A rite of spring
A GRIP ON SPORTS • So what are you planning for the weekend? If it includes sitting in front of your TV set and watching the azaleas bloom, people politely clapping and some fist pumps, you are my type of person. Read on.
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• I swear, I know the back nine at Augusta National as well as I know the back nine at Indian Canyon, whichever nine they are using at the Canyon this season. I've played Augusta National exactly zero times – physically. I've played the Canyon more than 50 times in the past 32 years, but still the images of Augusta are burned deeper into my mind. That's because I have an addiction. I'm hooked on watching the Masters telecast each year. Thanks to Jim Nantz and the guys – sadly, for the past couple decades or so, no Gary McCord – I know where to look at 12 to gauge the wind. I know how far I would have to hit the ball to get to the first bunker on 18. I know the best way to play 10 (a draw down the right side and let the ball roll out using the hill), where to miss on 15 (the bunker on the right isn't bad but long – or short – is deadly) and how to play the par 5s (Zach Johnson laid up on all of them when he won in 2007, so that seems to fit my game). Watching the Masters on television is like finding the first crocus in the yard. You see it, you know spring is here. And when it's done, you know summer is not too far away. I've been watching this golf tournament since before you could tell what color the azaleas really were, before you could follow the ball in flight, before you could miss an afternoon and still watch it at night. Yep, since I first sat down to watch the Masters, TV has gone from black and white to color, from low-def to high-def, from a stand-alone product to the high-tech instrument with accompanying recording devices it is today. I watched golf yesterday on my television, my computer and my iPad. I will miss Sunday's final round live – we're traveling this weekend – but I'll get home sometime Sunday night and will watch the entire round – and the jacket ceremony – thanks to my DVR. It's already set. Heck, years ago, before it was a billion-dollar industry, Steve Bergum and I used to hold a fantasy golf draft that begin with the 1984 Masters. We matched up six golfers and kept track of their score. I can remember the first year Jack wasn't the first pick – 1986 – and he won that year. I can't remember whether Steve or I had him, though. There have been some Masters weekends in which I have never left my chair, basically, and watched the entire tournament from start to finish. There have been others, as this weekend will be, in which I had to catch what I could between life's interventions. But no matter what, I've always found a way to watch at least some of Sunday's back nine, whether it was live, via videotape or like now, thanks to digital recording devices. I would ask for help with this addiction, but, honestly, I don't think it's a bad thing. It's not like being addicted to "Survivor" or "Blue Bloods" or "The Voice," is it?
• Just so you know I'm paying attention, I picked a few Masters' related stories to pass along from some big city newspapers. Jordan Spieth sure had a good day, didn't he?
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• WSU: Spring football at Washington State cut into my Masters watching time for a few years but not this one. Oh, the Cougars are still practicing and did yesterday, but I'm not watching anymore. Jacob Thorpe is and yesterday he wrote about the lack of a punter on the roster and what the Cougs are doing to practice that part of the game. He also has a video of Mike Leach after practice, five questions with Daryl Paulo, a practice summary and a morning post with links. ... The baseball team opened a three-game series against Washington with a 3-2 win. ... There are reports Nigel Williams-Goss is going to transfer from Washington. Jerry Brewer sees the news serving as the canary in the coal mine that is UW hoop right now.
• Gonzaga: St. Mary's is in the market for a new assistant coach since it lost one to Hawaii.
• EWU: The Eagles' spring practices roll on and Jim Allen has the coverage. Today he looks at the receivers in his continuing series that will cover each position group.
• Shock: This could be a really tough year for the Shock. They are 0-3 after blowing a nine-point halftime lead in Portland last night and losing, 47-43. Next up is a bye as Spokane tries to regroup.
• Motorsports: Tom Clouse has a feature in today's paper concerning why this weekend the Arena is full of dirt and motorcycles.
• Seahawks: There were a couple of news events yesterday concerning the Hawks, including the announcement of the four preseason opponents for this season. Yep, it’s the AFC West again. And for the 10th consecutive year, the Hawks will finish preseason with the Raiders. ... Michael Bennett also spoke on the radio yesterday and spun his Jimmy Graham comments like only he can. And, oh yes, he said he never asked for a trade. ... NFL teams are exercising their fifth-year option on young players and Bruce Irvin is one of those eligible. Will the Hawks do it?
• Mariners: Three games played then an off day. No wonder the World Series doesn't end until Christmas. Anyhow, Taijuan Walker will take the mound tonight in Oakland while Brad Miller is still maturing as a player.
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• Just wanted to remind you, more than likely I will not be posting tomorrow morning. I have a personal commitment that will preclude an early post. Until later ...