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For years now my friends and I have talked about making the 7 hour drive down to Ponte Vedra Beach, Floria to play the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.  Each year we put it off for various reason, until this year when we all got $1200 checks in the mail during the peak of golf season!!  So next Saturday, July 26th, I will be playing the Stadium Course, and trying my luck on the famed 17th hole.  Expect a full report once I get back.

So this got me thinking, what are the five courses you want to play, that you can actually play.  Not talking about Augusta and Pine Valley, but public courses.  For me…

1. St. Andrews
2. Pebble Beach
3. Carnoustie
4. Pacific Dunes
5. Royal County Down or Pinehurst 2

a few items to digest while you try to guess where I am typing this blog post from (answer at the end)…

+ Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes about Albert Pujols’ freakish ability to come back way early from injuries. Does Pujols’ take all the credit, or does he claim God has something to do with it? Actually, he says it is all because of Todd Bentley. No, I kid. “I give all the credit to God because he puts me on the field,” Pujols said.

+ Former Minnesota Viking Joe Senser is an ordained minister who runs a saloon in Minnesota. As Tom Powers writes for the Pioneer Press, Joe feels like he is exactly where he is supposed to be.

+ According to this story from the Sydney Morning Herald, there will be 6 chaplains on call at the Beijing Olympics, one of whom is Nett Knox, a pastor who was also a part of the Olympics in Sydney and Athens. She is one of two women among the six chaplains, the other is former US Olympic gold medalist Madeline Manning Mims.

(and for the record, I am writing this from the hotel bathroom at the beach so as not to wake my wife and kids. Although, my kids are out there talking now, so I guess they’re up. have a great day, everyone…)

Pastor Mark Batterson, who we poked fun at last year for his sportsfan schizophrenia, says he “used to be a Packers fan”, but based on their recent treatment of Brett Favre, he’s ticked at the organization.

Personally, I’m at the other end of the spectrum. I am sick and tired of not only his waffling, but the way he does it. It’s as if he enjoys the attention that a “retirement year” brings, that he’s decided to do it every year.

You know what Brett Favre feels like to me at this point? A store that has had a big “Going Out of Business” sign on it for the past 3 years.

Do you still get good deals there? Sure. But that doesn’t mean you don’t find the whole thing very annoying.

What about you, fellow reader? Vote in our newest poll and add your two cents in the comments section.

Like Bryan, I also traveled last weekend to watch the beloved team of my childhood (and adulthood) play baseball. He grew up loving the Red Sox. I grew up loving the Cubs. People always ask how a kid from Texas ended up a rabid Chicago Cubs fan. I always give a three-letter answer: WGN. Ah…summer afternoons. 1:20 pm games. Harry Caray and Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg and Ron Cey and Lee Smith and — before Bryan probably despised him — Bill Buckner.

(I even saw a Buckner Cubs jersey this weekend.)

My wife and I watched two games. The first, on Friday, was a surprising pitchers’ duel between not-very-good Jason Marquis for the Cubs and good-a-few-years-from-now Matt Cain for the San Francisco Giants. The wind was blowing in, and we enjoyed a shutout until the bottom of the 8th, when Aramis Ramirez cranked a barely fair line drive into the left field bleachers. Kerry Wood made it a little scary in the 9th but the Cubs ended up winning 3-1. A great game. Fast, too: it ended hardly two-and-a-half hours after the first pitch.

The best and/or worst game was on Saturday, as newly acquired Rich Harden made his debut for the Cubs. The stadium was pretty electric, and Harden was everything we hoped. He made economical work of the Giants, who are just a sorry team all-around (clean-up hitter? Bengie Molina). With the wind blowing out, Harden hit 98 a couple times on the radar gun and struck out 10 in six innings. He allowed five hits and no runs. He left to a standing ovation with a 7-0 lead.

The Cubs bullpen gave up two in the 8th inning. No problem. We had five runs to spare, right? Kerry Wood had pitched the day before and had a blister, so reliever Carlos Marmol (who was crazy good in the first couple months of the season but has been shaky the last month) came in to pitch the 9th. It got ugly, real fast. Marmol gave up hit after hit after hit until five freaking runs had crossed the plate. That’s right: The hardly-a-legit-major-league-team Giants knocked Marmol around like it was me out there pitching, and tied it 7-7 in the top of the 9th. It cost Harden the win. Completely deflated the fans in a s stunning, Wrigley-worthy collapse. We were sitting a section over and 20 rows back of the Bartman seat. I looked for the poor dude, thinking he — or a goat — must be in the vicinity. Couldn’t find either.

The old Cubs would have folded up and lost it in the 10th. But this year is — hopefully — different. The Cubs went on to win it in the bottom of the 11th, with a Reed Johnson single. The place went crazy with…relief. Because that would have been a horrible defeat.

Some pics:

There were two “first” pitches thrown. One was by Chicago legend Dick Butkus. The other was by fast-food legend Ronald McDonald. Really. The clown. If you squint, you can see him below as he walks off the mound. He’s the one with the bright red hair and banana yellow suit. Apparently, he was lovin’ it. For awhile, Cubs fans thought the fire-headed Matt Murton sure was dressed funny, until we remembered he’d been included in the Rich Harden trade.

After 14 years of marriage, my wife, Aimee, has become as passionate a Cub fan as I am. Verily, I am blessed. Here we are, from aisle 209. That’s where our seats were.

Rich Harden’s first pitch as a member of the Cubs. This photo makes it appear as though he was pitching from the top of a guy’s head. Wrigley is a quirky field, but not quite that quirky. The guy just happened to get in the way while I was trying to take a picture of Harden’s pitch. Probably a Giants fan.

Thankfully, Dick Butkus — not Ronald McDonald — led us in the 7th-Inning Stretch. You’d be surprised. Unlike a number of guest conductors, Butkus (in the Cubs jersey beneath the Harry Caray caricature) could carry a tune.

The on-field celebration after Reed Johnson drove in Mark DeRosa with a single. DeRosa was running from 2nd base and slid into home just under the tag.

Unlike Bryan’s, my kids haven’t yet been to a Cubs game yet. They’re fans, and old enough to enjoy the game, but Chicago’s a long way from Texas. Not this year, or next year, but soon.

Being the slow sports news day that it is, there’s no way you can escape coverage of Josh Hamilton’s historic performance in the first round of last night’s Home Run Derby. It was a pretty magical moment, to be honest.

Imagine if, 5 years ago, I had told you that this drug-addicted kid would have all of Yankee Stadium chanting “HAM-IL-TON, HAM-IL-TON” as he pounded 13 homers in a row into every deck of right field. You might have believed me, I guess, just because of the enormous potential that this kid always had. But to see him follow up a 95-RBI first half with that sick display of power was, in the words of Tommy Boy, “AWESOME!”

We wrote about Hamilton back in January, pointing you to a story on his recovery in the Dallas Morning News. It’s a good read if you’ve got a few minutes. The story talks about Hamilton’s faith, something he mentioned last night in multiple interviews with ESPN’s Erin Andrews. Before his turn at bat last night he talked about a dream he had of hitting home runs in Yankee Stadium and using the platform to tell people about what God has done for him. 28 Home Runs later (including one that traveled 518 feet), he did just that, telling the crowd and the National TV audience how amazed he was that God turned his life around so fast.

It was a heartfelt moment of sincere gratitude and praise for God on the grandest stage of all, and something Hamilton will probably remember for the rest of his life.

I know I will.

Update: Here’s the video of all 28 of his first round homers.

I was born and raised in Southeastern New England, and as such, I’ve been a die-hard Red Sox fan as long as I can remember. Up until a few years ago, this was a tragic-yet-noble badge I wore with pride. But with 2 World Series trophies in the past 4 years, it’s something I’ve taken off my sleeve and put in my pocket. There’s so many Red Sox fans out there these days, I don’t mind keeping my fandom to myself as much as possible.

This doesn’t mean I didn’t spend time brainwashing my family, of course. I’m proud to say that my wife (who’s lived in PA all her life) and both my children are all serious Red Sox fans now as well. I like to think that being a Sox fan is in your blood - a genetic gift I passed on to my children at conception - but no matter how they became infected, they are now. And that’s a good thing.

I’d been to Fenway a handful of times growing up. I was there on Opening Day in 1988 when new reliever Lee Smith gave up a game winning homer to the Detroit Tigers. My first trip as an adult was in 2004 when I took my wife for the first time. Erica loved the experience, and was excited to go again this year as we had decided it was time for Parker to see his first game at Fenway. Kylie opted to stay home because she finds 3-hour baseball games a bit boring, and she had a better offer from her grandma to help bake her own birthday cake (but she still loves the Sox).

We purchased tickets for July 11th a few months ago, and as luck would have it, this happened to be the same night that Red Sox Foundation Volunteers were being honored during the pre-game ceremonies. My brother Josh had volunteered for the Foundation during the first half of the season (my bro Jordan helped out also), and as a reward, he was allowed to take a guest up to the seats over the Green Monstah during batting practice. Since his family was in from out of town, they let us all go up there.

From left to right that’s me, Parker, and my two brothers Jordan and Josh. Yes, there is only a small railing keeping people from falling onto the field. Yes, in that picture my left hand is holding Parker very tightly. Between the tiny railing and the home runs balls being pelted our way, it wasn’t the time to relax and soak everything in. In fact, my wife Erica and my sister Karyn were scared the entire time. It was pretty awesome being up there though.

The only ball that came near us was a blast off of Youkilis’ bat. It sailed a few feet over Josh’s head, caromed off the cement stairs, and flew back down onto the field. Here we are begging relievers Javy Lopez and Manny DelCarmen to throw the ball back to up to us. They did not.

The aforementioned sister Karyn on the left and wife Erica on the right hanging out on Yawkey Way before the game. As you can see, it’s a sea of Red Sox paraphernalia out there. You can also see a beer sign in the background, but what you can’t see is how much a 12-oz cup of beer will cost you. Want to know? How about $7.50. I’ll stick to swallowing my own spit, thank you very much.

Here’s the picture of the boys on Yawkey Way. Parker is all smiles after a couple of $7.50 beers. (i kid, of course)

Our seats were in the centerfield bleachers, where Parker followed along surprisingly well with the action. His eyes lit up when we walked up the runway and were so close to the field. That was cool to watch. He loved seeing Papelbon, Manny, and Big Papi in person (even though Papi didn’t play.) He also loved watching the wave go around.

He did not love seeing Clay Buchholz throw 29 pitches in the first inning. He also did not love the call that Tim Eddings made at 1B when he called Julio Lugo out on a ground ball.

I mean, look at this. Might the worst out/safe call I’ve EVER seen. We were hollering from the bleachers for a while after that one.

In the end we had a great night. The Sox lost 7-3, but we made a bunch of memories we’ll always have. It was so cool to be able to take my son to Fenway Park just like my dad did with me.

And that’s one more reason to love sports, for the special moments like this that it gives us.

What about y’all? Do you remember your first trip out to a game with your parents? Planning a special memory with your kids someday? Love to hear about it.

…and by “we,” I mean me, my lovely wife, and former Oakland ace Rich Harden.

Back in January, I entered a storytelling contest held by a design & marketing company in Chicago. I wrote about my granddad and his experiences in World War 2, then got everyone I knew (and, in turn, everyone they knew) to vote for my story.

I won the contest. (Click that link to read the story, if you’re interested. It’s not sports-related, but it is Jason-related. Not sure why I just wrote that.)

The grand prize was a weekend trip to Chicago to watch the Cubs play. This, of course, was why I entered the contest, and it just so happens that the trip is this weekend. I’m watching the Cubs play the Giants Friday at Wrigley and — even better — get to see Rich Harden make his Cubs debut on Saturday afternoon. Should be wild. Welcome to Chicago, Rich. Stay healthy. Hope the risk is worth the potential reward.

I’ll update upon return.

PFB reader Zeke Smith pointed us to a recent blog entry at Holytaco.com listing the 8 Most Hypocritical Christian Athletes. They put their own spin on the piece by listing the athlete’s christian resume as “How Much He Loves Jesus” and by listing the athlete’s transgressions and/or poor decisions as “Why Jesus Hates Him”.

A bit over the top? Yeah, probably. But that’s how you stand out here on the interwebs these days, so it’s no surprise. Clearly their goal was just to have some fun slamming some outspoken athletes who’ve said or done some stupid things.

Here’s their list:

8. Ryan Church, 7. Charlie Ward, 6. Carl Everett, 5. Evander Holyfield, 4. Andy Pettitte, 3. Jeff Gordon, 2. Curt Schilling, and 1. Deion Sanders.

A few thoughts:

1. It seems to me that the reason folks love to make these lists is because for too long Christians have put such an emphasis on behavior. “You smoke, drink,and cuss and I don’t“. I’m not saying what we do isn’t important…of course it is. But if you think what sets you apart as a Christian from folks who aren’t Christians is how well you behave, you’re missing the point. Besides, Jesus said that all the laws and behavior codes that were in the Old Testament hang on “loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself”, so if you’re looking at your behavior, why don’t you start there and let me know when you’ve got those two down pat.

2. My first thought was that it would suck to be on this list. But then I thought, you know what, any of us could be on a list like this. “Top 10 Hypocritical Christians at Your Church” or “Top 25 Hypocritical Christians at my Work” or “Top 4 Hypocritical Christians in my immediate family”. Instead of being thankful we’re not on this list, let’s realize that we could be. Why? Because, like I said, we all have screwed up before. Folks who have a bone to pick with Christians are going to view our bad decisions as acts of hypocrisy. They just will. I guess on a personal level we need to humbly communicate to those folks “Look, I make bad decisions like everyone else. I try not to, but I do.” And from that place of true humility, where we are not judging or casting a condescending eye on anyone, we can share more about why faith in Jesus is important to us.

3. I think this is a good reminder for us that we don’t live in a vacuum. Our lives are connected to everyone else’s in a myriad of ways. But instead of acknowledging that and saying, “I better be very careful what I do because there’s lots of folks waiting for me to slip up,” let’s turn it around and think “There are so many ways that I can positively impact the lives of the people around me. God help me to be involved in other people’s lives at the risk of screwing up. Help me to spread your love through the relationships and friendships that I have.”

What about y’all? Anything you’re taking from this (positive or negative)?

I don’t do baseball. Sorry, co-writers and readers. I’m aware that Madonna use some mind-trick to convince A-Rod that it’s 1985. Other than that, I’ve got nothing. The NBA Finals are done (and somehow I didn’t find time to watch three minutes of the series. Life moves too fast). Some where in the universe, Arena Football is in their playoffs. Tiger did the impossible, and Wimbledon is in the bag.
So for me, it’s a long, dark night until the NFL kicks off. I’m one of those fans who celebrate that the NFL creates so many off-season milestones. The Draft, Free Agency, Mini-camps. Heck, I’m tickled that Favre is toying with hearts in Green Bay. It gives ESPN radio jocks some NFL fodder and takes the talk away from the MLB.

So I’m hanging in there. Waiting. Maybe this year I’ll even have more dignity than to watch a pre-season game from wall-to-wall.

It used to be that age 40 meant you were soon headed for the nursing home or at least should be highly cautious of over exerting yourself. That was then; this is now, and the over-40 crowd are kicking butt and taking names.

For example, there’s Dara Torres (age 41) who won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle in the Olympic Trials, making her fifth Olympic team. And let’s not forget Eamonn Coghlan, who ran a sub-four minute mile at the age of 41, and Kent Bostick at age 42, who beat out Mike McCarthy (age 29) to make the US cycling team in a previous Olympic games.

I’m in the 40 crowd now myself, and I have discovered the same reality plays out among us nobody types who don’t have the genetics of people like a Lance Armstrong or Dara Torres. The fastest growing segment of people doing triathlons are people 40 and over. I’m one of them. Basically, if i can do it you can if you want to. If you don’t believe me, check her out. I’m pretty sure my window for making the Olympic team has passed, but I do enjoy passing along the little I have learned to others who want to swim, bike, and run. If you are currently a couch potato, and wake up tomorrow morning and decide you want to do a triathlon, I hope this helps.

(photo by Leo Reynolds)