Sunday, April 28, 2013

Another. Freaking. Lost. Tooth!

Dear Mr Peters,

Unfortunately with your family's run of teeth falling out in recent times, requiring me to leave in excess of $20 over the past two months, I will not be able to reimburse you for the loss of Jessica's tooth this Sunday at approximately 8.25pm.
I'm sure you can cover that cost.
Please do not come to me for 12 months.

Sincerely,

The Tooth Fairy.


Saturday, April 27, 2013

"Or You Children of Today are Children of the Grave"


It was an event decades in the making, and even though Bill Ward was not along for the journey, it was still one of those gigs that will be a keeper for decades to come.
Yes, ALMOST the original Black Sabbath had finally made Sydney, and for the first time we would be witness to their awesome power.
Almost six months had passed since those tickets went on sale, and I jumped at the chance to get floor standing admission for the show. Was that an error? Slightly. Given the elderly age of most of our group (Jordan alone allowed out average age to drop to a mere 36 rather than 43), by the end of the concert we were all feeling for our backs and knees that were feeling the strain of standing on concrete for about two hours. By the end, I think we had all agreed that our days of doing this at concerts must surely have come to and end. We were also faced with the reality of all but Joel being quite vertically challenged, and while he had a perfect view no matter what, the rest of us had a view that at time became obstructed through sheer weight of numbers in front of us. No matter - we all survived, but perhaps I will think seriously about this in the future.

The show itself was everything that it could have been. The risk was always there that Ozzy's voice just wouldn't cut it after so many years, and that the ability to sing these original songs years after his voice was capable of it could be his undoing. As it turned out, there was perhaps only two songs where he really fell acropper to this, those being the start of "Electric Funeral" and the warbling in "Snowblind". Apart from that, he held it together pretty well. Of course, he was literally unable to move away from his microphone stand all night, as to do so would have taken him out of range of his autocue with all the lyrics, and there was the risk he would forget the songs. In many ways it was like Black Sabbath karaoke, admittedly with the real lead vocalist rather than, say, me, singing the songs at home. This limited him to very little movement throughout the gig, and as a result there was almost no interaction between the band members. Ozzy also stuck to his tried and true phrases throughout the night, being "How you doing?" and "Are you having a good time?" and "Here's another tune entitled...". But having said all that, he delivered again the bet way he can. I don't want to sound as though I am being highly critical, because it was great. It's just that when you see the way Ronnie James Dio interacted with the crowd and his bandmates on the Heaven & Hell tour six years ago, and the way these guys functioned, it was just a different experience.



Tony and Geezer are still just awesome. The sound they get from their guitars is amazing, and it is still incomprehensible that they can do what they do sound so full with just the two of them. Bands with twin guitars and bass and prominent keyboards still can't approach the wall of sound these two produce themselves. Remarkable. I, as probably most of us, have been waiting all of our lives to hear these two play the starting riffs of songs like "Symptom of the Universe" and "Children of the Grave" and "War Pigs" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", and actually getting to hear it was part life-completing.
Touring drummer Tommy Clufetos had a ball, and played terrifically well. What a dream gig, being the drummer in an-almost reformed Black Sabbath. You could see how much he enjoyed it. However, the long-defuncted notion of the drum solo again reared it head again, I guess mainly to give the three old men a rest in the middle of the gig. Fine I guess, but a waste of a space where another song could have been played.

All in all a great concert, one that we are unlikely to ever witness again. However, give that we spent 30+ years believing we would NEVER see it, we have been very lucky to see them at all.

Set List

War Pigs
Into the Void
Under the Sun
Snowblind
Electric Funeral
Black Sabbath
Behind the Wall of Sleep
N.I.B.
End of the Beginning
Fairies Wear Boots
Symptom of the Universe (Instrumental only)
Drum Solo
Iron Man
God Is Dead?
Dirty Women
Children of the Grave

Paranoid ("Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" intro)






Saturday With the Cincotta's

I stayed overnight in the Hotel Cincotta of Ryde, a very plush establishment. I was even met in the morning by the two young ladies who are firm parties of the hotel.

Amelia

Dominique
I then spent an enjoyable afternoon watching Bono playing his pennant bowls match. Okay, maybe four hours was a little extended, but a couple of schooners during the match, and the ability to bet on the day's racing via iPhone made it all work out for the best. Bono even won his first match of the season, proving my wonderful influence is still worth bottling.



Friday, April 26, 2013

Bono's Slightly Delayed 40th Birthday

Arty photo from corner of Queen Victoria building

Soooooo... who cares if it's only a couple of weeks off being three years since he actually turned 40 years of age, and we've only been waiting all that time for him to decide to hold a celebration of that event. Well, it finally happened, and this evening was that time to celebrate.

I caught the train up to Sydney, again enjoying the serenity of a train trip with only my music to keep me company. Once I arrived at Town Hall I made a quick visit to Utopia - twice in two months! - in order to make some purchases for tomorrow night's Black Sabbath concert. All of my concert metal shirts have died a violent over-wearing death many years ago, and I have been meaning to get at least one to wear to such occasions. So today I went and got myself a Dio Holy Diver t-shirt (and I've never owned a Dio t-shirt so I was quietly stoked) and an Iron Maiden hoodie (which was probably over priced, but I wanted one anyway). Good purchasing.



(May I just apologise here early for the quality of the following photo's. It has convinced me to upgrade my iPhone 2 to an iPhone 5 almost immediately...)

From here I moseyed down to Ryan's Bar at Australia Square, where I met Bono, Joel and Julian for a few pre-dinner beers. Despite it being the end of April, the weather was almost balmy, and the time and beer was pleasant.

Then it was up to the Rockpool Bar & Grill on Hunter Street for dinner. Julian, having once been involved in the establishment, was left in charge of most of the ordering apart from the main. Why so? Well, have a look at the menu and try and decide what is good! As 'preferred' guests, we also received mini hamburgers for a starter. Awesome!!


While Joel was (sensibly) left in charge of choosing and ordering the wine, Julian ordered entrees of My Steak Tartar and Chips, Charcoal Roast King Prawns and Marinated, Joselito Iberico Jamon, Jamondul Serrano Jamon Reserva, Fratelli Gallioni Parma Prosciutto and Pickled Vegetables, and Abalone. Of course, I insisted that Julian did not tell me what any of it was until after I had finished eating.




For main I went with the good old fashioned T-bone steak, which was as big as the plate and cooked to perfection. It came with condiments (two mustards and harissa was good enough for me) as well as us all sharing mushy peas with slow cooked egg, and sautéed mixed peppers with lemon and garlic, and some greens and potato grill. Terrific.



Even though there was no way we could fit anything more in, we stuffed in some crème caramel and profiteroles and other sweet stuff. Unlike other restaurants where you may pay through the nose but still come out looking for a KFC to fill your stomach, there was none of that here. We were all well and truly stuffed, and it was just magnificent.

From here we decided to have a beer at Frankies Pizza, which Julian tells me is one of the places that all of the hospitality tradies go when their shifts finish. To the outsider, it is a bit like the old Pit under Kiama Leagues Club, a concrete bunker with no escape routes (but at least no sticky floors). We had one of the worst beers that most of us had ever had (though Julian had two, so no doubt he thinks its great) before heading for our various abodes. For me, that was an overnight stay at the Cincotta household.

Well done Bono. You've finally made 40. Now just two weeks until you are 43.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Message from Jessie

So while I was taking apart their swing set today, I received many messages from upstairs, with Jessie trying to have a conversation. And it went as follows...





A Quiet Day for Anzac Day

Another Anzac Day, and the weather was just superb. While I was awake with the sparrows, mostly thanks to the crying dog, Helen didn't stir until 9.30am. Think she needed the sleep.

With the kids playing nicely, Helen decided to get out and do some gardening and also give the kids cubby house a lick of paint, and nail the mailbox back up again.





Meanwhile, I was taking apart the swing set, for its relocation to the local tip. It's had its time, and we need the space for soccer, cricket, golf and totem tennis.  :)





I then decided to head into the Metal Cavern to watch the Anzac Day footy. Unfortunately, with both computers now in there, I was joined by three noisy children, who wanted to play on their computer at the PRECISE time I wanted to go in there and hide. No matter, they were good, and even sat with me for the minute's silence and the Last Post before both the AFL and NRL games.

Bad news all round from that point on, as Essendon belted the Pies by 46 points at the MCG, and the Roosters did the same to the Dragons by 22 points at the SFS.


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Watson Gifted Another Chance in Ashes Squad


Ashes squad Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt, wk), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird. 

Australia A squad Brad Haddin (capt), Steven Smith (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Ryan Harris, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk.

So, the squad for the Ashes tour to England has been chosen, and while most of the squad was predictable, there were a couple of surprises thrown in there - some good and some bad.
The most pertinent point to ask of all of this is - can this team win back the Ashes from England?

Chairman of the National Selection Panel (NSP) John Inverarity made the point that, although only 16 players have been chosen in the squad, this can be added to at any time during the tour at the discretion of the NSP. It will be intersting to see if that occurs. Before the Test series begins, there is the Champions Trophy ODI junket to be played, where a different squad will be in attendance, and there is also a A Tour taking place in the month leading up to the 1st Test, where no doubt any scintillating performances will put those players firmly in the selector's minds.

Australia's strength is its bowling attack, and the team will be relying on them to be able to bowl England out twice in each of the five Tests if they are to be any chance of winning the series. James Pattinson, Mitch Starc and Peter Siddle have been retained from the tour of India, while Jackson Bird, who was repatriated from that tour very early on with back trouble, has also been given another chance. The three afore mentioned bowlers toiled hard in India for the rewards they reaped, and will find the wickets in England much more conducive and inviting. Bird, who impressed in his two Tests in Mebourne and Sydney, will also be well suited to the seam friendly wickets.
The return to fitness of Ryan Harris is timely and fortunate. If not for his fragile body he would have spearheaded this Australian attack for the last two years. He could well be the wild card for the Australians, even if he doesn't play every Test. Pick and choose the right wickets and he could be invaluable.
James Faulkner's selection owes much to his form throughout the Australian summer, and having not been on the Indian tour. His figures with ball and bat were exceptional, and one suspects he will also enjoy bowling in England. It's hard to see him getting a game unless injuries occur... but in recent years, that has been the norm rather than the exception.

It's hard to work out where the NSP has gone with Mitchell Johnson. This time last year he was long odds to ever play Test cricket again. Then the NSP surprsingly chose him during the summer, during which he bowled as well as he ever has for Australia. He then went to India, where most would have expected him to be one of the leading bowlers, given his aggression and pace are things that Indian batsmen do not like. However, he sat on the sidelines, was then suspended for a match for not doing his homework, and then came in for the final Test where his bowling was ineffective and he made a pair with the bat. Now he is not in the best half a dozen fast bowlers in Australia. Has he been mis-managed? Has he been made a scapegoat? Has he just been lax and has fittingly not been chosen? I'm not sure. On the last Ashes tour he under-performed and the English crowd gave it to him all winter. Perhaps this was taken into account in leaving him home.

The wicket keeping dramas have been resolved in the interim, with Brad Haddin not only being named as vice captain, but as first choice keeper on tour. Matthew Wade's keeping was diabolical in India in difficult conditions, and wasn't much better in Australia prior to that. He still has the chance to be Australia's long term keeper, but he will need to work hard to claim it.
In regards to Haddin's re-elevation to the top job, it's a short term gig, and safe bet. Haddin has a reasonable record against England, and performed well on the last tour of England in 2009. He offers leadership qualities that no other current member of Australia's elite can offer. He is cool under pressure, and always looking to exploit any weaknesses in the opposition. It may look like a backwards step, but in reality it gives the selection panel numerous options. In 12 months time, not only will Haddin be likely to be thinking of calling it quits himself, it will have given not only Wade, but contenders such as Tim Paine, Chris Hartley and Peter Nevill another summer in which to push their claims to be the heir apparent to the Test gloves. Wade will probably retain his position in the one day squad, which will keep him around the national group so that he won't feel completely abandoned.

Australia's batting is where this series will be won or lost. Not since the days of 1985, with the rebel tour to South Africa, or 1978, in the heart of the World Series Cricket days, has the strength of the Australia Test batting been so shaky, or the depth of batting in Sheffield Shield cricket been so low. The loss of Ponting and Hussey in such a short space of time has left an enormous hole, and one that will not be filled easily or quickly.
The selection of Chris Rogers is to be applauded. He alone has consistently made runs each summer, as well as doing even better in the County Championship for a number of years. His experience in those conditions will be vital, and he will hopefully be able to solve Australia's problem at number three, assuming that the opening pair of Warner and Cowan will not be broken up, at least initially.
None of Warner, Cowan or Phil Hughes are assured of their spot in the Test side. All have had numerous opportunities to really nail down their position in the side, but have not done enough with them. Only the lack of pressure from players back in the Shield competition has saved their spot - so far. It looms as a big tour for all three. They could come home entrenched in the team, or out of it for good.

I'm going to go down this path once again, because I think that this continues to be a disgrace, a situation where if this case went to court, there would be an uproar.
Shane Watson has been chosen once again to tour, and no doubt be the second person chosen in the Test side. How does this continune to happen? What mystical hold does this person have on all of those on the NSP to continue to select him?
In the last two years, Watson has played 14 Test matches. He has scored 627 runs at a paltry average of 24.11. And yet he is still chosen as a Test batsman. Forget about the guys he is keeping out of the team NOW with an average like that. Hell, Jamie Siddons and Stuart Law could probably average more than that NOW let alone in their prime!
In the series in India, Watson played the first two Tests, before he was one of four players suspended for a Test match for not doing his homework. He then flew immediately home to Sydney, where he told the media he would have to seriously consider his future at the elite level. Seven days later, he was captaining the Test team when Michael Clarke failed to play with a bad back. Then, just last week, he asked to be relieved of the vic captaincy, to concentrate on his own game.
In those three Tests in India, Watson scored just 99 runs at an average of 16.50, with a highest score of 28. His average only bettered Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson in the Test series for Australia.
On the other hand, Steve Smith was a surprise choice for the Indian tour, and didn't look like getting a game until the four players, of which Shane Watson was one, were suspended. He came in for the 3rd Test, and showed great maturity, patience and steel. His 92 in the first innings was vital in getting Australia to a defendable total, before he was bowled by a beauty in the second innings for 5. He was retained for the 4th Test with Michael Clarke injured, where he scored 46 and 18 in another losing effort. His two Tests produced 161 runs at 40.25, second on the Test averages for Australia and fourth in the aggregates, even though he only played two of the four Tests.
Now, most of us would believe that Smith's batting technique could let him down in England. But surely, after putting in his all for those two Tests in India, when almost everyone else around him (except the bowlers) failed with the bat, he DESERVED the opportunity to tour and have the chance? On all of the figures put here before you, how can the NSP say with a straight face that Watson deserves to play in front of Smith? I'm sorry, but if one more person puts that "oh, but he is the most talented cricketer" crap in front of me one more time, I think I'm going to clock someone. I'll repeat what I've said on countless occasions before - any other cricketer in the world averaging 24 over two years would be lucky to be playing for their first class team, let alone their Test team. It is a joke, and a major travesty of justice for Steve Smith to be in the A squad instead of the Test squad. When did form stop being the major selection criteria for our team? And don't start trying to use form in ODI cricket as a reason for selection in the Test team - that's why Xavier Doherty was taken to India instead of Steve O'Keefe, and look how that ended up.
Everyone will hope Watson scores a chaff bag full of runs in England and wins us the series. No doubt if he does, I will be lambasted for my stance and ridiculed for it. My opinion won't change. He has had a golden run, and he would have to do something like winning the Ashes single handed in order to pay back the number of opportunities he has had in front of more deserving players. But if he does not succeed, then the fault will lay at the feet of the NSP, and they will have to pay the consequences.

Nathan Lyon is the only spinner chosen, which is sensible given that it would be unlikely that either pitch conditions or Australian tactics will require two being selected in the same match. Lyon will again need to step up and do a job on this tour, or his days could still be numbered.  Young prodigy Ashton Agar has impressed all who have seen him, while the impending citizenship of Fawad Ahmed is exciting all of those people who long for the return of a leg spinner to the Australian ranks. Their story may come next Australian summer. It will be up to Lyon this winter to keep pushing his case forward.

England's stagnant tour of New Zealand has raised Australian hopes of a surprise victory in the Ashes, though England will be a superior team on their own wickets and with the likely return of Graham Swann and Stuart Broad to the team. For the first time since 1989, Australia go into an Ashes battle as the underdogs, and rightly so. Perhaps though, this may be advantageous if the home team takes them too lightly, and the Australians can get a good start to the series. If nothing else, Wednesday July 10 is already stamped and embossed in gold on the calendar, and anticipation for the series is already at maximum levels.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

ANOTHER Bloody Tooth!! (no pun intended)

Yep. It's just getting a tad ridiculous now. Not content with a mouthful of gaps as it is, this afternoon Maddi has lost yet another tooth.
If you look carefully at the photo from a couple of days ago, you will see that she had a single tooth sitting at the top of her mouth.
If you then look carefully at the photo from a few minutes ago posted below, you will notice it is now gone.

So - how do we proceed when it is obvious that the Tooth Fairy has no money left?! These kids are killing me...


A Bit of Hockey Training

Yesterday was wet. Lots wet. It meant that we were all stuck inside for the day, which was okay for playing on the Xbox and stuff, but the kids all had cabin fever by 3.00pm and drove me crazy.



So today we had to get out of the house for some of the day. I have promised Jess for some time to take her down to the hockey fields and run around with her, so this morning that's what we did. Helen dropped the two of us off there, while she took Maddi and Josh for a boke ride on the bike track.

Jess went well. We hit the ball around for an hour, practising passing and hit ins and defence and attack, and getting the ball off each other, and shots on goal. It was good. She did very well. Seeing as I'm just an old bloke who has never played the game, I thought she did really well.

Ready...

SHOOT!

"I am Goldberg. THE GOALIE!!"

Friday, April 19, 2013

Girls of Different Ages

I took two photos of my girls today, and both not only reveal their different ages, but just how fast they are growing up. Scarily fast.


This one was of Jessie, who was going out with her friend Charlotte to the movies. I did her hair, which remarkably held up well. But look at how grown up she looks. Hand on hip, handbag to go (filled with epipen, puffer and tissues), even a 'tattoo' on her arm. Crazy stuff.


This one is of Maddi, who lost yet another tooth last night just before she went to bed. That one remaining tooth on the top row is about to come out too. It's amazing how they have all come out so quickly and in one hit. She's finding it somewhat difficult to eat at the moment too, which is no surprise.

So yes, my two girls are growing up quick. I need to keep reminding myself to be as involved in their life as I can, or I could easily find myself missing large pieces of it without even knowing. That's the task at the moment.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Why Rugby League Has Lost the Plot

Copyright National Rugby League 2013
Maybe it's just me, but I really think that the NRL is making a huge mistake in their weekend free of competition matches, and instead having some 'representative' matches playing instead, while the majority of players head off to relax or get over injuries or just (hopefully) stay out of trouble. If they are serious about trying to out-market and out-hype the other football codes in Australia, this is a really strange way to go about it.

Firstly - the Test match between Australia and New Zealand. I have probably watched one rugby league international match in the past six or seven years. Why? Because they just don't interest me as contests. Apart from these two nations and Great Britain, no other team in the world is competitive at this level. And the only reason New Zealand and Great Britain are competitive is because a) 90% of Kiwis and 20% of Poms play in the NRL and b) while other percentage of players play in England, their competition is made better because of the huge percentage of Australian players playing in it. So we see most of these players in the NRL week after week. Do we need to see them in a one-off Test match? What value is there in a one-off Test match? When I was growing up in the 80's and 90's, at least we had Test SERIES, where on the off chance that Australia would actually LOSE a Test match, we could be a chance to fight back and win the series. Then, around the Super League time, it was decided to play a Test on Anzac Day. Great idea, except that it soon struggled to draw a decent crowd, while the AFL's Collingwood vs Essendon matches draw 90,000 people MINIMUM each year. So now there is a Dragons vs Roosters Anzac Day clash and the Test is played a week earlier. No matter, because the Dragons/Roosters match will certainly draw more people to the ground than the Test will in Canberra. This being the case, why play it at all? It is becoming a white elephant, and deserves better than the 'poor cousin' status it currently receives.

Secondly - the City vs Country origin match. This game has been a dead duck for years, and should have been left off the itinerary when it was dumped some years ago. It is now irrelevant. Again, in the years up until the 1980's it was a true match between players in the NSWRL (City) and NSW Combined Country. Country even won a few, the last of those being 1975. However, once the best Country players moved to the city to play, and ended up playing against their former teammates, the matches became lopsided an uncompetitive. It also became less of a trial for the NSW side than a training run, and so its relevance dropped. Rules were tinkered with, allowing Country to "choose" five former Country players in their team, before becoming a full blown Place of Origin match. Still, the incentive to play well and win the game dwindled, especially once the Trans Tasman Test match began being played in April, BEFORE the start of the Origin series. Form in the City/Country game meant almost zero when it came to selecting the NSW Origin team, and in recent times players were selectively 'rested' from the match if they were 'assured' of Origin selection. So why play the game at all? From the two teams that were announced on Sunday evening, a ridiculous eleven personnel changes have already occurred, all to apparent injuries following medicals. Now, call me a cynic, but if club football was on this weekend, I would suggest that most if not all of those players who are unable to front for this game on Sunday would be playing for their Club. So if the clubs and players don't want it, and the spectators don't care about the result, why is it being played? And why is a weekend of league being lost to play it?

On Friday night the Test match, in theory the biggest match of the year as it is an International, is being played in Canberra, where they will hope to draw 20,000 people. On the same night, AFL premiers Sydney will take on three time recent Premiers Geelong at the SCG, where a capacity crowd will be in attendance. Is rugby league running to avoid the embarrassment of an AFL club game out-drawing an International rugby league match? They should be. And Sydney and Brisbane this weekend are rugby league free zones. Why is this sport's biggest marketplaces having ANY weekend without matches being played? It is just astounding that the NRL allowed this to happen.

Maybe there are still people out there who are looking forward to the Test on Friday, and the rep game on Sunday. Good luck to them. I remember when my enthusiasm for both games was at the same levels as other big games in all sports. But that was a long time ago, and I'm not sure I will ever return to those days. On Friday night I'll be watching the Swans play the Cats, and on Sunday I'll be watching the Mariners and the Wanderers in the A League soccer grand final. Both games from different codes have a greater pull than the rugby league games on offer, and to me this speaks volumes for how much this sport has fallen in recent years, and how much work needs to be put back into rugby league in order to get it back to where it once stood.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Adam Scott Wins US Masters

It has been a long time coming, but Australians united around their televisions this morning to watch the final round of the U.S. Masters golf tournament, as three Australians fought out the finish. And while Marc Leishman (5th) and Jason Day (3rd) were unable to hold on over the final couple of holes, it was Adam Scott who not only broke through to win his first Major, he also became the first Australian to win the Green Jacket.


It is a terrific moment in Australian sports history. Just nine months ago, Adam had been four shots in front at the British Open with four holes to play at Royal Lytham & St Anne's, and had not been able to hold on as Ernie Els eventually claimed the trophy. Some thought this collapse - so reminiscent of some famous Greg Norman meltdowns - might haunt him for years. It wasn't to be. He finished seventh at the U.S. P.G.A a month later, and fought hard. He has spoken in all those nine months that it helped him to realised he could win a Major, and that the next time he was in contention that experience would help, rather than hinder, him.
This morning Australian time, he proved that to be true. He birdied 15 to go to 8 under and a share of the lead as Day bogeyed 16 and 17, while Angel Cabrera birdied 16 to then move to 8 under. Scott then sank a lengthy putt for birdie at 18 to go to 9 under, and showed the most emotion anyone has ever seen from him. He twice cried out "COME ON AUSSIES!" as he high-fived his caddy Steve Williams and then his playing partner Marc Leishman, in a display that showed that he knew how much it meant to ALL Australians to have a winner at Augusta. Spine-tingling -  and tear-raising - stuff.
Angel Cabrera's approach to 18, having just shaved the hole on 17 for his own birdie putt, and having seen Scott birdie from the fairway and knowing he had to do the same to get to a playoff, was just amazing. Hitting the ball to within two feet was just brilliant, and his birdie took the match to a sudden death playoff. Then his chip from off the green on the first playoff hole at 18 barely missed the hole. Then his birdie putt on 10 literally hung over the edge of the hole without dropping. If you believe in fate, then those three birdie chances that failed by a gnat's wing to go into the hole certainly proved that it was Adam Scott's time. His putt for birdie ran true where Cabrera's could not, and the jacket was his. It was a nice touch to see the two hug afterwards. They have played together on the President's Cup team against the US, and it was obviously that there is great respect between the two.



It was heartwarming to hear Scott speak of the legacy that Greg Norman has created for all Australian golfer, and to suggest that "a piece of this is for him". Given the way that Norman finished second on three separate occasions at Augusta - once by a freak chip shot, once by a freak bunker shot, and once by blowing a six shot lead on the final day - and the other major tournaments that he finished second in when he could so easily have won, it was a terrific thing from Scott to recognise his enormous shadow, and the things he did for Australian golf, and the people he inspired by his efforts. With Scott and Geoff Ogilvy now major winners, and guys like Day and Leishman and John Senden all knocking on the door, perhaps the next great age of Australian golf is now truly upon us. We can only hope.

Of course - SOME of us were at work, and had to rely on other media to keep us updated (as my previous post shows). But it was more than worth it, and the replay this evening was just as exciting as it would have been live.

How I "Watched" Adam Scott Win the 2013 US Masters