Friday, September 28, 2012

US Tops Ryder Cup Opener;Yankees Sustain Success

The 39th Ryder Cup began on Friday at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.The first day went to the US team 5-3.Phil Mickelson,who had been criticized for his previous lackluster performances at the Cup,fired off some of his best shots in years,winning both of his matches,as did his partner the young Keegan Bradley.
American Webb Simpson thanked his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his success,while his partner Bubba Watson noted that this was his first Ryder Cup since his father died of cancer in October 2010,making it an incredible experience for him.
Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium was outstanding for the Europeans,scoring an eagle and eight birdies.
The Cup takes place every two years and is known for the boisterous nationalism of tens of thousands of fans.It gives the golfers a chance to experience their sport from a team perspective.Europe won the 2010 Cup.
In baseball Friday night,the New York Yankees dominated the Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.Catcher Russell Martint smashed a three-run homer for the Yanks,securing their one game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.Baltimore creamed the Boston Red Sox 9-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.


Friday, September 21, 2012

POW/MIA Recognition Day;Yankees Top Standings

Americans paused to remember their missing service members Friday,POW/MIA Recognition Day.The iconic white on black flag of the National League of Families was widely flown and displayed in posters and Internet graphics.A total of 83,417 members of the US Armed Forces remain unaccounted for from the nation's wars.Most of the MIAs went missing in World War II,the Korean War and the Vietnam War.This blog will never forget them and supports the ongoing effort to bring them all home.
On a less somber note,the New York Yankees continued their run atop the American League East Friday night by beating the Oakland As 2-1 in extra innings in the Bronx.The Yankee stadium crowd was thrilled by catcher Russell Martin's walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning.At Fenway Park in Boston,the Baltimore Orioles stayed one game back of the Yankees by defeating the Boston Red Sox 4-2.
At East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta,American Jim Furyk mastered the tricky course with an excellent second round 7 under par 64 at the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola.England's Justin Rose was second on the leader board with his 6 under par 68.Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were well back at 12th and 16th place,respectively.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Guatemalan Volcano Beckons To Tourists;Yankees Still Share First

Volcan del Fuego,the Volcano of Fire near the picturesque Guatemalan city of Antigua,caused a welcome tourist boom for local tour guides as it eased up Friday.Authorities lowered the alert level from red to orange when the lava flow died down to two 3,000 foot streams from the big flow it had been.It was the volcano's biggest eruption since 1974 by Volcan del Fuego,the country's most active volcano.
Antigua is a colonial era city with cobblestone streets and Baroque church architecture.About 5,000 people had evacuated;they began returning home to their villages as the danger lessened.The volcano is 12,346 feet high,or 3763 meters,looming over the region of widely scattered aboriginal villages.
Tour operators scheduled hikes beginning at dusk to observe the rare sight of the ribbons of fiery lava.Heavy ash fall continued to pose a health hazard for the sick,elderly and the very young.
On Friday night,the New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 at Yankee Stadium,but still held on to share of first place in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles,who lost to the Oakland A's 3-2 at Oakland Coliseum.Yoenis Cespedes hit the crucial home run for the A's.More than 35,000 fans provided loud support for their San Francisco Bay Area team.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Haunted By Hanta;Vijay Leads at Crooked Stick

Americans are worried about their outdoor activities because of two viruses popping up this late summer.The hantavirus,which is transmitted by inhaling or direct contact with the droppings and urine of deer mice,is troubling visitors to Yosemite National Park,California.The virus has killed three so far and sickened five others.About one in three infected by the virus die.Although there is no cure,those who seek early treatment have the best chance of survival.Early symptoms are flu-like.
It is believed that deer mice got inside of tent cabin walls and campers inhaled the virus that they deposited there.The National Park Service has warned 29,000 recent visitors from around the world about early symptoms from hantavirus.
The other viral threat is much more widespread.West Nile virus has appeared in all lower 48 states.The mosquito-transmitted illness has sickened 1993 people and killed 87,the highest death toll in years.There is no cure for this virus,either.Those in good health usually recover from flu-like West Nile within a few weeks.
Vijay Singh,49,is feeling well atop the BMW Championship leader board at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel,Indiana.The Fiji citizen shot a 13 under par 66 in the second round,while world number one Rory McIlroy was secondafter his 12 under par 68,joined by Tiger Woods with a 12 under par 67.
Phil Mickelson was tied for 13th place with several others,firing off an 8 under par 67.The course has been wet the first two rounds,resulting in a lot of precise shots and the many low scores.
The New York Yankees pulverized the Baltimore Orioles with six homers in Baltimore Friday night,retaking first place in the American League East from them.All of the Yankees' runs were from their home runs.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Blue Moon and Blue at the Pumps;Calvillo Sets CFL Record

Friday night saw the last Blue Moon until 2015.A blue moon is when there are two full moons in one month.It doesn't look any different from a normal full moon.It's a calendar oddity that makes for an interesting little experience.It's free of charge-good news for the cash-strapped American consumer,who is suffering the highest gas prices for Labor Day weekend in history.
The average price for gasoline is now 3.80 a gallon.Prices rose up to 15 cents in one day.In Illinois and California,gas is going for over 4.00 a gallon.It's on account of a number of factors,including Hurricane Isaac shutting down oil rigs and a pipeline;a refinery fire;and the expensive ethanol blend that must be used in summer.By the holidays,gas should go back down to about 3.50 a gallon.
Speaking of the moon,let's pause to remember Astronaut Neil Armstrong,the first human being to set foot on the moon,who died this week in Ohio at age 82.His private funeral was Friday with hundreds of close friends attending.This Blue Moon is dedicated to him.
Another type of hero,quarterback Anthony Calvillo,40,who plays for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League,set a new record tonight as the Alouettes edged the BC Lions 30-25 at McGill University stadium in Montreal.Calvillo is the first quarterback in CFL history to toss for 300 yards in eight straight games.The game was broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network.Possibly the unassuming Calvillo is the greatest quarterback in the history of  all of North American football.
The Alouettes and Lions are leading their respective divisions with a record of 6-3 each.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Tiger Woods in the Hunt;TS Isaac Getting Near

It was a sunny day at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale,New York as Tropical Storm Isaac drew closer to South Florida,darkening skies at Key West,the southernmost tip of the United States.Sergio Garcia of Spain and America's Nick Watney shared the lead of The Barclays,the first of the four PGA Tour Playoffs  for the FedEx Cup,at the difficult and classic public golf course,part of Bethpage State Park on Long Island.
Each of the park's five courses has a color for a name.Bethpage Black was designed in the 1930s and features numerous huge bunkers with amoeba shapes.The greens of the lengthy course were drying fast,making them firm and bouncy.Garcia and Watney managed the tough old course better than most,ending the second round at eight under par.Tiger Woods finished just three strokes back at -5.American Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland just made the cut with even par,eight strokes back.
Snoopy 1,the famous MetLife blimp,provided views of the eccentric bunkers,which reach an extreme at the eighteenth hole,flanking it with their surreal menace.Garcia was coming off last week's victory at the Wyndham Championship with a lot of momentum,while Watney had been having a nondescript season so far.
Down in Florida,tropical storm conditions are expected for Monday and Tuesday.Coastal bay flooding may be a threat on Tuesday and Wednesday,with hurricane conditions possible.A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch have been posted for South Florida.It was already raining heavily in Miami at an NFL preseason game between the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.The Falcons beat the Dolphins 23-6.
TS Isaac is currently blowing at 70 mph,moving NW at 14 mph and will soon cross Haiti,then go back over open water before crossing Cuba.It could be a category 1 hurricane by Monday evening.Heavily affected areas could range from Mississippi to Georgia.Category 1 is the weakest hurricane.On the twentieth anniversary of mighty Hurricane Andrew,TS Isaac bears scant resemblance to the devastating hurricane.
Barclays(BCS),MetLife(MET)
Update:At Bethpage Black,Sergio Garcia took sole possession of the lead of The Barclays,finishing round 3 at ten under par.Nick Watney was in second place on the leader board at -8,while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were in 10th place with their four under par.Mickelson had improved from his even par second round by shooting a fine 67 on Saturday.
Tropical Storm Isaac ravaged Haitian refugee camps,killing at least seven people,and shifted a bit westward.About 10,000 people in the Dominican Republic were dispaced when 724 homes were damaged.At last check,it was a 60 mph storm,moving NW at 17mph.It is expected to cross close to Key West,so the Key West High School shelter is filling up. By Sunday evening,it will be a category 1 hurricane,with at least 75 mph winds,as it traverses the Gulf of Mexico.Landfall will be Tuesday evening at a minimum of category 2,with at least 105 mph winds,somewhere between Mississippi and Alabama on the Gulf Coast,according to the latest forecast model.

Hurricane Andrew's 20th anniversary a reminder of storms' power

Hurricane Andrew's 20th anniversary a reminder of storms' power