Turbotodd

It’s been a while since I was on a plane all night, but I must say, the trip from Dallas to Madrid was most pleasant.  It was right at a little over 9 hours flying time, so ample time to get some shut-eye, even in coach class.

I don’t know if I dreamed on the way over, but if I did, I’d like to think it was about soccer (or, “futbol,” as many refer to it across Europe and around the world).

I’ve been a futbol fan ever since I was a wee lad, having played starting in YMCA leagues early on, and having embraced that most defensive of positions, goalkeeper.

So I would like to think I was dreaming on the flight over of the Chelsea v. Bayer Munchen final for the European Champions League, played Saturday night in Munich.

It seemed a minor miracle that Chelsea even made it that far, but as a team, they pulled together to beat some of the best in the world to get there, and Didier Drogba once again demonstrated what a clutch player he is — even as his contract with Chelsea expires shortly.

It was all Bayern Munich all the time for the first half, and well into the second half.  Possession slid into 54-55% Munich, easily, and it seemed like every time I looked up, their relentless offense was pounding Chelsea on their end of the field.

But things took a turn for Chelsea late in the second half. They were getting the ball more on Bayern’s end of the field, and seemed to be picking up momentum…that is, until Bayern’s Thomas Muller knocked in a brilliant header in the 83^rd minute.

Chelsea’s sails deflated, with only 7 minutes left in the match, it looked as though it was Bayern’s for the taking…but that’s where Didier Drogba comes in, levelling it at 1-1 with his own brilliant header.  You could feel the tide turning across the Bayern stadium.

Drogba almost became the anti-hero in extra time, fouling Franck Ribery and engendering a penalty kick from Arjen Robben that Petr Čech was able to deflect.

Enter the drum roll, as the two sides went to penalty kicks, and the last opportunity came down to Drogba’s penalty try, which sent Petr Čech diving to the left as Drogba spun the ball into the right side of the net, anointing Chelsea this season’s European Champions League victor.

Okay, golf fans, if you watched the Tournament Players Championship this weekend, you know you hardly have reason to complain.

All around nice guy and professional golfer, Matt Kuchar, follows a shot during his victory at this weekend’s Tournament Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida.

Other than Kevin Na’s “yips,” which seemed to bother co-playing partner Zach Johnson during Saturday’s third round more than it did anyone else, weren’t quite enough to keep Na from leading as they walked into the final round yesterday.

But it was Matt Kuchar (everyone on the course just yells at him, “Kooch!”) who walked away with his biggest ever title on Mother’s Day, a sweet birdie putt on the 16^th at Sawgrass all but cementing his victory.

Scotland’s Martin Laird and the ever fashionable Ricky Fowler, who finally won his own first PGA Tour victory just last week at the Wells Fargo Championship, were hot on Kuchar’s heels, but they’d fallen too far away by the time they reached 16, 17, and 18, the winding hat trick of a finish at Sawgrass that includes the infamous 17 “island” green.

Zach Johnson had been on a bit of a tear of his own, starting the round at 7 under and only four behind Kuchar, eagling the par-5 second and getting to 11 under with a birdie on the par-5 16^th — no Master’s par 5 layups for Johnson at Sawgrass!

But Kuchar refused to fall back to the pack.

In terms of drama, there was plenty of it, but most of that drama came from other players.

As Kuchar approached 17, the victory clearly in view, I could only pray, “Kooch, don’t slop another one in the water!” which so many others had done during the week. But no, he put it safely in the middle of the island green and two-putted for his par.

On 18, he hit a nice solid drive in the middle of the fairway (remembering there’s water all along the left side of the hole) and talked sports with his caddie as they walked up towards the green.

No biggie, Kooch seemed to be saying, but it was a biggie indeed, and elevates the well-liked Kuchar into a whole new class of the game.

Which is perfect, because it’s just in time for the coming U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.  If there’s not been enough drama for you this year on the PGA Tour, I hope and expect June 14-17 at the Olympic Club to be about as much drama as a golf fan can stand.

More on that in future posts…but for now, let’s celebrate Matt Kuchar’s well-deserved and long overdue “big win” — the 33 year-old “kid’s” been at since he won the U.S. Amateur in 1998, and finally he can say he belongs in the big leagues.

And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!

Don’t think for a moment I didn’t notice that the PGA’s Tournament Players Championship tournament started yesterday down in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida.

I’ve been busy this week, but not sooo busy that I would ignore this classic golfing event.

It is a tournament that began the week with Phil Mickelson’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, along with Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle, Peter Alliss, and Hollis Stacy, and the incomparable Texas sportswriter, Dan Jenkins (author of Dead Solid Perfect and Semi-Tough).

You can watch some highlights of Dan’s acceptance speech, along with Phils’ and others, here.

It’s worth the price of admission just to hear Dan Jenkins riff the names of all the famous golfers he has either 1) played rounds of golf with 2) had cocktails with 3) written stories about.

Jenkins related one story in particular, whereby one of the greatest golfers ever, Ben Hogan, offered to give Jenkins golf lessons, three times a week, for four months, to prepare Jenkins to compete in the National Amateur.

Jenkins thanked Hogan profusely for the offer, but explained that all he’d ever wanted to be was a sportswriter.

Hogan looked at him like “he’d looked at other people, with that cold stare,” and, Jenkins explained, “you don’t know if you’re going to get a bullet in the head or a dagger in your heart. And so you just wait for him to speak.”

Finally, Hogan smiled and said, “Well, keep workin’ at it.”

“And that,” Jenkins explained, “is what I’ve been doing for the last sixty years.”

As for Michelson’s speech, get your box of Kleenex ready.

Phil, whom you could argue is still “mid-career,” especially based on his recent golfing performance, explained that “We’re all in it together to enjoy this great game.”

He thanked everyone, “for competing with me…for your friendships. This has been so much fun and I love sharing this with everybody.”

He also went on to thank his fans, but with his typical good humor explained, “The fans have made this such a fun ride. It’s been their energy that has pulled me through. I’ve tried to reciprocate by launching drive after drive in their general direction.”

The audience, and I, found that one liner hilarious!

I actually had the good fortune to be hosted by the PGA at Ponta Vedra back in 1998, when we were featuring them as a customer in our advertising campaign.

I saw the World Golf Hall of Fame right before it was open to the public (I really must get back there!), and I also had the special privilege of giving the TPC Sawgrass Course a go.

I wasn’t playing nearly as much golf during those times, so my game was middling at best.

But, I made it through the round okay, and when I hit 17, the one with the floating green, I think I tried three times before the ball finally stayed on the green (I chuckle to this day when a pro drops a ball in the water on 17.  I did NOT laugh when Angel Cabrera dropped four of them in the water there yesterday.  Remember that nightmare hole inTin Cup???)

On 18, with that perilous water that essentially makes up the entirety of the hole’s left perimeter, I decided I would hit irons all the way. My drive was a three-iron that faded left and settled about three feet from the water.  So much for playing it safe!

My second shot was another long iron, which landed promptly on the green about six feet from the hole.

I sank the putt and ran giggling off the green, and have never been back.

I birdied 18 at TPC Sawgrass playing only irons.

Take that, Phil Mickelson!

What a week.  I spent most of it either in meetings or on airplanes (save for that happy detour to Fenway Park, which still has a smile on my face).

Speaking of which, it’s April 20, 2012 — the official anniversary of the 100^th year of Fenway’s existence.  Happy birthday to all my friends in Boston, and to people everywhere who adore Fenway Park — of which I now count myself a happy one.

FYI, for the hardcore Fenway fanatics, Sports Illustrated is offering up a very nice tome about the history of Fenway for $21.00 US.  You can find it here.

But boy, what a week otherwise.  The jokes about today being 4/20 aside (a point which many marketers are taking advantage of…for example, the Magnolia bio-documentary about Bob Marley, entitled simply “Marley,” is out today…And Austin is unveiling the new Willie Nelson statue today at 4:20 PM this afternoon.  Coincidence?)

You can read all about the marketing advantage being taken of on this date from none other than the Wall Street Journal.

No, I was more referring to the bummer news about Dick Clark and Levon Helm.  Helm, of course, was the drummer in Bob Dylan’s original backing band, “Levon and the Hawks,” before going on to co-found the band named, appropriately enough, “The Band.”

Helm died of throat cancer earlier this week, and in recent years had been most known for his “Midnight Rambles” at his studio in Woodstock, NY, which earned him three Grammys in recent years.  But of course, “The Band” fans remember classics like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Up On Cripple Creek.”

Bob Dylan had this to say about his old friend and former band-mate on his own website: “He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation. This is just so sad to talk about. I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I’m going to miss him, as I’m sure a whole lot of others will too.”

Surely we will.

But we’ll also miss Dick Clark, a radio and TV personality who’s “American Bandstand” helped grow generations of music fans, and helped launch or boost the careers of an endless stream of renowned musicians, ranging from first guest Elvis Presley (who used to sign my mom’s arm during his Louisiana Hayride performances!) to Smokey Robinson to the Talking Heads…the list of musical acts featured on “Bandstand” goes on and on and on.

And never mind us welcoming Dick Clark into our homes, and the subsequent New Year, every New Year’s Rockin’ Eve starting in 1972.

We’ll miss you both terribly, Dick and Levon.  May you both continue to find the musical beat in the Great Beyond.

How fitting, then, that the very same week, the friends who brought you some of the great hack attacks of the late 2000s, Anonymous, announce they’re putting together a social music platform, one that pulls up songs streaming from all around the Internet (including from the likes of YouTube), and lets anonymous users put them into playlists and share them — all while intending to shield the service from being shut down by lawsuits.

Ladies and germs, welcome to “Anontune.”  This short video (featured on Wired’s Web site) indicates it will focus on “information about the music.”

We’ll wait and see if Anontune makes it past the first “bridge,” but my read on the situation is that this move could revitalize Hilary Rosen’s career (CEO of the RIAA from 1998-2003, Rosen led the organization in its successful efforts to bring down Napster).

Let’s talk baseball.

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I was going to be making my first visit to Boston’s Fenway Park last evening, home of the Boston Red Sox, and a 100 year history of baseball that will be officially and ceremonially recognized later this week.

My own baseball team, the two years running World Series participants (but not champions!) Texas Rangers, showed up in Boston last night to play, and play they did.  It was the Great Boston Massacre of 2012.

The Rangers leapt out early with a 2 run homer from Mike Napoli, who sent a shot over an advertising sign for “Volvo” atop the famed “Green Monster” (all 37 feet and 2 inches of it) and out into the streets of Boston.  But, it was only a half-inning later before Boston’s Dustin Pedroia answered with a two run homer of his own.

But after that, it was pretty much all Texas, all the time, including a home-run laden top of the eighth that sent a couterie of Boston fans sprinting for the renowned Cask and Flagon sports pub on Landsdowne Street.

And who could blame them, the Texas Rangers’ offense last night was beyond potent.  I just wish this Texas offensive line-up had shown up last October in the last two World Series games against the Cardinals!

But as I fessed up on Facebook earlier, I was impressed with the grace and humor with which the Boston fans took their beating.  It was an absolutely gorgeous night for baseball, in Boston or anywhere, and the Boston fans who stuck around for the full torture given over by Texas sang along with a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” that seemed more Rocky Horror Picture Show than Norman Rockwell:

“Swee-eeet, Caroline…..BOM BOM BOM….Good times never seemed so gooood!” (So Good! So Good! So Good!)

Somehow, I think Neil Diamond would still approve, and little did I know at the time that this has come to be something of a tradition in Boston, even if unofficial.

What was official and entirely self-evident to me was that Fenway Park is a national treasure and most elegant representative of our national pastime.

Fenway Park is the way baseball is meant to be played, and I’m not sure until you’ve seen a game there firsthand you can comprehend the history and intimacy it and its emblems provide: The Red Seat.  The Pesky Pole.  The Citgo Sign.

I’ve visited quite a few MLB baseball venues throughout the country (although I’ve not made it to the new Yankee stadium as of yet, but frequented the original several times during my time in New York), but none have I ever walked in and looked around with the kind of awe that I had last evening here in Boston.  It’s a kind of waking history for an entire American century.

Ponder this for a moment: The first game at Fenway was played April 20, 2012.  According to Wikipedia, then-mayor John F. Fitzgerald, the grandfather of John F. Kennedy, threw out the first pitch.  In that game, Boston defeated the New York Highlanders (renamed the Yankees the next year) 7-6 in 11 innings.

Overshadowing this debut, of course, was the sinking of the Titanic just a few days earlier.

But emerging from that week was an age-old rivalry and the beginning of a baseball legacy.

The 1912 Red Sox would go on to win the World Series that year, helped along by the famous “Snodgrass Muff” (A Giant’s outfielder who dropped a routine fly ball — something that Boston’s left fielder did last night, one hundred years later).

A ship could be sunk, but not a stadium. Especially not Fenway.

Here’s what I’m seeing at Augusta so far on day one of the 2012 Masters.

Or should I say, what I’m not seeing.

No birdies by anyone on 11, 16, and 18 as of press time.

Tiger just wasted a birdie opportunity on 15, a hole he would typically be in on two but had to chip onto the green for his third shot during today’s round.

Stenson continues his lead at −5, having given up a stroke at 16, with Jason Dufner coming on strong at 3 under through 8 and 10 holes to play.

Lee Westwood is also coming on strong, with three consecutive birdies at 5, 6 and 7.  Keep an eye on Lee — he’s hungry for it.

Keegan Bradley is also playing consistently, 2 under through 16, and tied by both Woods and Woods’ playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Save for Stenson’s additional two strokes on the field, it’s wide open on day 1!

Well, we’re over halfway through Tiger Woods’ first round at Augusta, and he’s about to make his way to the backside of Amen Corner, having parred both 11 and 12 (although his par putt on 12 almost spun out right).

He just hit his tee shot on 13 and wailed one out to the right with a clear shot to the 13th green.

Henrik Stenson is the surprise of the day, having eagled both holes 2 and 8, and now sits at 6 under through 13.

Scotsman Paul Lawrie is hanging in second place having finished his round at 3 under for the day, but there’s still plenty of golf left to play, and Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson are just getting their round going.

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros has the shot of the day thus far, having gone into the creek on 13 on the right side of the green, and opting to play a brilliant shot from the hazard, water and all, and planting it about 10 feet past the hole.  He missed the putt for his birdie conversion, but saved par and avoided what could have been the first major disaster of today’s round.

We’ll see what Tiger does with his approach on 13, but if history’s any guide, he’ll be aiming straight for that flag on the far right of the green.

Today’s the best day of the year!  Happy Master’s, everybody!

The Master's leaderboard on the Masters.com Website during this morning's opening round in Augusta.

I’ve had the TV blasting from the moment I woke up this morning, and I’ve minimized my conference call schedule to make sure I can pay appropriate attention to day one of the 2012 Masters’ tournament from Augusta, Georgia.

As of this writing, Martin Kaymer has jumped out to −2 after 9, while Henrik Stenson is −2 but through 3.   The course seems to be playing difficult so far, with very few red numbers thus far.

Tiger Woods just played #1 and is at even par.

The big question overnight was whether Augusta would allow for lift, clean and place (where the golfer can pick up their ball and clean off any mud, grass, etc.), but apparently it wasn’t necessary, despite the 14 inches of rain the course saw overnight on Tuesday.

Now, to your viewing options: This year, I’m keeping tuned into the Masters iPad application that IBM helped build for the tournament.  It includes a nice top-shelf interface that includes a leaderboard, livestreaming video from both featured groups and Amen Corner, and a news stream that keeps you in touch with the latest from the round.  It’s a VERY nice one stop Master’s shop.

I’m also tuning into the Golf Channel for ongoing commentary for highlights, and soon, I’ll be tuning into the AT&T U-Verse Master’s coverage, which will allow me to custom follow one of two featured groups, Amen Corner, and/or 15/16.  Nice job, AT&T!  You should promote that more!

And of course, on Masters.com, you can find everything you need to know about the tournament, including all the pairings, results, and live video coverage of Amen Corner, 15/16, and of course, pictures from today’s round.

You can also follow the hashtag #masters on Twitter, but be forewarned — it’s trending like #egypt during the Arab spring, and this is only day one!

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is back in business, as “Mad Men” kicked off its long-anticipated fifth season last evening on AMC.

And so was Tiger Woods, who started pulling magic iron shots from his pixie-dusted golf bag yesterday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, leaving Irish lad Graeme McDowell babbling in his Tiger mid-iron dust.

Tiger Woods is back, ladies and gentlemen, and the Master’s is just around the corner!

I’ll spare you all the nitty gritty details, but if you’re a golf fan, and you watched his final round yesterday, you know of which I speak.

The old Tiger Woods has been replaced by a newer, more mature Tiger Woods, one who can maintain the celebrated spontaneity of golf while working through a tough track like Bay Hill with utter precision.

Though McDowell’s putter was zoning in from the next Florida county yesterday, it still wasn’t a match for  Tiger’s laser precise approach irons, the kind that can make a grown mid-teen handicapper weep.

Who needs to sink long putts when you can hit a Nike ball 185 yards and put it four feet from the hole for a virtual gimme??!

I just hope Arnold Palmer is feeling better. The golfing “King” and Bay Hill host had to be taken to the hospital due to some blood pressure issues yesterday afternoon and so wasn’t there to offer up Woods’ his seventh Bay Hill title.

But that’s okay…today, Arnold’s expected to be resting at home, and Tiger’s back in the hunt and celebrating his first PGA Tour victory in two and a half years.

Much as many of us liked beating up on him while he was gone, we couldn’t be happier to see him not only playing, but fiercely competitive, once again.

As for my thoughts about Don Draper and company…well, that one will require further fermentation before I can offer any cogent comment.  Shaken, not stirred.

Almost from day one of 2012, I predicted it was going to be a stellar year for golf.

Don’t ask me how I know these things. They just come to me.

As I watched the lead ebb and flow for the Transitions tournament over the weekend — first with Padraig Harrington, then later, Ernie Els (who needed the win to NOT miss the Masters for the first time since 1994), then finally, in a four-way playoff, world number two Luke Donald…well, the Transitions was just another in a series of nail-biting golf tournaments.

For you non-golf fans reading this, who think golf on TV is about as exciting as watching paint dry, go back to watching “Doomsday Preppers.”

But for the golf fans…well, I could almost do the wave standing right downstairs in my living room.

Yes, I felt horrible for Ernie when he missed that short putt on 18 to keep him in the playoff, but heavens to Betsy, next thing you know we’ve got four stellar golfers in a playoff on 18: Luke Donald, Robert Garrigus, Jim Furyk, and South Korean upstart Sang Moon-Bae, who’s got one of the most beautiful swings I’ve seen in years.

Donald proved he’s the man to beat, and steals his first place world ranking back from Rory McIlroy nary two weeks after Rory took it from him.

Can you say “The Masters Is In Two Weeks?”

Unfortunately, I’m going to be away from civilization that weekend. I’ve got some guns to go shoot with the boys out in West Texas. But if anyone can think of a way for Turbo to keep up with the Masters in a far, remote, desolate West Texas location, I’m all ears. Smoke signals, anyone?

I’ll have it all recording on the DVR, you can be sure of that.

And in the meantime, we have Arnie’s Bay Hill Classic “Arnold Palmer Invitational” this week, where the top four golfers of the world do NOT include Tiger, Vijay, Phil or Ernie. None of them are even in the top 10!

Boy, how the sport of golf changes, and fast.

My hope is to see these four in a playoff down in Florida this weekend!