The city of Denver got their shiny new Christmas present early: Allen Iverson, the much-maligned Philly point guard who was finally traded after a decade of turbulence with the 76ers and nearly two weeks of exile. Iverson is one of those sports figures who garners controversy because of hypocritical hack sports writers eager to “Kobe” any star they can once a blemish is found on their record. In reality, between the cornrows and tattoos, he exemplifies more traits I admire than Tiger Woods. Tiger’s childhood was more or less perfect. He had a mentor in his father and a supportive ...

Last week I flew back to America after being stationed in Europe six months (tear). It was a lovely time, which was soon forgotten once I found myself hauling four overstuffed bags through what seemed like countless airports, each bigger than the next. One of the side effects from having this much luggage is you kind of just stuff things where it fits and towards the end you really have no idea where anything is. I flew from Prague to Amsterdam to Chicago and finally ending up in Washington D.C. a couple days later. As I sorted through my assortment ...

I haven’t golfed since an early November trip to sunny Portugal, so my itch is spreading a bit. Imagine my glee when at the ESPN Zone just off Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago boasted a putting simulator amongst its plethora of sports video games and simulations. But the thing is a joke. I didn’t waste my points (it wanted 12, which is a jip. 60=$15). It also has an old, tiny blade putter that old-schoolers like Gene Sarazen might call low-rent attached to the machine with a rope. Other flaws in the game include a lack of importance on lag ...

Who says golf isn’t a contact sport, especially when you’re riding around on the roof of your golf cart at a charity tourney? Nextel Cup winner Jimmie Johnson has learned the hard way that shenanigans on the golf cart should be left with teenagers and cart barn staff at the muni. He simply couldn’t hang on as the driver took a sharp left, he fell off and broke his wrist. Though I’ve spent my time beating the hell out of carts on golf courses in my days working in the barn at a country club, I’ve never been on the ...

Golf course rankings: subjective, arbitrary, incomplete and AWESOME! Who doesn’t like looking at rankings, especially right before or after a big golf trip where you played a bunch of nominees of the world’s best? I recently posted my Official Scotland Top Ten at GolfEurope.com: ranking the best courses I played while over there in the fall. I have now compared the list to three others: Golf Digest’s Best outside America, Golf Mag’s Best in the world, and Golf Monthly’s best in the UK and Ireland. Now, I do have one - count ‘em one - trip to Scotland under my ...

I never thought of Michigan as a cheap golf destination growing up there. It wasn’t until I saw gaudy prices in Florida, Scotland and Las Vegas that I realized I was blessed to be in the backyard of some fantastic courses at a great value. Golf Digest seems to agree in their Top Ten new courses for 2006 under $75 list. The Sundance course at A-Ga-Ming in Traverse City finished 3rd and The Mines in Grand Rapids placed 10th. I played both earlier this year. The Sundance I thought was still very immature when I played it. The ground is ...

The latest terrorist threat to airline travel is flatulence. And no, I’m not making this up. A woman caused a flight to be diverted to Nashville after she lit a match after she passed gas while in the high skies. Terrorist paranoia has gotten so out of control that common courtesy has become cause for extreme inconvenience. For no reason should anyone have to land in Nashville. Sure, she should have known better. But a suitable punishment could have been simply sticking her in the restroom for the rest of the flight, not causing 100 people to be unecessarily searched, ...

We live in a superficial world full of fashion statements and preconceptions based on looks. This is especially true in the world of golf blogging. So when TravelGolf.com asked me to submit a bio pic for my blog, I was unsettled. As a result of my mug shot - the only glimpse one can get into the person behind the internet’s shield - many readers out there have made their own conclusions about my age and how it affects my views on golf and the world at large. “Brandon, I can’t believe you actually “get it” about Michelle Wie. ...

Sure, a shiny new driver fits under a tree better than stuffing some 40-year old pro in a stocking, but if you really care about your loved ones, you’ll get them golf lessons, not new equipment this holiday season. Getting someone a new club is a temporary fix, not a solution. You’re really just buying someone who is broke a shiny new set of rims. It’s appreciated, but won’t get him out of the poor house. Lessons provide substance and the chance to be a better golfer. My parents would get me winter lessons when I was playing competitively ...

The pros in the European golf travel industry have spoken, and this year the best spot for golf in Europe is Portugal’s other golf destination. The International Association for Golf Tour Operators, 1000 members strong, voted and awarded the prize to the Lisbon Golf Coast. The coastline, which encompasses Estoril, Sintra Golf Coast, Costa Azul Golfe and Golfoeste, features 22 golf courses - about a dozen less than the Algarve - and incredible weather year round. The historic capital city of Lisbon, Cintra and Atlantic coastline and other attractions give the area an added edge. “In the Algarve, you’ve got ...

A lot of grouchy writers are giving Michelle Wie a hard time right now because she’s exploiting her good looks (c’mon, a short, chubby teen wouldn’t be getting exemptions) and above average golf game in order to make money playing golf against men instead of sitting in Ms. Goober’s 5th period Algebra class in Hawaii. In the court of public opinion, her “quest” to beat the men has turned from “trail blazing” to “money grubbin’". But before we ship her off to the infamous isle of teenaged celebrity failures, let’s remember she’s just playing golf (and sounding really dorky at ...

Thanks to the fact enough of us sketchy Expats live in Prague, Thanksgiving will be alive and well. Several restaurants and pubs serving traditional (we’ll see about that) turkey dinners will also be showing NFL football on their TVs. And guess what’s scheduled at 6:30 (or 18:30 to these wacky Euros)? Yes, the Detroit Lions vs. Joey Ballgame (I’m absolutely hoping he WAXES the Lions) and the Miami Dolphins. Look, just because the Lions helped institute the Thanksgiving NFL game, it doesn’t mean we should be subject to their embarrassing franchise internationally every Turkey Day. I mean c’mon, we’re trying to EAT here! But ...

Even though the U.S.’s showing has been about as strong as twelve strings of al dente linguini in the last three Ryder Cups, delusional Americans, myself included, have clung to a defense that the competition “meant more” to the Europeans than the Yanks. “That’s team competition,” we muttered. “Man-to-man however, the PGA Tour and its American players are still the best in the world.” After Irishman Padraig Harrington did the impossible defeating Tiger Woods in a playoff Sunday, it’s time for us to end any lingering denial. European golfers are superior. Sunday was simply a prime example of how far the ...

One of football’s most anticipated match ups in years will be played with a heavy heart after former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler passed away in Detroit Friday afternoon. This is hitting a lot of people who grew up in Michigan, especially Ann Arbor, pretty hard. A product of the town myself, it’s hit me harder than I thought it would. I think I’m figuring out why. Bo influenced not only the college football players he coached, but an entire town of kids growing up playing any sport, whether it was hockey, soccer or golf, really. Bo’s intensity, his no-nonsense approach ...

Beautiful golf courses that fall victim to heavy surrounding real estate are nothing new in golf. Golf is a business, and if you can sell homes on fairways that will profit, so be it. That’s why we call it “Capitalism” and not “Pretty-golf-course-ism“. But that doesn’t mean us golf nuts think intrusive real estate ruins great, more natural courses believe it’s right. What bugs me the most about the Marriott Praia D’El Rey resort on the west coast of Portugal is all the glossy course pictures that show nothing but serene fairways and greens nestled against undisturbed coastline. Yet when ...

When I played Carnoustie a few weeks back, site of the 2007 Open Championship, scoring a seven on the 18th wasn’t too hard. It makes you sympathize with Jean Van de Velde’s meltdown (but it’s still funny and Carnoustie seems to find great pleasure in catching the Frenchman with his pants up). But southeast of Scotland there’s another championship course the pros play that is just as long, hard, and has an even worse 72nd hole score to back it up. It’s the 18th at Oitavos in Cascais, Portugal, host of the 2005 European Tour Portuguese Open. The choker this ...

I’ve learned two valuable tidbits of information over the past week while enjoying spirits with friends. One: if your French girlfriend or wife tells you she’s taking off to Senegal for the weekend, be very suspicious. Two: You can get free TV on your computer. “Free TV on the Internet!?!?” you ask? “Tell me more!!” Sure. “TVU” is a free download for your computer that allows you to watch a couple dozen TV channels from all over the world, including ESPN, Comedy Central, NBC, Telemundo and NASCAR Brazil. Is it legal? I think so, says something about “patent pending". ...

I never liked The Apprentice. Then again, office politics are about as relatable to me as keeping the materialistic ego of your supermodel girlfriend in check. It’s easy to knock Donald Trump. In fact, I do it all the time. It’s fun. I hold weekly “Isn’t Trump a doofus?” dinner parties. What do you expect with that cocky attitude and wavy hair you could surf on? But unlike many old school Scots and even TravelGolf.com’s Tim McDonald, I’m not knocking Trump’s development in Aberdeen just yet. (For the full column at GolfEurope.com click here). In a column last year, Blue-Collar ...

Anyone ever see that Seinfeld where George buys a car because he thinks the former owner was Hollywood actor Jon Voight? Well in a few years, golfers will be shelling out big cash to play what they think are courses finely crafted by golf’s Best Seller: Tiger Woods. Some poor saps even think these courses will be built in the image of Woods’ game himself. Get ready for more “playable for all abilities” resort golf with wide fairways and everything is shown in front of you with houses to the sides. Does anyone really think Woods himself is going ...

So rumor has it in America the Democrats are triumphing and Donald Rumsfeld is the first conservative casualty. What would I know? I’ve been at dinner the past week, where in Portugal, it lasts about as long as a round of golf – and is equally, if not more enjoyable. The term “gastronomy” is used here more often than I’ve heard it the rest of my lifetime. The reason for this is that food and the production of entertaining guests, especially dinner, is viewed as an art/science here. It’s taken very seriously. The amount of people in uniform around ...

All good things must come to an end. Which is why I will be golfing again tomorrow. Man I suck these days. What ever happened to the baby fade I had in high school? But sadly I am home from Scotland. What an experience. Scots told me “sorry about the weather” while I was there, but its funny how you can zone out the wind and the rain when you’re on a historic course in the home of golf. You find a “happy place", really. So it rained in Dornoch and Carnoustie and was windy as heck at the Duke’s ...

I don’t watch TV much these days. Maybe it’s because I live in a foreign country and can’t understand much Czech, or maybe its because I can simply pirate old South Park episodes to my computer, which is really all the entertainment I need at the moment. But who needs TV when you’ve got the balcony of the Young Tom Morris suite at the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, overlooking the 18th green of the Old Course and all the dramatic theatre it beholds? After I returned from my round at the Duke’s Course down the road this ...

Any golfer knows one finite fact: guaranteed tee times on the Old Course in St. Andrews are a bit hard to come by. So imagine: you were entered in the ballot on Saturday and failed, only to walk by the course at 10 a.m. the following day and see the legendary grounds empty - except for two kids playing frisbee on the Road Hole, and an elderly couple taking a stroll over Swilcan Bridge. The world’s most famous golf course is nothing more than a city park on Sundays, open for all and policed by no one. Use the grounds ...

Okay, you got me. I’ve been in Scotland for two weeks, Europe for four months, and I’ve somewhat converted to how they handle golf, from walking to the accessibility of their famous courses. Every single British Open venue in Scotland, from Carnoustie which I played today, to the Old Course at St. Andrews which I play tomorrow, is open to the public. Sure, regular stops like Muirfield and Troon only open their doors on certain days and have limited public availability, and the Old Course can be a challenge to get on during peak months, but that’s still better than ...

Even the worst of duffers get the urge to play the championship tees from time to time. Sometimes it’s because you’re lucky enough to play a course the pros play on TV, and you want to see just how far off you are from competing in the Open Championship yourself. But when you come to Turnberry, Carnoustie, the Old Course at St. Andrews, or just about any other course in Scotland hoping to play the course the pros play, it likely won’t be an option. Not one course I’ve been to has had their tournament (or ‘back’) tees set up. ...

They say good things come to those who wait. In the case of Royal Dornoch, located in the Highlands of Scotland, good things come to those who drive. When is the last time you were truly sad to finish a round of golf, and was it 50 degrees, windy and rainy? That was the case for me this afternoon at Dornoch. Royal Dornoch can be forgotten, it seems. Despite being internationally recognized as one of the best courses in the world, its remoteness leaves it off the British Open rota and many touring golfers’ itineraries. In a way, that’s a ...

So you thought Scotland has so many world class courses built from the beginning of the century or older, it doesn’t need any more? Wrong. The Cameron House Hotel, a stunning five star resort on the shores of Loch Lomond north of Glasgow is getting ready to add another gem to the country’s already stocked list. The Carrick is scheduled to open in the spring of 2007. Only about nine holes are ready for play as others are still in the process of maturation. But in playing the holes that were ready, it’s easy to see this is going to ...

Today I stand before you a changed man. Three days after my arrival in the UK, I proudly admit I can drive on the left side of the road and roundabouts are cake (but I didn’t say I agree with them…). However, I still never fail to walk to my car and start to open my left front door before realizing some bloke snuck in and switched it to the other side again. And without fail, someone is always standing by and looking at me like I’m a numbskull/American. Anyways… This morning I arrived at Prestwick Golf Club, original home of ...

Before my trip to Scotland, I spent a lot of time sorting through glossy Scotland tourism mags and scanning websites of St. Andrews, Turnberry, Prestwick and other famous gems. Nowhere was I warned about the country’s dirty little secret: The Roundabout. Instead of traffic lights, where motorists patiently and humanely wait for their turn to pass through an intersection, Scotland employs roundabouts, which has the same logic as say the ball machine in a batting cage. Cars are inserted into the roundabout, thrown around a circle for an undetermined amount of time, and then BANG! catapulted out into space in ...

The tabloid-obsessed UK is all over the new Madonna adoption of an African one-year old, who apparently has checked into the celeb’s London estate. This story is everywhere in Scotland, even more than Bill Murray’s party-crashing in St. Andrews. Paparazzi and fans are now scrambling to catch a glimpse of the latest trend Madonna is setting. But just like her conversion to electronic music, Madonna’s is showing up a little tardy. Angelina Jolie is already looking at her third impoverished little tike, mixed in with one of her own, natural accents. When CNN enshrined her as the second coming of ...

There is nothing like the first 24 hours in a new country. As someone who has done it quite frequently of late, it still never gets old. I love the confusion, the discovery, the humiliation, excitement, etc. A few notables during my first day in Edinburgh in Scotland… One thing the U.S. roadways needs to adopt immediately from the UK and Europe is the yellow light BEFORE it turns green, thus warning drivers if they don’t get ready to giddy-up, expect to be run over by the double-decker bus behind you. It’s awesome. I feel like Mario Andretti when I lift ...

Ahhh, the day is finally here. In a few hours, I’m off to Scotland for the mother of all golf trips. 15 days, 15 or more courses, and many, many pints and whiskey with friendly Scotsmen. College football, hockey, even the World Series can take a backseat for this voyage to golf’s motherland. This trip is All Golf, All the Time (aside from the ocassional distillery tour or trek up the Royal Mile or hot bath where I soak my aching muscles…I haven’t walked a course in quite some time you know…). Regions include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands, St. Andrews and ...

The Detroit Tigers are on top of the sports world after dismantling the New York Yankeees last week. And as we await their inevitable entry into the 2006 World Series, now is the perfect time to proclaim Detroit as America’s Best Sports Town. It isn’t even close, frankly. Folks in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philly, hear me out. Because this is a golf site, we’ll start there. Consider Oakland Hills, a Donald Ross masterpiece in the northern ‘burbs that’s hosted the U.S. Open and Ryder Cup. It’s also consistently placed among America’s Top Ten. Ben Hogan’s 67 on Sunday ...

So I’m not the only one who notices a few scantly clad, easy-on-the-eyes women near the top right corner of WorldGolf.com. First, Bruce “The Guru” Stasch is going after these girls, all while putting his manliness up for auction. Then a disgusted female reader is saying WorldGolf.com has no class, posting such advertisements on the front page. After all, this is a GOLF site! I have one problem with Caddy Chicks. But first, here’s what’s awesome about them: - I’m tired of looking at Phil Mickelson’s man boobs every time I go to GolfDigest.com or PGATour.com. Finally I can see ...

Anyone else notice the NHL regular season kicked off this weekend? Tumbleweed blows by…so quiet you can hear David Allen Coe on the jukebox…grizzled drunk at the bar tells me to, “knock off that jive!"…"We don’t serve Molson here, I’m sorry,” notes the bartender as he motions to the exit… Sooooo, I guess there’s other stuff going on in golf and sports then! Ochoa wins in Mexico, enchilladas for everyone! There’s nothing like winning in front of a home crowd. Lorena Ochoa won in her native Mexico Sunday, adding to a fine 2006 campaign that currently has her on top of ...

Much to the dismay of the New York media and fans, A-Rod, the popular scapegoat in the Big Apple, didn’t lose the series for the Yankees vs. the Detroit Tigers. He could have put up Derek Jeter-like numbers and the Yankees still go home early, the games are just a little closer. The problem with the Yankees is two-fold: washed-up pitching and the Curse of Johnny Damon. Maybe it isn’t so much a “curse” as it is a “virus". While I admit I had a minor man crush on Damon during the 2004 Red Sox run, his defection to the ...

Have you ever wondered why we don’t hear more about golfers tossing chairs through bar windows or being chased down I-95 at 4 a.m. with a kilo of blow in the trunk? Today’s headlines are highlighted by two late-night scrums. One involving socialite turned adult movie star and pop singer Paris Hilton. The other involves the NBA’s Stephen Jackson. Several weeks after being arrested for driving drunk, Hilton was allegedly punched in the face and basically “hated on” by some chick from “Dancing with the Stars". It’s nice to see Hilton is finally being serious about becoming a pop singer. ...

Having spent about three months in the former Eastern Bloc of Europe, I’ve been able to witness many of the scars a half-century of Soviet occupation has left behind. These impressions can be found primarily in the ethics of Prague cab drivers. Being a young, white, English-speaking male, I’m seldom discriminated against. The world pretty much caters to us. But as a tourist in Europe, speaking English often suggests ignorance to the lay of the land, hence making you an easy target to be ripped off. In Prague, I’ve come to the conclusion the taxi industry has a Speak English ...

So Tiger won his sixth straight tournament at the American Express Championship in England. Or did he? Well, some say he’s still on a tear, others say “no way” after he fell at Wentworth in match play to Shaun Micheel. To the naysayers who say Nelson’s streak is still in tact (which may include Woods - at least publicly), I say it’s still alive. Why? Because it’s way more fun watching the PGA this way, that’s why. And if we can still say Barry Bonds has a legitimate chance of breaking Hank Aaron’s home run mark and we still ...

Tiger Woods had an interesting set of quotes today about his 3-2 Ryder Cup record at the American Express Championship. He rated his performance as “pretty darn good” and “I did the best I could". He also said he played well enough to place in the Top 15 of a regular tournament. Would Tiger be satisfied with doing his “best” in a major or finishing top 15? Of course not. He is apparently satisfied with mediocrity in the Ryder Cup. It isn’t sparking his interest, and why should it? I’ve said it before, the Ryder Cup has become obsolete. The ...

It’s quite fashionable to bash the current ineptitude of U.S. athletics in global competition. The Ryder Cup team was flat, the U.S. basketball team was upset by Greece before reaching the finals of the World Championships last month, and we’re not even kicking as much Olympic tail as we used to. Thankfully, our strengths can be found elsewhere. Namely: World’s Strongest Man. Yes, the competition where brute’s from all over the world haul tractors, carry atlas stones and trek to the underworld to arm wrestle Satan - or worse a Russian named Rasputin from Siberia. After a 24-year absence, the ...

I came to a few conclusions after watching the Ryder Cup this weekend and the subsequent fallout after Europe’s dominating 18.5-9.5 victory. Americans must engage in pyschological warfare: Since when did America, home of unilaterally invading countries and the 24 oz. Porterhouse steak get so dang polite? Sergio Garcia can’t wait for a shot at Woods, Paul Casey “hates Americans”, Paul McGinley even said after the match: “There’s one reason, and one reason only why we won. We had more talent.” McGinley went 0-1-2 this weekend. That’d be like France saying “we had the better army” after WWII. Guys who ...

Five star hotels. For the handful of us who can afford it, it’s pretty posh. Classy rooms, bell boys who don’t have a smoke in their mouth while they grab your bags, fine dining. It’s the life, right? I recently stopped by one of Prague’s five-star joints, Hotel President, right on the Vltava River, and noticed they had a sign, in English, for taxi fares from the hotel. I was shocked. 850 Crowns ($35 U.S.) to the airport, 500 Crowns ($20) to the Castle across the river, $150 ($7) to the Jewish Quarter. I could hit a teed-up 3-wood to the ...

I discovered something this weekend between all the leaderboards, box scores and gamecasts. It’s that Abba’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” video is hypnotically uncomfortable to watch. Also, the “don’t do drugs” speech I give to my kids also just got a lot easier with this video evidence. Anyways, here’s the Sports Weekend in Review: Sports Weekend in Review Woods’ streak over, or is it? Acting like a true patriot, Tiger Woods chose to give up his streak in the World Match Play to stay fresh for the Ryder Cup this weekend by losing to Shaun Micheel early. Then again, Byron ...

Fall golf is here in Michigan, a lovely time to take in the autumn colors and course discounts. The weather starts getting a little spotty, yes, but most courses are offering discounts of 25-45% starting mid-to-late September. Here’s some of the season’s best picks: Forest Dunes: Greens fees are slashed $50 down to $75 after October 1st. Black Forest: Play Tom Doak’s challenging stand-out course at Wilderness Valley for $50 in Gaylord (down from $75). King’s Challenge is a beautiful course in a rustic setting a half hour west of Traverse City, sure to look stunning with an autumn backdrop. Rates ...

Recent outrageous opinions by writers and readers on TravelGolf.com have been a very amusing read. First, the 9/11 conspirators have come out in droves on Chris Baldwin’s recent blog, citing “proof” the Bush Administration not only knew the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon were imminent, but orchestrated by the U.S. government. Please. Like we’re supposed to believe one of the free world’s most incompetent administrations can not only orchestrate, but execute AND keep secret one of history’s gravest attacks. Don’t give them so much credit. Then, two of TravelGolf’s resident dinosaurs, Kiel Christianson - who was writing ...

Rick Dipietro, goaltender of the New York Islanders signed a 15-year deal this week worth nearly $70 million - all guaranteed. Only Magic Johnson’s 25-year deal with the Lakers is believed to be longer in all of sports. Ever. It’s hard to believe the guy who sat next to me in high school Latin class (and consequently detention) is worth $70 mil (but he doesn’t have a kick-ass golf blog. Boo ya!). DiPietro, who played on the USA Olympic team this winter, is a better-than-average NHL tender and was the first ever goalie taken number one overall in the draft. ...

Did anyone get anything productive done this weekend? Besides taking down your previous record of buffalo wings and Miller Lite consumed in a 48-hour span? The NFL season opened, college football had a #1 vs. #2 matchup, Tennis’ U.S. Open was filled with storylines and the MLB’s pennnant and wild card races continued to heat up (thanks to my Tigers doing what Detroit sports have been doing best lately: choking in crunch time after league-leading regular seasons). And with Michelle Wie ducking out of the Omega early, we didn’t have to waste our time tracking her over the weekend; instead ...

2002 – Reporters: “So Ma’am, you’ve just won the lottery! What are you going to do with all the money?” Valerie Wilson: “I can’t believe it, I’m going to spend all the money on…lottery tickets!” If Michelle Wie keeps taking weekends off, so will I. I’ll get back to golf-related blogs on Monday, promise.

I cannot stress to you enough the importance of “googling” your name every so often. It’s the only way you can really know how you’re perceived by the Google gods in this digital world. And the best part is finding out what all the other knuckleheads in your Name Fraternity are up to and how the search engine rankings change week to week. Battling for the top spot on Google is myself, Brandon Tucker the wrestler (toughest BT), Brandon Tucker the “make poverty history” guy (BT with the best cause) and Brandon Tucker the fine artist (poorest BT). Until today, ...

So what did you do while Michelle Wie was out of the news? It seemed like an eternity, didn’t it? (I was getting sick of writing about success stories the whole time) But in the interim I was able to read Wikipedia.org from A-Z, find six stray puppies a new home, and personally convinced Bill Ford its time to step down as CEO at Ford Motor Co. What a waste of time that was. Now we can all become obsessed with the inevitable Wie trainwreck at the European Masters this week - and we call the Maury Povich Show a ...

I’m confused. First I get reemed by our conservative readers (calling me a Democrat was below the belt, by the way. Anyone who reads me regularly knows I’m Socialist) for trying to spice up the mundane Tiger Woods conversation by questioning the legitimacy of his Sunday dominance, suggesting maybe he’s “distracting” his opponents the night before like another Hall of Fame athlete did in the 80s. (Is that more sensitive everyone? Hate to ruin any 9-year old’s future with a golf column…) Then, in an attempt to write credible journalism about a recent trip to Poland, someone in my own camp ...

My elders tell me that when cable television debuted, the reason TV suddenly wasn’t free anymore is because there weren’t advertisements on them. Today, cable TV usually has more than networks. Tiny Jim down at the corner barbershop tells me MTV had music videos 24/7 when he was a teenager. Today, it’s all product placement and big record companies paying big bucks for some artist face time on Pimp my Ride or Laguna Beach. In a decade, when my kid is playing his first X-Box 6000, which actually comes with a year’s supply of ritalin and potato chips, I’ll remark ...

Europe’s cheapest and possibly worst airline is now on the verge of becoming the most annoying as well. RyanAir, the discount air carrier that flies passengers all over the continent and drops them off at airports in the middle of nowhere will begin allowing cell phones on planes. The carrier plans to have each plane in their fleet capable of cell service by February 2007, a move likely targeted at all the young backpackers than jaunt around Europe on low-cost airlines and have meaningful conversations on their phones constantly such as: “Hey, I’m on the plane, where are you?…Ya isn’t ...