A Putt Putt Match for the Ages

Let me begin this post by saying that the past week has been crazy. With graduation and everything that goes along with it, I have not had time to even watch many games, let alone write about them. Also, I have been living without both cable and the internet since Monday, and am shocked that I am still alive. It's been the toughest 4 days of my life. Also, I will be venturing to Chicago with some other gentlemen to attend what could go down as the greatest party in the history of both parties and history: The Graduation Celebration of Mr. William McEnery. Thus, I will again not have internet for the next couple days (probably until Monday). With that said, here are a few things I wanted to say:

Congratulations to Curlin for edging out Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the Preakness. I am saddened that I couldn't attend this day of white trash debauchery, but I guess Graduation is a little more important in the long run. Unfortunately, this means that there again will be no Triple Crown winner (29 years and counting).

As for the NBA Playoffs, I could care less. I hate the Spurs. I hate the Jazz. I hate the Pistons. I am indifferent about the Cavs. Yet, I thought I'd offer my thoughts on each series. The Spurs will win this in 5 games. The Pistons will win in 7 games. Thats all I have to say about the playoffs.

I had been looking forward to the May 22nd NBA Draft Lottery for weeks. Although the Sixers had less than a 1% chance of winning the #1 and about 2% to win the #2, I held out hope. Alas, when the #12 spot came up, it was Philadelphia. Oh well, it happens. The real drama of the night, however, came when the top three statistical favorites all missed out on the #1 AND #2 picks. I wish they had shown that Boston lottery party after unvieling their #5 pick. Perhaps they couldn't because of the carnage...who knows. Oh well, welcome to Portland, Greg Oden!

Finally, I wanted to relate a tale about an epic battle of Miniature Golf that took place in Mishawaka on the afternoon of Monday, May 21st, 2007. Eight brave men took to the course, dividing into two teams of four in a Ryder Cup style format. On one team, calling themselves America, was Bon, Josh, Hella, and myself. On the other, calling themselves Europe, was Tom Bush, Meckes, OC, and Cork. In the first round, which was combined team score match play, the Europeans jumped to early advantages in both rounds. The team of Cork and TB closed out the team of myself and Bon 4&3. I should have known that I had the wrong brother in this matchup, but that's just the way it goes. The other matchup was much closer, but Europe took this one as well 1up.

In the second round, which was total strokes for each team, the Americans knew they needed to get on the board, and fast. The team of Hella and Josh jumped to an early lead and coasted to victory over Cork and young Bush. In the second match, OC and Meckes jumped out to a 7 stroke lead through just 6 holes. It was looking very grim for the Americans. Yet, behind improved play from myself and clutch putting from Bon, Team America stormed back to an easy 4 stroke victory. Going to the final round, it was TIED 2-2!

Before the third round, individual match play, each team set their lineups. Europe tried to outthink their opponents and made a strategic lineup. Team American merely used alphabetical order. Match One pitted Josh against Meckes in a very important match. This was a seesaw battle, but Josh used 6 hole-in-ones to defeat Meckes 3&2. Match Two saw myself jump to a 2-up lead through 2 holes over OC, only to lose that lead by hole 5. It was a dogfight, but OC came through with a 2-up victory. It should also be noted that the lady working at Putt Putt Golf and Games accused us of cheating and trying to play more holes. Hasn't she ever heard of a shotgun? Match Three also went down to the wire, with Bon trailing Cork by one with two to play. After just missing a hole in one, Bon forced dormie but was unable to take the 18th from Cork. The Europeans now held a 4-3 lead with TB leading Hella 2-up through 15. Alas, Hella got the yips and lost the hole, losing 3&2. It was truly an epic battle...check your local listings to see in on future editions of ESPN Instant Classics.

There you have it, my week in review. I will be back Monday with more posts about the weekend, notably the shenanigans occuring in Chicago this Saturday. Stay Classy, Planet Earth.