Par for the Course

This recent stretch of unseasonably warm temperatures in the past few days has me fired up for Spring. Granted this pocket of warm air will most likely be followed by a few more weeks of sub 32 degree temperatures before it becomes the norm. Clearly my Syracuse upbringing has made me slightly jaded about this unusually warm week. In fact, during my college years I particularly resented the jokers that would wear flip flops and pastel shorts to class during a stretch like this. Call it a minor victory, but this is one of the few reasons that I'm almost happy to be out of college.

My excitement for the Spring is perhaps felt most in my golf boner, which is almost fully erect now. The re-emergence of green grass has made me think of fairways that I surely won't hit. I'm particularly amped for a Spring/Summer full of golf because I purchased some new sticks with my fantasy football winnings (to the 4 females that may read this- don't judge me). A few weeks ago I went to a heated range with my cousin who will not be named (neither here nor on the blog he once wrote for) and let's just say that I have a lot of work to do.

I'm your typical golfer who shoots in the 90s (mainly in the 95-99 range), but dreams of one day consistently shooting in the 80s. My drives go left, my drives go right, I swing about 8000 times too fast, I don't bring my club all the way up on my backswing (or so I'm told), and I have a habit of 3-putting. Basically I'd probably be better off if I closed my eyes on the tees and greens. Even still, I love the game. I've even been fortunate enough to record 2 hole in ones in my day. They occurred exactly one year apart (on July 4th- What can I say? I love America) on a par-3 course close to where I grew up.

Although I've laid out my considerable flaws I believe that they are all fixable. At least I hope they are. As I get older and my hint of athleticism quickly fades into oblivion I will rely on golf to satisfy my athletic desires. If I know what I do wrong, I should be able to fix it, right? Unfortunately this wasn't the case for me when it came to basketball, but that was mostly because there were some athletic hurdles that I simply couldn't overcome.

Each new golf season (just like Spring) brings a new sense of hope with it. Every golfer thinks that they are going to be considerably better than they were the year before. After hardly improving, if at all, in 2009 I've learned that, much to my dismay, I'm never going to wake up and suddenly be a much better golfer. It's one of my favorite leisure activities, but in order to be good I'm going to have to seriously work at it.

Normally around this time I also get excited for the start of the Major League Baseball season. This year though, I hardly have a chubby. For starters, all of my fanhood energy is devoted to the best college basketball team in America. Secondly, the Toronto Bluejays, my favorite MLB team, are poised for another dismal year. In the off season they traded the best pitcher in the game, fired their GM, and decided to rebuild their farm system. This essentially means that they are giving up on this season, even though it hasn't even started (a method that I've become desensitized to as a Knicks fan), and are going back to the drawing board. In fact, the other day on Baseball Tonight ESPN 1050's Andrew Marchand predicted that the Bluejays will have the worst record in the league in 2010. I've even tried to pump myself up for the season by telling people that the Bluejays are vying for 5th place in the AL East (as if it's a good thing) and that no one is going to stop them.

Despite the low expectations for the only big league club north of the border I am still very excited for the Spring, although if the Knicks don't sign anyone of note and my golf game doesn't improve this Spring excitement might quickly turn into Summer bitterness.