Monday

I needed to put up a Home Page pic that would warm me up!  Headed below zero tonight.  But at least we won't be catching up to the freezer they have on Harvest Path.  Button up, folks!  Its Winter out there!

The markets, banks, and select government offices were closed today for Martin Luther King Day.  That meant that the phones were not so active, and we were able to slide into the week without a crush of things.  I managed to keep myself from being glued to the inaugural events in Washington as well.

The PGA tournament in Palm Desert produced quite a bit of drama yesterday.  The guy who went into the day with a five-shot lead saw that spread evaporate in his front nine, and then he proceeded to choke on his chicken on the 18th hole from the middle of the fairway.  Two other guys with chances to win in regulation three-putted the 18th as well.  And a third guy, who made it into the sudden-death play-off, duck-hooked his second shot into the water from the middle of the fairway on the first extra hole.

The guy who won on the second extra hole, Brian Gay, was the shortest hitter in the group of contenders, but he made the shots, and kept his ball in play.  His winner's take was $1,008,000 according to the morning paper.  The other two guys in the play-off each took home $492,800, splitting 2nd and 3rd place money.  And the guy with the five-shot lead who coulda, shoulda, woulda split 4th and 5th place money with another guy at $246,400 each.  Ouch!  If he could of hit a simple 6 iron and two-putted, he takes the winner's check.  Instead, he dumps his shot in the water, and watches over $750,000 go down the drain.  A six iron from the middle of the fairway!  That'll leave a mark.

One other factoid that I had never registered in the cranium from this sort of madness is the money split among those in the play-off.  Even though the third guy in the play-off fell out of the mix after the first hole, he got the same check as the guy who lost on the second hole.  Interesting.  And if there were 3 or 4 guys who tied?  I wonder if the PGA sets that rule, or if individual tournaments make their own choices?  Doesn't seem quite fair if there are multiple guys in the play-off and only two of them continue for several holes after the others fall out. 

Golf may not be the worst work in the world, but the ending of that tournament illustrated just how much pressure builds up on those guys towards the end.  And how hard it is for a guy to actually win a tournament.  Any tournament.

Moving on to more important things...

The NASCAR season is getting closer.  Daytona Speed Weeks begin Saturday night, February 16th with the Bud Shootout.  The 500 is on Sunday the 24th. 

A very key step was taken over the weekend to get the season rolling.  Miss Sprint Cup was named.  Actually there are three Miss Sprint Cups.  Why wouldn't there be?  They have responsibilities, of course.  Look for them in the Winner's Circle at the races for eye candy...and on local TV sports shows where I'm sure they'll expound on economic theory.

Hope y'all stay warm tonight.

BCOT