First Pitch

Mike Foltynewicz fires to Bryce Harper Tuesday night at SunTrust Park, in my first game in the new yard. Details to follow.

Driving Dan Cathy

Will told us more about his job at the Masters. Got paid. Got three caps, two nice shirts and pants, and a windbreaker. Drove VIP's around the course, from the clubhouse area to VIP facilities behind the 5th hole and the 12th green. Was chatting with a lady from Memphis who said she had recently moved back from Denver. When Will asked what had taken her to Denver she confessed "I'm Peyton Manning's wife."

Later he was driving Dan Cathy, who introduced his friend who ran the Ole Miss horticulture department - an area of interest to Will. Most of their conversation centered on the friend and plants, though once or twice Will addressed Dan as "Mr. Cathy." Will figured Cathy might appreciate not being made over for once (though I'm sure many pompous bigwigs except constant kowtowing). At the end of the ride Cathy did perk up, telling Will "by the way, I'm in the restaurant business" while handing Will a card for a free sandwich.

We joked about Will's response could've been. Shout "Why'd you cut out the cole slaw?" like when George Constanza's father met George Steinbrenner by asking "Why'd you trade Jay Buhner?" (below)

Remember when we went to the Masters the first golfer we saw wasn't a pro, but the Augusta National member who played the earliest tee time so there would be two golfers in the group? I didn't notice but last weekend there was once again an uneven number of golfers who made the cut, so once again Jeff Knox got to play in the Masters. In 2006 he played against Sergio Garcia, and shot a better score. I'm making a list of Augusta National Members, most of whom are CEOs of major corporations.


Last Saturday night we noticed a Taqueria in downtown Decatur. As usual, there was a long line waiting to order. Business was good.

Last Sunday M had worked 7 pm - 4 am. Monday morning he had a music lesson, then he worked again last night. All the standing is hard on his back.

Monday: typical evening for me. Left work at six. C cooked stuffed manicotti shells and salad. After supper I cut the grass. Was almost dark when I finished. Wheel. Jeopardy. The Voice. The Middle.

Last Tuesday C was down at an art store near Perimeter Mall. M went to the High Museum, the Westside Taqueria, and Douglasville. Anna was at a McDonalds in Athens. I left work at six. Grabbed a CFA and Kroger gas. Reid's wife Noelle brought us a coconut crème pie. I pretty much crashed. Jeopardy, Seinfeld, the WSB Braves special, The Voice. Just off the Boat is hilarious. Reminds me of my coworker Keith. Later The Middle and bed.

Stopped by Bojangles Wednesday AM for their special: bacon, egg, & cheese biscuits. Better than CFA or McDonalds.

Crazy day at work Wednesday. Had a constant stretch from 11 am - 2:30 pm, a bunch of stuff that all had to be handled immediately. Been a while since I'd had a stretch like that. Left after 6:30 and had to run by the library. Didn't get home until almost 8 pm. C cooked a BBQ chicken on the grill. Green beans and mashed potatoes. Saw final Jeopardy, Last Man Standing, The Middle, Blackish, and Designated Survivor. I was doing laundry and working on my laptop. Also packaged two pair of shoes I'd sold on eBay.

Worked well past 7 pm Thursday night. Updated my laptop and that slowed my down. Was trying to get a lot done and then an emergency came up when I realized I needed to run the Friday morning report before I left. Stopped by Kroger on the way home. Talked to the Chief. C cooked burgers for supper.

Friday I missed Braves day at work. Eric wore his Dale Murphy jersey and Brad wore his son's Hank Aaron jersey. I cleaned the kitchen and blew the drive. Also had to log on and do some work. C had to run to the mall for Easter presents. Left for Athens around noon. Made a couple of stops, but I picked up the new Taco Bell taco burrito for a snack. It was ok but they weren't charging the promotional sale price. And the drive thru took 12 minutes. Seven hundred twenty seconds. Seemed longer with Barney in the back seat, barking.

Anna finished her laundry and we got on the road. MC was judging a beauty pageant so we didn't get see them. Stopped in Augusta anyway because an Easter ham was needed. I should've gassed up while I was waiting on C. When we left home I'd reset the trip odometer cause the tank looked full. Actually C had gassed up the night before, so there was 40 miles gone when we started. I was coasting down a hill when I flipped the odometer, so the coasting calculated the MPG at 150 MPG. Didn't stay that way long.

Also stopped at Chickfila in Augusta. Unusually bad service. Long line. Only two of four cash registers open. Then we had to stop in Lugoff for gas. Made it to Jefferson at 9 pm - an 8-1/2 trip. Ugh.

On the way we listened to the Columbia Fireflys radio broadcast. Didn't get to hear Tim Tebow bat. Later I found the Braves game and heard Ender Inciarte score the first run in the new park. All the reviews were positive, including parking. A little congestion after the games due to people not knowing what they were standing in line for. Sounds like SunTrust will be a hitters park. As I had predicted a couple of years ago, the stadium has the MLB's third highest elevation, similar to old Atlanta Stadium.

Hopefully the tomahawks that spilt onto I-75 near SunTrust Park won't catch fire and burn the 75/285 interchange down.

Slept late Saturday. Worked on my computer, then went with Lennie and Corrine to shoot pistols out in the country east of town. A good bunch of people. The patriarch used to run a bunch of mills in the Carolinas. All the sun wore me out. Later I drove C to the grocery, and she cooked Mexican. Got to watch a little of the Braves game, The Middle, and the beginning of Saturday Night Live.

Jimmy Fallon's opening number "Let's Dance" was almost as good as Steve Martin's original "Not Gonna Phone it in Tonight" opening in season 17 episode 9

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/steve-martin-cold-opening/n10162?snl=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDsD9s4VU3M

.

Sunday morning we attended FBC Pageland. It was the first time Ceil's mother had gotten out to church in a year and a half. As usual we were running late, so we took the last visitor's spot in front of the church. Walked in the front door five minutes late but the pastor was in the vestibule fixing to go in.

At church we sat behind Kristina Tucker, who'd been featured on one of the Golf Channel's first seasons of The Big Break. She had come over from Sweden to play golf at Duke, and married a player on the men's golf team. Now he helps run the family lumber business where Ceil's brother works. Kristina played in the US Open one year, but didn't stay on the tour for long.

Lunch was ham, corn, brown rice, rolls, salad, mac'n cheese, asparagus, brussel sprouts, caramel cake, pound cake, strawberries and cream, and ice cream. We had 16 for dinner. Phil had to work.

When we got to Augusta the dogs were so happy to see each other. They wrestled and wrestled. I was scared they'd run into tables and lamps. At one point Okie pretty much punched me in the chin. This morning I had a mark.

Ate at "World of Beers" which despite its name is actually a sports bar. W and A got chicken sandwiches. MC and I got flatbread dishes. I didn't put much thought into my order and didn't realize what it was. I wasn't that impressed. Not many toppings. Mostly bread. Not crispy.

Drove Anna to Athens, then home. I hadn't gassed up before leaving so we started back with 40 miles already on the trip odometer. Driving faster than normal burned more gas than usual. Had to stop in Sandy Springs for gas. Arrived home at 10:30, a 7-1/2 hour trip. Not fun.

Before bed I watched my company's CEO meeting from last week on line. One of the fabricators I've been dealing with the past 9 years was on the "show." Everything was scripted and there wasn't much time, so not many people who work with them got mentioned. That kept me up past 12:30 am. But I slept good.

Didn't have anything to bring for lunch today so I used that as an excuse to stop by Bojangles on the way to work for two bacon egg and cheese biscuits. Actually saved one until lunchtime.

I haven't seen John Parkes since last season. Have you seen him lately? I have his phone number and was thinking about calling him. John had also told me he wasn't going to games this year. The guys I know who buy 20 tickets to get 20 bobbleheads would let John use one of their tickets, so I was going to see if he wanted to go to a game with me. You can go as well. They have escalators to the upper deck now.

We've been getting auto-dialed recorded messages from SPdL on our home line with various announcements. These days our land line is ringing off the hook with robo-calls from various political candidates. We used to be on the No Call list but for some reason that no longer works.

He is Risen

Not about me today. Really not about me any day, but especially today. Easter is about Jesus, being raised from dead to eternal life in Heaven by God the Father. The most important event in history. Everything else pales in comparison. Praise God.

Grist Mill Gun Range

Uncle Lennie and Aunt Corrine took me to see their friend's grist mill this afternoon, up in the country north of Jefferson.

Hugh and his wife grind grits and corn meal in the mill,
located just down the hill from this rustic home.
Phil Robertson ain't got nothing on this guy.

The water spills from the lake over a dam down to into a babbling brook.

The family shoots potatoes out of this cannon.

Lennie contributed this old generator. I didn't get a good picture of the wonderful front porch, overlooking the quiet lake.

Last week Hugh's son Miller married his fiancé Jean here in front of the mill. The newlyweds had gone to high school with Ceil.

Obligatory panoramic shot.

The mill's eastern wall.

Before we visited the mill we shot targets at Hugh's outdoor shooting range. The group gathers on Saturday afternoon at a sandy section of their property, also a great spot for four-wheeling.

Corrine doesn't mess with automatic pistols, instead firing her six-shooter. I shot three different pistols and did ok.

Hit all five targets in the black and Hugh will cast a pistol with your name on it. Hit the bulls-eye all five times and he paints the handle white. 

Don't tell his wife, but Eric has over 200 guns.

Didn't seem right for me to mention my 200 bobbleheads.

A grainy photo, but the CRV got 150 MPG on the drive up. For a while. Actually it got worse than usual, due to several factors we'll go over next week.

Home Opener

The day the Braves officially open SunTrust Park. Lots to see above, looking south from above Marietta. The area around the new stadium is not at all suburban: it's surrounded by buildings and two interstates. The stretch of 75 in the foreground heads straight toward the stadium. That's the Windy Hill bridge crossing the highway.

Looking west at the white Delta parking deck, the third base gate, the Uber lot at the lower right, another parking deck above that, The Battery immediately on the other side of the stadium, and Spring Road on the other side of Cobb Parkway.

Looking west at The Battery Atlanta.

Morale Killers at Work

Great ways to kill morale, a combination of three related articles recently published by Travis Bradberry for LinkedIn. Managers blame turnover problems while ignoring the crux on the matter: people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. The more demanding your job is and the less control over what you have to do, the more likely you are to suffer. People whose work meets those criteria are more likely to experience exhaustion, poor sleep, anxiety, and depression. This suffering can be avoided. The following offenders must be eliminated in order to hang on to good employees:

 

Overworking people.

 

Holding people back.

 

Playing the blame game.

 

Frequent threats of firing. Makes employees feel disposable, even if the manager is “just joking.” Better to find a job where they’ll be valued and receive the respect they deserve.

 

Not letting people pursue their passions.

 

Withholding praise. It’s easy to underestimate the power of a sincere pat on the back, even with intrinsically motivated top performers. Everyone likes praise, especially those who work hard and give their all despite being surrounded by slackers. Managers need to communicate with their people to figure

 

The six month rule: not letting employees transfer for the first six months they’ve been in a new position. This could hold people in positions they’re not suited for.

 

Ridiculous requirements for attendance, leave, and time off. Especially salaried employees. Don’t ding them for being five minutes late when they’re working nights and weekends (though hourly workers see the bad example and think they can get away with it as well). Requiring documentation for bereavement and sick leave.

 

Shutting down self-expression. What people keep on their desks. Dress codes. Hire professionals and they’ll dress professionally. Managers can address violators individually as opposed to making strict rules for everyone.

 

Restricting internet use. Where to draw the line?

 

Bell curves and forced rankings of performance. Some talents follow a natural curve, but job performance does not. When you force employees to fit a pre-determined ranking system you (1) incorrectly evaluate them (2) make people feel like a number and (3) create insecurity and dissatisfaction.

 

Banning mobile phones. Instead hire people who are trustworthy and won’t take advantage. Train managers to deal with underperformers and violate expectations. Banning phones demoralizes good employees.

 

Stealing frequent-flyer miles. That’s one thing road-weary employees earn. A greedy move that fuels resentment with every flight.

 

Draconian email policies. Another trust issue. Hurts the rule followers – the bad guys will find a way around the rule.

 

Limiting bathroom breaks.  

 

Political correctness. Limiting “Bless you” and “Merry Christmas” creates paranoia and stifles self-expression without improving how people treat each other.

 

NOTE: for the most part my company does a decent job avoiding most of these issues.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-ways-kill-morale-dr-travis-bradberry

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shortsighted-rules-make-good-people-quit-dr-travis-bradberry

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stupid-workplace-rules-drive-everyone-crazy-dr-travis-bradberry

Augusta National Members (updated April 2025)

Members of the Augusta National live different lives than you or me. All are leaders in their fields, with titles of CEO or better. Not just anyone can join this exclusive club, you have to be asked. Usually there are about 300 members, with a waiting list of another 300, all nominated by a member. Average age in the 70's.

This list below is far from complete, and is a compilation from several sources, including the Bloomberg link below. I will continue to update it over the years, This may be one of the most comprehensive lists of its kind, ranging from founding members to present day.

Looking at the various professions, it appears individuals are purposely chosen to include a wide variety of industries: finance, medicine, government, education, communications, media, oil & gas, food & beverage, transportation, and sports. There are members from all around the world, as well as many from the Augusta area.

Even if I were to come into a substantial amount of money, that alone wouldn’t secure me an invitation to membership. While usually I don’t enjoy the company of privilege and excess, in this case I’d make an exception.  

 

Harold Anderson CEO Omaha World Herald

Bartlett Arkell meat packing, founding member

Harry M Atkinson Atlanta CEO Georgia Power founding member

 

Thomas Barrett Jr, Augusta (early member) 

Ed Bastain Delta Airlines CEO

Pat Battle chairman IMG College Atlanta

Louis Berckmans, Belgium. Son of the nursery owner

Robert Berry CEO Empress Gas Tulsa

James Blanchard chairman Jordan Blanchard Capital Columbus GA

Thomas Blanchard Jr president Blanchard Calhoun Real Estate Augusta

Douglas Black, publisher, Doubleday, early member

Clayton Boardman, Boardman Petroleum Augusta

Michael Bonallack CEO Royal & Ancient Fife Scotland (deceased)

Bradford Boss apparel chairman Costa Inc Rhode Island 

Ana Botin Santander Group exec chairman

Alfred Severin Bourne Singer Sewing Machine Augusta founding member

Albert Bradley General Motors chairman

Stephen Brown CEO Brown Vizvary Land & Forestry Evans GA

Frank Broyles AD University of Arkansas (deceased)

Warren Buffett CEO Berkshire Hathaway billionaire

Jack Burke Jr golf Houston TX (deceased)

Thomas Butler, paid for the Butler Cabin

 

John Carr oil and gas Dublin Ireland

Robert Chapman III CEO Inman Mills Spartanburg

Owen Cheatham Georgia Pacific

Simon Chirayath Great Britain

Alistar Cook British historian

Virgis Colbert Miller Coors Singer Island FL

Pete Coors CEO MillerCoors Golden CO

Tom Cousins CEO Cousins Properties Atlanta

Bob Craft, member since 1966

Henry C Cullum, Augusta haberdasher, early member

 

George H Davis Jr CEO Hotchkis & Wiley LA CA

R Stuart Dickson chairman Harris Teeter Charlotte

Thomas Dickson CEO Harris Teeter Charlotte

John Dobbs president Dobbs Mgt Memphis

Beverly Dolan president Textron Inc Charlotte

David Dorman CEO AT&T Atlanta

Walter Driver regional chairman Goldman Sachs Atlanta

Stanley Druckenmiller chairman Duquesne NYC billionaire

James Dunne III CEO Sandler O’Neill & Partners NYC

 

Dwight D Eisenhower

John Eisenhower

Nick Evans CEO Spartan Communications Augusta

 

William Farish III US Ambassador to the UK Houston TX

Ben Farris president US Steel

H Ray Finney retired doctor Augusta

Donald Fites CEO Caterpillar Naples IL

Joe Ford CEO Alltel Little Rock

Scott Ford CEO Alltel Little Rock

Jerome Franklin

Bradford Freeman chairman Freeman Spogli & Co LA

Harvey C Fruehauf truck trailers

 

William Gary III Gary Concrete Products Augusta

Bill Gates III CEO Microsoft Medina WA billionaire

Louis Gerstner Jr CEO IBM Armonk NY

Frederick Gluck CEO McKinsey & Co Santa Barbara CA

Freeman Gosden, Hollywood, of Amos & Andy fame

David Goode CEO Norfolk Southern

Roger Goodell NFL commissioner NYC

M James Gorrie CEO Brasfield Gorrie Birmingham

James T Greene, Greenville SC, early member

C William Griffin VP Black Knight Pittsburgh

 

James Hance Jr Carlyle Group

Phil S Harison Jr chairman Walton Foundation Augusta

John Harris CEO Lincoln Harris Charlotte

William Harrison Jr CEO JP Morgan Chase Greenwich CT

Pat Haden AD USC

Hord W Harden, chairman, Augusta National

John Harris, retired from Senior Tour

Craig Heatley chairman Eventures Auckland New Zealand

Edward Herlihy partner Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz NYC

Paul Herzwurm surgeon Orthopaedic Associates Evans GA

James Hoak Jr chairman Hoak Media N Palm Beach

Morton Hodgson nephew of Robert Woodruff

Lou Holtz football

William Howell CEO JC Penney AZ

Eugene Howerd Jr president The Howerdd Group real estate Augusta

W Howard Hudson surgeon Orthopaedic Associates Augusta GA

George Humphrey, Secretary of the Treasury under Ike

James Hyler Jr vice chair Ironstone Bank Raleigh

 

David Ingram chairman Ingram Entertainment LaVergne TN

O Wayne Isom surgeon Weill Cornell Medical Center NYC

 

Andy Jassy Amazon CEO

Gregory Johnson CEO Franklin Resources San Mateo CA

William Hootie Johnson chairman Bank of America Columbia SC

Robert Johnston founder Centennial Holding Atlanta

Bobby Jones founder Atlanta

Pete Jones, financed Ike's presidential campaign 

Col Robert Purmedus Jones Atlanta (Bobby's father) founding member

R.T. (Bob) Jones, Jr.

 

David Kern MSM Scotts Lawn Service

Joseph King, early member

David Kirkland director Salomon Brothers Palm Beach FL

Clifford Kirtland Jr CEO Cox Communications Atlanta

Charles Knight CEO Emerson Electric St Louis

Jefferson Knox club champion, director Knox Foundation Augusta (below)

Dessey Kuhlke Kuhlke Construction Augusta

 

Melvin Laird, US Secretary of Defense

William H Lane, Augusta National chairman

Lansing B Lee, lawyer Augusta

Rob Light, partner Creative Artists Agency

Bruce Lily CEO Minnesota Museum of American Art St Paul

Robert Long Jr Granville Capital Greensboro

 

Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner

Eli Manning

Peyton Manning

John Jacko Maree CEO Standard Bank Johannesburg

Walt Marshall New York founding member

Bud Maytag, washing machines, early member

Charles McAdam, early member 

Hugh McColl Jr former CEO Bank of America

Hugh McColl III partner Collwick Capital Charlotte

John McColl VP Cousins Properties Atlanta 

Michael McDermott club champion?

Terry McGuirk CEO Atlanta Braves

William McKnight CEO McKnight Construction Augusta 

Sean McManus CBS Sports Chairman

Jay Monroe founding member

Darla Moore partner Rainwater Inc Ft Worth

Charles H Morris founder Morris Multimedia Savannah

William Morris Sr. owned Augusta newspaper

William Morris IV president Morris Communications Augusta

William Morris III CEO Morris Communications Augusta

Horris V Morrisette Jr president China Doll Mobile

Diana Murphy, former USGA president

 

Will Nicholson Jr chairman Visa USA Denver
Jack Nicklaus golf FL

Claude B Nielson chairman Coca-Cola Bottling Birmingham

J Fleming Norvell coach Augusta State University

Sam Nunn US Senator Atlanta

 

Robert O’Block partner McKinsey & Co Chestnut Hill Mass

 

Arnold Palmer golf FL (deceased)

Samuel Palmisano CEO IBM Southport CT

Billy Payne chairman Augusta National Atlanta

Ogden Mills Phipps chairman Bessimer Trust Palm Beach

T Boone Pickens Jr oil (deceased)

Mark Pigott chairman PACCAR Medina WA

Lawrence Pugh chairman CEO VF Corp Naples FL

 

Brady Tripp Rackley III founder Firehorn Capital Atlanta

John Reed, Citicorp CEO

Ralph Reed, president, American Express, early member 

James Reinhart CEO Reinhart Partners Mequon Wisc

Donald Remey founder BCI Partners Jupiter FL

John Reynolds III VP Club Car Augusta

Condoleeza Rice US Secretary of State Stanford CA (above)

Grantland Rice, sportswriter 

Fred Ridley partner Foley & Lardner Tampa

Clifford Roberts founder New York City

Julian Roberts

Bill Robinson New York Herald Tribune early member

James D Robinson III CEO American Express

Ray Robinson president AT&T Atlanta

David Roderick CEO US Steel Orlando

Virginia Rometty CEO IBM

Matt Rose CEO BNSF Railway

 

Paul Savardi CEO Insperity Texas

Clarence "Schooie" Schoo, early member

James C Self III president Greenwood Mills SC

George Schultz US Secretary of State Sanford CA

Leroy Simkins president Simkins Land Co Augusta

Turner Simkins founder Newfire Media Augusta

Bill Simms, insurance, Charlotte, 2nd black member

E.D. "Slats" Slater, early member, whiskey executive 

Annika Sorenstam

Rob Spilman Jr CEO Bassett Furniture Martinsville VA

Jackson Stephens, investor

Warren Stephens CEO Stephens Inc Little Rock billionaire

Lee J Styslinger III CEO Alltec Birmingham

Robert Sumner pastor editor The Biblical Evangelist
Lynn Swann football Sewickley PA

 

Rex Tillerson CEO ExxonMobile & US Secretary of State

Francis A Townsend Jr president Southern Bank & Trust Aiken SC

Ronald Townsend 1st black member president Gannett media Jacksonville

Gene Tunney, heavyweight champion

 

Jack Vickers chairman Vickers Energy Castle Rock Colorado

 

Henry Waite chairman HUFF productions

J Bransford Wallace chairman Willis Corroon Corp Nashville

Robert Waller president Mayo Clinic Memphis

William K Warren Jr VP Warren American Oil Company Tulsa

Ian Webb referee, golf Belfast N Ireland

Jack Welsh author CEO General Electric (deceased)

Jock Whitney Hollywood CA

Toby Wilt president TSW Investment Nashville

George Wislar founder Fountainhead Water Marietta

Robert Woodruff Coca Cola

 

Geoffrey Yang partner Redpoint Ventures Menlo Park CA

Jerry Yang CEO Yahoo! Los Altos CA

Charlie Yates Jr golf, Atlanta

Dan Yates golf Atlanta

Danny Yates III golf Atlanta

Dirk Ziff co-chair Ziff Brothers Investments NYC billionaire

golf.com/news/augusta-national-members-list 2025

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-augusta-national-golf-club-members/

 

http://www.golf.com/golf-plus/billy-paynes-10-years-augusta-national-chairman-emperor-wears-green

 

 http://www.golf.com/golf-plus/jeff-knox-masters-marker-everyone-wants-play-augusta-national 

Top Ten NFL Curses

The NFL Network’s top ten curses. They’re really stretching for subject matter. No mention of the Falcons, though this show was produced before the Super Bowl.

 

Best of the Rest:

HM: The Browns haven’t won since ditching the elf logo in 1969.

 

HM: The Bengals passed over Bill Walsh and hired Bill Johnson as head coach. Walsh went on to build a dynasty in San Francisco. No one remembers Bill Johnson.

 

HM: The Super Bowl hangover curse. Few teams repeat. It’s even harder for Super Bowl losers to return to the big game. Bad news for Falcon fans.  

 

HM: No team has played a Super Bowl in their own stadium. Several have had the chance: Rams, Raiders, Saints, Dolphins, Lions, Giants, Jets, Vikings, Falcons, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Colts, Chargers, Texans, Cowboys.

 

10. Revenge of the Honey Bears. Not long after the Bears won big in 1985 they added a cheerleading squad. They haven’t won big since then.

 

9. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Billy Penn statue. You knew they were going to make up an Eagles curse.

 

8. The Cardinals are cursed for taking the NFL title when it was stripped from the Pottsville Maroons, who had played a team of college all stars.

 

7. The City of Buffalo is cursed ever since the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley. The NBA team left town. The NHL team lost the Stanley Cup on a bad call. Buffalo’s greatest star (OJ Simpson) was disgraced. Thurman Thomas lost his helmet and didn’t start the Super Bowl. And the Bills lost four straight Super Bowls – one on Scott Norwood’s missed field goal.

6. Joe Namath made a deal with the devil, guaranteeing a Super Bowl win in exchange for not winning anything else the rest of his life. Joe was the game’s MVP, despite not even throwing a pass in the fourth quarter. Joe even looked like the devil when he had that Fu Manchu. You knew they were gonna make up a curse to explain why the Jets are perennial losers.

 

5. Marcus Allen hexes Al Davis. The Raiders owner isn’t satisfied with one HOF RB. Davis brings in Bo Jackson and Allen has to sit. Then Allen signed with the rival Chiefs, and the Raiders haven’t won since – even losing to New England in the snowy tuck rule game.

4. The Sports Illustrated cover jinx. The SI jinx started with Doak Walker. The Lions lost five straight games. Packers lineman Tony Mandarich’s career went downhill after appearing on the cover.

 

3. The Super Dome Curse. The stadium was built on top of a cemetery. The Saints were so bad they had local witch doctors come in before a game to dance and lift the curse. During the 49ers/Ravens Super Bowl the clock stopped, then the lights went out. No mention of the similar Atlanta Stadium curse.

2. The Madden cover curse. Every player appearing on the video game cover suffered a major injury: Donovan McNabb, Donte Culpepper, Shawn Alexander, Vince Young, Garrison Hearst, Mike Vick. Calvin Johnson broke the curse – but the Lions went from being a playoff team to 4-12. Now only Madden appears on the cover.

 

1. The Bobby Layne curse. In 1957 Layne broke his leg, but the Lions won the championship with Tobin Rote at QB. Layne was traded. On his way out of town he said the Lions wouldn’t win for the next 50 years. He was right. Will the curse ever end? Detroit drafted Matt Stafford number one overall, and he’s been the best QB since Layne. Maybe so. Stafford grew up on the same street as Layne, and went to the same high school.

 

More on the Masters

Will loved working at the Masters. He’d seen his picture in the Friday paper, behind Kit Palmer. I looked it up on line (above). Friday he saw NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is an Augusta National member. W talked to the President of Mizuno about Chipper Jones. Sunday after Rose and Garcia finished regulation they walked up to the clubhouse for the ride to the 18th tee, passing right by where Will was standing. Afterwards Will drove the low amateur to his car, and drove the amateur’s family out to the parking lot.

 

C always gets into the Masters. This year she finally said she’d like to go. Last year she was out of town, but she’s had a couple of opportunities in years past that she passed on. C was living and dying on every Jordan Spieth stroke. She’d shout when he’s just miss, scaring Barney. I told her that Spieth didn’t get as emotional as she did. This year I didn’t hear a peep from our friend Burch, who met us with the passes last year. Coworker Rodney had met with them the week before the Masters, but nobody I know of from work went.

 

I’m not a big Sergio fan so I knew I wasn’t going to pick him. Not a big Dustin Johnson fan and almost didn’t include him in my 10+10. I figured after he’d done well the past few weeks he wouldn’t be able to do well in the Masters, especially with all the pressure and the spotlight on him. But as the world number one it was hard to leave him out. The Masters go out of their way to include players from around the world. Not sure if that’s why the players who play the most on the PGA tour don’t contend as well.  

 
Masters Masters Masters all weekend. Left work Friday at 5:45. Bought a FootJoy golf shirt on the way home. Not sure it looks good on me though. Ceil didn’t want to go to the movies. We watched the Masters and some other stuff.
 
Saturday morning C went to the Y. I was deleting emails. Cleaned upstairs. MC was supposed to come by so we cleaned up downstairs real good. Then she couldn’t come. Watched the Masters. When Jordan Spieth finished around 7 pm I drove C down to Ponce City Market. She finished shopping at Binders around 8:10 and we headed east on Ponce toward Decatur. Traffic was heavy from the old Sears building past Briarcliff. Perhaps people detouring 85.
 
Made it to Dekalb Farmers Market around 8:35, so she had 25 minutes to shop. I zipped over to CFA and cashed in my calendar card for April’s large Coke and fries. Took 285 home. Construction had westbound 285 traffic backed up on the top end, so it took us a while to get to 400. Got home and watched the Braves, then reruns of the Tonight Show.
 
M went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Saturday. Sunday M had to work 7 – 3, so he left out early. As we were getting ready for church we found him back in bed. Turned out he had to work 7 pm – 3 am. Good Sunday School Lesson.
 
Bryant wasn’t at church again this Sunday. His son George has been called to replace the long-time pastor at Shandon Baptist in Birmingham, so Bryant was there for his first Sunday. Speaking of pastors and the Masters, Louie Giglio attended the Masters this week as a guest of his pal Karl Schwartzel.

After church C had to stop by Publix and Office Max, so I grabbed some Taco Bell. Didn’t get home until 1:30. Watched the Masters all afternoon. Popped corn. C cooked quesadillas before M went to work.       
 

Taylor brought in CFA biscuits this AM. He works closely with Sherryl, who sits next to me. Last time he brought ice cream. He put them down and went to talk to Sherryl. While they were talking everyone grabbed the ice cream. When Taylor was finished with Sherryl all the ice cream was gone. This morning the same thing happened. I interrupted them and told them what was happening, so Taylor went over and grabbed one for Sherryl.

This Friday and Sunday the Braves are wearing all new carbon fiber batting helmets, which is supposed to be the cat’s meow. The latest thing (but in football it's an outdated design). Pretty soon all the colleges and high schools and Little Leagues and travel teams will be copying the design, and coming out with even more outrageous helmets than ever before. Great. These Braves helmets don’t look too bad, and they’re only wearing them the two times before auctioning them off. Good.

People love their MacBooks. If you got one I’m sure Bruce could come over whenever you need help. They’re supposed to be super easy. Apple phones are easy to use. We’ve had a big Apple desktop for years. Now it is super slow. C uses it some but uses her iPad just as much. Perhaps by this weekend I will order the Apple Watch. They can do a lot of things. I don’t really “need” one but I have the Amazon gift cards to get it. Sure don’t need any more sneakers or bobbleheads.

 

I’ve been trying to be extra careful on steps lately cause I haven’t felt as sturdy on them. When I stumble it kills my back.
 

Producers got the idea for the reality TV show “Live PD” from watching the hit movie “The Hunger Games.”

 

Jim Powell will have to change his call from “Right down Peachtree!” to “Straight down Cobb Parkway!” Then he can add “…past the Big Chicken!”