Jaybird's Jottings

AT&T National: Tuesday

Tuesday is media day for golf tournaments, the chance for the players to look the reporter straight in the eye and think things like, can’t you come up with something better than that?

Typically, not much hard news comes out of these press conferences, but today's session at Congressional had a little spice.    Michael Walker of Golf.com put together a good set of answers by Tiger, subjects including Jim Brown’s ridiculous criticism of Woods (hasn’t he seen all the remarkable demographic changes on the courses and at the tournaments in the last 10 years??), Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, the square grooves decisions, and why he invited the Cowboys Tony Romo to the pro-am.  

As you can imagine, that last one is getting a lot of attention from football fans here.    Showing he understands a little something about promoting, Tiger got Jessica Simpson to sing the national anthem tomorrow for the pro-am.  Romo was part of the package deal.    

The Washington Post has a good piece on Chick Hernandez, who will host Tee Time at The AT&T National this week at Comcast Sports Network.  Alongside are Gary Williams and the Golf Channel’s Steve Sands.  Tough duty for Sands, a native of D.C.   

Hernandez has developed a good rapport with Woods, and Tiger was once again in a jovial mood in his interview shown tonight with Hernandez and Williams.

The tee times were announced today.    On Thursday, Tiger goes off number one at 1:02 pm., and will play with playing with U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Charley Hoffman.   The same group will begin the second round at 8:12 a.m. Friday from the 10th tee. 

Other threesomes of note are Davis Love III, defending champion Anthony Kim and 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk; Paul Casey, Fred Couples and Boo Weekley; and an Oceania special with Vijay Singh, Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby.

Pro-ams can be a lot of fun, although I’ve seen players like Lanny Wadkins not try one bit to hide the look on their face that said -  Lord get me to the clubhouse.  Tiger’s pro-am is fun too, but it also has a uniqueness to it with the tribute to the military.   

And it’s a meaningful tribute.   Hitting the ceremonial first tee shot tomorrow will be Staff Sgt. Ramon Padilla, a U.S. Soldier who lost his left arm in Afghanistan.   

 

 

AT&T National: Monday

Monday is a slow news day for golf tournaments.   Some of the players haven’t even arrived yet.   Tiger reportedly got in last night.  

One interesting note is that I sat down and watched the local sports broadcasters.  I’m old enough to remember when they were the go to source for sports.   Now they are relegated to sixty seconds and awkward glances from the anchor.    But they had their day yesterday, filling the void by showing some footage from the practice range, an interview or two.  

Comcast Sports Net will start their Live from Congressional coverage. The digital digest showed it happening yesterday but it was not to be.   They’ve done an excellent job the past two years with good chemistry between Chick Hernandez, Gary Williams and John Feinstein.  

Today is the practice rounds.  I noticed someone googled Tiger Woods practice time Congressional.    That’s actually a good question.   I always thought it was just whenever they player got up and wanted to.

The July issue of Washingtonian magazine has hit the stands.   There’s a piece on Tiger and how he was the source of inspiration for a lady who was suffering through an illness.

This morning’s Washington Post has an article on how Tiger is helping DC youth getting exposed to golf and his “plans to make Washington a central part of his brand's identity.”   No word on whether or not Jim Brown read it.

Barker Davis of the Washington Times explains the absence of Sergio and the Jet Laggers

But the event is sandwiched into a somewhat awkward spot between the U.S. Open and British Open. Many of the top international players will skip this week and play next week's Scottish Open, using the start at Loch Lomond as a competitive run-up to the British Open (July 16-19).  

Staying with The Times, Scott Miller looks at the toilets to tees coordinator. 

The Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy looks at the reasons the field is less than stellar  -- two words,  calendar date.

Tiger’s site has coverage of the ways he will honor the troops. 

The weather forecast is holding, and there’s even a nip of cool air this morning…

Great News for Neil Peart

http://www.neilpeart.net/news/index.html

Everything was all right, under the marine layer. The dolphins and sea lions in the ocean; the hummingbirds, towhees, sparrows, phoebes and their babies in my backyard; and the little baby growing inside Carrie. It was all going to be all right.  People kept telling me that, and I kept telling myself.   Never mind the June Gloom. - Neil Peart

Sadness has marked the national news lately, so it’s great to pass along the wonderful kind.  Neil Peart announced at his blog that his wife Carrie is seven months with child!

Peart went through living hell in the late 90s, losing his only child in a tragic car accident, and his wife a year later.    Neil gradually got his good vibes back and now, he must be on top of the world. 

By the way, you don’t have to be a RUSH fan to enjoy Peart’s writings and photos.   His latest report comes from a birding and hiking trip he took to Santa Cruz Island.   That struck a chord with me because Roberta and I birded there in 2001.    We were fortunate, getting great weather and spotting the Island Scrub-Jays.

Neil had no such luck that day, but with his new life waiting to be born, I imagine he feels like the luckiest guy in the world.  

 Congrats Daddy Neil!

Tiger's Tournament

In its third year, the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods, will be held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda this week.   Here’s a brief run down.  

History  

The Kemper Open (and all its sponsored variations), which ran from 1980 to 2006, was dropped from the PGA Tour after the 2006 event.   Tiger had wanted to establish a tournament to recognize and honor the military, and fund a second Tiger Woods Learning Center.    In March 2007, following the disbanding of The International, the PGA Tour announced the creation of Tiger’s new tournament. 

Course  

Congressional's Blue Course, typically ranked in the Top 100 courses, hosted the U.S. Open in 1964 and 1997, the PGA Championship in 1976, and the U.S. Senior Open in 1995, and will host the U.S. Open once again in 2011.   

So that the greens can be re-worked, and the course prepared, the AT&T National will make a temp move to Philly for 2010 and 2011.

The Field 

The field includes Tiger, of course, as well as U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, defending champion Anthony Kim, Paul Casey, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Sean O’Hair, and Mike Weir. It’s certainly not as stellar as it could be with a better date, and this will continue to be a problem because the players like to start spending more time with their families and taking time off. 

Parking 

Last year and the year before, satellite parking was available in both Maryland and Northern Virginia.    When I looked at the official site and saw nothing for NOVA this year, I called the tournament coordinators.  They told me their plans for Northern Virginia fell through at the last minute.    

If you are going on Thursday, you need to really pay attention to this situation.    The satellite parking is ten miles north of the course in an area that is congested.   

Also, last I checked, the PGA Tour website's note about parking was copied and pasted from last year, and reflects parking in NOVA.  But barring a last minute deal, there will be no such service.

Weather 

The weather is almost always hot and humid this time of year, and sometimes extremely so.    The forecast is showing mid 80s, so this year it looks like the golfers and spectators will catch a break.   Humidity levels will be lower too, at least through Wednesday.   Always a chance of thunderstorms, but the chances are in the 20-30% chance as of now. 

What’s up with Tiger's Learning Center?

There's been a long wait on this and few details. Officials had been hopeful to announce the location by now but acquiring the land and choosing the right place has taken time.    They were also hopeful of announcing it this week but have said it won’t come until afterwards.   

Will President Obama tee it up with Tiger?

No one knows, but he’s certainly been practicing a lot lately…

 

 

Carlyle

Smart growth development can take some time.   One such example in the Washington area is the Eisenhower Avenue stop on Metro’s Yellow Line in Alexandria.    Situated between the busy King Street and Huntington stations, it was like a ghost town.   

Now the dividends are paying as more and more people use the station.  The Carlyle neighborhood is coming into its own.  We live nearby and shop at Whole Paycheck, er, Foods from time to time, but have never really gotten to know the place.   

Yesterday I finally took some time to check things out. 

Carlyle is an interesting bird.    Traffic streams around it, some industrial firms dot the landscape, the Beltway defines its southern border, and parts of Eisenhower Avenue remind you of the suburban mentality with cars gunning from light to light and pedestrians always on the defensive at intersections.  

Better though, are attractive new buildings that mark the core and the US Patent Office that brings anchor jobs.  It is a walkable place with restaurants, nice places to sit and relax, and a stream runs through a nearby park. 

For those wanting to get out of a town in a hurry, Carlyle now has quick access to I-95/495 via a new slip ramp that has opened up at Mill Road near the Hoffman Town Center.    Outbound, it takes you into Maryland via the new “Thru Lanes.”  Be forewarned that this means you can’t use this way to get to National Harbor.   

Also, when you’re inbound from the Maryland side to Carlyle from the Beltway, access to the slip ramp to Mill Road is via the Outer Lanes, not the Local Lanes.  Not exactly intuitive, but seems great in terms of by-passing the morning rush hour heading for Route One into Virginia.

 

 

   

Michael Jackson

Very sad the passing of Michael Jackson.  Watching CNN yesterday, an intense memory produced a tear or two.   I was taken back to a dance in my eighth grade.   I had a date, but was nervous, having never danced in public before.   The DJ played ABC by the Jackson Five, and before you know it, I was out there swinging away with my girl.

I also remember watching the videos for Thriller and Beat It on MTV.    I was not a Jackson fan per se but Beat It was just brilliant, the cross between Eddie Van Halen’s hard rock  solo and Jackson’s pop.    

And my favorite song by Jackson was Beat It, which, sadly, he did way too soon… 

Beautiful Old Town

A horticulturist I am not, nor a green thumb do I possess, but I can say that I appreciate beauty and some of the landscaping efforts in Old Town Alexandria.    Realizing the crews that keep these places looking good need some recognition, I decided to take a look at a handful of spots that maintain their areas in immaculate condition.

The first look is at Ford’s Landing, a waterside community tucked away in the southeast corner of Old Town.   Yes, it is oh so expensive to live there, but it is one of the nicest spots in the entire Washington region.   Unlike some other high-rent areas, it doesn’t say, hands off or keep out.   In fact, it is quite accessible with a dog park hugging its northern edge, the Mount Vernon bike path tracking along two of its sides, and elevated spacious sidewalks that offer solitude and spectacular views spanning from National Harbor to, on a good day, the Capitol.  

I’ve gotten to know several of the residents here, and they’ve never shown one hint of haughtiness.  The landscaping that welcomes you matches the friendliness of the place and now that that ugly old boat building and the noisy Wilson Bridge pile-driving are long gone, life is good here. 

Another Record Crowd

Well, that record crowd mark of 41,517 last night got topped tonight.    The Nats got topped again, what’s new?? 

AP - Red Sox Nation invaded Nationals Park for the second consecutive night, their fans stuffing the seats for a crowd of 41,530 — breaking the ballpark record by 13 set in the series opener on Tuesday. So far, it’s been worth the trip: Boston has won the first two games by a combined score of 17-7 in its first regular-season visit to Washington since 1971.

Red Sox Nation

Roberta and I went to the game last night.    Gorgeous weather and Red Sox Nation produced a record crowd of 41,517.    The Nats made a game of it tying it up at 3 in the sixth, but reality came crashing down in the eighth. 

Needless to say, there was a lot of energy in the park, and it’s just amazing how many Red Sox fans were there.  The Phillies and Mets bring their crowds, but nothing like last night.

Notes:

A moment of silence was held before the game for the nine victims of the Metro crash.  

The Red Sox gaved memorabilia from their 2007 World Series championship to the National Museum of American History.

On Monday night, at the E Street Theater in the Penn Quarter, the DC premiere of The Lost Son of Havana was shown to a select audience.   The documentary film chronicles the life of Red Sox great Luis Tiant and his journey home to Cuba after 46 years in exile.   Tiant was a special guest, as well as producer Bobby Farrelly.

 

Metro Tragedy

A very sad day in the nation’s capital.   Nine lost their life in the deadliest accident in Metrorail's 33-year-history.   The only other time there were passenger fatalities on Metro was on Jan. 13, 1982, when three people perished.  Thoughts and prayers…