Dein erstes Forum » dddd. The talented wideout, who returned Nov. 9

PITTSFORD, N.Y. - Being a fan who had never seen a pro golf event in person, the PGA Championship sure was a sweet way to start. I had tickets to Fridays second round for the better part of a year and traveled to Oak Hill Country Club with the simple goal of soaking it all in - see the course, watch the players up close, and hopefully, see Tiger and Phil in person. How did I do? Ten things come to mind. 1. Rain, baby. Despite rain never being in the forecast it had started overnight and was in full downpour mode when we arrived at the course at about 9am. Luckily play was never delayed but the deluge was pretty consistent for about three hours. It didnt take long for the gallery areas around Oak Hill to become mudpits - it wasnt very country club-like, but at least I wore old (and comfortable) shoes. 2. Major Sighting. We entered the course through a gate near the 11th hole. As we found our bearings and walked to the 12th, I cashed in on one of my goals right away - the years major winners were playing through. The pairing of British Open winner Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open winner Justin Rose and Masters champion Adam Scott had a huge gallery following them and there was electricity in the crowd as each hit their approach shots. 3. Seriously, no photos. The spectator guide that was sent to us said that taking photos was not allowed. And yet, cellphone calls and texting from the course was allowed in designated areas. So I figured that people would be trying to sneak shots here and there when they could. Well guess what? There were staff at the course in green marshal shirts marked "Mobile Device Enforcement" scanning the crowds for those brave enough to try. And it worked. I heard "Put it away, please" several times. Seriously, no photos. 4. The Range. Having seen the Canadian Open several times, my travel mates swore that this was the place to be to get the best up-close look at the players. And boy were they right. While the crowds on the course were four and five-deep trying to track approach shots, the practice area was relatively lightly attended. But it was truly something to see. In the space of about 90 minutes we saw Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Davis Love III, and many more. Matt Kuchar and Padraig Harrington walked right past me to an elevated tee area. Martin Kaymer launched rockets alongside fellow former PGA champions Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel. And later, Miguel Angel Jimenez showed up after his round smoking his trademark cigar. Fantastic. 5. "These guys are good". Thats an old PGA Tour ad promo but its absolutely true. Watching these guys hit in person shows why they are the best in the world. Players start with sand wedges and hit short bounce-bounce-stop shots that are nothing short of trickery. Bounce-bounce-stop. One after another. Irons are hit for accuracy, distance, and with unbelievable arc. Drivers are belted so far that you lose track of them for a second or two before they re-appear on a bounce more than 300 yards away. Thats the part you cant truly appreciate on television. 6. The Dufner Dips. Ten guys from Ottawa made the trip with bright red custom-made t-shirts and called themselves the Dufner Dips. Their goal was to find fan favourite Jason Dufner and give him his own red shirt for luck. For the thousands of fans who attended, they were the only ones I saw all day who dressed alike in support of a player. I stood next to them on the range while they did interview after interview with the media. One fellow said they had been interviewed nine times that day. When Dufner appeared at the other end of the range they went to track him down - I can only imagine he was thrilled to accept their gift. 7. Out of the sky. Walking the par-4 10th hole, a golf ball, literally, dropped out of the sky in front of us. Sergio Garcia had whipped his tee shot right and into the trees - it hit a branch above us and fell into the muddy gallery area. We never even heard "fore!". We circled the ball and Garcia showed up minutes later to take stock of the situation. He summoned a rules official, who determined that Garcia could take relief of one club because the ball lay in "damaged grounds" because of the gallery. After taking a drop he asked us to remain "very quiet please", then calmly hit an iron off the mud, over the trees in front and up near the green. Unbelievable shot. From there he got up and down to save an unlikely par. And it all happened from about six feet in front of me. 8. Ticket Envy. All spectators at the event were asked to wear their hanging tickets at all times. Mine said "Grounds" but I quickly learned that there were plenty of other kinds. "Wannamaker Club" looked good. "Clubhouse" was pretty solid. But I have to admit that "Mercedes Box" or "American Express Club" had me at hello. Still, "Grounds" got me around the course just fine. But without free snacks. 9. Parking. Several homes around the course were selling lawn space for fans to park on. And these were not small homes - they were beautiful houses with massive lawns. We parked on a lawn for $30 that could probably accommodate 30 cars. Quick calculation: $900 per day for four days, $3,600 plus whatever they made earlier in the week for the practice rounds. Sweet gig - too bad the PGA is played at Oak Hill only every decade or so. 10. Ah yes, Tiger Woods. The worlds No. 1 golfer arrived about an hour before his tee time and you could hear the buzz in the crowd before you saw the man. He did an interview and then proceeded to the practice area, where I was able to watch him hit for about a half hour from 50 feet away. He was hitting alongside Love and Stewart Cink, but to the gallery the two former major winners were practically invisible. Tiger didnt say a word. He barely acknowledged the crowd. He was dialed in, preparing for his round. I watched him hit drive after drive, thinking about all the things that have made him one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. Was I star struck? I have to admit that I was. And from 50 feet away, I could only think about how I was fortunate to cross off one of the bucket list moments of just about any golf fan - to see Tiger live. Devin White Buccaneers Jersey .com) - Maria Sharapova reached her 10th career grand slam final after beating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday. Ronde Barber Youth Jersey . 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Stroman, making his fifth start for Toronto, allowed one earned run and three hits over a career-high eight innings.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Lions try to keep their NFC North title hopes alive on Sunday when they welcome the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Ford Field. Detroit snapped a two-game losing streak and picked up a much-needed win on Thanksgiving, as Joique Bell and Calvin Johnson each scored twice to help the Lions snatch a 34-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. Matthew Stafford was 34-for-45 for 390 yards with two touchdown passes for the Lions (8-4), who bounced back from a pair of road losses to Arizona and New England. We had shown that we could do it in spurts at times this season, Stafford said of his offense. To put it together for 60 minutes was gratifying. Detroit, which remains a game behind Green Bay for first place in the NFC North, has now won three in a row at home and hasnt won four straight in the Motor City since 2007. Bell totaled 91 yards on 23 carries, while Johnson had 11 catches for 146 yards for the Lions, who had lost nine straight in its traditional Thanksgiving Day game, but has now won its past two thanks to this win and a victory over an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay last year. Johnsons 25-yard touchdown reception was the Lions first in nine quarters and it was the first time the team went over 24 points since it hung 35 on the New York Giants in Week 1. Its something to build off of, Stafford said. Just being consistent with it, not having a bad quarter - maybe a bad series here, one or two, but making sure that we were playing well in every quarter. Tampa, meanwhile, continued to flounder in head coach Lovie Smiths first season and fell to 2-10 on the season, despite a valiant effort in a 14-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Josh McCown went 15-for-29 for 190 yards with an interception, and Doug Martin had a rushing touchdown for the Buccaneers (2-10), who have dropped their past two games and remained winless in six tries at home this season. Thats how 2-10 football teams play, they find a way to lose the game at the end, said Smith. We did some good things defensively and made some plays, but when you make dumb stupid penalties throughout the game they wind up biting you in the end. Compounding matters was a too many men on the field penalty with time winding down that cost the Bucs an opportunity to attempt a potential winning field goal. The Bucs, who were flagged 13 times, are tied with Seattle for most penalties in the league and have let fourth-quarter leads slip away in five of their 10 defeats. Growing pains, learning situations, normally it doesnt take this many games to get the point across, Smith said. Sundays matchup between these former NFC Central foes will mark the fourth clash in five seasons between them, with the Lions winning two of the three previous matchups (2010, 2011). The Lions, though, have dropped five of the past six home meetings in the series. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Detroits offense could be hitting its stride at the right time. The Lions generated a total off 474 yards in the win over the Bears with Megatron producing his finest game of the season.dddddddddddd. The talented wideout, who returned Nov. 9 after missing more than a month due to an ankle injury, was targeted a season-high 16 times in the victory. Hes hauled in 23 catches for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his last three games versus the Buccaneers. And that offense could get even more of a boost this week with the return of running back Reggie Bush, who has been sidelined the past three weeks with an ankle injury. Even though Tampa comes into this contest with just two wins on the season, its opponents have averaged just 18.2 points per game over the past five games. The Bucs may also be able to keep Johnson in check, as they have given up three pass plays of 40-plus yards on the year, tied for the lowest total in the NFL. I see Tampa really being a bend but dont break defense, Detroit wideout Golden Tate said. I see those guys being one of those teams where, were going to let you mess up. Were not going to press. Were going to force a fumble or expect you to get a holding call on offense or throw an interception and were going to rally around that. The Bucs are minus-six in turnover differential on the year, but theyve forced 19 takeaways, the same amount as the Lions defense. The problem is that Tampa Bays offense has turned the ball over 25 times. Tampas offense has also failed to capitalize while in the red zone, particularly in the last three games, as they have managed a touchdown in just 28.6-percent of its chances. Weve got to do a better job in just our focus and weve got to demand more from ourselves because those things are stopping us, said McCown. And its a shame because, this past game specifically, because it puts you ... you get behind the sticks, especially when youre running the ball the way we ran it in the first half, but you start having penalties and you get behind the sticks and you cant run the ball, it changes what youre doing. Martin managed a season-best 58 yards on the ground last week versus the Bengals, but he will be going up against a Lions defense that is ranked No. 1 in the league against the run after surrendering a mere 13 yards on the ground to the Bears. The 13 yards allowed were the fewest since 1991 and team has given up just 2.7 yards per carry over the last four games. Detroit, meanwhile, also boasts the leagues No. 1 defense when it comes to points allowed as it is holding opponents to just 17.3 points per game through 12 games. OVERALL ANALYSIS Detroit actually controls its own destiny in terms of winning a division. The Lions have very winnable games the next three weeks before what could be a winner-take-all showdown with the Packers in Week 17. The Lions seem to be hitting on all cylinders at the moment and should be able to roll this week against what is an improving Buccaneers club. Sports Network predicted outcome: Lions 23, Buccaneers 12 ' ' '