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So anything happen in sports this weekend? Let’s review a wonderful weekend that was when we all come into this venue knowing who 100% won the weekend and who lost it ultimately.
Weekend winners
You know who. We’ll get to him in a moment, but everything related to Augusta National and this 89th Masters was perfect. The coverage was tremendous. (Man, those drone shots were awesome, right?) The grounds were spectacular, as always. The weather was picturesque. And the drama was palpable. Hey, Green-clad bigwigs, you guys wanna run it back in, say, mid-May?
Josh Heupel. The UT coach refused to negotiate at the point of a bayonet held by his former QB1 and his QB1’s entourage. It went from player wanting more — nothing wrong with that — to P.R. 101 of mishandling a situation to a Friday morning sit-out to every Big Orange fan I know telling Nico Iamaleava not to let the door hit him where the Good Lord split him. Here’s a lot more.
Mocs’ celebrations. Your NIT title-winning UTC Mocs are getting a parade this week. Personally, I think that’s cool.
“A Minecraft Movie.” In an era when few motion pictures make a huge splash in theaters (ask your parents), this one took in more than $80 million over the weekend. After less than two weeks in theaters, it has topped half-a-billion-bucks and is the top-grossing movie of 2025 already.
Mike Trout. Dude had every right to be angry that a fan ripped a foul ball from his glove. Yes, Trout went into the right-field stands to try to make the catch, but still. While he was upset in the moment, after the game, Trout met with the fan and his kid and signed stuff and took pictures. It was pretty cool.
Weekend losers
LIV golf. Bryson DeChambeau was carrying the banner and he crumbled. Jon Rahm said before the weekend that a LIV-PGA merger “was not happening any time soon.” The TV numbers for the LIV are worse than “Cops” reruns. And on the biggest stage for its stars, all of them with the possible exception of DeChambeau’s first 54 holes and Patrick Reed, gave few reasons to flip the channel over to the WB for LIV action any time soon.
Team Nico. Again, in this world, college athletes asking for more is not new, not wrong and not going to stop. But how this was handled was disastrous. And expensive, because if Nico was worth $2.5 million in Knoxville, what will his portal price be now with a very public– and poorly timed — break-up with the Vols?
The NBA. I like the play-in idea because of the added, end-of-the-season drama. But someone needs to look at the timing of this because a dramatic conclusion to the long grind that is the NBA season was a whisper in Grand Central Station this weekend.
NASCAR. Speaking of a whisper in a chainsaw testing facility, there were empty sections at Bristol. By all accounts, the racing was incredibly boring as Kyle Larson dominated the action. Did see a stat that this was the first back-to-back race set to have four-lead changes or fewer in almost 50 years.
America. Yeah, no, I’m not wading into politics for politics’ sake. You have your sides. I have mine. Let’s talk sports. But, if we are in such a leadership vacuum that a headline reads, “Stephen A. Smith says he has ‘no choice’ but to consider a run for president” and it’s on ABC News, and he’s clearly not joking, then, oh brother, is this worse than we imagined?
Masterful
The setting was perfect, and in a lot of ways the conclusion made all the heartache worth it.
Rory McIlroy completed his lifelong golfing dream and will forever be a Masters champion after beating Justin Rose in the first playoff Sunday evening in Augusta.
It was a magical ride and maybe the best ending not involving Tiger since Jack in 1986.
It also completed the career grand slam for Rory. He’s one of six — that team picture is pretty magnificent since it’s Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack, Tiger and now Rory — to win each of the four current majors.
It was one of THOSE sports moments, whether you are a Rory fan or anti-McIlroy. Rory has not won a major in more than a decade, which has derailed a career that many thought would get into the teens in terms of major victories.
It also came at a place where 14 years ago, Rory endured a back-nine collapse so epic many wondered if he’d be this generation’s Greg Norman, known more for the ones that got away than the ones he grabbed.
Put all of that to rest this morning, because Rory is a one-name legend.
His emotion was raw and real — from the frustration and anger early to the grit to reclaim the lead to the clear nerves as he came back to the field to the pure joy after making birdie on his 19th hole of Sunday’s magical final round.
It was tremendous theater. What a moment for the best player not named Tiger of the last 45 years.
This and that
› Speaking of the Masters, I love reading this story every year about this time. It’s about 92-year-old Elizabeth Thacker who refuses to sell her modest home that is an 11-minute walk from Augusta National. It is valued close to $340K. There is no doubt she has turned down 10 times that over the years (at least) as AGNC has expanded in all directions.
› Still tabulating the Masters contest, but I had one of my better scores in recent years with the 1 (Rory), 4 (Scottie), 7 (Ludvig) and 8 (Xander). Can anyone beat Danny P’s entry of Rory, Scottie, Bryson and Aberg, which is a 1+4+5+7 for a tremendous total of 17? (Side note: Major visor tip to Spy, who attended the third round and added some new swag to the 5-at-10 Masters prize vault. You may have seen him on TV. He was the old white guy with a golf shirt on.)
› One more Masters tidbit: Baylor School grad Harris English golfed his ball to a 68 Sunday that jumped him to a T-12 and $462,000.
› Here’s Paschall’s follow-up to arguably the most overshadowed UT Orange and White game of all time. Rules and all.
› Keith Olbermann dogging Bill Maher for ‘prostituting himself’ is the modern definition of “Pot, meet kettle. Kettle pot.”
› Congrats to the TFP crew for landing former local-made-All-American-made Olympic champ Rhyne Howard to be the Best of Preps speaker this summer. Here’s more.
Today’s questions
Weekend winner and loser, non-Rory division.
As for today, April 14, let’s review:
Honest Abe was shot on this day in 1965 by John Wilkes Booth.
The Titanic sinks on this day in 1912. Man, lots of good news, huh?
Loretta Lynn would have been 93 today. Pete Rose would have been 84. Greg Maddox is 59.
Rushmore of most emotional Masters wins of the last 50 years because Sunday has to be there right? Go.