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Oak Grove, MO —
You have to love the action this past week if you’re a golf or baseball fan.
The Masters was about as good as it gets. They ended in a dead heat with Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen ending 10-under, with at least five additional players who had a shot right up until the end. Phil Mickelson just made one mistake, and it cost him a finish at the top and the money.
The great thing about watching the best in the world play golf is the degree of mental toughness necessary to be a champion. Golf is a game of failure, not a game of success. The success of a golfer is determined by how well failure is handled. Anyone who has ever played the game will confirm that it is a constant battle between the little white ball and the player’s mind.
No matter who plays, if you play 18 holes you will face failure – a lot (some more than others)! Whether you can hit the ball a mile or you are great around the greens, you better put it all together in your mind if you expect to play the game at a high level.
The other great event this week was Opening Day at The K. Baseball fans in my age group place opening day in the same category as July 4th.
The Royals finally have a chance to make the summer an enjoyable one for the team’s starving fans. The great talent is FINALLY in town. The past two summers I traveled to Arkansas and Memphis to watch these young guys play.
They not only have talent, but they are hungry. Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, Perez and Escobar have the ability to play alongside experienced players – Gordon, Francoeur and Butler. It gives the team a chance to finally really compete. If the pitching can hang tough, the Royals could be a possible playoff contender. The important thing is that we all seem to have hope once again.
I seem to look forward to the excitement of every new sports season and brag that it’s the best time of the year. I love football in the fall and March is always action packed with March Madness. But when spring rolls around and opening day for baseball as well as the Masters get going – life is just plain good! Let’s just hope that the Royals battle as hard as Bubba Watson so we can have a fun summer.
You have to love the action this past week if you’re a golf or baseball fan.
The Masters was about as good as it gets. They ended in a dead heat with Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen ending 10-under, with at least five additional players who had a shot right up until the end. Phil Mickelson just made one mistake, and it cost him a finish at the top and the money.
The great thing about watching the best in the world play golf is the degree of mental toughness necessary to be a champion. Golf is a game of failure, not a game of success. The success of a golfer is determined by how well failure is handled. Anyone who has ever played the game will confirm that it is a constant battle between the little white ball and the player’s mind.
No matter who plays, if you play 18 holes you will face failure – a lot (some more than others)! Whether you can hit the ball a mile or you are great around the greens, you better put it all together in your mind if you expect to play the game at a high level.
The other great event this week was Opening Day at The K. Baseball fans in my age group place opening day in the same category as July 4th.
The Royals finally have a chance to make the summer an enjoyable one for the team’s starving fans. The great talent is FINALLY in town. The past two summers I traveled to Arkansas and Memphis to watch these young guys play.
They not only have talent, but they are hungry. Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, Perez and Escobar have the ability to play alongside experienced players – Gordon, Francoeur and Butler. It gives the team a chance to finally really compete. If the pitching can hang tough, the Royals could be a possible playoff contender. The important thing is that we all seem to have hope once again.
I seem to look forward to the excitement of every new sports season and brag that it’s the best time of the year. I love football in the fall and March is always action packed with March Madness. But when spring rolls around and opening day for baseball as well as the Masters get going – life is just plain good! Let’s just hope that the Royals battle as hard as Bubba Watson so we can have a fun summer.
n The best bet for the Chiefs in the upcoming draft might well be Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. If he’s taken, then my second choice would be Stanford guard David De Castro.
n Tiger Woods still has a long road ahead of him mentally to get back to the old Tiger.
n KU basketball has a chance to be even better in the upcoming season. If they listen to Bill Self, they could wind up special again.
n My quote of the week is from the great Paul Bear Bryant: “You put out, boy, you suck up your gut, give it all you’ve got and you give me that second effort. You give me that much, boy ... and I’ll show your glory.” Now that was an old school speech – unlike the Gregg Williams speech. Just something to think about!
