Category: sport – pro

Visiting St Andrews, Scotland

On By Rick McIn sport - amateur, sport - pro, travel1 Comment

My first visit to the home of Golf.

St Andrews does not have a train station. I stayed in Dundee and took the bus to visit for a day.

Though I’m not a golf nut, I’m surprised how much I liked the small, historic town.

Charles Clegg

… home to the University of St Andrews, the third oldest university (1413) in the English-speaking world …

St Andrews is also known globally as the “home of golf“. This is in part because of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1754 …

It is also because the famous Old Course of St Andrews Links (acquired by the town in 1894) is the most frequent venue for The Open Championship, the oldest of golf‘s four major championships.  …

I walked the town on the St Andrew’s Circuit, appreciating the architecture and culture.

The St Andrews Cathedral ruins are impressive.

Andy Hawkins – Snowmanradio

St Rule’s tower is a highlight.

There are some nice beaches.

The ruins of St Andrews Castle are impressive, as well.

Surprisingly, visitors can walk between the famed golf courses any time.

Surprisingly, golfers can bring their dogs along.

VERY surprisingly, on Sundays the Old Course is closed completely and becomes a public park with families having picnics and kicking around a ball.

I did the Old Course at St Andrews trail. And left quite tired.

That’s 6.8km of watching golfers struggle in the wind. 😀

I would go back to St Andrews for a golf holiday. There are many interesting and inexpensive courses in Fife.

My 9 holes on the Himalayan Yellow putting course set me back only 2 £.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of the town on YouTube.

A Course Called Scotland by Tom Coyne

On By Rick McIn books, sport - amateur, sport - proLeave a comment

One of the funnier books I’ve read in years.

I was laughing out loud every 2nd page. It’s been compared with Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods.

I downloaded because I was in Scotland, en route to St. Andrews.

Tom Coyne is the editor of quarterly, The Golfer’s Journal.

In 2010 he published A Course Called Ireland, where he WALKED around the perimeter of the Republic and Northern Ireland, without the use of any transportation, playing the courses en route: 36 courses, 648 holes, over 2,000,000 yards.

Reluctantly — urged by his drunken best friend — he wrote A Course Called Scotland, 111 courses in the home of golf.

Tom chose mostly LINKS courses, hoping to learn the secret of golf in Scotland.

Courses in Scotland were originally set-up on the worst coastal land — no good for farming. Golfers shared the space with sheep and rabbits that kept the foliage down.

He did include some links courses in England and Wales, as well.

related – GOLF magazine – A Course Called Scotland – Book Review







House of Wolves by James Patterson & Mike Lupin

On By Rick McIn books, sport - proLeave a comment

Very good. I’m hoping for sequels.

A dysfunctional family drama compared with Yellowstone and Succession.

Mike is a sports writer. Claims he was only involved to keep facts straight on Pro Football.

But James claims Mike is the best co-author he’s worked with.

Jenny Wolf’s murdered father leaves her in charge of a billion-dollar empire—and a family more ruthless than Succession’s Roys and Yellowstone’s Duttons.

The Wolfs, the most powerful family in California, have a new head: thirty-six-year-old former high school teacher Jenny Wolf. 

That means Jenny now runs the prestigious San Francisco Tribune.

She also controls the legendary pro football team, the Wolves.

And she has a murdered father to avenge—if she can survive the killers all around her.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid

On By Rick McIn books, sport - proLeave a comment

I’m no particular tennis fan, but this book did keep me going.

“The Bitch Is Back,” one of Carrie’s anthems.

It’s simplistically written. Something like a Young Adult novel.

But the pace makes for good storytelling. I do recommend it.

Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world, and she knows it. Her father, Javier, is a former tennis champion himself, and he’s dedicated his life to coaching her. By the time she retires in 1989, she holds the record for winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

But then, in 1994, Nicki Chan comes along. Nicki is on the verge of breaking Carrie’s record, and Carrie decides she can’t let that happen: She’s coming out of retirement, with her father coaching her, to defend her record…and her reputation. 

Kirkus Review

Themes of how women in sport are treated — compared with men.

Toronto HOLIDAY in December

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, movies, sport - pro, travel, TVLeave a comment

Having traveled over 90 nations, IF you asked me where to go in December … near bottom of the list would be Toronto, OnTerrible. 😀

Yet for reasons I’m too embarrassed to relate, I ended up staying in a downtown hostel for 5 nights.

ON THE UPSIDE, the Planet Traveler Hostel in Kensington Market is excellent. I knew the eclectic Kensington neighbourhood from the  Canadian television sitcom which aired on CBC Television from 1975 to 1980.

The STAR of King of Kensington was Al Waxman, a household name in those days.

Waxman died in 2001 — but there’s a statue of him in a neighbourhood park. Crowded by homeless tents.

I really did enjoy funky Kensington, however. Weird shops, cafes, and restaurants.

I went looking for the #GardenCar. And found it.

There’s a lot of bad graffiti. And some excellent art.

My best meal was slow cooked ribs and brisket from Hogtown Smoke. I brought it back to the hostel where the wine was cheap. 😀

What do you do in a big city during wet, dark winter?

Photo by Vincent Albos on Pexels.com

MOVIES. MUSEUMS. STAGE PLAY. WALK. WALK. WALK.

First stop was an immersive van Gogh exhibit.

I attended my second NBA game ever. Toronto defeated the defending Champion Bucks — who were without their MVP Giannis that night.

My first visit to the Royal Ontario Museum was a surprise. Expensive. But excellent. The space compares well against the Prado in Madrid, for example.

My highlight? Light of the Desert, the world’s largest faceted cerussite gem, weighing 898 carats (179.6 g).

By Miranda1989

Next December? … Hawaii. 😀

“My Name Is Rek” 

Sooley by John Grisham

On By Rick McIn books, sport - amateur, sport - proLeave a comment

John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel.

Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams—and even bigger challenges off the court. …

In the summer of his seventeenth year, Sam­uel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basket­ball tournament. …

During the tournament, Samuel receives dev­astating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan, and rebel troops have ran­sacked his village. His father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp.

Samuel desperately wants to go home, but it’s just not possible. Partly out of sympathy, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholar­ship. …

But how far can Sooley take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?

JGrisham.com

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

On By Rick McIn books, sport - proLeave a comment

Not great.

I hate concussion ball. That didn’t help.

Playing for Pizza is a short novel by John Grisham (2007).

… about an itinerant American football player who can no longer get work in the National Football League and whose agent, as a last resort, signs a deal for him to play for the Parma Panthers, in Parma, Italy. …

I did like reading about the food and wine. 😀

The Parma Panthers are an actual American Football team. In fact, they won the IFL championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Argentina beats the All Blacks at World Rugby Classic

On By Rick McIn sport - pro, travelLeave a comment

It was a dark and windy night. Horizontal rain. Ideal for a Rugby tourney final.

Each year Bermuda hosts a tournament for veteran players. Many bring friends and family.

The Classic Pumas (Argentina) delivered a typically physical performance full of pride and passion last night to overcome a strong New Zealand outfit 15-5 and record their first World Rugby Classic title since 2011. …

Royal Gazette

Click PLAY or watch the celebration on YouTube.

Classic Lions (GBR) defeated South Africa 33-5 to win the semi-final.

THE definitive commentary on #TakeAKnee

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, sport - pro, things getting worseLeave a comment

I think people should just stick to their profession, that is, unless they agree with me politically

Best quote:

Thinking NFL players are protesting the flag and the military is like thinking Rosa Parks was protesting public transportation

“America’s Team” — along with its famous billionaire owner Jerry Jones — kneeled BEFORE the national anthem on Monday Night Football. Good move, Cowboys. A smart compromise.

BEST Super Bowl TV commercial 2017

On By Rick McIn sport - pro, TVLeave a comment

#Hyundai

I failed to boycott the game this year. Luckily it turned out to be awesome. One of the best all time.

Normally I only watch the TV spots and (sometimes) the Half Time Show.

The best commercial did not air until after the big game. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/P7n-GxJBw1k