Tim McG

Good point. Maybe for my birthday.

Lucky you. Stag's Leap Winery Petite Syrah has always be one of my favorites...well, back when I could afford it.

Well put, Mark.

Sorry to see her go. I knew she was battling MS, but wasn't aware it had gotten to a point where it could take her life. My Father-in-Law died a couple years ago for the same reasons. BTW, she apparently was living only 75 miles away from where I live. Rest in Peace, Annette

Ugh. It was an ugly 4th inning. A bad day for the Giants. 14-3. Good news is it is still early. The better news is the guys got their 2012 World Series rings to match their 2010 WS rings:

You mean beer...?

Does anyone know if he used tobacco products of any kind?

You meant to say "certain" Californian wines, surely. Right, obviously there are exceptions. And my sample size is very small and very Italian-centered (one friend was trained in Italy, and two others work in one of the highest-end Italian restaurants in town). But it was eye-opening to realize that much of California's wine culture today is actually not at all geared toward eating. I had always just sort of assumed that the rise of Napa and Sonoma was deeply intertwined with the development of "Caifornia cuisine," Alice Waters, eating locally, etc, etc., and it sort of was, but the reality turns out to have been much messier. For a while, wineries were churning out this so-called "California style" wines which were basically watered down versions [for lack of a better term] of California signature wines like Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Now, most of those wines are relegated to the screw cap, highly tweaked with additives to create the perfect "vintage" year after year or mass produced wines. The higher and high end stuff is built with wine as the focus, not [necessarily] food. FWIW...

I agree, Kevin. The "stand alone" wines are those which I might serve as an aperitif before dinner. Personally, I like the big, bold reds with lots of fruit. But as a pairing for food...perhaps not. A fair amount of California wines are geared for that purpose in my experience. Though the Central Coast varietals, especially white wines, pair well with food. Specifically, Pinot Grigio, Fume Blanc, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Reds might include Pinot Noir [though there are some pretty full-bodied Pinots that might be a better fit for the "stand alone" category], Merlot, Syrah varietals as well as Blends/Meritage wines. Santa Maria, Edna Valley and Paso Robles/Templeton regions are my favorites of the Central Coast. Up North in Sonoma/Napa some of the Rhone style reds would pair well with food...especially with roasted or grilled foods. I just think California wine makers, especially the new wineries, often try too hard to "create" rather than vint their wines. Though, thankfully, the Chardonnay "oak bombs" of the 80s/90s are gone. The old tried and true method of red with meat and white with poultry and fish seems to work for me.

Awesome looking putter, Scott! Let us know how it plays for you.

Qué va?

Regular for me. I tried the stiff shaft with a Callaway driver, but it felt like I was swinging a broom stick. Luckily, I used it as a trade-in for my R-7.

Sadly, I have to say that about a lot of wines/wineries myself.

Well, it took some getting used to, but the R-7 has been a good driver for me. All my clubs have a steel shaft except this one. My irons [King Cobra] have a goodly amount of bounce and heel weight. I have been very happy with these clubs.

Rest in Peace, Roger.

I don't doubt Tiger and others workout with a persimmon driver. I figure the weight alone helps with strength conditioning as well as accuracy since the sweet spot is much smaller. Great idea if you ask me. Kinda like going to the heavy bag or swinging a bat with a donut on it. That was my principle complaint about light weight metal drivers with a fiberglass shaft; to dang light. I had a tendency to over swing. So my 3W and 5W have a steel shaft [Callaway Steelhead] and are pretty heavy in comparison to my R-7. The good news is it slowed me down a bit and I make better contact with the ball.

My problem is and was that I often don't hit the ball square or I hit it off center. The metal woods helped my game in that way and helped boost my confidence out on the course.I suppose, theoretically, I could hit a persimmon wood better today but the technology just isn't there. For example, I hit a R-7 Taylormade driver . It is designed to prevent slicing which is my biggest problem since I cut the ball [an out side in swing]. It gives me a draw which in turn keeps me in the fairway. I have lost a lot of distance because of my cutting swing, but at least I'm in the short grass most of the time.

Makes perfect sense.

I would argue Becket needs it worse than Lincecum. He has been mediocre at best for quite awhile now. Neither one was all that great last night, Beckett got the loss, and Lincecum went five for the win, 0 runs, but 7 walks in 5 innings. Still Spring, though. Most pitchers struggle a bit. But at least Lincecum wasn't giving up runs or the long ball. Becket was. I'll take that for now.

I would argue Becket needs it worse than Lincecum. He has been mediocre at best for quite awhile now.

I feel the same way about baseball bats: Wood always sounds better than metal

I have. Even watched him toss a no-no once. The guy was a monster! Not when he was a Met! Typical line: 8 IP, 9K, 9 BB True. But he was just getting control of his fastball back then. With the Angels he vastly improved. Houston and Texas did well with him in the rotation as well.

No, I play with them. I've been using a Persimmon driver, 3 and 4 wood for over a year now. I have really grown to dislike metal clubs of any kind. The new 460CC oil can drivers are far harder to control and can spray balls in almost any direction at any time. By the time I'm done, even my irons will be replaced with Persimmon. Well, except for 9-PW. Louisville doesn't make wood replacements for those clubs. My experience has been exactly opposite of what you're saying. I've studied up on them and most experts also agree that smaller Persimmon heads give you greater control. One of the reasons is because of what is referred to as "gearing". It allows the ball to self-correct more in flight and move back towards the intended target. And I've noticed it quite clearly since I got my dad's old Persimmon driver last year. Even my buddy remarked how it tends to move back towards the target more. What is given up with Persimmon clubs is distance because they are heavier which diminishes club head speed. But, I'll give up 10-20 yds to keep it in the fairway more. Besides, a nice *thwack!* beats a wimpy little *tink* any day of the week, IMO. I've got some older clubs that Wynton and I are going to try our hand at restoring. Have you considered trying that with your wife's old clubs? Some of those fully restored Persimmon sets are fetching impressive dollar amounts on Ebay. Well, I started on persimmon woods and couldn't hit a straight ball to save my life. Once I got into metal woods [the smaller heads not the over sized clubs of today] back in the early 80s my game was much improved and I hit the ball farther. Now, I play those over sized metal woods and my ball has a far straighter flight [i cut everything nowadays due to injuries, so I draw the ball more often than not] and I have become more accurate from the fairway. A mis-hit ball doesn't "punish" me like it did with persimmon woods. I can hit an off-center shot and sill be OK because, in my experience, the metal woods tend to be more forgiving. To each his own, but I predict as your game improves, you'll want to take a look at the metal woods.

I have. Even watched him toss a no-no once. The guy was a monster!

Scott, Are you collecting persimmon woods or are you planning to play golf with them? Unless you hit them right on the screws they are very hard to control. I have held onto Mrs. GoodSpeak's old set of persimmon woods hoping to sell them on e-bay sometime, but they aren't as good looking as the ones you posted.