JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

MASTERS WEEKEND

We're not much for staying home and watching TV, but there is something about Augusta and the Masters that lends itself so well to television. 
In 1986, 46 year old Jack Nicklaus was 4 back as he left the 14th green.  Five different golfers had or shared the lead during the final round.  On the Par 5 15th Nicklaus knocked his second shot to 12 feet of the cup and made the eagle putt to pull within two of Seve Ballesteros.  On the par three16th,  Jack hit his tee shot to within 3 feet and made the birdie and now was one back. Meanwhile Seve was playing in the group behind Nicklaus and when he heard the roars of the crowds watching the  Golden Bear's charge, he got a little jumpy and put his second on 15 into the water. Suddenly three golfers were tied for the lead (Seve, Jack and Tom Kite).  On 17 Nicklaus made the birdie putt champions make- from 18 feet to go into the lead by one.  Nicklaus was -7 for his final round and an amazing -6, 30 for the back nine. We recently heard Jack say that after a few years out of contention, he suddenly remembered how to win on the back 9 at Augusta in 1986. Which golfer will find his game and charge on the back nine this Sunday and win? It's fun to watch. 
 Speaking of famous second shots on the par 5 15th, yesterday Tiger Wood's second at 15 hit the flag-pin and bounced back off the green and into the water hazard. An unlucky break. Tiger then elected to drop two yards back from where he hit his original shot. A kerfuffle has erupted. 
Rule 26-1 allows a golfer to seek relief from a shot in a water hazard at either the drop zone or "by playing the ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played."
After his round Tiger was interviewed about the shot and stated that he went two yards back from his original shot because after seeing the shot that hit the flag stick he didn't want to over shoot the green. Query: is two yards back "as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played?" Doesn't seem so. Tiger recorded a six on 15 and submitted his card reflecting a six. But if his drop was incorrect he should have given himself a one shot penalty and recorded a seven. The penalty for submitting an incorrect scorecard? Disqualification. Tiger is playing great golf and is currently two back of the leaders. WOW. By noon today we should have the answer. 
Breaking: Tiger was given a two shot penalty. Seems hypocritical. Anyone else would have got DQ'd.

Jacqueline Koo- the wife of the late, great REG Judge Dominic, passed away at age 91 on March 28, 2013. For those lawyers who don't remember a world before cell phones and Starbucks , Dominic Koo was Miami's (and surely Florida's ) first Asian-American Judge. Koo ran for County Court Judge under the then decidedly non-politically correct slogan "give a chinaman a chance". 
Dominic Koo was a true original. He was a man of common and uncommon wisdom and the type of judge who was always in good humor and made litigants in his courtroom feel comfortable. 
It's important to remember the great Judges and lawyers who held court long before most of us ever arrived on the scene. 

Enjoy your spring weekend. 

35 comments:

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


Reprinted from last night, with permission from The Captain.



THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

BREAKING NEWS ...... THE MASTERS....WOODS TO BE DQ'd .....

Tiger Woods will be disqualified from the Masters. Late yesterday afternoon as Tiger Woods was playing the par five 15th hole, he stood 100 yards out lying two. He took a lob wedge and hit it so perfectly, that he literally hit the pin with the ball. Problem is, it hit the pin so hard that it ricochet right off the green and into the lake.

Woods now had three options. Play it where it lay; he couldn't do that as it was deep in the drink. Walk back as far as he wanted to as long as it was in a direct line from where the ball went into the water. But if you know the 15th at Augusta National, and the pin is on the far left side of the green, the last place you want to be hitting your approach shot is 100 yards out on the left side of the fairway. Which is where he would have had to drop the ball. Woods chose the third option. That would have him drop the ball in the same spot where he first struck it. Many thought he did that.

But, after the round, the first question the reporter asked him was about the freak shot at 15 that hit the flagstick. Tiger said he chose to go back to the same area where he hit, walk back two paces and drop the ball and then hit it two paces shorter toward the pin. This resulted in a near perfect shot. The ball landed six feet from the pin and Woods knocked in it for a bogey six.

Only problem with his explanation to the reporter is, that he had just admitted to violating the rules of golf. He confused his second and third option. He thought he could walk the ball back as far as he wanted to, in this case, two paces back. He could only do that from the left side of the fairway which was the spot in line with where his ball went into the lake. Instead, he went back to the right side of the fairway, a far easier approach, where he had hit shot number three. He did not have the right to walk back two paces from that spot.

Woods signed a scorecard for a 71. As soon as he turned the signed scorecard in, it became official. If he had recognized his error, he would have assessed himself a penalty for the illegal drop. Instead , he submitted a scorecard with the wrong score.

What is the effect of that. DQ. DISQUALIFICATION.

No fifth green jacket for El Tigre this year.

CAPTAIN OUT
captain4justice@gmail.com

Saturday, April 13, 2013 12:03:00 AM

Rumpole said...

Cap- twitter reporting he got a two stroke penalty.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


Really? Thought rules say one stroke penalty. Either way, submitted incorrect scorecard = DQ.

CAP

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


So, they are giving him two shot penalty and permitting him to submit an amended scorecard? Ad not DQ him?

That's as unprecedented as hitting Guan with the one stroke slow play penalty. That call was truly Bogus

Enjoy "Moving Day" at Augusta.

Cap Out ...

Rumpole said...

Tiger could resurrect his reputation in one fell swoop by declining the two shot penalty and DQ'ing himself in the spirit of what Golf is.

But he probably won't. No moral fiber.

Rule allowing a two spot penalty is new rule based on HI-def TV where a viewer sees a violation the golfer doesn't see.

This rule doesn't apply here.

Rumpole said...

On Golf Channel Nick Faldo just called for Tiger to DQ himself.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole,

which competitor voluntarily takes themselves out of competition? Moral fiber? What the hell does that have to do with him competing at his sports highest stage. Bullshit Rump. Play on Tiger.

Anonymous said...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


Amazing that TW can't figure this one out. If he were to go on to win this tourney, it would be his 15th Major. If he goes on to break the Golden Bear's record of 18 by one, there will forever be an asterisk next to this win.

Your are absolutely correct Nick Faldo - DQ is the honorable thing to do.

TW was axed by his own gore. He thought he was sooo smart when he told Rinaldi that he purposefully and with intention walked back two yards to hit the fifth shot on 15.

He knew when he hit half way up the flag pole that his shot would have landed him on the back edge or over the green had it not hit the pole.

He took those two yards to give him an advantage. There is no more blatant violation of the rules.

Follow the rules, El Tigre, and become a spectator for the weekend. This is not a Padraig Harrington HD rule.

Cap Out ....

Anonymous said...

I first met Dominic Koo in 1972. He was running for County court and came and spoke to my Explorers Post ( Post 689, So. Fla. Council )
A great Guy who was Running on
Give a Chinaman a Chance.
He was smart, savvy, knew the law, but was a peoples person. Perfect for County Court.
Also, he was a rabid anti-smoker. Once calling Police when someone was illegally smoking indoors.
A Good Kind Man, he escaped communist china and became a lawyer & Judge here in Miami.
DS

Rumpole said...

10:49. Read my twitter feed. Every year dozens of pros self report violations that affect their score. The great golf champ and masters co-founder Bobby Jones self assesed a one stroke penalty in the US OPEN when an official told him not to. Jones said he knew made the penalty. Jones lost the US open that year by one stroke. Every year the most prestegious award the PGA gives is the Bobby Jones award for the player who most upholds the integrity of the game. Many players say its the highest honor they can receive.
Hope that answers your question.

Anonymous said...

DS - thanks for sharing that memory.

I still think you are a colossal Buffon.

Old guy said...

I think it was the 1969 Masters that Old Dick Siderowf made the cut as an amateur and he was a contract attorney for the PDs office or what amounted to the office back then and a bunch of us in the Marine bar watched the tournament and cheered him on.

Anonymous said...

No I think it was Joe Carr and the 1968 Masters. We called Carr "Watermelon" because twice- not once but twice- he rear ended a delivery truck with his Corvette convertible and a load of watermelons came spilling out on to him and his car. What are the odds of that?

Fake Josh Gradinger said...

Hey I made the NY Times!

Anonymous said...

its obvious that tiger didnt know he violated the rules and the two stoke penalty was the correct punishment. listen to his interview that got him in trouble... anyway, tiger is the only reason people watch golf. it is painful to watch without him. and dont make it seem like these white country club fulcks are on some high moral ground. tiger was one of the first black dudes they ever let play. and what with the no moral fiber comment? ok so if he dq's himself for no good reason he has moral fiber?

dont hate the player hate the game

Rumpole said...

And in the 1968 Masters Vincent DeVicenzo didn't know his partner had recorded a 4 instead of the 3 he got on 17 for him. And instead of a playoff he was DQ'd for signing his wrong scorecard. And certainly he didn't know his playing partner had recorded a wrong score (adding one for him to his detriment) when he signed his card. Rules are rules. Even for Tiger.

Anonymous said...

On average the guys on the PGA tour have bigger tits then the woman's pro beach volley ball . "athletes" I think not! Jason grey

Caribbean Cigars said...

The stars were out last night at the best little cigar store in Miami hosted a cigar blow-out party.

The big fella was in charge, greeting guests, recommending cigars, glad handling and back slapping and making sure the a-list guests were comfortable and able to just kick back and enjoy a nice cohiba.

Where is this little gem?

Just head west on Bird road and look for the big green alligator holding a cigar just on the edge of the Everglades.

It's worth the trip.

Anonymous said...

Rump, remember when Nick Faldo won his first green jacket? On the final round, he hit a laser with a two iron for his second on 13. A great shot that isn't talked about as much as it should be.

Thoughts?

Anonymous said...

I'll take Fuzzy Zoler's second where he drove the green on the par 5 15th on Sunday the year he won-79 or 78 was it? Any day over Faldo's 2 iron which was a very good shot.

Anonymous said...

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoler won the 1979 Masters

Anonymous said...

Fyi mister know it all- It's Frank Urban "fuzzy" Zoler Jr.

Frank Sneed lost that masters in 1979 after leading all three rounds with a 67-68-67 by shooting a final 76 including 3 straight bogeys on 16-17-18 to fall into a playoff with Tom Kite and Zoler which I think Zoler won on the second or third playoff hole by sinking a 6 ft birdie putt.

Anonymous said...

Hey idiots: both of you: It's Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr.

Anonymous said...

Ray Floyd ran away with the Masters in 1976. No one mentions that much these days.

Eye on Stricker said...

Steve Stricker is the best player on tour period. Nobody strikes the ball better, has more fairways and greens in play and putts lights out.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole was right. Nicklaus's second at 15 on Sunday in 86- 4 behind with 4 to play was the greatest shot at the Masters of all time. It turned the tournament around as the old Bear roared one last, great time. The shot settled 7 feet from the hole and as Jack slammed that eagle putt home suddenly he was down two and charging.
And look what the leader Ballasteros did playing in the group behind. Exact same shot- hit it into the water.


Eye on Snedecker said...

I think Brandt Snedecker is a great name for a Masters Champion.

Anonymous said...

You want to talk about a golf shot turning around the Masters? Greg Norman and the 9th on Sunday in 96 ends it all.

Norman led at the end of all rounds and started Sunday with a lead of six. He bogeyed the eight and then stood over his second shot approach to the 9th- a nice par 4 about 450 yards long. A beautiful tee shot left Norman a 100 yards to the green. But everyone knows the 9th green has a shelf and you MUST land it past the flag- anything short would be a disaster. Norman apparently forgot this and chipped to the front of the green where the ball landed a few yards short of the flag. And then it started to roll, and roll, and roll, and when it was done it almost seemed as if the ball had rolled half way down the fairway. Norman was so unnerved he bogeyed the ninth and went on a a collapse of epic proportions- 3 bogeys and two double bogeys between 8 and 12.

And nine shook him up the most. it was where he could have stopped the leaking after 8, or where the plug would come out and the ship would sink. He sank.

Anonymous said...

Lee Westwood just chipped it short to the front of 9 and sure enough, it landed and because it was short of the flag, it rolled right back to where he was standing when he chipped it. Bogey 5.

Anonymous said...

And the same thing just happened to the Aussie Jason Day. His second shot took him to just below the green and he tried a flop shot to put it next to the hole but it landed short below the flag and......it rolled all the way back to where he was standing. Bogey.

Anonymous said...

And now for some real sports news--Heat 105 Bulls 93.

Anonymous said...

NEWS: White guy wins at Golf !

Anonymous said...

DiVecenzo was not DQ'd. He finished 2nd.

Whe you sign for an incorrect HIGHER score, your penalty is to accept that higher score.

Guily said...

i was in traffic court with Jdge Koo one day. i can't remember the year, but pretty sure it was in the 70's some time. any way i kept looking around the courtroom for the cop that had cited me. i knew if the cop was a no show i could plead not guilty and get away with it. i never saw him. i will never forget Judge Koo's opening remarks, "If you are here for diving without a license and you don't have a license it will be an automatic ten days in jail [period!]. bang, bang, bang, so it went. then this hairy chest macho cuban dude with his shirt unbuttoned halfway down was up. Sir, you are hear for driving without a license. do you have a license? "No comprende", was his answer. Judge Koo asked if anyone could translate. an elderly lady volunteered and repeated the question. "No", he replied. Judge Koo, to the interpreter, tell him ten days in jail. the man blurts out in english, "i can't spend ten days in jail!" Judge Koo, make it thirty. anyway, after watching him put ten or twelve people away for ten or more days, my name is called. looking around one last time for the cop that cited me i approached the bench. fortunately i wasn't there for driving without a license. how do you plead. guilty i said. a small fine and traffic court. i was in my twenties then. i'm in my seventies now. but i will never forget Judge Koo and that day in his court.