Friday Five

1. I'm officially in love with this dog.  He has the cutest face and seems like the sweetest! After seeing these pictures, I'm not sure how anyone can say that ALL pitbulls are dangerous.

2. No matter how many people say that Phil Mickelson is all washed up, he always comes back and surprises everyone.  And in this case he doesn't hold back from taking his jabs at the critics : )

3. I'm a sucker for creative ways to raise money for a great cause.  This is one of those creative ways.  Pasta as a way to help those hurt in the earthquake in Italy?  So perfect! 

4. I'm still a huge fan of In a Creative Bubble for all my scrapbooking needs, however I found another designer this week that almost matches her designs - One Little Bird.  Such cute stuff at such great prices!  I love this whole digital scrapbooking revolution - it's just so much cheaper than buying stuff in stores.

5. This means it's super close to Series 4, right?!  Woohoo!

#Sherlock Season 4 -- new image! pic.twitter.com/LurLKUurNZ

— Michael Ausiello (@MichaelAusiello) August 31, 2016

Friday Five

1. If he hadn't been adopted so quickly and he didn't reside across the country, I would have totally decided to adopt this little guy and his big attitude.  Is he not the cutest dog ever?! I love him and his name!

2. As stated yesterday, I'm over the moon that Phil Mickelson is playing so well in Scotland. He's been on fire these last 2 rounds.  I only hope he can keep it together through Sunday and take home the win.  I'm also fairly in love with the fact that there's a whole article on why he's wearing a binder clip on his hat.  I suppose it was a slow news day at Golf.com.

3. In the travel category this week, this definitely falls into the #Goals column.  A list of the best NYC ice cream?  Yes, please!!!

4. One of my pet peeves is drinking non-icy cold water.  I hate water or any drink that isn't super cold.  Because of this, I've recently fallen in love with my (stolen from my mother) HydroFlask.  I've been chatting this thing up so much, they should start paying me royalties. It will keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours (mine has kept ice for over 24 hours - I tested it!) and hot stuff hot for up to 6 hours.  And it comes in pretty colors too!  I can't wait for my pretty plum one to come in the mail!

5. I was understandably upset when I heard I wouldn't be seeing Lin Manuel Miranda in Hamilton come October.  However, I was quite happy to hear that Javier Munoz would be replacing him.  He's been his standby for the entire run and has a history with the show already.  He most definitely deserves the role and I can't wait to see him in a few short months.  But after learning all of what he's overcome, I'm even more excited to see him get his chance to shine.  He seems like a truly wonderful and genuine human being!

52 Lists: Week 21

I'm not nearly as with it when it comes to sports as some people are, but I'm also not completely clueless.  I like watching certain sports and I do root for a few specific teams.  But when it comes to stats, player rankings, and scoring I usually get pretty lost.  I base my opinions on what I always judge first - the people.  I don't look at how great they are at playing or what their stats were last year.  I'm interested mostly in if they're a good person. If they're not I tend not to like them.  If they are, I'll always root for them - even if they're terrible. 

So in honor of my very favorite sports person being in the lead for the British Open right now (a 63, baby!), this week's list will be favorite and least favorite sports figures. 

Faves (aka Loves!):

Phil Mickelson - Best golfer and best human being around.  Love his personality, and his dedication to his fans.  And such a great sense of humor!  He will always be my number one favorite sports person!

And while we're talking about golfers, also add Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar, and Freddie Couples to the list.  (In all honesty, there's probably a lot more to add to the list - golfers tend to be great people.)

Torrey Smith - Even though he doesn't play for the Ravens anymore, I'll always be one of his biggest fans.  He seems like such a down to earth guy and he really reaches out to the community to try to help those less fortunate.

Justin Tucker - Have you seen his Opera singing?  He's hilarious!  And a kick-butt kicker.

Cal Ripken - How can I be from Baltimore and not add him to the list?

Scott Hamilton - I've always loved him!  I will always be hopeless at figure skating but it was my favorite thing to watch when I was little.  His back flips are legendary, almost as much as his positivity and kindness.

Alex Ovechkin - He's always been a great player for the Caps (aka the only hockey team I know anything about), but he got my undying love last year when he took a little girl with special needs who was his biggest fan on a "date" last year.  Adorable!

* I feel terrible that there are no girls on this list, but I know next to nothing about girls sports. That really needs to change!

Least Faves (aka those I can't stand and will always root against)

Ben Roethlisberger
Tom Brady
Tiger Woods
Dustin Johnson
Ndamakong Suh
Ray Rice
The guy that got punched by Manny Machado because he purposefully hit Manny Machado with a pitch
Rob Gronkowski

Open!

Today started one of my favorite weekends of the year sportswise: The Open Championship.  One because, let's face it, I'm a sucker for a good golf tournament.  And two because, they're playing in Scotland.  I'd very much like a job that as a requirement I had to travel to Scotland and play at one of the most beautiful courses in the world.  Seriously, how lucky are these guys?!

As for the first day, there's been lots of bickering over whether Tiger would "come to play" or whether Jordan would surpass him in the standings for best player ever.  Or maybe Rickie Fowler would pull a Phil and win 2 weeks in a row or maybe, just maybe, Phil would actually win again after a disappointing season so far.  If today was any indication, it looks like we have our answers to most of these questions already.

Jordan started out with 4 birdies in 6 holes, cementing himself towards the top of the leaderboard.  By the end of the day he was tied for 3rd place.  Not a bad start for the best player of the year.  Rickie Fowler meanwhile isn't playing terribly, but at Even he's not blowing anyone away with his sheer awesomeness.  Then there's Phil who's actually tied for 22nd place at 2 under, which is pretty respectable.  Please Lefty, please, don't throw it all away tomorrow.  Getting to see Phil and Jordan go head to head on Sunday, would be a great show.  I'm totally not counting on that, but it's nice to dream.

Then there are the real winners and losers.  At the very top is Dustin Johnson - not a huge fan of his so I'm sort of silently hoping he blows it again. (I know, I'm a terrible person).  Jason Day is also very close behind - love Jason and would love to see him get a big win!  And well, for the losers?  That would be Tiger - which nothing gives me more pleasure than to say it.  Tied for 139th place.  (I'm really not this mean usually - just when it comes to DJ and Tiger).  It was a good day seeing that.  : )

Now that he's out of the field, it's shaping up to be a great weekend!  Now if I can get DJ out of the way, I'm all for anyone else taking the cup.  I'd love to see Jordan but I'm always rooting for Phil.  Jason deserves a big win, but so does Rickie or Lee Westwood (not looking like his weekend again, but I'm always pulling for him)  But isn't that the best part of the weekend?  It's anyone's game to win or lose!

Friday Five

1. Love these murals I discovered in Annapolis tonight.  They've probably been there forever, but I've never noticed them before.  So colorful!

2. Is it wrong that I'm loving the US Open mostly because Phil is doing well and Tiger isn't?  I actually sort of feel bad for the guy, and I NEVER say things like that when talking about Tiger.  His game was just that miserable.  But this weekend, even the good games haven't been that stellar.  Those greens are ugly!  However, Phil still made the cut, so either way I'm ok with the outcome (Though I have a cupcake bet on Phil winning so if he could do that, I'd really appreciate it...)

3. Love, Love, Love Jon Stewart!  This was so incredibly well said.  If they actually gave Pulitzers to late night comedians that were truly fantastic news men, he would definitely receive one for this commentary alone.

4. I'm not going to say that I'm the Rock's target audience, which is why I assume I'm not such a fan of any of his movies.  However, he genuinely seems like a nice guy and seeing him let this little girl pull a plane, is pretty darn adorable!

5. And as always, it's summer, and I'm back in love with this song.  The perfect tune for wide open windows and the wind in your hair! 
           

Friday Five

1. I'm way behind on this one, but I'm adoring The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!  It's absolutely adorable!  Leave it to Tina Fey to create a perfect show.  After starting a few hours ago, I'm already 6 episodes in...so darn binge-able! Oh, and the darn theme song will be stuck in my head for years to come.

2. We all know Phil Mickelson's awesome.  But when he did this earlier this week, he became even more awesome. Love him!

3. There are some truly fantastic travel blogs out there.  Of course there are some terrible ones too.  That makes the good ones that much better.  That's pretty much how I feel about LandLopers.  Matt - the blogger - just seems to be in love with travel but he also seems to get what travel writing is all about. He's not just in it to see the world.  He's also in it to share his love with people and he's created his own little niche doing what he loves.  His post this week on how he did it and what you need to do to do it too was fabulous!  If I could figure out how to make his tips work for me, I think I'd be a very happy camper.

4. Fell in love with this version of the song for...reasons.  But then I learned Darius Rucker sang it first. I was never a huge Hootie and the Blowfish fan but Darius Rucker is fabulous!  Now I'm pretty much all about both versions.  It's a pretty darn catchy little song - I'm warning you.  You'll have it stuck in your head for days now!
         

         

5. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Hillywood Show and their jaw-droppingly amazing parody videos.  Well, this right here is a great interview with them.  Their creative process was really cool to hear about and the reactions to their ideas were just so expected from the cast they were working with.  It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to hear about others that love something as much as I do.  (And just in case you want to see it again - here's the best parody video ever!)
          

Jordan!

Absolutely loved seeing Jordan Spieth make history today by winning the Masters.  He broke a boat load of records and still seemed to keep his Texas attitude and easygoing nature while doing so.  Sure I always want Phil to win.  And for a while there, it looked like he might pull it off.  But watching the amazing round that Jordan was playing and seeing as he lead ALL weekend long, it was hard not to root for the guy.  I mean seriously, what's a better Cinderella story than a 21 year old kid, stealing the Prince of Golf crown from Tiger?  I hope that the Golf announcers will now stop mentioning Tiger and comparing every single other player to him now.  That'd be great, thanks.  Let's start comparing him to Jordan.  He's much nicer and at this point in time, a much better golfer!

And honestly, as if Jordan didn't have every other awesome thing going for him, he also has fabulous taste in Baseball jerseys : )

Way to go Jordan!

Friday Five: Master's Edition

1. How can you not love the Big 3 of golf?  Arnie, Jack and Gary are the godfathers of golf and they're treated as royalty each year.  I love seeing them together reminiscing, joking and basically having a grand old time.  They so deserve all the love thrown at them!

2. The Par 3 Contest: How can you not love a golf match full of little cuties in caddy smocks? They're adorable!  Also, what better way to kick off Master's week than being surrounded by your loved ones?

3. Jordan Spieth!  The kid's 22 years old, playing in only his second Masters (have I mentioned he came in second in his first Masters?) and he's already tied the course record 2 days in a row and is leading the pack by 5.  Not that I'm not rooting for my Phil, but I'd love to see Jordan take it out right.  He's been on fire for the last year.  I'm sure he'll have many Masters ahead of him, but he's playing his heart out.  He deserves this win.  (However, I'm still pretty happy that my Phil is doing so well and Tiger is, well...not so much : )

4. The course itself - Have you seen Augusta?  The course's greens are so spotless they look like they've been painted. Not to mention the gorgeous pink azaleas that cover the course. It's just beautiful and serene, and I can only imagine what it's like to get the chance to play there.

5. Ace in the Hole - Jack Nicklaus not only got a hole in one on Wednesday, but a few hours before hand he told the press he'd work on getting one.  The man is 75 years old and is still schooling the pack.  Go Jack!

6. And an additional bonus for the Masters - I love watching it with my dad.  Love that we both love it!

All photos are from Golf.com.  

Friday Five

1. I think, I'd even forgive him for committing the heinous act of destroying a book.  Seriously, look at that little face!  He's so darn cute and apologetic!

2. For the first time all season, Phil Mickelson is in the hunt for first place.  He's currently tied for second which is just so much better than the 30th place he's been averaging for the last few tournaments.  Just in time too, as the Master's is next weekend.  If he wins, (which would be the perfect birthday present, BTW) it'll be just the momentum he needs to grab hold of a third green jacket!

3. Love Ellen's Classic Joke Friday so in honor of Easter: What's the Easter Bunny's favorite restaurant?......... IHOP : )

4. And continuing on with my Ellen love, I read a quote by her this week that will, from now on, be the rule I live by:

"If the temperature is less than my age, I don't get out of bed."

I should start calling out of work now for next winter...

5. Hanging out with a 6 year old all day is just about the perfect day.  She hilarious, and smart and has wicked comedic timing.  Her zingers are epic and she's certainly not afraid to speak her mind.  Love her!

Awesome Ending

It's not exactly the ending I had in mind after almost 6 hours of golf watching, but I can't say it wasn't exciting.  After a dismal year, Phil got my hopes up by dominating the course the last few days.  He didn't gain a spot at the top of the leader-board until today, but he was playing some serious golf all weekend. So of course, I totally got into it.  And he was oh, so very close but in the end after a soggy, rain-delayed, into the dark round of golf, Rory came out on top to win by 1 minuscule little point.  Between the scrambling to finish the round before it was pitch black and the constant rotation of the leader-board, it was quite the exciting afternoon.  

It may not have the same crazy rabid fan base as football does, but you can't argue with golf's ability to get the adrenaline spiking.  

Congrats Rory!

Friday Five

1. Apparently, without me knowing it, I moved from Baltimore to Pamplona Spain this morning.  Seriously?  How does this happen?

2. In honor of the US Open occurring this weekend, Golf.com has had some seriously great stories this week.  This one on the US Open 15 years ago, that Payne Stewart was a wonderful tribute to a great golfer.  And this one, on how much greater than Tiger, Phil Mickelson just makes me smile!

3. Last week was the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy by allied forces.  To memorialize this anniversary, Brian Williams spoke with 4 veterans who were there on that day and took them to Normandy to memorialize the anniversary.  It was a fantastic hour of television celebrating the Greatest generation in every way they deserved.  I'm not sure it's online but if you ever get the chance to see it, it's definitely worth watching.

4. A great night at the ballpark.  Last night I had free tickets to the O's game.  Of course, it's been raining everyday for the last week so I wasn't assuming it was going to be a good evening.  Somehow, even after a ridiculously wet day, the rain finally stopped about 5ish and the game went off without a hitch.  On top of all that, they won 4-1.  Woohoo!

5. A fresh new start which is all I'm going to say right now.  But suffice it to say - Yay!

There's Just Something About Phil

I watch a lot of golf.  There are about 20 players that I'm ok with winning  during any given tournament.  It's not like Baseball or Football when there's only 1 team I want to win (O's and Ravens, of course!) Golf is such a singular sport that over the course of any given weekend, the best player in the world can have a bad day and miss the cut and the rookie can have a good one and come out on top.  And there are some phenomenal players in the field right now - ones that seem like wonderful people (which are always the ones that I root for) and can also play like hell (Kuchar, McIlroy, Furyk, Couples, McDowell, Spieth, Singh, Watson, Fowler - I could go on and on but the truth is as long as your name isn't Tiger Woods, I'll probably root for you.)

But that all changes when Phil's in the field.  If there's even the slightest chance going into Sunday that he could win, my heart belongs to him.  I will never not root for the man.  There's just something about him.  It could be the constant smile or the sparkle in his eye.  Or the fact that he's able to laugh at himself when things aren't going his way.  It may be that, even though he's one of the top 10 players in the world and he obviously takes all aspects of his game very, very seriously, he always looks like he's having a blast on the course. He's able to joke with his team mates and greets fans like their old friends.  Maybe it's that he's a family man who has traveled to tournaments at the very last minute possible so he could see his daughter graduate or something equally important to the family.  Or maybe it's because he's kept his caddy Bones by his side for almost his entire career, even when things aren't really going their way, when others have dropped their caddies any time the winds have shifted (*cough - Tiger- *cough).

Most likely, it's pretty much everything I listed above that makes him the consummate player and professional he is.  He's easy-going, affable and always has fun.  What's even more impossibly charming about the guy is that I've never heard a hard word spoken about him.  There's no real temper there.  Everyone who's ever spoken about him on tour, has the most glowing words possible to say about him.  He's never been in the tabloids or lost his cool in the press.  Even when, his wife, Amy got sick a few years ago, he kept the news private and never blamed their struggles for anything going on in his game.

He's an all around athlete, a gentleman golfer just like the greats (Arnie and Jack) and will forever be my favorite, which is why I just love US Open Weekends when he's near the top of the leaderboard.

Go Phil Go!

A Tradition Like No Other...

Some sports fans wait all year for the Super Bowl, others are nearly giddy during the baseball post-season.  Me? I go crazy for Master's weekend.  You heard me.  The "tradition like no other" that Bob Costas has been touting in 10 second interludes for the last 3 months - that's the one.  Everything about it is respected and it truly is traditional in every sense of the word.

Over the years, the game of golf has become a bit less gentlemanly than it has been in the past.  With possible cheating scandals (on and off the greens) and public outbursts and spats, it's moving slowly towards all the other sports rather than the gentleman's club it was in the beginning.  But all allusions to those behaviors are thrown out the window during Master's week. Everyone just sort of decides to be on their best behavior.  I mean, wouldn't you if you were being watched by the ever-attentive godfathers of golf - Arnold Palmer,  Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player?  Even though they've long since retired, they're in Augusta every year kicking off the events and keeping a close eye on the players and fans alike.

Then of course there's the fun.  A dinner chosen for all the players by last year's winner - what a perk after fighting for that win!  And you can't forget the Par 3 contest where children, spouses and significant others regularly caddy for their loved ones and the mood's so relaxed that players are betting with fans.  

But come Thursday, it's all business on this most beautiful of all courses.  The fans are more respectful - you don't hear any "Get in the hole!" at Augusta after tee off.  The players are quieter - they're playing in Augusta afterall, this place is hallowed ground.  And pace is a bit slower.  But the sandwiches are always Pimento.  The tea is sweet.  Amen Corner is quietly hushed and the azaleas are blooming brightly.  It's a sight to see and I'm just glad we get to see it.

Day One was a long one that started with no Tiger (side note - woohoo!), and some big players falling quickly behind the pack (Come on Phil, get it together!).  But if I've learned anything, it's that Masters golf can change in an instant.  I'm just glad we get to go along for the ride.

Go Phil!

I've talked before about how I'm a bit of a fan of golf, and have also mentioned how much I happen to like Phil Mickelson.  But I'm not sure I've ever said why.  Aside from being a spectacular golfer who can thrill fans and break their hearts in a matter of one round and aside from never doing what you think he's going to do and always playing how he wants to, he is, by far, what seems to be the absolute nicest and most down to earth player on tour.  He's an absolute gentleman who follows the unsaid rules of golf, as well as a devoted family man.  Don't believe me?  On Monday of this week (US Open week!) when he was supposed to be practicing in Merion PA, he flew home to California to watch his daughter speak at her 8th grade graduation then caught a flight back just in time for his Thursday tee time.  Somehow I just don't see Tiger doing something like that.  Kids could use more sports role models like Phil and less like Tiger.  A few of the players on tour could even learn a thing or two about decorum from him, if they'd just pay attention.

So, the fact that he's in winning position (he's been here before, 5x with no win...) makes it even sweeter!  I'm sure I speak for all of Lefty's many, many fans when I say, Go Phil, keep on doing what you're doing and bring this trophy home! 

Masters Weekend

At work today, a bunch of us were talking about our plans for the weekend.  I was the only one who was super-excited about it being Masters Weekend.  For the most part I was mercilessly teased by those who just didn't get how riveting golf can be.  I've said before that I can waste entire weekends watching golf especially if Phil Mickelson is in the hunt.  But I'm even more obsessed with Masters weekend.

I think one of the major reasons I enjoy watching golf is that it's a gentleman's sport.  There's no cursing or screaming or fighting and raging.  This seems to be even more the case in Augusta.  It starts with Arnie and Jack.  The players have complete and utter respect for these titans of the sport.  And having them there all week, to show the younger guys how to behave is just a fantastic way to promote what the sport is about.

Along with the seriousness of the tournament, they also take the time for fun.  The Par 3 contest is another perfect example of why golf is so enjoyable.  Allowing friends and family members caddy for the players while going out to strictly enjoy themselves at one of the most beautiful courses in the world seems like the perfect way to spend a Wednesday.  There's a bit of a curse (the winner of Par 3 has never won the Masters) but for the most part, the players don't care.  They're there to enjoy being in Augusta and getting the chance to play with their idols.

All in all, watching the masters of the sport, play a few rounds at an impeccable course is still a pretty fantastic way to spend the weekend...even if I am the only one that thinks so!

You May Have Heard...

I LOVE this picture! It is by far my favorite shot of the whole Super Bowl!

* Pictures: BuzzFeed

 

The Ravens won the Super Bowl!

 

If you were a Ravens fan, it was a very long evening and a real nail-biter. (Although, I'm sure if you were a Niners fan, it was an even longer evening without the happy ending)  By the last 2 minutes (where I still haven't the foggiest as to what occurred), my head was under the blanket with my ears covered.  I couldn't bear to watch us possibly lose after such an amazing start to the game.  The Niners fought hard and very nearly eked out a win after such a rough start.  They deserve a great deal of credit!  But after a few minutes of random-ness, our boys pulled it out and caused an uproar and utter chaos in the state of Maryland.

 

Going into this game, the stories were too good to be true.  The Harbaugh brothers facing off against each other.  Ray Lewis' last game.  A quarterback who surprisingly admitted he WAS the best quarterback in the league before the season even started.  And the purple birds being called the underdogs for the the hundredth time this season even after pummeling arguably the 2 best quarterbacks in the league.  After the festivities and fun, winning would have just been icing on the cake.  And boy is it ever!  I'm fairly sure the entire state is still partying and plans to until the 2013-14 season starts.

Way to go guys!  You pulled it off with class!

 

* And while most people were watching the pre-game festivities, I was watching the other awesome feat of sportsmanship that occurred yesterday. (I'm a bit of a golf fan, if I haven't mentioned that before...)

* Picture: Sports Illustrated

 

I watched Phil Mickelson pull out his first win of the season with some truly magical shots and his usual class and humor in tact.  He may not get the accolades or as much screen time as the NFL, but he's every bit the athlete and most often an even better person.  Way to go Lefty!