MONDAY MORNING MEANDERINGS - THE MASTERS, MR OBAMA, THE TIGERS ARE WINNING, AND A WORD FROM THE WORD

The 2010
Masters had more than a little drama, with seven men "in the hunt" for the Green Jacket right up to the end. Much of the focus was on Tiger Woods and his comeback, but there were plenty of stories. Fred Couples made a bid to be the oldest man to win the Masters and I confess, I was rooting for the "Old Guy." Maybe that's because at age 59, I have begun to empathize with those old guys just a little. But the winner was Phil Mickelson, not generally one of my favorites. However, you had to be glad for him. He was one the "Good Guys." Whereas Tiger took time off to get his addictions under control and mend his marriage, Phil took time off to be at the side of his wife (and also his mother) who were battling breast cancer. You had to admire his priorities and smile a bit when he got a little of his heavenly reward early at Augusta.

The 2009 Detroit Tigers left many of us heartbroken when they let the Minnesota Twins overtake them at season's end for the Central Division title. By Sunday they reeled off their















fourth win in a row, taking 4 out of 5 from the Royals and the Indians. A lot of offense was generated despite Johnny Damon's non-productivity. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera provided a whole lot of power. But nothing was more fun than watching Carlos Guillen win a Sunday slugfest when he scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch (is that a "walk off wild pitch"?). The Tigers were so much fun this week that I largely ignored my fantasy baseball teams.

When I pay attention to the news, I keep hearing assessments of Mr. Obama's performance as President. Personally, I still think the best thing is to pray for him to be a wise and godly leader and stop spreading all the urban legends. Likewise, Democrats need to give him a break. He is not the Messiah (that job has already been taken quite well, thank you.)

Just so this blog post has some redeeming value, let me leave you with a verse that I find gives me focus and hope. It's Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."