:: walterindenver ::

:: Thursday, February 13, 2003 ::

Sorenstam Will Play

Annika Sorenstam will play in the PGA tour stop at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth this May. Her men's tour debut will happen before Suzy Whaley plays at the Hartford open, so she'll likely be the first woman to play on the PGA tour in many decades.
San Jose Mercury News writer Barry Witt opines:

Though Sorenstam doesn't hit the ball as far as the average PGA Tour player, she's far more accurate. That means that on the tight Colonial Country Club course, a par 70 at 7,080 yards, her lack of length shouldn't be too great an obstacle. Nick Price won there last year, and his 272.7-yard driving average in 2002 isn't much better than Sorenstam's 265.6 mark this season on the LPGA Tour.

At 7080 yards and par 70 Colonial is by no means a short course. Sorenstam's driving distance average would put her at 172nd of 177 on this year's PGA tour stats, so she's at a serious disadvantage in that department. She hit fairways at a rate of .803 playing on the LPGA tour last year, which is better than anyone except Fred Funk on the PGA tour. The comparison isn't worth much, however, since PGA events are held on more difficult courses than the ladies'. Early odds in the clubhouse are 3-1 against Annika making the cut. I'd like to see it happen, though.

:: Walter 8:13 AM [+] ::
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Drug War Casualty

DEA agents stake out a San Antonio home, laying in wait for a suspected drug dealer. The suspect's 14 year old daughter decides to leave the house, and go for a drive. What would the federal agents do?

If you said, 'shoot the girl dead,' you win a gold star.

Here's the story from the San Antonio Express-News.

Drug war bystander casualty count: seventeen dead, four wounded.

:: Walter 9:39 PM [+] ::
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Heroes

Charles Barkley was right, athletes are not role models. Certainly not heroes. Not most of them. But these Zimbabwe cricket players are. How often do you see anyone risk a comfortable and wealthy lifestyle to make a political statement? I'm impressed, and I hope they live long, prosperous lives. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Via Instapundit.

:: Walter 8:31 PM [+] ::
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In a Bad Way

Q. What's the worst way to start your day?
A. You pull in to work and find the 60 Minutes crew waiting to talk to you.

Well, it's not quite that serious but my workplace has been in the news frequently of late. It's not all bad though. The practice range is open and and I'm still teaching. Drop me a line if you spend some time in Denver and you want to work on your game.

:: Walter 7:56 PM [+] ::
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Leftists and Libertarians

Atrios, while discussing Christians, manages to throw in an off-hand dis at Libertarians as well:

Likewise, I'm always a bit puzzled by the fact that for most libertarians, big or small L, the Bill of Rights begins and ends with #2.

To which I responded in the comments:

"Are you kidding? You need to get out more. Start at Jim Henley's blog, go to Julian Sanchez's, and Jesse Walker's. You might even try mine. I think these people pretty well represent libertarian thinking, and the 2nd amendment doesn't come up much these days, as the others are under attack from the left and right."

A little farther down in the comments, Atrios backtracks:

I said most libertarians, not all. Most blogger republicans are self-described libertarians.

Well, not exactly. He first said, 'big or small L.' For those unfamiliar with the vernacular, small L libertarians are those who share libertarian political leanings, big L means ones who are actually registered as Libertarian party members. They can't be Libertarians and Republicans at the same time.

I think the reason for Atrios' original comment is that like many leftists, he cannot fathom that someone may be entirely pro civil rights and not share his political ideology. Or worse, his ideology is at loggerheads with civil rights.

:: Walter 8:46 AM [+] ::
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