The Links Lounge (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION/LIV ***)

[Petethreeput]

3 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

Our weather is going to be a bit nasty today with lots of rain and high winds.

 

I need to make a correction on my post about not having a 60* wedge. I actually have two in my vintage collection that I forgot about.

 

I had a 60* with the same rounded edge and I could take divots that were a foot long and 6" deep.  The wedge has come a long, long way since those gems were being used.

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Petethreeput said:

It sounds like the tournaments are winding down and then we enter into Masters week and then its baseball.  I just want to say the Pirates are the 5-0 for the first time in 41 years.  Its good to know as they limp home to an 84 win season they could win at one point.  I don't understand having the #1 pick, they pick a "pro ready" pitcher and they start him in the minors.  Baseball is baseball.  If you pitch your job is to throw it.  If you hit, your job is to hit it.  If your not doing those things then your job is to catch it.  I get it, it's a long season.  Its a thinking man's sport so you have to learn.  Learn what?  The guy is throwing 100+ 20 times an outing, give him the ball and let him learn.  He has one start at AAA and he was "dominant" as the paper says (I didn't read the article just the headline), so clearly he has already learned how to throw.  Stephen Strasbourg, here we come.  You can't learn how to pitch if you throw 2-3 innings at a time.  Let the kid pitch, let him pitch for 7 innings, and let him figure out how to pitch not just revel in the heat.

 

 

... I read an interesting article about the Single A Minor League team in the Chicago burbs that we would go see several times a year.  Some of the best prospects were assigned to them because they had a kinda indoctrination Program for new players. English lessons, Murican food introductions and several other taught skills that would help them in the Majors. It had several paragraphs about regular ole USA rookies and why some time in the minors was a good idea before sending them up. It reminded me a little of Earl making Tiger play Jr's and not play with adults before he learned how to win and dominate his opponents. Even "can't miss" prospects would spend at least several weeks in the minors before moving up. 

... That was maybe 25 years ago so things change and players are probably ready sooner I think but it was a really interesting read. 

[Petethreeput]

47 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... I read an interesting article about the Single A Minor League team in the Chicago burbs that we would go see several times a year.  Some of the best prospects were assigned to them because they had a kinda indoctrination Program for new players. English lessons, Murican food introductions and several other taught skills that would help them in the Majors. It had several paragraphs about regular ole USA rookies and why some time in the minors was a good idea before sending them up. It reminded me a little of Earl making Tiger play Jr's and not play with adults before he learned how to win and dominate his opponents. Even "can't miss" prospects would spend at least several weeks in the minors before moving up. 

... That was maybe 25 years ago so things change and players are probably ready sooner I think but it was a really interesting read. 

The Pirate prospect is Paul Skenes and he just graduated from LSU as a senior.  His last outing he threw 20 pitches over 100 mph and he pitched in the CWS last year and was their stud starter so I get why they had the pitch count last year when he came to the Pirates.  Apparently his stuff is crazy, and he is actually currently rated higher than another rookie they have playing for the MLB club.  He had half a year in the minors already so it just makes no sense.  I also think he was pretty dominant in spring training if I remember correctly.

 

I don't know.  The greats threw a lot of innings.  Now if a starter makes it to the 5th its a statistic, isn't it now considered a "quality start" and that is weird.  Think about those guys throwing 200 innings a year and now they aren't even getting close.  The true "pitcher" is done, now it's just a thrower who doesn't have to actually see a rotation 3 times.  They can try to overpower the batters, then get yanked, and invariably they get hurt.

 

All in the name of analytics.  They ruined the game is what they did, and it was slow to begin with.

 

Adding:  I think of guys like Maddux, Glavine, Ryan, Jack Morris, even as recent as Schilling (who is crazy), Clements, and who knows who I can't even remember, Pedro Martinez, maybe?

Edited April 2 by Petethreeput

[touch]

I'll need more of a setback to keep me from playing my twentieth round of the year than a semi bum wrist. Yesterday's short game practice session was the test for my wrist. I didn't make the condition worse so I'm taping it up and swallowing a few Advils and will be play this afternoon at 2:45. 

I can't risk any development of rust in my driver game by missing playing 18 this week. I need my mostly straight and true 215 yard bombs with my Paradym to continue. 😃

 

It's hazy and dare I say hot today? Temps are going into the middle 80's this afternoon here in WNC.

 

My friend Peter is back from 5 months in New Zealand and it will be great to play with him again.

 

Round 20 is taking place at my favorite course the CC of A. Hooray I'm playing the most green golf course in town. Let's see how many times my Lob wedge sets me up for either a par saving putt or lands close from the fairway and provides me with a shorty for birdie. 

 

Going in excited but also a bit on the old and creeky side. 😄

 

[chisag]

9 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

I don't know.  The greats threw a lot of innings.  Now if a starter makes it to the 5th its a statistic, isn't it now considered a "quality start" and that is weird.  Think about those guys throwing 200 innings a year and now they aren't even getting close.  The true "pitcher" is done, now it's just a thrower who doesn't have to actually see a rotation 3 times.  They can try to overpower the batters, then get yanked, and invariably they get hurt.

 

All in the name of analytics.  They ruined the game is what they did, and it was slow to begin with.

 

Adding:  I think of guys like Maddux, Glavine, Ryan, Jack Morris, even as recent as Schilling (who is crazy), Clements, and who knows who I can't even remember, Pedro Martinez, maybe?

 

 

 

... Oh yea, I really miss great pitching. Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks comes as close as I have seen in awhile and will pitch complete games because he isn't over powering hitters, he is outsmarting them and has great location. But I hear ya, it is so rare these days and announcers will openly say "He probably won't face them again as it would be his third time though the line up" and in comes a middle reliever. 

[Hickory4ever]

1 hour ago, Petethreeput said:

I had a 60* with the same rounded edge and I could take divots that were a foot long and 6" deep.  The wedge has come a long, long way since those gems were being used.

I don’t think the two I showed are reflective of the most common early wedges, some of which are as playable as any wedge today, especially early Wilson and George Nicholl clubs. My replica 1930’s Tom Stewart could play comfortably in my modern sets. I will stick the shiniest Buckley-Ralston in my classic bag and give it a try. I just checked the SW and it is G5(not a misprint) which means it will be suitable for excavating. I think I have used shovels with a lower SW 😀. The good news is I don’t think I am strong enough to decelerate when swinging it. Let the club do the work takes on a new meaning.

Edited April 2 by Hickory4ever

[aenemated]

2 hours ago, NCLancer said:

This is the pic that everyone is hoping to see:

 

 

 

 

Former Mrs. ae is headed out to Augusta Monday. She got tickets for Tuesday and taking her dad. 

 

"Why aren't you taking me?"

"Do you need all the names?"

" ... ok. Point." 

 

😂

[chisag]

... A very unusual 1.2" of rain Sunday at my home course in the desert so I am expecting very soft conditions. We had to cancel yesterdays round as the course had standing water on quite a few holes. 


A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.  Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.^[1]

[aenemated]

13 minutes ago, chisag said:

... A very unusual 1.2" of rain Sunday at my home course in the desert so I am expecting very soft conditions. We had to cancel yesterdays round as the course had standing water on quite a few holes. 


A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.  Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.^[1]

 

Sounds like yall got the storm we got Saturday. 

[chisag]

22 minutes ago, aenemated said:

 

Sounds like yall got the storm we got Saturday. 

 

 

... Yup, Thanks! Flooding is never good of course but other than that, we can't complain about rain. Ever. Filling the reservoirs and aquifers are essential to life in the desert. A ton of snow in the AZ mountains this winter/spring and as you know the slow melting of the snow is even more beneficial than the rain. 

[DLeightonReid]

7 hours ago, NCLancer said:

On a positive note, the Redbirds won last night!

That is a positive for us life-long Redbirds fans!  No worries on the emoji....I did combine a serious and funny post together.  

[DLeightonReid]

Here’s a video of the approaching storm yesterday evening. 
 

 

 

[deadsolid...shank]

3 hours ago, Petethreeput said:

The Pirate prospect is Paul Skenes and he just graduated from LSU as a senior.  His last outing he threw 20 pitches over 100 mph and he pitched in the CWS last year and was their stud starter so I get why they had the pitch count last year when he came to the Pirates.  Apparently his stuff is crazy, and he is actually currently rated higher than another rookie they have playing for the MLB club.  He had half a year in the minors already so it just makes no sense.  I also think he was pretty dominant in spring training if I remember correctly.

 

I don't know.  The greats threw a lot of innings.  Now if a starter makes it to the 5th its a statistic, isn't it now considered a "quality start" and that is weird.  Think about those guys throwing 200 innings a year and now they aren't even getting close.  The true "pitcher" is done, now it's just a thrower who doesn't have to actually see a rotation 3 times.  They can try to overpower the batters, then get yanked, and invariably they get hurt.

 

All in the name of analytics.  They ruined the game is what they did, and it was slow to begin with.

 

Adding:  I think of guys like Maddux, Glavine, Ryan, Jack Morris, even as recent as Schilling (who is crazy), Clements, and who knows who I can't even remember, Pedro Martinez, maybe?

He has a better build to maybe be able to sustain the torque of pitching. His motion is effortless and if I remember correctly he threw over 100 pitches twice in the CWS last year (don’t quote me on that because I could be wrong). He’s a big boy. 

 

I HATE analytics!!

 

All those pitchers you mentioned were so efficient. Ryan maybe worked harder than some of them, but he was a freak. It was funny watching the end of the Astros game last night, they had a no hitter from a spot starter. The franchise has 17 no hitters in history. What does Ryan have 7 or 8 (or more). These guys now put so much into every pitch. The strain is incredible (all the sliders and cutters don’t help). The days of pitching to contact and letting your defense work behind you are in the past. We’re in a home run and strikeout era. Although last years changes helped. I’m looking forward to seeing your boy pitch in the bigs!

 

BTW—I HATE analytics. 
 

 

[Petethreeput]

16 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

Here’s a video of the approaching storm yesterday evening. 
 

 

 

IMG_0151.mov

That's crazy.  So much lightning.  I am assuming you might see a tornado or two as well?

[Petethreeput]

6 minutes ago, deadsolid...shank said:

He has a better build to maybe be able to sustain the torque of pitching. His motion is effortless and if I remember correctly he threw over 100 pitches twice in the CWS last year (don’t quote me on that because I could be wrong). He’s a big boy. 

 

I HATE analytics!!

 

All those pitchers you mentioned were so efficient. Ryan maybe worked harder than some of them, but he was a freak. It was funny watching the end of the Astros game last night, they had a no hitter from a spot starter. The franchise has 17 no hitters in history. What does Ryan have 7 or 8 (or more). These guys now put so much into every pitch. The strain is incredible (all the sliders and cutters don’t help). The days of pitching to contact and letting your defense work behind you are in the past. We’re in a home run and strikeout era. Although last years changes helped. I’m looking forward to seeing your boy pitch in the bigs!

 

BTW—I HATE analytics. 
 

 

It just makes no sense to me.  It would seem if you are trying to protect a pitcher the way to do it would be to tell the kid you have 7 innings at least.  You don't have to rip your arm off your body, you need to pitch.  The way these guys are asked to throw it's no wonder 30% of them end up under the knife.

[DLeightonReid]

4 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

That's crazy.  So much lightning.  I am assuming you might see a tornado or two as well?

I have seen two tornados here in SW Missouri.  A few years back we lost 6 mature oak trees in our yard from what the experts called straight line winds.  

[dashanks]

On 3/31/2024 at 11:04 PM, chisag said:

... A Lounge Public Service announcement. Thought I would pass something along from my years teaching, playing and helping my partners. I am sure most of you know this is a fundamental, but it is one I see constantly over looked. Maybe because it is so simple and self explanatory many tend to over look it or worse, ignore it. 

... It doesn't matter of you are a hitter or swinger. Puller or Thrower. You have to swing with or hit with the golf club. So often I see players over doing positions, or body movements, arm movements, cocking their wrists early or extending and cocking their wrists later. They are concentrating so much on something they are working on, they forget to swing the club. Lots of agonizing over getting the swing weight just right and they don't actually swing the club. 

... So make sure you are swinging the club, not just moving body parts. I have worked with one of my good friends starting 4 years ago when he couldn't break 100. I have given him very little instruction but have worked on some key elements of his swing and he now shoots in the upper 80's or low 90's. He still has a tendency to line up aimed far to the right, and then he turns his body back throwing the club from over the top causing all kinds of problems. I was working with him after our round  Friday and exaggerating a move with him in an open stance so he could feel a release from the inside. I asked him how heavy his club felt and he replied he didn't know because he never feels the club in his swing. 😱 He tries to just turn his body and let the club come along for the ride. He saw a Youtube video telling him to swing with his body and not use his hands "Don't let the tail wag the dog". The golf swing is a synergistic endeavor and you should use all your body parts in harmony. 

... Next time at the range or on the course, just check and make sure you are swinging or hitting with the club and not individual body parts or positions. 

And that's what's so dangerous about trying to figure out this game.   That will usually lead to a swing thought, which will often lead to a body part, which you then get stuck on and ruin the fluidity.   The swing is a dance.  Sometimes you're Nureyev.  Sometimes you're Elaine. 

[deadsolid...shank]

7 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

It just makes no sense to me.  It would seem if you are trying to protect a pitcher the way to do it would be to tell the kid you have 7 innings at least.  You don't have to rip your arm off your body, you need to pitch.  The way these guys are asked to throw it's no wonder 30% of them end up under the knife.

They’re all about velocity now (including the most worthless analytic stat ever, exit velocity). People should watch tapes of Greg Maddux pitching. The movement and location were amazing. Although he did pitch to the widest strike zone in history. if he had had Angel Hernandez behind the plate he’d have been throwing balls into the dugouts and getting strike calls!

[Hickory4ever]

We are under a weather alert along with most of SW Ontario. The winds are picking up and power outages are possible along with 1 to 2 inches of rain. Obviously golf is on hold.

 

 

[aenemated]

Funny ... almost 30 years between ...

 

[touch]

I love playing late in the day when the course is almost empty.

We had a blast. 

I picked up an 828 pizza Mr. @NCLancer and there isn't any green pepper to be found. 

Only pepperoni and mushroom this time.

I am heading home. I am starving. Thankfully there was zero issues with my left wrist. 

It hit 82* out on the course! 

 

[aenemated]

42 minutes ago, touch said:

I am heading home. I am starving. Thankfully there was zero issues with my left wrist. 

It hit 82* out on the course! 

 

The obvious solution is to hit fewer shots, LP 😉 

[NJBigFish22]

1 hour ago, aenemated said:

Funny ... almost 30 years between ...

 

This is like the drummer version of yin and Yang 30 years in the making,  We have white on the left with right hand over left and black with left over right.  Fascinating picture, but you need a black glove, the white is just off!😂😂

[Mrgreen36]

I might be able to get this one out of hair soonish.  Possibly this weekend, run shoe, install moulding under the treads, new cap on knee wall upstairs (after they move big stuff up there.  

 

Strange stop for the half bath....

 

Also, for wonky old house, it's going to look better than it should.  

[aenemated]

31 minutes ago, NJBigFish22 said:

This is like the drummer version of yin and Yang 30 years in the making,  We have white on the left with right hand over left and black with left over right.  Fascinating picture, but you need a black glove, the white is just off!😂😂

 

I'm JUST traditional enough that I can't do a black glove. 😂

 

I actually do need to re-stock the gloves but I'm waiting for T-Dub.

[NCLancer]

2 hours ago, touch said:

I love playing late in the day when the course is almost empty.

We had a blast. 

I picked up an 828 pizza Mr. @NCLancer and there isn't any green pepper to be found. 

Only pepperoni and mushroom this time.

I am heading home. I am starving. Thankfully there was zero issues with my left wrist. 

It hit 82* out on the course! 

 

Pizza just looks fantastic!! Yummy.

[Petethreeput]

30 minutes ago, aenemated said:

 

I'm JUST traditional enough that I can't do a black glove. 😂

 

I actually do need to re-stock the gloves but I'm waiting for T-Dub.

Costco.  It’s the only way to fly for gloves.

[NJBigFish22]

5 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

Costco.  It’s the only way to fly for gloves.

They are a good deal, but now that I don’t wear 1 even they are expensive! 😂

[Double Mocha Man]

43 minutes ago, Mrgreen36 said:

I might be able to get this one out of hair soonish.  Possibly this weekend, run shoe, install moulding under the treads, new cap on knee wall upstairs (after they move big stuff up there.  

 

Strange stop for the half bath....

 

Also, for wonky old house, it's going to look better than it should.  

 

I like the toilet next to the kitchen sink. No bothersome running halfway across the house when you get the urge.

[NJBigFish22]

So went out again this morning to play.  The front nine was solid with little rain, the back was played in a monsoon.  I stopped after 14, heavy rains 25 mph winds, 40* temps and a rapidly unplayable course, made my decision fairly easy.   After I got home it was time to spread all the wet gear out on the dining room table to dry out for the next go round.