Archive for the ‘Other’ Category

I’ve always enjoyed watching or covering that little golf tournament amongst the dogwoods and azaleas, but never more so than now. That’s because for the first time ever, I played Augusta National.

You got a minute? Let me grab my invitation from the Green Jacket folks, and it says right here on Augusta National Golf Club stationary:

Monday, April 14, 2008 (that’s the day after last year’s Masters, by the way).

Terry Moore, 8:55 a.m., 10th Tee.

Please present this card at the Main Gate (Gate #2) for entrance to the Club grounds and at the tee for 18 holes of golf.

I’m still tingling.

Before this experience, I ranked Augusta National among my top five sports venues, which is significant. I’ve been just shy of everywhere — from various Olympic sites to Wrigley Field to Daytona International Speedway to Notre Dame Stadium to old Boston Garden to Lambeau Field — while spending three decades covering most major events. Well, after this experience, Augusta National ranks among …

Continue reading Augusta National invited me to play, so I did, and WOW! »

  Those in charge of Kentucky basketball say Big Blue followers need constant love from their leader beyond courtside.

  Wait a minute. Hasn’t that been the case forever around Lexington?

  Yep, and everybody knows it.

  So why did those Kentucky officials lose their minds two years ago and hire who they just fired? Billy Gillispie is a decent strategist but a private guy who’d rather hug his X’s and O’s. That translates into a nasty fit for a school whose basketball coach must become the Dalai Lama of the commonwealth while winning SEC and national championships.

  They got John Calipari, who relished his fans so much at Memphis that all of his practices were open to the public. Still, those Kentucky officials took Gillispie over Calipari the last time around before this one.

  Why?

  “It’s like when you were single, and you look at a pretty girl walking down the street, and it’s very enticing,” said Falcons owner Arthur Blank, an expert on hiring famously wrong …

Continue reading UK basketball folks should step into Mr. Blank’s office »

   Those in charge of Kentucky basketball keep saying Big Blue fans need constant love from whomever becomes the next person to run their program.

  Wait a minute. Hasn’t that been the case forever around Lexington?

  Yep, and everybody knows it.

  So why did those Kentucky officials lose their minds two years ago and hire who they just fired? Billy Gillispie is a decent strategist but a private guy who’d rather hug his X’s and O’s. That translates into a nasty fit for a school whose basketball coach must become the Dalai Lama of the commonwealth while winning SEC and national championships.

  “It’s like when you were single, and you look at a pretty girl walking down the street, and it’s very enticing, because she’s very attractive, and she’s got this, that and the other thing,” said Falcons owner Arthur Blank,  an expert on getting a coaching hire famously wrong before getting it famously right. “Until you get to really know that pretty girl, you don’t know if she’s …

Continue reading Time for UK folks and others to step into Mr. Blank’s office »

  Oh, this is a shock: Florida State officials are totally embarrassing themselves over yet another scandal involving their football program. It’s the same old drill around Tallahassee. It involves doing whatever it takes to protect the likeable Saint Bobby, no matter how silly you look.

  This time, those Florida State officials say it is unfair for the NCAA to unleash penalties that will strip away 10 victories from Bobby Bowden in his quest to become college football’s all-time winningest coach at the Division 1-A level.

  Those Florida State officials are contemplating an appeal.

  Puhleeze.

  According to an NCAA investigation, a slew of Bowden’s players were among the 61 Florida State athletes in 10 sports who cheated on an online test from the fall of 2006 through the summer of 2007. That’s right, 61! The cheating involved staffers in the Florida State athletics department providing athletes with answers to the test and typing their papers.

  Come to think of it, …

Continue reading Saint Bobby finally has wings clipped »

   The Hawks can’t make free throws. They are next to last in the NBA at 73 percent, and that is disgusting. First, it will kill them in the playoffs. Second, how can anybody not make free throws? Worse, their shooting consultant is Mark Price, the NBA’s all-time leader in foul-shooting percentage.

  This really bothers me.

  “Well, it definitely bothers me. No question about it,” said Price, chuckling to keep from sighing.

  Price sank 90 percent of his foul shots during his dozen NBA seasons, mostly with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that, he was a splendid point guard at Georgia Tech, and speaking of the Yellow Jackets, they can’t make free throws, either. They are last in the ACC at 62 percent, which makes me wonder about the other two men’s programs in the area at the Division I level.

  Georgia State is last in the Colonial Athletic Association at 61 percent, and Georgia is 10th out of 12 teams in the SEC at 64 percent.

  What’s going on here? “During the past …

Continue reading Why Johnny can’t shoot (free throws) »

I’ve got a question for you, but first consider this . . .

A fishing trip involving four buddies. High seas causing their boat to flip. One survivor found more than two days later. The Coast Guard eventually calling off the search for the other three.

It’s already a sad story. This makes it worse: Sports figures are involved.

Is it fair that all tragedies aren’t created equal? No. Still, rightfully or wrongfully, that’s just the way it is, and that’s the way it always will be.

Whether it’s Knute Rockne’s plane crashing in a Kansas cornfield, or Lou Gehrig succumbing to a strange disease, or Len Bias overdosing from cocaine, or Reggie White’s death out of nowhere on the day after Christmas, the intensity of these tragedies is greater given the athletic involvement of the victims.

As a result, the news from the Gulf of Mexico since last weekend has captivated the entire world.

You’ve seen the shocking yet inspiring sight of former South Florida football player Nick Schuyler …

Continue reading Sports tragedies hurt greatly, but why? Your thoughts »