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Saturday, April 9, 2011
How This Could Be a Masters Unlike Any Other
![[0407masters]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uFSpmPkKuvoFtkQl5gpsKdHBhpEu_gZk_YJ2sXzI8rLBRwbnafgivuUvgy8SNAVye7jQ3ssCFg9wWtlXXjniGhFbYfNlb8jueylMxRNtLi9esLNJDXVOpGQonz4BGeuPgn9HEjHxUi--ZBqrfXEeGV=s0-d)
Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus hits a ceremonial first tee shot during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
OK, sure, Jack Nicklaus's victory 25 years ago at the 1986 Masters is legend.
It had everything a fan could want: an unexpected charge by the game's greatest player ever—at age 46, no less. There were final-round challenges by other stars at their peaks, including Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman and Tom Kite. Birdies, eagles and roars echoed through the azalea-bedecked vales.
But enough about that. What would it take for this year's tournament, or any Masters, to be just as memorable?
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Illustration by Richard Michiel/The Wall Street Journal; Getty Images (3)
Will Phil Mickelson be putting the green jacket on Dustin Johnson on Sunday?
It's hard to imagine any aging hall-of-famer making a charge like Nicklaus in '86. The only conceivable candidate might be two-time Masters winner Tom Watson, who finished 18th last year and, of course, nearly won the British Open two summers ago. Watson can still hit the ball just far enough to compete at Augusta National, even at its modern length of 7,435 yards. But he'd have to putt supernaturally for four rounds, defying his 61-year-old nerves, to make a bona-fide run.
A second Masters win by the bountifully long Fred Couples, 51, would be nearly as popular, but his back is in much worse shape than it was last year when he finished sixth. Davis Love III, 46, and Vijay Singh, 48, are in the field, but an improbable victory by either still wouldn't approach the transcendent quality of Nicklaus in '86.
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Handicapping the Masters Field
In fact, any win by an older guy, other than Watson or Phil Mickelson, 40, would be more of a splendid asterisk than a reflection of the state of golf. "Golf these days is a young man's game," Nick Faldo said Tuesday when I asked him about the prospect of an over-40 winner. "Given the way they've lengthened the course in the last decade and the nature and power of the talent out there, you're probably going to see mostly guys in their 20s or early 30s contending."
Even if there's little hope the 2011 Masters could match the special ingredients of '86, it could still be a thrilling affair. Here's a blueprint:
Round One
Jhonattan Vegas, the charismatic 26-year-old Tour rookie from Venezuela, shoots a seven-under-par 65 to grab the first round lead, in part by hitting every par-five green in two shots. He's goaded on by his playing partners, Gary Woodland of the U.S. and Spain's Alvaro Quiros, who together comprise arguably the longest-hitting threesome in Masters history. Phil Mickelson shoots a credible 70, but a trio of young long-bombing Americans, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Nick Watney, each score two strokes better.
Round Two
Rory McIlroy, 21, has the round of the day. His 63, which includes a string of five birdies followed by an eagle on 15, ties the course record. Only a twitchy three-putt on eighteen keeps him from matching the final-round 62 he shot last year on his way to victory at Quail Hollow. "Is the prodigy from Northern Ireland finally ready to meet his destiny?" Jim Nantz intones. Faldo, also on TV, takes McIlroy to task for shooting at pins unnecessarily, rather than at the safe quadrants of the greens. "I'm glad it worked out for the young lad," he adds. Tiger Woods recovers from an erratic opening-round 74 to shoot a bogey-free 68. Asked afterwards if he feels his game is still "progressing," he stares down a reporter and spends the next three hours on the range with his coach, Sean Foley.
Round Three
Martin Kaymer, the world No. 1, makes his move with a 64. A natural left-to-right fader, he's been working for months on getting comfortable with a right-to-left draw, specifically for Augusta where he's suffered three cuts in three tries. Eight of the 14 full-out tee shots here favor a draw. It's not that he can't hit a draw, he says, only that he needs to feel more comfortable. On Saturday, the draw kicks in.
Kaymer's total is 10-under, two shots behind the co-leaders, Mickelson and McIlroy, and one behind Johnson and Watney. Vegas and last year's U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell stand a shot behind Kaymer, three off the lead. They're tied there with Luke Donald and Bubba Watson, whose games and scorecards could hardly be more different. Donald, a short hitter who nevertheless ranks No. 2 on Tour in making birdies or better on par-fives, has only two bogeys for the tournament against 11 birdies. Watson, a booming free-wheeler who curves his shots based on the way he's feeling at the moment, has 15 birdies and two eagles, but a mess of bogeys and double-bogeys. World No. 2 Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Ryo Ishikawa are another shot back. Woods is out of contention.
Round Four
The final round is yours to imagine, but I'd suggest the ultimate winner should shoot 32 or better on the back nine Sunday—and that someone else should shoot 30. I'd also suggest, for a lesson to the youngsters, that McIlory fall apart. His aggressive approach shots should start missing by a few critical feet, rolling into various creeks and rough patches.
Watney, on the other hand, ought to build on his fine putting performance from a victory at Doral last month—and also learn from his scalding in last year's PGA Championship final round, when, he said Tuesday, everything sped up for him.
Mickelson, Kaymer and a few of the others—maybe their putting is a fraction off. The winner at a tightly-contested Masters is usually the player who makes more mid-length putts down the stretch. This year that could be Donald, though he's never come through convincingly in majors.
My choice for a wildly boffo finish would be a duel to the death between Watson and Johnson. Both are young, unpredictable, immensely talented players who could easily feed off the roars in Amen Corner.
And I'd recommend Johnson for the green jacket. With his fearlessness and native ability, he strikes me as the most likely among the new crop of stars to win multiple majors.
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Friday, April 8, 2011
Interior View of Anaconda Copper Mine in Butte, MT
Interior View of Anaconda Copper Mine in Butte, MT
photographs from 1890 depicting the interior of the Anaconda Mine in Butte, Montana. Part of the Carelton Watkins Interior Views of Anaconda Mines Collection - contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/watkins.
Additional information and photographs can be found in the University of Idaho Library's Digital Collections (http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/)
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Thursday, April 7, 2011
Early Spring Drama
There's only one word for Lakers' 86-85 loss to the Jazz: 'Inexplicable'
Kobe Bryant looks at his hands after failing to put up a last-second shot during the Lakers' 86-85 loss Tuesday to the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / April 5, 2011)
Wasn't Utah already eliminated from playoffs? Weren't the Lakers supposed to be on a roll?
When the teams met Tuesday at Staples Center, Lakers fans moaned, media members yawned and the basketball had too much trouble finding the bottom of the net . . . especially for Lakers fans.
The Lakers allegedly had discarded their earlier-season issue of losing to bad teams at Staples Center, but undermanned Utah beat them, 86-85, adding its name to a list that already included Milwaukee, Sacramento and Indiana.
Photos: Lakers vs. Jazz
The Lakers were down a point with six seconds left, but the ball flew out of Kobe Bryant's hands as he tried an up-and-under move on Gordon Hayward.
The ball skipped to Utah center Al Jefferson, who fielded it like a shortstop. Inning over. Game over.
"It slipped," Bryant said. "It slipped out of my hands."
The Lakers also let slip any real chance at catching San Antonio for first place in the Western Conference. It's not quite official, but the Lakers (55-22) trail the Spurs by 31/2 games with only a handful to play.
Losers of two in a row after winning 17 of 18, the Lakers now trail Chicago by two games for the second-best overall record. They lead Boston and Miami by one precarious game.
Spero Dedes said to be replacing Joel Meyers as Lakers' TV announcer
It's worth mentioning that Utah (37-41) had lost eight consecutive games. The Jazz also played without injured starters Devin Harris, Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell, not to mention backup guard Ronnie Price.
Despite it all, the Lakers shot poorly from the start, seemingly unable to put anything together on offense. Bryant had only 20 points on dreadful six-for-18 shooting. He also had seven turnovers, none more costly than the last one.
Andrew Bynum had a career-high 23 rebounds but only 12 points on five-for-13 shooting. Shannon Brown and Luke Walton were a combined two for 10.
Rivals refuse to go soft on Lakers' Pau Gasol
The Lakers shot 37.8% and were also outrebounded, 52-49. Utah had 16 offensive rebounds.
What exactly were the Lakers doing out there?
"Not much," said Pau Gasol, who had 19 points despite a bone bruise on his right knee, perhaps the only solid part of the Lakers' offense.
Said Lamar Odom: "Our energy was bad all the way around."
Bryant hasn't liked the Lakers' effort since a 95-90 loss last Sunday to Denver.
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La ruelle du pre Antoine
Lgende…
« Many people report having seen Pere Antoine walking slowly down the small alley named for him alongside his St. Louis Cathedral. He is mostly drawn to the early mornings when the French Quarter is quieter, but has also been discovered disappearing into the mist of a winter afternoon. In these sightings, he usually doesn't appear to notice anyone because he is almost always reading his breviary, or book of prayers. People who have seen him like this experience a feeling of comfort, no matter what they have been doing the night before! Sometimes though, he's a little more active. One woman we know was taking a short cut through the alley on a rainy afternoon, on her way to lunch. Tottering on high heels, she tripped straight into the arms of a black-robed man with a sharp nose and a stern expression. After righting herself with the aid of her rescuer, she brushed off her skirt and looked up to see--nobody. The helping hand was invisible, but she heard a disembodied voice whisper a short phrase in French. It scared us, but our friend was unruffled, and even though she doesn't know what the good father said, she reported experiencing a sense of peace. »
goneworleans.about.com/od/famouslandmarks/a/hauntedno.htm
Au sujet du parc sur la droite, qui se trouve derrire la Cathdrale Saint-Louis :
« The large garden behind the 215 year old church is surrounded by an old iron fence, scarred and pitted by the elements. What stories could this fence tell? Stories of love and honor, of the duels fought on the grounds it protects, stories of betrayal and murder as well, of plans and plots by patriots and treasonous cowards as well.
There are spirits here! Souls from long ago who lived and died in these streets with such passion that they refuse to hide in the dusty ruins of the past. As you push ahead to the end of the fence the air is heavy with a scent of the damp vegetation and your skin is wet. You breath deeply, swallowing that thick hot air as if you are drowning, and you begin to melt into the city itself, the Vieux Carr, the heart of New Orleans. »
www.piratesalleycafe.com/thehistoryofouralley.html
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Manchester United v Manchester City FA Cup semi-final tickets stolen from Royal Mail van
Manchester United v Manchester City FA Cup semi-final tickets stolen from Royal Mail van
The Royal Mail van carrying 900 FA Cup semi-final tickets for Manchester City fans was robbed last week with the authorities and club now worried the tickets for the forthcoming derby clash against Manchester United on April 16 will be sold on the black market.
Missing: 900 tickets for Manchester City's clash with Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final have been stolen Photo: REUTERS
By Telegraph staff and agencies 11:09AM BST 05 Apr 2011
A police spokesman said: "Shortly before 7.50pm on Friday, April 1, police were called to Ashton New Road, Manchester, following reports two bags of special delivery mail had been stolen from a Royal Mail van.
"A number of tickets for the FA Cup semi-final were stolen and GMP is working with Royal Mail and MCFC. Inquiries are continuing."
A statement released by the club said: "Manchester City are working closely with Greater Manchester Police and Royal Mail in connection with the theft of special delivery mail items from a Royal Mail van on Friday.
"A number of tickets for the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium were stolen. All supporters impacted by the theft will be contacted by the club in the coming days."
The statement concludes: "Supporters are strongly advised not to purchase tickets from unofficial sources.
"Only tickets purchased direct from the club will be valid for the game."
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