Wow, I love this job!!

Teaching at Valencia Community College
has real benefits -- like 'hurricane days'

ORLANDO — Started teaching at Valencia Community College on Monday, and after two days of classes I was beginning to feel the stress of actually having a job again.

Then my good friend Ernesto bailed me out.

Down here in Florida we are now so paranoid when it comes to bad weather that the college will shut down tomorrow for a "hurricane day," even though Ernesto is just a tropical storm.

So, I'll be going to the movies!

PGA Tour history -- 2 aces in same round

Japan's Yusaka Miyazato
plans to 'drink much beer'

WINDERMERE -- For those of us who have played golf for most of our lives, making a hole-in-one remains the biggest thrill imaginable. (I'm still hoping after 39 years ...)

For Yusaka Miyazato, it's no big deal.

Miyazato, playing in the Reno-Tahoe Open on a sponsor's exemption, made two aces in a round of 6-under-par 66 Friday. Tour officials claim he is the first player ever to accomplish the feat. (To read the Associated Press story on SI.com, click here.)

Afterward, Miyazato told the AP that he planned to "drink much beer. Big party."

The 26-year-old is the older brother of LPGA Tour rookie sensation Ai Miyazato.

Take a look at Miyazato's historic scorecard: click here. Amazing.

Getting a little TV time

Expect sparks to fly when 'Teeing Off'
during Golf Central debate segment

ORLANDO — Be sure to watch the "Golf Central" news show Wednesday on The Golf Channel, as Ken Carpenter is featured in the "Teeing Off" debate segment.

Chances are excellent that Carpenter will rip into CaptainTom Lehman's picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

"Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank? You've got to be kidding me," Carpenter said. "I'm sure the Europeans are shakin' in their spikes now!"

The Beatles live — 40 years ago today

Concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium
kicked off life loving rock 'n' roll shows

WINDERMERE — When you're 9 years old, you have no sense of history, so forgive me if I can't recall actual memories of seeing
The Beatles live.

It was Sunday, Aug. 14, 1966, and my Mom took me and my two younger sisters, Kim and Amy, to see the Fab Four at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. My uncle, Bruno Bornino, was the rock 'n' roll critic for The Cleveland Press, and he hooked us up with tickets in the baseball press box.

I don't remember anything, because the stage was out beyond second base and the sound system was awful. Wait, I do remember one song — The Cyrkle singing "Red Rubber Ball" during the warm-up set.

Read a review by one man who does remember: click here

In 40 years of going to rock concerts, I'd say the best performers that I've seen are:

Stadium/Arena Division: Elton John, The Guess Who, The Eagles and David Bowie

Small-hall Division: Bonnie Raitt, John Fogerty (Both this year! She's 56, he's 61!) and Jackson Browne.

Bar-room Division: The Stray Cats and Wet Willie.

* * * * *

Best surprise concert: One weeknight my good friend Lee Gordon and I were wandering the empty streets of The Flats in Cleveland when we heard music coming out of Peabody's Downunder, a tiny bar. We walked in — no cover — and discovered Bon Jovi playing to about 100 people. Amazing! A couple months later they did two nights at the Richfield Coliseum.

* * * * *

I'm A Believer: I also "saw" The Monkees live, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 1967. When everybody stood up and started screaming I couldn't see or hear anything, so I went out in the concourse of Cleveland Public Hall with my transistor radio and listened to a football game — the NFL / AFL Championship Game, now known as Super Bowl I.

Positive signs for Barbaro

Kentucky Derby winner walks around,
takes 1st steps on road to recovery

WINDERMERE — I'm a horse guy, have been for as long as I can remember. Since my grandparents took me to old Randall Park — before Edward DeBartolo turned it into a mall — and since my parents took me to Northfield Park on Monday nights so they could try to win a Cadillac and I could pick up discarded tickets. And surely since I worked at Northfield, as publicity director and later as a mutuel clerk.

So it warms my heart to read that Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, is making progress in his fight to survive a shattered leg.

Your morning paper might miss the update, so here's a link to the Associated Press story on SI.com: click here

Photo finish: A Ken Carpenterism — There's never been a bad movie made about a horse. My favorite? Phar Lap

Real life interrupts game of golf

Futures Tour player Sarah Lynn Johnston
moves on after loss of friend, travel partner

WINDERMERE —— While the world of golf focuses on the big boys at the PGA Championship this week, the game rolls on along the backroads of the mini-tours and pro-ams circuits that are the grassroots of the great game.

Much will be written and said at Medinah Country Club about Tiger Woods losing his father this year, and Chris DiMarco losing his mother, and how Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley aren't there because Clarke's wife, Heather, lost her battle with breast cancer on Sunday.

Real life has a way of reminding us that sports aren't very important.

Out on the Duramed Futures Tour, Sarah Lynn Johnston knows that all too well. Bravely playing on through a season of "chaos," Johnston, 24, had a tough life lesson thrown into the mix as she tries to learn how to be a successful professional.

Read Sarah Lynn's story on TheGolfGazette.com: click here

(Thanks to Lisa Mickey at the Futures Tour for a great feature.)

* * * * *

I had fully intended to cover the PGA this week, but real-life decisions got me, too. I'm heading back to teaching at Valencia Community College, and there's much to do before classes start Aug. 28. While I had hoped to add coverage of another major to the portfolio, my time will be better spent preparing to face nearly 100 students in four classes this fall.

Plus, the view from the couch is a lot better than the view on the golf course!

Out of the fire, onto the rotisserie

Fantasy league operators win lawsuit;
Major League Baseball doesn't own stats

A federal judge ruled that players' names and statistics are not the intellectual property of Major League Baseball.

Read the Associated Press story on SI.com.

Meanwhile, the 12 owners in the Lunch Pail League of Statistical Baseball Clubs rejoice!

NFL realignment makes too much sense

Simple plan would stir division rivalries,
stimulate college-like regional support

WINDERMERE — While driving around town today, I was listening to the Orlando Sentinel's sports talk show, "Keepin' Score," and columnist Mike Bianchi was ranting about realigning the NFL so the three Florida teams could be in the same division and play each other twice a year.

I not only agreed with him, I came up with a plan to do it.

Here's the e-mail that I sent to Mike:

* * * * *

Mike,

I almost fainted while driving this morning — I actually agreed wholeheartedly with your notion to realign the NFL.

It makes too much sense for it to actually happen, but you are 100 percent correct.

Attached please find two charts:

* A realigned league, by division (click)
* A map showing the geographic logic of the whole thing (click)

And there is a very simple solution to the “rivalry” problem — each team can work out an annual-game contract with ONE other, nondivisional opponent.

So Dallas and Washington can play each other once a year, until either team decides to quit the rivalry. Sort of like the home-and-home agreements in college football.

If a team can’t reach agreement with a favored opponent, the league just makes its schedule, as usual. (Oakland might negotiate a home-and-home against Denver for 2006-07, and then a home-and-home against Kansas City for 2008-09, etc.)

Each team would then play six games in their division and as many as one “rivalry” game.

To take it several steps further ...

* All division winners make the playoffs, but based solely on their DIVISIONAL record. So, Cleveland could win all six of its division games, but lose its remaining 10 games, and still go to the playoffs. Ties within the division are first broken by record against all common opponents, and then by overall record. This adds MAJOR importance to the division games, building new regional rivalries and making existing rivalries (i.e., Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh) even more heated/hated. (In 2005, there was only one tie for a division title ... In 2004 there was none ... In 2003 there were two.)

* Then eight of the remaining teams with the best overall records get the other playoff spots. In theory, all four teams in a division could make the playoffs.

* Teams are then seeded No. 1 through No. 16, regardless of conference, based on record. If the two best teams are in the same conference (or same division), one gets the No. 1 seed, the other gets No. 2, etc. (Nos. 1 and 2 get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.)

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Week 1 = 8 games (4 on Saturday, 4 on Sunday ... 10 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.) The nation shuts down for a weekend!

Week 2 = 4 games (1 on Saturday, 8 p.m.; 3 on Sunday, 1:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m.)

Week 3 = 2 games (Sunday, 4:15 p.m. and 8 p.m.)

Week 4 = Super Bowl (two teams from the same division could wind up here ...)

I’m working on Major League Baseball ... It’s a little trickier without adding two new teams, so Charlotte and Orlando are getting franchises!

* * * * *

Let me know what YOU think — click on COMMENTS below and express your views!

Here's a face made for radio

Listen live on XM Satellite Radio,
WKNR Sportstalk 850 in Cleveland

WINDERMERE — Radio audiences will get a double dose of Ken Carpenter this week.

First there's a call-in interview Tuesday morning on Peter Kessler's "Pure Golf" program, which airs on XM Satellite Radio, Channel 146, at 8 a.m.

Then there's a regular chat with Greg Brinda and Jimmy Hamlin on the "Northeast Ohio PGA Golf Show," Friday at 7:10 p.m. on WKNR-AM Sportstalk 850 in Cleveland.

If you don't have XM, you can sign up for a free, 3-day online trial; click here.

If you don't live in Cleveland, you can try to "listen live" at www.WKNR.com, but when I tried their link today, it would not work on my Mac. (My guess is it will work with a PC, as long as you have Windows Media Player.)

We're working on setting up an audio archive on our Web site, so you can listen to all the golf jabber 24/7.

"Most Amazing Golf Facts"

The best stats so far in 2006

WINDERMERE — Tiger Woods won his 50th PGA Tour event today, and thus moves into first place on the list of "Most Amazing Golf Facts of 2006."

Here's the short list so far:

3) Justin Bolli had an incredible run in the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship (July 20-23), firing four consecutive rounds of 6-under-par 66. That reads 66-66-66-66, 264, 24-under par. Amazing fact: He didn't win the tournament! He didn't even come in second! Doug LaBelle II shot 63-67-67-64—261, 27 under, and Nick Flanagan shot 69-63-64-67—263, minus-25!

2) Corey Pavin won the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee on July 30, his first victory in 10 years. He also won the Milwaukee event in 1986, a 20-year span. Amazing fact: The winner's check in 1986 was $72,000; the first-place prize this year was $720,000. That's a 1,000% increase!

1) Woods has won 50 times in 196 career starts. Amazing fact: That's a .255 batting average — terrible if you're a designated hitter, but amazing for a golfer. (By the way — Tiger also shot 66-66-66-66!! But he won!)

What are your core values?

Grace Fellowship starts 5-week series
focusing on church's foundational beliefs

ORLANDO — Debbie and I picked a perfect time to attend a new church.

We went to Grace Fellowship in downtown Orlando this morning and were welcomed by senior pastor Mike Adkins, who was starting a new sermon series, "Why You're Here," outlining the nondenominational community's Core Values.

Today we learned about "God's Presence" at Grace Fellowship, and over the next four weeks Mike will cover "External Focus," "Transformational Community," "Meaningful Ministry" and "Authentic Living."

After the series on foundational beliefs (Aug. 6-Sept. 3), Grace will host a program for new members called "The Partnership Experience."

We're planning to be there.

On the ride home, Debbie said we should write out the core values for our marriage . . .

Isn't that something that going to church is supposed to do — challenge you to take a good look inside, at your fundamental beliefs?

Microsoft surrenders in browser fight

Internet Explorer no longer available for Macs

WINDERMERE — After purchasing a new Apple MacBook yesterday, I set about loading on all sorts of software — Solitaire XL, Microsoft Word, etc. — and was shocked when I couldn't find Internet Explorer online.

Microsoft's browser software is probably the most popular in the world, but the company no longer supports its Mac version, and stopped making it available for downlaod as of Jan. 31.

When I went to mactopia.com, I found the following message posted:

* * *

INTERNET EXPLORER FOR MAC
NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

In June 2003, the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit announced that Internet Explorer for Mac would undergo no further development, and support would cease in 2005. In accordance with published support lifecycle policies, Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31st, 2005, and is not providing any further security or performance updates.

Accordingly, as of January 31st, 2006, Internet Explorer for the Mac is no longer available for download from Microsoft. It is recommended that Macintosh users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari.

* * *

Wow! Not only does Goliath give up the fight, it actually recommends Little David's far superior product!

(For the record, I was looking for IE because I like to check my Web sites with various browsers, making sure I've built them properly. I also downloaded Firefox and Netscape, but don't plan to use them. Safari rocks!)

Another Mac added to the family

50th birthday gift arrives early;
sleek machine does Windows, too

WINDERMERE — When your laptop fails to connect to the Internet, it becomes nothing more than a 6-pound paperweight.

My trusty Apple Powerbook, circa 2002, has been having connectivity problems, and the likely $400 repair bill seemed too high to keep it on life support.

So I requested, and received, permission from Debbie to buy a new computer.

Let me announce the arrival of the 2006 Mac Book:

I got the "white" version, since Apple is charging $150 extra just for the color on the "black" version. In fact, my "white" machine, equally matched to a "black," actually fared better in speed tests by Apple! Identical innards, so maybe the paint slows down the "black" model.

This nifty notebook is my sixth Mac: original 128K model (1984), then a IIsi, then a Performa 6400, then the Powerbook, then an iMac G5, and now the Mac Book.

Even better, my recent decision to return to teaching at Valencia Community College made me eligible for an education discount AND a free iPod AND a free printer!! (Well, the iPod deal was a $179 rebate on a $179 Nano, but I opted for the 60-gig video iPod and had the educational-discount price reduced by $179. I paid $190 for a $399 beauty!)

Now the trick will be to keep Debbie away from the Mac Book — the new Intel processor allows stalwarts to run Windows, if they so choose.

As for me, I don't do Windows!