tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74794442024-03-07T18:08:37.759-05:00Patrick EakesRuminations and observations from a scattered mindUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger961125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-70783766002175508462011-04-06T22:30:00.001-04:002011-04-06T22:31:15.716-04:00WTF?I have no idea why my formatting evaporated on the last post. Perhaps that is my punishment for being away so long.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-47502586713964871072011-04-06T22:13:00.005-04:002011-04-06T22:31:46.282-04:002011 Masters PicksThe Masters golf championship begins tomorrow morning in Augusta, GA. I had a chance to attend the practice round on Monday, and had to decline through gritted teeth. I missed a beautiful day there, before the storm blew through, and it looks like the weather will be perfect through the tournament. Phil Mickelson is the clear favorite to win. Dude has three Masters titles, along with ten more topUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-13419476178853855802010-06-16T23:10:00.001-04:002010-06-17T08:39:33.684-04:002010 U.S. Open PicksThe U.S. Open golf championship begins tomorrow at Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of three courses (along with Shinnecock Hills and Pinehurst CC #2) locked into the unofficial US Open rota. The course often features high wind and rain, but the weather looks clear and cool for the next four days.Past U.S. Opens at Pebble have produced wins for the best golfers of the day, and I think the hottest Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-22140229076639028572009-08-11T09:12:00.001-04:002009-08-11T11:03:32.037-04:00Trying To Have It Both WaysI find it odd Charles Davenport, Jr. used the following quote in his most recent opinion column: "In no other occupation is mediocrity -- or positive incompetence -- so thoroughly entrenched as in the teaching profession today." (emphasis mine)It's strange Davenport would use a quote referring to teaching as a profession, when just a few weeks ago he argued that teaching is not a profession. Of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-67294203431428745522009-06-18T00:01:00.005-04:002009-06-18T00:08:15.737-04:002009 U.S. Open PicksThe US Open golf championship begins today at Bethpage State Park's Black Course, the second visit to the first truly public facility to host the championship. This is a long, mean course that only yielded one subpar finish in 2002.The course has received lots of rain recently, and they expect a good bit more over the next few days. Unless the USGA moves the tees up (a real possibility), there Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-47062641837833473002009-04-09T05:22:00.000-04:002009-04-09T06:55:36.879-04:002009 Masters PicksMasters Picks 2009The Masters golf championship begins this morning in Augusta, GA. I was fortunate enough to attend Tuesday's practice round, when it was cool, cloudy, and extremely windy. Fortunately, conditions look great through Sunday. The course should get firmer during the tournament, and that will allow the cream of the field to rise to the top.Sergio Garcia: #3 in the world, drives the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-90230756427755405192009-03-09T20:33:00.002-04:002009-03-09T20:45:26.470-04:00Inflated AccomplishmentThe All-ACC team was announced today, and senior Tyler Hansbrough was a unanimous selection for a record fourth year. It is an incredible accomplishment that needs no inflating, but the press release at the conference web site noted this curious tidbit (emphasis mine):"Hansbrough last year became the third player in league history to beunanimously named to the all-ACC team three times, joining Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-84876827281145321492009-02-22T14:12:00.006-05:002009-03-07T12:21:57.440-05:002009 Oscar PicksI usually watch the Oscars, if for no other reason than to see a couple of train wrecks. However, wifey has other plans for us this evening, so I will miss all the fun.As has been the case the last few years, I have not seen all of the nominated films and performances, but neither have a lot of the voters, so I should be in good shape to nail a few predictions.Supporting Actress: This seems like Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-74018696442105168282009-01-14T10:22:00.004-05:002009-01-15T09:39:14.710-05:00Update on Martin Eakes AttackDurham police are looking for Harry Wayne Massey, Jr. in connection with the attack on my uncle, Martin Eakes. Massey is charged with having Martin's stolen cell phone the day after the attack. Massey is believed to be homeless, so I will be very interested to find out if he is located.Update: Massey has been arrested.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-46951706557522915022008-12-23T11:10:00.001-05:002008-12-23T11:16:22.092-05:00O Holy NightMy favorite version of my favorite Christmas songUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-87051797961707731572008-12-03T11:30:00.003-05:002008-12-03T11:38:35.036-05:00Martin Eakes On the MendYou might have read that my uncle Martin Eakes was attacked last Monday night as he walked from his office to his car. The brutal beating left Martin with a severed left biceps, a ripped hamstring, and in need of 15 stitches in his forehead.If anything, the news reports failed to capture the severity of the attack. Martin questions whether he would have survived had the noise from going through aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-34277350618070572792008-11-22T10:23:00.003-05:002008-11-22T10:36:28.606-05:00Sportsman of the Year CandidatesSports Illustrated invited its writers to nominate candidates for their annual Sportsman of the Year award. The award often goes to athlete at the peak of his/her career or after s/he has made a great contribution outside the competitive arena.I found it interesting that SI's top NBA writer, Jack McCallum, nominated Greensboro' Joey Cheek, after China revoked his visa just before the Olympic Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-57099558431883729682008-11-04T00:25:00.001-05:002008-11-04T00:25:52.591-05:00PredictionsFour years ago, I won the electoral college prediction poll at Mathew Gross' blog with a direct hit (unfortunately, he wiped his archives before 2005, probably in an attempt to avoid giving me my prize for the win). Of course, that election was more predictable than now since most states fell in line with the 2000 election.So this year, it will be a little tougher. Here goes.NC Governor: Pat Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-83896857318885300682008-10-30T13:10:00.003-04:002008-10-30T13:25:25.735-04:00Legendary CardOrson Scott Card has had plenty of success as a writer, but he has reached a new peak now that Snopes has commented on his most recent article.RelatedUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-58154886744801061412008-10-25T19:18:00.002-04:002008-10-25T19:29:20.205-04:00Alfred E. BushWell that explains a hell of a lot. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19430450033627267822008-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:002008-10-22T07:00:00.910-04:00The Don of DonationsWhile NC State's football team continues to struggle, its Wolfpack Club is raising tons of money and establishing an expansive member base that is the envy of most peer institutions. Leading this charge is Bobby Purcell, the executive director.Purcell is a true pro that gets the big picture and the smallest details right, and there is no denying those skills are responsible for the Wolfpack Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19647875130959871832008-10-20T10:50:00.005-04:002008-10-20T10:54:25.862-04:00An Avoidable Collapse"Subprime lenders made irresponsible loans that they knew most families could never pay back and would need to refinance, generating more fee income for brokers and mortgage companies. Now-bankrupt mortgage lenders and Wall Street investment banks put large fees ahead of prudence, and instead of demanding sound lending practices, chose to look the other way."The cockroachs who created the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-83790046047129509872008-10-19T17:59:00.004-04:002008-10-21T12:52:39.761-04:00Let The Smearing BeginNow that Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama, I wonder how long it will take the McCain campaign or its surrogates to smear Powell.My bet is less than 36 hours.***UPDATE***I am pleased there has not been a full-on smear campaign against Colin Powell, although it is disappointing that P.T. Limbaugh reduced Powell's eloquent explanation of his decusion to one based solely on race. That is aboutUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-71682168342646384012008-09-17T17:18:00.002-04:002008-09-17T17:21:08.545-04:00Insert Punch Line HereThis picture of the world's shortest man and the woman with the world's longest legs just begs for a caption contest. Have at it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19282327506209485492008-07-03T11:20:00.004-04:002008-07-03T11:31:43.579-04:00Big AnnouncementI kept this quiet for awhile, but it is now time for the Big Announcement.' Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-77038014098093836662008-06-11T20:22:00.005-04:002008-06-12T12:22:48.583-04:002008 U.S. Open PicksThe US Open golf championship begins today at Torrey Pines, only the second public facility to host the championship. Also unusual is the U.S. Open being staged at a course that has a regular PGA Tour stop, although the Open version of Torrey Pines will be significantly harder than the soft course the pros see each January.Here is my analysis of some of the top players in the world:Vijay Singh: #Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-35493955767794424572008-04-21T19:47:00.009-04:002008-04-21T20:47:47.169-04:00Lance O. Eakes, RIPThroughout the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I have tried hard not to think of the wounded and dead in abstract terms. I know these wars are very personal for thousands of military families.On Friday, we learned that Sgt. Lance O. Eakes, my second cousin, was killed in Iraq. Lance was a generation younger than me, so I did not know him well, but I still feel a great loss because of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-81137782238031525762008-04-10T08:44:00.005-04:002008-04-10T09:28:34.280-04:00Masters Picks 2008The Masters golf championship begins this morning in Augusta, GA. The course is wet and will play very long, limiting the number of legitimate contenders. I do not have time for my traditional analysis and full-scale predictions, so I will provide some quick hits.Short to medium hitters will have a very tough time getting in the mix this weekend. That is unfortunate, because golfers like Luke Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-8736797143064089102008-03-12T20:13:00.002-04:002008-03-12T20:17:15.570-04:00Desperately Seeking PitchIsn't it about time to rename this place the Socially Significant if Frequently Off-Key Hall of Fame?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-51325306879077879352008-02-28T00:56:00.012-05:002008-02-28T01:16:57.762-05:00Greensboro in the Air The March edition of USAirways Magazine features Greensboro in its Profiles section. They did a nice job covering G'boro and even managed to include the Wyndham Championship's move back to Sedgefield Country Club. That's pretty slick considering the announcement came just a week ago.Greensboro resident John Maginnes, a former PGA Tour player and helluva nice guy, has his monthly interview with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0