MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Announces 2012 Schedule

(This article originally appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom.com)

48 hours before announcing who their star recruits for the 2012 season will be, Monmouth University Football announced the star dates on their 2012 schedule.

The Hawks 2012 quest for the Northeast Conference’s berth for the Football Conference Subdivision’s playoffs will begin on September 1st on the road against Lehigh, who made it to the quarterfinals this year.

Highlights also include the University of Rhode Island coming to West Long Branch, New Jersey for the first time on September 8th and a trip up Ithaca, New York to face Cornell for the first time on Oct. 13.

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PGA TOUR What It Means: January 29, 2012 — Torrey Pines

Well, well, well. That’s what starts this week’s What It Means:

PGA Tour

1) You gotta feel awful for Kyle Stanley. Seven shot lead that’s cut to three when he gets to the tee at 18, lays up when maybe he should go for it on the par-5, hits his layup shot in the water, hits his fifth shot to the back of the green, three putts, goes in a playoff, and eventually loses on the second playoff hole after having too quick of a routine and sending his par putt on the par-3 16th way by.

Look, Stanley has a load of power and will win, but this will be a hard one to get over. He needs to slow down his routine in crunch time — it’s too fast (I know, a player who is too fast, there’s a change) and it’s hurting him. But he has too much talent not to win.

2) Kudos to Brandt Snedeker for hanging in there, posting -16, then being able to get his game face back on to ultimately win the playoff and the Farmers Insurance Open. Did he get a huge break from his tee shot on the second playoff hole hitting the TV tower? Yes. But breaks are needed to win PGA Tour events and that’s exactly what he got to help him to victory.

3) Tiger Woods finished 3rd in Abu Dhabi, failing to beat Robert Rock on Sunday. But that’s not the point. Tiger is on his way back. He got beat today by Rock in tough conditions. It’s not like Tiger shot 78 and gave it away. 70 beat 72 — that’s called good play by Rock in my book.

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NFL: Concussions Must Be Taken More Seriously

(This column originally appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom.com)

If you Google the word “concussion” you get 22.8 million hits.

Watch one video on YouTube of the effect concussions can have on someone’s life and it stops you in your tracks cold.

A random search for videos of the effects of concussions on someone brought me to where an elite high school or college soccer player, named Chelsea, has already had six concussions, most likely related to headers and other contact from game action. As the video shows the effects for her have been long-lasting and wide-ranging, and go from having problems in the classroom to not being able to attend parties due to sensitivity to light and sound.

So you’d think that images of people severely affected by these injuries would change the way those under the brightest lights think about concussions, right?

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GOLF: How Obesity, Health Care and Golf’s Pace of Play Issue Are All Related

(This column first appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom.com)

America is fat. It eats too much, doesn’t exercise enough, spends way too much money on health care because of that and no matter what political affiliation or political beliefs you have, the bottom line is this: America is very unhealthy.

Golf, on the other hand, can be extremely healthy. 18 holes is four-and-a-half to five miles. The leisurely stroll in a park is a great social setting as well, and studies have proven that a good mental state can also help lead to a good physical state.

But golf has a problem. It’s being played way too slowly.

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PGA TOUR FANTASY: Torrey Pines

Here are my picks for this week:

A: Phil Mickelson (Backup: Jhonny Vegas)
B: Rickie Fowler (Backup: Tommy Gainey)
B: J.J. Killeen (Backup: Michael Thompson)
C: Bud Cauley (Backup: Chris DiMarco)

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PGA TOUR DIGEST: Vol 5. No. 4

So while Tiger begins his 2012 in Abu Dhabi and not Torrey Pines as usual, the PGA Tour season rolls right along. This week is in fact The Farmers Insurance Open, played on Torrey Pines North and South Courses. The South is the home course, and the weekend will be played there. Bubba Watson is the defending champion.

TV Coverage: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 pm ET, Live, Golf Channel, Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30pm ET, Live, Golf Channel, Saturday, 3-6pm ET, Live, CBS, and Sunday, 3-6:30pm ET, Live, CBS.

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TIGER WOODS: Abu Dhabi Championship Starts His 2012 Tonight LIVE on Golf Channel

Tiger Woods is overseas this week to begin his 2012 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. You’ll be able to see his entire first round, LIVE tonight, at 10:30pm ET on Golf Channel, as they expand their coverage of the event.

Here are the TV Coverage times:

Thursday: (Wednesday night: 10:30pm-3:30am ET, 4-8am ET)

Friday-Sunday: 4-8am ET, Live, Golf Channel

Their announcers, per a press release are:

Steve Burkowski (Studio Host)
Renton Laidlaw (Play-by-Play)
Warren Humphreys (Analyst)
Ken Brown (Tower)
Paul Eales (On Course)
Steve Sands (Interviews)

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PGA TOUR What It Means: January 25, 2011 — Arriving at Torrey

So where are we after the first three PGA Tour events of 2012? Here are my headlines each:

PGA Tour

1) Hyundai Tournament of Champions — Steve Stricker used his fantastic putter to win another PGA Tour event in his 40s, as the resurrection of his career continues. Next up for him — as we’ve all been saying — is a major championship. Who knows how many more chances he’ll have so he needs to capitalize on his next chance, whenever that may be.

2) Sony Open in Hawaii — Johnson Wagner won there, and you can basically repeat what I wrote about him last year. He’s got the talent, but now he needs to win a higher profile event — a World Golf Championship event or a major — to really be taken seriously by the rest of the golf community.

3) Humana Challenge — The winner there was Mark Wilson, who has to be taken seriously by the greater golf community and is in position right now to make a run at a major. Watch out in 2012 for Mark Wilson.

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TV SPORTS: CBS Sports’ 2012 Golf on CBS Press Release

CBS Sports begins their 2012 golf season this weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

They are doing some new and interesting this year, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at how they work. You can Like them on Facebook at “PGAonCBS” and on Twitter @PGAonCBS. Should be cool stuff.

Here’s their press release with announcer information and on-air times:

CBS SPORTS TEES OFF 2012 GOLF COVERAGE WITH MOST EXTENSIVE SCHEDULE IN NETWORK TELEVISION HISTORY

JIM NANTZ AND SIR NICK FALDO ANCHOR CBS SPORTS’ GOLF COVERAGE

CBS SPORTS’ 2012 PGA TOUR SCHEDULE BEGINS THIS WEEKEND IN

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AT “FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN” IN SAN DIEGO

The Masters To Air 57th Consecutive Year on CBS;

Network Broadcasts 22nd Consecutive PGA Championship

CBS Sports begins its 2012 golf coverage and continues to offer viewers the most comprehensive lineup in the history of network television. CBS Sports will broadcast 23 golf tournaments this year, totaling more than 155 hours of coverage, including the Masters, PGA Championship, 20 PGA TOUR events, one Champions TOUR event and seven golf specials.

CBS Sports tees off the 2012 season at the Farmers Insurance Open this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 28 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET) and Sunday, Jan. 29 (3:00-6:30 PM, ET), live from the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif.

Jim Nantz, now in his 27th year overall covering golf for CBS Sports, serves as anchor for the Networks’ golf coverage. Sir Nick Faldo, winner of six majors and more than 40 tournaments worldwide, returns for his fifth year as lead analyst alongside Nantz in the 18th tower. Nantz and Faldo are complemented by CBS Sports’ award-winning golf announce team of Ian Baker-Finch, Gary McCord, David Feherty, Peter Kostis, Bill Macatee, Verne Lundquist and Peter Oosterhuis.

Highlights of the 2012 schedule:

20 PGA TOUR events: Farmers Insurance Open, Waste Management Phoenix Open, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Northern Trust Open, RBC Heritage, Valero Texas Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Wells Fargo Championship, HP Byron Nelson Championship, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, FedEx St. Jude Classic, Travelers Championship, AT&T National, The Greenbrier Classic, John Deere Classic, RBC Canadian Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Wyndham Championship and The Barclays.

The Masters, the most renowned golf tournament and the longest-running sports event on CBS Sports will be showcased for the 57th consecutive year from Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Coverage includes a pair of 15-minute highlight shows recounting early-round action on Thursday, April 5 and Friday, April 6 (11:35-11:50 PM, ET, both nights). Live coverage of the third round will be broadcast on Saturday, April 7 (3:30-7:00 PM, ET) and live 18-hole final-round coverage will be presented on Sunday, April 8 (2:00-7:00 PM, ET).

The 94th PGA Championship, the season’s final major which annually hosts the strongest field in championship golf, will be broadcast by CBS Sports for the 22nd consecutive year. Coverage begins with highlights of early-round action on Thursday, Aug. 9 and Friday, Aug. 10 (12:37-1:07 AM, ET, both nights). Live, 18-hole coverage of the third and final rounds will be broadcast on Saturday, Aug. 11 and Sunday, Aug. 12 (2:00-7:00 PM, ET, both days) from the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.

The Champions TOUR will be featured on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 (1:00-3:00 PM, ET, both days) with the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at Savannah Harbor Golf Resort in Savannah, Ga.

CBS Sports also will broadcast three PGA TOUR Specials and two PGA of America Specials in addition to other golf specials throughout the year. CBS Sports will present “Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta: The 1987 Masters” on Sunday, April 8 (1:00-2:00 PM, ET).

Lance Barrow is coordinating producer and Steve Milton is director for CBS Sports’ golf coverage.

Sean McManus is Chairman, CBS Sports. Rob Correa is Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

The complete CBS Sports 2012 golf broadcast schedule follows.

Follow us on Twitter: @CBSSportsGang and @PGAonCBS

* * *

CBS Sports Contacts: Jen Sabatelle (212) 975-4120 jsabatelle@cbs.com

Robin Brendle (212) 975-1533 rlbrendle@cbs.com

2012 CBS GOLF SCHEDULE

Broadcast Dates

And Times (PM, ET) Tournament Location

Jan. 28 (3:00-6:00 PM) Farmers Insurance Open Torrey Pines Golf Course

Jan. 39 (3:00-6:30 PM) South Course, La Jolla, Calif.

Feb. 4 (3:00-6:00 PM) Waste Management TPC Scottsdale,

Feb. 5 (3:00-6:00 PM) Phoenix Open Scottsdale, Ariz.

Feb. 11 (3:00-6:00 PM) AT&T Pebble Beach Pebble Beach Golf Links

Feb. 12 (3:00-6:30 PM) National Pro-Am Spyglass Hill Golf Course

Monterey Peninsula Country Club

Pebble Beach, Calif.

Feb. 18 (3:00-6:00 PM) Northern Trust Open Riviera Country Club

Feb. 19 (3:00-6:30 PM) Pacific Palisades, Calif.

April 5 (11:35-11:50 PM) The Masters Augusta National Golf Club

April 6 (11:35-11:50 PM) Augusta, Ga.

April 7 (3:30-7:00 PM)

April 8 (2:00-7:00 PM)

April 14 (3:00-6:00 PM) RBC Heritage Harbour Town Golf Links

April 15 (3:00-6:00 PM) Hilton Head Island, S.C.

April 21 (1:00-3:00 PM) Liberty Mutual Legends Savannah Harbor Golf Resort

April 22 (1:00-3:00 PM) of Golf (Champions TOUR) Savannah, Ga.

April 21 (3:00-6:00 PM) Valero Texas Open TPC San Antonio

April 22 (3:00-6:00 PM) San Antonio, Texas

April 28 (3:00-6:00 PM) Zurich Classic TPC Louisiana

April 29 (3:00-6:00 PM) of New Orleans Avondale, La.

May 5 (3:00-6:00 PM) Wells Fargo Quail Hollow Club

May 6 (3:00-6:00 PM) Championship Charlotte, N.C.

May 19 (3:00-6:00 PM) HP Byron Nelson TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas

May 20 (3:00-6:00 PM) Championship Irving, Texas

May 26 (3:00-6:00 PM) Crowne Plaza Invitational Colonial Country Club

May 27 (3:00-6:00 PM) at Colonial Fort Worth, Texas

June 2 (3:00-6:00 PM) the Memorial Tournament Muirfield Village Golf Club

June 3 (2:30-6:00 PM) presented by Dublin, Ohio

Nationwide Insurance

June 9 (3:00-6:00 PM) FedEx St. Jude Classic TPC Southwind

June10 (3:00-6:00 PM) Memphis, Tenn.

June 23 (3:00-6:00 PM) Travelers TPC River Highlands

June 24 (3:00-6:00 PM) Championship Cromwell, Conn.

June 30 (3:00-6:00 PM) AT&T National Congressional Country Club

July 1 (3:00-6:30 PM) Bethesda, Md.

July 7 (3:00-6:00 PM) The Greenbrier Classic The Old White Course TPC

July 8 (3:00-6:00 PM) White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

July 14 (3:00-6:00 PM) John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run

July 15 (3:00-6:00 PM) Silvis, Ill.

July 28 (3:00-6:00 PM) RBC Canadian Open Hamilton Golf and Country Club

July 29 (3:00-6:00 PM) Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Aug. 4 (2:00-6:00 PM) WGC-Bridgestone Firestone Country Club

Aug. 5 (2:00-6:00 PM) Invitational South Course

Akron, Ohio

Aug. 9 (12:37-1:07 AM) PGA Championship The Ocean Course

Aug. 10 (12:37-1:07 AM) Kiawah Island, S.C.

Aug. 11 (2:00-7:00 PM)

Aug. 12 (2:00-7:00 PM)

Aug. 18 (3:00-6:00 PM) Wyndham Championship Sedgefield Country Club

Aug. 19 (3:00-6:00 PM) Greensboro, N.C.

Aug. 25 (3:00-6:00 PM) The Barclays Bethpage State Park’s

Aug. 26 (2:00-6:00 PM) Black Course

Farmingdale, N.Y.

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NFL: 2012 Championship Weekend Picks

Here are my picks for the 2012 NFL AFC and NFC Championship games:

Patriots 27
Ravens 16

Giants 24
49ers 17

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