Baseball Quiz: How high is the pitching mound? Answer below.
Robert Trent Jones
One of the great golf architects of all time died last Wednesday at
the age of 93. Jones was born in Ince, England and lived in
Wales before his family moved to East Rochester, NY when he
was 6. It was as a caddie at the Country Club of Rochester that
he learned the game of golf. And it just so happens that Walter
Hagen was an assistant pro there at the same time.
It is estimated that Jones is responsible for 310 courses of his own
design as well as 150 which he updated and remodeled to keep up
with advances in equipment. Since 1951 his courses have been
the venue for some 79 national championships, including 20 U.S.
Opens and 12 PGA Championships.
One of Jones” redesign projects was the Lower Course at
Baltusrol in Springfield, NJ. As noted sportswriter Red Hoffman
describes it, “Club members thought Jones” transformation of a
120-yard par three into a 190-yard test with water hazards was
too tough to play.”
“Jones aimed to show them it wasn”t. With a borrowed No. 4
iron, he holed a shot for an ace.”
“”Gentlemen, the hole is fair, eminently fair,” he told them.”
Jones once described his philosophy in this manner: “Every hole
should be a hard par and easy bogey. The shattering of par
without a proper challenge is a fraud.”
Jones” two sons, Robert Trent Jr. and Rees, are prodigious
architects in their own right. About 11 months ago, Trent Sr.
suffered a stroke and the two boys were in the hospital with their
father. Trent Jr. recalls:
“My father had a great sense of wit. It”s what propelled him to be
a great golf architect.Dad looked at me and said, ”Bobby, am I
going to die?” I said, ”No, you just had a little stroke.” He said,
”Do I have to count it?””
Among Trent Jones most famous course designs or remodeling
jobs are Augusta National, Baltusrol, Firestone, Hazeltine,
Valerrama, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, The Olympic Club,
Ballybunion, and Congressional.
Jack Nicklaus on the senior tour:
Q: Is it any fun?
A: Oh, yeah, we have a good time. We had a real senior moment
during the first round of the Tradition in March. One hole, Dale
Douglas was walking all over Dave Stockton”s line on the green.
Maybe three times. Then I called Dale “Dave.” Then I
apologized to Dale for calling him Dave and he said, “That”s OK,
I never heard you anyway.”
Byron Nelson on Tiger Woods:
Q: Could Tiger be the best player ever?
A: Definitely. Jack Nicklaus is the best we”ve seen so far. But
Tiger is so driven. Fabulously wealthy, yet he competes like he
hasn”t got a dime. Also, he”s getting more comfortable being
No. 1.
[Source: Golf Digest]
Funniest Films
In case you missed the American Film Institute”s list of the 100
funniest American moves of all time.
1. Some Like it Hot
2. Tootsie
3. Dr. Strangelove
4. Annie Hall
5. Duck Soup
6. Blazing Saddles
7. M*A*S*H
8. It Happened One Night
9. The Graduate
10. Airplane!
Here are some I feel should have been much higher than where
they were rated. #17 The Odd Couple, #36 Animal House.that
horrible last 20 minutes did them in, #71 Caddyshack, #87 Fast
Times at Ridgemont High, #93 Fargo.
Forbes Richest Men List
1. Bill Gates.$60 billion
2. Larry Ellison.$47 billion
3. Paul Allen
4. Warren Buffett
5. (tie) German retailers Theo and Karl Albrecht; Prince
Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia; and S. Robson Walton of Wal-
Mart fame.
8. Masayoshi Son, Japanese software magnate.
9. Michael Dell
10. Kenneth Thomson of Thomson Corp.
John Daly”s 14
At Pebble Beach on Thursday, Daly took a 14 on the 18th hole,
finishing with an 83, whereupon he withdrew from the
tournament. So here”s the damage.
Tee shot: Scoots drive under a fence and into the backyard of a
home that borders the right side of the fairway. Out of bounds.
3rd shot: Hooks ball into Carmel Bay. Out of play
5th shot: Hooks ball into Carmel Bay. Out of play.
7th shot: Lays up with 5-iron and lands it safely.
8th shot: Lays up short of the green.
9th shot: Plops shot into the water again. Daly is forced to take a
drop in the bunker, the point at which his ball last crossed the
margin of the hazard. The ball winds up against the sea wall.
11th shot: With the ball up against the wall, Daly takes left-handed
swing and winds up in a bunker.
12th shot: Daly blasts out of the sand.
13th shot: Putt.
14th shot: Putt.
Ronettes Score!
One of the true dirtballs in the music industry is producer Phil
Spector. And a New York State Supreme Court Judge has finally
begun the process of righting some wrongs.
Back in 1963, Spector discovered the Ronettes, of “Be My Baby”
fame. The group received one payment of $14,482 for their work
under a five-year contract. Supposedly, that was the only money
ever paid the girls.
Now, it has been a not so hidden secret that groups in the 60s,
particularly black ones and all girl groups, were screwed out of
royalties. But this is ridiculous.
Spector sold the recordings for use as background music in
movies, videocassette recordings, advertising, and oldies
compilations. The standard practice is for the artists to receive
50% of any income generated from such use.
The judge ruled that the women are entitled to one-half of $3.35
million that Spector got from commercial uses that were not
covered by the contract, plus $925,000 in interest, for a total of
$2.6 million.
Ronnie Spector, who had a stormy marriage years ago to Phil
Spector, was excited by the judgment. “I hope this decision
allows people in rock ”n” roll to avoid the problems and pain I had
to go through. If I can help one person in rock from dying broke,
then I will have done my job.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/19/71: “It”s Too Late” (Carol
King) #2 “Rainy Days and Mondays” (Carpenters) #3 “Want
Ads” (The Honey Cone).
Guess Who…Revisited
I featured the Canadian group in my 5/17 Bar Chat. This past
week they had a little Q&A in Newsweek.
Q: ”American Woman” is in so many commercials and movies.
It”s hard to misread lyrics like ”American woman, stay away from
me.” But commercials use your song to sell U.S. pride. Are we
just a stupid country?
Randy Bachman: We find it pretty confusing, but we”re just kind
of amused. This was a protest song from 1970, a bunch of
Canadian guys writing an antiwar tune.
Burton Cummings: I always thought the song was really more
pro-Canadian than it was anti-American. What I was thinking at
the time was more like, “Canadian woman, I like you. Canadian
woman, I sort of prefer you.” But I guess it came out different.
Nets Trade…Maybe
I share some New Jersey Nets season tickets with friends Anna
and Steve. I have never met more of a basketball fan than Anna.
So I just had to share her thoughts on a trade many of us would
like to see occur. Keith Van Horn for Karl Malone.
“I figure that Van Horn”s value is at its peak in Utah since he was
a college hero there. Utah definitely needs to start rebuilding with
Hornacek retired and Stockton/Malone having at best 1 and 3
years of productive play left, respectively. Malone is old but one
of the best conditioned athletes in the NBA with only one game
missed to injury in the last 10 years. I would gamble on him
having 3 more good years. He and Stephon (Marbury) would
definitely mesh. The Nets need veteran leadership and a physical
presence inside. Van Horn might be more apt to blossom in the
western conference which is known more for finesse and offense
than the east”s more physical play.”
And the Nets should retain their #1 draft pick and take Kenyon
Martin.
So there you have it. We”re hoping the Nets new GM Rod Thorn
reads this.
Baseball Quiz: The pitching mound is now 10 inches high. From
1903-1968, the mound was 15 inches in height. Before 1903 it
was 20 inches or more. I threw this quiz out there as an
enticement for my upcoming Wednesday Bar Chat where I will
go into some detail regarding the Year of the Pitcher, 1968.
Also in Wednesday”s Bar Chat…the origins of the Korean War.
*And coming in July, “Johnny Mac”s Baseball History.” I have
enlisted my friend J Mac to fill us in on some great stories from
the past. I know you”ll find them highly entertaining.
