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Archive for the category “Everybody’s Critic”

05 Aug 2013

Tiger’s …Oh My

I am reminded of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; the scene is Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow are walking through a dark part of the forest and they are reciting, “Lions and tigers and bears oh my, lions and tigers and bears, oh my…” Suddenly the lion jumps out at them!!!

Well this time it was a Tiger who jumped out, and he was on the golf course in Akron, Ohio. When will we NOT be shocked and amazed at the things he does. We have come to expect no less than perfection from him. He is supposed to win and when he does not… we are taken aback in such a fashion that we forget that he is but a mere mortal. How can he miss a put inside 8 feet when he makes them on a regular basis outside of 20? Sand-traps,water, trees and any other hazard seems like common everyday play for one who possesses all that he has.

As one goes down the list of analyst, former pro greats or simply sports reporters who have never played the game on his level, but wait, who else has actually played the game on HIS level? one realizes they must pay homage take notice to others  on the PGA Tour. Oftentimes the reports and comparisons of other pros on the tour seem unrealistic and unfair, to Tiger. It seems like they forget he has 79 PGA Tour Victories,14 majors, is one of five players to achieve a career Grand Slam(winning all four majors) IS the only play to win all four majors in one season(Tiger Slam) set the record for the most consecutive starts.. I could go on.  Well of course they don’t forget. Simply one must realize there are others on the tour and furthermore golf is a difficult game; it is precision and deliberate actions, even when your naked eye tells you that tiny ball got into the hole by luck or chance.

I, not unlike the typical fan, wait for the golf superstar to chock up his next win, to break yet another record, and go down in the annuls of history. As I sat glued to the television for the past four days, I laughingly realize how quickly I abandoned  my vigil once Tiger won. I didn’t care what he had to say, I was not impressed by his picking young Charlie up on his way to sign the winning score card, I was done and ready to move to the next venue, Oak Hill. I want all of Tiger’s victories to come and to come frequently, but once they are over I do not want to be bothered with the personal details of his existence.

In conclusion, I love the game of golf and he brings something to it that no other has managed to do, at least at this magnitude.  Realizing there was golf before Tiger and golf will continue after he is gone, but you cannot help taking notice of one who has made so many marks on a game, in the fashion he has all along the way. With Oak Hill in the very near future you have to wonder, will Tiger give us fans and the golf world yet another reason to say “Oh my!”

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18 May 2013

That’s How He Does It

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger… will you hurry up and smash those records?! I want this man to play until let’s see he needs to beat Jack Nicklaus’ record and Sam Snead, he needs three more green jackets, he needs to walk on water.. what is this mess?!

He is  not nice to play with, he cheats, he is no gentleman, face it there is no room in the world of golf for the likes of him. Well of course there isn’t. He is taking the fun out of the game right. Hey listen most games, sports, competitions are much more fun when you are winning. It stands to reason; if he is winning like he is, if he is shattering records one after another, he must be cheating.

What happened to the days of champions being loved and adored? Well welcome to the age of the self-assured athlete, but wait it is not limited to the athlete this is a world of self-assured people. Women are now lesbians criticized for being “ballsy”, African Americans are “uppity” and don’t know their place; “mama-mia” what a world and I thought our society was evolving and moving forward.

The next time we will have an opportunity or have to endure Mr. Woods is May 30th at “The Memorial” where he is the defending champion. He has probably done or is planning something unscrupulous as I write this. We won’t know until the tournament is played. Well at least Byron Nelson’s record and legend will remain intact, 11 back to back PGA wins and a GENTLEMAN, lets see Tiger top that this year.

You see unlike other sports golf applauds good manners, behavior, and etiquette. You don’t see those guys on the tour spitting or cursing, none of them are alcohol abusers, or have marital problems. In case you MISSED the sarcasm, Tiger is not the only member of the PGA who is not perfect, he just happens to be one who is in the spotlight preparing to make more history in the sport of golf.

It is odd to think of oneself as cheering for the underdog when cheering for someone with a record such as Tiger Woods, but you have to admit he is golf’s “whipping boy”. They cannot take away from his true talent and skill so they attack his character. I doubt seriously any one of us would be able to stand unblemished by such a vast and multiple assault. Therefore once again I have to go against how I feel about an individual, outside of his notable profession, and cheer him on for the only thing most of us have the ability to judge first hand, his athletic prowess. Admittedly, that is what is a joy to watch. Once again I say, “Geaux Tiger”!

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09 May 2013
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Tarantino… Now He Should Be Chained

Let me begin with the only thing I have ever liked that Quentin Tarantino had anything to do with was “From Dusk Till Dawn” in which he played the mentally challenged deviant brother of George Clooney. I have never watched Pulp Fiction in it’s entirety, Reservoir Dogs no interest, and Jackie Brown was not impressive. Suffice to say I am not particularly impressed with Quentin Tarantino’s work.

Which brings us to Django Unchained. I heard so much clamor about this film. A really good friend suggested and encouraged me to see it. My friend thinks I am quite the rebel, for some odd reason, and thought sure I would love this movie. Anyway it came and went from the theaters. I finally picked it up at my local “RedBox” about a week or two ago. The main reason I resisted seeing the movie was the association with Mr. Tarantino.

I won’t say I hated the film, but when I saw Jamie Fox in the blue “Little Lord Fauntleroy” get-up I was lost forever. I tried to watch it but it was so corny and campy I found myself falling asleep. I faded in and out of consciousness, mostly because I was watching it in bed after a long day at work.  What I did see of it made me say,” It’s a Tarantino movie what did you expect?” I fully intended to rip this film to shreds when I started this piece. However, because I was going to rip the film and Quentin apart I said, ” To do YOUR work justice, YOU must actually watch the movie”. Off to RedBox I went to rent Django Unchained for a second time.

My son asked me what are you going to do, and wouldn’t it be funny if you ended up liking the movie. I laughed it off with, “It’s a Tarantino movie that’s not gonna happen”. Well as I take my first bite of crow, let me say I have to admit I enjoyed it. After I put aside my preconceived notions about Quentin, I was able to see the interesting twist on his film. It had all the flavor of a 1970’s western/black exploitation film the underlying influence. I do not like the way Tarantino pays homage to black films nor the arrogance of him suggesting he has an inside track to understanding black people and their portrayal in film. The “n” word is used entirely too much in most of his work; at last here was a film that it truly could go virtually unnoticed and it was. He did a good job with this movie, I was  thoroughly entertained.

It was not predictable in obvious ways. There is a great deal of blood and violence, along with animated showmanship. The characters were both interesting and unbelievable. Samuel L. Jackson was, however, brilliant as Stephen your “Uncle Tom” prototype. I would watch it again just to see him. IT is mindless entertainment and every-so-often we need to slip ourselves a small dose of just that. I give Quentin a “stay of execution” because of Django Unchained, I am sure there will be other films in the future that will allow me to confirm my opinion of him and his work prior to Django. However, until that time I have to give credit to him for scoring and scoring in a rather big way with me on this particular project.

My changed opinion made me have to ponder renaming my piece, or to at least search for a new title and note I did as much here at the end. Having to find a suitable title after the fact was just hard, and my heart wasn’t in it. I mean it was enough to admit the film wasn’t the horror I fully expected, but to have to change the title to possibly say something else positive about Quentin.. well it was just out of the question. My entire opinion of him has not changed, I just had to be honest about this particular work of his. If you manage to read through the entire piece, you will get the reasoning behind the title and you will also know why the title change did NOT take place. “Jury is still out” regarding the man and his overall talent. Therefore, even in spite of the fact he did produce something I liked, his overall record still leaves a great deal to be desired, and it is because of that I still say he(Tarantino) should be “chained“(restricted).

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08 May 2013
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“I Hit It First….”

Wow! What have we been reduced to in the world of entertainment? The title alone was a sad testament, but then when you delve deeper you have to ask what is going on with an individual who would publicize something like that.  You have to ask what is the character of the individual himself, the woman and the audience he is pandering to. I think too much of my work and my readers to write the initial thoughts I had of this verbatim, it would be filled with blank spaces and blocked out words. Use your imaginations for it would go something like this; “What a f%@$in piece of s&%#, Ray J and the song.”

We have to demand more, we are more, therefore we should not allow this world of entertainment to insult us like this. Clearly I am not a “Ray J ” fan; as a woman I questioned his morals and ethics long before this particular travesty  he  is calling music emerged, but to effectively assassinate the piece and him as an artist, I forced myself to view/listen to the thing. Pathetic attempt to regain the spotlight/limelight is all I can say. It resonates the attitude and mindset of a 16 year old boy and his desired first sexual conquest, after he is dropped by the girl of his dreams without reaching his ultimate goal.  I will not go through a frame by frame dissection, for he may actually possess some talent on some level, but this video renders all of that and all possibilities NULL and VOID.

“Ray J” get a life, find a hobby! Please don’t bother supporting this garbage; it is not worth the time, and certainly not the money. Unless “Ray J” is donating all proceeds to Up and Coming Artist Who Do NOT Want To Suck seminars, where he is the featured example of what NOT to do. My vote puts this “song”into the Stupidity Hall  of Fame with OJ Simpson’s “book” If I Did It” . Who can forget that literary genius. “OJ”, “Ray J” is there something missing in the brains of so-called artist/entertainers with “J” at the end of their names? Well judging by what these two have produced  most recently, there is no doubt in my mind. I can only hope the two of them don’t get together and come up with a compilation, “If I Hit, Then I Did It..First”.

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10 Apr 2013

Going Round and Around

Where she stops nobody knows…It is Master’s week in Augusta, Georgia. Let me tell you it is as exciting the anticipation of a new monarch, but wait there is a monarch coming or should I say coming back. I am of course talking about Mr. Tiger Woods.

The only one on the tour to boast multiple wins this season, he comes to the years first major as the favorite to win. I want to see Tiger win Augusta this week and I want to see him go on to break Jack Nicklaus’ record and silence the critics. I still have no personal love for the fellow, but I respect the athlete.

I do want to switch reels here a bit and talk about the Masters and the legendary course which it is played at annually. Now I am a California girl through and through (never mind I was born in Kansas City,Mo.).  I don’t think any place is prettier than my claimed state, the wonderful beaches, the wonderous mountains, the deserts and forest are worthy of awe. However, since my migration south almost 20 years ago I have never seen anything as beautiful as Augusta National.

If you pull it up on the internet you see will photos  that will make you question their authenticity. Some of my clients have photos which look like paintings and it is simply the lush beauty of that place. It is arguably, the St Andrews of the U.S.A.

Build on a former Indigo Plantation (yeah of course plantation), co-founded by  golf legend Bobby Jones and racist(yes over simplified but true) Clifford Roberts both fame and infamy surround this prestigious course.

Every hole is named for a thing of beauty(Azalea, White Dogwood,etc.), a tree and a pond dedicated to President and a corner that has made the “greats” beckon to God, Almighty for favor. Yet in paying homage to its beauty, and grandeur the history of Augusta must be touched upon. I talked about the site itself being built on land and the type of establishment whose very name (plantation) constantly reminds America of injustice it saddled African Americans with. Being in the south and producing the rebellious, foul persona of “Jim Crow”; Augusta National held onto some of “his” very ideology until 1975 when Lee Elder competed there,  or was it 1990 when the FIRST African American, Ron Townsend, was permitted to join the club, no wait was it when Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997? I don’t know which one to cite. Let me NOT forget that they proudly allowed the first women(ooh… more than one) to join in the club 2012, talk about a time warp and living in the past.

The PGA has a lot of growing to do and it is growing slowly, but not nearly as slowly as the traditions which it holds onto favorably and embraces. I am not saying they(the PGA) condone what has gone on at Augusta, simply that there is an air of acceptance or need to excuse these behavoirs, because of these same so-called traditions.

The south has a somewhat skewed vision of what tradition means (i.e. rebel flag; heritage not hate). If you continue living you must accept the fact you must move and change with the times. As I scrolled through the photos this morning from Augusta’s Official Web Site (titled random pictures) I couldn’t help but notice that out of 236 photos only 10 of them had African Americans in them and 2 with  people of Asian descent. Now that’s diversity. I thought of how the man who co-founded the club, who I characterized as racist( Clifford Roberts), made a statement that was in essence saying that “blacks will always be caddies and whites will always be golfers on HIS course, as long as he lived”. I am thrilled he lived to see that fall apart. I also feel  sort of apathetic that he chose to commit suicide on the par three course 2 years after his proclamation was no longer a truth.  Was this a coincidence,was it his failing health, or was he a prime example of one who didn’t want to change? He was 84.

Now I am going to bring you back to my “round and around”, “the more things change the more they stay the same”, and “fools who do not know history are destined to repeat it” point. When I see Tiger Woods, I know these times are changing in the sport of golf, whether or not anyone, including Mr. Woods(the self proclaimed “cablasian”) wants them to. In his quest to be the greatest, he will forever be placed in the annuls of history as the African American Golfer who could and did….THAT IS NOT A BAD THING!

One by one we watch these representatives of “a time gone by” crumble and fall, because they are built on faulty or unstable ideals. Triumphant figures from a “Gone With The Wind”  type society fade into oblivion, taking the dark side and secrets with them. Only to be resurrected continuously, minus the negatives.”Pleasantville” lives in DisneyWorld, and it is the last stop before you reach  “The Land of Oz“. Translation the life you seek is a fantasy, that exists in your dreams. Wake up the world is changing right before your eyes, like it or not.  Enjoy The Masters.

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25 Mar 2013
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Taking A Tiger By The Tale

I  only have a few people that I feel like I could be like a giddy teenager in regards to. I have written about a couple of them. Face it all of us have a deep seeded “amoration” for someone, we are only human.

I was not born with the following gifts but I do admire and appreciate them all just the same; the great athlete, how I do enjoy watching them defy gravity and opponents, the conversations and thoughts of  a great mind are absolutely spell-binding, and the haunting beauty of musical genius is unparalleled.

When play was suspended due to weather at the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational I was disappointed. I don’t mind telling you I am anxiously awaiting Tiger Woods to return to his pursuit and attainment of the undisputed, unquestionable, and official title greatest golfer of all time. This win will bring him that much closer and I silently cheer him on.

He has work ethic and style. He possesses command and poise in his sport. He makes you proud and in awe of his skill when you watch him. It might surprise you that I would say I don’t particularly care for Tiger Woods, at least the Tiger Woods I know of.

There had to be some research done before I could write this and I am not a fan of statistics. I will say this, my eyes grew tired and my mind weary as I went through line after line, number after number of comparisons. I knew I didn’t want to look at that much information, but I was drawn in like a car to train tracks. This is a blog not a math class, so I encourage you to “google” Mr. Woods for details of his accomplishments. I am here to play homage to the persona of the athlete.

I was introduced to the world of golf when I was 26. Now of course I knew what the game of golf was, but I had no interest in it. I had no idea about the purpose or rules of the game. I certainly did not know anything significant about the names associated with golf.  Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus may have been familiar, but their records and accomplishments would have escaped me. At that point in time it was not really important to me.

How would I know that a venture which began only because of a test in togetherness, would turn into an actual interest of mine, or an 11 year old who lived a few miles south would change the game of golf and make history in a few short years. By the time Tiger reached the age I was when I first was interested enough to pick up a golf club he would already be on track to becoming a force to deal with in a sport that had been dominated by a rather diversity challenged field, where admittance to certain arenas of the sport prohibited his very presence.

He made his presence know, this Tiger not only roared, he had quite a bite. The calm demeanor, the intimidating stare, the perfect approach all belonged to him. Racking up wins, admirers and enemies at the speed of light. “Oh, but the mighty they do fall” and in spite of my saying, “I do not like him”, I do not want to mar this piece elaborating on what the media reveled in when it happened. This again is for my readers to research.

On a positive note, Tiger is back. Arguably he never left. Clearly he is disciplined in his sport, ever-seeking to improve HIS game. He shocks and amazed his critics, opponents, fans, and team-mates alike. Happily,  I am there cheering him on too. One cannot ignore greatness; many try and many fail for history will not allow it to be overlooked and history will always tell the truth.  There IS more to come. Geaux Tiger!

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