Wolfman:

Here we have Hub and The Wolfman at the Winter Classic. He's "4th
ticket" after Hub, Dancer and myself. He doesn't look like he's shit-
faced here but... Uh well wait, I guess he kind of does huh?

Pulls out a fifth of Jameson and asks me "do you wanna blast?" um no
thanks...

First Mobile Photo Upload:

I finally figured out how to put a photo on the site from my phone...
The possibilities are now endless.

Poll Question 10/3/09:

What is worse?

#1 Striking out in slow pitch softball - looking (assuming the pitch is borderline ball/strike).
#2 Striking out in slow pitch softball - swinging.

Click on "comments", then select "Name/URL" and put your (nick) name in the spot that says Name (leave the URL spot blank)... Post your comment and click "PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT".

With all due respect, I'm a much bigger idiot than you:

Dancer - depositing some Top-Flights into the Atlantic - The sea was angy that day my friends...

5 Jakers will be playing golf in the pre-Thanksgiving 3-Club Scramble tomorrow. It will be 35*F with wind chills probably in the single digits. What of it?

Rosco, Chag, Heff & Dancer will be one team and Squirrel (a.k.a. Joey Slippers) will be captaining his own squad.

All systems are at “go” for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving night out. Dinner is at 7pm but we’ll meet around 5pm at the Chapeau.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m beginning the process of slathering my entire body with the same grease mixture that the “Polarbear Club” uses when they go for their annual New Year’s swim.

USGA RULE CHANGES:

IN LARGE PART DUE TO THE UNFORTUNATE FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE HAS WON THE NOVEMBER 4, 2008 ELECTION, IT APPEARS THE USGA RULES CHANGE DOCUMENT IS NOW OFFICIAL AND READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION.

PGA HEADQUARTERS -- THE USGA WOULD LIKE TO INFORM ALL GOLFERS that there is a possibility of MAJOR rule changes to the game of golf which may occur soon after the November 4 election. This is only a preview as the complete rule book is being written now.

Here are some of the basic changes.

Golfers with handicaps:
- below 10 will have their green fees increase by 35%.
- between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
- above 18 will play for free and even get a stimulus check from the club/course played.

The $ amount put in for bets will be as follows:
- for handicaps below 10 an additional $10.
- between 11 and 18 no additional amount.
- above 18 you will receive the total amount in the pot and you do not even have to play.

The term "gimme putt" will be changed to "entitlement" and will be used as follows:
- handicaps below 10, no entitlements.
- handicaps above 11 to 17, entitlements for putter length putts.
- handicaps above 18, if on green, no need to ever putt, just pick it up.

These entitlements are intended to bring about fairness in scoring so that the final scores of all players will be about the same regardless of ability.

In addition, a player will be limited to a maximum of one birdie and/or six pars; any excess must be given to those fellow players who have not yet scored a birdie or par. Only after all players have received a birdie or par from the player making the birdie or par, can that player begin to count his score again. The current USGA handicap system will be used for the above purposes but the term "net score" will be available only for scoring those players with handicaps of 18 and above.

This is intended to "redistribute" the success of winning by making sure that in every competition the above-18 handicap players will post only "net score" against every other player's gross score. These new Rules are intended to CHANGE the game of golf. Golf must be about Fairness Only, it should have nothing to do with Ability.

A Sad State of Affairs:

As has been reported previously – we are getting old. Any dufus can see that. When we can’t golf because of ailments, you know you’re getting old. I can see that we’d be sidelined from playing say football or basketball but golf??

Dancer: Sinus infection (taking 3 medications)
Rosco: Acid Reflux (also on a number of medications)
Heff: Pinched nerves in shoulder/arm (undergoing MRI’s & various tests)
Doctor: had his issues in 2007.
Chag: Passes a kidney stone the size of a corn kernel.
Stubby: Ruptured achilles heal not to mention ear nose & throat issues.

What has become of us gentlemen? Moreover, what will become of us!

Let’s take some time and relax for a while, recoup and lick our wounds (or better yet have someone else lick them).

Fall is coming and it’s the perfect time to sit in a nice comfy chair and watch some football. Ahhhhh…

Heff's on the DL:

Heff's dealing with some physical issues of late. He missed golf last week so you know it was legit (Heff doesn't miss golf unless there's a real good reason). I don't know all the details but I think it has something to do with him trying to imitate Tony Atlas.

He's got he new dream team looking after him so I'm sure he's on his way to a speedy recovery.

This reminds me of the time Heff got beaned with a softball back '88. If you weren't there, below we have the progression of pictures capturing the event.

Heff was running out a ground ball to short and was sucessful... until... (you can see the ball on the right side of the picture - it looks like a blur because I'm sure it had some zip on it).

Next we can see the ball land squarely on Heff's squash...

And finally the aftermath - this was just prior to him "going to the mat" - the ball is now at the bottom of the picture.

We're all happy to report that Heff stayed in the game and resumed his base running duties after a short break.

Here's hoping his current break is as short and he's back in action soon. Jake looms after all!

Oh, The Humanity!

How's about another round of shit sandwiches for me and my friends.

It's just wrong.

Here's your re-cap:
We could not get to Eli.
We could not protect TB.
Samuel could have won it with an interception.
Our defense could not stop them one more time.

It was exciting but wrong.

Squirrel's 1st prediction - up in smoke.

Son-of-a...

Hype Upon Hype:

Okay boys,
This year’s Super bowl features the 18-0 New England Patriots vs. the Giants from the evil empire of New York.

If they win, few can argue that this team will be the best in history and that TB is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football. What's more, he not finished at only 30 years of age.

Gentlemen we are approaching nirvana. We are at the threshold of Squirrel's first prediction being realized and after tomorrow his 2nd prediction will be 4/5ths complete.

Excellent mouahaahhahah.... EXCELLENT!!!!
(That was my attempt at maniacal laughter - kind of like a mad scientist).

Another Prediction From Squirrel:

We all remember Squirrel's last prediction...

Well Heff sent me another note to post here (see below). Good luck Squirrel.

-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: Heff
To: Chagnasty
Subject: Please add to the Jake Blog
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007
-----------------------------------------------------

Chag,
Squirrel would like it on record that Tom Brady will win five Super bowls.

Thanks

So Good:

Penant Fever Grips Hub!

Does it get any better than being a sports fan in Boston right now?

* Sox going to the World Series after puttin' a whoopin' up on the Indians in the ALCS.
* Patriots are 7 & 0 and (according to Squirrel) will be winning out en route to the their 4th Superbowl in 7 years.
* BC also 7 & 0 and ranked #2 in the nation - unbelievable.
* Celtics made some hefty off season acquisitions and should compete this year.
* Bruins are above .500 (notice how the standards dropped dramatically just then).

Here are some pictures someone took recently of a few cats enjoying the good life.

The Jake:

How could I resist...

Good luck boys... Good Luck and Godspeed (still don't know what that means...)

A message from Squirrel:

Yesterday I was reached telephonically by Heff - He was conversing with Squirrel recently and he (Squirrel) was rather emphatic about wanting to be "on the record" in saying that the New England Patriots will be going undefeated this year. I assume this means they will go 16 & zero in the regular season and proceed to win out right up to the Superbowl.

Thank you Squirrel, consider yourself on the record my brother and we all hope you are correct.

Happy birthday to Rosco by the way!

Barry Bonds:

Good for Bud Selig and Hank Aaron for not showing up at this scumbag's tainted home run "record breaker". Take a look at the pictures of him when he started in '86 as compared to now.

As Mike Meyers said in So I Married An Axe Murderer - "look at the size of that kid's noggin', it's huge! It's like Sputnic!"

Old School Softball:

These are some old school softball pictures from way, way back. I'm talking B.J. (Before Jake).

Chag & Rosco (nice effect)

Rosco & Stubby (Stubs ran down the foul)

Heff & Chag ("gotta go hard on the ground")

Hood vs. Heartland

Happy to see the Mets lost in the NLCS. Moving on...

This year's World Series: Detroit vs. St. Louis

I find myself unable to watch an entire game even though it's good baseball to watch. It's on too late and these days I need all the sleep I can get.

...

I thought I would have more to expound upon here but uh... I got nothin'.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE #1

{{{{{{......best locker room speech ever......}}}}}}

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up-from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization-an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win-to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there-to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules-but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."

~Vince Lombardi

Someday...(?)

Well I turned 38 recently and one of many things that gnaws at me is my stated goal of wanting to break 80 before I turn 40. This gives me almost 2 years by my math. It's a difficult thing to do given the fact that the game of golf is complex, tricky, hard (not easy), complicated, thorny, and intricate. Couple this with the fact that I can suck at it about as well as the next guy and this makes for one frustrating-ass goal. I have come close twice (82) and last year I even put 2 consecutive and alternating 9 hole rounds together (on different frickin' days) that added up to something sub-80. I know it doesn't count but it's something dammit. I'm running out of time here boys. Any help would be appreciated.

"You run & you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking..."
~Pink Floyd

17 @ Sawgrass

This weekend's golf tournament is probably my favorite one (besides Augusta) to watch. Pete Dye is the man when it comes to modern course design. I think he designed a course somewhere in Maryland that we should play if we all could ever find ourselves there together (warm up the RV!).

Not much else to say except I'm looking forward to getting out there this year as I always do about now.

132 yards with no wind - a perfect 9 iron for me...
...to put right in the frickin' water if I ever actually played the hole - not to mention the cleaning bill from the superintendant for having to clean my poop offa the tee.