Charl Schwartzel Wins Masters

The 2011 Masters will go down as one of the wildest in history, with several storylines that weaved together to provide plenty of drama on golf's biggest stage. However, when the smoke cleared, it was Charl Schwartzel who was wearing the green jacket.

Before Schwartzel made his dominant run to claim the jacket, golf fans had gotten everything they could ever want from a Masters tournament. There was the triumphant return of Tiger Woods for starters. Woods made a furious comeback to take a share of the lead, only to run out of steam on the last nine holes. While Woods ended up tying for fourth place, the tournament was a lot more suspensful with him in the mix. If Tiger continues to improve, he may yet again be the world's best golfer. If this weekend was any indication, he is on his way.

Then there was the epic collapse of poor Rory McIlroy, the young phenom from Northern Ireland who entered the final round with a four stroke lead. McIlroy then proceeded to shoot an 8 over 80, the worst final round in Masters history for a player who entered the day with the lead. McIlroy will be back, however his collapse will sting for a long time.

While all the drama of McIlroy and Woods was hogging the headlines, Aussies Adam Scott and Jason Day silently kept playing tremendous golf. Each would finish just short, however, as Schwartzel ended up being nearly unbeatable. The South African finished his final round with four straight birdies, never letting Scott or Day sniff the lead despite their incredible play. Schwartzel is the ninth ranked golfer in the world according to ESPN, so his win wasn't too much of a surprise. However, he has now joined the elite company of golfers who own a major championship, and certainly earned it.

Royals Take Weekend Series From Detroit

The Royals improbable fast start continued over the weekend in Detroit where Kansas City took 2 out of three from the Tigers. With some timely hitting and atrocious defense by the Tigers, the Royals won the rubber game on Sunday 9-5. The Royals had 15 hits on the afternoon, coupled with 4 errors by the Tigers, Kansas City put the game out of reach.

Luke Hochever (1-1) picked up his first win of the season, and the artist formerly known as "The Mexicutioner" pitched the final two-thirds for his 3rd save of the year. Offensively, Wilson Betimet had a great day reaching base in all five plate appearances. He went 4-4 with an RBI, 2 runs scored, and a walk. But everyone contributed, up and down the lineup, no one went hitless, and the Royals had a total of 6 extra base hits.

The series win puts the Royals at 6-3 and a game out of first in the AL Central. Cleveland is on first place and in the midst of a 7 game winning streak. We are off today before a short two game series in Minnesota Tuesday and Wednesday. Minnesota is off to a slow start, now is the time to take advantage with a sweep before heading back home for the weekend. There's hope again in this cow town.

Missouri House Approves Congressional Redistricting Map

On Thursday, The Missouri House of Representatives approved their version of the newest US Congressional District maps for Missouri. Redistricting needs to be done because the State lost a seat in the 2010 Census. Missouri will now have 8 Representatives in Washington DC instead of nine. A district would be lost in the St Louis area, removing one currently Democratic Representative (Probably Russ Carnahan-good riddance). The map has been sent to the Senate for approval.

In the new map, Congressman Cleaver's 5th District will change. It would no longer include any of Cass county, but would add three rural counties to the east of Kansas City. Also added to the 5th, parts of Kansas City and Gladstone north of the river - subtracted would be the Northeastern part of Lee's Summit. Still a majority Democrat district, but not as much so as has been the case. Unfortunately Cleaver is probably safe for the foreseeable future.

Most Democrats in the House were against this redistricting plan arguing that in the best of times for Democrats they could only win 2 of the 8 seats while in general statewide elections Democrats garner around 50% of the votes typically. And of course Jonas Hughes, undoubtedly the DUMBEST member of the Missouri House had something to say as well.

There were also a few Republicans not happy with the map. Those from the three rural counties added to the fifth district were apparently not pleased that a Communist sympathizing, race-baiter will be their new US Congressman. A very similar map will likely be approved by the Senate and go to the Governor for signature. It will be interesting to see if the Democrat Jay Nixon will veto or not.

Kansas City Police Dog Attacks Bystander

A 56 year old woman was attacked by a Police dog Sunday afternoon. The woman saw Police activity outside her home in the 4300 block of Chelsea Ave in Kansas City and came outside to see what was going on. She was on the phone with her daughter at the time, and the dog must have heard her talking. The next thing you know, the dog pulls the leash out of the officers hand and attacked the woman. She suffered bites to her head and buttocks. The woman already had a fear of dogs and said she wouldn't have come outside had she known the dog was there.

Police in the area were searching for a gun used in a robbery - a magazine had already been found nearby. The handler had the dog on a long leash and had the choke collar inactive as is customary when no suspects are nearby. The Police Officer, not expecting the dog to react in that way, was not gripping the leash tight enough.

It's a shame that something like this happened. Police dogs are very important to the Department, and I would hate to have an incident like this diminish their role in the Department. The woman will likely win a large settlement and Police will review policies and procedures in the handling of their dogs. The KCPD said that handlers have been bitten over the years, but the last time a KC Police dog bit a bystander was in the early 90s when a man leaned over the top of the dog while some children were petting him. Hopefully the next incident will be decades away as well.

Royals Lose In Third Straight Extra Inning Game

The Royals continue to give fans their money's worth, as nine innings once again was not enough to decide a winner. After winning their first two extended games, the Royals couldn't keep the magic going, falling to the White Sox 10-7.

Joakim Sora, one of the best closers in the league, was to blame for this one. Soria had the White Sox on the ropes - a three run lead with two outs in the ninth - and somehow surrendered four runs and the lead. Soria is one of the best closers in baseball, and this is likely just a rare slip-up from the all-star. When you have a great chance to move to 5-1 on the season and choke like Kansas City did last night, it could be a turning point.

If the Royals begin to lose games and fall apart, this will likely be the game many point at. The Royals' offense has continued to produce, so fans should remain optimistic about the team's chances.