Bet you didn't think you'd ever see a Master's champion named Bubba

I didn't.  But over the past few years, this guy has exploded onto the golf scene.  Literally.  He drives the ball 400 yards, is a great all-around person (funny as hell too I might add), and deserves this title.

Louis Oostuezin(or however it's spelled) albatrossed #2 to vault to the top of the leaderboard at 10 under, and seemed to be playing defensive the rest of the day.  I called 10 under to be the winning score, and Bubba strung 4 birdies together on the back nine to get even with Louis and force the playoff.

On the par-4 10th, a dog-leg left downhill hole, Bubba hit a straight-left shot in the woods near the parking lot, and all Double-O had to do was take his favorite 3-wood out of the bag and place it somewhere in play.  Instead, the club he had been hitting so well all week launched his ball straight right in the woods giving him almost no shot.  His 2nd landed short of the green, and then it was time for Watson to make some Masters magic happen.  He said "I saw I had an opening when I was walking up to my ball, and I hit the hook real well."  That was apparent, as he hit the perfect amount of hook on the ball with his wedge out of thick pine straw to land it within 15 feet of the hole.  Top 10 shot I have ever seen.

Louis hit a bump and run for his 3rd to the back of the green, a nearly impossible shot, and was still away.  His putt ran just over the left edge, and all Mr. Watson had to do was nestle the ball to within a foot and tap in to become 2012 Masters champion.

No one deserved it more than him.  After getting an emotional hug from his mom after the putt, who he said later worked two jobs while he was in high school, and keeping his thoughts of his new life with a brand new child and wife in check, he was clearly prepared mentally and it showed.

Go Bubba!

Peyton Manning to.... Denver?

John Elway and the Denver Broncos have won the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes.  He was signed to a 5 year, 96 million dollar deal, with parameters based on his neck and having to pass physicals each year.  Yes, the Broncos just became Super Bowl contenders.

Manning's first visit was with Denver, and there is no doubt that Elway was able to keep him feeling comfortable.  He probably told him Tebow would be gone as soon as he signed (4th and 6th round pick to the Jets), and with the most cap room in the NFL, the team can still sign a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball.  Jeff Saturday, Peyton's long-time center, is scheduled to make a visit to Denver and will likely sign with them.  Having his signal-caller for the o-line would be a HUGE addition.  Dallas Clark is also a free-agent, by the way.

Denver has lots of young receivers, but Peyton liked Eric Decker coming out of college, and now he gets to have some fun with the guy.  Royal and Thomas are still young, but will see a much larger role with Tebow out of the mix.  Manning has never had a defense like this, and expectations are sky-high.  The Broncos will blow right through the terribly-coached AFC west, and for all the people wondering about his neck, Peyton doesn't take hits.  He goes down to the turf as fast as possible if he knows pressure is coming, or uses his impeccable footwork to make something happen.  John Lynch had the same neck surgery, and he speared people for a living, and I'd say he did pretty well for the Broncos.

Free-agency just started, and the draft isn't for another month.  We'll see what kind of pieces the Broncos can put in place, but i think things are only looking up.  Watch out for 4,400 yards and 32 touchdowns next season from Manning.

2012 Rockies Outlook

The Colorado Rockies certainly made some interesting moves to their roster this past off-season, and much of it flew under the radar thanks to the non-coverage from ESPN, or as I refer to them, the Eastern Seaboard Promotional Network.

When Jorge de la Rosa threw out his elbow last year, the re-shaping of the team began.  Ubaldo Jimenez was dealt to the Indians in return for Cleveland's future, LHP Drew Pomeranz(projected #2 starter), and Alex White who has a good chance to get into the rotation.  Jhoulys Chacin will likely be the opening day starter.  Jeremy Guthrie was acquired via Baltimore as well, and likely will be a 3 or 4 guy for Colorado.

Aaron Cook and Ryan Spilborghs were let go, Seth Smith was traded to Oakland for Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso, 2 pitchers who will probably make the rotation.  The Rox also let Ty Wiggington, Huston Street, Chris Ianetta and Ian Stewart go, players who never lived up to their potential.

O'Dowd made a big splash in free-agency signing OF/1B Michael Cuddyer from the Twins, an All-Star last year and likely taking over in Right Field.  They also signed Ramon Hernandez at catcher, Casey Blake(3b) and Marco Scutaro(2b/SS).  Cuddyer will be a great bat in the 5th spot, Todd Helton should continue to produce batting 2nd, and the rest of the lineup will be up in the air besides Fowler leading off.  Watch out for Wilin Rosario, a young catcher who has risen all the way from single-A to AAA quickly because of his strong arm and solid plate demeanor.  He could get the call fairly early in the season.

Overall, I like the talent they brought in this year. Stewart, Ianetta and Cook were not getting it done, and with bigger bats now in the lineup, they should have plenty of run support if Car-Go and Tulo can stay healthy.      

The WGC-Accenture Match Play- Tiger's chances

Since winning the Chevron challenge at the end of last year, Tiger Woods has failed to compile 4 solid rounds in a row.  With a share of the lead in Dubai, he fell short on Sunday- usually his day to shine-  and has struggled ever since.  He said he couldn't get comfortable with the putter after his terrible performance in the last round at Pebble Beach, and that isn't a good sign.  His swing looked better, more on-plane after Hank Haney screwed it up, but it still looks more mental than mechanical for him.  

This week he will be a #5 seed at the WGC match play, playing Spaniard Gonzalo Fdez-Castano.  Castano has already been quoted as saying "Tiger is not at his best, so I feel like I can beat him."  It will be interesting to see what happens this week especially, because you have to get off to great starts and play well every day to advance in the bracket.  There's no room for error here, and he would face the winner of Darren Clarke/Nick Watney(both of them can probably beat Tiger) if he can get through the first round.  

Jeremy Lin: Will he continue his Linning ways?

Jeremy Lin over the past few weeks has captivated the world unlike anyone besides a certain "Tim," but they come from two completely different backgrounds.  Lin, a Harvard graduate, never got an opportunity after college to play in the NBA, jumping around to different D-league teams, seeing the court once in Golden State, and eventually being signed by the Knicks to try and solve their Point Guard issues.  Mike D'antoni's system is a pick and roll offense perfectly suited for Lin.  His system also includes the inability to defend players on the other team, and has been one of the most overrated coaches in NBA history.

While sleeping on his brother's couch in NY, he got the nod from D'antoni to start getting minutes, and since then has been averaging ~28 points and ~8 assists since taking over the point, but his turnover rate(nearly ~7 per game) is something to be concerned about.  When Stoudemire came back, the team didn't change too much, but with the imminent return of Carmelo Anthony, the team may see less W's in the win column.  Once he gets the ball, he shoots it.  Linsanity will continue, as it now even translates into Mandarin.

Super Bowl 46: Who Ya Got?

The big game is here.  Patriots v. Giants, in an epic rematch of the 2007 showdown in which the Giants were 12.5 point underdogs.  We all know how that turned out, the most unbelievable catch by David Tyree leading to the game-winning touchdown by Plaxico Burress.

This year, the Quarterbacks may be the same, but the game won't be.  The Patriots are still favored, by 2.5 points, but I think it will be much higher scoring than the first meeting 4 years ago.  The Pats run a crazy offense that has been taken to levels we've never seen before.  Who will it be out of the backfield?  Woodhead?  The Law-Firm?  Hernandez???  The 2-tight end set leaves defenses scrambling every play.  Is it shotgun, or will they run an under-center all out blocking scheme?

We all know the Giants have a super defensive line, and a linebacking core good enough to run with Hernandez and a banged-up Gronk, and fast enough to rush Tom Brady as seen in the regular season game between the two teams.

My prediction:  Patriots 38, Giants 31.  I do like the Giants front 4, but Tom Brady is going to win this chess match.  The Giants can score, and they're going to have to on a terrible defense, but Brady is going to take advantage of the Giants secondary.

Woods Falls Short in Dubai

After a 6-under 66 on Saturday, Tiger failed to score under par on Sunday, leading to a Robert Rock victory by 2 at -13.  Sunday is usually when he shines, but posted his worst round of the week instead.  Tied for 3rd still isn't bad, and it looked like his ball-striking is back on track.

Tiger pointed out after his first round that the greens were difficult to read, but after his putting was looking up on Saturday I thought he would have no problem posting a round in the 60's.  Rory McIlroy (-12) was the only other player ahead of him.  It was a good outing for Tiger, and he's going to have to play better on Sunday if he wants to keep tracking the Golden Bear for most Major titles ever.