MICHELLE BASHING A WIE TOO MUCH

It's easy to get down on Michelle Wie. Most people are. The latest, LPGA immortal Annika Sorenstam. Along with the pundits in the media.

And it may well be a while before she again holds a trophy as in the picture. So?

She's had perhaps some bad advice about playing tournaments with the men. But what's the harm? Other than taking a bashing from Those Who Know.

One of these days she will make the cut, something no other woman including Annika has done. When she does, it will be historical. She's a huge draw. She added a lot to this week's tourney, and since she blew up on the back nine and didn't advance, watch the attendance dwindle.

She's newsworthy. She has a great swing, a great game. She's stylish, she's young, she's attractive. She's likable. To me she's not obnoxious. She's just a female golfer trying to break into uncharted waters.

It's not like she retired and then un-retired. It's not like she will get paid to stay out of competing/ out of the limelight. I guess you have to be old to be a media darling.

I saw her play at Superstition Mountain a few years ago. It was an LPGA event. She didn't win. But her following equaled, in fact, surpassed Annika's that day. Maybe that's what all the negativity about Ms. Wie's all about. A little green eyed.

HOW ABOUT THIS?

Let's take a Presidential candidate. With lots of money and lots of moxy. Let's have him give a speech. He's good at that. Much better at speaking than acting. That is, at governing. Or even being present for a vote. But if he does vote one way, he can re-tool his ideas and flip flop.

Let's send this inexperienced candidate to a foreign land. How about Germany? Let's get a huge crowd to cheer him on. Ok, how? Let's offer free concerts just before he speaks. Two--one a rock concert for we need young Europeans in the crowd. So let's get a group called Reammon, they're popular. Add reggae star Patrice, a popular German artist, and have them entertain, gratis of course, just before our candidate speaks.

Don't worry about the press. They'll just show thousands wildly cheering him. Plus, it worked in May in Portland, Oregon, when we used the same tactic of offering a free concert before his speech and the press never mentioned it.

I think it'll work again. At least that's what Jan Ekin reports from Black Canyon City, AZ.

Do I believe her? Unequivocally. Who would make something like that up? And the beat and the beating goes on. Just what place does partiality and unfairness have in news reporting? It's a thing in the past.

DIZ

I've noticed a trend. In music. For me and my generation.

When we were teens, we were fortunate to have the British invasion genesised by The Beatles. We loved to play our music loudly. The Stones, The Monkees, CC Revival, The Doors, Vanilla Fudge (at least my roommate and I loved to play "You Keep Me Hanging On" very loud.)

Then came The Golden Oldies. FM radio stations popped up and oldies ruled. Even the next generation was weaned on them. At least they knew them, whether they enjoyed them or not. Unfortunately, their generation didn't offer a lot of lasting music. Unless you count ABBA and Mamma Mia. Or "YMCA."

Then came Smooth Jazz. It's the Kyote in Scottsdale, 98.1 in San Diego, and 101.5, I believe, in St. Louis. None of them may play Dizzy G. but Kenny G. is big, along with a bevy of new artists, even John Legend and some reggae. Soft, of course, for us oldies who have tired of the oldies and even the British influence of the 1960's.

Some of us have gone to Christian radio stations spawned by Sandy Patty and Amy Grant, but fully blown up now from musicians and groups too numerous to mention. But recognizable names such as Stephen Curtis Chapman and Jason Russ. OK, maybe you haven't heard of the latter, our Minister of Music but he has some CD's and he's good, too.

So that's my epiphany of the day. "Like sands through the hour glass.." oh, wait; that's been taken by a soap opera. As we grow older, we leave behind some of our earlier loves and gravitate to smooth jazz and Christian music. And, it's all good, with an occasional dose of oldies--played loudly, of course. Our hearing's not what it used to be either.

MY BLUE HEAVEN

I didn't really know him. Just of him. I'm sitting next to him in the press box. Getting ready to announce my first varsity high school football game. I simply got the job because a friend, John Cruser was AD, and he knew I liked sports. It was a new system that had a second and a half delay from what the announcer spoke was broadcast over the speakers. It bothered the former announcer. It didn't bother me, so I got the job.

For 19 football seasons I was "The voice of the Rams" as public address announcer at Vernois, later Shields Memorial Stadium. But back to my first Friday night.

I have a few jitters. I mean I'd never even announced a frosh game, so I was feeling my way. The WMIX radio announcer had been "the Voice of the Rams" on radio for many years. And he was good. Oh, J Callarman might yell at the officials a little too much, but he was good, I thought.

As I was looking over the lineups and preparing game notes, he suddenly bursts out with "My Blue Heaven". Very loudly. He didn't have a second and a half delay. It was full blown. He knew every word. Every verse. It wasn't bad at all. Just strange.

But that was John. Very comfortable with who he was. I envied him that. Especially in later years when I would sing and my kids would tell me to quit ruining a good song for them. Maybe I just got too used to the delay from microphone to speakers.

GIVE A BIG THUMB UP TO...

We all know from Siskel and Ebert what two thumbs up mean. Not a big watcher of their show, I have no clue if they ever gave just one thumb up.

So I'll give just one thumb up to...

class reunions

vice presidential candidates

chocolate

fancy/costly restaurants

most newspapers

most actors/actresses

the Cardinals

unbuttered popcorn

snail mail

movies about sports

long novels

early bedtime

the NFL

the NBA

golden oldies

blue jeans ( I can never seem to find a pair that fits me perfectly, and when I have [ok I hyperbolized never] I wear them out in places that can't be sewn or look good holy)

re-watching a favorite tv show from years ago (I recently got excited about the chance to view St. Elsewhere. After less than 5 minutes, I turned channels.)

I guess the last one wasn't even a full thumb up, so it's time to move on.

I'LL TAKE IT

Did you ever know a child who didn't love dandelions? Me neither. The kid will pretty much take what he/she is given.

They don't understand that dandelions are not valuable. To them they are readily available, pretty in their bright yellow color, and when they can be blown away spreading their seeds near and far, well, they're just fun.

The same with clover. Making chains was more of a girl thing. The boys liked to break the chains or necklaces the girls created and strung together.

Maple pods make whirly birds when they'd be wind or human blown. Some more musically inclined could make a noise with them by putting them in their mouth and holding it just the right way. I never could do that anymore than I could whistle with fingers poked in my mouth or make the flatulant sound of bare hand next to bare armpit.

But I could appreciate those who could. But I also appreciated the dandelion, the clover, and the maple pods. All remnants of a childhood well spent outdoors.