I heard it through the grapevine that a couple of players got the flu while in Manila for the WPC, and that, according to the grapevine, Corey Deuel and Shane Van Boening both weren't feeling too well.
There's nothing worse than being in competition when you're not up to par. I saw Canadian Danny Hewitt leave mid match at the U.S. Open one year because he was so sick that he could not continue.
At the 2003 U.S. Open semi-finals on the last day, Keith McCready got food poisoning, so bad that he was a frequent visitor to the bathroom, I guess you could say. It was really terrible. He still played his matches, but he was suffering horribly.
Earl Strickland is often plagued with kidney stone pain. I'm not sure how he's doing this week, but even when it hurts him, he still will play his match. I don't know how he does it.
Today is a new day, and it will be interesting to see both players come out of the gate. It is difficult for me to choose which player I think will win because I like both of them. When I go to the horse track, I always play my daughter's birthday or pick a horse that has my dog's name. I'm not a very good gambler.
That said, it's still anybody's win at this junction. See you tonight on the LIVE CHAT, if I can stay awake. I've been up since 3:00 a.m. working.
JAM
