Patrick Eakes

The Masters golf championship begins this morning in Augusta, GA. The course is wet and will play very long, limiting the number of legitimate contenders. I do not have time for my traditional analysis and full-scale predictions, so I will provide some quick hits.

Short to medium hitters will have a very tough time getting in the mix this weekend. That is unfortunate, because golfers like Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, and Tim Clark should be able to contend.

Sergio Garcia: He drives the ball well and has a solid wedge game, both important parts of solving the riddle at The Masters. His putting continues to be erratic, and that keeps him from contending - out of the top 25.

Jose Maria Olazabal: The two-time champion is usually a threat at The Masters because of his short game and precision irons. He has been out with health problems for a year, so you would think he would have no chance. I think he plays better than expected and sneaks into the top 40.

Ernie Els: Has has contended at Augusta many times. Switched swing coaches in the last two weeks. He won a month ago, but I am not sure his head is in the game, which is a shame. He should do better, but I think he disappoints with just a top 25.

Retief Goosen: Unflappable demeanor with two major titles on tough courses. He is sneaky long and a good putter on slick greens. His game has been sinking for three years, but he has been in better form lately. He also has top three finishes the last thre years. This year he gets a top 10.

Adam Scott: His long game is made for Augusta with steady ball striking, but dude can't putt well enough to win The Masters. Top 25 finish.

Justin Rose: Played great in all four majors last year and will again this weekend. Has a tendency to spray drives when it matters most, and that limits him to a top 15.

Geoff Ogilvy: Is coming on strong and will contend for his second major. Has length, short game, and confidence. My dark horse pick to win, but I predict a top 8.

Phil Mickelson: Has two green jackets and played well early in the year. He has cooled down lately, but I have a hunch he will contend for his fifth major this weekend. I expect him to be near the lead but finish with a top 5.

Vijay Singh: Has a green jacket and the length to contend, plus he has been playing very well lately. If his putter is on, he can win this weekend. Top 10 finish.

Tiger Woods: Four-time champ. Best pressure putter in history. Has won all but two events he has played since last summer. Has the length and aerial game for a wet Augusta. How can you pick anyone else? You can't. Tiger gets his 17th major.

Isn't it about time to rename this place the Socially Significant if Frequently Off-Key Hall of Fame?

The March edition of USAirways Magazine features Greensboro in its Profiles section. They did a nice job covering G'boro and even managed to include the Wyndham Championship's move back to Sedgefield Country Club. That's pretty slick considering the announcement came just a week ago.

I will keep one eye on the OSCARS tonight. If nothing else, host John Stewart should be entertaining.

For the fourth year in a row, I will list my predictions for the major awards. I have made a nice bit of change through the year with wagers on the OSCARS, but this year I have no money at stake.

Supporting Actress: Through the years, this has been the one category that has consistently been hard to call. This year is no different. This award could easily go to Ruby Dee for sentiment or Amy Ryan but I am going with my hunch that Cate Blanchett gets her second statue.

Supporting Actor: This is a strong category this year, but I think we can count on Javier Bardem to win and kick off a big night for No Country for Old Men.

Lead Actress: This category is set up for a surprise, but I am going with favorite Julie Christie for her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer's Disease.

Lead Actor: This is perhaps the strongest category of the evening. Three previous winners are nominated, and you can argue that each gave a performance better than the one for which he won. Still, I go with Daniel Day-Lewis, probably the best actor working today.

Adapted Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen win this one and add it to their previous win for original screenplay for Fargo.

Original Screenplay: Juno is the little film that could, and it should not go home with no wins. Diablo Cody should win this one, although Tony Gilroy could score an upset for his work on Michael Clayton.

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen already have a superb and eclectic collection of movies to their credit, but No Country is their masterpiece. They get a little gold man for their effort tonight.

Picture: I think No Country for Old Men wins this category, although I missed my Best Picture picks the last two years.

Baseball has not had much to celebrate lately, but the just-released Hall of Fame vote holds some good news.

Good News: Goose Gossage In

Better News: Mark McGwire Strikes Out Again

The fact McGwire did not pick up a single vote from last year is encouraging.

George Mitchell finally issued his No Shit Report on steroids use in baseball. I was once an avid fan of the game, but work stoppages and all involved in the game turning a blind eye to cheating killed any attraction the game once held for me.

Previously

Campbell University's underrated law school is relocating to downtown Raleigh in a move that seems oddly familiar. It's just another case of Greensboro envy for Raleigh.

I've got think Campbell's law school will be more attractive to a lot of candidates simply because Raleigh has some amenities that Buies Creek doesn't - like legal alcohol consumption in restaurants.

nod to alert reader dad for this story

I appreciate mayor Keith Holliday's article describing the events that led to David Wray's resignation. I had read just about all the information in his piece at different times, but his summary is useful.

I believe if the city, its staff, and/or its elected officials had released information like this during the last year and a half, public perception about Wray's departure might be different. Their silence has left a vacuum that has been filled by people who have legitimate concerns and others who see a witch behind every tree.

Kristen and I went to see Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me at Wait Chapel Thursday night. The show was good fun, although it started late because it took forever to get the 2,000 ticket holders through a single entrance at the front of the chapel.

The highlight of the show was the Not My Job segment, which asks unusual questions of a celebrity guest. Thursday night, W-S native Chris Paul was their first-ever professional athlete for the segment. Known in some circles as Nut Punch, Paul was remarkably witty and well-mannered.

You can enjoy the show, too. If you listen closely, you can hear me clapping.

Update: Apparently, Sarah Beth Jones and Anthony from Plead the First were at the show, too. I wish I had seem them to say hello.

I was driving on I-40 West to Clemmons a little past noon yesterday when I noticed a blue light behind me. It was a motorcycle cop, so I immediately checked my speed - 71 mph - not too bad.

I was in the far left lane, and he aggressively waved me to the right. I assumed he needed to get by me...until he moved over with me. He waved me to the right again. We repeated that drill a couple more times until I got to the right shoulder.

Dude asked for my license, and then he asked forcefully if I was running late. I replied I might be five minutes behind schedule. He then asked me if I knew the speed limit with all the charm typical of that situation. I replied it was 65mph. Clearly growing impatient with me, he barked "No! What's the speed limit on Hwy 52?" I replied with a less-than-confident "55?"

He finally realized he pulled the wrong care over, perhaps because my license confiemed I live in Greensboro and probably had only taken I-40 on my drive. He shoved my license back at me, and said "Drive slower!"

Nice.

With this help, I was now ten minutes behind schedule.

I like Wake Forest to make a strong showing at home against Nebraska today. Despite their great season a year ago, a team like the Nebraska will probably take the Deacons lightly. I give them a 50/50 shot to win and a very good chance to keep the game close even if they lose.

Martin Eakes predicted the collapse of the subprime mortgage lending industry a year ago. He told me this debacle would start in 2007. and he says the worst is still to come. I learned a long time ago to listen to what he says, so I would start bracing for a rough housing market in 2008.

I have read many viewpoints regarding the tug of war between Moses Cone and Blue Cross Blue Shield, but I think Karl Fields gets it right in today's News & Record.

He illuminates two important facts - Moses Cone shows its commitment to community and patients by treating thousands without insurance each year, and BCBS' executives have demonstrated their greed publicly in the past.

BCBS' attempt to convert from not-for-profit to for-profit a few years ago bordered on criminal behavior. The billion dollar net worth of the company was accumulated with essentially no income tax paid, so any conversion to for-profit status had to be to the benefit of the public. Instead, it was a raw cash grab by the executives that would have led to increased premiums and greater numbers of uninsured in North Carolina.

It was a despicable move a few years ago, and it leaves Blue Cross with no credibility today when it tries to put the blame on Moses Cone.

I was lucky enough to play in the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship on Monday. These events allow four amateurs to rub elbows with a pro for a day. One of my amateur partners was a neighbor, and the other two were from Dallas and Chicago. We were paired with PGA TOUR player Jerry Smith of Phoenix.


Although I managed to play some of the worst golf in several years, I enjoyed the day. We had caddies, always a nice touch, and Jerry turned out to be a nice guy who was easy to talk to, even when he got lots of doofus questions about Tiger Woods.


The recent hot and dry weather has made it tough for the greens staff at Forest Oaks. The rough was thick, the fairways were reasonably full, and the greens are clearly on the edge. If the greens went 12 hours without water, they would be lost for months.

Forest Oaks isn't the toughest course around, but the pros are taking advantage of the necessarily soft conditions to shoot low scores. As long as the Wyndham has an August date, you can expect courses to dump water on their course and pros to shoot at pins as a result. That's just another reason to work toward a spring date, when all the grass varieties will flourish without being drenched with irrigation.

"Most top players will have qualified for the four-tournament series and will sit out the Greensboro stop to get rest before playing the next four weeks in a big money shootout."


I wrote over a year and a half ago that the (at that point still to be renamed) Wyndham Championship would struggle to attract big names to Greensboro. It was completely predictable, so I don't understand all the hand-wringing now occurring.


I still think moving from October to August was a great coup by our tournament, despite the challenges of producing a manicured course and good field this time of year. Securing our new date was probably the biggest single surprise in the new PGA TOUR schedule, because most observers had left our tournament for dead months before.

This year's tournament is in the first of a four year deal with the PGA TOUR schedule and primary sponsor Wyndham, so it is critical the tournament pick up momentum over the next two years. If it does, we will be able to lobby for a spring date that will attract better golfers and make our host course easier to maintain. If we don't, the tournament might lose its current spot on the schedule and go away forever.

My money is on tournament foundation chair Bobby Long and tournament director Mark Brazil to make the right moves to improve the tournament and its standing on TOUR. They are off to a good start this year with lots of fan friendly events, less expensive food and beverage concessions, and improved player hospitality.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of both Elvis' death and my 11th birthday. Elvis' passing did not make much of an impression on the younger version of me. Come to think of it, I am a little perplexed that he is still such a big deal. Maybe we should focus on cool people with birthdays today instead.