Is there anything better than Sunday at The Masters? It’s not only the greatest golf tournament on the planet; it’s also one of the best sporting events year in and year out. They always say that The Masters doesn’t really begin until the back nine at Augusta. That was true again this year. Jordan Spieth was brilliant but came up just short. Ricky Fowler came close again but still couldn’t win his first major. Patrick Reed was rock-solid when he had to be on the way to his first major championship. The last four Masters have been won by four different players, all first-time major champions. That’s great for golf.
• I’ve been trying to go to The Masters for years but have never been lucky enough to get a ticket. Hopefully some day that will change. It’s the one sporting event in America that I’ve always wanted to get to. Hopefully one day my name will be picked in the annual lottery for tickets.
• Not surprisingly, the talk was all Tiger Woods entering the Masters and all four days at Augusta. Also not surprisingly to me, Woods was never in contention. It’s great for the sport that Woods is healthy again. Woods hasn’t won a major in ten years, and that was when he was thirty-two. It’s hard to imagine he’s going to win many, if any, in his forties. Tiger Woods still moves the meter when it comes to ratings and crowds more than anyone in golf. Just don’t expect him to ever catch Jack Nicklaus’ record of eighteen major championships.
• The Penguins looked awful when they began the 2017-18 season and were once in danger of missing the playoffs. Down the stretch, however, they resembled a club that can and will make a serious run in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. I would be surprised, but positively thrilled, if the Pens can make it three in a row. They certainly have the talent and stars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But they are far from a perfect team.
• The opening round matchup with the Flyers is a most intriguing one. Simply put, the teams and cities hate one another. The thing about the first round is it’s never a surprise when a higher seed gets knocked out by a lower seed. I wouldn’t be shocked if Philly dethrones the Pens. The call here is Pittsburgh in six.
• Matt Murray is the key for the Pens in the playoffs. He’s won two cups already at a young age and knows what it takes to deliver in the playoffs. Murray has been good since returning from injury, but he hasn’t been great. That concerns me a little bit. If the Pens are going to three-peat Murray has to be great. Anything less and Pittsburgh won’t be having another parade downtown.
• I’m not ready to order my Pirates’ World Series tickets just yet. Who could have imagined the Buccos getting off to a 7-2 start? Not me. I’m still not high on the Pirates’ bullpen. They haven’t exactly been lights out so far. As the season goes on I think they will be a major issue for this team.
• Hats off to Jameson Taillon. He was brilliant on Sunday, tossing a completed game 110 pitch one hitter. It doesn’t get much better than that. If Taillon can stay healthy, and that’s been a problem for him in his young career, this young man has a chance to be really special. He wasn’t just special against the Reds, he was Superman.
• I wasn’t surprised by all the empty seats at the Pirates’ opener. There is a lot of apathy surrounding this team, and many fans are to the point where they refuse to support the club as long as Bob Nutting owns the Pirates. I can’t say I blame them. Plus, the weather wasn’t exactly beautiful. The Pirates’ brass will never admit it, but they could not have been pleased with crowd. Opening Day is usually an unofficial holiday in Pittsburgh and a big deal for sports fans in this area. The empty seats impacted their bottom line, plus embarrassed the team. I love the Pirates and going to PNC Park, and I’ll go to a few games again this summer. Other fans will choose to stay away, and that’s their right. Unless the Pirates surprise us all in the standings, my guess is the team will see another big drop in attendance in 2018.
• I’ve said for a couple of years that Gregory Polanco should hit 25-30 homers a year. He’s off to a good start at the plate and has shown improved power and three home runs. He still is a poor fielder and a really bad baserunner.
• I had no problem with the Pirates trading away Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen provided the return ends up being worth it. We won’t know that for a few years. Cole has been outstanding in his first two starts with the Astros, striking out 11 batters in both outings. Cutch got off to a brutal start for the Giants, but rebounded by going six for seven including a walk off winner last Saturday night. I hope both players do great with their new teams. I also hope the guys who are now Pirates end up being big producers in Pittsburgh.
• I’m not the least bit surprised that Villanova cut down the nets in San Antonio last week. The Wildcats were clearly the best team in the NCAA Tournament field. When you win every game by double digits and dominate Kansas and Michigan in the Final Four you know you’re good. Nova has now won two out of the last three titles, which is very impressive in this day and age. And they could seriously challenge for more titles in the years to come.
• We’re just a few weeks away from the NFL Draft which means there are hundreds of mock drafts on the various sports websites. I look at some of these and simply laugh. Some of these national writers are clueless when it comes to guessing who the Steelers will take in Round One. I would be shocked if the Steelers took a quarterback first, even though Ben Roethlisberger is the fourth quarter of his career. Same goes for a tight end, and perhaps a running back, even though it looks like this could be the last year that Le’Veon Bell plays for the Steelers. But, who knows who will be on the board when the Steelers pick. Guess we’ll find out soon.
