A little of this and that

Let me begin by saying that I'm a curse. I went to the Reds vs. Pirates game Friday night. Not only did the Reds lose 1-0, but have gone on to lose three in a row. How about this for a stat; I haven't seen the Reds win since opening day 2005 and only twice since Ken Griffey, Jr., came in 2000. That's a horrible winning percentage. I'm done going to baseball games.

Also, I'd like to say that I ate real red meat--a big steak--for the first time in four months today. Yeah!

I went out on a walk just a bit ago and had some of the March Phil Keaggy Podcast left to listen to. This month, he devoted the show to some of his Christian artist contemporaries that have passed on like Keith Green, Mark Heard and Larry Norman. It was neat to hear some of the old recordings, but what was really special was a bootleg recording of a 2004 concert in which Keaggy invited Larry Norman on stage to sing a couple songs with him.

Norman has been considered the father of Christian music and not everyone in those circles liked him, but there is no denying his influence. To hear those two joking, telling stories and singing songs like "Here Comes the Sun," as well as a couple Larry Norman originals was awesome. You could tell that even though they were serious artists, they didn't take themselves too seriously and that there was a real brotherhood between them that went back 30 years.

I'll finish this blog by saying how disappointed I was in this year's Masters. I look forward to this tournament every year. To me, it signifies the beginning of spring. It embodies all the beauty and charm of the sport. And generally, there is nothing more exciting than watching the players battle each other and the back nine (especially the diabolical Amen Corner, where so much can change in one shot).

This year, though, was brutal to watch. While Trevor Immelman did just enough to win (congrats, Trevor), no one else seemed to want to win. Young Brant Snedeker was totally frazzled by the big stage. Paul Casey was out of it from the first tee. Phil Mickelson couldn't get anything going and Steve Flesch (Cincinnati's own) was playing solidly and seemed to be poised until a complete collapse on the back. And even Tiger--the man the media was already handing the Grand Slam to--missed short, makable putts at crucial moments. I told my Uncle Loren afterward that they should have renamed it Gag Fest 2008.

Nearly everyone talks about Tiger being the best golfer ever but he has NEVER come from behind to win a major. He finished second today just because everyone fell apart around him. No one made a charge. No one made a run. This has become an all too frequent occurrence in golf. It's more evidence to my belief that there are just no great golfers out there. Phil Mickelson is very good and it pains me to say it, but Tiger is great. But I'll stop right there. He's not the best ever. Think of the golfers with more than two majors: Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh. That's the list. And they only have three apiece. Plus, only Mickelson is not over 40.

Jack Nicklaus faced the likes of Arnold Palmer (seven majors), Tom Watson (eight), Gary Player (nine), Lee Trevino (six), Seve Ballesteros (five), Ray Floyd (four), Billy Casper (three), Hale Irwin (three), Larry Nelson (three). Yet he still managed 18 majors and more impressively, 16 runners-up finishes. He also came from behind eight times.

Had Jack been playing against these losers today, he would have won close to 30. And when Jack finished runner up, he didn't get there by having everyone else collapse around him. In 1977 alone, he shot 66 on the final day of the Masters and the British Open only to be edged by Tom Watson, who shot 67 at the Masters and a 65 at the Open.

Now THAT's golf.