Spyder

Yep, that's the key. The repetition of excellence (consistency through grueling hours of practice) makes everything that they do appear to be effortless, however it is all but effortless. I'm content being an weekend hack avid golfer who gets out 1-2x per week at this point, but I can sure as hell appreciate the work these guys put in. It's quite a treat to see in person as well, so long as the next time you hit the course you do not subconsciously hold yourself to the standards you witnessed!

I had an eye opening experience last Summer when I made it to the Bridgestone WGC at Firestone in Akron, OH. Being 5 feet away from Bubba, Spieth, Furyk, etc. was something that I'll never forget. I remember going to the range the very next day and I had a chuckle to myself about just how effortless and fluid their swings look. All of these thoughts as I'm sweating and muttering/cussing under my breath when a shot goes errant. It was definitely a self-imposed mind trap that I couldn't get out of for a while.

Hey guys! Been a longggg time since I've been around, but I'm making a return to TST and golf (finally!). The Winter has been brutal here in NE Ohio and the upcoming blizzard is going to further delay my return to the course after a long hiatus. I haven't played much in the last 2 years since XLIF surgery, but I plan to play 2-3 times a week this season. The weather cannot break soon enough and the driving range is just not doing it for me anymore!

I'd have to go with LeBron James. I live about 3 miles away from him and it would likely be one of the only sports I could actually beat him at. The bragging rights of beating LBJ at any sport would become legendary.

I will definitely be around much more. I'll have to do a lot of reading to catch up on all of the new characters around here! Absolutely, Dave! I bought all new clubs last year and I was only able to play them twice! Definitely looking forward to getting my back reinforced with some titanium so I can get back out there ASAP.

Hey guys, it's been a long time! I just wanted to check in and see how everyone was doing. Unfortunately, I have been away for quite some time due to work, 2 kids and horrible back pain and sciatica. In an attempt to get the pain resolved, I found that I have Grade 1 Spondylolisthesis of my L4 over L5, pars fractures and 5 bulging discs going up into the T-vertebrae. The spondy is what is causing 99% of the awful nerve pain that radiates into both legs and slowly progressed to a point where I get the pain sweats just walking through the grocery store (it literally feels like somebody is ripping ligaments/nerves out of my thighs with pliers). It's a constant, radiating and excruciating pain all day, every day - while laying down or standing/walking. I definitely wouldn't wish the nerve pain on my worst enemy. I'll be getting an XLIF (eXtreme Lumbar Interbody Fusion) within the next few months here (I have to stop smoking first...) and the surgeon is confident that will resolve the pain. The recovery time with the XLIF compared to traditional open-back surgery is cut by like 80% and some people in my age group (25-32) have been able to pick up golfing after only 1-2 months post-op - with a plate and screws involved! It really, really sucks to have to consider surgery at age 30, but years of football and labor and wear n' tear took its toll. Anyways, I hope everyone has been doing well and I hope to get more involved in TST again in the very near future. I miss talking golf, beer, women and other shenanigans with you guys! PS: If anyone has had this procedure, please feel free to provide me with some feedback and let me know how your road to recovery went. XLIF is fairly new and started becoming more popular in 2013 from what I see, so it's something to consider for anyone dealing with similar problems.

Yep. It's way too frustrating. It'll also eliminate awesome down-field play when you have guys like Calvin Johnson, AJ Green, Josh Gordon, Andre Johnson, etc. when CBs and Safety's can't breathe down their neck.

LOL. @inthecup this is you, isn't it?

During that stretch of 4 flags in a row, I was able to finish two beers before walking away to go have a smoke. It was horrible. If this is where the NFL is headed, I am going to lose my mind.

He just needs to be careful. He's getting a lot better at avoiding unnecessary hits though and it's only been one week since he's been working on that. I think he'll be just fine in the long run. He just needs to mature some more and that's fine. I do like the fact that he creates plays that Hoyer just can't. Though once Johnny stops forcing so many plays and so many throws, he'll be much better off.

Jesus, forget the fact that I'm a Browns fan and our play was pathetic in terms of QB. The officiating so far has been horrible and I'm sick and tired of the new holding call on DBs who pet a WR beyond the line of scrimmage. That game was awful. Of course, the only takeaway from the game now is Johnny flipping the bird to the Redskins after his TD pass. They (media, fans, the NFL, etc.) will run with that and the flag flurry will be forgotten.

I play Daily Fantasy on FanDuel for NFL, NBA and MLB. I actually see that they just posted some Preseason tournaments as well, so I hopped in a few. Unfortunately, that's more like "gambling" though since you have even less of a clue who the hell is getting reps/producing. f you're interested in playing some free games or something, shoot me a challenge. My username is 'spyder'. You can use my referral link to sign up if you want too: FanDuel Signup

"Just because you say "With all due respect" doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want..." Sure it does!

Because in light of recent news that they intend to lighten the punishment for marijuana, they should take this suspension into consideration. Since his specific suspension will be carrying into a season where the penalty is reduced, it's overkill. Sure, they can go by the books and nobody can blame them. But, there's also a lot of gray area when it comes to second-hand smoke and the trace amounts of THC in Gordon's test results show that he clearly was not smoking. It may sound like I'm being a biased fan, but the whole situation just sucks for the guy and I'm looking at it as unbiased as possible. If this were any other player, I'd have the same stance. Gordon is absolutely just as responsible for what goes into his body (whether he smokes it, or inhales it in the same car as a friend who's smoking), so I'm not taking any heat off of this knucklehead either by any means. I just think it's bad for business when you say "X player is suspended for the entire 2014 NFL Season". Then, follow up with "By the way, the penalty is going to be drastically reduced after we suspend said player".