However, today IS in fact significant because we are exactly one week away from the opener of the Kansas City Chiefs 2011 season against the Buffalo Bills.

This time last year, I felt fine about the Chiefs. We were rebuilding, we had some nice new players who needed to grow into veterans (Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster, etc.), but nobody expected us to compete. The 2010 season was very much a “wait and see” type of year. If we won, great, but no healthy-minded Chiefs fan was expecting much.

We all know what happened though: The Chiefs somehow, someway WON the AFC West, which in most of our minds meant the Chiefs were absolutely ahead of schedule in the rebuilding of the roster.

Thus, expectations this year are much, much higher than last year. So why do I feel worse heading into this season than I did last year, even though our team has to be better?

Here are my top five concerns for the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs:

1. Quarterbacks

Let’s get this one out of the way from the get go. Matt Cassel has had two full years to impress in Kansas City. In 2010, he had a great season, on paper: Over 3,000 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions – definitely an improvement from his previous season.

They say the numbers don’t lie, but in this case, they do. I use a little something called the “eye test,” and what this test tells me is that Matt Cassel is just not an extremely talented quarterback. To make up for his lack of accuracy and arm strength, he must do three things:

a) Know his offense inside and out – Cassel needs to know where each receiver is going to be, and where to go with the ball when he’s in duress. Also, he must stop staring down his primary receiver.

b) Sense pressure – I’m still waiting for Cassel to be rushed from his blindside, smoothly step up in the pocket as the linebacker just misses him, and calmly drops a pass to his checkdown receiver to complete a first down. I want to see this instead of him freaking out anytime somebody busts through our O-Line.

c) Continue to develop as a leader – I think Cassel did the best of this out of the three last year, and I distinctly remember it from the Rams game in St. Louis. Cassel needs to be that emotional rock of the offense, and not get too high or too low because of the outcome of a play or a drive.

UPDATE – I have just received read that Matt Cassel may be out against the Bills from a cracked rib suffered from the Packers’ B.J. Raji in the final preseason game…

If this news is true and Cassel is hurt, the Chiefs better be putting a call into 1-800-BAKUPQB, which we all know goes directly to Brett Favre. The other Chiefs quarterbacks are simply not ready for regular season action.

2. Offensive/Defensive Line Physicality

The Chiefs were dominated by the Green Bay packers in Preseason Game 4 at the most imperative spot on the field: in the trenches on both sides of the ball. What makes it more concerning is it continued into the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs still had many of their starters playing against the Packers second- and third-stringers.

The Chiefs defensive line consists of Glenn Dorsey, who appears to have figured it out, so I feel good about him. Kelly Gregg will hold down the nose tackle spot for a year or two, but he is 34 and isn’t a long-term solution. And then of course there is BIG Tyson Jackson, who has shown flashes in the preseason of turning it around, but he took a big step back in the final preseason game.

The Chiefs offensive line on the other hand frustrates me more than anything else on the team. We are currently playing Russian roulette at each position because of our severe lack of depth up and down the entire line. One injury to the O-Line can be a death blow to the 2011 season. And that’s not to say our starters are even that good! They were manhandled by Raji and company last Thursday night.

Both the O- and D-Line were consistently pushed one or two yards in the opposite direction of where they wanted to go. If the Chiefs aren’t strong up front, nothing else matters. Any football fan knows that, so why haven’t the Chiefs brass addressed this problem?

3. Receivers

Outside of a handful of drops in 2011, Dwayne Bowe had a breakout season. This offseason, he looks like he is poised to repeat himself – I feel great about Dwayne Bowe. The rest of our receivers, however, not so much. Stevie Breaston at slot I’m good with, but Jerheme Urban as the second starter? He has 87 career catches. Hopefully Haley and Poili have seen some ridiculous athleticism and sure hands in practice that I’ve yet to see.

After those three receivers, we have rookie Jonathan Baldwin, who is hurt and best case scenario will catch 30 balls this year. Dexter McCluster has had a great preseason, maybe better than anyone else on the team. But relying on him to be anything other than a gimmicky running back/receiver is probably putting too much responsibility on his shoulders. I hope he proves me wrong. Finally, there is Terrance Copper, the same Terrance Copper who dropped two consecutive 17-yard passes that would have completed first downs late in the fourth preseason game. Is this the guy we really want in crunch time of a real game?

4. Coaching Staff

The play-calling duties from last year and this year remain a bit of a mystery. How much influence did Charlie Wise have on the offense, and on Matt Cassell? Is WalterFootball.com correct in believing the 2011 Chiefs are doomed just because of Weis’ departure? I think he wayyy overvalued Weis’ contributions, but I suppose we shall see.

All I know is last year’s third-down play calling was pathetic. With the number one rushing offense in the league, the Chiefs seemed to fail on third down more than they succeeded. They consistently seemed to outthink themselves when a simple run up the middle would have sufficed for the first down.

Anyway, the coaching staff is the least of my worries about our team, but it is still a bit of an unknown and we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

5. 32.7 Million Dollars

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/29/updated-cap-space-as-of-august-29/

Pathetic. Embarrassing. Cheap.

These are the three words that come to mind when I read this article on ProFootballtalk.com, stating that the Chiefs have the most room under the cap at more than 32 million dollars. When I look at all of the holes we have on our team, such as no veteran backup quarterback, no depth whatsoever on the offensive line, receivers who have no history of catching footballs in a regular season NFL game, among other problems, it makes my red and yellow blood boil.

I love the Chiefs, but sometimes I question my fandom. This 32.7 figure does just that.

The Chiefs save money on salary, but continue to stick it to the fans. Parking this year is $27 a car, up $5 from last year. The Chiefs cut their office employees’ salaries this offseason, but with a huge public outcry they reneged on their cheap tactic to save a $100,000 (chump change to an NFL franchise). The Chiefs also decided for the first time to not allow ticket takers into the stadium to watch the game once their job was finished for the day.

All of these things add up to the Chiefs pissing off their fan base. And now with Cassel possibly hurt, an O-Lineman undoubtedly going down, and unproven receivers, wouldn’t it have made sense for the Chiefs to be cheap by 20 million instead of 30 and set themselves up to have a better season than they did?

The Chiefs fan base is very fickle, especially their fan base who actually want to go to games, just like many NFL franchises who have seen attendances drop. However, there are things owners and general managers can do to show their appreciation to fans, and there are things they can do to make their fans feel like they don’t care about them. 32.7 million dollars says just that.

We are just a week away from a new season. I truly hope this article is 1442 words of nonsense after the Chiefs demolish the Bills. As with all NFL games, and this is what makes it so great, is any opinion and worry can completely change with just one ‘W.’

The film is based on the graphic novel “300″ by Frank Miller, who also saw his creation “Sin City” come to life much like this one, namely in its artistic style. The number 300 refers to the Spartan soldiers that were that were assembled int he Battle of Thermopylae to keep the massive Persian army from advancing into and conquering all of Greece. The movie isn’t an accurate historical representation of the battle as there are a handful of creatures that the Spartans encounter, but the battle did take place.

Relative newcomer Zack Snyder scored this project after only having the remake of “Dawn of the Dead” to his film-making credit, and what a great opportunity he received as this movie should open up a lot of doors for him in the future.

Gerard Butler plays the blood-thirsty King Leonidas, who rules Sparta on and off the battlefield. With his only major starring role as the Phantom in 2004′s “Phantom of the Opera,” Butler should also be a beneficiary of 300 because this really is his movie, aside from the filmmakers themselves, and he steals the show. Leonidas in the only character the audience is told to really care about, aside from his wife, Queen Gorgo, so casting the right guy was important, and they certainly did.

That leads to the film’s biggest flaw which is a lack of fleshed-out characters aside from the few main ones, but that is coincidentally its greatest attribute. You see, 300 is a different type of fantasy-driven epic. There aren’t drawn out scenes of dialogue or fly-by shots of Spartans traveling to their next destination. 300 concerns itself with showing the visceral beauty of battle in a new artistic style as the hour-plus scenes away from Sparta are certainly the reason to see this movie. They could have easily tacked on another 45 minutes of side plots and characterization to give it more of that “epic” feel, but Snyder and crew obviously felt they would let the action speak for itself.

The battle scenes come to life as a theater-sized painting in motion and use contrasting vibrant colors and foreboding tones to give the film its unique polish. Not only are the battle sequences aesthetically stunning, but they are creative too as the 300 Spartan soldiers are outnumbered exponentially by the Persians and must figure out clever ways to make up for their lack of forces. The Spartans are masters of defense and rely solely on each other to survive, which is where the strength of the 300 lie.

My favorite scene was of course one of those great battle sequences where Leonidas breaks away from the 300 and causes a little havoc on his own. The camera scrolls horizontally as Leonidas moves forward on the battleground, dispatching of his enemies in a combination of slow motion and real time effects. Many of the fight scenes use this technique and it gives the action scenes that little extra bit of brutality…or beauty.

The varying music styles used throughout the battle scenes give some of the battles a different feel, whether its accompanied by industrial metal or the more traditional fantasy-themed score. The music is the final touch of creating a true piece of art on the battlefield.

Similar to “Gladiator,” Snyder, Miler and Butler created one of those easily accessible “guy films” that capitalizes on what male moviegoers like to see. Great action, an easily followed plot, and lots of other “guy moments” are why this movie has done so well at the box office and DVD sales.

Like the Spartans, 300 is very much a “what you see is what you get” kind of film. A movie doesn’t always have to have a message, underlying theme or an unexpected plot twist to give the audience that “Ah ha!” moment, if it does the other things correctly. The film absolutely oozes with that “it” factor and tickets sales have shown that audiences can expect to see more of 300′s artistic styles and direction in the movies to come.

Rating: 9.5

This review was written by Dustin Freund in The Daily Star-Journal of Warrensburg, Mo. in 2007.

Robinson, a former 80’s star who is now in the twilight of his career, wrestles small independent shows on the weekends and works at a supermarket on the weekdays to attempt to pay the bills. After a match in Elizabeth, N.J., a wrestling promoter confronts Robinson with the opportunity to relive his glory years, a rematch 20 years in the making with The Ayatollah, The Ram’s most “hated” rival.

Robinson agrees to the match, but after a hardcore wrestling match with real life independent wrestling hardcore icon The Necro Butcher, the Ram collapses from a heart attack in the locker room, putting the rematch and the Ram’s wrestling career in jeopardy.

Those not wanting to see a movie about wrestling need not to worry because The Wrestler surprisingly isn’t actually about wrestling – it’s about a man at the crossroads of his life. Does Robinson choose to grow up, put his wild lifestyle behind him, settle down with a girlfriend (Marisa Tomei), and try to mend the torn relationship between him and his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), or does he choose to remain a professional wrestler, continuing his never-ending struggle to glory, fame and fortune?

This movie probably could have been made with many different dangerous occupations in place of professional wrestling – football player, firefighter, police officer, etc. – because the fact he is a wrestler is irrelevant. What is relevant is that we all make selfish choices in our lives, and those choices affect the ones who love us. The Wrestler brings this theme to the forefront, particularly through his broken relationship with his estranged daughter, whom he left when she was young to travel the world as a wrestler.

Rourke’s performance as Randy Robinson is a defining moment in Rourke’s career. Rourke, Aronofsky, and screenwriter Robert Siegel paint The Ram as a compassionate person underneath a violent figure; he is simply a man who is all alone in his life, grasping for any sorts of accolades his life can provide him. Wrestling is the only way he knows how to get people into his life, through meet-and-greets with fans at an American Legion, starry-eyed neighborhood kids whom the Ram tries to surround himself with, and of course the live audience whose cheers and chants for the Ram only fuel his love for the scripted sport. Rourke does a mesmerizing job in showing Robinsons’ love and desire for these small victories in his life.

There are many memorable scenes from the film, but possibly the one that will stand out for most audiences is the aforementioned scene with the Necro Butcher, for more than one reason. Aronofsky clearly wanted to shock audiences not familiar with certain aspects of independent wrestling, particularly the brutality of what some wrestlers endure their bodies to in a hardcore match.

The Ram and The Necro Butcher not only use the regular staples found in the mainstream anything-goes matches such as chairs, tables and ladders, but also actual staples via a staple gun, along with sheets of glass, tacks, and barbed wire – The Ram even uses an audience member’s prosthetic leg on a trashcan-covered Necro Butcher. What is so effective about the scene is how the match is relived in segments as the trainer in the locker room treats The Ram. When the trainer pulls a shard of glass out of The Ram’s back, the film switches back to the match to show how it got there, and the same happens with each tool of violence protruding from the wrestler. It’s shocking, it’s entertaining, and somehow it’s educational as this should be a real eye-opener to people unfamiliar with what may go on at a local rec center or bingo hall on a Saturday evening.

Aronofsky was born to make The Wrestler. He is a master of accentuating certain emotions, particularly the darker ones, as is evident in his masterpiece Requiem for a Dream. Like Requiem, The Wrestler is a character study involving an addiction and the choices derived from the addiction. While Requiem focuses on addictions to drugs, The Wrestler focuses on addictions to prestige and celebrity; The Ram simply can’t let go of his past because it really is all he knows, as is evident throughout not just the wrestling scenes, but more importantly through the allusions to wrestling during his everyday life.

An example of this is when The Ram walks through the stocking rooms of the supermarket and the imaginary roar of the crowd begins to build as he steps through the doorway leading to…the store deli. The Ram’s wrestling persona follows him throughout his life from which he can’t escape and is unwilling to escape. He was born as and always will be a wrestler.

There are many parallels that can be drawn between Requiem and The Wrestler. The overall tone of both movies is that of despair, but small glimpses of happiness can be found amidst the grit and grime of the subject matter. Even though much of the film tugs at the heart and tear ducts, it is hard not to smile throughout much of The Wrestler. Scenes of The Ram play-wrestling with neighborhood kids, throwing potato salad touchdown passes to customers while working at the supermarket, and ballroom dancing with his daughter in an abandoned building add to the likeability of the main character, as well as the emotions the audience feels when he faces the final results of his past actions.

There is a lot to like about The Wrestler for both fans and non-fans of professional wrestling. Wrestling aficionados will appreciate the realistic approach Aranofsky used in creating the wrestling matches (for which Rourke trained extensively) and the authentic wrestlers used in the film. Those who think professional wrestling is more of a circus act than a sport will still find a lot to like in the film because just as Rocky was more than a boxing movie, The Wrestler is more than a wrestling movie. Professional wrestling may be fake, but there is no more genuine character study than that of The Wrestler.

Pan’s Labyrinth challenges its audience to accept the existence of a supernatural underworld in the midst of a very real World War II era, all taking place at a military outpost in rural Spain.

The protagonist is a young, imaginative girl named Ofelia, (Ivana Baquero), who longs for something more out of her ordinary, war-stricken world. It’s made obvious that Ofelia spends most of her time reading books and dreaming of worlds much different than ours.

The movie opens with Ofelia and her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) traveling by car to stay at a Spanish military outpost led by Captain Vidal (Sergie Lopez), Ofelia’s stepfather. Carmen is pregnant with Vidal’s son, and the captain wants his family to stay there with him.

On the way, the car stops so Carmen can get out and take a breather. Ofelia, being the adventurous girl that she is, walks a ways down the path and notices an intriguing stone that falls at her feet. She places the stone into the statue from which it fell and a praying mantis crawls out of the statue.

The praying mantis shows interest in Ofelia by following her for the next couple of scenes, and ultimately leads her to an underground labyrinth, ruled by a faun named Pan.

The eccentric faun, who is a combination of a goat, a tree, and Sloth from the Goonies, tells Ofelia that she is the princess who escaped the underworld long ago, and for her to reclaim her throne, she must embark on three dangerous quests.

One of the best and clearly most memorable scenes of the film is Ofelia’s second quest where she encounters the Pale Man. Ofelia is asked by Pan to retrieve a magic knife from the Pale Man’s lair, but is warned not to touch any of the food that she may encounter. Of course, Ofelia can’t resist and decides to eat just two grapes. Surely, he won’t mind if she only eats a couple of grapes, right?

Wrong. Those two grapes brings the Pale Man to life as he quickly places two eye balls into his palms and uses his hands to see as he chases her throughout his domain. It’s visually shocking, disturbing, and, well…awesome.

The true villain of the film, Vidal, is one of the most despicable characters you will ever meet at the theater – you will love him. The egocentric Vidal doesn’t care about much for his pregnant wife Carmen – he only cares about his future son to continue the Vidal name.

Pan’s Labyrinth is one of those films that you can immerse yourself in because of its brilliant pacing. It never drags on and always gives the audience something visually pleasing, or unsettling, along with plot twists, great acting, memorable characters, dark humor, and excellent dialogue.

Did I mention it’s entirely in Spanish? I haven’t yet because you won’t even realize you are reading subtitles. The screenwriting is expertly crafted, and unfolds like a great fantasy novel. Even moviegoers who don’t like foreign films with subtitles will enjoy Pan’s Labyrinth.

The main theme of the film is the struggle between Ofelia’s imaginative personality and her stepfather’s always serious and ice-cold attitude. Vidal doesn’t approve of his stepdaughter’s unwillingness to live in the real world by always escaping into a book. Unbeknownst to Vidal, this “imaginary” world might play a very real role in his downfall.

The charm of the film is how it lets the audience decide if the underworld realm is real or just another one of Ofelia’s daydreams. The film supports both theories, up to the very last scene. How del Toro pulled off a great ending by not revealing all of the secrets of Pan’s Labyrinth is exceptional story telling.

Those of you that are easily disturbed and can’t take a whole lot of violence may want to stay clear of Pan’s Labyrinth. There aren’t a ton of unsettling scenes, but the ones that are are really pretty excruciating.

These scenes combined with elements from children’s books would probably get most screenwriters thrown in the loony bin, but del Toro has masterfully combined the two extremes and created something that I don’t recall has ever been attempted to this degree.

With “Lady in the Water,’ M. Night Shyamalan attempted what del Toro has accomplished by successfully making a wicked children’s story enjoyed by adults. What makes del Toro’s so much better is the fact that his film doesn’t beat the audience over the head with the rules of his imaginative world. He presents the underworld almost instantly and it’s up to the audience if they want to buy into it all.

If you enjoyed “Return to Oz,” “The NeverEnding Story,” “Labyrinth,” or “Alice in Wonderland” as a kid or a teenager and want to relive some of those childhood memories as an adult, this is one Labyrinth I would suggest getting lost in.

Rating: 9.5

This review was written by Dustin Freund in The Daily Star-Journal of Warrensburg, Mo. in 2007.

1. Todd Haley…Just Stop

I want to address this first and get it out of the way. Haley is constantly worried about his players getting “shown up” for some reason. The Ravens scrubs scored a pair of touchdowns against the Chiefs scrubs in the final minutes of the game, and Todd threw another hissy fit as he did against Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniels.

Haley seems to get really sensitive when he loses by more than a few touchdowns. He gets embarrassed, and he seems to think that his players get embarrassed. Well Todd, you know who is embarrassed? Chiefs fans, by how you are acting.

I actually felt great heading into those final few minutes of the game, but this display left a sour taste in my mouth (or it could have been the Pabst). Haley, please quit this behavior. I feel just as bad after a 1-point loss than I do after a 21-point loss. A loss is a loss; why does it matter by how many points?

2. QB Controversy in KC!

Just kidding, but I can’t wait to hear the first Chiefs fan during the first game of the season when Cassel throws an interception begin chanting “PALKO! PALKO!” – After 17 years of season tickets and getting to know the general Chiefs fan sitting in the upper deck, I would bet my entire 2011 salary that I will hear chants for the backup quarterback based on one drive he had in a preseason game.

Anyway, Palko held himself well, finding the right checkdowns, managing the game, and throwing some nice passes down field, including a touchdown pass on a slant by Terrance Copper. If nothing else, between him and Ricky Stanzi, at least the Chiefs appear to have a few options at backup quarterback that could come in in a pinch and make a play here or there. However, if Cassel does go down, I will still be calling for the Chiefs to go sign a veteran free agent.

3. Justin Houston…No, I’m not going to make a weed joke

Although he was playing against backup offensive linemen, Justin Houston showed really nice bursts of speed to the quarterback, and good strength to shed blockers. He recorded the only sacks of the night with two.

Houston is one of the top players in my opinion who will make or break the Chiefs this season. If Houston can get six or eight sacks this year and be a disruptive force alongside Tamba Hali, the Chiefs defense could really put some fear into quarterbacks before they even step on the field, especially with our stout secondary.

Who are some other players that can make the difference between the playoffs and going home in December?

4. BIG Tyson Jackson

I’m not the first or last person who says Tyson Jackson can make the biggest jump this year in contributions. If he does, watch out because the Chiefs defense is absolutely top 10 caliber.

Big Tyson made some really nice strides on Friday night against the Ravens. He held up his blocker on many of the run plays, allowing our linebackers to bring down Ray Rice or Ricky Williams for insignificant yards, and Tyson even got him some pressure on Joe Flacco on a few occasions! I can’t remember seeing Tyson ever running in space in the backfield like he did last night.

I still have questions about Tyson’s strength and will, as he does seem to get pushed around a lot for a man his size, but last night was a step in the right direction. If he plays like that for the rest of the year, I think he will be OK. Worthy of the third pick overall in the 2010 draft? No. But at least we will get something out of our pick that year, unlike the Bills’ Aaron Maybin.

5. Chiefs Run Game

Charles – The best running back in the NFL. Jones – The leader of the offense and the locker room (as seen by him standing up for Charles against Jon Baldwin). McClain – One of the best fullbacks in the NFL. McCluster – One of the fastest and potentially dynamic players  in the NFL. Which leaves…

Jackie Battle.

Battle has to be the best fourth/fifth-string running back in the league. If all of our other running backs went down, I still think the Chiefs could rush for 100 yards with Battle in the backfield. When you have a guy like Battle riding the bench, you know you are absolutely stacked at running back.

The Chiefs running backs of course looked sharp against the Ravens. I absolutely cannot wait until Week 1 against the Bills to see them in action and to get a better look as to how they will all be featured in a real game.

Thanks DGCourseReview.com

You’ve just produced a quality drive and your disc lays only 15 feet from the basket. However, right behind the basket a steep cliff awaits to gobble up any disc, all of which have the chance of rolling down and falling onto the pavement of Mission Road. Welcome to the Down Under Course at Rosedale Park, home to many challenges, triumphs, and abandoned discs.

Rosedale Park, located at 4000 Mission Road in Kansas City, KS., possesses two of the best courses in Western Missouri. The “Top Course” is easily located from the parking lot and is your standard course of long drives and challenging approach shots and putts set in fields along tree lines. Easily overlooked, however, is the Down Under Course, whose entrance can be found toward the north of the basket of Hole 1 of the Top Course.

Once the first the first challenge of locating the Down Under Course itself is out of the way, you will find yourself staring straight into a litany of large trees, just about 10 yards from the first tee box.  Take one long last look at your collection of discs and hope that you will emerge from the woods with them all, but don’t be surprised to wave goodbye to one of them as they fly off or roll down a steep, rock cliff. The course has a knack for being friendly to newcomers, and rough on veteran: You never know what the course will bring each day. Some days the trees will be your friend, while other days your worst enemy. Here are my ten favorite holes and the best ways to approach them without losing a disc.

HOLE 1 –  Difficulty 7, Enjoyment 4

Hole 1 throws players straight into the fire of the Down Under Course. Many courses’ first holes ease a player into the course, but not this one. Players will be welcomes to the course with a row of trees directly in front of them.

To successfully maneuver throw the Down Under Course, it is wise to focus of accuracy and not distance. If you can surpass the first line of trees, you will be in good shape to record a par. If you overthrow your disc, however, and hit one of the big trees or veer too far right, you will be looking at at least bogey on the debut hole.

Use caution and concentrate on the obstacles in front of you and not necessarily on the basket at the end of the hole.

HOLE 2 – Difficulty 5, Enjoyment 8

Be thankful to be past Hole 1 while taking the nice view of Hole 2. Hole 2 features a steep drop off from the launch pad, so it is fairly easy to produce a lengthy drive.

There are trees that will give you fits, and as usual on the Down Under Course, throwing your disc too far right will result in a hike through the woods and down a cliff. Good luck getting the disc if it’s muddy.

Hole 2 shouldn’t give you much trouble if you throw your drive straight and don’t take unnecessary risks.

HOLE 3 – Difficulty 9, Enjoyment 7

After throwing downhill on the last hole, Hole 3 requires quite a heave to get past the first obstacle, a large incline with a steep drop off to the left which will deposit a disc back to Hole 2.

The basket is at the top of the hill, often placed behind three obtrusive trees.

Recording a par is not easy and should be followed with a well-deserved pat on the back.

HOLE 4 – Difficulty 6, Enjoyment 6

Recording a par on Hole 4 is a must because it is tucked between two of the most difficult holes on the course.

Nestled behind a group of trees at the right, the basket can be difficult to reach without a safe drive thrown to the left. If you can throw it left and bend it back to the right, you may be able to set yourself up for a birdie try. However, once you reach the basket, you will see a problem: The basket sits about one or two feet away from an intense drop off. Be extremely careful with an approach shot and set up a two-putt if you have to.

A double bogey on this hole could be detrimental to your score because the average disc golfer will bogey either Hole 3 or 5.

HOLE 5 – Difficulty 9, Enjoyment 8

Not many holes leave you in the position that Hole 5 does. First of all, there are two completely separate tee boxes from which to drive, so the choice is yours. Secondly, you decision doesn’t ultimately matter because either way you are throwing caution, or discs, to the wind as you can’t see what’s ahead past about 30 feet.

First, take the time to walk up the hill and find the basket, which will be deep to your left. Your drive should sail just over the hill at your left and should cut hard that direction. The hole lies deep in the trees.

Any disc that is not thrown left has a high probability of rolling down one of the steepest cliffs of the course. Only chase after the disc if you have hiking boots on and don’t mind getting a bit dirty. Good luck!

HOLE 6 – Difficulty 5, Enjoyment 8

Hole 6 is pretty straightforward, giving you a breather. The hole offers one of the course’s few opportunities to throw a nice drive without the chance of running into a hazard. Try to lunch a deep drive down the left end of the fairway and bend it back to the right near the hole. You can also sneak it into the back right side. Use some creativity and let a rip.

HOLE 7 – Difficulty 8, Enjoyment 9

Here is another one of the course’s truly memorable holes, giving players two options in which to reach the basket.

Option one is to throw toward the right, over the bridge and through the woods. It is probably the safer route.

The little clearing you see through the tree at your left is option two. Only confident disc golfers need apply for option two because a misfire could result in two additional strokes before reaching the basket.

Notice the peculiar industrial smell near the basket and move on to Hole 8.

HOLE 8 – Difficulty 5, Enjoyment 7

This is the last hole you will play that will be somewhat forgettable. Hole 8 is straight, narrow and requires a deep drive to land a par. A drive too far right will hit trees and will fall not far past the tee box, so be careful not to overthrow the drive.

The basket is positioned in such a way that it is easy to overshoot it, which could leave your disc behind a large tree. Take your time on this one because there are much more difficult holes that lie ahead.

It is easy to turn left after clanking your disc into Hole 8’s basket, but be sure to head right to Hole 9. Many players accidentally skip the following two holes, the most beautiful disc golf holes they may ever see.

HOLE 9 – Difficulty 6, Enjoyment 9

On every drive by now, you may be used to looking uphill or expecting trees to be in your face. That changes beginning with Hole 9.

You will be looking down a steep, rocky slope with the basket clearly at the bottom of the decline. A nice and soft drive will said down the fairway and will land around the basket, while an overthrown drive has the chance of landing too far left or right among the wilderness, which will be an adventure to retrieve and to recover from.

There is no chance of overshooting the basket as there is a rock wall right behind it. However you choose to reach the basket, it is a luxury to be able to hit the wall and be set up for a very makeable putt. You may think Hole 9 is the best hole you’ve played, but wait until you make the trek to Hole 10.

HOLE 10 – Difficulty 7, Enjoyment 10

Every disc golf course has its standout hole, and Hole 10 is just that for the Down Under Course at Rosedale Park. Step up onto the rocky peer that jets out into the lovely view and let loose a nice, easy drive that drifts through the breeze, cut right and leaves you feeling happy to be outside. That is, until you have to traverse the rock terrain on the way down the cliff.

Hole 10 is what the Down Under Course is all about: Pinpoint accuracy, steep drops and lots of trees. Players of all skill levels will enjoy the scenic views the course offers, as well as the relatively short distance to the baskets.  The holes are structured in ways that they are challenging for experts, but still playable for newcomers. Hole 10 exemplifies those qualities.

The rest of the holes are what you’ve come to expect from the Down Under Course, and by using the strategies that were successful in the first 10 holes, the remaining eight should be a walk in the park, or the woods.

We decided to sit in our same seats, just on the opposite corner of Arrowhead. We lasted about two minutes. Here are a few things we heard:

Matt Cassell fumbles an exchange from the center:

“COME ON MATT! HOW MUCH FREAKIN’ MONEY ARE YOU MAKING!? GOD!!!!!! - Courtesy of…Dumb Lady Sitting Behind Me.

Buccs punt to Quinton Lawrence, who calls for a fair catch with a gunner five yards in front of him running at full speed:

“AWWWW WHAT ARE WE DOIN’!? RUN IT IN FOR A TOUCHDOWN! – Courtesy of…The Same Dumb Lady Sitting Behind Me.

Chiefs end their third drive with a three and out: <stands up, while giving the double thumbs down> “BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOOOOO!” – Courtesy of…The Guy in Front of Me Decked Out In Chiefs’ Gear

I quickly stood up and told Corey we had to leave or I was going to punch someone.

If this describes you, I want you two realize two things: 1) It’s a preseason game, and 2) IT’S A F***ING PRESEASON GAME!

Yes, I too was disappointed that the Chiefs showed 100 percent apathy in getting any sort of offensive rhythm going to start the season. But there is certainly no need for heavily booing your team, especially the same team you haven’t seen for the last eight months. Calm down, realize these guys haven’t exactly had a lot of practice yet, and breeaaathe. It’s going to be OK. It’s not even Week 1 yet.

Corey and I decided to go sit in the lower bowl, and watched this from the end-zone seats…

Sorry, I had to sneak that video in their somewhere.

I only got to see the last three matches of this year’s Summerslam. However, those three matches and other goodies totaled about 2 hours, so I don’t feel like I missed much at all.

Regardless, here are some things that crossed my mind after watching WWE Summerslam 2011:

1. Match Length – Normally, when WWE doesn’t announce many matches heading into a pay per view, it’s out of laziness, because their writers oftentimes don’t even seem to know where they are going with a storyline. Well, for this year’s Summerslam, only five matches were announced; I figured there would be about eight, with three being thrown together at the last minute. I was wrong. There were six, with only one being added the day of the event.

It ended up being a great move, as it allowed each match to breathe, including the Daniel Bryan/Wade Barrett match, which I was in fear of being a quick filler match. It only went about 12 minutes, but with the way they treat Bryan on most shows, I was pleased to see one of my favorite wrestlers in action for that long.

The additional time allowed from the six-match card was particularly noticeable in the Christian/Randy Orton no- holds barred match that went almost 24 minutes. The added time helped this match a lot, which I want to comment on next.

2. Innovation and Violence – Sorry WWE, but eventually, someone is going to bleed in a hardcore match. Now, I will give WWE credit for limiting blood in their product, because I’m a huge proponent of “less is more.” If there is blood in every match, it doesn’t mean much. But now in a WWE match, when there IS blood, it adds a TON of drama to the match.

I felt when Orton began bleeding from his hand and arm, and then wiped it across his face as war paint, it brought the excitement and realism up to another level. I’d like to see WWE do this more often, but only during these types of matches and cage matches, and for when the feud warrants blood, as did Christian/Orton.

As far as the match itself, it was an excellent hardcore plunder match that still maintained the WWE style of storytelling wrestling. All the moves made sense, the selling was top notch by both wrestler, and above all, at least for me, was the innovation they used in combining moves with plunder. Christian’s use of the kendo stick, Orton’s ring rope DDT onto the trash can, superplex onto an unfolded table, and RKO out of midair onto the ring steps were all great ways to make this match so much fun to watch. Christian playing the cowardly heel for the past several months was perfect in his role tonight, squealing with every huge move out of Orton’s arsenal – especially those including weapons.

This was how to work a hardcore match within the restrictions of the WWE at its finest.

Christian vs Orton: ****¼

3. Cena/CM Punk II? IV? XI?

What do you call this match? In Ring of Honor it was easy: CM Punk/Samoa Joe I, CM Punk/Samoa Joe II, etc. They had the foresight in knowing it was a big money match, so they saved it and didn’t waste it away on a normal show.

WWE wasted this opportunity by having CM Punk and John Cena on countless episodes of Raw. Regardless, we shall just call it Cena/CM Punk II for clarity’s sake. (I wish they’d learn from their mistake, but clearly they haven’t after giving away Del Rio/CM Punk last week on Raw!)

Anyway, sorry about that rant. This match again was incredible, and really shows how great of a wrestler John Cena is. I’m no big fan of the guy, but there is no doubt that he is the most consistent, big money match wrestler in the WWE. All he needs is good opponents to bring it out of him, and a less predictable move set.

His submission reversals with CM Punk about half way through their match were delicious for any fan of old school wrestling. This is how you build drama in a match. Also, their reversals of each other’s signature moves – AMAZING! I pretty much geeked out when Punk delivered a knee to Cena’s face on his second flying shoulder block, which I can’t ever remember anyone doing. Soon after, Punk foiled his “You Can’t See Me” five knuckle shuffle nonsense.

So what else is there to say? CM Punk and Cena are at the tops of their games right now. I need to watch both matches again to properly rate them. For me, CM Punk/Cena I was ****¾ , and this one is just ever so slightly below it at ****½ . However, I have a sneaking suspicion the reason I loved the first one so much was the unbelievable pro-Punk Chicago crowd that night.

But then, after sitting on the edge of my chair for nearly 30 minutes, it was all meaningless. It kind of reminded me in the movie Sucker Punch, all the action scenes were happening inside the protagonist’s mind: Soooo who friggin’ cares what happens? That’s how I felt after Cena/Punk II when Del Rio’s music hit…

4. Money in the Bank Sucks…But You Already Knew That

MY NAME!!! MY NAME IS ALBERTO DEL RIO! AND I JUST WON THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP BY CASHING IN MY MONEY IN THE BANK CONTRACT! NOW, MY CAREER WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN! MY FRIEND D-STEAK WILL TELL YOU WHY! BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT…

Remember when I talked about “laziness” earlier regarding the WWE writing staff? Here we go again, as Del Rio won the title off of one swift kick to the back of CM Punk’s melon.

Money in the Bank is a cool concept that usually gives us good to great ladder matches once a year. However, the execution of the Money in the Bank winner is doing more harm than good, and I’d like to tell you why, as my amigo Del Rio mentioned.

The Money in the Bank contract is essentially this era’s Intercontinental Title. In days past, once you won the IC belt, you were then in contention to become a main eventer and challenge for the world title. Once that person finally won their first WWE title, it was the culmination of excellent character building, memorable storylines and exceptional matches against the greats ahead of them.

Can you imagine if Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first championship by cashing it in on a beaten up Shawn Michaels, instead of winning the IC title from Owen Hart, wrestling his brother Bret Hart in an epic match, and having to fight his way through the rest of the WWE roster until finally meeting Michaels at Wrestlemania 14?

I was disappointed when CM Punk won his first and second titles with the Money in the Bank contract, because he can never ever go back and have that first climb to the top of the WWE. He won it on a fluke. Of course, CM Punk is in a class of his own, so he is obviously fine. But he had to make himself valuable again by becoming arguably one of the greatest talkers on the mic…or pipe bomb.

Now there is Alberto Del Rio. Sorry friend, but you have done virtually nothing in the WWE, in my opinion. You have had serviceable matches, but nothing I want to go out of my way to see again; no big moments, no big feuds, no awesome promos…and now you are champion.

Is Del Rio talented? Absolutely! But why does he HAVE to be champion so soon? What ever happened to slowly building a wrestler up to the main event level? WWE doesn’t seem to understand that there is a lot more money in the journey of becoming champion than actually being the champion.

Del Rio definitely deserves to be the man one day, but not today. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess.

5. Final Thoughts

Summerslam 2011, at least the last three matches I saw, were all very good matches. There was a big surprise at the end (not a good one in my opinion), but at least it will go down as memorable.

This makes two very good WWE pay per views in a row, and I can’t remember the last time the company can say that, so props to them. However, bigger props to CM Punk as he has been the catalyst for WWE’s recent success. Now hopefully this month on Raw, CM Punk begins forming a new stable consisting of Colt Cabana and the Kings of Wrestling, who can help revamp the WWE Tag Division.

With WWE’s momentum and ROH’s new television deal, there are good times ahead for wrestling fans, except of course if you are still a TNA fan.

Please be the first to add one!