Chris and I are going to take a two week break from the Show!  It has been two years since we missed a monday!  We will still be blogging and maybe tell you about our vacations!

Ricky Rubio says that he will play for free, which is a little bit more money than Shaq will make in Cleveland. After hiding out in the desert with the Suns, the Diesel will join the James Gang.

Chris and I talked about this two weeks ago on the Show.  I have always liked Shaq, I think everyone does. He was so athletic and so dominant in his early years.  How did LSU not win a title with him Stanley Roberts, and Chris Jackson?  I guess the Cavaliers are now my favorite team, I will watch a little more early season NBA to see how the relationship works out. Ultimatley, its about the playoffs and having a counter to Howard and the Magic.  The Cavaliers need some better players and an aging former Champion will help some, will keep Lebron in Cleveland after next season?   Shaq and Lebron will be fun to watch.

The Draft is tonight, a weak draft by most accounts.  I knew the Clippers were bad, but I did not know that they were really cursed.   Pretty scary stuff.

We teed off the Black Course at 8:40.   We were awakend at 4 and given our bakery tickets.  We got our wrist band and our reciept and were told not to be late for our tee time.  Johnny could not play, so he stayed at TJ’s house.  We drove to their house slept for an hour, got showers, and ate and egg and cheese.  As TJ mentioned, he had not practiced.  I was stiff from sleeping in a truck and smelling his feet four three days.  We made it to the first tee and watched some of the guys we had been camping with tee off.   We met Frank the starter.  He was stern and unsmiling as he read us the riot act.  No mulligans, only one guy on the tee box at a time, they did not wnat us to mess up the course.  Looking at the high rough, I was glad that I bought and extra dozen balls.

I hit last in the group.  Chris a local that loved the Black was estatic that as a single he got in our group. He was a great companion and his stories about 9-11 were very sobering.   As I approached the tee, Adam introduced me to the hundred or so people as Carl Spackler from Bushwood Country Club.  I signed a ball and threw it to him.  I took out my 3 wood, I did not have a driver. (Dumb move).  I teed up the ball and was more nervous than I used to get at the Paul Gooden William Elliot Golf camp.   I took a deep breath, drew the club back and the sprinklers came on and soaked me.  Confused, wet, and in shock I accused TJ of somehow masterminding that.  All the specatators were laughing, except Frank the starter.  TJ just shrugged and laughed as the sprinklers subsided.  I regrouped and  got ready to hit, when they came on again!  Everyone was laughing including the starter.   I was going nuts.  I reteed and swung as fast as I could to avoid a soaking again.  I hit the nasties heel duck hook ever.   All of the people on the fence in front of the sign started chanting for me to hit another shot.  Frank laughed and told me to reload.  I hit a great shot into the dogleg, and watched my ball disapear in six inch rough.

It was so hard,  it was beyond hard. I had to hit a chunk wedge just to get out into the fairway.  The greens were faster than I ever had played I started out with a nice big 6.    I will not bore you with all of my shots. It was long, the fescue was high. ( we found sprinkler heads in the stuff)

My front nine went like this 664 665 545   47 .    The sad thing is that I hit some fairways.  I hit the best drive of the day and could not carry the bunkers on four.     The highlight of the front nine was TJ’s second shot on two.  Out of the fescue around trees and it sailed into the grandstand.  “Where is it?” He asked.  “Row ten, eleven, twelve….” John replied.

The back nine was there for the taking I told myself.   I did not reach the fairway with my crooked drive on ten,  stuck in the fescue, I whiffed.  I chunked. I hit into eleven and then over the green on ten.  I did make a nifty twenty footer for a nine.   The back nine break down went like this  967 537 535 = 50. A 97.  I did not lose a ball and shot 97.  No penalty strokes, 97.  At the time I was about a six handicap.  We played the course as far back as we could.

15 was a beast.  Long hole to an elevated green, like number 15 at the CCS, just straight up.  The green is bowled and was slick.

TJ  hit it left in the junk, as we searched for his ball, I found all types of golfballs.  Almost finished with our ball hunt, I picked up one and said, “Here you go TJ, you play Maxflis.”  I won’t repeat what he said, since I had picked up HIS ball!

The final hole was awesome.  I hit the fairway with my drive, down the middle.  Staring at the flag with the clubhouse and grandstand I proceeded to chunk my approach.  I knocked it on in three.  I had about ten feet down the hill.  It was the putt we have all imagined to make, last hole US Open on line. I looked around at the grandstand with the Open and USGA logos, I envisioned myself needing a par to win.  I missed it on the low side!

What a trip.   TJ and I are going back in 2012 for a reunion if anyone wants to go.