Loss of a tradition

Although I'm pretty fanatical about the Red Sox these days, there was a time when my sports obsession focused on golf. During the 80s, I was a total golf geek. Every weekend, I'd spend my afternoon plunked in front of the television, enjoying the ups and downs of all the players.. My favorites were Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, and, of course, my hometown "buddy" Brad Faxon. But I knew most of the Tour members by name, and most by sight.

Over time,I remained a casual fan, until the coming of Tiger. Although I thought he was a good player, I hated the way the golf press fawned over him. They took all the fun out of the game for me - you rarely saw those other favorites and the other competitors on the course faded from the public eye. I found no joy in watching Tiger, and slowly, I stopped watching.

Still, I was looking forward to catching some of the Masters Tournament this weekend. It's a much-loved rite of spring - seeing the azaleas blooming in Amen Corner, enjoying the pageantry, admiring the golfing prowess of the players. But, but, but. This is the time that Tiger has decided to return, hoping to overcome his problems of the past six months and triumph in Augusta.

Yawn.

I really can't muster any enthusiasm for the Tournament. Barely a glance at the leaderboard this morning, only to note that Fred Couples is in the lead. But you wouldn't know who was leading unless you looked at the scores. All of the news articles are focused on Tiger. Tiger humbled, Tiger excited about the response of the fans (who he has ignored his entire career), no one booing Tiger, blah blah blah.

So, PGA Tour and CBS, you've lost this once faithful viewer. I'll be watching baseball this weekend, or a movie, or enjoying the beautiful spring. Anything except watching you fawn over Mr. Woods.

Waiting for baseball

Killing time until a late start of 8:00 for the Sox and Yankees (thanks alot, ESPN)

*Been a whirlwind of a few days. I hosted my Bunco group Thursday night, went up to Nashville for an (overnight) seminar Friday/Saturday, and then had a wedding to go to Saturday night. Phew. So, today, Sunday, has been catch-up day.

*I belong to a wonderful group called Delta Kappa Gamma. It's an international society for "key women educators," and I've enjoyed being a part of it. As a faculty member in an independent school, it's a great way to connect with my public school counterparts; as a taxpayer, it's great to get a different perspective on how my tax dollars are being spent. My chapter, Gamma Lambda, is fairly new - I was initiated in only the second year of its existence. Recently, I was elected Chapter President (!), and I went to a workshop for new officers. Got me very excited about my two years in office.

*One of my dear friends on the faculty, Suzie, married off her eldest daughter Saturday night - and threw a fantastic party. Suzie is from New Orleans originally, and the reception paid tribute to her roots. They passed pralines and Hurricanes; there was crawfish, crab cakes, beignets...Yum! And premium liquor at the open bar - I ordered a vodka tonic and was surprised to see Absolut being poured! The reception was at the Fairyland Club ( it's pronounced "Fairland") atop Lookout Mountain, a fantastic spot with a view of the whole valley . It's right next to Rock City - and I'm sure I saw 7 states last night!

*Am I a really horrible person to be cheering AGAINST Tiger Woods this weekend? I'm so bored with him - yes he's great, but I want to see someone else have success. That's why Trevor Immelman's story is so fantastic.
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

*Round one of Red Sox vs. Yankees this weekend, and they've split so far. I haven't been able to watch either game - Friday I was out of town and yesterday I was at the wedding - so I'm really looking forward to following tonight's game LIVE!

In the meantime, some great photos from Kelly from last night:


Let's win this series!