The new PGA Tour season is here!! Hyundai Tourney of Champions - MY PICKS!

I woke up this morning and it was 29 lousy degrees so that must mean one thing! The new PGA golf season is here! Yep, while we're crossing our fingers for a kinking of the jet stream that might allow some warmer air from the south to thaw us out, 30 victorious players from last season tee it up in marvelous Maui today at 3:30 EST.

I will be back later with a longer entry on why I enjoy January golf (well, I enjoy just about any golfing event on TV but I'm stupid like that) and who I think might have a breakthrough season this year on Tour. But for now, and for the sake of "official" record-keeping, here are my 4 faves for this week's tourney, in no particular order:

1) Zach Johnson - usually the TOC is a big hitter's feast of prodigious 350-yard drives and short-iron stuff shots, but occasionally, a crafty guy like ZJ sneaks in there and wins with a ball-striking clinic and a superb week of putting. Enter Johnson, who favors the lower trajectory draw (good in the tricky trade winds of Kapalua) and obviously a guy who knows how to roll his pill on the greens. I like ZJ especially because he's a feel putter who can putt on any surface, and that trait is certainly an advantage on slick and undulating Bermuda greens.

2) Dustin Johnson - an aforementioned big hitter who should enjoy the rolling hills and wide fairways of this layout. He's been here several times now -- although he missed last year due to an early season back injury I believe -- and the benefit of experience as well as a much improved short game should make him a player to watch this week. My gut feeling says the laid back kid who matriculated at Coastal Carolina will enjoy a relaxing week by the sea.

3) Brandt Snedeker - again, a guy who can flat-out sink putts. And his putting game is second to none when he's on. Coming in as the FedEx Champ, and after a long, enjoyable layoff to enjoy the first few months of his new baby's life, my gut again tells me the easy-swinging Tom Watson disciple will find himself in contention come Sunday (and Monday) if he can shake off the rust quickly. As long as he doesn't shoot himself out of contention today with a bad round, I gotta believe Brandt will come here with a real shot of confidence as the game's most recently validated up-and-comer. I could be totally wrong of course, but there may not be a better putter suited to the tricky greens of Kapalua than Snedeker. The superintendent at East Lake would certainly agree!!

4) Rickie Fowler - having been overlooked for the Ryder Cup as a captain's pick probably left a taste of sour motivational residue in his mouth for this season. After finally breaking through at Quail Hollow last year, Rickie's game went haywire after a final round 82 in the final group of the Memorial, you know, the one where Tiger recaptured his magic for his first win in 2.5 years (no Tiger, your invitational at Sherwood CC doesn't count)? Anyway, Rickie was making strides towards the end of last season and had a couple of solid FedEx playoff performances as well as a tie for 4th at Tiger's tourney in December. I have a feeling he's been working very hard on his game and he can certainly contend here considering his combination of boring right-to-left ball flight and soft-hands around and on the greens.

Darkhorse - of course, Johnny Question Mark (Huh)!! I could pick Dufner, Webb Simpson or even Matty Kuchar, but why do that when you can pick the PGA Rookie of the Year?? I've only seen Huh up close on the TV a few times, but his game seems mature well beyond his years. I love his golf swing and he seems like a very relaxed dude out there on the course. I have no particular reason for picking him other than I like his game and the nickname bestowed upon him by Gary McCord. I figure, why the hell not Huh? He's probably thinking the same thing and it would not surprise me if he were to go out there and fire a 65 today. We shall see.

T-minus 2 hours and 55 minutes till first tee!! Let's get it on!

BAYONETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn y'all, a lot has happened since the last time I typed up an actual entry for this here blog. I've typed a few here, but only to publish them on Hockey Independent's website. But seeing as how the Thrashers are mired in a horrific losing slump -- only winning 6 of their last 26 games since December 20th's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs -- there hasn't been much in the way of creativity-inducing fodder for this forum. As some of you know, I do enjoy the zany good fun on a more than irregular occasion, but lately, the sorry ass play of these Thrashers has gotten me down. And with all of the scuttlebutt concerning a potential sale of the team that might see them end up in some God-forsaken place like Winnipeg, Manitoba (take that Winnipeg tweet bot and irrational Jets' fan-trolls!!) swirling around town like debris that gets blown down a pot-hole riddled Marietta Street during late winter, the rumors and horror have been too much to stomach lately.

But hope and promise are back in the form of cryptic tweets from radio personality John Kincade (of 680 the Fan "fame") and a story printed by our humble and esteemed AJC beat writer, Chris Vivlamore, who tells us that there aren't just one, but two potential investor groups who are interested in snatching up the whole kitten-caboodle (yes, we play the Panthas tonite so I had to do it) known as Philips Arena operating rights, the Hawks and Thrashers. Oh yeah, they both want to keep the Thrashers here for goodness sake!! And prior to that news, we learned of Dustin Byfuglien liking us enough to commit to staying and skating on our blueline as a defenseman (so they say) for the next 5 years. As long as he scores 20-30 goals every year, he can play freakin' roving infielder for all I care. Right on the heels of that news, our mob-connected GM, Rick Dudley was extended for 4 years and Captain Andrew Ladd, who's been driving up the price of his next deal into the stratosphere by scoring 6 goals in his last six games, intimated to Vivlamore that a new deal is on the horizon with these words:

“We are still talking,” Ladd said. “We are still working on it but both sides are on the same page for sure. I want to be a part of what we are doing here. We kind of need a couple guys to stay and say this is a good place and we’ve got a good thing going here. It will help out a lot.”

CAN YOU SAY SEGUE?? Cutting and pasting from my HI.com featured article from earlier in the week, I give you this again: “Sage-er” words have never been spoken. Andrew Ladd is the captain of this team for a reason: because he leads by example with a conviction and seriousness of action that engenders respect from his peers; and it looks as though his genuine character will be manifested again in what is rumored to be a 5 year deal worth in the realm of $20 million. Considering the circumstances of this troubled franchise, and the fact that the requisite winning needed for a playoff run has taken a long winter vacation, Thrashers fans should take heart and rejoice in the fact that two players – both of whom have already been part of a successful Chicago Blackhawks organization, as well as the biggest victory celebration you can hope for as a hockey fan – have committed for the foreseeable future to a distressed and mistreated franchise whose sweater is adorned with a truculent, whirling Thrasher bird.

For now, the commitments of Ladd and Byfuglien will have to be enough to keep the ember of belief and passion burning within the hearts of Thrashers fans everywhere until the shadow of doubt and rumor are replaced with certainty of fact. Till that time, all we can do as Thrashers fans is to keep the faith by going to games (bringing lots of friends!), wearing our Thrashers regalia with pride and earnestly beseeching our civic leaders to open their eyes to the disastrous consequences, both financial and social, of losing a major league sports franchise on account of sheer contempt, lies and willful negligence. The time to act is now and I implore any rational (or irrational depending on your current state) Thrashers fan to write your local community leaders, Mayor Reid and Governor Deal included, as well as the president (William Pate) of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, so they may realize how deep the passion for hockey runs in this community. Note: if you don’t fancy yourself much of a letter-writer, lend your support however you can to help keepthethrashers.com or simply head over to the Thrashers website (atlantathrashers.com) and buy up a bunch of tickets for remaining home games.

We must remind these community leaders of not only the negative financial impact — especially that of lost sales tax revenue — of such an outcome, but enlighten them on both the burgeoning youth hockey programs that continue to grow despite a lack of facilities and public sector support and the immense positive impact felt around Atlanta as a result of the $4.2 M that the Atlanta Thrashers Foundation has injected into the community over the past 12 years. These civic and business leaders need to be reminded of how important the Atlanta Thrashers are to the community for reasons that go far beyond the economic success of a downtown area, which is still in need of further development and revitalization. The Thrashers aren’t just a team, but they are an intrinsically important thread in an all too loosely knit fabric of the Atlanta community. The Thrashers are more than just a hobby for a key demographic hailing from colder climes in the North, but rather they are a real and dynamic catalyst for community outreach and charity in a city that sorely needs as many unifying forces in play for growth and stewardship as possible.

PLEASE “WAKE UP” CITY OF ATLANTA!! THE THRASHERS DON’T JUST BELONG TO BLUELAND, THEY BELONG TO ALL OF US WHO LIVE HERE. DON’T WAIT FOR GARY BETTMAN TO “FIND US A SAVIOR”, “RISE UP” AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AND HELP KEEP THE THRASHERS HERE, BECAUSE THE CITY OF ATLANTA NOT ONLY DESERVES HOCKEY, BUT THE CITY OF ATLANTA NEEDS HOCKEY.

And, as if that wasn't a rousing enough battle cry for the city of Atlanta, I would like to share with you the immortal words of Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain, who once said in the face of death at Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg: "Fix BAYONETS (motha-fuckas)!!!!!!!!!!!" Thrashers, let's DO this. (FF to the 1:00 mark for the "stuff")

St. Louis Blues Oust Thrashers after Near Misses at End