Work On Your Grip

2006-01-24 Posted at 08:09:43 PM

No-Shows At Mercedes

2006-01-05 Posted at 09:45:28 PM

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Hey golfaholics, the 2006 PGA season got underway today with much complaining
about the Big Four no-shows for the Mercedes Championship being played at the
beautiful Plantation Course at Kapalua, Hawaii.

Just maybe winning big purses on the PGA Tour last year has made the super-stars fat
and lazy. Plus add some complaining in there about no off-season! Why should they be crying in
their beer...maybe the purses have grown so big (Mercedes winner gets $1.08 million) they start
getting to the point they don't think they owe the PGA Tour nor sponsors nor fans anything!

All PGA Tour players know the Mercedes Championship is played during the first week
in January every year...and only winners of the previous year's PGA Tour tournaments are invited
to play. Again it is not like they didn't know when the tournament was scheduled!   Duh!

None of the Big Four players have an excuse for not showing up..."taking one for the PGA Tour",
except for Padraig Harrington. He has every right to stay in Ireland to get emotionally recharged.
After breaking into the PGA Tour victory circle two times last year, he suffered a loss that's not easy
to overcome. Shortly after winning the Honda Classic, his father was diagnosed with cancer. Later
just after winning the Barclays Classic, he lost his father. That's enough emotion and grief to discharge
anyone's batteries!

The other three members of the Big Four money winners have no excuse! They are Tiger Woods,
Phil Michelson and Retief Goosen. Together they accounted for over 25% of the PGA Tour
tournament winners during 2005. You would think they would at least acknowledge the sponsors of the
Mercedes Championship and the fans the common courtesy to play in a winners-only tournament?

Tiger Woods, the winner of 6 PGA Tour events in 2005, decided he needed "a rest" since he played in
5 straight tournaments in 5 weeks after the regular PGA Tour season ended in November. While it is
nice of Tiger to appear in other tournaments since he garners a large audience at any tournament
he enters, but loyalty to the very organization that is responsible for him having the opportunity to win
millions of dollars each year, deserves his attendance at an event of this caliber! What about "Lefty"?
Phil Michelson decided he was not going to play in the Mercedes Championship because he wanted to
spend time with his family?

According to DOUG FERGUSON, Associated Press in his article "Have PGA Tour stars become
spoiled?" that is "Lefty's" way of saying "I just don't want to play." Maybe the title of that article is very
close to the truth!

That would be like a NFL celebrity saying "I'm not going to play in the Pro Bowl because I need a rest!"
Sounds like another case of spoiled rich kids to me???

Retief Goosen decided it was best to stay home in South Africa. I guess he wanted to live up to one of his
earlier statements in which he said the best way to start the season was holding a drink with a flower in it!

I believe it's about time these spoiled rich "kids" show a little respect for the PGA Tour that works so hard
in conjunction with major sponsors and thousands of volunteers to host these chances for them to earn millions
of dollars!

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One Last Parting Shot

2006-01-03 Posted at 08:03:26 PM

Well golfaholics, it now 2006 but thought I had to at least take one last parting
shot at the naysayers' about "Merry Christmas"!

We received an email from a friend with the following article attached that is
just too good not to share with others:

I'm on a "Merry Christmas" mission and I'm in full throttle. My little yellow VW Beetle has turned into a Christmas billboard with Merry Christmas written across the back window. Yes, I've decided to trek off to work everyday on the public highways with a message that seems to offend people.

At stop lights, I even turn my music up a little louder, and to top it off, I sing along with it. Don't I know that stopping at a red light to roll my windows down only to share the joy of Christmas carols on public streets is a No-No? Don't I fear the Christmas Gestapo and those who would have me remove the written message from my car?

I'm sorry folks, but the only person I'm concerned about "offending" during this Christmas season is the Lord himself. LEAVE THAT MANGER ALONE! We've allowed the Baby Jesus to be kicked out of His lowly manger, and those offended by Christmas are still not happy.

I refuse to let this happen. I'm going to do my part to make sure "Merry Christmas" doesn't become extinct. Because like it or not, if the believers in Christmas don't take a stand now, it's gone forever.

Listen folks, the Christian community has been underestimated before; we will have to show ourselves again.

I walked into a Wendy's Restaurant the other day and was rather exuberant with my "Merry Christmas" greeting to the manager. He didn't have much of a response and I said, "Where's your Christmas spirit?" He said, "We're not allowed to use the words "Merry Christmas" when greeting customers. We can only say "Happy Holiday."

This morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at a Whataburger Restaurant. I noticed there wasn't a single decoration in the store. I asked the manager why they weren't decorated for Christmas. He told me the corporate headquarters decided not to send any decorations to any of their stores, and he didn't know why.

After I heard about all the Macy's and Federated Stores taking down their Merry Christmas signs, the Target stores not allowing the Salvation Army to "Ring the Christmas bells," and the many incidents of children, choirs, and bands not allowed to play or sing Christmas carols, I realized it was happening right here in my own little Texas town.

How can this be? Not Texas!

We do, however, have a store, Hobby Lobby, that plays nothing but Christmas carols during the season. On Christmas Day they run a full page ad in our local newspaper. That ad is not to promote the store, but uses the entire page to tell the story of Jesus' birth. Now that's taking a stand. We need to thank them.

When I saw a news report the other evening of children being taught new words to a song we've sung for years - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - I was saddened to hear "We Wish You a Splendid Holiday."

I know now that it's just a matter of time that the "Merry Christmas" greetings will be gone. Look around your town. Notice the "Holiday" greetings and not "Christmas." It's happening right before our very eyes.

Start singing the songs; go down the streets of America singing to your heart's content. Get some of those wash-off markers that these kids use to write on their car windows when they're rooting for their hometown football team. It's easy to do, and if a torrential rain washes it off, write it on there again.

We've got to get this message out. "Go Tell It On the Mountain . . . that Jesus Christ is Born." Sing it, speak it, be a billboard for our Lord.

The story of this "Baby Jesus" alone has brought about more goodwill at this time of year than any other day we celebrate. How can we sit back and allow Him to be snuffed out of our lives?

Is it Jesus, or is it His followers that the "offended" don't like? What kind of revulsion galvanizes one to campaign so vehemently against the mere mention of His name, the mere singing of a carol, or the mere visual of a sign that says "Merry Christmas?"

I can listen to my own boss at work use some of the vilest words and follow up with, "Excuse my French." I may cringe inside at his damning of God's name, but I tolerate it. So if you don't like me wishing you a "Merry Christmas," I'll say, "Excuse my joy." You may cringe that I celebrate the birth of Jesus, but just tolerate it.

I cannot be concerned that "Merry Christmas" offends you. If I'm not careful, the day will come when saying I'm a Christian will offend you.

I'm offended that you're offended. How about that?

When we get to a point that we can no longer take part in a tradition we hold dear, we have no choice; we either defend that tradition or we give it up to those who say NO. That's it . . . period. So, which will it be?

I'm not giving up my "Merry Christmas" joy to anyone. If I know of someone that celebrates another holiday during this time of year, I will be glad to wish them whatever holiday they want. Just tell me what it is and I'll shout it to the world and wish you a grand celebration.

Just give me Christmas. To you merchants: Stop being so hypocritical and "filling your tills" on the back of Jesus! Who do you think is the symbol of giving at this time of year? It was the wise men bringing gifts to the newborn Christ-child.

You want your coffers full, but have ordered your employees to take down all the Merry Christmas signs. If that's the case, I'll buy gifts at a place that understands my joy.

If you're worried about offending someone, you just did. The most recent Newsweek survey shows that 82% of Americans believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So, in trying not to offend a few, you've offended many.

It's okay to jump into the "Merry Christmas" spirit when it fills your cash register, but let's call it something else . . . and don't stop giving . . . and don't stop buying. . . we'll just change the name and you'll never know the difference.

I know the difference and I'm feeling it greatly. It's hard not to be aware that townships across our country have actually banned the singing of Christmas carols because it might offend someone. And it's not just the religious songs; it's the secular ones too. No more "Jingle Bells" or "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because they're associated with Christmas. Boy, aren't we getting sensitive?

If we're not celebrating Christmas for the hope it gives with the birth of our Savior . . . there is no hope!

I noticed a few years ago that we changed the name of Abraham Lincoln's and George Washington's birthday so as to be all inclusive regarding the Presidents. Hark, if we should recognize anyone as exceptional. Now it's called Presidents' Day.

Well, if we're going to be so all inclusive, next month I'll have to refer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as Civil Rights Leaders' Day. We don't want to exclude great Americans like Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez, do we? And to think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton might be left out.

We might need to change Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparents' Day to All Parents' Day. Just lump them all together.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? So what's the difference?

My freedom to celebrate Christmas in the tradition of the Christian religion is as much my right as it is your right to be offended by it. So what are we going to do? Did anyone hear me . . . what are we going to do?

Do we defend a person's right to go forward with a time tested tradition (how about 2000 years?), or do we defend a person's right to end it all because they're offended? As long as we live in this great land and have the freedom to express ourselves and what we believe in, we will always offend someone.

If we try to make everything right for everyone, we won't have anything for anyone.

May you always have Christmas in your heart!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What Debbie Daniel started, let's not let it die here.  Let's all do our part.

 

Let's do something ourselves, and then too, let's pass this on to every

 

Christian we know and if enough of us shout it out, maybe someone,

 

somewhere, will hear us and stop this insanity of Atheism from gripping our Country.

 

Merry Christmas to ALL (and don't forget to pass it on)

 

Diane Daniels is a columnist with "Renew America" - a grassroots organization
that supports the "Declarationist" ideals of Alan Keyes. Its purpose, therefore, is to faithfully
and courageously advance the cause of our nation's Founders.

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