I had the chance to watch the Mississippi State University baseball team during the first two games of the Georgia series this weekend, and they looked much better than they did in the first 25 games of the season. Getting a win over head coach Ron Polk’s former team, let alone two wins over the former SEC leader is quite impressive and may just give the Diamond ODawgs the juice they need to make a run not only at the SEC Western Division title, but also the SEC overall championship. There is still a lot of baseball to be played though, and in this sport, as in any other, anything can happen. As of today, I will begin naming my MVP of the week award to an outstanding MSU player: sophomore pitcher Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon shut the door on a Georgia rally in game one of the series pitching two innings and only giving up one hit. The 6-foot-3-inch Jacksonville, Fla., native struck out four en route to the Bulldogs’ 7-5 win Friday night. To Papelbon, congratulations and keep up the good work.
As reported Friday, Bulldog basketball standout Mario Austin left the team to participate in the NBA draft. It is true that I do not know his entire situation, but I don’t think it’s a good decision. I’m not totally convinced that Austin is ready for the NBA. Don’t get me wrong, Austin is a great basketball player who has improved by leaps and bounds since he came to Starkville, but he still has some improving to do. I originally thought if he decided to stay for the 2002-2003 season, it would be his last, and after that season, he should be ready. But now, he’s not ready for the NBA. Nevertheless, everyone, myself included, should wish him nothing but the best for his pro career.
There may be the slight possibility that Austin will change his mind. According to Austin, if he doesn’t like his draft position, he’ll return to MSU and play his junior year. Of course, I can look at this two ways–the MSU fan in me wants him to stay and help for next season, and the other is the side of me that wants him to do whatever it is that makes him happy and successful.
The Masters Tournament begins this week. Actual tournament play begins on Thursday morning, but the week really begins on Monday, April 15, with practice rounds and such.
One night, I decided to look up tickets for the event hoping that I could find a good deal. Tickets for only practice rounds are going for $400, and you can forget finding tickets for the actual tournament. This is one of those events where a would-be spectator needs connections.
The Masters is the tournament I look most forward to during the season, and it’s usually the most entertaining golfing event to watch, even if Tiger Woods is beating everyone by 11 shots. To combat Tiger’s so-called dominance at Augusta National, they lengthened the golf course by at least 800 yards, added trees, grew out the rough and overall made the course 10 times harder than it was. Most people who have watched this tournament enough to know what the course used to look like are not even supposed to recognize it now–it’s been changed that much.
Regardless of the changes though, my pick for this weekend is Woods. Sure, he hasn’t played up to his level so far this year, but something just seems to happen to him when he gets to Augusta, Ga. It’s like a switch he can turn on and off. If you’re looking for a dark horse this weekend, look no further than Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal. Olazabal has won the tournament twice, in 1994 and 1999, and is playing some pretty good golf as of late.
As I close, I would like to comment on the Bulldogs’ performance during the Maroon and White football scrimmage. I am very impressed, especially with Kevin Fant. Fant was 18 of 22 for 201 yards and four touchdowns. I am quite excited about the fact that the offense has turned somewhat into a passing offense. That’s the way that a majority of the winning programs in college football are going, and I think it is time for us to go that route also. But, it doesn’t hurt to have a guy that can throw the ball either.