlroy. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March this year. He took time in-between to prepare for The Masters. He is driving the ball VERY well, and his putting has become as good as Spieth's. He has never won a Green Jacket, but came close in 2011. We will see if 2018 is his year.
Back to Tradition...
They play four days of golf. 18 holes.
Most tournaments are set up with this format.
What makes this special then?
It's all of the other traditions.
Wednesday, April 4th, is the Par 3 contest. This is a family affair. Players have their kids come out and watch them try to make a hole-in-one. It's so fun!! If you have to work tomorrow, like me, you can stream it here or on the Masters app.
There are dinners, other contests, and of course, the Green Jacket. Most guys say they sleep in it the first night after they win it. Better than a trophy that collects dust.
If you're not a golf fan, I challenge you to watch a little bit of this week's festivities. You may grow to love the game.
And if you need a little inspiration, you can watch one of my favorite movies, Seven Days in Utopia with Robert Duvall. It's sure to put you in the golf watching mood.
Enjoy the tournament!
#masters
#pgatour
#golflife
#masters2018
GO RANGERS!!! 2-4 (wins - losses)
Augusta, Georgia.
That's all you have to say to a golf fan and they'll sigh.
Probably because going to The Masters is on their bucket list. As it is mine.
(image from The Saint)
Golf is a ridiculously challenging sport. If you do not play golf, it's hard for you to imagine the difficulty of hitting a small ball into a small hole in the ground.
It may even seem silly to you, but then I'd challenge you to look at every sport out there and name one that doesn't seem semi-ridiculous.
As for The Masters and Amen Corner, it's a tradition.
I grew up watching this tournament at our home with my Dad, Mom and two older sisters. It's where champions are made! I even remember the years Tiger Woods was starting to play. All of high school and college, for me, he dominated this tournament and so many others.
Crazy to know he's playing again this year, at 42 years of age. Maybe I still have time to become a pro?
I'm not partial to Tiger winning, but it's fun to see Phil Mickelson (Lefty) in the mix and Tiger in the shadows. Not a sight we would ever have seen during Tiger's prime. Every one was chasing Tiger, now he's chasing them.
Since golf is a "lonely" sport. These guys seem to all be friends and competitors. They cheer each other on, and want to destroy one another at the same time. Mental toughness. Here are ESPN's predictions on who will win.
Who do I think will win?
So many left handed players have won before. Bubba, Phil, and Mike Weir. With how Bubba and Phil are playing, it's hard not to pick one of them.
Of course we know DJ (Dustin Johnson) has the ability, but he hasn't played his best lately. Jordan has one green jacket, and has a tough Masters loss too.
Then there's Rory McIlroy. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March this year. He took time in-between to prepare for The Masters. He is driving the ball VERY well, and his putting has become as good as Spieth's. He has never won a Green Jacket, but came close in 2011. We will see if 2018 is his year.
Back to Tradition...
They play four days of golf. 18 holes.
Most tournaments are set up with this format.
What makes this special then?
It's all of the other traditions.
Wednesday, April 4th, is the Par 3 contest. This is a family affair. Players have their kids come out and watch them try to make a hole-in-one. It's so fun!! If you have to work tomorrow, like me, you can stream it here or on the Masters app.
There are dinners, other contests, and of course, the Green Jacket. Most guys say they sleep in it the first night after they win it. Better than a trophy that collects dust.
If you're not a golf fan, I challenge you to watch a little bit of this week's festivities. You may grow to love the game.
And if you need a little inspiration, you can watch one of my favorite movies, Seven Days in Utopia with Robert Duvall. It's sure to put you in the golf watching mood.
Enjoy the tournament!
#masters
#pgatour
#golflife
#masters2018
GO RANGERS!!! 2-4 (wins - losses)
We knew the opening series vs. the Houston Astros wasn't going to be easy, or pretty. Verlander (their starting pitcher on Opening Day) is one of the best in the league. I'm not shocked that we barely avoided a shutout! We lost, 4-1.
In the second game of the series, we pitched Doug Fister, the former Houston Astro. He was with the Astros in 2016, then with Boston last year. We picked him up off free agency in November; which has given him more than enough time to get acclimated to the team and the ballpark. The 34 year old signed a one-year deal for $3.5M. I know he's only pitched one game, but he lasted 5 innings and only allowed one run. His ERA is 1.80. Welcome to Dallas Fister! We won, 1-5.
The third game we pitched Matt Moore. He had 7 hits off of him and 4 runs... one of those being a Home Run. His ERA is 9.0, through only 4 innings pitched. We lost this game, 9-3.
The final game of the series... we pitched Mike Minor. He made it through 4.2 innings, has a 3.86 ERA and had 2 runs score on him. Not the worst showing, but back to back nights of going to our bullpen early. We lost, 8-2.
OFFENSE?
We have always been able to score runs. It's just a matter of score runs early, so our pitchers have that comfort. Most pitchers pitch better when they have a cushion. They can take more risks with the types of pitches they throw. Worse case, they give up a hit or a home run. If we're up by 3 or 4, then they can take those risks.
Joey Gallo. Dude. I feel like he's the Bubba Watson of baseball. He doesn't care how awesome his swing is, just that he got a hit or a home run. Meanwhile, we're all in awe of the speed and depth he can hit the ball. He has a .273 batting average (which is GOOD), 2 HR (home runs) and 4 RBI's (runs batted in).
Banister has his reasons for placing Gallo in the #2 spot in our lineup. Check out this quick article.
Injuries?
Delino DeShields is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. This has opened up a spot in our line-up and in the Center Field. Guys from Round Rock and the Frisco Roughriders will get a shot at the majors while he's out. The first two guys we're trying out are Drew Robinson and Carlos Tocci. Ryan Rua, our Left Fielder will also get a shot at playing Center.
Look, I know a lot of people have already written off the Rangers this season. Yes, we're 6 games in, and the season is "over."
I'm not overly optimistic, and I'm aware we didn't make the big trades we needed to, in order to seem "serious" about winning this season.
BUT, it's not over 'till it's over.
So in the meantime, I'm going to go to my Rangers games. Enjoy the fresh air, fresh cut grass, and some fresh time with friends and family (I had to keep fresh in there, it seemed lonely without it).
Here is the entire schedule for the season. This is our second to last season in The Ballpark in Arlington. Enjoy every moment!! It's a beautiful ballpark!
In the second game of the series, we pitched Doug Fister, the former Houston Astro. He was with the Astros in 2016, then with Boston last year. We picked him up off free agency in November; which has given him more than enough time to get acclimated to the team and the ballpark. The 34 year old signed a one-year deal for $3.5M. I know he's only pitched one game, but he lasted 5 innings and only allowed one run. His ERA is 1.80. Welcome to Dallas Fister! We won, 1-5.
The third game we pitched Matt Moore. He had 7 hits off of him and 4 runs... one of those being a Home Run. His ERA is 9.0, through only 4 innings pitched. We lost this game, 9-3.
The final game of the series... we pitched Mike Minor. He made it through 4.2 innings, has a 3.86 ERA and had 2 runs score on him. Not the worst showing, but back to back nights of going to our bullpen early. We lost, 8-2.
OFFENSE?
We have always been able to score runs. It's just a matter of score runs early, so our pitchers have that comfort. Most pitchers pitch better when they have a cushion. They can take more risks with the types of pitches they throw. Worse case, they give up a hit or a home run. If we're up by 3 or 4, then they can take those risks.
Joey Gallo. Dude. I feel like he's the Bubba Watson of baseball. He doesn't care how awesome his swing is, just that he got a hit or a home run. Meanwhile, we're all in awe of the speed and depth he can hit the ball. He has a .273 batting average (which is GOOD), 2 HR (home runs) and 4 RBI's (runs batted in).
Banister has his reasons for placing Gallo in the #2 spot in our lineup. Check out this quick article.
Injuries?
Delino DeShields is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. This has opened up a spot in our line-up and in the Center Field. Guys from Round Rock and the Frisco Roughriders will get a shot at the majors while he's out. The first two guys we're trying out are Drew Robinson and Carlos Tocci. Ryan Rua, our Left Fielder will also get a shot at playing Center.
Look, I know a lot of people have already written off the Rangers this season. Yes, we're 6 games in, and the season is "over."
I'm not overly optimistic, and I'm aware we didn't make the big trades we needed to, in order to seem "serious" about winning this season.
BUT, it's not over 'till it's over.
So in the meantime, I'm going to go to my Rangers games. Enjoy the fresh air, fresh cut grass, and some fresh time with friends and family (I had to keep fresh in there, it seemed lonely without it).
Here is the entire schedule for the season. This is our second to last season in The Ballpark in Arlington. Enjoy every moment!! It's a beautiful ballpark!
#TexasRangers
A friend of mine made me ice cream, similar to this, a while back. She had a food processor, and I always told myself that one day I would grow up and buy one of those things. And I did.
Actually, it was a Christmas gift from my parents, which totally counts.
I use it often to shred sweet potatoes and make sweet potato hash.Yum!!
But then I remembered that ice cream...
I have never been a big fan of ice cream, but every now and then you crave it.
I've been eating Paleo/Gluten Free (as much as possible) due to thyroid issues.
So, I pulled out the food processor, tried to remember the ingredients, and made this ice cream!
Now, I'm not good at measuring. I love numbers, but measuring is so boring.
I tried to help my mom make a pineapple cheese ball for my Dad's work Christmas party one year. I quickly realized the difference between 1 TBSP of Salt and 1 TSP of Salt. Needless to say, I have never been asked to help make a cheese ball again... and I don't blame her.
Here are the ingredients ~ I'll leave the measuring up to you...
1 froze banana (I peel mine and put them in freezer bags for smoothies too)
coconut milk
coconut butter
cocoa powder
almonds
2 fresh dates (remove the pit)
Top it with coconut shavings
Best of luck with the ratios! I say eyeball it, and it will turn out great! Or add different ingredients to make something similar.
It took about 7 minutes total to find everything and throw it together. I know it's not instant, but it's cleanish eating and way healthier for you. It's worth the 7 minutes.
(p.s. I am sure my Vitamix would work too. I will try that next.)
#hugsomeone
#paleoicecream
~smile~
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