The Drive:

The Final 4 is in the books, and the most talented team won. North Carolina, preseason numero uno, didn’t always look deserving of the praise throughout the year, but I think you can chalk that up to injuries and an ACC slate that borders on ridiculous.  Sometimes they looked like a 454 Big Block Buick with a couple of plugs fouled. But when they got healthy, wow did that engine roar. Meanwhile, my Villanova upset special held some water, as they did make it to Detroit, thoroughly trashing any number of brackets. But even though I thought they played the best team ball out there—they were not nearly talented enough to neutralize the Heels. Nobody was. End of story.

The Fairway:

Kudos go out to WSLS Sports Alum Allison Bourne-Vanneck as the former Media General convergence Intern and “In the Zone” feature reporter for our sports team in the fall of 2007 found herself live from Ford Field in Detroit this Monday at the National Championship game. Now a sports reporter for WLNS-TV CBS in Lansing, Allison and the rest of Lansing found themselves on a wild ride that ultimately ended back in the home state of Detroit, in the title game. It’s my understanding that WLNS’s pregame special was picked up by the CBS in Detroit. So Congrats to ABV, as we affectionately call her, for all her accomplishments. I should note that she’s no stranger to the spotlight, being a former Miss Virgin Islands she competed in the Miss America pageant, as well as being a college golfer at William and Mary.

The Green:

I’m headed to Augusta and my old stomping grounds this week for the Masters. As some of you know and others have probably read on the ole’ bio I was a Sports Director at the NBC in Augusta for a couple of years which afforded me the privilege of covering that tournament. My wife’s family lives in nearby Hephzibah, Georgia, so we get back and often can duck in for a practice round or tournament round depending on the ticket situation.  It’s a special place that every golfer needs to get to, no matter how far away you live.  I like to call the place a living museum of golf history, because every hole you walk on holds a tale, a saga of pain or elation in the history of the tournament. I’m leaning more and more towards one of the young guns in the tournament to win it this year but as always, the weather will decide. When the sun is out, the winds are up,  and the greens dry out, only the veterans really know where to put the ball and survive. I’ve played the course twice and I can tell you trying to stop a ball on those greens is like trying to pitch a ball off throw rug and stop it on your kitchen table. You need to practice lag putting on your concrete garage floor to get an idea how fast those things are. Then try to consider they are sloped. Yikes.

The Jar:

The Hokies Spring Football practice is underway and I’ll be rooting for the Achilles guys to make comebacks. Both Brandon Dillard of nearby Bassett and Kenny Lewis Jr. had Achilles injuries which ended their respective seasons. I’ve made my admiration of Kenny clear in this column any number of times, because he’s cut from a cloth I can recognize and respect. He’s what you hope college athletes would be—talented, hardworking, respectful, and carrying a value system that would make any parent proud. I’ve only interviewed Brandon a couple of times but I hope both can return and finish their careers on their own terms. Why not?  It’s the year of the “Heels…and without the Achilles—the ‘heels would never hold up.