5-at-10: True of false Tuesday with Masters rewind, NFL moves and NBA play-in games
Was this a good Masters? Was it great?
Did Jon Rahm win it or did Brooks Koepka lose it?
Did the LIV win with the ever-clear reminder that some of the best players in the world are now wedged on selected Saturdays between "This Old House" reruns and "American Housewife" on the CW? Did the LIV players — specifically Koepka, Patrick Reed and Phil Mickelson — remember how much fun playing in front of crowds and in tournaments that mean more than money is?
The questions are endless. And the answers vary.
But the biggest takeaway for me from this annual rendition of the tradition unlike any other is what do we make of Rory McIlory?
Big picture, he's a surefire Hall of Famer. He's got an A-game that historically measures up with anyone this side of the two biggest one-namers in golf history — Tiger and Jack — and an argument could be made that Rory at his best is playing even-steven with even those two giants.
But staring at the career Grand Slam, Rory now will forever have to answer the "Can you win at Augusta" question until he actually wins at Augusta.
It's staggering to think but his back-nine meltdown was 11 years ago, and he entered last weekend playing great and saying all the right things.
Then he missed the cut. Not unlike Phil's Don Quixote-esque quest for a U.S. Open — and the career Slam as well — Rory's pursuit for a Green Jacket will be among the biggest stories for the biggest event on golf's calendar.
Those questions will only grow. Can he win there? Is this the year?
It mushrooms into a couple of bigger questions for me. First, considering how quickly he started if Rory does not get the career Slam, would his career be considered a bit underachieving? Sure, he could win a few more majors, and that would wash away any notion of that, but he's been pegged and pointed to join one of golf's most esteemed and prestigious groups for so long, falling short would be bitterly disappointing.
Second, does this call into play his mental toughness, at least when it comes to the hallowed grounds of Augusta National? I don't think so, but the question is becoming more fair with each passing year and each missed opportunity.
Which leads me to this: In this game more than any other would you rather have perfect form — say Adam Scott's golf swing — or the perfect mental make-up — say Tiger's steel-soaked will — over the long term?
Discuss.
Play-in to playoffs
So after a disastrous end to the regular season, the NBA starts its postseason tonight.
Ah, the play-in games, which are as clear as a mud puddle.
In a nutshell 7 plays 8 in each conference and the winner is the 7 seed. The loser of that game plays the winner of the 9-10 game for the 8 seed. The loser of 9-10 is out.
Got it? Good.
Your Atlanta Hawks are in the play-in game after finishing 41-41 and playing less defense than a folding lawn chair for most of the season.
Also in the play-in tonight is the L.A. Lakers, and know this: I will be heavily invested in the Lakers tonight against Minnesota because a) the NBA needs L.A. in these playoffs, b) the West is wide open and a seventh-seeded L.A. with LeBron, AD and a reworked, non-Westbrooked roster can make a run to the conference finals with all those TV-scheduled days off, and c) the Timberwolves are a dumpster fire right now.
As for the Hawks, yeah, no thanks. Plus, as open as the West is — seriously would you take the top two seeds (Denver and Memphis) or the field right now? — is as closed as the East is.
Because it's really tough to see anyone not named Boston, Milwaukee or Philly getting to the NBA Finals from the East.
Side question: These are some high times for Philly sports fans, no? Side question on the side question: Who is the most popular athlete in Philly right now, Jalen Hurts, Joel Embiid or Bruce Harper? Side question on the side question on the original side question: Does any city have a big three from the big three U.S. sports that is better than that trio right about now?
NFL Relocation
So, Kliff Kingsbury is headed to USC as an offensive analyst for the Trojans.
That's not the biggest surprise to me. The biggest surprise is that the former Texas Tech offensive guru and Arizona Cardinals head coach is headed to L.A. and not M.A., as in mid-Alabama, as in Tuscaloosa.
He's far from the biggest NFL name on the move of late.
Over the weekend Odell Beckham Jr. signed a one-year deal with Baltimore for $15 million guaranteed.
Yes. Guaranteed.
If that move convinces Lamar Jackson to return, then I can see the investment. If that move convinces Aaron Rodgers to OK a trade there if Lamar Jackson leaves, then I can see that, too.
But $15 million for a 30-plus WR who has not played in more than a year coming off a major knee injury seems like a massive overpay.
Especially for a guy who brings T.O.-sized drama without always delivering T.O.-sized numbers.
Thoughts.
This and that
— Braves played. Braves won. Sean Murphy's first homer as a Braves player was a 10th-inning walk-off job. So it goes.
— Speaking of the Masters, did you see the story that Scott Stallings got a speeding ticket Sunday as he was headed to Hilton Head for this week's RBC Heritage? Stallings was driving a loaner vehicle and had to do some splainin' with the cops. Considering he made $144,000 at Augusta, here's betting the ticket won't hurt too badly.
— JTC shared Monday that he cashed a nice payday on a Jon Rahm Masters bet. Kudos. Here's a story about a Virginia man who bought 20 lottery tickets with the same number. That logic seems sketchy but when that number pays $5K, the strategery nets $100,000.
— Public service announcement:Tennessee citizens they can request "Slow Down Tennessee" yard signs by emailing [email protected]. Supply is limited. So there you go.
— "Super Mario Bros." has been a box office smash according to this AP story. We saw it over spring break. My teenage son loved it. I was kind of indifferent. Like so many of the modern movie franchises with bigger and broader plans, this one felt like a set-up vehicle more than an actual standalone movie if that makes sense. Also of note, at the theater we went to outside Fernandina Beach, there were folks dressed as Mario and Luigi and other characters. So there's that.
— TFP business ace and all-around newspaper big-timer Super Dave Flessner has an interesting story on area billionaires. Yes, billion with a "b" friends. That's a whole lot of cabbage.
Today's questions
True or false, it's Tuesday. Morning, Ernie.
True or false, Brooks Koepka lost the Masters more than Jon Rahm won it.
True or false, Rahm will win the career Grand Slam before Rory.
True or false, cabbage is a great slang term for "money." (Side question in the side questions: What is the best slang word for money? Go.)
True or false, Spy has every bit as good a chance to get a hit against big-league pitching as Marcel Ozuna does.
True or false, Mario would be on the Rushmore of video game characters.
True or false, LSU is WR-U these days.
You know the drill. Answer some T or Fs, leave some T or Fs.
As for today, April 11, let's review.
LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act on this day in 1968.
Let's do the Rushmore of slang terms for money. Go.
