Recap Week 1

  Well the 2014 season is off and running and for the 35th straight year, we decided to cancel the opening day parade down Purchase Street, so apologies to everyone who was getting excited about that. 

   We have a bunch of fine new suckers, I mean players, to fill out the roster this year; welcome aboard to Gurney Group czar Bob Loring, Greg Paone, Todd Teixeira, Sean Costello, and Lenny Lima, who is the only SIGLer, I am sure, who has ever played pool with Willie Mosconi (and kicked his ass, too!) Also, for the money, Lenny is the king of winter golf, which comes in handy because we will be playing winter golf until about mid-June. 

  Also this year, we have the (hopefully) triumphant return of Brian Murphy, Chris Sullivan, and Ralph Ippolito. And a hearty welcome, too, to Eric Armbruster, John Tiano, Ed Burke, Ray Larrabie, Jared Cacciapaglia, and Ryan Burke. And three weeks ago, money title holder Frank LaRosa informed us that he would be missing most of the first half with a bad knee and surgery. Well, lo and behold, on opening night, Frank was teeing it up, explaining that he got some sort of rooster lubricant injected into his knee, and he's ready to take all your money again! The wonders of modern medicine. And aside from Frank waking up the neighbors at dawn every morning, there doesn't appear to be any major side effects. 

  It's been a tough winter and spring, and so with the cold, wind, and rain/slop added to our already limited golfing abilities, there was not a lot of stellar golf played in week one. There was only a handful of quotas exceeded and only four birdies, two of which lived. 90 is the new 80. However, there are always a few exceptions to every rule, so congrats to Individual winner Ryan Burke (+6) and Team winners Todd Teixeira (+5) and Eric Aronson (+2). Other notable scores were turned in by Johnny MacNeil (+3) and Dwayne Snell (+3).  John MacNeil and Alex Turchette looked like they were dressed for an episode of Bering Sea Gold. (Alex looked like someone inflated him with a bicycle pump.) Teammate Joe Curtis doesn't bother with extra layers of clothing; he just uses the anti-freeze method.

   T.J. laced a nice third shot into 2 to take Closest to Pin at 5 ft. However, he cost himself $33 in birdie money by leaving his putt on the lip. He tried to stare the ball into the hole, but to no avail. 

   The $100 birdie pool was split by the aforementioned Snell (6th) and MacNeil ( 9th), while Ryan Burke and Eric Aronson cancelled each other on the 8th hole. 

   From the housekeeping department: 1) I know it's been a long layoff, but there was every manner of slop not only on the golf course, but on scorecards turned in as well. Quota points not added, quota points added incorrectly, birdies not circled, and scores for the front nine recorded on the back nine. Geez Louise! For newcomers and oldtimers alike: Starting next week, birdies not circled will not be counted, and cards turned in with no quota points or incorrect points will be discarded. 2) Many golfers who played did not pay first half dues. If payment is not received by the end of night 2, you will be dropped from the league and replaced with someone on our waiting list. 3) All balls must be holed if for a point or more; no exceptions. All golfers in a group are responsible for protecting the field, so if any concession is made, the entire group will be disqualified for the night. 4) The league has a limited amount of spots and we have a waiting list. So for the non SIGL guys who just showed unannounced and put their names on list and expected to play, sorry but we are full right now. If you wanted to join, you should have contacted us at some point. If you want to be put on the waiting list, let us know. 

And finally, we are sad to report that we will be losing one of our long-time and favorite foursomes. As you may know, our friend Peter Jaffe had a very unfortunate dog bite incident on the course last year, and Peter is still experiencing hand problems from the injury, and is not able to play. Consequently, his loyal friends Don Dillon, Jim Thompson, and Marshal Poverman have decided not to return, too. We are really sorry to see all of you go, best of luck, and remember that we will always have a spot for you if you decide to return.

      

See you next Tuesday.