AUGUSTA, Ga. - From the Richmond County satellite office of the "Talks too much studios," fore please the 5-at-10 now driving.
Before we get to the mailbag, here's a question for the group: Is there any interest in a weekend 5-at-10 or do we play like the new kids and interact on The Twitter (@jgreesontfp)?
Also, high praise for Billyfrom Brainerd who had G-C-F, the never before heard from player who is at 5 under after a birdie at No. 1 this morning.
To the mailbag:
From Chas9
Mailbag question: Who's on your Rushmore of retired athletes as pitchmen on TV?
Excellent question.
Because of their popularity and connectivity, athletes are easy spokespeople... Not unlike family-oriented, interweb-based columnist. (Give us a call, we'll sell it.)
Anyhoo, let's do a Rushmore of retired stars and active stars. Deal? Deal.
Active stars (who when they were active in their sports were excellent pitch folks): Peyton Manning (dude is so money, Audible Outlaw...), pre-divorce Tiger Woods (the commercial in which he bounces the ball on his wedge and then smacks it out of the air is SOOOOOOO money), Jordan (Two words: Mars Blackmon... "Yo money, it's gotta be the shoes) and Namath (he may have been the most overrated football player ever, but dude had off-the-charts charisma).
Retired stars: Barkley, Shaq, Jordan and Arnie Palmer (dude is still pitching product and cashing checks)
From sportsfan
Jay - Friday mailbag query...Rushmore of Masters experience? Put me down for the Par-3 Tourney, pimento cheese sandwiches, skipping balls across the pond at 16 during practice rounds, and the awesome in its awesomeness of the grounds.
Such a great question and nearly impossible to peg it to four. But we're into the impossible. Let's give this a go and swing from our shoes.
Rushmore of Masters traditions:
• Lunch with a beer, $5. You can't put this into words for the sports fan who attends any sporting event of any merit, and all professional sports events. No joke, you can get a pimento cheese sammich, chips and a beer and plop down an Abe Lincoln and all is square. Know what this would run you at a late April Braves game? We'll guess 12 bucks, at least.
• The family and the frivolity of the par 3. Seeing those little kids in those little caddie coveralls putting out (and putting like Uch) is awesome in its awesomeness.
• The love the players - and especially the great players - of this event. There's nothing like the respect between the legends and this legendary course. It makes even more special, even when you think that is not possible.
• That this tournament is won by excellence on the back nine on Sundays. The roars through the Georgia pines, the birdies and the bogeys that generate discernible audible definitions that are known whether you are greenside or across town.
(Bonus one: The piano music CBS plays. And "A tradition unlike any other" is a money tag line.)
-----
From CTI
Loved the photo of the little 5-at-10 playing baseball. Remember my time coaching little league, and as you say, Good times.
If you could give him one athletic gift (not "be a great quarterback" -- instead think like "he can run a 4.35 40") what would it be?
Thanks for the 5-at-10, it's a regular part of my morning.
CTI -
Great question. One gift, huh?
This has to be designed with the intended finish being the person in question being a professional athlete, right?
Our first thought was the perfect golf swing, but even with the perfect golf swing you could get the yips and that would only let you dominate the local Saturday game.
Great speed could help pay for an education, and that's nice, but there are a slew of fast guys that we have never heard of.
One gift, huh? OK, we'll turn lil' 5-at-10's left arm into a thunderbolt. That's right, we'll take our chances on teaching him how to control his pitches if he is able to throw a 95-plus mph heater.
----
From Josh
What's the biggest difference in the Masters course about being there and watching on TV?
Thanks, and I'm looking forward to your radio show with Paschal. You guys were always great on SportsTalk.
Josh -
Thanks for the kind words, and we're hoping the radio thing works. We'll see.
The hills at Augusta are way, Way, WAY more severe than they appear on TV, and that affect is two fold. One it's a way tougher course than it appears to walk. Two, the rolling hills in the fairways allow from a lot of uneven lies. Not bad lies mind you - no the grounds here are perfect - but uphill or downhill lies.
The undulations of the greens are quite severe too, but that is kind of understood. (Side note: The breaks of some of these greens are so great, Steven Fox said he started one putt 25 feet outside the hole.)
----
J in Hixson
Dude, I'm intrigued about this radio show you mentioned. What are you and Paschall going to talk about? This is not going to take the place of the 5@10 is it? I'll be listening.
J in Hixson -
No, we're still planning on banging out the 5-at-10 on a daily basis. In fact this edition is the 644th consecutive Monday-through-Friday there has been a 5-at-10 on the timesfreepress.com website. We enjoy the banter.
We'll talk a lot of college football and a lot of local sports of all walks of life. We got a few questions in the works for the first week, and that second week we'll likely discuss some draft stuff. Hey, we love the draft, you know this.
----
From Fred
OK, you asked us for the best quotes from Caddyshack - "I feel like a hundred dollars" or "Right in the lumber yard" - so I want to know who you think had the best acting performance in that movie?
Thanks for the 5-at-10 and looking forward to the radio show.
Fred -
Thanks for the kind words and feel free to call in next week and ask us anything. The number is 648-1051.
Best acting performance, huh?
We have to go Ted Knight. Chevy and Rodney were great but that felt like them acting like Chevy and Rodney, you know? Bill Murray as Carl Spackler was great - and they all get major credit for the river of ad libbing they did.
Still Ted Knight was aces.
Most underrated - dude who played Bishop Bickering. "My name is Fred, and I'm a man same as you."
----
From PDavi
When I was 14 I was the best on my block at the Nintendo game Mario Kart. I held my head high in the hours it took to achieve what I thought at the time was the rewards of time well spent. What do you make of Tianlang Guan?
P.S. I can't even shoot +1 at High Point, let alone at Augusta (which looked beautiful yesterday).
PDavi -
Amen guy. For those scratching their heads about the interest in PDavi's MarioKart exploits, well, his 14-year-old achievements are in reference to Tianlang Guan, who shot 73 here yesterday as a 14-year-old 8th grader. Read that sentence again.
This got us thinking: What's the Rushmore of 14-year-old performances? We'll go Guan's, Doogie Howser (yes, it's TV but still... a doctor in middle school?), and Tatum O'Neal as Amanda in Bad News Bears and Danny Almonte in the Little League World Series (granted he was 14 against 12-year-olds, but he was pretty nasty).
Just outstanding
It was fun to watch, and we're headed out this morning to follow the lad.