RIP Kyndle Mongeon

Today is the 17th anniversary of the tragic loss of Colgate student athlete Kyndle Mongeon, who was killed during a fight in New York. I have heard various stories on the incidents that led to this horrible tragedy, so I will not make any statements on that. However I do want to take a moment and discuss what I believe Kyndle represented in the few years that I knew him.
Late last evening I read a facebook post where a former classmate of mine was paying respect to Kyndle, and after reading it I thought about what I remember most about him. I played baseball (Babe Ruth level) and varsity football with Kyndle. Although he was only one year ahead of me, he was someone as an underclassmen you looked up to (being 6 ft 4 or taller made it the only way you could see him). I remember as a junior in high school, my first football game was a close game vs. Montpelier and we were down around 20 points at the start of the 4th quarter. I wasn't a full time starter yet, but I was in the game every play on defense at this point. What stands out to me was that after every play coming to the huddle he had an intensity that rubbed off on ALL of us. We had a pretty wild group at this point to begin with, yet Kyndle had a fire in his eyes, and his words in the huddle totally sank in with me. He was not only our leader, but our best player. That season he won the defensive player of the year for Vermont. The remainder of the season, it didn't matter if you were a starter, a star player, or a bench guy, Kyndle would joke, encourage, and help anyone he could. The one word that comes to mind when I think of him, is TEAMMATE. I would guess many of us that played or did anything with him would think the same thing. He was the ultimate TEAMMATE. And in sports, or your job, or in many ventures of life, TEAMWORK is important to success. Kyndle epitomized this. This is witnessed at his memorial golf tournament every year, as several of his former teammates at BFA, and Colgate show up to pay respects to his foundation. But what really brings his legacy to light, is that many people that show up never stepped foot on a diamond, or the gridiron with him. This shows to me the impact he had on a lot of people.

17 years ago today, we all lost a great TEAMMATE, and in my reflections this has given me some inspiration to be a better TEAMMATE, whether its at work, at home, or on the ice or course somewhere. Thank you Kyndle, I'll be tipping a cold one for you tonight! RIP #50.

Kim's Funny

"They should sell Vodka at Big Lots"

Kim made a great quote

"I need more Vodka" - 8:45 pm while dancing to Lil Jon.

I'm golfing tomorrow

That's right bitches! March 24 and I am playing hooky from work and going golfing at Adirondack CC in lovely Peru NY. I dont care if there is 3 inches of snow, 38 degrees and a 25 mph wind. Boo Weekley isn't scared of some wind when he's out there, neither is Phil Mickelson. Why should the Rocket be scared? I am firing at pins all day..nothing but fairways (roughs) and greens (bunkers) all day pussies. Get some!

EPIC FAIL!

Keith Urban sucks.

The Blog is back!!

Folks - Time to pick this pig of a blog back up. Facebook, work, poker, and golf can't take up 24 hours of EVERY day can it? Please folks, comment on things to blog about, make comments, good or bad. Ill take suggestions, or ideas for topics. I really want to make this something for everyone. So let's enjoy it.

2010 Golf Season is here!!

Folks - March 20, was the opening day of my golf season. No it was not in Myrtle Beach, this year it was at Cedar Knoll, as they opened the North and the South course. What can I say, other then putting like shit, it was GREAT to be hitting balls outdoors, having a couple pops, and playing with Kim. The score - 85. The highs of the round, decent ball striking, which I attribute to the weeks of indoor golf keeping the swing loose all winter. The lows, of course the chipping and putting. This will come with time. However, the season has started (of course its raining all week). Expect the blog to pick back up! I hope folks join in now.

Is anyone hiring part time?

I need a second job. Dick's never called back. I have applied to Costco, Lowe's, the Burlington CC, among others. No one has called back. I have a decent resume. 15 years experience in the work force. Does anyone know someone hiring part time, couple nights a week or weekends???

Finally ---im under a 10.0 GHIN!

So - it only took me 3.5 years to get my handicap back under 10.0, but today when the numbers updated I was a 9.4. My new motto of keeping it in play and letting the short game take over is finally paying off. Now that the short term goal is in tact, the long term is now to sustain the single digit handicap. I must make more putts, get better with the chipping and avoid double/triple bogeys. Time to take this game to the next level and compete with the big boys.

El Pato es el campeón del Masters 2009!

Great Sunday golf yesterday...Phil and Tiggy made a charge, but came up short. Phil's 30 on the front 9 was a record. 9 iron in the drink on 12 did him in, as well as the 4 footer that has plagued him for years. You could sense the jitters these guys had on 18 and the playoff. I thought Kenny Perry surely choked, but at 48, what a great run. Also, any of the 3 in the playoff, Campbell, Perry and Cabrera, you had to feel good for any of these guys. Good guys, good players, rooting for each other. This was great stuff.

Fuck me with a Pineapple! Duggar's kids are having kids!!

SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Josh and Anna Duggar are following in the family tradition. Josh, the eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's 18 kids, announced Monday that he and new bride Anna were about to start their own brood. The couple, who's been married since September, said Anna Duggar is due Oct. 18.

"I am three months right now and feeling great. Morning sickness is pretty much all gone, and so we're looking forward to the birth of our baby," Anna Duggar told NBC's "Today" show Monday.

The Duggars live in northwest Arkansas and are featured on the cable TV show, "18 Kids and Counting." Michelle Duggar most recently gave birth in December, to Jordyn-Grace. Along with Josh and Jordyn, Michelle and Jim Bob are parents to: Jana, 19; John-David, 19; Jill, 17; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 15; Joseph, 14; Josiah, 12; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah, 10; Jedidiah, 10; Jason, 8; James, 7; Justin, 6; Jackson, 4; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 2.

Josh Duggar said he and his wife haven't yet picked out a name, but are leaning toward establishing a theme with the future children's names.

"We're pretty sure we're not going to go with J," Josh Duggar said.

Josh, who is 21, and Anna, who is 20, live in Springdale, where they run a car dealership. He said he and his new wife are frequently asked whether they'll have a large family.

"We have committed leaving that area up to God as far as our family size," he said.

Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar said they're thrilled to become grandparents, although the new baby won't be much older than their youngest, 4-month-old Jordyn.

"I had nieces and nephews that were about the same age as me, and it was great," said Michelle Duggar, who was the youngest of seven children. "I just enjoy growing up in a large family. I really think that Jordyn is going to have a lot with her new little friend coming."

Well, the cult must grow! I'm leaving it up to God to take care of this situation, deport these uber breeders to Bolivia or somewhere they can share their so called testimony. What really sucks is now we're going to have 45 more TLC or Discovery Channel specials. Between these dicks and Jon and Kate, I've had it. These people MUST BE STOPPED!!!

Nice debut slim

6 Runs, 5 walks, no strikeouts. Carsten Charles, now this is exactly what we were looking for when you signed that Trumpian contract. Fans of the Nation just knew you would show up pulling about 400 lbs around, and give the Evil Empire a stellar 4 innings. Im sure that is what Steinbrenner had in mind when throwing Ft. Knox at you. Keep it up you tank.

Feeling Jiggy - so here is some hip hop

Vacation review! 2 thumbs UP!

OK...so Kim and I returned on Friday from our first golf vacation. Four rounds of golf. Lots of great food. Here are my recommendations/observations.

Hotel - We stayed at the Long Bay Resort on Ocean Blvd. www.longbayresort.com This was centrally located, easy to get to the main drag, and all of the courses/restaurants we visited. The room was spotless, bed was nice, shower was the tits, and had a balcony with a view of the ocean. Also there was a pool area, 2 pools, 3 hot tubs, a sauna, shuffle board, ping pong. Again, perfect. I give this a 5 Rocket rating.

Golf courses -
Myrtle Beach National South Creek - Kim and I played here the moment we arrived in MB, and could not have been happier. 54 hole layout (Arnold Palmer design). Several holes forced a carry over water to well bunkered greens. Greens were fast. A few holes you had to meander thru housing developments (600K houses!) which provided a feeling of luxury. Although I shot 89, I would say this was a course worth playing again, although I would do the King's North version first. Still, another 5 Rocket rating.
The Witch- Dan Maples is a great architect. Again, fast ass greens, think Burlington or the Links fast. Huge bunkers the size of Egypt, plush fairways, well groomed. The one downside was the distance b/w green to tee, however the course was the best we played all week. Also the waitresses and beer cart girls were decent too, 6 Yuenglings for 15 bucks. Can't go wrong there. All in all, for 100 bucks a round, I can see why its expensive. Several Canadians were behind us all day (can't they fucking stay home once in a while?)and hit into us on occasion. However if we make this trip again, the Witch will be on the regular rota. Again, 5 Rockets
Wicked Stick - John Daly's drunken attempt at creating a golf course is a let down in my eyes. No aesthetic value whatsoever here. The pluses were minimal. Nice pro shop, big fairways, big greens, GPS systems in cart. These however were offset by 40 mph winds all day, beer cart was scarce, and for the men 200 yard carry's on virtually every tee shot into the wind. Scoring was tough, but with a 40 mph wind, fair. I could have done this at Rocky Ridge. Was worth a one time shot, but then again, so is West Bolton. 2 Rockets
Possum Trot - An older course with a GREAT practice facility. Huge range, multiple putting and chipping areas, and a great staff. I would play this course again too, however it was a bit pricier then I imagined. A very easy layout, with slower greens. Although Kim and I ran out of steam and played shitty, this course has birdies waiting to be made. Definitely worth playing again. 4 Rockets.

Restaurants
Sunday - Kim and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Broadway at the Beach. Good food, shitty waiter. I say this about the HRC, you seen one, you seen em all. It was 8 pm, I had a sinus issue, we were tired, so we went with what we know. Band was good, but we would see them again. Worst night of the trip. 2 Rockets
Monday - We decided to go a bit with what we knew. So...we tried Hooters. Pitchers of beer were nice. Yuengling too. Our waitress was nice, as were a few others. We had the fried pickles of course. After that, we ventured over to Broadway at the Beach again. There we found ourselves at an arcade, Broadway Louie's where we drank more pitchers, played air hockey, Galaga, Golden Tee and had a blast. Then we stopped at Domino's for some pizza to keep us together! For the night, 5 + Rockets
Tuesday - After the Wicked Stick affair we decided to test out Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for drinks. I found Landshark Lager. Great beer, great vibe in there. Very theme like, as you can imagine. Since it was packed, we decided to try the Liberty Ale and Steakhouse. Great steak, great IPA and Irish Red. Very much like the VPB here. Then Kim and I walked over to Senor Frogs. This would have been more fun had we been with a group. One beer and gone. Back to Broadway Louie's again. More pitchers, more Galaga. You know the drill. 4 Rocket rating.
Wednesday - I noticed a Dick's Last Resorton the way to Possum Trot, and had to show Kim what it was all about. Again, theme oriented, great food and beer, and I laughed as hard as I have in a while. After dinner, to cap off a GREAT vacation, we went back to Margaritaville for some unwinding. All in all, a 5 Rocket vacation!

Vacation Status - Raleigh style

OK. Its Saturday night, Kim and I have had 50 Yuengling's each this weekend. So far, a perfect 10. Here are the highlights so far...

Wednesday night - After 5 or so hours of me badgering Kim, we finally decide to leave at 8 pm. I take a 5 hr energy drink...that is correct. Problem is, I believe that I am so hyper generally that the energy drink might have worked for an hour or so. Kim falls asleep at about Whitehall NY leaving me to drive thru the fog and rain until I start to wear down. At about 2 am I decide to unwind. Kim wants a room, so we stop in lovely Scranton , PA where we get a cheap room. Here is the best part. The front door of the hotel is locked, but a skinny little Indian kid, not Casino Indian, but a Slurpee Indian waited on us. We had to slide our card thru a window so he can do business. However the door to the hotel is unlocked. Real safe! Anyhow, we sleep 6 hrs and go.

Thursday - We leave the Taj Econo Lodge at 830 am, drive to Raleigh - arrive 5 pm. First order of business, we go to the Carolina Ale House. Think Pour House times 50. TV's everywhere. Duke fans......ugh...everywhere! Great food, and yes Yuengling. Only problem is smoking is still allowed here. Anyhow, after a few pops there, we mingled on over to my dads favorite spot O'Dwyers. There we had MORE beers then came home.. Where we commenced to have MORE beers.

Friday - I wake up with a screaming headache. So does Kim...but we say Fuck it, and realize we are on vacation, so we go golfing at Hedingham CC. Kim shoots well, I shoot 85, NO BIRDIES!!!! A decent front nine, shitty back nine (2 doubles). Hit the driver like shit. Kim's irons are in the air, all in all a great first round, weather in the high 50's..noone bugging us.

Then after golf - we head to the RBC Center - for the Canes/Islanders game. We tailgated for 2.5 hours. Beers, burgers, southern women yapping...perfect. Great seats, great game (Canes came back in the 3rd to win 5-4). Then again, to O'Dwyers for beers and jello shots. Since Kim and I met, this was my favorite day ever with her.

Saturday - Slept till 11 am. This was much needed....Then riding around Raleigh, Durham, RTP - IBM (HUGE PLANT). A visit to the local Golfsmith store (for you golfers out here, sensory overload.) Great store. Then to the Anus barn, I mean Angus barn. 35 dollar Prime Rib. Also, I FINALLY got to go to a Buffalo Wild Wings!!! UNC game was fairly exciting. I still hate Duke, but those prick's won too, so the bar was hopping. Now..its on to Myrtle Beach National. Kim and I tee off at 116 pm. I'll try to post more exciting stuff as we carry on. Later!

Vacation starts today!!

Ok, in an effort to truly capture what happened on this vacation, I will be blogging daily to keep whomever reads this rubbish up to date. I will include photos if possible. Here is the tentative itinerary.

Depart Colchester 7 pm Wednesday
Arrive Raleigh Thursday afternoon.

Hurricanes/Islanders - 7 pm Friday - section 102 row X
Golf - Hedingham CC - Raleigh - Saturday

Commute to Myrtle Beach - Sunday AM
Golf - Myrtle Beach National - South Creek course, 115 pm tee time http://www.mbn.com/courses/south-creek/
Drink

Golf Monday - The Witch - 1015 am tee time
http://www.witchgolf.com/
Drink...I suppose shop too.

Golf Tuesday - Wicked Stick - 930 am tee time
http://www.wickedstick.com/
Drink...dinner somewhere nice im sure

Golf Wednesday - Possum Trot - 1230 pm tee time
http://www.glensgolfgroup.com/courses/possum-trot/

Rest for ride home

Thursday - head home.. recover

Whitney has a boyfriend - we can go to sleep now!

Whitney and Jay are a couple as of tonight's episode, we can all rest peacefully now.

Waiting List? For Lake Placid?? What the..........

How does the Snail Pail team get put on a friggen Wait list for this year's USA hockey tournament? We have been going to these things for 5 years now. Granted our only banner raising was playing against the Sisters of the Poor down in Cromwell, but each year the LP trip is THE crown jewel event of the winter. Labatt LaBlue, poker, Nicky Eggert, Razor award ceremonies, jello shots, Benny being rejected by women are a must each Super Bowl weekend. How in the F can we not be in this tournament? There MUST be a mutiny immediately to allow our club entrance to this tournament. Even the Syracuse IceHoles must want us there, as we have had some fantastic games over the past couple years. We want that banner, and we should not be denied this opportunity.

2009 - The Blastoff is Back!!

Alright folks - time to ramp this thing back up! Hopefully both people that read this raggedy blog had a great holiday. Ive been slacking, it was a wild 2008, some ups, some downs, lots of changes that is for sure. Anyhow, its 2009. And the Rocket has some resolutions that he may need some help keeping to. So without further adieu. Here are some changes and resolutions I am really going to attempt to keep to this year!

1) SAVE MONEY! - I am absolutely horrible with money, and no that doesn't mean I will give this for you all to hold, but I will be a much cheaper bastard this year. Using credit cards to buy golf tees is getting old. Any money I win playing poker will also be put aside for vacation, more poker, etc..
2) EXERCISE MORE - Yes I skate one to two times a week in the winter, and golf almost every day in the summer, but my fat ass needs to get out and run more, rollerblade more. I won't be joining a gym anytime soon (screw that) but if anyone wants to invite me to a hockey skate, a rollerblade, or a run, Ill likely join you!
3) EAT BETTER - Pizza and french fries at the IBM cafeteria every day is getting old, not to mention that is part of #1. Does this mean Ill spend less time eating Pour House wings?? Probably, but I need to be healthier, so folks don't act surprised if when asked to go get fried pickles at Hooters and I decline. Its a health thing yo.
4) READ MORE - Whether its about how to play pocket 8's in the big blind, or on the whereabouts of Whitey Bulger, or on some new equipment that I have to work on, I will spend more time learning things that are not on ESPN or MTV.
5) DRINK LESS BEER! - UGH, this will the tough one. I am going to do this in baby steps. My GOAL, is to go boozeless Monday thru Thursday. This means no beer on poker night too. Last year I tried this, lasted 2 days since Im sure I got pissed at something and went tilt. Anyhow. This goes alone with resolutions 1 and 3, so this should be followed. If im exercising more, and saving money, then hey, beer shouldn't get in the way right? I will most likely need the most help with this. Beer tends to make most things better for me, but I am going to give this a shot.
6) PRACTICE GOLF - We talking about practice man? Thats right, practice, not a game, not a game...Practice! Instead of rushing to the first tee and whacking away. I pledge to at least hit a few, chip a few, and /or putt a few before every round this year. A 10.5 GHIN index is not acceptable as much as I play, so I will spend more time this year working on the weaknesses on the range instead of trying to figure it out on the course. The goal is to be a steady single digit handicap by mid summer.

Well there is the first run at the blog for 2009. I will be blogging more regularly then late last year. With moving, new girlfriend, being busy at work, plus all the other demands of life took me away from this. But I will no longer let this go...folks, PLEASE feel free to add comments, suggestions, and I will absolutely run with them!

My hero!!!!!

Golfer John Daly detained after passing out drunk at Hooters

By Staff Reports
Published: October 29, 2008

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When you hear the words "Hooters," "John Daly" and "extremely intoxicated" in the same sentence, you know where this story is going.

In the latest chapter of Daly's longtime struggle with alcohol abuse, he was held overnight in a North Carolina jail after passing out at a Hooters restaurant, according to a statement released by Winston-Salem police on Wednesday.

Police officers were called to the Hooters at 120 Hanes Square Circle in Winston-Salem at 2:17 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived, Daly, who had passed out at the restaurant, was already being treated by emergency medical workers, according to police reports. Emergency workers said Daly refused to go to a hospital.

According to police, Daly "appeared extremely intoxicated and uncooperative." Daly again refused to go to the hospital and was eventually asked to leave by Hooters employees, police said.

Because Daly had no transportation, police said they held him in custody at a local jail until he sobered up. Daly was photographed by police but does not appear to have been charged with any crime.

This is the latest in a series of headlines about the long-hitting star, who came from nowhere to win the 1991 PGA Championship. This year, he made a bizarre appearance at the British Open, where he accused his former coach Butch Harmon of lying about Daly's alcohol abuse and then struggled to break 90, and he played a shirtless round in Missouri for a local TV crew, which became a YouTube hit.

This guy is a true American zero, I mean hero. Who else passes out at a Hooters, rips 40 heaters a round, sometimes shirtless, and still, gets preferential treatment?