U.S. Open thread

Not as big a deal as David Howell's right wrist, which he sprained hitting balls last week. He withdrew from the Open (and screwed the Fargo North Decoders, among others).

 

The parachute opened and voila there's Chris Berman mindlessly yakking with Roger "Chocolate" Maltbie, spoiling what is one of my favorite sporting events in the world to watch. C'mon ESPN, you've got a classy pro like Karl Ravech (who could kick Berman's ass on the course, BTW) in scrubbini duty and I've got to endure Leatherboy blabbing about playing Pebble Beach with J.J. Henry.

The Berman bashing didn't take a long as I thought -- four posts. Gentlemen, you are slipping.

Meanwhile, Oakmont is about as tame as its going to get. I still think it will be harder than Winged Foot last year, but two players under par after one round is acceptable.

Two interesting tidbits I gleaned reading pre-tournament stories. The Oakmont members take pride in their level of masochism; they want the course to be as difficult as possible for them, never mind the typical shenanigans the USGA pulls when they arrive on the scene. For one of their annual tournaments, the members insist the greens Stimp out at 15.

For those of you not familiar with that, take a golf ball, go outside and roll it down a driveway. That's about 15 on the Stimpmeter.

The second deals with the nuclear level of equipment these guys are playing. The last time the U.S. Open was at Oakmont 13 years ago, Ernie Els won using a driver that is smaller than a lot of the 3-woods you'll see this weekend.

 

1. Oakmont is one of those rare country clubs where money alone doesn't guarantee you'll get an invite. You better be able to handle the sticks too. Fownes, the club's founder, actually walked away from the country club in the late 1930s or 1940s because some members wanted additional activities for members. Hell no. Oakmont was gonna be a golf club for as long as he was a part of it. He walked away and the swimming pool was installed a couple of years later.

2. Those sticks would be the Lynx Parralax irons and Boom Boom woods, which were my very first set of clubs. The Boom Boom driver is about 2/3rds the size of the Nike 350CC I currently use. Oddly enough, my Boom Bom 3-wood is about the same size as the Nike T-40Tungsten plug 3-wood that I bought three years ago.

 

Indeed, there are those who think Boomer was overemployed when he was collecting fifteen-cent tolls on the Wilbur Cross Parkway . . .

 

Not watching, but he's gotta be loving Aaron Baddeley at the top of the leaderboard.

Any Color Me Baddeley or Good lovin' Gone Baddeley yet?

 

Nice putt, Lefty.

 

Dish Network has something similar.

 

It's too early to listen to this Berman crapola. Good gawd, get him off the air. Why the hell does the USGA want him on their telecasts? It's the only golf he does all year and it's just pure crap. I can't believe I'm going to say this, I really, can't, but I think I'd rather have that other piece of crap, Brent Musberger, aka Burnt Hamburger, doing the PBP.
That said, thank goodness for the DirecTV mix, where I'll be for the next hour until Leather gets off the air.

 

I'm good with that.

 

"Loudon Wainwright."
That was the latest offering from Junkie's hero when somebody (I didn't see who) lost one right.

 

Perhaps it would be in Mickelson's best interest to miss the cut today.. His birthday is Saturday.

 

Berman is just unbearable