Lynch at Last

One year ago Jordan Lynch came up just short in his bid for the jasathletics College Football MVP award to John Manziel. This year he found himself in another tight battle as Derek Carr of Fresno State put up some passing numbers that could not be overlooked. In the end though, jasathletics could not deny Lynch twice. In turn, jasathletics would like to proudly announce Jordan Lynch, QB from Northern Illinois, as its 2013-2014 College Football MVP.

Lynch's passing numbers were not bad (2,676 yds, 23 TDs, 7 INT), but he won this award with his legs as he amassed 1,881 yds and 22 TDs on the ground. Theses totals are great, but what really clinched this award for him were some individual games. In particular, going over 300 yds rushing against Central Michigan and Western Michigan, passing for 275 yds and 3 TDs in a win against a solid Iowa team in Iowa City, and going 26 out of 32 through the air for 345 yds and 2 TDs and rushing for 123 yds and 2 TDs against a stout Ball State team. Although he wasn't able to bring home the Heisman Trophy, Jordan Lynch can rest assured knowing that, after having it elude him a year ago, the jasathletics College Football MVP award is finally his. Indeed, this year, it was Lynch at last.

A Spanish Writing Tutorial

Having taken three years of Spanish in high school (one of which I received college credit for) I possess an intimate knowledge of the language. I have kept this knowledge mostly to myself for many years, but I feel that now is the time to disseminate it.

So, suppose you are writing a paper for your Spanish class and you are running short on words. I am going to show you how to turn one sentence into two, perhaps even three sentences. So maybe you want to convey your strong feelings for pizza. In doing so you have written: Pizza es fantastico. However, now you don't know where to go. I suggest adding another sentence about pizza. For example, you could write: Pizza es fantastico. Me gusta pizza. And, if you are really feeling ambitious, you can go with three sentences about pizza. For example, you could write: Pizza es fantastico. Me gusta Pizza. Quiero Pizza. Now you may be thinking that this is redundant writing. In English you would be correct in saying so. However, this is Spanish, a very passionate language, which means that putting similar sentences next to each other only conveys your passion for what you are writing about.

Overall, this method of writing in Spanish has served me well, and I trust that it will take your Spanish writing to the next level too. Also, if you ever need help with making a miniature hot air balloon piñata, don't hesitate to inquire. I like to think that I have some knowledge in that area as well since I was part of a group that succeeded in making one not too many years ago.

A True American Classic

The 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, certainly was worthy of having a book written about it as it is one of the greatest events in American sports history, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it was an important event in American history in general. There is no doubt that many writers could have written a solid account of this event, but what makes Mark Frost’s The Greatest Game Ever Played, which chronicles the 1913 U.S. Open, special is that he truly brought the key players, Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon among others, to life.

With all that happened on the week of the U.S. Open a century ago an entire book could be devoted to just the event. As I said though, what really separates The Greatest Game Ever Played is that Frost illuminates the players. Frost does this right from the beginning by starting in the childhoods of Ouimet and Vardon. The chapters rotate back and forth focusing on Ouimet and Vardon one at a time. Slowly a picture of both is painted and, even though Ouimet was 23 years Vardon’s junior and from Massachusetts whereas Vardon was from Jersey (an island close to France that is part of the United Kingdom), the paintings are strikingly similar. Both came from poor beginnings, both had fathers that disapproved of them playing golf, both caddied at a golf course right next to their home, and both became prominent in the history of golf. Eventually the rotation of chapters stops as Ouimet and Vardon finally appear in the same frame at the 1913 U.S. Open.

Appearing in the frame with Ouimet and Vardon was Ted Ray, who was also from Jersey. For Vardon and Ray, the U.S. Open was the climax of their 1913 tour of America, and right from the start it was expected that the U.S. Open would be a two man race, and if an American was somehow to win, it certainly would not be Francis Ouimet. As the week unfolded though, a three man race, which culminated with one of the greatest triumphs in American sports history, emerged.

Overall, I strongly encourage both golfers and non-golfers alike to read The Greatest Game Ever Played as it truly is a lesson in history, not just golf history. For American golfers though, it will certainly strike a special chord because the 1913 U.S. Open is the single event that truly made golf popular in the United States of America. I can safely say that The Greatest Game Ever Played is now one of my favorite books and that Mark Frost is one of my favorite authors because his book The Grand Slam, which is about Bobby Jones successfully completing the grand slam in 1930, is also a favorite of mine. So, if you are looking for a good book to read, one of the aforementioned Mark Frost classics is certainly a good choice, and I haven’t read it yet, but The Match, which is also by Frost, probably wouldn’t disappoint either.

King of Scotland

A week ago I told you to refrain from being surprised if Phil hoisted the Claret Jug this week, so please don’t tell me you are surprised. Okay, you can be a little surprised because even I can’t say that I totally expected what happened in the final round. Looking back on Phil’s year so far, a day like today was not completely out of the realm of possibility. In fact, Phil has played some great golf this year. He already had a win on the PGA Tour as well as on the European Tour and a handful of other top five finishes including yet another second place finish at the U.S. Open. It is hard to expect that you will see one of the greatest rounds of golf in major championship history though.

At the outset Phil Mickelson had a tough task ahead of him. He had finished his third round in a somewhat disappointing fashion with three bogeys down the stretch, was five shots back, and had proven major champions and those poised to win their first major between him and the lead. He certainly needed to shoot a good score and, at the time, it looked like he was going to need some help too. His front nine was solid indeed as he shot two under par to get himself firmly into contention at even par for the championship. Most will remember the birdies that he made at five and nine, but what really kept his round going were the numerous par saving putts that he made in those opening nine holes.

Unfortunately, he started his back nine with a bogey. Two pars later he stood on the thirteenth tee still in contention. At this point, however, both Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson were looking strong. Especially Adam Scott whose demons from Royal Lytham & St Annes were now firmly shielded by a green jacket. The good news is that the thirteenth is where Phil started to orchestrate one of the greatest finishes in major championship history. He hit a solid tee shot on the par three thirteenth that gave him a great look at birdie. He canned the birdie. This got him to even par, a number that both Phil and I, as well as others, felt would probably be good enough to at least get into a playoff. In fact, at the end of the day it would have been good enough to get him into a playoff with Henrik Stenson. Thirteen was only the start though. Phil went on to make a long birdie putt on fourteen to get him to one under par. A hard fought par on the fifteenth brought him to the sixteenth tee in great shape. This is when Phil hit a solid tee shot on the par three to about twenty feet. The shot went unrewarded though as it slowly rolled back and off the front of the green. A tough break like this would derail many a golfer. Phil Mickelson, ever the optimist, never looks behind though. He knows that life isn’t about the failures or the bad breaks, but about what you do after the disappointment. How else could a man be poised to win his fifth major after finishing second in a major that he has never won for a record sixth time just a month earlier? With the past firmly behind him, Phil got up and down for par on the sixteenth to keep the momentum going. Then Phil hit a solid three wood off the tee at the par five seventeenth. Another solid blow with his three wood and a good kick off of a downslope left Phil on the green with a chance for eagle. This, coupled with the fact that the other contenders including Adam Scott (who found out that not even a green jacket cures all major championship woes as Phil Mickelson can surely attest to) were going backwards, left Phil with one hand on the Claret Jug. Two putts later and Phil was off to the seventy-second hole with his best chance ever to win the Open Championship. Once again he laced a solid three wood down the middle. A solid approach that got a little lucky to miss the bunker on the left gave him a great look at birdie. At this point he only needed a par though. Nevertheless, he drained the birdie putt to cap off a final round 66 that left him at three under par for the championship and put the title essentially out of reach for everyone else. It was a beautiful sight as Phil and his great friend Jim “Bones” Mackay hugged on the final green as was the hug with his family that ensued.

After waiting for the final few groups to finish, Phil was finally able to hoist the Claret Jug and cap off a truly great fortnight during which he became the King of Scotland, or at the very least, the King of the Scottish Links. Looking ahead, the dream scenario is now set. Phil has a chance to complete the career grand slam at the U.S. Open. The major that has eluded him his whole career. Not only that, the U.S. Open is at Pinehurst No. 2, the sight of his first ever second place finish at the U.S. Open. The prospect of him winning there, and in a certain sense coming full circle, gives me goose bumps. For the moment though, I am going to enjoy Phil’s first ever Open Championship and fifth career major as I am sure he will too. By the way, there are two more majors before next June rolls around and Phil is certainly poised to win one or both of them. Congratulations Phil. This one was sweet.

Phil Finally Finishes First on a Links Course in a Fantastic Finish

For many years Phil Mickelson has struggled to play his best golf on links courses. Some have attributed this to the dismal weather that usually accompanies links golf, others to the fact that his everyday aerial approach on the PGA Tour does not work on a links course. He has had brief moments of success on links courses. Most recently he finished tied for second at the 2011 Open Championship (Known as the British Open in the United States of America) at Royal St. George’s; a strong finish that was sparked by a great front nine on Sunday. Overall though, his body of work on links courses was not terribly noteworthy, and a win was conspicuously missing. That was until today as Phil won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, a great new links in the far north of Scotland.

Phil started the final round tied for second at fourteen under and two shots back of Henrik Stenson after shooting 66-70-66 in the first three rounds. Right out of the gates Phil made sure that the fans in Inverness got their money’s worth as he started double-bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie, and birdie. In usual Phil fashion, he had managed to pack a full day of excitement into the first six holes. After this thrilling start Phil was still firmly in the mix though. Phil followed his exciting start to the day with four pars. (Don’t be fooled though, those pars were not completely excitement-free.) Then he birdied eleven, twelve, and fourteen to get to eighteen under par. The last of those three birdies finally gave him sole possession of the lead. Three pars later, he stood on the eighteenth tee in prime position to claim his first victory on a links course. He hit a decent tee shot up the left hand side of the par five finisher. At this point only one man stood in his way, Branden Grace. After Grace made par up ahead to stay one shot behind Phil, it looked as if the tournament was indeed Mickelson’s. Once Phil knew that he only needed a par, he laid up short of the green, and then hit his approach to the fringe, about twenty feet from the hole. As he walked up to the green the TV announcers congratulated him for finally winning in Scotland. Unfortunately their praise was premature as Phil ran his first putt about six feet past and then missed the come-back putt. This left him with a bogey on the final hole and tied at seventeen under with Branden Grace.

As Mickelson and Grace made their way back to the eighteenth tee for the sudden death playoff one was tempted to think that Phil had frittered away his best chance to win on a links course. I say “tempted” because one cannot forget that Phil is a great champion and has overcome adversity to win before. Both men hit solid drives down the middle. Phil took the advantage after the second shot though as Grace hit his layup into the rough and Phil hit a solid wood just short of the green. Although he was in the rough, Grace made solid contact. In fact, he hit his ball too cleanly as it checked up just before a slope that would have brought his ball close to the hole. This left him with a tough twenty foot putt. Phil now had an opening, and in typical Phil fashion, he hit a nifty wedge shot that went just passed the hole and then spun back to within a foot. Phil tapped in for birdie and cleared the stage for Grace. Grace proceeded to miss his birdie putt and Phil was finally a champion on a links course. Maybe even more importantly, he was finally a champion in Scotland – “The Home of Golf.” There is no doubt that every great golf champion should hoist at least one trophy on Scottish soil, and Phil, who is undoubtedly a great golf champion, has finally accomplished this feat.

Now that Phil has finally conquered links golf, there is no doubt that he is the favorite going into the Open Championship at Muirfield, which starts on Thursday. The naysayers may doubt his chances at Muirfield because it is tough to win the week before a major and then go on to win the major as well. One must not forget that this feat has been done before though. Not only that, the last person to do it was Phil Mickelson as he won the BellSouth Classic the week before the 2006 Masters and then went on to win the Masters as well. So, please refrain from being surprised if Phil hoists the Claret Jug a week from today.

A Top Notch Breakfast Revisited

I arrived in the greater Houghton, MI area a little over 10 months ago. Upon arrival I couldn’t help but notice the Hardee’s, and not just any Hardee’s, a Hardee’s with two floors. For most people a Hardee’s sighting is hardly noteworthy, but for a Lumberjack Club founding father it is truly a great sight. This is because, as my fellow Lumberjack Club founding fathers would surely attest, it is home to a delicacy known as the Big Country Breakfast Platter. Unfortunately, the Big Country Breakfast is merely a legend to so many Lumberjack Club members, current and former, because the Hardee’s in Cloquet, MN went out of business after the first year of Lumberjack Club. The closing of Hardee’s in Cloquet was certainly the darkest day during my tenure as Lumberjack Club President. Losing a staple of our restaurant rotation so early in the existence of Lumberjack Club could have led to the end of the club altogether. The founding fathers were resilient though, and because of that, Lumberjack Club is still strong today. Even though the founding fathers moved on after the closing of Hardee’s in Cloquet, the Big Country Breakfast still held a special place in our hearts and still does to this day. That is why I was excited to see a Hardee’s so close to where I was going to be living.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that today was the first time that I have gone to Hardee’s since I have been in the greater Houghton area, but I am truly glad that I finally made it back there today. It had been quite some time since I had had a Big Country Breakfast. (My last time was probably at the Superior, WI Hardee’s back in my first year at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.) Since it had been awhile, I was indeed relieved to see that it is still on the menu. The price has gone up to four and some change though. Nevertheless, it was great to have the Big Country Breakfast in front of me once again and to be reunited with the pancakes, eggs, sausage (or bacon), tater-tots, and biscuit that comprise the Big Country Breakfast. (It was also exciting to be eating at a Hardee’s with two floors. It is built on a hill so there is a lower level of seating below the main level.) There is no doubt that I savored each moment as I ate this Big Country Breakfast and was led to recall those days when the Big Country Breakfast was indeed the breakfast of Lumberjacks. Hopefully the Big Country Breakfast and I will meet again soon. With this in mind, I also encourage Lumberjacks and non-Lumberjacks alike to seek out the nearest Hardee’s and have a Big Country Breakfast in the near future. For those who have had a Big Country Breakfast within the context of a Lumberjack Club meeting, it is sure to bring back good memories, and for those who have never had a Big Country Breakfast at a Lumberjack Club meeting, it is sure to make memories. I would like to conclude with the original Lumberjack Club pledge of allegiance, which most people have surely never heard:

I pledge allegiance to the flannel of the Lumberjack Club, and to the club for which it stands, two restaurants under God, indivisible, with Big Country Breakfast for all.

And one more thing: Lumberjack! Lumberjack! Axe! Axe! Axe!

Squash: The Sport, Not the Food

On Saturday night I went on espn3.com to look for something to watch. While scrolling down the list of events being replayed, something caught my eye. It was the championship match of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Squash 2013. I had never watched squash before and only knew that it was something akin to racquetball (not that I really know anything about racquetball either). I was intrigued though. So I decided to watch. I wasn't sure if it would be that exciting since I knew Frasier and Niles played squash on the show Frasier (although I don't recall them actually showing them playing) and they certainly are not athletic specimens. After just a few points though, I was fully engaged and could see that squash players are indeed great athletes.

The championship match was between Ramy Ashour of Egypt and Gregory Gaultier of France. (Just a little information about squash. It is a best three out of five match, each game is played to eleven, and games need to be won by two.) Ashour was the favorite coming in. However, Gaultier played a strong first two games and took a two to love lead. Then, in the third game, it was tied ten all and it looked like the match could be over quickly. This is when Ashour put together two solid points to take the game and get back into the match. In the fourth game Ashour showed off some magical play. One point in particular stands out. It was a long rally and twice Ashour's quick reflexes came up big. He was close to the front wall both times. The first time he kept the point alive. The second time he put the point away. After that magnificent rally Ashour strummed his racquet like a guitar. In the end, Ashour proved to be too much as he won the last two games 11-3 and 11-1 to take the match and the championship in front of a great crowd in New York City.

After watching this match I am somewhat of a squash fan and certainly a Ramy Ashour fan, who I feel is one of the best athletes in the world. Hopefully I will be able to find some squash on espn3.com again soon and hopefully squash can make it into the Olympic Games, as people in the squash community are earnestly working to get squash in. I would not mind playing some squash myself either. Unfortunately, I don't see myself being on a squash court anytime soon.

Tubby Smith has Rejuvenated Minnesota Basketball (This Time the Rejuvenation is Real)

Three years ago I wrote an article titled "Tubby Smith has Rejuvenated Minnesota Basketball." Back then that statement was true to a certain extent. However, with only minimal success that statement was probably premature, especially for Gophers fans like myself who expected Tubby to bring Minnesota to national prominence. The educated fan should remember that it was not really Tubby's fault though. He had solid players on his roster like Devoe Joseph and Royce White. Unfortunately, Joseph's decision and White's mistakes led those two elsewhere. After dominating a nationally ranked Illinois team at Assembly Hall, which is a place that the Gophers have struggled at for years, on Wednesday, I think it is safe to say that Tubby Smith has now truly rejuvenated Minnesota basketball and brought them to national prominence. It doesn't hurt that the Gophers opened the conference slate with a solid win over Michigan State and are ranked 8th in the AP poll either. With Trevor Mbakwe starting to play like the beast that Gophers fans remember from two years ago, Rodney Williams Junior (by the way, where did this Junior come from? I remember him just being Rodney Williams the past three years) starting to become a basketball player instead of just an athlete, and Andre Hollins turning into one of the elite point guards in college basketball, it appears that the ceiling is very high for this Gophers team. (Joe Coleman and Austin Hollins have played some solid ball as well.) I see no reason why they can't win the Big Ten title and strongly contend for a national championship (ok, probably bold statements, but I would be disappointed if they didn't finish third or better in the Big Ten and at least make it to the Sweet Sixteen). We will find out soon if this Gophers team really does have what it takes to win a national championship as their next two games are against Indiana and Michigan. As long as Tubby Smith does not get an "uncommon feeling" anytime soon, I think that the Gophers will indeed have a great season. The good news for Minnesota fans is: coaching great teams and going far in the NCAA Tournament was a very "common feeling" for Orlando "Tubby" Smith while at Kentucky. Hopefully that "common feeling" hasn't worn off while at Minnesota. I strongly suspect that it hasn't.

Alabama Again

After a convincing 42-14 victory over Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship game, there is no doubt in my mind about who the best team in college football is. That is why I would like to name Alabama the 2012-2013 jasathletics.blogspot.com College Football National Champion. The Crimson Tide have brought home the jasathletics title thrice in the last four years. Not only that, Alabama also won the BCS National Championship in the same three years. No other team has brought home the jasathletics-BCS double even once. Alabama is certainly on the verge of dynasty status (I definitely would not call them a dynasty yet though). The SEC has officially taken over college football with 7 BCS titles in a row (the SEC only has 3 jasathletics titles during that same span though). As a man from the deep North it is tough to watch teams from the deep South dominate college football. I do not think wishfully when it comes to college football in the North though. I predicted a 20 point spread in the BCS National Championship game (however, maybe I was thinking wishfully since that ended up being an underestimate). Even as I hope that college football in the North will get better, I would like to congratulate Alabama on another great season and on another jasathletics College Football National Championship. I do have one stern warning for the South, the lower three divisions are ours. North Dakota State, Minnesota-Duluth, and Wisconsin-Whitewater have all won multiple titles in their respective divisions in the last few years.