| Friday, April 7, 2017 |
| Super Bulldog Weekend, arts festival set for this weekend | |
 | Two signature Starkville events -- Mississippi State University's Super Bulldog Weekend and the Starkville Area Arts Council's Cotton District Arts Festival -- are set to draw in tourists from across the Southeast this weekend. MSU's three-day event features the Maroon-White spring football game, a baseball series against the University of Kentucky, a softball home stand against the University of South Carolina and numerous tennis and volleyball matches, while Saturday's staple arts festival will feature more than 125 artists' booths, 20 music performances and other activities. Named one of the best events in the state and Southeast, Saturday's Cotton District Arts Festival features a pet parade and trick competition; Artisans', Children's, International and Writers' villages; a juried art competition and exhibit; the Taste of Starkville food competition; three stages for musical event; and plenty of arts and crafts on sale. |
| Mississippi State rolls out new cybersecurity master's degree program | |
 | After being a leader in the field for some time, a master's degree in cybersecurity and operations at Mississippi State University has been approved by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees. The degree program is scheduled to be in place by fall 2018 and will be offered through the MSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the Bagley College of Engineering. "We've been teaching cybersecurity for about 17 or 18 years, and we've always considered cybersecurity a problem and not a discipline," said computer science professor David Dampier. Dampier said treating cybersecurity as a problem allows for cybersecurity issues to be solved more easily, be it through hardware, software or policy means. However, when Dampier began getting calls asking about MSU's cybersecurity program, he decided to begin plans for a degree program. |
| Charities will compete in Starkville Restaurant Week, including T.K. Martin Center | |
| One statewide and two local organizations will vie for a $5,000 donation during this year's Starkville Restaurant Week. The University of Mississippi Medical Center's Children's of Mississippi health care umbrella, Mississippi State University's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability and Starkville Young Life emerged as the event's three charity finalists after the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau's nomination period ended March 27. The T.K. Martin Center is an educational program offering academic services, speech-language pathology and other therapies to children before kindergarten and adults. The organization won SRW's grand prize in 2014. |
| Ban on out-of-state flocks issued, but no new avian flu outbreaks reported | |
 | Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health, said the state is implementing new measures at poultry sales and exhibitions because of the outbreaks of avian flu in the Southeast. "No poultry -- including chickens, ducks, turkeys, quail, pheasants and pea fowl -- are allowed from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky or Georgia because of their current outbreaks," Watson said. "Only Mississippi birds that are part of the [National Poultry Improvement Plan, or NPIP] program and have paperwork to prove it are allowed to be shown or sold at public events." Dr. Tom Tabler, poultry science professor at Mississippi State University, said on Tuesday that there have been no new outbreaks in any of those states or Mississippi. "For the last week, things have been pretty quiet," Tabler said. "Some of it is probably the weather, because the hotter, the less likely there is going to be anything else." The virus is not particularly hardy, Tabler said. |
| U.S. South, Not Just Mexico, Stands in Way of Rust Belt Jobs Revival | |
 | In the years since the 2008 financial crisis, this southern U.S. port city has attracted a new Airbus factory, seen its steel industry retool, and gained thousands of jobs building the Navy's new combat vessel. Some 300 miles north in Huntsville, new businesses sprout in farm fields drawn by readily available land, low taxes, flexible labor rules and improving infrastructure. As President Trump faces pressure to deliver on his promise to revive manufacturing in the northern "rust belt" states that put him in the White House, his biggest challenge may not be Mexico or China, but the southern U.S. states that form the other pillar of his political base. States like Alabama have built a presence in the global supply chain in direct competition with the country's Midwestern industrial heartland, and even if Trump coaxes jobs back to the United States they may well head south rather than north. |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker to visit Meridian amid training jets safety concerns | |
 | U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is planning a Saturday visit with Navy officials and pilots stationed at the Naval Air Station in Meridian. The Republican lawmaker is chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Seapower, which has jurisdiction over the Navy and naval aviation. His office, in a news release Thursday, said the visit comes after a meeting he had with Navy personnel in Washington, D.C., following reports that some pilots were boycotting training flights because of potential safety issues with T-45 training jets. |
| U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson seeks to stop deportation of outspoken immigrant | |
| A Mississippi congressman is trying to prevent deportation of an immigrant who spoke out against President Donald Trump's policies. Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson introduced a bill Thursday. The measure would prevent Daniela Vargas' removal on the grounds that she did not willfully cross the border illegally, but was brought into the country by her parents when she was 7. Thompson's bill is unlikely to move in the Republican-held Congress. |
| U.S. strikes Syrian airbase as Trump signals an end to patience with Assad | |
 | The U.S. military launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield on Thursday, President Donald Trump's first major military action since taking office. The strike, which hit a Syrian airfield in Homs province at 4:40 a.m. local time Friday (8:40 p.m. EDT Thursday), was launched from the destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the eastern Mediterranean, just 24 hours after Trump criticized his predecessor, Barack Obama, for failing to confront President Bashar Assad in 2013 after another use of chemical weapons attributed to the Syrian government. The strike will more than likely change the conversation in Washington, overshadowing many of the issues that have consumed the city and the Trump administration since Trump's Jan. 20 swearing in. |
| Senate set to confirm Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court | |
 | The Senate is set on Friday to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, capping a year-long fight by Republicans to restore the conservative tilt of the nation's highest court. Gorsuch, 49, a Denver-based judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, is expected to be confirmed shortly after noon. Vice President Pence will preside over the Senate during the vote and Gorsuch could be sworn in as the 113th Supreme Court justice as early as Friday. His confirmation was all-but-assured on Thursday, when Republicans cleared the way for Gorsuch by overcoming a historic Democratic blockade and changing the rules of the Senate. |
| In Alabama, a Slow-Burning Scandal Engulfs the Governor | |
| When Robert Bentley was sworn in as governor in 2011, it seemed almost impossible to conceive of a politician with less potential for drama. But over the last year, Alabama residents have grown accustomed to the slow-burning scandal that has engulfed Mr. Bentley --- a messy and occasionally salacious tale studded with allegations of sexual impropriety, misused public funds and cover-ups. This week, the heat intensified when the Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause that Mr. Bentley had violated ethics and campaign laws, and referred the case to a local district attorney for possible criminal prosecution. It is only one of a litany of problems Mr. Bentley, 74, faces. A special prosecutor, appointed by Alabama's attorney general, is also investigating the governor. |
| MUW choir director speaks about upcoming Scotland trip | |
 | An accomplished choir director spoke to a group at the Mississippi University for Women Thursday. Dr. Phillip Stockton is the assistant professor of music education at The W and the choral director. He spoke to the university's Town and Tower Club. Dr. Stockton talked about the choir program and says the MUW chamber singers are scheduled to tour Scotland this summer. He came from Jacksonville, Florida, where his choirs received superior ratings consistently. Town and Tower meets on campus each month. |
| MUW Shows Off Its International Appeal | |
 | It may comes as a surprise to many, but for a college of its size, the Mississippi University for Women is home to a diverse group of international students. That diversity was on display Wednesday night as the International Student Association and the Nepalese Student Association hosted International Night. The Columbus campus is home to students from at least 10 different nations -- from The Bahamas to Nepal. And they were all represented with singing, dancing and even a fashion show. The diversity doesn't stop with the student body. The W also boasts faculty from no fewer than seven countries. |
| Ole Miss Foundation welcomes new development officer, Port Kaigler | |
 | For Port Kaigler, being an Ole Miss Rebel is not just a career move, it's a family tradition. This legacy, established by his parents, was cemented for the University of Mississippi's newest development officer when he visited his older brother at UM. Kaigler, who graduated from Ole Miss with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2010, will help raise funds as development officer for the UM School of Pharmacy. Kaigler hopes the next chapter of his Ole Miss story will produce a legacy of excellence that helps take the pharmacy school to greater heights. "The ultimate goal is for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy to be the top in the nation," said Kaigler, who also earned a master's degree in higher education from UM. |
| USM hosts coding event for African American girls | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is hosting a coding event for African American high school girls Friday and Saturday -- the first such event to be held in Mississippi. The iD 8 Hackathon and STEM innovation conference is a competition open to teams of four students and one teacher. Fifty female high school students from across the Pine Belt are registered. "There's a tremendous shortage of girls in STEM and African American girls specifically," said Julie Cwilka, director of creativity and innovation in STEM at Southern Miss. Each team will learn to code, build and present a mobile app focused on utilizing social media in a positive way. Winners will take prizes back to their schools. Participants will also get to hear from inspirational speakers such as Sheena Allen of Sheena Allen Apps, Mary Moore, founder of S.T.E.M. Discoveries and Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett. |
| U. of Alabama board set to OK tuition hikes | |
 | The University of Alabama System board of trustees on Friday will vote on increasing tuition for its medical, dentistry and optometry students from 1 to 3.3 percent and plans for a new archive facility at UA. The proposals were approved by committees on Thursday, sending them to the full board for consideration on Friday. Medical school tuition would increase 3 percent to $27,582 per year during the next academic year for Alabama residents and remain flat at $61,848 for non-residents. The decision to keep out-of-state tuition flat for dentistry and medicine is meant to help the programs be more competitive in attracting out-of-state students, according to the packet. The increases are expected to generate about $623,000 in total. |
| LSU -- last in alumni giving, endowment -- overhauls fundraising operations | |
 | LSU is the only SEC school that raises more money for athletics than academics. By admission of its own leadership, LSU had never made non-athletic fundraising a priority, which explains the perception of the university having one of the lesser advancement programs among U.S. colleges. Comparing LSU to its football rivals in the Southeastern Conference, its rate of alumni giving is last. Endowment growth over the past decade is better than only Ole Miss and Arkansas. Thus overhauling how LSU raises money -- and creating a model advancement program that emphasized academics as well as athletics -- were the goals given to Stephen Moret in 2015 when he was hired to run the LSU Foundation. Those plans are still in place, says LSU System President King Alexander. Moret is not. He left in November, after just 18 months, for an economic development job in Virginia. |
| U. of Kentucky creates Twitter account to notify off-campus students of safety concerns | |
 | The University of Kentucky has created a Twitter account to alert off-campus students of safety concerns after it was previously criticized for not disclosing a reported attempted sexual assault in a nearby neighborhood. The account, @ukyoffcampus, is the result of discussions between UK police and students about how to better inform people of off-campus emergencies, according to university officials. The account will not be tied to the existing UK Alert system and will not replace UK Alerts. The university drew some criticism in September, when it didn't notify students of a reported attempted sexual assault that occurred in a neighborhood near campus. At the time, university officials said a notification wasn't sent because the situation was not an immediate threat and didn't meet the parameters for a UK Alert. |
| 'How 'Bout Them Dogs?' exhibit at Georgia Museum of Natural History at UGA | |
 | An exhibit at the University of Georgia's Georgia Museum of Natural History delves into something right at the heart of UGA -- dogs. But the nine display cases now up at the museum's small exhibit space off East Campus Road isn't your usual dog show. It's sort of like an old joke by Groucho Marx, who said, "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." But "How 'Bout Them Dogs: A Brief Look into the Evolution and Domestication of Our Best Friend" takes viewers inside of a dog -- into the bare bones. The "How 'Bout Them Dogs" exhibit does include the skull of an English bulldog -- the same kind as the UGA sports mascot "Uga" -- alongside those of several other species. |
| Governor To Speak at U. of Arkansas' Women in IT Conference | |
 | Gov. Asa Hutchinson will speak Wednesday at the 2017 Women in IT conference on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Presented by the Information Technology Research Institute at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the conference will be held April 11-12 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development. Hutchinson and others will speak on professional, lifestyle and technical topics important to women in the technology field. The keynote speakers on Wednesday will be Rita Carney, a retired Walmart executive, and Lisa Tuttle, chief information security officer for SPX Corp. |
| Trump and political climate inspire U. of Tennessee Sex Week talk | |
 | The current political climate, including President Donald Trump, was the inspiration behind an event at the University of Tennessee's Sex Week Thursday when students were instructed how to use their sexuality to fight back against patriarchal norms. "I've seen so many people, myself included, who are just exhausted from all the activism they're engaging in, which is just fantastic, but it's also exhausting," said Katie Kleinkopf, a graduate student in history at UT who gave the talk titled "(Expletive) the Patriarchy." The talk was one of several events to take place this week as part of UT's controversial Sex Week, which in the past has prompted backlash from the Tennessee legislature and last year played a role in last year's defunding of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at UT. Reaction from lawmakers to this year's Sex Week has varied. |
| Vanderbilt officer quits after arrest involving gun, alcohol | |
 | A Vanderbilt University police officer resigned after his downstairs neighbor was nearly struck by a bullet fired through her ceiling, according to Metro Police. Jordan Thompson has been arrested and charged with gun possession while under the influence, supplying minors with alcohol and lying to Metro Police officers early Thursday morning. Additionally, his special police commission, which the Metro Nashville Police Department grants to sworn Vanderbilt officers, was rescinded at the direction of Chief Steve Anderson at the time of his resignation. When officers went to the unit upstairs, they found Thompson, 23, Chase Whetstone, a 19-year-old Vanderbilt community service officer and two 19-year-old women. Thompson had a pistol in his waistband, according to police. |
| Texas A&M Experiment Station, NASA partner in initiative aimed at innovating aircraft | |
 | A new breed of quieter, high-speed airplanes could soon be in the works thanks to a partnership between a team of Texas A&M Experiment Station researchers and NASA Aeronautics' University Leadership Initiative. One of five teams selected for the initiative, the Texas A&M team is partnering with Boeing and Fort Wayne Metals to explore the possibility of designing a commercially viable aircraft that reduces the noise created by speed-related sonic booms by making in-flight adjustments to the shape of the plane. "This project stems from a long-standing NASA objective of enabling supersonic flight over populated areas," said Rodney Bowersox, co-lead investigator on the project and department head for aerospace engineering. "One of the big hurdles for that is the sonic boom." Altogether he said at least six Texas A&M faculty members and more than a dozen graduate and undergraduate students will probably have the opportunity to work on the project once it officially kicks off this fall. |
| Short contracts make U. of Missouri's nontenure-track faculty more vulnerable to layoffs | |
 | The University of Missouri System's fiscal crisis could be especially difficult for nontenure-track faculty members. In a system-wide email sent on Monday, UM System President Mun Choi announced that the system needed to cut its budget by about 8 to 12 percent for fiscal year 2018 and that layoffs of staff and NTT faculty may be necessary to get there. Choi's email, which put NTT faculty with staff rather than tenured and tenure-track faculty, was frustrating, said Nicole Monnier, co-chair of the MU Nontenure Track Faculty Committee. "The system president's message almost implies that NTTs are add-on faculty," she said. What's more, staff members who have completed an initial probationary period are eligible for benefits in the event of layoffs while NTT faculty are not. |
| Trump's Revised Travel Ban Could Cost U.S. Higher Ed Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars | |
 | President Trump's updated executive order, the one restricting travel from six Muslim-majority countries, is blocked for now. But administrators at Northeastern University in Boston aren't taking any chances. "We're in a state of limbo," says Mike Armini, who oversees government relations. "We don't quite know what's going to happen next, so we've advised them to stay here," he says, talking about the 250 Northeastern students from those six countries. While those students stay put, Armini and his colleagues worry that potential students, who are receiving their college acceptance letters, will decide not to come to the U.S. Right now, international students represent about 20 percent of Northeastern's campus. "Our institutions are very concerned," says Melanie Gottlieb, deputy director with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, which surveyed nearly 300 colleges to understand the early, presumed, effects of President Trump's immigration policies. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Andy Cannizaro expects big crowds for Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| Mississippi State head baseball coach Andy Cannizaro has already experienced a long list of firsts this season. Today, MSU's first-year leader can check another first off the list as he leads the Bulldogs into action on Super Bulldog Weekend for the first time. MSU (20-11, 6-3) welcomes Southeastern Conference Eastern Division-leading Kentucky (21-9, 7-2) to Dudy Noble Field this weekend for a three-game set that begins Friday night at 6 p.m. As has become the norm on Super Bulldog Weekend, it should be an outstanding atmosphere at the ballpark and one that Cannizaro is looking forward to competing in. "I'm excited and can't wait to be a part of it," Cannizaro said. "We'll have close to 15,000 people in the park for three-straight days and it's going to be a tremendous atmosphere for college baseball." |
| Bulldogs have secret weapon for Wildcats | |
 | If anyone can share some insight on Mississippi State's Super Bulldog Weekend opponent, Gary Henderson can. Henderson, MSU's pitching coach, spent the previous eight seasons as the Wildcats' head coach and 14 years overall coaching in Lexington. Henderson has helped Bulldogs' head coach Andy Cannizaro draft a detailed scouting report on his former club. "Obviously Gary recruited all those kids and has a tremendous relationship with all those kids," Cannizaro said. "Gary has seen every kid on that roster play since they were 15-years old so it would be crazy not to take advantage of the things that Gary has in knowing those players." Henderson expressed his happiness for the success No. 8 Kentucky has enjoyed this season. The Wildcats are 21-9 overall and 7-2 in conference play. |
| Subtle swing changes help Brent Rooker's monster season | |
 | To the untrained eye, Brent Rooker's swing doesn't look a whole lot different from last year. Break the film down, put it in slow motion and watch it a few dozen times and maybe you'll pick up on the subtle improvements at the plate to which the Mississippi State slugger attributes his incomparable season. Rooker was always a good hitter; he hit a homerun in his first at-bat as a freshman on the Evangelical Christian School (Tenn.) varsity squad. The junior outfielder/first baseman belted 11 home runs with a .324/.376/.578 slash line last year. This year, he said three key differences -- along with adding 10-15 pounds of lean muscle and improving his plate discipline -- have helped him become the best offensive player in the SEC through the midpoint of the season and the main attraction for Super Bulldog Weekend when No. 25 MSU (20-11, 6-3 SEC) hosts No. 10 Kentucky (21-9, 7-2). |
| Kentucky baseball's next series has special meaning for Coach Nick Mingione | |
| The University of Kentucky baseball team's next series will have special meaning for Coach Nick Mingione. The No. 8-ranked Cats are in Starkville, Miss., this weekend for a three-game series against No. 19 Mississippi State (20-11), where Mingione spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach and the program's top recruiter. The Bulldogs' pitching coach is Gary Henderson, the man Mingione replaced at UK this season. And MSU's athletic director is John Cohen, who coached Kentucky to the 2006 Southeastern Conference title before working with Mingione from 2009-2016 as the Bulldogs' head coach. UK (21-9), making its first trip to Starkville since 2012, has won all three series so far against SEC opponents this season. |
| Kentucky's Nick Mingione knows about Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| Super Bulldog Weekend has long served as a spring homecoming of sorts for Mississippi State. So it's fitting that, with the Kentucky Wildcats coming to town for a three-game series this weekend, a longtime former Bulldog is making his return to Starkville. Nick Mingione, who spent the last eight years at MSU as an assistant with the Bulldogs, is now the head coach of the Wildcats. Though it's all business for Mingione and his Kentucky's squad this weekend, it's not lost on Mingione the significance of his previous time spent in Starkville. "We did so many special things while I was there and I was fortunate to be a part of it all," Mingione said. Mingione returns leading one of the SEC's best squads through the first month and a half of the season. Kentucky leads the SEC Eastern Division with a 7-2 record. |
| Many happy returns for Mississippi State's Kobe Jones | |
| Kobe Jones had no shortage of options coming out of Starkville High School as a four-star recruit in 2016. The talented defensive tackle earned 16 scholarship offers and took official visits to Alabama, Miami, Missouri and Ole Miss before deciding to stay in his hometown and attend Mississippi State. "I explored all my options and I felt like this was the best place," Jones said. "They just had the plus-side of being at home. It gives me a piece of mind. I never get homesick and I feel like I have a lot of support here. I'm very comfortable here." Jones guided the Yellow Jackets to a Class 6A state championship during his senior season and participated in both the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic and Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. |
| Spring football drills conclude on Saturday | |
| Missing college football? You're in luck this weekend. Ole Miss and Mississippi State will both hold football scrimmages Saturday to conclude spring drills. Both games will be seen on the SEC Network. Ole Miss will begin at 11 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. MSU's game kicks off at 3 p.m. at Davis-Wade Stadium. Also on the schedule in Oxford is a "fan fest" which begins at 10 a.m. in front of The Pavilion. Saturday's spring game in Starkville is part of Super Bulldog Weekend, with MSU baseball and softball games set for 6 p.m. |
| Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech football kickoff time set | |
| Mississippi State's Sept. 9 football game at Louisiana Tech will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT live on CBS Sports Network from Joe Aillet Stadium, Conference USA announced on Thursday. It will be the 13th battle of the Bulldogs as MSU leads the all-time series, 9-3. MSU is making its second trip to Ruston, La., and first since the 2008 season. MSU won the last meeting by a score of 45-20 on Oct. 17, 2015 in Starkville. The Louisiana Tech contest will be MSU's second game of the year. MSU opens the season against Charleston Southern on Sept. 2 in Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball team's season will be celebrated during Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| The city of Starkville and Mississippi State will celebrate a historic 2016-17 women's basketball season during Super Bulldog Weekend festivities. On Friday, the city of Starkville will host a "Hail State Family Party" in front of City Hall. The Bulldogs will ride fire trucks up Main Street to the plaza, where at 4:30 p.m. a special ceremony will be held recognizing the first Final Four in program history. MSU then will head to Nusz Park for a 6 p.m. Southeastern Conference softball game against South Carolina. Seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie, and Breanna Richardson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The second-ranked Dawgs will then throw out T-shirts in the second inning. On Saturday, Vic Schaefer's squad will sign autographs prior to the Maroon and White spring football game from 2-3 p.m. in the North End Zone concourse of Davis Wade Stadium. Commemorative national finalist posters will be available to be signed by players, and fans can have one item per person signed by the Bulldogs' fifth-year head coach. |
| Mississippi State softball team gains confidence against JSU | |
| The Mississippi State softball team went looking for a pick-me-up Wednesday night. MSU found what it needed in a 14-0, five-inning victory against Jackson State on a blustery night at Nusz Park. "Everybody leaves here with a little bit of confidence," MSU sophomore designated player Sarai Niu said. "When you are getting ready to play a big conference series, confidence is a good thing. We lost a little bit of that last weekend, so it's good to get that back." MSU (27-12, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) will play host to South Carolina (22-14, 2-9) at 6 p.m. Friday in Game 1 of a three-game series that will be a part of Super Bulldog Weekend. |
| SEC softball could set record for teams in NCAA | |
| The buzz has started. Could all 13 Southeastern Conference softball-playing schools make the NCAA tournament? The league has received an all-time best 11 invites in each of the last four seasons. However, the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) figures indicate a higher number might be on the horizon. The SEC RPIs stack up this way: Auburn (three), Florida (five), Texas A&M (seven), LSU (10), Alabama (12), Tennessee (13), Kentucky (17), South Carolina (19), Georgia (22), Missouri (25), Arkansas (27), Mississippi State (31), and Ole Miss (36). MSU coach Vann Stuedeman is trying to make her fifth regional in six seasons as a head coach. MSU's strong RPI number is in large part due to conference wins against Texas A&M and Alabama. |
| Until you play Augusta, you don't know | |
| Sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "Another Masters has begun. We marvel at Jason Day's booming drives and at Jordan Spieth's magical touch. As I age, I marvel more and more at Fred Couples' bionic back and seemingly well-oiled swing. Mostly, we marvel at Augusta National's majestic beauty and marble-fast greens. You will watch somebody -- it could be anybody -- lip out a six-foot putt and have a 20-footer coming back. You will think to yourself, 'Boy, those greens are really slick.' But you won't have a clue. That's the thing about Augusta National's greens. No matter how fast and tricky they appear when you watch somebody else putt, you can't really comprehend the difficulty." |
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