2019 will down as the year of the major golf tournaments for yours truly. I finally made it to the Masters last month and followed it up with a trip to New York to see the PGA Championship. Hats off to the PGA for moving this major championship up from August to May. It was the right move and created a lot of excitement for a tournament that was kind of an afterthought when it was played in late summer. The New York crowds love their golf and are quite vocal, to say the least. The galleries around Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka were massive. We saw them on a few holes. Woods failed to make the cut but still was the main attraction. I’m really glad I had a chance to see this major championship.
• Brooks Koepka is the man in golf. He’s now won back to back PGA titles and has captured the last two US Opens. His final round at Beth Page was a test, and he nearly blew a seven shot lead. Still, when he had to come through Koepka settled down to close out the win. He led from wire to wire in this tournament and destroyed Tiger Woods head to head. It’s scary to think what Koepka might be able to do over the next decade.
• Beth Page Black is a spectacular golf course. Like Augusta National, television just doesn’t do it justice. It is a very hilly golf course and gives everyone a workout when you walk it. I love the elevated tees on some of the holes. The massive fairway bunkers are also a sight to behold and must be quite intimidating for the golfers. It has hosted US Opens, the PGA and will be the site of the Ryder Cup in a few years. Everyone who loves golf should make a point to see Beth Page Black at least once. You can’t just show up at Augusta and see the golf course. Beth Page Black is a public course so it is possible to see it. I highly recommend a trip to Beth Page Black.
• I had a chance to see my first game at the new Yankee Stadium. It is a beautiful ballpark. It’s not The House that Ruth Built, but it is massive and has all the amenities that go with it. If you go there you will pay New York prices. It’s $35 just to park. You can go to a game in Pittsburgh and pay $5 to park downtown. Food prices are also outrageous, but that’s New York. I love the fact that I can leave my house and be parked in downtown Pittsburgh in less than an hour and a half. You can sit in traffic for more than an hour just to cross the George Washington Bridge and pay a $15 toll just to get into the city. There are other tolls along the way, but that’s what you get when you love in the Tri State area. I always enjoy visiting, but I would never want to live there.
• The Yankees Hall of Fame is a must stop if you go to the new stadium. The memorabilia is priceless. In it you will see game worn jerseys from the likes of the legendary Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. There are also World Series rings, championship trophies and autographed baseballs. If you can’t ever make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, a trip to the Yankees Hall of Fame is a nice consolation prize.
• On the way home from our trip to the PGA we listened to the Yankees radio broadcast. The announcers were raving about former Pirate Austin Meadows, and couldn’t understand why the Pirates dealt him to Tampa. That makes a few of us. I wrote last year that while I liked the Pirates stepping up to get Chris Archer, but I thought the team seriously overpaid. I also wrote that I would never have included Meadows in the deal. Meadows hit a game winning homer for the Rays in extra innings on Saturday. It won’t be his last. He is a star in the making. Why the Pirates dealt him will be questioned for years, and well it should be.
• Hats off to the Pirates. They wrapped up their road trip in San Diego with a big win to finish 7-4 on the trip. I never expected that to happen. I thought the Pirates would struggle on this trip. Instead, they had a winning trip and have to feel great about what they accomplished.
• Josh Bell is tearing it up. He’s in what they call “The Zone”. Bell is performing at a Stargell-esque level these days. He had another great series in San Diego where he belted a few more home runs. Bell is among the leaders in the National League. He’s really rebounded from a terrible sophomore year. Josh Bell is becoming one of those guys you would pay to see. The way he’s hitting these days, he alone is worth the price of admission.
