Cyber Max

Before Tiger Woods came along to re-define what golf dominance is all about, the man who used to stand head and shoulders over everybody else in the world of golf was Jack Nicklaus. They called him “The Golden Bear” and his shadow loomed large over professional golf, specifically on the PGA Toiur for over two decades, from the sixties to the late-eighties. After retiring from the Tour, he then lorded it over the Champions Tour for retired golf pros, from the late-eighties to the nineties. Woods may be closing the gap fast but, for now, the Golden Bear is still widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time.

Born in Ohio, Nicklaus attended public schools as a young child and had to overcome a mild case of polio. He started playing golf at the age of 10 and shot a score of 51 for his first nine holes, which is phenomenal for a first timer, whether adult of child. He won the Ohio Junior State title at age 12 and went on to win the same title five more times. He won the US Amateur title twice and an NCAA Championship once while he was still a student at Ohio State University.

He made his pro debut in 1962 and went on to win 18 major tournaments (three British Open Championships, four U.S. Opens, five PGA Championships, and six Masters) a record that still holds to this day, despite the recent assault of Tiger Woods on the record books. Nicklaus is only one of five golfers to win all four majors golf tournaments in their career (the “Career Grand Slam” as it is known). He is only one of two golfers (the other being Tiger Woods) who has won all four major tournaments more than once. However, he stands alone as the lone golfer to ever win all four major tournaments at least three times. Nicklaus also owns the distinction of being the oldest player to ever win The Masters which he set in 1986 at the age of 46. Overall, Nicklaus won 46 top-3 finishes in major tournaments (including 19 second-place finishes and nine third-places), 56 top-5 finishes, and 73 top-10 finishes.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Golf, Fitness, and Sports

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Wow, what a clunker the USC Trojans put up against the Oregon Ducks last Saturday in Eugene. The offense didn’t click at all in the first half, the coverage and tackling from the defense was average at best. The buzz on the various sports forums and news feeds I was browsing through at the time was all tense (many who layed the points on USC no doubt) that the mighty Trojans may be falling from grace, and what a putrid effort they were putting up.

Did I fail to mention, USC won the game by 32 POINTS??? (they covered fairly easily, by the way)

USC has now outscored their first three opponents at a 178-47 clip. They boast probably the two best players in college football, quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush. Bush’s backup LenDale White would be starting, and possibly a Heisman candidate, if he played at most of the other teams in the AP Top 25. The defense that head coach Pete Carroll has been so unhappy with all season, only has to play decent for this team to be successful.

If you are an opposing team, as # 15 Arizona State will learn this weekend, you must play a perfect game, must score a time or two on defense or special teams and keep the USC offense on the sidelines to avoid getting blown out. Oregon indeed played above their heads during the first half and led 13-0 at one point, but one the Trojans got a halftime wakeup call from the coaching staff, they ran off 45 straight points.

How did Leinart describe the game, even as they trailed and pundits panicked ? He simply said it was “fun” to finally get a challenge. Goes to show you how “bored” the Trojans have been thus far, as other top 10 teams have been playing life or death football in their quest to be # 2. I still wanna know who those handful of guys are they keep voting the Texas Longhorns # 1 the last two weeks.

I wonder how much “fun” Vince Young and Co. will have in the Rose Bowl right after the New Year, if they are even fortunate enough to get there? With the dynasty that Carroll has built, the BCS is becoming increasingly irrelevant. I don’t imagine #3 or #4 crying this year about not getting a chance the face the Trojans.

John O’Nan (aka ego74) is site manager at a great new sports forum http://www.bestdamngamblingforum.com/forum

he invites everyone to stop by and join the conversation, whether you are a sports fan or wager on the games. Great cash money contests currently going on. Register and join the fun!!!

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Invented and designed by Alfred Butts during the great depression and originally known as “Criss-Cross Words”, Scrabble was renamed into the board game we know today in 1948.

Today, Scrabble is not merely just a board game. It is an internationally competitive “mind sport” with an active competitive circuit, Scrabble Clubs, National Associations and World Championships.

Growth of Scrabble Clubs across the globe continues each year and the standard of competition grows along with it. As a mind sport, Scrabble is quickly approaching the level of intellectual challenge and respect that is held by other mind-sports such as Chess.

The growing popularity of Scrabble today defies the myriad of similar rival word-based board games that have emerged over the past two decades.

Successful Scrabble players know that there is far more to this game than just spelling and vocabulary skills. Scrabble is a mind sport, requiring mathematical skills, analytical and strategic skills, and a mild dose of luck.

To the recreational Scrabble player who enjoys a game with the family over the kitchen table, the lack (or bad luck) of drawing the best (or worst) collection of tiles out of the bag is a major component of whether a player wins or loses. The more advanced and competitive the player, the less luck plays a part. Strategic skills largely eliminate the luck component.

There are several reasons why Scrabble is growing in popularity year by year.

In earlier eras, there were problems with different dictionaries allowing or disallowing various words. Today, Official Scrabble Dictionaries have been almost totally standardized internationally for English language play. There are now just two slightly differing sets of official words - one for North America and another for the rest of the world.

The Scrabble Clubs themselves generate publicity in their communities, offering not just competition, but also a social scene for the less serious yet still enthusiastic recreational player.

Inter-club tournaments, Nation Championships and World Championships draw major media attention.

Even ESPN has trialed televising Scrabble competitions and is believed to be keen on expanding their coverage of Scrabble as a competitive mind sport.

In several countries, Scrabble Clubs and associations are working actively with Government Education Departments to introduce “School Scrabble” - combining the academic and the sporting aspects of Scrabble into the school curriculum.

The internet is playing a role in the growing popularity of Scrabble with numerous websites available for playing Scrabble online. Educational resources and advice from Scrabble experts is also readily available online.

The future growth of Scrabble internationally appears assured. Given that the International Olympic Committee is now considering a number of mind-sports, such as Bridge, for possible inclusion in future Olympic Games, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that at some future point in time Scrabble itself may become an Olympic sport.

Trevor Johnson is the author of the highly acclaimed “Scrabble Bonus Word Techniques” e-book series, available at http://www.bonuswords.com.

Scrabble

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