Tag Archives: Honorary Captain

February 20, 2010

Vernon Davis Inspiring Curlers

By chappy81

I’ve actually watched a lot more of the Olympics than I thought I would. I never understood curling until this Olympics, nor really cared to in the past. I guess I thought it was more like shuffle board, but it isn’t quite as simple. For some strange reason I caught myself watching some stones getting thrown around on the ice in Vancouver, and I would’ve never guessed who happened to be in Vancouver as an honorary coach! He is also an avid curling fan. Give up? San Francisco 49ers tight end, Vernon Davis. His presence didn’t speed up the painfully slow paced event, but he joined the booth crew to help announce one of the matches between Switzerland and the USA. Not sure if we won, because I didn’t make it through the grueling 3 hour match, but we were ahead at the time I turned the channel. Vernon went on to say a few interesting things like “I love curling.” “I’ve tried to get teammates to come out and play with me, but they usually just laugh.”

As an honorary coach some people are actually angry at Vernon for not leading the curling team to a better record (USA is 2-7 Men’s and Women’s combined). Really, you want to blame Vernon for not doing well when he didn’t even arrive at the games until yesterday!?! It’s funny that their first two wins happened to come right after Vernon delivered a pre-game speech to inspire them to victory. He even said that the atmosphere last night was like being at a 49ers home game. Really, THAT exciting?!? Or are 49ers games only selling 5,000 seats a game? I wouldn’t blame Vernon for our shortcomings in curling, since he’s NOT even playing. I blame the popularity of the sport within the US. Maybe we need some NFL players on our curling team, so we can take home the gold next time around. I’d definitely watch every match of team Davis, Gore, and Willis! Could you imagine Patrick Willis walking down the ice sweeping huge holes in the ice making those rocks go wherever he wants it to go? I’m sold, sign them up Vernon!

I had to scan youtube for some Vernon curling action. I think it’s safe to say in this clip he looks happier than a pedophile on Halloween. I actually think he looks more passionate about curling than he is about football! We could have another Bo Jackson on our hands!

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October 8, 2009

Legalize It: Smoking Cigars on SF Courses

By cali4dre
Not everyone looks good in floppy hats

Not everyone looks good in floppy hats

For a large percentage of the folks who enjoy the sport, smoking cigars and playing golf go hand-in-hand.  You’ll see guys lighting up a stogie in good weather and in bad, during a good round and through the shanks.  And it seems as though the wealthier the golfer, the more abundant the cigars. 

Which brings me to our subject today, the Honorary Assistant Captain of the US President’s Cup Team, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, “His Airness”.  This weekend the 8th President’s Cup will be hosted at Harding Park in San Francisco, pitting a talented US Team versus an International Team comprised of the top twelve players in the world outside of the US and continental Europe.  Harding Park is a municipal course owned by the Parks and Recreations of San Francisco, and hosting a tournament of this magnitude is a tremendous and distinct honor.  And for Jordan being selected an Honorary assistant to Captain Fred Couples is another great perk for the basketball legend and celebrity. 

Jordan spotted preparing for his role as Honorary Asst. Captain... in Cabo!

Jordan spotted preparing for his role as Honorary Assistant Captain... in Cabo!

Along with being a course of the people comes the laws of the people, specifically health ordinances recently put into play.  Little known fact: San Francisco banned the smoking of cigars (and cigarettes of course) as part of a city-wide ordinance to keep the city parks smoke-free.  And Harding is certainly near the top of the list in terms of kept up Parks in the city.  I’ll also vouch for beautifully kept Fleming, the nine-hole executive course located on the same property between Harding’s front and back nine.

Honorary Assistant Captain Jordan was spotted on Tuesday at Harding in a practice round with a very large stogie simmering away.  Heck we have the pictures to prove it.  Only problem is, if the city wanted to prosecute, the most they could do is send him a ticket for a measly $100.  One would guess Jordan could pay the fine with one of the benjamins he uses to light a new cigar, but he doesn’t, he uses old thousand dollar bills and would have to ask for change.

His Airness after he heard about the $100 fine
His Airness after he heard about the $100 fine

So the debate rages on: Should Jordan obey the order from the city or should he ignore it for this special occasion?  He was asked about the topic and responded by saying he knew it was wrong but thought he could slide by in this situation.  Asked in an interview by PGATour.com how many cigars he would smoke during the week, “I would say (it’s) a three-cigar round. I would try to keep it at a minimum of three.”  That’s right, a MINIMUM of three per day.

After further review, I think the city should uphold its ordinance in this situation, and follow Jordan around the course all week.  If/when he smokes three per day, over the next 5 days, send him 15 tickets at $100 a pop.  For a guy like Jordan this is tip money at most, and in a city like San Francisco his money is more than welcome.  Whether or not I agree with the ordiannce is a different story, but the law is the law!  Reflecting back on his recent Hall of Fame induction speech, Jordan’s not the only one who can leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth…

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