I know that it isn’t Saturday…but with Easter weekend, I thought (about 20 minutes ago), that sending out the Buzz (today & tomorrow) would be a BETTER  idea than sending it out on Easter weekend. HAPPY EASTER.  Title of this Buzz is SHOOTING IT STRAIGHT!
…I’m not much of a golf fan. But, I do enjoy the Grand Slam Events (the Masters, US Open, British Open & the PGA Championship). My favorite is the Masters. It’s at the same location each year, it’s the 1^st Major of the Year, so I get brought up to speed with the Ol’ Stars & the new, younger stars. Each of the Golfers have to SHOOT IT STRAIGHT. These topnotch golfers are really unbelievable with their shots & putts. The Distance, the hooks, fades, and soft touch on the greens keep golfing fans (or those like me) on the edge of their seat. I thought that this year’s Masters was one of the best.
…This years Masters came down to an extra hole after Justin Rose knocked down a 20-ft birdie shot on the 72 hole (final hole) to wrap up a 6-under par – 66 to force the playoff.  It was the first playoff since 2017 @ the Masters. For Rose it was an astonishing come-back. He was 6 strokes behind Rory McElroy though the 10^th hole. Both golfers finished 11 under par. Rose seemed to have all the momentum with a spectacular with a long birdie putt on the final hole. On the 1^st playoff hole, McElroy made his birdie putt STRAIGHT IN THE HOLE. Rose missed & McElroy got to put the Green Jacket on in Master’s tradition).
….The emotion overcame McElroy after the win. It’s very, very unusual to see any professional golfers show ANY emotion. He was ecstatic….and he showed it! Why not? Myself, I enjoy seeing the pros show their personal side. They are REALLY AMAZING with what they can do with a golf ball. But, think about the hours & hours of practice that they (and all the other professional golfers) spend developing their skills to make each shot STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW.
… With the win, McIlroy joins a very select group of golfers. Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only other golfers to capture the 4 major championships in the Masters era. That tiny group indicates the skill that is required to win these tournament matches.
….Moving to Baseball, at this point (Apr 15), the Cardinals have gone STRAIGHT to the TOP in some important batting categories. A good measuring stick for batting is batting average! The Cards are #1 in team batting average with a .287 team average! Clearly the new batting Coach, Brant Brown, has encouraged hitting the ball to opposite field (i.e. right field for right handed batters). They’ve done this w/o surrendering their power numbers. As I write this, the Cards are tied for 7^th in HR in the MLB (30 teams).  Another important category, from my view, is runs scored. Isn’t that the offensive goal—to score runs? The Cardinals are in 3^rd place in runs scored for 2025 season at this point (Apr 15) and 2^nd in the MLB in OPS (on base + slugging %). On the other side-pitching, the Cardinals are 20^th in the MLB in Earned Run Average. The Cards have 6 quality starts in 2025. That puts them in 6 way tie for 9^th  to 14^th place. The pitching staff is 3^rd in the MLB in HR against (very good) but 24^th in Strikeouts. In this era of HR & Strikeouts being very common, those stats are relevant. Looking at these stats, I would think that most Cardinal fans are pleased with their improvement.
…The progress of Jordan Walker has been STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW thus far In 2025. Last year, Walker held .201 average with 5 HR in a 164 AB’s and looked hesitant to me in RF and sometimes overmatched at the plate. This year, in addition to  his increased steady play in RF, Walker holds a .273 average & an OPS of .744, so he’s “grown” as a player. Defensively, it’s very easy to see his confidence & increased skill level in RF. Further, he’s only 22 years old!
…It’s tough to go STRAIGHT TO THE TOP in the MLB as a hitter. Pitchers are bigger, stronger, and now, the extensive use of video to study strengths/weaknesses of batters is yet another challenge for any player, much less a young player. In my mind, a MLB player is “young” until he has 500 at bats under his belt.(that’s the number of at-bats that a “regular” gets in a season).
…As I write this, the Blues are trying to close in on GOING STRAIGHT TO THE TOP –the Playoffs. You need a strong offense & defense to advance in the playoffs. Offensively, Robert Thomas & Jordan Kyrou are their leading scorers. Thomas is 23^rd in POINTS in the NHL. Kryou is tied for #21 in Goals Scored. It seems like the good & very good teams have scorers with much higher numbers. Is that due to the skill of their teammates or the skill of the scorer alone or both? …The Blues have that pair of stars locked up for several more years. Sooo… their contracts are already established. On the other end…Despite some grumbling by some fans, Jordan Bennington had a good year in the nets. He can’t stop EVERY shot!. And…yes, every so often he allows a “soft” goal. Now, the Blues  (hopefully) can supplement their offensive duo with development of younger players (like we saw during the long non-loss streak) and/or procuring another scorer or 2 (probably very doubtful). With Bennington & Joe Hofer in the nets, the Blues can focus on upgrading the offensive end.   Or could either of these “keepers” be trade bait to procure another scorer?            
…The path to success in Collegiate Mens Basketball is full of turns, twists, pot-holes to form a successful team. The freedom of transferring w/o losing a year, or the NIL that enhances players to “cash in” early, or the coming/going of coaches (Head coach &/or ast coaches), makes the path of GOING STRAIGHT TO THE TOP for a team very difficult to do and…the following year, the Coach has to start all over again. Players aren’t “locked in” to a school for 4, 3, 2 years any longer.
…College recruiting in football is similar to basketball in many ways. But not completely, in order to GO STRAIGHT TO THE TOP, seemingly the most important position, QB, has more transfers. It’s not usually about injuries…it’s about expectations. Every QB at the college level was told “how good they were” in high school & in the recruiting process. Sooo…when they aren’t starting or are sharing time, QB’s get the itch to transfer.  For example, In the upcoming 2025 season, 8 of the 16 (1/2) SEC teams will have 8 different transfer QB’s in 2025. The teams with new transfer QBs are Oklahoma, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Auburn, and Missouri. Somehow, to my ol’ fashion ideas, transferring and playing immediately just doesn’t seem right. If it wasn’t the “right” school for you, there should be a price for trying to correct your mistake. But…that’s assuming that the college degree will assist you in getting a job. With the QB shuffle, the only factors, seemingly,  important to the QB is who will Pay them and play them and set them up  for the draft ? Thanks for your read! Happy Easter to you & your family! Bob