Masters review
So Tyrell Hatton went into the unearthed territory of being critical of the Masters.
Hatton voiced his views on what he perceived to be unfair conditions, specifically noting that at times the exaggerated slopes on the greens cause bad results for very good results.
Is he right?
Yes. And no. And more precisely, his angst is misdirected. Follow along as we explain.
Yes, Hatton has a point. The Masters has always hinged on two philosophical theories. There’s the “knowing where to miss,” which is central to Hatton’s complaint.
But that’s always been there. As for not being right, Hatton airing dirty laundry about Augusta National will go over with the Green Jacket crew like a fat joke at a Weight Watchers meeting.
Now a fair question to ask should be this: Is the Augusta National set-up what we want?
Yes, the biggest reason Saturday and Sunday felt like the final rounds of the Travelers more than the Masters was because of Scottie Scheffler’s excellence. That fact is uncontrollable, even for the Green Jacket mafia.
But with the lengthening that has occurred or planned on some of the iconic holes in golf, Augusta National is threatening to change the other of the two philosophical tenets that have made this the greatest golf tournament on the planet.
Along with ‘knowing where to miss’ is the ultimate golf testament to risk vs. reward. That’s the back nine at Augusta.
Yes, you have to survive 11 and the pressure at 18, but there is great intrigue in the risk vs. reward off the tee at – driver vs. 3 wood – and again at 12 – attack the flag or middle of the green.
Which leads us to the two iconic par 5s on the backside at Augusta National.
What used to be arguably the two best risk-reward holes in the game, the extended tees at 13 and 15 are now making two reachable par 5s where a Sunday eagle would frequently determine the champion two of the easiest three-shot par 5s in the game.
Yes, the players are freakishly long and the equipment allows them to be even freakishly longer. I understand the urge to continue the challenge, and none of the Green Jacket horde wants to see Johnny Masters Champ at 26 under.
But eliminating making the risk too great will make the rewards fade away, which cuts to the quick of what makes the Masters the best major. This is the tournament players go win, not go survive. (like four-putting the final hole for a three-shot win.)
The tradition is undeniable, but the tenet of the risk and that reward is at the core of why we love the Masters.
Well everyone other than Tyrell Hatton, that is.
Braves beatdown
The Braves played. The Braves got waxed by the Nationals. So it goes.
It is part of the progression of a season this long. Big wins, big losses, the results fade into the middle like the sand into a beach.
But the Braves’ one-sided loss to the Nats was Game 5 of the season, and we’re still waiting on Dansby Swanson to not look overmatched at the plate.
That’s not the biggest issue from a relatively meaningless game in April that’s a million miles from the all-important ‘er’ months.
The takeaway for me last night was that the Braves have two pitchers with good-to-very-good stuff who may be on the fast track to Double-A.
Huascar Ynoa, who started last night, has an A-slider and throws 98 mph. But his inability to locate makes him frustratingly mediocre. Or worse.
Dude has two plus pitches and he’s 4-7 with an ERA above 5 in 23 career starts and 30 career games while averaging more than a one K per inning.
And that brings us to Sean Newcomb, who should be way, Way, WAY better than he is considering he’s a lefty who throws mid-to-upper 90s with multiple pitches.
Man, Greg Maddux never threw 90 and these dudes are throwing absolute gas and can’t get anyone out.
Go figure.
Swimming upstream
Now former Olympic swimmers are wading into the waters of the Lia Thomas situation.
And in truth, it’s both a foreseeable position and one I had not completely considered.
Here’s a story on it after Thomas cruised to national titles in Atlanta.
The letter naturally and understandably assails the NCAA for its buck-passing stance on Thomas, as the governing body of college sports ruled that each sport would follow its international rules unless the sport collectively wanted a different rule, which is akin to telling your 11-year-old that eating your vegetables is good for you but you can decide to eat fries or broccoli on your own.
The letter says the NCAA failed everyone by trying to appease everyone, and there’s a lot of truth in that.
The letter also asks if the former and current competitors have a voice in this type of decision, which is also very fair and deserves a response.
Of course, the competition was not balanced or equal. Thomas was ranked in the mid-400s swimming against men two years ago and was a multiple national champ and helped Penn finish in the top 20 after not scoring at the national meet the previous season.
But the failures of the NCAA have an impact on each side. From the letter: “Women athletes competing in the meet were forced to swim in unfair direct competition therefore eliminating all integrity of the entire championship meet,” but it also noted that the NCAA used Thomas too as an effort to satisfy a perceived preoccupation with inclusion that caused, “a target was placed on the back of a trans athlete subjecting this person to devastating national outcry and humiliation.”
The letter also noted the historic timing of Thomas. Again from the letter: “We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX this year. From the birth of the NCAA in 1906 until 1972, women had to fight to earn the law that provided equal opportunities for women in sports. It took a male-to-female transgender person one year to take the women’s swimming national championship title. This is not equality. Women’s standings, titles, records and scholarships are suddenly at risk again.”
Of course, the NCAA has not responded.
Should we even expect a response at this point? Forget expecting a good response, sadly.
This and that
– Fun fact from Joe Rexrode of The Athletic: Now that Tennessee is No. 1 in the country in baseball, the Vols are the second program to be ranked No. 1 in football, baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s hoops. Can you name the other? Answer below.
– You know the rules. Here’s Paschall on the Vols’ next star RB.
– Congrats to former local-star-made-great Rhyne Howard, who was picked No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft last night. That’s cool.
– After a three-error night and receiving a sarcastic Philly cheer for actually making a play, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm was caught on camera telling a teammate “I hate this ——- place.” To his credit, Bohm owned the moment and addressed it afterward and apologized. No harm no foul for me.
– The other program to reach the top of the rankings in those five spots is the other UT. Texas.
Today’s questions
True or false, it’s Tuesday. True or false, I should reward HGLIII’s excellent entry – he got the golfers who finished 1, 2, T3 and T8 – for a stunning runner-up finish. (I’m leaning T here, because after research, a) we had 77 entries, the most ever and b) his score of 14 would have won three of the last five Masters contests.)
True or false, guys throwing 98 these days in MLB is like guys throwing 92 mph 25 years ago.
True or false, the Masters changes hurt the drama.
True or false, we need to send someone to check on Chas since we’ve been without comments for this long. (Yes, that’s a joke of course, and for all of you are asking, the IT folks are working on it. Thanks for your patience and hopefully it will be fixed sooner rather than later.)
As for today, April 12, let’s review.
David Letterman is 75. He and Carson are the two best to ever do it.
Shannen Doherty is 51 today and she was best known for “90210.”
Rushmore of TV shows centered on high school kids.
Go.