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April 2015

Observations from Auburn spring game; More Alabama thoughts; PGA Match Play, Kentucky Derby, Mayweather-Pacquiao

April 30, 2015

AU after the Spring

I thought Jeremy Johnson looked terrific in the AU spring game. The 6’5″, 230 pound junior completed 14-of-22 passes for 252 yards and two TDs. Outstanding performance from a young man who looks like he’ll be a real leader for the 2015 Tigers. Jeremy is the man. Sean White is coming along as his backup and early enrollee freshman Tyler Queen shows a lot of promise. Queen is 6’1″, 241, has a good arm and can really run it. Like Jeremy’s mobility as well. Jeremy looks like the complete package.

Roc Thomas looked outstanding as well. The 5’10”, 203 pound running back from Oxford, Al. ran for 69 yards on 7 carries with a beautiful 36 yard TD run on the first team offenses’ second drive and another four yard TD run. Really like what I’m seeing out of Roc. He’s a stud. Jovon Robinson had his moments. The 6’0″, 230 pound junior-junior college transfer has all the 5-star credentials. He didn’t do as well as Roc, but he’s got a chance to be good. I thought Peyton Barber was really good at running back. Peyton ran for 46 yards on nine carries. If I had a depth chart right now, I’d put Roc as first team, Peyton as his first backup and then Robinson. Auburn also has 98 rated four-star Kerryon Johnson from Madison, Al. coming in, and I watched some film on Kerryon and he looks like a real stud. AU is good at running back. Always need to stay healthy, but looks good right now. The receivers need to keep developing. Duke Williams is back and should have a big year. He struggles with some drops every now and then, but he’s a playmaker. Ricardo Louis will add game breaking ability and some jet sweep opportunities much like Onterio McCalebb did a couple of years back. Marcus Davis (not big, 5’9″, 180, but looks pretty sure handed), Melvin Ray (6’3″, 215, Myron Burton (6’2″, 201) and Jimmie Stoudemire (6’3″, 192) look to have pretty good potential. Jaylon Denson (6’3″, 218) will be back from injury and he’s talented. Kamryn Pettway (6″0″, 242) looks like a good player at fullback/H-back. Didn’t see much from the tight ends. C.J. Uzomah is gone, so there needs to be a couple of replacements. That hasn’t really been determined from what I saw. O line looks stout Robert Leff at center, Braden Smith a left guard and Shon Coleman at left tackle all look like beasts. Devonte Danzey at right guard and Avery Young at right tackle look pretty tough too. Alex Kozan, the awesome guard, will be back for the fall. He will really solidify the line and make this what could be a very dominating group. There is quite a bit of depth.

So the offense looks ready to go.

Will Muschamp has brought energy to the defense and he has good players on his side of the ball. With Carl Lawson (6’2″, 257) coming back from injury and joining Montravius Adams (6’4″, 296) and Elijah Daniel (6’2″, 282) up front and with the depth there, the d line should be very good. I like Gimel President (6’4″, 263) up front, too. Kris Frost (6’2″, 240) and Casanova McKinzy (6’3″, 253) return at linebackers along with Cameron Toney (6’1″, 243). The front seven should be stout. There is pretty good depth at linebacker. Ready to see high high four star (Rivals) and five star (247 sports) Tre’ Williams be a player for the Tigers at linebacker this season. Williams will be a sophomore and he was highly touted coming out of St. Paul’s in Mobile. I also like Justin Garrett (6’1″, 238) to make his mark at linebacker this year. There will need to be some guys step up for more depth, but that group of players looks pretty stellar. It’s the back end that has Muschamp concerned somewhat, but there are good players. I love Jonathan “Rudy” Ford at safety. Tray Matthews, the young man who couldn’t make it at Georgia due to discipline reasons, looks like he has pretty good talent at safety alongside Ford. Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey could be the starters at the corners, but there are some young guys and freshmen coming in who could challenge them. Daniel Carlson is back to kick this year, and he could punt, though Kevin Phillips looks like he has a pretty good leg for punting if Gus wants to use Carlson just as a kicker. Kicking game looks pretty good. I can see Ricardo Louis and Rudy Ford returning kicks, but it was hard to tell since they didn’t play the return game live. Louis or Ford could return punts as well.

Overall, I like this AU football team. They can be very good if the defense can produce under Muschamp. The offense looks excellent, and there are a lot of good players on defense, so with an aggressive, attacking, playmaking coach, this defense could be vastly improved.

Schedule:

The Tigers open with Louisville in what is a pivotal game right off the bat. Will be a tough one in Atlanta at the Chick fil-A Kickoff Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5th, with the TV and time to be determined. Then Auburn comes home Sept. 12 to play Jax State, then the Tigers go for a colossal matchup with LSU at Death Valley on Sept. 19th. The next week, Sept. 26th, AU faces Dak Prescott and Mississippi State at home, then San Jose State plays at Auburn on Oct. 3rd. After a week off, the Tigers then travel to Kentucky for a Thursday night game on Oct. 15th, most likely on ESPN, in what could be a little bit of a tricky game, then the Tigers are at Arkansas, Oct. 24, in what should be quite a game, but one I can see the Tigers pulling out. Then AU plays Ole Miss at home on Oct. 31st. Should be interesting, but Ole Miss is trying to figure out their quarterback situation, so AU should have the advantage. At A&M on Nov. 7th, will be tough. Doable, but tough. John Chavis has taken over the Aggie defense, so they’ll be better on D, and they will have a fine offense with gunslinger Kyle Allen at the helm at qb. So that’s one that could be tricky. Then the Dawgs come to the Plains for another epic on Nov. 14th. The Dawgs should be very good with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, but they’ll have a first year starter at quarterback. I see them coming out of the East though. AU will be challenged here, but the home field will really help. The Tigers then host Idaho on Nov. 21st, then the Crimson Tide comes in for the Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 28th in what very well could be a game that has SEC West-Championship implications and playoff implications. Should be another blockbuster Iron Bowl.

I see the Tigers having a very good season with 10, 11 wins and maybe even better depending on health. The defense is the key, and I see Auburn making major improvement under Muschamp. The defense looked a lot more aggressive in the spring, harder hitting and more opportunistic. That was a great move by Gus to hire Muschamp. He could be a difference maker for the Tigers this season because the offense is going to be prolific. They’ll have to stay healthy for the most part, as all teams do, but there is full stable of talent on both sides of the ball. The SEC championship and a playoff berth are certainly possibilities. Should be an electric season for the Tigers in 2015.

More thoughts on the Crimson Tide after Spring

I didn’t mention some of the top defensive players for the Tide coming out of the spring. Reggie Ragland (6’2″, 252) is a certified hoss. He’ll be awesome at linebacker. Ruben Foster (6’1″, 240) is a headhunter linebacker for the Tide. Dillon Lee (6’4″, 242) looks excellent and another play maker at linebacker. Almost a game changer type of player. Up front A’Shawn Robinson (6’4″, 312) and Jarran Reed (6’4″, 3130 look dominating in the middle of the line. Defensive end Jonathan Allen (6’3″, 272) could have an All-American year. Wow, he’s physical. Can really lay the hammer down. I’m also expecting big things from d end Da’Shawn Hand (6’4″, 273) and Rashaan Evans (6’3″, 225). Denzel Deval (6’2″, 252) will be back at linebacker. There is good depth, as much as can be for an 85 player limit, but there are a lot of very good football players for the Crimson Tide on defense. The secondary will be interesting to see who starts. Marlon Humphrey looks like he’s ready to step in as the starting corner. Tony Brown was highly touted as was Humphrey (both 5 stars) and both should be huge playmakers in the secondary. Bradley Sylve should help at corner. Eddie Jackson is one starting safety and when Geno Smith gets it together he may be the other safety. Cyrus Jones is having a discipline issue stemming from his assault of a woman in Tuscaloosa. He broke the girls cell phone and threatened her, so not sure what’s going to happen there. He didn’t touch her, but with the heightened awareness of assault on women, there could be some pressure on Saban to keep him out of the lineup for a while.

But all in all, the defense has the makings of an excellent outfit. They had six interceptions in the spring game, so not only are they hard hitting and aggressive, they have playmakers.

The question surrounding the program right now is what will happen if the Tide gets Braxton Miller to come to Tuscaloosa? I’ve talked to two people I trust. A friend of mine, who’s a big supporter of the team, said he doesn’t like it. He thinks it would be a bad message to the rest of the quarterbacks and recruits showing them that they can’t earn the job if there is somebody else out there willing to transfer. My wife, who is also a huge fan, graduate and MBA graduate of Tuscaloosa, said maybe it’s a bad message, but Bama would take him if he decided to come.

From an objective point of view, I agree with my wife. While some may say that Braxton may not work for Lane Kiffin’s system, Blake Sims was a very similar quarterback as Braxton, and Blake was prolific for most all of the season last year. The Tide made it to the playoff and if it wasn’t for a red hot Ohio State team, could have won their fourth national title in seven years. So Miller would be a take if he’s available and wants to come to Tuscaloosa. Jake Coker shows promise, so does Blake Barnett and David Cornwell, but I think Miller would be a step up at this point over all three of them. He’s pretty awesome and would make this offense even more electric. Really like the oline led by Ryan Kelly (6’5″, 300) at center and Cam Robinson (6’6″, 326) at left tackle. Should be a stellar group. Love the running backs. Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake should be awesome. Early enrollee DeSharrius Flowers and stud incoming freshman Damien Harris will be an epic running back for the Tide, if not this season, in the future. But I see Harris making a mark this season.

Another SEC Championship and national title opportunity is definitely attainable for the 2015 Crimson Tide.

As for the draft, Amari Cooper should go top 10. I saw a guy project him to the Chicago Bears last night as the eighth pick. Jay Cutler needs all the lifelines he can get and Amari would certainly give him a shot to achieve something better than 8-8. Cutler is on the hot seat and Amari could definitely get him out of hot water. The Bears have a new head coach in the veteran John Fox. Fox is good. Adam Gase, who was Peyton’s offensive coordinator at Denver the last two years, takes over the offense. Amari could shine in Gase’s offense. The Bears will need to get better on defense and they hired former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is outstanding and likes the physical, dominating defenses. This could be a very good place for Amari if Cutler can get it done. This may be his last shot with the Bears.

Landon Collins was projected by the guy I read last night to go at number 20 with the Eagles. That would be a good place for Landon, too. Chip Kelly has assembled some very talented pieces on offense and his defense should be a lot better than last year. This could be an opportunity for Landon to start. T.J. Yeldon could be a mid- to-high second or a third. T.J. can be an effective running back in the NFL if he can stay healthy, which is hard to do playing running back in the National Football League. DeAndrew White could get a shot. Certainly a good player. Jalston Fowler could be a good player in the NFL. Fullbacks are still important and Jalston with his physical blocking ability, his good running ability and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, could be a real asset for a team. Some others like Austin Shepherd, Trey DePriest, Christion Jones and Xzavier Dickson should get a shot if not drafted, as free agents. Auburn will have Reese Dismukes, who looks like a mid-round pick and Sammie Coates, a late second or early third round possibility in the mix to make their mark in the NFL.

WGC-Cadillac Match Play

Being played at Harding Park in San Francisco. I’m going with Jordan Spieth over Rory. Should be a stellar heavyweight fight between the two best players in the world, but I like Jordan’s overall game a little better than Rory’s. Jordan is such an exceptional putter that I believe that will be the key at the end. You have to keep it in the fairway off the tee, and Rory can be a little bit wild with his driver. Jordan can too, but I like his recovery ability a little better than Rory’s and he has a decided advantage with his putter.

Spieth over McIlroy

In what should be a total classic on Sunday.

The 141st Kentucky Derby

Going with American Pharoah to get it done at the Derby. American Pharaoh is a 5-2 favorite. AP has won four races in a row. Like the strength to continue at the 1 1/4 mile Churchill Downs track. But 3-1 Dortmund will be a factor. Trainer Bob Baffert trains both horses. Like Pharaoh to edge out Dortmund and give Egyptian Ahmed Zayat his first Derby title after some near misses over the past several years.

Winner: American Pharaoh

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

I’m going to take Manny Pacquiao in this one over Floyd. Floyd is 47-0 and Manny is 57-5-2, but I like his aggressive, punching style over Floyd’s defensive style. It’s going to be a heckuva fight. I haven’t been this excited about a fight since the 1975 “Thrilla in Manilla” between Frazier and Ali. This will be a classic. 9 PM ET/8 PM CT on pay per view. A little bit costly at $99, but I think it’s worth it. Like it to go the distance and Manny to outlast Floyd. If there is a knockout, it’ll be Manny in the seventh or eighth. As long as this thing isn’t rigged, I like the Filipino, Pacquiao to capture the Wealterweight crown and win this “Fight of the Century.” Will be phenomenal.

Winner: Manny Pacquiao

Pick this week at the Zurich Classic, Tide, AU

April 22, 2015

Going with the young man from the University of Alabama, Justin Thomas, to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans this week. The 21 year old former Crimson Tider has been playing some awesome golf this year and been in the hunt quite a few times, and will challenge Jordan Spieth and others in the coming years in regular events and majors. Really believe in Justin. He’s pretty long and very accurate off the tee, he’s an excellent ball striker-approach shot player, and he has a very good short game including an excellent putter. Like Justin to get it done this week on the 7,399 TPC Louisiana course.

Will have Alabama and Auburn spring game write ups this weekend starting Friday. Watched Bama on Monday and liked what I saw. Jake Coker looks like he has potential to be a pretty solid quarterback for the Tide. Needs to sharpen up some things, but he had a nice first half in the spring game including a 40 yard TD strike to Robert Foster, who looks like he’ll be awesome. Derrick Henry looked solid, and Kenyan Drake could be primed for a huge year along with Derrick. Like what I’m seeing out of wide receiver Ardarius Stewart as well. Both Foster and Stewart caught passes for over 100 yards. Still think Chris Black can be an excellent receiver as well. Defense intercepted six passes. Looks like a talented, ball-hawking group. See potential for a very good season. The Tide could certainly win the SEC and be back in the playoff again.

Jeremy Johnson looked terrific in AU’s spring game. Really looking forward to seeing Jeremy play. Roc Thomas and Jovon Robinson are the real deal at running back for the Tigers. Defense will be much improved under Will Muschamp.

Both Bama and AU will have very good offensive lines. Alabama held out six players on defense in the spring game and still looked pretty good on D. AU held out a lot of players as well. Both have a shot at making a deep run next year and could be playoff bound depending on the outcome of the Iron Bowl at AU on Nov. 28th (Saturday) . Auburn plays at LSU (Saturday, Sept. 19th), @ an improved Kentucky team (Thursday, Oct. 15th), @ Arkansas (Saturday, Oct. 24th), @ A&M (Saturday, Nov.7th) and open with Louisville @ the Georgia Dome, Saturday, Sept. 5th. The Tigers have State at home, Saturday, Sept. 26th, Ole Miss at home, Saturday, Oct. 31st, and Georgia @ home, Saturday, Nov. 14th, along with the Iron Bowl. Other non-ocnference games include Jax State (Satiurday, Sept. 12th), San Jose State (Saturday, Oct. 3rd), and Idaho ( Saturday, Nov. 21). All three of those are at Jordan-Hare. Tough, but navigable. Will be good for AU to get back Alex Kozan on the oline and Carl Lawson on the defensive line.

Bama plays Wisconsin in their opener at Jerry World in Arlington Texas on Saturday, Sept. 5th. That’s an interesting opener. Road games are @ Georgia (Saturday, Oct.3rd), @ A&M (Saturday, Oct. 17th), @ State (Saturday, Nov. 14th) and @ AU (Saturday,. Nov. 28th). Home SEC opponents are Ole Miss (Saturday, Septh. 19th), Arkansas (Saturday, Oct. 10th), UT (Saturday, Oct. 24th), and LSU (Saturday, Nov. 7th). Bama has an open date Oct. 31st before the LSU game Nov.7th and after the Tennessee game, Oct. 24th. Other non-conference games are Middle Tennessee State (Saturday, Sept. 12th), Louisiana Monroe (Saturday, Sept. 26th), and Charleston Southern (Saturday, Nov. 21st).

The key stretches for the Tide are the opener against Wisconsin. Can the Tide get out of the blocks well against a quality opponent, though with a new coach, but one who knows the Wisconsin system? Paul Chryst was the offensive coordinator for the Badgers under Bret Bielema before becoming the head coach at Pitt for a couple of years. He’s back at the helm at Wisconsin, so it may not be a major adjustment for them with Chryst in charge. Will be an important start for S and his team. Then the stretch in October @ Georgia, home against Arkansas, @ A&M and the 12th man, and a young gunslinger quarterback in Kyle Allen, and a much improved Tennessee team at home. That will be a pivotal month of the season.

For AU, of course, @ LSU with stellar tailback Leonard Fournette and company will be a battle on Sept. 19th (Saturday). Then, after an open date on Oct. 10th, @ Kentucky on Thursday, Oct. 15h, then @ Arkansas, Oct. 24th (Saturday), Ole Miss at home (Sat, Oct. 31st), @ A&M, Saturday, Nov. 7th. And Nick Chubb and Georgia on the Plains, Saturday, Nov. 14th, should be a classic.

It goes without saying the Iron Bowl will be another spectacle.

The big question for Alabama is, will Coker take the reins and be the quarterback he was expected to be when he came to campus last year. Working with Lane Kiffin this summer should have him prepared. He’ll have a good running game if Henry and Drake can stay healthy, and the line led by all world, 6’6″, 330 left tackle Cam Robinson should be pretty darn good. There will be some positions to fill at guard, but there are capable guys. Center Ryan Kelly will be outstanding and the best leader the o line has had since Barrett Jones.

Freshman Ronnie Clark looks like he can help at running back, and five star incoming freshman running back Damien Harris looks like an absolute stud on film. Also, Desharrius Flowers participated in spring drills and the freshman will also provide some help at running back. Bo Scarborough, the five-star freshman, tore his ACL and he’ll be out for most likely the entire year.

Can Blake Barnett, or David Cornwell become good backups or even win the starting qb job?Neither looked great in the spring game, though it was the spring game, and they can improve exponentially this summer. Both have excellent high school resumes. Don’t think Alec Morris or Cooper Bateman are there yet, but they’ll keep developing. Looks like the qb race is still ongoing somewhat with Coker, Barnett and Cornwell the contenders for the starting job. Coker definitely has the edge coming out of spring. Jake has good potential.

AU looks pretty set at quarterback with Jeremy, a junior, though redshirt freshman Sean White is quite a quarterback as well. White should be a valuable backup to Johnson. It’s about the defense at AU this year. The offense will be explosive and can win the Tigers a lot of games IF the defense can hold their own. Muschamp is going to bring a more physical, aggressive defense that Auburn has been known for all the way back to the Dye years. Auburn football is about being physical on defense and that’s what they’re getting back to. The defense should be much improved and the offense will be stellar. AU should be right in the thick of the SEC West race in November.

Will have more when I get back from a work thing on Friday. Thanks.

NBA championship prediction

April 17, 2015

Golden State over Cleveland in 7

The Warriors will achieve their first title since 1976. Stephen Curry, the MVP of the league in my opinion, leads his group to the pinnacle of the sport. LeBron and company will make it very interesting though.

PGA players head to Harbour Town for the RBC Heritage

April 15, 2015

RBC Heritage

Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, S.C.

7,101 yards, par 71

Designers: Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye (1969). Nicklaus’ first course design

Tee Boxes: Celebration and Tif Sports Bermuda; Fairways and rough: 419 Bermuda grass. Greens: TifEagle Bermuda (stimping about 13-14)

Purse: $5,800,000; Winners share: $1,044,000

Defending champion: Matt Kuchar (-11)

Fed Ex Points: 500

Fed Ex Cup leaders: 1. Jordan Spieth (2,009 points) 2. Jimmy Walker (1,680) 3. J.B. Holmes (1,233) 4. Patrick Reed (1,173) 5. Bubba Watson (1,117).

Weather: Thursday: High 73 PM showers, 40%, wind North 11 MPH; Friday: High 75 PM showers, 40%m wind NW 5 MPH; Saturday: High 80, partly cloudy, 20% wind E 8 MPH; Sunday: High 78, Thunderstorms 80%, wind S 9 MPH.

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT; Saturday and Sunday: Golf Channel: 1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT; CBS: 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT.

Key Holes:

No.1 410 yards, Par 4

Player needs to drive it straight because there are multiple trees surrounding both sides of the fairway. If the player takes care of business off the tee, he’s hitting into a green that is fronted by a large trap on the left and can be birdied.

No. 4 200 yards, Par 3

Classic risk-reward hole, particularly when the hole is cut on the front left of the green. Going for the pin with that pin placement is highly risky as water is on the left hovering by the green. There is plenty of room to bail out on the right, but if you’re chasing the leader on Sunday, you may have to go at the front left pin, which will be where the pin is located on Sunday.

No.8 473 yards, Par 4

The toughest hole on the course and usually ranks as one of the toughest on the PGA tour. You must hit it long and right off the tee to avoid the trees and water on the left and the bunkers on the right, one small one about 270 out and a longer one bordering the right side of the fairway at 280-85. The approach shot it to a small green with a long waste area bunker to the left of it and water just to the left of the waste bunker. Par here looks like a good score.

No.17 185 yards, Par 3

The wind will be coming off of Calibogue Sound can make this par 3 very challenging. The pro will be hitting over water to a longer shaped green than most on Harbour Torn with a long waste area fronting the left side of the green and water just to the left of the waste area. When the wind is blowing, and it could be a factor all weekend, it could be a three club wind either into the player’s face, meaning an 8 iron is a five iron with a strong wind, or at the players back, which means an 8 iron is a pitching wedge with a strong wind. Always love a Par 3 at 17, usually leads to great drama on Sunday before the closing hole.

No.18, 472 yards, Par 4

This is the widest fairway on the PGA tour. There is water running off the left side throughout the hole, but the drive should be fine unless there are some Sunday nerves which could lead to a yank hook or slice into the trees on the right. But the drive shouldn’t be a problem. The second shot is challenged by the Calibogue Sound on the left, a long sand trap in front of the green, and another small green on a course with mostly small greens. A lot of drama here over the years, including last year when Matt Kuchar sank a chip shot to win the tournament over Luke Donald. Kuchar shot a 64 on Sunday last year to pick up the victory.

Note: This course was voted the second best course on the PGA tour in 2012 by PGA professionals in a Golf Digest survey of the 10 top courses on tour.. Augusta National was No.1.

Winner:

I want to start by saying, it’s pretty cool that Jordan Spieth is playing this week, as he has been hounded by the media throughout the early part of this week. The Today Show, Letterman, Good Morning America, CNN all have gotten interviews out of Jordan. It’s been a whirlwind for the 21-year old phenom. I’ve picked him twice to win this year at the Valspar Championship in Tampa and the Masters, and Jordan has delivered both times. I can’t pick him this week because he’s not had much time to practice at all, and I can’t see him pulling this off this week. But I do see him contending very soon in the future tournaments, and certainly at the U.S. Open in Chambers Bay, Washington state.

Going with Johnson Wagner this week. The 35 year old Amarillo, Texas native almost pulled it off two weeks ago at the Shell Houston Open, losing in a playoff to J.B. Holmes which kept him from playing at Augusta National. I like the 6’3″, 230 pound hoss from Texas to get it done this week. He’s clutch. He was clutch two weeks ago making clutch shots and putts throughout the final round. I like Johnson to take home the traditional plaid jacket from Harbour Town. It’s not a Green Jacket, but a win’s a win on any course on the tour.

Jordan Spieth: A portrait of a champion in every way at the 79th Masters

April 13, 2015

The records Jordan Spieth broke the four days at Augusta National were historically good. He had the 36 hole record at -14. He set the 54 hole record at -16. He amassed the most birdies in Masters history with 28, breaking Phil’s 2001 record of 25. He had the lowest opening round by a champion at 64. He tied the record for the lowest tournament score at Augusta National with a-18, 270 score, tying Tiger Woods’ mark from 1997. And he was the first wire to wire winner since 1976, 39 years ago, when Raymond Floyd did it. He became one of five wire to wire winners at Augusta National. Arnie did it in 1960, Jack did it in 1972 (one of his six Green Jackets) and Craig Wood did it in 1941.
It was magical really. There were so many key shots and key putts during Jordan’s journey this past weekend. One of the most memorable was the incredible up and down on 18 on Saturday, where he was on the right side of the green with not much green to work with, and had to hit a lob wedge pretty much over the trap, land it softly, and hope it could get close to the hole and not run 15 feet by. He executed it masterfully, dropping in to eight feet, but he still had that nerve-wrecking par putt to maintain his four shot lead. He had just double bogeyed 17 and looked vulnerable. But he sank the putt center cut–his putting was and is remarkably good–which gave him a breather, the momentum to carry into a pressure-packed Sunday. There were so many outstanding shots on Sunday as well. His two second shots on the par 5’s on the back side, 13 and 15 respectively, were also magical. The 21 year old golfing genius took the chance to go for the green both times over water, and when the balls were in the air, he was calling out “go hard!” or “get there!” Sure enough on 13, he placed it about 25 feet from the hole and two putted for birdie. Then on 15, he hit it 12 feet and two putted for another birdie to get to -19, which was at that time the course record, one shot clear of Woods’ 1997 mark. He had a terrific up and down on 16, in which he hit a chip from the back left of the green, to 9 feet and sank a tough left to righter to remain at -19. Still, he had two holes to finish it off and set the record. He parred 17, but then hit a drive into the woods slightly on the difficult 18th. He hit his second shot to the front of the green, chipped it up to five feet above the hole, and looked to have a good shot at breaking Woods’ record. But the nerves got ahold of him. He knew he had the chance to set the record and wanted the putt to go in badly. But he pushed it to the right and had to settle for tying the record. It didn’t matter. It was a brilliant performance for this mature way beyond his years 21 year old. And it was incredible to watch, as the Masters always is. There’s always something special that comes out of Augusta National, which I would say, is the greatest sporting event in the world ever. So much history, so much phenomenal drama, so much pristine beauty.

And there’s so much depth to this native of Dallas, Texas. In an article in the New York Post, the writer, David K. Li, wrote about the amazing athletic ability of the Spieth family. Jordan’s dad, Shawn, played baseball at Lehigh University. His mom, Christine, was a basketball player at Moravian College. Both universities are in Pennsylvania. Jordan is the oldest of the three Spieth children. His younger brother, Steven, the middle child in the family, is a 6-foot-6 guard on the Brown University basketball team.

But the most powerful influence in Jordan’s and his family’s lives is the youngest of the three Spieth children, Jordan’s sister, Ellie. Ellie, 14 years old, was born with a neurological disorder. She has special needs. Jordan plays with a passion for his sister. Christine, his mom, told, ESPN, “Jordan wouldn’t be where he’s today if he didn’t grow up with Ellie.” She’s almost like the superstar of the family in a family of stars.

“Growing up with Ellie has helped Jordan and Steven to have that quality of not being self-centered,” dad Shawn told the Times of London. “If Jordan doesn’t become No.1, he’ll know that’s only a piece of life, not all of life.”

Shawn and Christine have done a phenomenal job raising their children. It was moving seeing Jordan’s embraces with his mother and father. Jim Nantz of CBS asked Jordan about winning the Green Jacket for Ellie, and Jordan didn’t really talk about Ellie directly. He would have become emotional and didn’t want to cry on national TV. That part meant a lot to him.

Jordan Spieth is a young man who possesses the unique and sometimes rare qualities of integrity, humility and goodness. Golf is a gentleman’s sport and is all about sportsmanship and character. Jordan Spieth embodies those spiritual qualities of the game. With his focus and determination, and his sister Ellie driving him to always stay humble and hungry, I see Jordan being a factor for the next two decades. And with Rory in his prime, this could be a Nicklaus-Arnie type of rivalry that will transcend the game, once again. It’s incredible exciting. There are manyother great players who will be in the hunt in the forthcoming majors, the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in Washington state, the Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland, and the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. Phil is showing he’s still a factor. I’m not counting out Tiger, either. He played pretty well overall at Augusta National and played through a separated bone in his wrist. Wow, that’s some toughness. Guys like Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott and Patrick Reed, are all potential 2015 major winners. The list goes on. The competition is the best it’s ever been.

How many majors can Jordan win? I don’t want to put a limit on him, but I see double digits if he can stay healthy, humble and hungry. He’s a potential Nicklaus record breaker, though that’s a tall order as Tiger can attest to. Rory is not out that discussion either for breaking Jack’s record, and I’m not totally counting out Tiger either.

Jordan Spieth is champion in the truest sense. He’s a champion golfer and person, and has elevated the game again to a spectacular level. The U. S. Open is only two months and change away and the tournaments before it, including this weekend at Hilton Head at the RBC Heritage, in which Spieth is playing, the Players Championship in May (May 7-10th), Jack’s tournament, the Memorial, June 4th-7th, and many others before the U.S., should be pretty awesome as well. The U.S. Open takes place June 18-21st.

As a friend of mine said to me on the phone this morning, “The Masters was awesome, golf season is here, I love it.”

Carson dominates, baseball team, basketball

April 10, 2015

Carson Fulmer put on an unreal performance last night in our 6-0 victory over Ole Miss before 3,111 fans at the Hawk. Carson pitched a complete game shutout allowing only two hits with no walks and 14 K’s. Wow! Carson threw 106 pitches with 79 for strikes and 47 for balls. He was bringing it 94-95, his change up, what he calls his out-pitch, was superb, and his breaking ball was precise and had the Ole Miss hitters totally baffled. We got three home runs from Dansby, Bryan Reynolds and Rhett Wiseman. Dansby was two-for-four with a ribeye. He now is hitting .272 on the season with six homers and 31 ribbies. Reynolds was 2-for-4 with two ribeyes. He’s now hitting .346 with three longs ones and 31 ribbies. Rhett is hitting .340 with seven deep ones and 25 ribbies. Zander Wiel is hitting .362 with six homers and 37 RBIs. We are now hitting .309 as a team. The flat seam baseball that is used in the minors has improved the college game immensely, at least for our team’s hitting. Runs aren’t up extravagantly, which means there is still good pitching, but the home runs are up significantly, which is much more exciting. This year’s ball is estimated to travel 20 feet farther. We hit 21 home runs all of last year. We now have 28 this season. We’ve always been a good hitting team, now that we have a flat seam ball, the hitting has just skyrocketed.
Committed one error last night. There was a shot hit to Dansby at short that for through his glove. It was a tough play. Still trust Dansby completely at short. He’s an excellent defensive player. Just an all around stud.

We moved to 28-7 on the season and 11-2 in the SEC. We’re in first in the conference. A&M is next at 9-2. We lead the SEC East by three games over Missouri, which lost last night at UT. The Tigers are 8-5. LSU is 8-4 and then Florida and South Carolina are next at 6-6. The conference teams are beating up on each other now. We’ve got to keep the momentum going. Carson moved to 6-1 on the season with a 1.89 ERA/ He has struck out 81 and walked 23 in 57 innings. Right hander Walker Buehler (3-0, 2.76, 28 K’s, 8 walks) is on the mound for us tonight versus right hander Brady Bramlett of Ole Miss (4-2, 2.17). Game time is 6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET on SEC Network+. RHP Jordan Sheffield (3-0, 2.66, 34 K’s 31 walks) is on the hill for us tomorrow @ 2 PM CT/3 PM ET on the SEC Network. We play Belmont Tuesday (4-14) at home and then go to South Carolina next Thursday through Saturday. The Belmont game will start at 6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET on SEC Network+, and the SC games will all be televised. Thursday, April 16th’s game, will be at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT on ESPNU, Friday’s game (4-17) will be @ 7 PM ET/6 PM CT on the SEC Network, and Saturday’s game (4-18) will be on at 1 PM ET/Noon CT on ESPN2.

Great stuff going on for the baseball team.

With the departure of Shelton Mitchell from the basketball team, we have some other options. There is a 5’11” guard from Dartmouth who is looking to transfer. His name is Alex Mitola. He’s actually more of a shooting guard as he averaged 12.4 ppg. We’ll see what develops there. As for point guards, I still believe Carter Josephs can get the job done well behind Wade. I think Shelton wants to be the guy somewhere and Wade was just better than Shelton. Wade is a terrific player and Shelton wasn’t going to beat him out for the starting point guard spot. So Shelton wants to try somewhere else. The three possible replacements for Shelton who will help Wade and Carter, are: 2015 point guards Tookie Brown of Morgan County Georgia ( 88, three-star, 5’11”, 180), Marcus Lovett of Morgan Park, Illinios (92, four-star, 6’0″, 170) and K.J. Walton, of Brownsburg, Inidana (89, three-star, 6’3″, 175). Like all three of these possibilities. If we can land one of these guys, we should be in good shape at the point next season with Wade set up for a phenomenal year. Our team is setup for a phenomenal year. The return of Josh Henderson really helps our front court. I think Kevin will have more confidence using Josh. He’s a player, a great offensive player, and now that he has confidence in his knees, he should do well on defense and on the boards.

Brandt at +2 at the Masters and teeing off at 1:59 PM ET/12:59 PM CT. Jordan Spieth is just going off. He’s -2 today through 5 and -10 for the tournament. He has a five shot lead over Ernie Els, Charlie Hoffman and Justin Rose. Els is through 9, Hoffman just finished No.1 and Rose tees off at 12:42 PM ET/11:42 AM CT.

Will have baseball, golf, tennis and any football news I can come up with on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Some notes on our guys

April 9, 2015

Will have a full blog tomorrow, but wanted to report today on David Price and Sonny Gray, who both had stellar performances on opening day for their respective teams.

DP went 8 2/3 for the Detroit Tigers in their 4-0 opening day victory over the Minnesota Twins giving up five hits, no runs, with 0 walks and 5 K’s. David threw 101 pitches of which 75 were strikes and 26 were balls, phenomenal almost to the pitch a 3:1 strike to ball ratio. David’s catcher, Alex Avila, even said David is even better than that, though it was a pretty awesome performance by DP. Tigers are 2-0 after defeating the Twins yesterday, 11-0.

Sonny was as good as DP if not better. He had a no-hitter going through seven innings before giving up an eighth inning single with no outs, but finished by going eight, giving up one hit, 0 runs with one walk and three K’s in the A’s 8-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. It was masterful. Sonny was trying to stay calm during the potential no hitter, as he came up to manager Bob Melvin and asked him about his walk-up music when he went to the mound. Melvin told him to that nobody wanted to talk to him because they were all focused on the no-no. Sonny kept it loose, but his manager and his teammates, who were all passionately behind him, were nervous. Sonny was bringing it 95 some, 93 consistently, and his change up and curve were terrific. David was throwing it consistently 92, he hit 93 quite a few times and got to 94 once. David is not throwing it high 90’s like he was two to three years ago, but he’s become such a better pitcher. He’s got an awesome cut fastball that comes in at around 90, a nice change-up that comes in at 85 or so, and his curve ball has become terrific. He’s just awesome as is Sonny. So exciting. A’s moved to 2-1 yesterday with a 10-0 victory over the Rangers. They lost on Tuesday night. Pedro had a double and an RBI last night, but the Bucs lost to the Reds 6-5. Bucs now 0-2 on the season and play Reds at Cincy in the third and final game of their set today. Ryan Flaherty is the starting shortstop for the Orioles which is very exciting. Haven’t kept up with Ryan as much, but will. Mike Minor is on the disabled list for the Braves, but the Braves, which were predicted to have a tough season, are 3-0 and playing very good baseball. They traded stellar closer Craig Kimbrell Sunday, but Jason Grilli, who was a stud for the Pirates two years ago, looks like he could be quite a closer for the Braves. Very interesting how the Braves have started out with three victories on the road over the Marlins.

Our Dores lost Tuesday to Lipscomb, 3-1, which was disappointing, but are still No.1 in the SEC and No.1 in most national polls. We host Ole Miss for a three-game set beginning tonight at the Hawk. First pitch is at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT and the game will be televised by duh U-ESPNU. Carson (5-1, 2.25) will be on the hill for us tonight vs. left hander Christian Trent (5-2, 3.83). Tomorrow night Walker Buehler (3-0, 2.76) faces right hander Brady Bramlett of Ole Miss (4-2, 2.17). Saturday Jordan Sheffiled takes the hill for us (3-0, 2.66) vs right hander Will Stokes (0-3, 5.40). Corbs said this is a young Ole Miss team which lost some older players off their College World Series team last year, but they are dangerous. They’ll get better and better. We’re now 27-7 and 10-2 in the SEC and Ole Miss is 16-17 and 5-7 in the conference. Tomorrow night’s game is at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT on SEC Network + on the computer, and Saturday’s game is @ 3 PM ET/2 PM CT on the SEC Network.

Will have more tomorrow with a breakdown of tonight’s game, Brandt happenings at Augusta National (he’s even after the first hole with Charlie Hoffman, Russell Henley and Justin Rose leading at -3, and they are all well ahead of Brandt), more pro baseball, any basketball and football news, and tennis and golf for our college teams.

One note on basketball which is excellent news. Josh Henderson was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. So happy for Josh. He’s a tremendous person and I think he can be a heckuva player for us next year. With us a little thin in the front court with only Damian and Luke (who took a violent elbow against Stanford, so hoping he’s OK) and the two incoming freshmen bigs, we need Josh for his size and his scoring and rebounding ability. Really happy for Josh and that is going to help the team.

A lot more tomorrow.

The 79th Masters

April 8, 2015

Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta, Georgia

7,435 yards, par 72

Designers: Bobby Jones and Alistar Mackenzie (1930)

Defending champion: Bubba Watson

98 man field; 54 of the top 60 players in the world entered.

72 hole record: 270, Tiger Woods, -18 (1997)

Purse: $9, 000,000; Winner’s share: $1,620,000

Broadcasters: CBS: Jim Nantz, Sir Nick Faldo, David Feherty, Verne Lundquist, Ian Baker Finch and Peter Kostis.

TV:

Thursday, April, 9: ESPN 3 PM-7:30 PM ET/2PM-6:30 PM CT; ESPN: 8PM-11 PM ET/7 PM-10 PM CT.

Friday, April 10: ESPN: 3 PM-7:30 PM ET/2 PM-6:30 PM CT; ESPN: 8PM-11 PM ET;7 PM-10 PM CT.

Saturday: CBS: 3 PM-7 PM ET/2PM-6 PM CT

Sunday: CBS: 2 PM-7 PM ET/1 PM-6 PM CT.

Weather

Kind of warmer:

Thursday: High 89, 30% isolated thunderstorms, wind SW 7 MPH.

Friday: T-storms, 80%, high 86, wind SW 9 MPH.

Saturday: AM clouds, PM sun, 20% rain, high 81, Wind: NE 9 MPH.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy though only 20% rain, high 79 , wind NE 9 MPH.

Key tee times Thursday (Round 1) and Friday (Round 2)

Thursday: 9:02 AM ET/8:02 AM CT/Friday: 12:20 PM ET/11:20 AM CT: Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter.

Thursday: 9:24 AM ET/8:24 AM CT/Friday: 12:42 PM ET/11:42 AM CT: Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Gunn Yang (amateur).

Thursday: 9:35 AM ET/8:35 AM CT/Friday: 12:53 PM ET/11:53 AM CT: Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Antonio Murdaca (Amateur).

Thursday: 10:41 AM ET/9:41 AM CT/Friday: 1:48 PM ET/12:48 PM CT: Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlory, Ryan Moore.

Thursday: 10:52 AM ET/9:52 AM CT/Friday: 1:59 PM ET/12:59 PM CT: J.B. Holmes, Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker.

Thursday: 12:09 PM ET/11:09 AM CT/Friday: 8:40 AM ET/7:40 AM CT: Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els

Thursday: 12:20 PM ET/11:20 AM CT/ Friday:8:51 AM ET/7:51 AM CT: Angel Cabrera, Louis Oosthuizen, Matias Dominguez (Amateur).

Thursday: 1:04 PM ET/12:04 PM CT/Friday: 9:35 AM ET/8:35 AM CT: Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell

Thursday: 1:15 PM ET/12:15 PM CT/Friday: 9:57 AM ET/8:57 AM CT: Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Billy Horschel.

Thursday: 1:48 PM ET/12:48 PM CT/Friday: 10:30 AM ET/9:30 AM CT: Tiger Woods, Jamie Donaldson, Jimmy Walker.

Key Holes

The Backside of Augusta National on Sunday

No.10: Par 4, 495 yards

A long hole that can play shorter if the drive catches the slope in the fairway. The second shot is critical here as the player hits to a green that is sloping right to left. Short right is in the sand trap and is a difficult up and down for par. Two of the most famous shots on this hole were Bubba Watson’s wedge that he hooked 40 yards out of the woods on his second shot which led to a 10 foot birdie putt in the playoff hole which he two putted for his first Green Jacket in 2012 in his playoff victory over Louis Oosthuizen. Adam Scott’s 15 foot birdie putt in 2013 clinched his playoff victory over Angel Cabrera, the 2009 champion.

No.11: Par 4 505 yards

The beginning of Amen Corner (holes 11-13), this hole is a difficult, long par 4, that puts a premium on your approach shot. If he misses to the left of the green, the player is in the water. A lot of players will bail out to the right and try to get an up and down par. Par is a good score here. Larry Mize’s famous chip in from 90 feet in a playoff with Greg Norman in 1987 was one of the most memorable Masters’ moments in the history of the tournament. To me, this is the toughest hole on the course.

No.12: Par 3, 155 yards

This hole always tests a player’s focus and resolve as there is almost always a prevailing wind that is either in the players face or at his back. Club selection and calm under the storm are at a premium here. Fred Couples caught a huge break in 1992 on this hole when his ball held up on the bank and didn’t go into Rae’s Creek off his tee shot, which would have been devastating. He got up and down and went on to win his only major title, though he also won 14 other times, including the 1996 Players Championship, which the players consider the fifth major. Still, this was his crowning achievement in golf.

No.13: Par 5, 510

An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway sets up a player to go for it over a tributary of Rae’s Creek that fronts the green. The second shot is another under the gun, clutchness challenge. There are four bunkers behind the putting surface. Short can be devastating. Long can make for a difficult up and down for birdie. Birdie can be pretty critical here on Sunday for the players chasing and for the player who is leading. One of the key moments in Masters history was Phil Mickelson’s six iron out of the pine straw and through the trees to four feet. He missed his eagle putt, but he birdied, which helped him clinch his third Green Jacket.

No.14: Par 4, 440 yards

This is the only hole on the course without bunkers, but players must avoid trees on the left and right off the tee. The green is severely contoured and feeds the ball to the right. Phil holed out for eagle here on Saturday in 2010 during an eagle-eagle-birdie stretch that helped him get into the final group on Sunday in his victory that year.

No.15: Par 5, 530 yards

A cluster of pines on the right side of the fairway is coming into play so accuracy (being down the middle) is critical off the tee. The green can be reached in two with a good tee shot, but there is a pond in the front guarding the green and a bunker on the right side of the green. Even for those players laying up, the third shot requires a precision wedge. Tiger Woods was one shot back of the lead in 2013 when his wedge hit the flagstick and caromed into the water. He went back and dropped but there was a controversy on where he dropped the ball. He made bogey, but his incorrect drop was not discovered until after the round. He was allowed to stay in the tournament because of a committee error. Woods finished tied for fourth.

No.16: Par 3, 170 yards

The hole plays entirely over water and eventually bends to the left. Two bunkers guard the right side of the green and the green slopes significantly from right to left. The pin on Sunday is typically back and on the lower shelf, so pars from the top shelf of the green are rare. Tiger Woods amazing chip in 2005 in which his ball took a U turn and rolled toward the hole taking two seconds before dropping in the cup which gave him a two shot lead over Chris DiMarco and the victory is one of the more memorable shots in Masters history, but there are so many.

No.17: Par 4, 440 yards

The tee shot is easier because the Eisenhower tree was lost to an ice storm in 2014. The green is protected by two bunkers in front. Jack sank his final birdie from 12 feet in 1986 to secure his 18th and final major at age 46. “Yes Sir!”

N0.18: Par 4 465 yards

One of the most demanding finishing holes in golf, this uphill dogleg right is protected off the tee by two deep bunkers down the fairway to the left about 280-285 yards out. The drive is through a chute between two sets of trees on the player’s right and left sides. A middle iron is required on a highly tension filled approach shot. There is a bunker in front and on the right side of the green. Adam Scott birdied here in 2013 from 25 feet and Angel Cabrera followed him up with a birdie from four feet to set up a playoff which Scott won on No.10, the first playoff hole. It was a clutch city performance by both players.

Contenders

Jimmy Walker

Playing lights out right now. Two victories at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, and two weeks ago in San Antonio. Great striker of the ball, long and a highly clutch putter. Doesn’t make mistakes when he has the lead. If he has the lead on Sunday on the backside, he could very well close it out.

Patrick Reed

Won at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii in January and is always in the hunt. He does everything well and thrives under pressure.

J.B. Holmes

He’s playing very well fresh off his victory at the Shell Houston Open. Certainly has the length, he’s large off the tee, and he’s mentally strong and can handle the pressure. If he putts well, he can win.

Brandt Snedeker

Plays Augusta National well. He is one of the best putters on tour, along with the winner listed below, when he is on. And while he’s not exceptionally long, he’s gotten longer in the last year and can get out there 300+ at times and he has been very accurate with his driver in the last three years. Really wants this, and should be a factor come Sunday.

Rory McIlroy

Will be right there. Does everything well. It comes down to his putting on these lightning fast greens that will probably be 13 or 14 on the Stimpmeter on Sunday. If he sinks a lot of putts he could get the career grand slam at Augusta National.

Tiger Woods

Tiger could do pretty well, too, maybe a top 10 or even a top 5, but I don’t see him winning his 15th major at Augusta National. Will be a factor though.

The 79th Masters champion:

This young man banged on the door last year, and this year I say he knocks it down. He’s the hottest player in golf right now, with his play being outrageously good since he won the Australian Open at the end of November 2014. He putts better than anybody in the game, particularly in the clutch, his chipping is outstanding, and he’s accurate most of the time with his drives and approaches, though he can have some wayward drives at times. But he seems to make up for any wildness off the tee with his stellar short game. He’s not incredibly long, but he can hit some out there, too. Kind of deceptively long. I like this 21 year old out of Dallas to capture his first of what could be a multiple-major career. And this one is the crown jewel for all the players. Jordan wins at 10 under par.

Jordan Spieth

Duke captures their fifth title under Coach K

April 7, 2015

The legend just keeps growing and growing. Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen enhanced Coach K’s legacy even more. With Duke down nine in the second half, Allen took his team completely on his shoulders and got them back in the game, and Jones finished it off as the Blue Devils won an extremely hard fought and spectacular contest with a national title winning 68-63 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. Allen finished with 16 and was 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Jones finished with 23 and was 7-of-7 from the line. Both are freshmen. Allen was the lowest rated of Duke’s number one recruiting class in the country last year, but he was a 96, four star by 247 sports. Jones was a 99, five star, Jahlil Okafor was a 100 and Justise Winslow was a 99. Quite a group to go along with senior point guard Quinn Cook and sophomore Matt Jones. Junior Amile Jefferson did some really good things on defense shutting down Frank Kaminsky, some in the second half, though the big fella got 21 and 12 boards, and played a heckuva game for the most part. A guy that Duke shut down pretty well was the all-world Sam Dekker, who had 12 points, but was 0-of-6 from trifecta. Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan was doing some unfounded whining about the officiating after the game. Kind of ridiculous and showed some pretty poor sportsmanship. Ryan is a serious whiner. Gives Urb and Brian Kelly a run for their money.
Duke was very underrated on defense this year, and they showed last night that they could play Kentucky-like defense when they needed to. And they surely made the clutch shots when they counted, particularly Jones and Allen. That Allen is a dynamic player and such a hustler-spark plug for his basketball team. Tyus Jones was named Final Four MVP, and he was deserving, but Allen sure played a big part as well. He brought them back from what looked like an L early in the second half. Okafor, Winslow, Matt Jones, the senior Cook ( love the senior) and Jefferson all played big roles in the victory.

Will Okafor, Winslow and Tyus Jones return for their sophomore seasons? Probably not. Okafor may be the first player selected in the draft, he is projected to be the number one pick, but it would be cool if he did come back to defend. Winslow and Tyus Jones could be gone, too, but they might want to think about it pretty hard. College basketball is special. It’s like college football or college baseball. You can’t beat it. The grind of the pro game is not nearly as much fun except when the playoffs start. So they ought to think through their decisions, though I’m sure they can get very good contracts if they decide to go out. But that decision will come several days from now. Those young men ought to enjoy the legacy they’ve created for themselves by winning a national championship at a storied program. That’s something they’ll remember the rest of their lives and they can always tell their kids and grandkids. It’s a memory they’ll keep forever.

I picked Duke to win it all and finished in the 95th percentile of my ESPN bracket. That along with my J.B. Holmes pick in the Shell Houston Open made it a very good Easter weekend. I now have two wins on the PGA tour with a Jordan Spieth victory in the Valspar Championship in March, to go along with the Holmes pick. I also have three second place finishes with Dustin Johnson losing in a playoff to James Hahn at the Northern Trust Open in LA, Bubba finishing second to Dustin at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, and Henrik Stenson finishing second to Matt Every at the Arnie. It’s been a good year. Football didn’t finish as strong as I’d have liked, but it was a good year overall with a 71% winning percentage (204-82) and 21-15 in the bowls, while I was 97-70 in the NFL. Had the Seahawks beating the Patriots 31-28 in Super Bowl 49 at Phoenix, and that would have been exactly right if Pete Carroll had not made the most imbecilic play call in Super Bowl history as his team was on the Patriots three yard line with 28 seconds left, a timeout, and the best running back in football in his backfield. Carroll served up the Super Bowl to Belicheat and the Patriots with a Russell Wilson pass over the middle with five Patriot defenders around the ball. The ball was intercepted and the Seahawks lost, 28-24. I picked Oregon over Ohio State in the national championship game. That was a matter of second guessing myself after my Ravens over Patriots and my Cowboys over Packers upset playoff picks didn’t work out. Both teams lost barely, so I thought maybe the Buckeyes were somewhat of a reach, too. Really liked the Buckeyes after they beat the Tide. Should have gone with them.

With that said, it’s on to Augusta National now. Jordan, Tiger, Rory, J.B., Jimmy Walker and the rest of the top players in the world are on the clock, as they say in the NFL draft, as the 79th Masters commences Thursday. Should be spectacularly good. Will have preview and predictions tomorrow.

Hiring of Avery Johnson

April 6, 2015

I like the out of the box hire by Bill Battle. He didn’t get his number one guy, Greg Marshall, so he tried something different. First of all, Avery Johnson is a terrific person. He’s a lot more emotional than Anthony is, and I mean that in a positive way for Avery and not negative for Anthony, and I believe he will recruit very well because he’s so likable. He had some success in the NBA as a coach. He had major success as a player. He was an outstanding point guard/leader for the San Antonio Spurs, and, along with “the Admiral”, David Robinson, and a younger Tim Duncan (who is still playing at a high level right now and is part of a team that is peaking heading into the playoffs), won the NBA title in 1999. He’s much beloved in San Antonio and throughout the NBA.

There will be no problem with his recruiting; he will recruit well. I think he’s a good strategist, too. He will most likely hire good assistants. A lot of work for him to get Bama back to playing consistently in NCAA tournaments and doing well once they get in there.

But I really like the Avery hire. Hopefully, the program will take off in the ensuing years. The Tide loses Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper, but have some good players coming back led by prolific shooting guard Ricky Tarrant, who will be returning from injury, and potential stud point guard Justin Coleman along with super athlete Retin Obahasohan along with small forward Riley Norris, and inside guys Jimmie Taylor, Shannon Hale and Michael Kessens. So there’s some foundational pieces in place for Avery. There are two signees for next year’s freshman class, high three-star power forward Donta’ Hall (6’9″, 210, 89 grade by 247 sports) and high three star small forward Brandon Austin (6’5″, 180, 88 grade by 247). I’m sure Avery will try to get back high three star small forward Dazon Ingram from Theodore as well. Ingram de-committed after Anthony was let go. Maybe a JC transfer can come aboard as well, but there are some pieces in place that can make this a very solid team next year, one that could make the tourney.

Anyway, positive stuff for Alabama basketball. I really liked Anthony Grant personally, but I guess the results weren’t as expected as it turned out. Hopefully, he can land somewhere else, maybe a mid-major, and get his resume built back up. Maybe he’ll want to stay at a smaller school for the long haul if he can excel there and just take some time away from the immense pressure of major college basketball. He’s a good man, and is an excellent role model for kids. I’m pulling for him to succeed going forward.

And these are exciting times for the Crimson Tide with Avery now at the helm.

Fresh Tweets:

Vanderbilt women’s tennis player Astra Sharma 1 on 1. https://t.co/D0WS0rVnqG @VandyMeg @mmhamlett @Vandywtennis @ManOfVandy @SkipPrince
May 18, 2017, 2:34 PM

Vanderbilt women’s tennis Astra Sharma 1 on 1. https://t.co/D0WS0rVnqG @astrasharma @markNwhitebluff @vandy_62 @warehouse1987 @dbc5361
May 18, 2017, 2:33 PM

Previewing 2017 Clemson Tigers football team. https://t.co/1JH1cPGQkp @markNwhitebluff @vandy_62 @clayphillips27 @warehouse1987 @dbc5361
May 15, 2017, 2:13 PM

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