When Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts bought a nursery in Augusta, Georgia in the late 30's, they knew something. Alastair Mackenzie worked with Jones to put together a golf course on that piece of land, they knew something. Wish I knew what they knew.
Eighty years later, the golf course they put together, Augusta National Golf Club, still beguiles and designates a worthy champion every year. Even though the course has been altered in recent years to "Tigerproof" the layout, the greens had to be divinely inspired. Their placement and design appoint a champion who navigates them the best on a given year. It took more than human design to make that happen.
As I settled down on Thursday to watch openring round coverage, the name Danny Willett came up. He was noted to be twelfth in the World Golf Ranking. I asked the question. "Who is Danny Willett?"
We know who he is now. He is the 2016 Master's Champion. He navigated Augusta National the best on the final day and wound up with the Green Jacket.
Jordan Spieth looked like a repeat champion most of the day, but, based on the way he was swinging, it looked like he would have needed the jacket glued to his body. He navigated Amen Corner poorly and that made all the difference.
Dustin Johnson played well, but navigated poorly. It made all the difference.
Lee Westwood has been close in several majors, and he was just short one more time. Navigated poorly early in the week.
Smylie Kauffman, Bernhard Langer, and Hideki Matsuyama navigated one day poorly. Enough to not earn a Green Jacket this week.
The golf course found a way to designate the Champion. It does it a different way every year. It seems to find the best players and make them Champions. I believe they have found a good one. Danny Willet has the guts and nerve of a good one. We have seen the beginning of another great champion, maybe a new parade of European Champions.
Augusta National will do it again next year.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Sunday, April 3, 2016
What Now?
I haven't written in about a month. I haven't felt like writing.
The new position is challenging me more than expected, but I am learning. I fall down the steps every day, but at least I am still going forward. It is more physical than my previous job, making for a lot of tired evenings.
Evenings where I am starting to get baseball field commitments. I have nineteen dates lined up to umpire. Surprisingly, all are baseball: not a single softball date among them. Maybe I don't have the right decoder ring.
Most of our schools are on Spring Break right now, making for a week off. That's not a bad thing either. I can keep jogging and exercising. It makes up for my lousy diet right now.
My birthday came at a lousy time. Lots of sugar, large meals and junk food means no progress on a body that has lost ten pounds from the start of the year. I am right about where I was before the holiday season jumped the scales.
I am absolutely magic when I am going nowhere, doing nothing. It makes me absolutely bear like. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. (Probably had to grow up in the 70's to get that one.)
Yes. I am in a lousy mood. It will pass. I will become my normal, charming self again. Maybe.
-Personal stuff aside, I didn't even watch the Final Four games last night. Might be a sign there is something else wrong. However, like always, I have a couple of thoughts.
Villanova set a record for margin in a National Semifinal against Oklahoma. North Carolina was commanding against an overmatched Syracuse. My thought, even without seeing the games, is that each team may have played their best game, leading to an anticlimactic Final. The kind of game with an absolute no name hero and an over/under of 30 on turnovers.
Like always I hope for the best, expect the worst, and be happy with what I get. Might be a good mindset to watch the Championship game.
I'd mention the Women's Final Four, but you only need one word: Connecticut
-Major League Baseball is back. I keep hearing Astros and Cubs in the World Series. It's getting a little nauseating, but there are valid points for both sides. Houston has young stars which will need to prove they can produce for another season. For anybody who remembers, I can say Joe Charbonneau and you can follow what I mean.
Who's Joe Charbonneau? American League Rookie of the Year, 1980. Batted .289, 23 homers 87 rbi for a last place Indians team. By 1982, he was out of baseball. He was last seen as an uncredited extra in The Natural, unless you watch collegiate wooden bat summer baseball. He's managing there. Biggest distinction? Only 201 major league games in his career and more hair colors than Dennis Rodman, who came along a decade later.
In other words, watch the usual suspects: Yankees, Red Sox and the Royals once again. My Angels will have the player to watch in Mike Trout, but will start slow and finish just out of the picture. It's been a patter the last few years.
In the National League, I see a little Maddon Magic leading the Cubs within a game of the World Series, only to be outdone in Game 6 of the NLCS by a two out, top of the ninth home run by someone who started the season in AA ball. They proceed to get no hit in Game 7 by a pitcher acquired at the trade deadline. Likely suspects? The Mets, Nationals, or, most surprisingly, the Pirates top my list. It would be fun to say Marlins, just because those were the last team to victimize the Cubs. Wait 'till next year, indeed.
I'm glad baseball is back. At least until Indianapolis gets here.
The new position is challenging me more than expected, but I am learning. I fall down the steps every day, but at least I am still going forward. It is more physical than my previous job, making for a lot of tired evenings.
Evenings where I am starting to get baseball field commitments. I have nineteen dates lined up to umpire. Surprisingly, all are baseball: not a single softball date among them. Maybe I don't have the right decoder ring.
Most of our schools are on Spring Break right now, making for a week off. That's not a bad thing either. I can keep jogging and exercising. It makes up for my lousy diet right now.
My birthday came at a lousy time. Lots of sugar, large meals and junk food means no progress on a body that has lost ten pounds from the start of the year. I am right about where I was before the holiday season jumped the scales.
I am absolutely magic when I am going nowhere, doing nothing. It makes me absolutely bear like. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. (Probably had to grow up in the 70's to get that one.)
Yes. I am in a lousy mood. It will pass. I will become my normal, charming self again. Maybe.
-Personal stuff aside, I didn't even watch the Final Four games last night. Might be a sign there is something else wrong. However, like always, I have a couple of thoughts.
Villanova set a record for margin in a National Semifinal against Oklahoma. North Carolina was commanding against an overmatched Syracuse. My thought, even without seeing the games, is that each team may have played their best game, leading to an anticlimactic Final. The kind of game with an absolute no name hero and an over/under of 30 on turnovers.
Like always I hope for the best, expect the worst, and be happy with what I get. Might be a good mindset to watch the Championship game.
I'd mention the Women's Final Four, but you only need one word: Connecticut
-Major League Baseball is back. I keep hearing Astros and Cubs in the World Series. It's getting a little nauseating, but there are valid points for both sides. Houston has young stars which will need to prove they can produce for another season. For anybody who remembers, I can say Joe Charbonneau and you can follow what I mean.
Who's Joe Charbonneau? American League Rookie of the Year, 1980. Batted .289, 23 homers 87 rbi for a last place Indians team. By 1982, he was out of baseball. He was last seen as an uncredited extra in The Natural, unless you watch collegiate wooden bat summer baseball. He's managing there. Biggest distinction? Only 201 major league games in his career and more hair colors than Dennis Rodman, who came along a decade later.
In other words, watch the usual suspects: Yankees, Red Sox and the Royals once again. My Angels will have the player to watch in Mike Trout, but will start slow and finish just out of the picture. It's been a patter the last few years.
In the National League, I see a little Maddon Magic leading the Cubs within a game of the World Series, only to be outdone in Game 6 of the NLCS by a two out, top of the ninth home run by someone who started the season in AA ball. They proceed to get no hit in Game 7 by a pitcher acquired at the trade deadline. Likely suspects? The Mets, Nationals, or, most surprisingly, the Pirates top my list. It would be fun to say Marlins, just because those were the last team to victimize the Cubs. Wait 'till next year, indeed.
I'm glad baseball is back. At least until Indianapolis gets here.
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