Monday

Computers in some parts of Europe seem to be hard to find. All's been quiet on that front.

There was a big crash near the end of today's 2nd stage of the TdF. It happened near the front of the peloton and left only a couple dozen riders to contest the finish. Since it happened within three clicks of the finish, there was no time lost by anyone, but there were some injuries, including a fractured thumb to one of Discovery's sprinter/domestiques (and he is now done for the Tour). The first week of the Tour can be very sketchy as the sprinters try to grab headlines while they can before the roads turn up. The Bigger Picture guys (known as "the GC riders", as in, General Classification) mainly try to stay out of harm's way on these days.

A little bit of controversy at the NASCAR race on Saturday night in Daytona. The second place finisher, Kyle Busch, is the Hendrick driver who is getting the boot at the end of the season to clear space for Junior. He complained afterwards that the 24, 48 and 25, all current teammates, did nothing to help him get to the checkers even though he had the best car. He may have been right. But his public airing of his gripes about that race is an example of the kind of immaturity that likely lead to his release. Everybody knows that he can get a car down the road. But, like his older brother, it's often, "Ready, Fire, Aim."

This is the week of the John Deere Classic, the PGA tournament that is hosted on a course on the Illinois side here in the Quad Cities. Typically, they get only a couple of the true headliner players, but the event is well-supported in the community and Deere has given a multi-year commitment as the title-sponsor. I usually don't go over as I like to avoid the crowds, but my pal Pete will likely want to visit the music tent one evening. We'll see.

One of my local acquaintances started the concept of "Birdies for Charity" at this tournament 10-12 years ago when he was on the event's volunteer Board of Directors. Birdies for Charity is a fund-raising idea tied to the number of birdies made by all golfers over the four days of the tournament. Charitable organizations go out and solicit pledges from individuals and businesses for per-birdie contributions. People often give a nickle or dime per birdie, and they get a bill in the mail once the tournament is over and total birdies have been calculated. It may have started slow, but now dozens, if not hundreds, of local charities participate.

Birdies for Charity became so successful that other PGA events elected to copy the concept. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. My acquaintance gave out free advice to these other tournaments, and actually went down to Houston to help with the implementation of Birdies for Charity at their event. In another example of the curious twists in this screenplay that we call life, the chair for Houston's new Birdies for Charity committee was a single gal who, after a long-distance romance of a couple of years, is now married to my acquaintance.

It might be interesting to spend a little time evaluating the charitable aspects of the different major sporting organizations. There is a lot of money spent by the NBA, NFL and other pro sports on the "giving back" orientation of their organizations. It seems like every athlete who has signed a big contract has established his/her charitable foundation or the like. There have been stories about how some of these foundations never did any gifting, but rather served as straw men for family and friends.

Not all PGA golf tournaments are financially healthy. If they don't have a major corporate sponsor, they may not be able to keep the tournament alive. But if they do have solid finances, they can do a lot for their communities. It's an interesting dynamic. You need to be profitable to keep the tournament going. And if you are profitable, you have more money to give away.

It's kind of like parents and kids. But that's a different story.

Have a good evening (morning or day for those Over There).

Be careful out there.