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Congrats and a hearty wellâ€"done to journeyman pro Mark Calcavecchia who blazed his way to the 2005 title in the biggest professional golf tournament this country holds other than the Nationwide PGA event hosted at the Whistle Bear Golf Club near Cambridge. What‘s that, you say? The Whistle Bear event on the secâ€" ondary U.S. PGA tour isn‘t as big as the Open? Well, for peoâ€" ple in these parts of the woods, it certainly was this year since I don‘t know of a single nonâ€"media golf fan who made the trip all the way to our beloved west coast for the Bell bash. But then not a lot of the topâ€"playing names on the big tour bothered to head west either â€" including such as Tiger W, Phil M, ailing Emie E, big John D, excitable Sergio G, etc. And while the Royal Canadian Golf Association, based in Oakville, tried to put a good spin on the field â€" highlighting in some of the preâ€"tourney hype the number of former Open champions included â€" there‘s little doubt it lacked the lion‘s share of the current top 25 on the 2005 money list. As it turned out, I passed up a free lunch of the good food they serve at the aforementioned Whistle Bear club on Sunâ€" day to perch in front of the tube in order to report to Chronâ€" icle readers on my thoughts about this year‘s Open. I was fully prepared to make that hectic trip to the Shaughnessy Golf Club in Vancouver but it just To 0 wasn‘t in the Torstar budget, so a m Ts ewinghadinag â€" ~ | THE 19TH | Where do I start? On a scale of one to 10 for excitement and anticipation â€" 10 being last year‘s thrilling threeâ€"hole playoff finish between winner Vijay Singh and our own beloved Canadian hero Mike Weir â€" I‘ll give it a one and a half. It might have been higher if our adopted Canadian hero, Calâ€" gary‘s Stephen Ames, had finâ€" ished stronger but that was not the case, although he was as close a one shot from the lead a couple of times on the leaders‘ second nine Sunday. The disappointment started early when all the other Canadians in the field â€" including Weir, Waterloo Region‘s own lan Leggatt (his first name is really spelled Eion) and reigning PGA champion Jon Mills who won at the Bear in July â€" failed to solve the narrow fairways. small greens and snarly rough of the Shaughnessy layout and missed the 36â€" hole cut. And did I say earlier that Calc â€" the soâ€"called nickname sports yapper Rod Black constantly used to describe the veteran American shotmaker â€" blazed to victory? If it was blazing, it didn‘t send up much smoke, a point Calcavecchia made abundantly clear in his candid and refreshing postâ€" round remarks when he pointed out he only made one birdie in two final rounds. But, as us hackers are wont to say from time to time after bad shots work out, it‘s not how but how many that count in golf. In becoming the oldest player to ever win the 101 â€"yearâ€" old Canadian Open â€" at a crusty 45 plus â€" Calcavecchia will be cheered by us older players or even those nearing the age 50 mark as a sign that good things can still come in semiâ€"rotund packages, especially when there‘s a hot trophy Continued on page 50 166 Park St., Kitchener Wik .mP Di TY OMR / < . )( +0 se .66 .. .: JB 4 HeP 0 bailodiificontenturbebne it ie inontontadt. . iutntsitrstentih in iein ib nitbibdbdiatiatin stzs0 sin‘s is x0 #8"xA4‘x10‘ Drywall . ... ...........$14.97 _ Râ€"20x15" Fiberglass Pink.... ... $28.38â€" 142"x4 * A2‘ ODrywall................$17.91 _ Râ€"13x15" Roxul................... $23.48% 1/2"x4‘x8‘ Moisture Resistent Drywall $17.89 _ Râ€"2115" Roxul................... $23.48: We Ccoury All Sizes of Drywall & Insulation mt‘ ie uniform looked the l same as all the other boys, but Brendan Roach was painfully aware of the difference. When the names were written down on the lineup sheet only his older brother Josh‘s name appeared on the roster of the Ontario team vying for the Eastern Canadiâ€" an Softball Championships. That‘s because Brendan was only the batboy on those teams, invited to help out with the equipment while Josh, two years his senior, was trying to bring home a Canadian title. And the only time he got to handle the bats ana balls was when he handed them to other players. Roach finally gets into the game And while Josh brought home silver medals from St. Croix, N.S., and Placentia, Nild., in 2001 and 2003, it was less of a thrill for Brendan. He became tired of sitting on the sidelines and being considâ€" ered the little brother, with nothing else to do but cheer. "He just always had a betâ€" ter team to play with," said Roach. "I didn‘t. rjl:The Waterloo Siskins hope there is no place like home to score a few goals after struggling to bulge the twine in their first two road games. This is not the same Siskins squad as last year‘s team, which was second in the Midâ€"Western Junior B league to Stratford in goals scored. With 14 new faces and the departure of gunâ€" ners like captain John Thiel, Ben _ Moser and Ryan Benesch, the team will need someone to help fill in the holes behind returning snipers Chris Golem and Duncan Snyder. Siskins hope there‘s no place like home But the offence had problems getting on track in a 3â€"1 loss to open the seaâ€" son Friday night in Gueiph, and a 2â€"2 tie in Brantford Saturday. And while there was some concern about "I got to see some good SPORTS By Bos VrBANAc Chrontcle Staff By Bos VrBANAC Chronicle Staff . Waterloo‘s Brendan Roach went from bat boy to MVP at the recent Eastern Canadians. ball, but sometimes it got _ Canadian championships. "I liked that sound." boring." And his ticket would be Why not? Brendan had But out of the boredom _ his strong right arm. turned into a gifted ballplayâ€" came a little inspiration. He "I wanted to pitch as fast _ er himself since picking up would earn his way onto a _ as the guys there," said _ the game as a sixâ€"yearâ€"old, team â€" representing | this _ Roach., "I liked how the glove _ and toeing the rubber as a province at the Eastern â€" popped. Continued on page 46 But out of the boredom came a little inspiration. He would earn his way onto a team representing this province at the Eastern the slow start, new head man Al Kimmel said the goals will come as everyone gets comfortable with who they‘re playing with. Al Kimmel brings his Siskins home for the first time to the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex this Sunday. "We‘re going to have to scratch and claw for our offensive output for the time being." said Kimmel. "But there were some good signs. it‘s just a matter of a few guys breaking out www.vurwaterioo.com CLICK HERE Yolkswogen New & Certified Preâ€"owned Cars of the bubble." While he‘s hoping that veterans Golem and Snyder get on the board after not scoring in their first two contests, he‘s also expecting big things from newcomers like Connor McFarlane and Jeremy Welsh. "Once we get a few goals, I think things will start to come a little easier," said Kimmel. "We didn‘t get any bounces this weekend to help our cause." Being on the road for the first four games isn‘t making matters any easier. Most of the barns are smaller than the Siskins‘ home rink at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. That kept creativity to a minimum as the Siskins had to play the dumpâ€"andâ€" chase game instead of conâ€" trolling the puck into the offensive zone. "We‘re playing a little Continued on page 48 Volkswagen Waterloo