Pirate Galaxy » while an investigation is taking place. Thats some

TROON, Scotland -- Ten years ago this week, Patrick Reed fell in love with links golf.He won the 2006 Junior Open Championship in this corner of the world at Heswall Golf Club, quickly figuring out how to hit various shots in different conditions than hed been accustomed to back home in the United States.The ball never seemed to stop, he said with a laugh Thursday after posting an opening-round 5-under 66 to put himself in contention for the lead at The Open.But if that love for links golf was stoked while he played, it was set ablaze just days later.Before he returned home, Reed attended a practice round and the first round of The Open, held that week at Royal Liverpool. An unabashed Tiger Woods fan, Reed followed the eventual champion around the course, marveling at his ability to hit shots the 15-year-old had never before witnessed in person.I was in awe of how he was hitting golf shots, seeing this 2-iron somehow staying that low for 240 yards in the air, recalled Reed, who turns 26 next month. Im thinking, How is that ball going that far? And the kind of control he had, Im just like, Man, this guy is really good.Some players, especially some American players, have to learn to love this type of golf. First they endure it, then they embrace it. Thats when success usually happens.For Reed, there was no transition period. It was love at first sight.I always thought it would be fun because I love to create shots and hit the funny things, he said. At home, we cant do that. Its too soft. So you cant hit the stinger 2-iron and let it run, or the low hook chip shot and watch it bounce up a hill and kind of trickle over. Those arent things we can do at home. Its more thick rough, take the ball in the air and try to stop it. So I feel like my creative side has been able to come out.Reeds opening round consisted of an eagle hole-out on the third hole and five birdies against just two bogeys. It tied the lowest first-round score in Royal Troons tournament history (although that mark was bested later Thursday by?Phil Mickelsons 63).That wasnt the only thing that should have Reed confident about the next three days, though.He played the Scottish Open last week; five of the past six Open champions played that event the week before. Hes American; each of the previous six champions at Troon has been American. He posted a sub-70 score; 10 of the past 11 Open winners opened with rounds in the 60s.Reed doesnt just like playing golf here, though. He likes everything here.The simplicity, he said. Last week when I was over, when we were driving from the golf course to the hotel, theres just a lot of farmland, a lot of scenery. You see the water to the left, the farms to the right. Its just a two-lane road going in and out. So you literally just have that kind of relaxed feeling that you have golf and then relaxing time. At home, its golf, sit in traffic, traffic lights, a thousand cars, people honking at you, and then you get home and youre trying to go through a busy hotel, so its still stressful off the golf course. Here it seems like its just golf and then just kind of relax, have some fun.Its definitely a way different pace than back home. Its nice. Its a great change of pace.Perhaps this gives new meaning to the actions of a guy who two years ago playfully shushed the home crowd at the European-based Ryder Cup.Hed love to stay quiet this week, flying under the radar of the bigger names on the leaderboard. That might not be possible, but his attitude -- an attitude born a decade ago -- should serve him well.I think the key is just to have fun with it, he explained. You know youre going to get some bad breaks here and there, but at the same time youre going to get some good breaks, and you just have to know how to handle it mentally. Vans Old Skool Sale .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Cheap Vans Sk8 Hi Shoes . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.cheapoldskoolwholesale.com/wholesale-old-skool-vans.html . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Cheap Vans Old Skool Womens . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Cheap Vans Old Skool Mens .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Whether or not Minnesota plays in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 is the least important part of the standoff thats developing between the football players and the administration over whether 10 players have been fairly suspended around a case of alleged rape.If the school doesnt go to the bowl game, it stands to lose a big revenue opportunity and leaves players with lingering questions about due process. If the administration capitulates, it conveys in no uncertain terms that football is more important than a sexual assault investigation.Truthfully, football always has been more important.This particular case hinges on the idea of consent. According to police records, a woman told officers she was drunk when she was sexually assaulted in a players apartment by several men on Sept. 2, including some of the suspended players. She said her sexual contact with two men may have been consensual but that her contact with four of them was not. Other people were in the room while this happened, but prosecutors declined to take the case forward, citing lack of evidence.?The university started its own Title IX investigation at the same time as the polices investigation, a source told ESPN. According to a report by ESPNs Adam Rittenberg, the primary issue for the boycott was the school suspending the players before a hearing based on the Title IX investigation had been held. That hearing wouldnt have taken place until January, after the bowl game.Football players and parent Antoine Winfield are saying they arent sure why these players have been suspended in the middle of the football season. And to be sure, those players do have rights in the Minnesota investigation.Concern about those rights has resulted in one of the rare instances in which athletes have banded together and refused to play football because they believe in something more than wins and losses. The boycott, involving all the players of the team, represents exactly what you want to see in some ways -- a group bonded, calling each other brothers, loyal above all to each other. Thats admirable. And yet, as more than one person has pointed out on Twitter, it would be nice to see a team boycott to defend alleged victims of sexual assault.Earlier this year, a player at Baylor insinuated that the team would wear black in support of Art Briles, their former coach who reportedly knew about sexual assaults allegedly perpetrated by players and didnt report thhose incidents.dddddddddddd.Unity is a great trait in a football team. However, when it comes to sexual assault, the togetherness creates an us-against-them mentality that sends a clear message to those who might need to report a rape against a member of a team: We will fight back. With numbers.Unlike Baylors players, Minnesotas team may be putting into place a challenge to Title IX. A statement made by wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky was full of legalese, such as saying the school breeched fiduciary duty to the players by implementing the suspension. Now, Wolitarsky or some other player on the team could be legally minded, but its not news that opponents of Title IX have been looking for the test-case to unhook the law from cases of rape and sexual assault at universities, which it now protects. For the laws dissenters, Wolitarskys reference to an unjust Title IX investigation may be a crumb to build on.Despite Wolitarskys conjecture, theres a difference between the legal standard in a courtroom for conviction -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- and what is required for an institution to find a student violated the rights of another person. For survivors of rape and assault, the college setting can provide more support -- for example, making sure the accused and accusers dont end up in the same classes or dorms while an investigation is taking place. Thats something the legal system cant control. There are also actions that can be grounds for expulsion that arent grounds for criminal prosecution -- say, plagiarism of a term paper.Weve heard from the players and a parent, but we havent heard the voice of the other party in this case: the victim of the alleged crime. Without it, we can listen to players and hope they are treated fairly and with justice. We can hope the school is operating along the guidelines it has set to ensure the rights of the accused and the accuser. But we cannot think we have the entire story.Whether its college football, the NFL or beyond, if sports leagues are going to take sexual assault seriously, there may be times it conflicts with the game. And thats really OK. The most important lesson each of the parties in this case stands to learn will come off the field -- about consent, their rights and others rights and about choosing your causes carefully. ' ' '