Tell Me About Your Shrubbery (4-8-25)

This is The Drive with Josh Graham podcast. For internet sensations, guys. Tune into The Drive weekday afternoons 3 to 7 on WSJS. On a Tuesday drive, it is WSJS News Talk Sports for the Triad. Where today's challenge is going to be staying focused on the top stories and not being distracted by strange, random items that might pop up.

Such as the Denver Nuggets firing their head coach in GM a week before the NBA playoffs start, despite the fact that they are a real contender, fourth in the Western standings currently. Or maybe even the Detroit Tigers currently handing it to the New York Yankees for a second straight day. Again, WD, these are the topics we don't want to be distracted by. Just get to it. We don't want to be distracted by those topics.

Okay, let's talk college basketball. On multiple counts, Florida's national championship win was a fitting finish to this college basketball season. For one, Houston and Florida were among the four teams that were. Historically special this year. Not just special within the context of this season, historically special.

Ken Palm has been ranking teams with advanced metrics since the mid-1990s, 96, 97, their first season doing so. Duke. Houston. Auburn, Florida. The four number one seeds that made it to the final four.

all among the top 10 all-time Kin Pom teams.

So That's Kim Pom telling you, these four teams are among the four best. or among the ten best, That we've seen over the last 30 years in college basketball.

So it's fitting that you have two of them in the national championship game. Then they played a memorable final. It came down to the wire and against Houston's number one ranked defense. It was Florida's defense that stood tall at the end, not allowing the Cougars to get a shot on the final two possessions. Here was Florida head coach Todd Golden on the final sequence.

You know, it's all kind of cloudy and a blur, but the one that sticks out is when I believe it was Sharp, drove right off the right lane line, and Will was guarding somebody in the corridor. He stripped and ripped right off his leg with about a minute, 10 or a minute to go. That was a huge play for us. And then the last play was just absolutely an amazing play. You know, Walt recovered, closed out.

As he said, flew by his right side to not allow himself to foul. Sharp made a heady, you know, he understood he couldn't touch the ball, or else it would have been a turnover. And then Kondo, you know. did what he does a lot, which is get, you know. get physical, dive on the floor, make a winning play, getting on that loose ball and uh I think there was 18 seconds or so on that last possession.

We guarded him hard and I saw the ball loose and I was just hoping that we beat him to the ball. And when Condo got on the floor, I figured it was either going to be a jump ball or we were going to come away with it. And then the next thing I knew, the game was over.

So just an incredible moment. And some I won't forget. That was The SEC's First basketball title. since twenty twelve. which was certainly deserved because The season they had.

was historic. You could make the case this is the best season. a conference has ever had. It's either this year for the SEC or 1985 for the Big East where they got three of the final four. Two playing in the national championship game, Villanova upsetting Georgetown in the final, but.

You can make the case the SEC had a greater year than that because of the record 14 bids that they got, the dominance in non-conference play, beating the ACC 14-2 in the ACC-SEC challenge. You get two teams to the Final Four, and yes, you win the championship. It's crazy to think the conference had not won a title in 13 years and They get it done. They figured out a way. At the end, and this final four, it's going to be remembered as one of the best that we've seen.

Wow. Let's be honest. There were a lot of missed shots yesterday. There were a lot of fouls in that second half. How crazy was this disparity?

Four fouls total, Will. Called in the first half. 23 in the second half of this game. It was ugly. A lot of free throws.

A lot of fouls, a lot of free throws, a lot of missed shots.

So it wasn't the greatest game. But it was entertaining and All three of the games were outrageously fun. In fact, How's this for a stat? The team leading At the under four. Final media timeout in the second half.

Lost all three of the final four games. Auburn leading Florida. In the Final Four, Florida won. Duke leading Houston. Houston, of course, won.

And then Last night, Houston leading, Florida came from behind to win. It was a fitting way to close this memorable Final Four. It was a fitting way to finish this college basketball season. Florida cutting down nets. in San Antonio.

On X at Josh Graham Show and at WSJS Radio.

Well Dalton Is the executive producer of this show, taking your calls, 336-777-1600. Finally made good on his coffee bat. Yes, I did. Didn't even bring it in when you first got here, so Still drinking. The coffee as the show starts?

I wanted you to have it for the show. I wanted to time it up right. You enjoy that. Thanks to our friends at Miller's on Robin Hood last night. Yeah, had some nachos.

Outstanding place. To watch sports. That might be. a new spot for us to hang out at. We have tickets to two different events to give away in weekly positivity later this hour.

We have tickets to Merle Fest for later this month. We have tickets for Tyler Childers and Raleigh next week.

So if you want tickets to either of those shows, make sure you're around for weekly positivity later this hour. Today fitting the Do Weekly Positivity. College basketball season's over, and we won't have college hoops for seven months.

So we need to pick people up, and that's what weekly positivity is about. Here's something that might pick you up. We are two sleeps away. from the start of the masters in Augusta.

So how How about we look at who can win this tournament? Will There's always the chance for the off the radar, surprising winner. But in today's golf landscape, There are just so many. Really good, strong elite level players at the top. To think that somebody outside of this group of ten I have here.

is going to win this tournament. To me, If one of these ten players does not win. It would be a surprise to me. And there are four tiers. Of these masters contenders, to consider.

So let's dig into it. Scotty Scheffler is in a tier by himself at the top.

Some would put Scotty and Rory.

Sorry, Rory, you haven't won a green jacket before. You haven't won a major in 11 years. You're not in the same tier as Scotty Scheffler. Scotty's won two of the last three green jackets. Other than Pinehurst last year, he was dominant in all the majors, great performances.

Even when they're throwing him in a prison cell or a jail cell earlier in the day, he comes back out and he's shooting, what, four or six under par later in the day in Louisville? After missing the first month of this season with a hand injury, Scotty in his most recent event finished runner up.

So he's starting to heat up. And when he heats up, nobody is better in the sport.

So Scotty is at the top in a tier by himself. The second tier, we'll call it Past major champions who are currently playing good golf right now. Rory McElroy is in this group. For the first time in Rory's career, He has two PGA tour wins before arriving on Magnolia Lane and Augusta. First time that's happened.

So he's playing outstanding golf. Kalamorikawa This is a stat that matters a ton, particularly at Augusta National, where Drivers are greatly rewarded. Strokes gained. Very important stat. Kalimurikawa is currently leading the tour.

In strokes gained, and he's had success recently in major championships. Justin Thomas is playing consistent golf right now. Had a runner-up finish recently at the Valspar.

So the second tier are past major champions that are playing good golf right now: Rory, Morakawa, Justin Thomas. The next tier. are major champs that you just can't write off. You just can't write off these guys. You have to consider them.

Three of them are in live. It's hard to know what to do with live results. But you're not riding off Bryson DeChambeau. Especially after what he did at the U.S. Open last year in Minehurst.

You're not writing off John Rahm. You'd be crazy to do that. And you'd be crazy to write off Brooks Kepka in a major, we've come to learn. But it's not all live guys in this group. Xander Shauffley, he rounds it out.

He's been dealing with an injury a bit, but seems to be rounding back into form, hopefully at the right time, going into. this week's masters. Those are eight names that we've mentioned. There are two wild cards that have not won a major championship that it might just be time for. These are wild cards to take a good close look at.

Young Ludwig Oberg? Who my wife Seems to have a crush on or did when he was on the screen during the masters. It's okay. Not the jealous type. He was uh a runner-up.

in his first ever masters start a year ago. He finished second in the Genesis Invitational, but since then has missed a couple of. cuts, but again High-level players done well in majors. Even in Pinehurst, he performed pretty well too. And lastly.

There's Victor Hovland. Who was kind of lost in the wilderness for a bit, golf-wise, but came out of nowhere. Remember, Justin Thomas was a runner-up in the Valspar? Victor Hovlin was the one to win the Valspar.

So he wins a tournament. He has all the tools. He can knock the crap out of the ball, which is very important again at the Masters.

So we'll include him as a wild card as well. If one of these 10 players don't win, it would surprise me. Scotty Scheffler in that top tier by himself. The second tier being major champions currently playing well, Rory, Morikawa, Justin Thomas. Then there are the major champs you just can't ride off.

Bryson, Rahm, Kepka, and Xander Shafley, the X-Men. WD knows my love for the X-Men. And then there's the wild cards that haven't won a major title, but... Keep a close eye on. The big over.

Victor Havlin. You're on From the drive with joy. Strip. W S J S So glad to have you on a Tuesday drive. It's WSJS, News Talk Sports for the Triad.

Where today's challenge is going to be staying focused on the top stories and not being distracted by strange random items that might pop up throughout the day, such as the Denver Nuggets firing their head coach. a week before the NBA playoffs start, despite the fact they are a real contender fourth in the Western Conference currently, or even the Detroit Tigers handing it to the Yankees five to nothing today. Again, these are the topics we don't want to be distracted by, Will. We don't want to be deviating away. Just get to it.

Fine, let's talk college basketball. on multiple counts Florida's national championship win was a fitting finish to this college basketball season. For one. Houston and Florida, they were among the four teams that were historically special this year. Not just in the context of this season, historically special.

Ken Palm has been charting. team since the mid-1990s. advanced metrics, grading teams. The four won seeds that made it to San Antonio. are among the top ten Kin Pom teams of all time.

Better than many of the teams that won national champions. Championships in the eyes of Kim Pom analytically. Four. the ten best. teams of the last thirty years.

Florida, Houston. Duke. Auburn. Houston and Florida delivered a memorable final as well. Against the Koogs' number one ranked defense, it was Florida's defense.

That stood tall at the end. Walter Clayton Jr. didn't score a point in the first half. Didn't have a field goal forever in this game. But he had the biggest play of the game defensively in the final seconds.

Florida didn't allow Houston to get a shot off on their final two offensive possessions. Here was Florida head coach Todd Golden on the final sequence. You know, it's all kind of cloudy and a blur, but the one that sticks out is when I believe it was Sharp drove right off the off the right lane line, and Will was guarding somebody in the corner, and he stripped and ripped right off his leg with about a minute, 10 or a minute to go. That was a huge play for us. And then the last play was just absolutely an amazing play.

You know, Walt recovered, closed out, as he said, flew by his right side to not allow himself to foul. Sharp made a heady, you know, he understood he couldn't touch the ball, or else it would have been a turnover. And then Kondo, you know. did what he does a lot, which is get, you know. Get physical, dive on the floor, make a winning play, getting on that loose ball, and uh.

I think there was 18 seconds or so on that last possession. We guarded him hard, and I saw the ball loose, and I was just hoping that we beat him to the ball. And when Condo got on the floor, I figured it was either going to be a jump ball or we were going to come away with it. And then the next thing I knew, the game was over.

So just an incredible moment, and something I won't forget. This was the SEC's first basketball title. Since 2012. which was certainly deserved because the season they enjoyed, Also historic. Fourteen teams in the tournament?

That's a record. 14-2 against the ACC in the ACC SEC challenge. Two teams in the Final Four in the National Championship. You could make the argument this is the greatest season a conference has ever had. In the history of the sport, in the modern history of the sport.

So, in that way, it was fitting that the SEC is able to finish the job. And this Final Four, it's going to be remembered as one of the best we've ever seen.

Now, does that mean every game was awesome? A lot of people conflate. close, fun, exciting with being a great game. Last night was not a great game. There were so many missed shots.

The best players weren't playing all that well. It was an anticlimactic finish where you didn't have. A team getting shots off on their final two possessions. It Was outrageously fun. I mean, there were so many fouls: four fouls in the first half combined, 23 in the second half.

But Outrageously fun in that. They were very close games between very good teams. In fact, the team leading going into the final media timeout lost all three. of the games in San Antonio. Auburn leading in the final four minutes against Florida.

Duke collapsing, of course, late against Houston. And Houston not being able to close it out against Florida in the title game. Just another reason why. This was a fitting finish. On X at Josh Graham Show and at WSJS Radio.

That's where you can watch the show in addition to. Listening to it on WSJS.

However, and wherever you are listening or watching, greatly appreciate that. Will Dalton. He is the executive producer of this show. We had a good time last night at Miller's on Robin Hood, didn't we? We did.

Great food. The nachos were delicious. You got yourself a buffalo wrap? Yeah. Buffalo chicken wrap.

And I'm telling you, it was real beefy. It was thick. Good, good stuff. With a K or two C's? Two C's.

Got it. Two C's. Understood. We are Two sleeps away. From the start of the masters in Augusta.

Now watch this drive. What?

So how about we talk about who might win the tournament? When I'm scripting a list here or putting together a list of contenders. I ended up at 10 names. This is where I had a cutoff. Ten guys that I could see.

winning this and not being surprised. that they won. Beyond this list If somebody were to win. It would be a surprising result to me. That's as far as I'm willing to go.

So ten names. And there are four. Four tiers. Of these masters contenders. and we'll go through them in order.

Scotty Scheffler is in a tier by himself at the top.

Rory McElroy is one of these heavy favorites as well, but You can't put Rory in the same category as Scotty. Rory hasn't won a major championship in 11 years. He hasn't won a green jacket in his life. Scotty's won two of the last three. Other than Pinehurst last year, he was pretty dominant.

And all the majors that he. Played in. After missing the first month of the PGA tour season this year, He finished second in his most recent event. Seems to be heating up. When he's on his game, nobody's better.

The second tier are major champions that are currently playing well. Former champs. All playing well. Rory McElroy. Two wins.

On the PGA tour before arriving on Magnolia Lane and Augusta. That's the first time that's happened in his career. that he's won two events prior to the Masters. Kalamurikawa. This is a very important stat.

When it comes to being successful at the Masters, It is a stat called strokes gained. The guys who can really club a golf club. Could really club a golf ball. From greed and the tea are the ones that Do very well in the strokes game category. Kalamurikawa is leading the tour in that stat currently.

Justin Thomas. He's been consistent of late. He's been playing good golf. Had a runner-up finish in the Vousebar recently.

So, those are three former major champs playing well right now. The next tier are major champs that you can't ride off. that you'd be foolish to write off. Three of them are from Live. Don't quite know what to do of live results, how to assess that.

relative to expectation for major titles or major championships. But you have Bryson DeChambeau in this group, you have John Rahm in this group. Yeah, Brooks Kepka in this group. You know he always shows up for majors. And then my guy can't ever count him out.

The X-Men, Sandra Shauffley. He rounds out the group. He's been... dealing with an injury, but seems to be whipping his game back into shape at the right time.

So that is those are eight names thus far. That leaves two more spots, and there are two wild cards that have not won a major title, a major championship. That. Our knocking on the door, it would seem. Young Ludwig Oberg.

who was the runner-up In his first ever master start last year, he played really well in Pinehurst, too. He. Is somebody to keep a close eye on? And then Victor Hoveland. Who Was in the Gulf wilderness, it seemed late last year, and even early this year, came out of nowhere to win the Valspar.

If he's on and playing confident, we know he has the tools. to win on this golf course. Going back to Oberg, he finished second in the Genesis Invitational. In February, he's since missed a couple of cuts, so a little inconsistent play, but. Another guy that, when he puts it together, is incredibly dangerous and could be dangerous in Augusta this year.

So there you go. 10 contenders. For the Masters this year in different tiers. Scotty Scheffler by himself, the second tier, major champs that are currently playing well: Rory, Karl Marikawa, Justin Thomas. Major champs you can't ride off.

Brayson Rom, Kepka, Xander Shafley. And then a couple wild cards who haven't won before but very well could. Ludwig Oberg. Ludwig Oberg and Victor Hoveland, 9 and 10 in those categories. Very excited.

For things to get started on Thursday morning. The Drive with Josh Graham only on WSJS. Yes. We have. Two pairs of tickets to give away to Merle Fest later this month.

We also have a few pairs of tickets to go see Tyler Childers. in Raleigh next week. Give us a call right now at 336-777-1600. And if you take Tell us something good. that's happening with you.

then you have your pick of either of those two shows. Again, we have just a couple of pairs of Merle Fest tickets today, and we have a few pairs of Tyler Childers as well in Raleigh. 336-777-1600. The big news of the day is that Mike Malone. Was fired by the Diver Nuggets, and they're not going to extend.

their GM Calvin Booth. The Nuggets right now are fourth in the Western Conference standings. And This is surprising, it seems. Like a gigantic overreaction. The nuggets.

They haven't been really good since the All-Star break. 11 and 13 since the break, just a couple of years removed. from winning the title, but This is something that we see in the NBA. Where Nick Nurse was fired by the Raptors just a few years after he won the title. Frank Vogel, we know it happened to him after he won during the bubble.

Playoffs with the Lakers in 2020. We saw it with Mike Budenholzer, who was the coach. When the Bucs won it. in 2021 and now The same thing happening to Mike Ballone. It's interesting.

Which sport The manager slash coach. Matters the least in among major professional sports. We know how important they are in college. But in the pros. We could agree that the NFL head coach probably matters the most out of the major sports.

But Between baseball manager Hockey coach. And NBA coach, it's hard to figure out which of them matter the least because. Baseball managers get paid next to nothing. Basketball coaches are now being discarded as if they're hockey coaches. Hockey coaches, so many times, get fired in the middle of a season.

As a way to spark the team, the same way that a football team might make a quarterback change. Oh, let's just get a new coach in there. The Hurricanes did that once. They let go of Peter Lavio a few years after winning the Stanley Cup, bringing in Paul Maurice, and that team went to the Eastern Conference Finals.

So it's interesting. It follows a trend, and it does show how. Little. NBA coaches. might be viewed In uh NBA ownership circles amongst GM's too.

The fact that the GM isn't being brought back too is a Very interesting piece of this puzzle.

Now let's give away some tickets to go see Tyler Childers, to go to Merle Fest. And we do so in weekly positivity. Yeah, at first, you had my curiosity.

Now You have my attention. WD hasn't seen Django unchained yet. He's procrastinated.

So we pushed back at the movies till tomorrow. It's almost as if he forgot that the national championship game is on a Monday and can't. Plan ahead. Just can't do that. Oh, weekly positivity brought to you by Biscuit King.

Biscuits? We love those biscuits. There. Good. Let's go to Nick and Clemens.

He wants to go to child. Tyler Childers. Hi, Nick. Hello? You seem excited.

Yeah. Oh, it's a beautiful day. It really is. Uh I was surprised it was a little bit cool when I took Willow the Dog for a walk earlier, late morning, and uh I was welcomed by that. I had my short-sleeve shirt on and I was like, man, I might just need a light jacket.

This is ideal. This is great. How are you enjoying the weather, Nick? I am enjoying it very much. Thank you for asking.

What are some of the things you like to do? in beautiful warm weather.

Well, I like to hike and I like to bike. and I like to walk my dog. Oh man, missed opportunity. You could have found a third thing to rhyme with hike or bike? WD, what rhymes with hike?

Or bike. I like Ike.

Well, that wouldn't. That's not like a thing that you think on that for a second. What's your favorite hiking destination? Do you have one? There are a lot of them.

There are so many great ones here. Hanging Rock is probably my favorite local. I like Mount Mitchell, too. There are so many great opportunities here. I like to hike.

I like to bike. I like the Yankee psych. No, that's good. That's not good. That's not good.

Okay, Tyler, you enjoy Tyler Childers. You can go and hike up to Raleigh and see him next week. How about that? Thank you so much. I'm grateful.

All right, yeah. Stay on the line. We like grounds. I like to ride a bike and Carlos Rodon's gonna throw a strike. I don't even want to talk to you right now, so I'll just talk to Mike in Winston-Salem.

He wants to go to Merlefest. We're going to help him with this. Mike? Hi, Mike. Mike?

Hey buddy, what's going on, man? Oh Yeah. Just Hanging out three thirty in the afternoon. We have a window in the studio here. We didn't have that for the first five years of me doing the show here in the triad.

When it was beautiful days like this, I wouldn't know it until I left.

Now I just look out the window. And wonder what I'm doing with my life.

Okay, Mike, you you uh you tell me something good.

Well, number one, my mom just had a very successful back surgery about a week ago. She's 72. And it seems to have gone really well, and she's a lot less pain than she's been in for quite some time. That's good.

So that's definitely something getting positive. What's your mom's name? What's her first name? Her name is Brooke. Shout out to Brooke.

We appreciate that. Brooke. We hope she is feeling well. Oh, yeah, for sure. And then, other than that, work's going good.

I own a small construction company, and I'm covered up and busy every single day.

So, life is good, my brother. This seems like a good time to be in construction. Am I wrong on that? Oh, no, sir, especially for outdoor work. I mean, I do a little bit of everything, but my favorite's probably screen porches and deck building and stuff like that.

So, I mean, yeah, as many decks as I can get lined up for this time of year before it gets hot. I'm all for it.

Well, you enjoy Merle Fest. This is good for a one-day pass. Just pick a day that you and the guests want to go to. I wish I was going to be there on Saturday when they do the album hour and the Avits are going to be performing, but Bonnie Rait's going to be there on a Friday night, too. Like, you got decisions to make, my friend.

You have fun there, okay? Hey, thank you so much, brother. I appreciate y'all as always. You're welcome.

So stay on the line. Will we get to you in a bit? Will, tell me something good with you.

Well, first of all, he called you brother, and that made me think of, uh... Cooper for lag, my brother. My mother watched my brother. Michael Winston, my brother.

So that's the first thing I want to go, but just... And second.

So I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. Yeah. And I'm pretty excited because House of the Dragons season 3 just started production a couple of weeks ago. And there's a story going around, pretty big news. Yesterday we learned that for the first time in 10,000 years they say Two dire wolves.

have been born and brought out of extinct extinction somehow.

Somehow they were able to do this and that's like one of the main Um, sigils and Game of Thrones. House star. Is this like Advanced science to bring it to the bottom. It was bioengineered somehow. I don't like this.

I don't like this. This doesn't sound good. It's like when people talk about AI replacing humans, it's like making me uncomfortable. Bioengineering, wolves. but dire wolves that have been extinct But why do And it's pretty cool.

Why do we need to do that? I don't know why they did it, but I just think it's cool because you see him in the show, and now you can see him in real life. But aren't they not pleasant creatures in the show?

Well, they're pleasant unless you're their enemy. Right, but like, they're wolves. Like how's that a good thing?

Well it I just think it's pretty cool. Let's go to Tim. They're puppies now, so that's great. Let's go to Tim in Moxville. That sounds dangerous.

Tim, uh. It's not going to be hard to top what Will just had to say there in terms of good things. What do you have?

Well, I'm appreciative of the rain. It's good that we got yesterday. It helps my shrubbery and freshly planted. Blueberries. We have a pretty day, and then I'm running in the Pat Tillman.

Virtual weekend, looking forward to that.

So I'm very appreciative, and the weather's broken, and it's nice springtime. And it's Okay. Tell me about your shrubbery.

Well, I've planted blueberries the last year. And I had them trimmed. in the fall and they trimmed them almost too much.

Well, I've dug a mark. We planted um and they come back to life. That's good.

Yes. Tim, enjoy Merle Fest, okay? Stay on the line. Thank you. Yeah.

You and I are on the same wave wave. I uh yeah. I just Wanted to save a simmons. A sentence that never came out of my mouth before. Tell me about your shrubbery.

It's good stuff. Keenanzing. Carnersville. Cartersville. He wants to go to Tyler Childers.

Let's help him with that. Keenan, tell me something good.

Okay, well. I'll tell you something not good first. These allergies have really been getting the best of me.

So, how have you gotten past it? Yeah, I mean, that's.

Well that kinda that's what I'm I'm talking all. you know You know. Mm-hmm. Anyway. Found a car for my wife, right?

A new Audi SQ7. It's a nice vehicle. And the only one I found. met her criteria was up in Connecticut. What was her criteria?

Just um color. the trim, all that sort of stuff. Good for you. Things she cares about. How many miles are on it?

I don't know. I think maybe 50, 50,000. That's pretty good. That's good.

We got a pretty good deal on it, though. It is a beast. of a vehicle.

So you've got to ride up to Connecticut to get it? No.

So we flew up to get a steal. And we drove it home.

However. What is good? is the fact that we made it home at all. Because I don't know if you've ever been to Connecticut or New York or New Jersey, but they drive like madmen. And I used to think that, you know, maybe folks around here Needed to work uh uh uh.

Yeah. It's everyone there has a death wish. And they're all doing about a hundred, a hundred and ten. And it was nothing it was nothing for s our Uber drivers doing about a buck twenty and a thirty five.

So we are We are Leaved to be home. And again, it is good to be alive. Yes it is, Keenan. Enjoy Tyler Childers, okay? Thank you.

Yeah. The callers really brought it the deck. It's it's excellent stuff. Like all I got is Miller's was fun. Yeah.

Hanging out with folks at the station and some listeners. It was Daniel's first day at his daycare yesterday. He seemed to enjoy it. Appreciate those folks. And that's been Weekly.

Uh Shrubbery This is it. Ready? All right, hold on. All right, do it, do it. All right, listen up.

It's the drive with Josh Graham. WD is telling me that John Dell has arrived. On the premises. Prior to arriving at Augusta, and he's bearing gifts. He's got some stuff for us.

What do you have?

Well he brought in uh Some some masters trail necks? Got that? Let's go. Got the pimento cheese sandwich? Masters Week.

I will definitely take the pimento cheese sandwich. We'll get to John in just a bit because we got some breaking news to react to. Seth Trimble has posted on his Instagram that He's back. Following up on what he said after North Carolina fell in the tournament to Ole Miss, that he'd be returning. To school?

Seth Trimble Is going to be the leader in that locker room. And that shouldn't surprise anybody because he was already that last season along with R.J. Davis. after difficult moments. He was the one that would answer questions after games.

Do so in Ways that represent the team really well. No better example than the way he stood up for Jalen Withers after the lane violation loss against Duke in the ACC tournament. He is Maybe along with RJ, my favorite guy to visit with, was my favorite guy to visit with. On This most recent team. I'm happy that he's back.

In that regard, he handles himself so well. And if he didn't return, there would be no homegrown. Upperclassmen on this roster.

So, having somebody who understands the culture, coming back, homegrown upperclassmen, that's all fantastic. The ultimate question with Seth. What's his role going to be? What exactly has he been promised? Has he been promised anything?

Other than you can assume, an upgrade in his NIL compensation. Because it's likely that they're going to bring Drake Powell back. That's something that they were going to prioritize with their NIL revenue share. WD if you look on social media. In the comments on his Instagram.

Seph's post. Drake Powell commented on it and said, My vet. And Seth replied to that. One more question, Mark. Yeah, you already know it's going down.

Drake Powell's going to come back.

So if you look at the starting five. You just brought in Visar from Arizona. Caleb Wilson Is a top 10 player. He's at Power Forward.

So there's your front court right there. You have Drake Powell at small forward/slash on the wing. Where does Seth Trimble fit in? Are you gonna have Seth Trimble? And you're starting five?

Where? You might say to guard. But If you're in North Carolina... And your starting two guard shot 26% from three last year. That's not very good.

Honestly. A better fit for a two guard more than Seth Trimble. would be the guy you brought in from West Virginia last week, who's Jonathan Powell, six foot six. Three inches taller than Seth Trimble. attempted three times as many threes.

as Seth did and made 10% more. A 35% three-point shooter made more threes than any freshman in the Big 12 last year, Jonathan Powell. That guy would make more sense as being the two for you. than Saf Trimble would. And he's a couple of years younger, so that's a guy that you're going to want to build more around.

But we said when Powell was brought in, ideally he'd be a bench piece. You don't want that guy to be starting for you right out of the gate, eight points per game. Out of the big twelve, you're north bleeping north You're North Carolina. You're aspiring to be like Duke. You're aspiring to be.

One of these top 10 programs contending for national championships.

So while the You can assemble a roster that will Yeah. Good feelings, right? Oh, we like these guys a lot, even though you are crushing the results that were on the court. You Seth Trimble's role. It's gonna sound harsh.

I don't mean it to. His role needs to be what Mason Gillis' role at Duke was. That's what it needs to be. leadership older guy. He was on a national title team.

A team that went to the national championship game last year. He was the sixth man of the year in the entire Big Ten conference. And he came in and played spot minutes for Duke. Ideally, that's the role that you have Seth Trimble playing for you because you have so much talent on your roster that that's what it's relegated to. There's a role for him.

He's important. I'm not minimizing, not trying to minimize Mason Gillis. But that's what it has to be. If Seth Trimble is starting on the court for North Carolina. You're not a top ten basketball team.

And that's what you want this team to be, right?

So the role ultimately is important. Jonathan Powell is a better player than Seth Trimble is. In a better conference, he put up more numbers and he's a couple of years younger.

So there's higher potential there too.

So He Seth Trimble's not a starting player for you. He's not. If you want to be the team that Tar heel Fans are saying that The standard is the standard for. This standard you're trying to hold Hubert Davis to. Lance Wright in.

Wright's in. Put Trimble anywhere on the court. He's a dog. He impacts the game all over the court. Anywhere?

We're gonna have Seth Trimble be the starting point guard? Hey, let's put him anywhere. He could be your center. What's what about what's part about point guard? When he's not a point guard, let's put him at the two guard, even though he shoots 26% from three.

What he is is a really good defender. He's a vet. He understands your culture. There's a place on the team for Seth Trimble. That play shouldn't be in the starting five.

And I like again Seth Trimble. I hope this isn't coming off as me being a hater. It's not what I'm hoping this is coming off as.

Well, ultimately, it's going to depend on what else they do in the portal.

Well, yeah. Here's the other problem. If you load up and you have him come over, you say if you load up, here's the problem. Look at any list of the top. college transfer guys out there.

Most of them have teams already. Who you goin' get? Who are you going to get? All the names that you bring. Oh, that guy plays for this team now.

Well that guy I was already committed to this team.

So, if it's a situation where Seth Trimble's coming back because you don't have a better option out there, whoo, buddy, that's not a place you want to be if you're Hubert. That's not a place you want to be if you're the University of North Carolina. Shifting things before we get to Dell. The cat. Capture the flag, sweepstakes.

Or on. There is about a month until the lottery. W D, the ping-pong balls are gonna be. A popping, a clanging, and we're going to figure out where teams go. Love that drop.

Outstanding. And Cooper Flaggy, let me dispel a couple of theories that are out there right now. There's a theory out there that Cooper isn't For sure, leaving to the NBA. He's coming back to Duke. Right?

That's what people are saying. He's coming back. Just you watch, Josh. I'll watch him go into the draft.

So let's dispel that one first. Cooper is not returning to the Blue Devils. That would push his ability to make the Supermax in the league a year back. His family seems pretty locked in on a plan that's been clear with their his brother being in Greensboro Day, spending a year living there to be close to Cooper, his year at Duke. It's all part of the plan, and you're not reclassifying to.

Pass on being the number one pick. The second theory that's out there worth dispelling is that Cooper might strong arm a team in the player empowerment era. Say, I'm not going to play for you. If you end up picking me, I'm going to go back to Duke. Cooper late Saturday night in San Antonio told Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that he would be happy with any team that selects him.

He said the right things. And that shouldn't surprise you for anybody who's been around Cooper this year. There isn't a nightmare scenario. There isn't a nightmare team that could draft him, and he ends up in the worst of spots. Bill Simmons even pointed it out on his podcast earlier this week.

The problem for. That theory is, I don't think there's like a truly horrible team to go to this year. In the NBA, do you? Like, even Charlotte, like, is that a bad situation? Like, they have a new front office, new owner.

Everybody likes Charles Lee. They have some assets. Like, that's not a disaster. Washington's not a disaster. I don't.

I don't see a team where I'd be like, oh man, I feel so bad for him. He went there. Exactly. The Hornets, they'll have the best odds for the top pick, along with Utah and Washington. Those have fun pieces.

Washington had a top pick a few years, or last year they had a top pick, and that's a fun city. That would be good to see them be good, Washington. Utah has Walker Kessler and more pieces than even Washington has. Charlotte, of course, you mentioned Charles Lee and the new ownership. You have Lamello Ball, Miles Bridges.

We'll see about Mark Williams, Brandon Miller.

So, yeah, a one in seven chance, 14% odds for those three teams at the bottom. And if the Hornets land the top pick, it'd be the biggest headline for the franchise in over 30 years since they landed Larry Johnson and Alonzo Morning in back-to-back years. There are places you don't want to see him go, though. Those places are as follows. New Orleans, 12.5% chance.

They got AD, they got Zion, they made it work. They did not make it work with either of them. Do not give them a third trans. Uh A third generational talent. Let's not do that.

Philadelphia, 10.5% odds. That's just a team that has organizationally whiffed. And I hope they don't get rewarded for whiffing. in the form of a top. Pick and getting Cooper flag.

San Antonio, 6% chance. That's the eighth best odds out there. You already got Wimby. You're going to get Wimby, Stefan Castle, and Cooper. Cooper flag, give me a break.

There are fun scenarios out there. Toronto. This great American talent. Goes to Canada. And Canada is going to figure out a way to put Cooper flag tariffs on the United States.

Yeah, let's not do that. Let's not make tariff jokes or not have Toronto. Where's Gary Hahn? Let's go to the sidelines. Tony Haynes.

Dallas would be the funniest scenario. 1% chance. Got Kyrie there.

So then Nico can step out here and say, hey, yo. I was I was playing chess. Everybody else is playing checkers. It was all part of the plan. All part of the plan.

If we had Luca, we don't have the 1% chance. And we look at us now. We got Cooper flag with AD, and we're rebuilding the way we're better off than we were before. This would be hilarious.

So the Cooper flag sweepstakes, the capture of the flag sweepstakes, they are on.

Now let's talk golf. What local ties are there to this year's Masters? We'll discuss with a man who has covered the masters pretty much every year over the last quarter century. John Dell. is in studio with us from the Winston-Salem Journal and Greensboro News and Record.

and he joins us next on the drive. A drive with just great. Only on WSJS. I'm so jealous. of John Dell, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News and Record.

Because What year is this covering, the Masters for You Now? Have we reached a quarter century? Number 27. Oh, let's make sure your mic's on. Is it a matter of it?

All right, yeah, number 27. 27, so we're past a quarter century. Hello, covering this tournament. Yes. It's great.

Feel bad for Jim Nance because Nance retired from doing the final four. And then his team goes to the championship game. Thus, he has to do the quick turnaround that he was used to doing before, and his team loses last night. I think him being a fan, he probably liked that better than having to announce a game. I think, you know, you're more of a fan.

You don't have to worry about being objective. That's a good point. He did have his nice little hoodie on right behind the Houston bench. A lot of people are upset with me. I'm hearing from BDOT.

B-Dot pulled. putting it always Uh In subtle, gentle terms, Josh, you're an idiot. In response to me saying, One Shining Moment actually isn't a good song. Almost any song that you place over those highlights at the end of a tournament over 40 years would probably catch on. Like you just place Like if you put...

An earth, wind, and fire song there. That played after every tournament for 40 years. No.

It'd probably be a song that a lot of people like because, guess what? It's the tournament, it's highlights, it's fun. It's what TV says should be popular.

So are you out? Are you with me? Is this an outrageous take? I like Shiny Martin. I like One Shiny Martin.

It's a good song. It really is. You could play Memories, Barbara Streisand. That's great. If it was Memories by Barbara Streisand and you had basketball highlights over them for 40 years, then people would be saying, Josh, you're crazy for saying you don't like Memories by Barbara Streisand.

Like, again, the song's fine. It's fine. It's fine. He has to tell us. He has an annual tweet.

It is. I got people telling me that they danced with their mom to one shining moment at their wedding. I hope you feel bad. I don't. I said to that person, that is a very strange choice.

Can you imagine that? What was what was your first dance song at your wedding? With my mom, or? Oh, that's right. With your mom.

Sorry. This is the circumstance with your mom. Yeah. What did you dance with your mom to? I can't even remember.

Do you remember what it was with your wife? Oh, yeah, heaven, Brian Adams, because their first concert was Brian Adams. See, that's fantastic. The Creedboro Coliseum. If it was one shining moment, that'd be very weird.

It'd be a weird thing to have. But you know, the guys at the wedding would be getting up for that one.

Okay, you know about everybody. Proving my point. Oh, that's going to be great. Will Dalton's going to have the Star Wars theme as his. No, I'm going to do one chatting with me too now.

That'd be great.

Okay, let's get to golf. Uh What local ties are you most interested in following when you get down to Augusta later this week?

Well, obviously, Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young are established PGA Tour players, and they tee off a couple A couple tee times apart early Thursday. And then Evan Beck is another former Wake Forest player who's the U.S. mid-amate champion. He tried to go pro golf route and hurt his back and he regained his amateur status and still plays pretty good. He's in finance, so he doesn't play all the time, but he won the U.S.

mid-AM and he's playing in his first master.

So that's kind of cool. I've talked to him a couple times in the last week or so and had a big story early in the week. But he tees off. With Bubba Watson, 1121 on Thursday.

So Evan's a good dude. He graduated, I think, in 2012, 13, something like that, and played for Jerry for four years, was a two-time all-ACC player, originally from Virginia Beach, and I think he still lives in that area. But his office is in Washington, D.C. for his financial job that he has. But those are the three.

And then Aaron Rye, who won in Greensboro in August, qualified for the Masters. Won. Yeah. He did win. He did win with the money.

Who was it that had the unfortunate... Mishap, who is the Duke guy with the weird name? that had the mishap on sixteen And completely melted down at the Wyndham last year. That was a long time ago. I can't remember.

WD, look that up. But yeah, Aaron Rye is your Wyndham champion. He's in there. I'm going to be following Ashke Batia. Akshay, by the way.

Akshay, thank you. His home course, my dad, does some work at in Wakefield. Right right outside of the city of Wake Forest. Left-hander. Ooh.

Akshay is a left-hander. I did not know that. Yes. I did not know that. I followed him when he was 15 years old at the Wyndham Championship qualifier, and he almost qualified for the Wyndham at age 15.

So that's a guy I'm keeping an eye on. And here's the group that they threw Akshay in. Rory McIlroy And Ludwig Oberg, who last year in his first master start was runner-up. Yeah, he's a Akshay's going to have to play. He's got some company in his threesome, so that'll be good.

I think the pressure of playing with, I mean, that's going to help Akshay, I think. He's a nice kid. I've talked to him a few times. Very bright, tall. He has the specs sometimes, a lot of times when he plays.

Who was that guy that last year, Will? Name slips me? We got a couple of is it Max Graisherman? Yeah, it was Gracerman. He had the, I forget if it was 15 or 16 or both.

Well, actually, one of those guys that didn't go to college. He was homeschooled and then got turned pro when he was like 17, did it the hard way, and he's become a success.

So he's someone to watch. When you are putting together a criteria for players that might be successful in this tournament. What are some of the things that you are cycling in your head? Given how many tournaments you've watched, that's it's it really comes down to putting, I think. If you're not on your A game with your putter, you're not going to win Augusta, ever, ever, ever, ever.

So I think it it always usually comes down to putting. If you are too putting every green, You can win. Quite honestly, especially if you get in, you know, get to hit the par fives and two. I mean, I just think it comes down to the putter, and if you're not confident, With your putter I don't think you can win, and I think it's been proven. that the primary storyline at Augusta this week Especially without the presence of Tiger Woods with the Achilles, is Rory McElroy, who.

has not had the career slam. The one area he's short is the Masters. He hasn't won a green jacket and 11 tries, I think. And he's gone 38. Consecutive major starts without winning.

Last year came close at Pinehurst, of course. And next month. Quail Hollow is going to be hosting the PGA where Rory's won four times. I'm at the point with Rory. And if he doesn't win.

at Augusta, when he Has two wins for the first time in his career going into Augusta. Two wins on tour already going in. Or doesn't win at the PGA championship. I'm at the point where. When it happens, I will be surprised at this point.

Well, I think you know, you hate to say it, but like at the Masters, he's got to sort of back into it. If he could post a score and be in the clubhouse and have someone chase him, I think he's got a shot. But if he's out there trying to make Birdie and he's trailing, that's when it becomes dicey. Oh, that's interesting.

So a lot of people would think. That Rory wouldn't do well. playing ahead because of 2012 and the lead and all that. You're saying it would be best case scenario if he posts a score on Thursday. I think he's going to post and wait.

And then I think maybe he's got a shot. I mean, that's happened before there. Everyone looks at scoreboard and you're all of a sudden they meltdown.

So I think if he can post maybe on Sunday, if he's in contention, then maybe he can win a green jacket. I mean, I think that's the storyline that everyone's looking at. And the fans would, patrons, sorry. They would go crazy. And I think that would be well received if Rory won this week.

John Dell's with the Swinston-Talem Journal, Greensboro News and Record. Read his stuff this week when he gets to Augusta. Um he brought us Trail mix, pimino cheese. And you might be thinking, Josh, The tournament doesn't start till Thursday. Why does John just have pimino cheese from the Masters in his fridge to bring to you?

You were at Augusta this past weekend. Yep. Why? I always go Saturday and Sunday. Wake Forest women are always in the.

The Augusta National Women's Amateur. It's one of the best women's amateur tournaments in the world, really. It's the sixth year, and Wake Forest has had a golfer finish in the top 10 every year, at least once. A couple of times they had two. Jen Cup Show won the first one in 2019.

Wake Forest All-America was their senior year. Oh, yeah, she went on Fallon after that. She won that first one, and Wake's always had, you know, Kim Llewellyn does a great job there, and they're always, you know, I think they're ranked sixth or seventh right now. And so I'll go and cover that. And then Sunday is a drive chip and putt.

We had a kid from Bermuda Run, lives in Clemens. He played in that. He was in the 13 to the 12, 13 boys. He's a Clemens middle school seventh grader. Jason Wong.

So I went and covered him on Sunday and I just kind of like to get the lay of the land there at Augusta and get the you know, see the course and everything. And you know, they had all those storms that go went through there, you know, with the the hurricane and they um it doesn't look like anything's hit Augusta National, but around the neighborhoods and stuff, it looks pretty bad. Really? Oh, a lot of roofs are still on rep, they haven't been repaired yet. And so, but Augustin Nashville's fine, the course.

So, it's good to get out there on that weekend and then I go back later this week.

Okay. Uh What traditions do you have? Go into Augusta. 27 years. Are there.

places you go to appreciate the fact that you're there. I only think about it because I was seeing earlier today, Scott Van Pelt. There's this tree. He likes to stand under in a spot that he sees multiple spots on the golf course where. He centers himself.

He's like. It's special that I get to be here. I want to be here.

Well, I use, I mean, I usually, when I get there, I go to the course and by the big scoreboard, I kind of go out. right there. And then I go underneath the tree where it's it's kind of the big tree near the clubhouse that everyone kind of mingles. That's like the meeting spot since nobody has their phone. Yeah.

And I like to go there and just look around and and kind of see everyone. And It's amazing to me when I look at the faces of the people, you can tell which ones are there for the first time. You can actually tell that they don't blink because they're so excited about being there for the first time.

So that's kind of cool. But I, you know, Ray's Cafe is a nice eating spot that I always try to go to every time I get there. What do you get at Ray's Cafe? I had the salmon. This past weekend, and it was really good.

So the Rays is kind of off the beaten path. It's like in a neighborhood somewhere. Not a lot of people know it, and it's really good. And, you know, there are a few other places, but it's just a special place. And, you know, you go and the air is just different.

You breathe the air, and you're like, wow, this is Augusta National. You know how much history is here? And this is the 89th version of this tournament.

So I think it'll stick around for a while. Yeah. Jim Nance has already called his shot saying he's going to retire after the 100th.

Well, the joke was if Houston would have won, Fred Couples and Jim Nance may have never gotten to Augusta. They may have just said, you know what? We're not going.

Sorry. We're going to celebrate. What other local stories have you been following? This is what I appreciate about having you here because you're boots on the ground, you're covering. I mean, high school, college, pro.

I mean, Winston-Salem State.

Well, I leave Mark Pruitt. He's our high school guy. I leave him with the high schools. But no, I'm doing a story on Winston-Salem State's women's flag football team. They have a seven-on-seven flag football team, and they're playing in a CIA championship in Charlotte.

So I went and talked to them. I'm writing a story on that, and that's kind of cool. I mean, football school like Winston-Salem State, and they got a women's team is pretty good. Their second seed out of eight CIA schools have a women's flag football team, seven-on-seven.

So it's kind of cool. I've been looking at that, and then Bowman Gray Racing is coming up, so I'm kind of getting geared up for that. And then Wake Football, a little bit, spring football. I'll probably head to their spring game and then go to Bowman Gray's opener on that spring scrimmage. Slash, let's not show anybody anything because we're a new coach.

That's it. Same thing for Bill Belichick doing similar things. Spring game.

Well, apparently, too, that the ACC wanted to broadcast it and They said, no, we're not broadcasting this year. And there's going to be very little, it's not going to be streamed. It's going to be, fans can go and watch TV. Our local T V can you know film some plays, but it's not going to be able to view anywhere, which is smart by the coach because why show everyone what you have? You know.

Yeah, nobody seems to have a good read on what exactly Jake Dickert. Is up to. Exactly. Ironically enough, I sat down at Augusta this weekend right next to the Marietta Georgia newspaper guy who's the beat writer for Kennesaw State, who plays Wake Forest in the first game.

So we had some good conversations about they have a new coach, too, Kennesaw State, Jerry Mack.

So we were going to Jerry Mack, like the NC Central Jerry Mack. And so we talked a little bit about what are the odds? I sitting right next to the beat writer, Kennesaw State, who's coming to play Wake Forest. See you in the next game. See you on Wednesday.

That's right. Not too long down the way. What's been the best story you've heard in the aftermath now that we're a few months removed of. The NASCAR Race at uh Bowman Gray. I'm sure.

Things you hear about weeks later, months later.

Well, I it went really well. And I think NASCAR is coming back next year and the year after. There was some flo they were floating some idea of going to Brazil. Uh, with this all-star race, but I think that fell through.

So, I think they're going to be coming to Winston again. When they'll make an official announcement, I don't know. Maybe they'll do the dog and pony show again sometime this summer. Do you think it might be a multi-year? What I've gathered, I've heard they signed a three-year contract with Winston-Salem, City of Winston-Salem.

NASCAR did. Amazing. I mean, you know, the bottom line is NASCAR would like more people. To come to this race, even though it's full at 14,000, 15,000. But, you know, how cool was it when it was full?

I mean, if you get a fifty five thousand seat stadium and it's not full or arena or racetrack and it's not full, it doesn't look as good. But I just you know, so I think it went well and I think it'll come back to Winston Salem. I hope it does 'cause it was great for the city. Yeah, I I want to be there.

Next year. With the newborn, I was watching it home on T V. And it Just the energy you could feel, and hearing Chris Meyer's voice, and all the others who were like. This is like really energetic compared to what they experienced in the past.

Well, our columnist Scott Sexton went out there too. And really, the only glitch was everyone leaving at once, and they all had to get on the shuttles at once to take them to the parking at the Legacy Stadium and downtown. And that was kind of a, they needed to shore that up. But other than that, that was about the only complaints I heard. Wow.

Okay. So we have Bowman Gray season starting. How many weeks? April 19th. It was about the same.

Next weekend, not this weekend, but following weekend. Same day as Wake Spring, scrimmage. Scrimmage. That's what we got.

So they'll keep you busy. Do you like Rory this week? I do. I like Rory because I think, like you mentioned, he's won a couple of times. He's got some mojo.

And, you know, the course suits him because he hits it a mile. And, you know, the closer you are to the green, the better chance you have. That's not rocket science.

So I just think, you know, and I think it'd be cool for the sport if Rory won the Masters. I mean, you know, let's be honest, without Tiger and Phil and all, you know, back in the day, golf isn't as, I don't know, want to say exciting, but it's not on the front of everyone's news. And I think Rory winning would bring. Pro golf up a level. And I think it'd be cool for, you know, cool for everyone who's a Rory fan.

I know there's a lot of them out there. I'm interested, like, how many guys, like, how wide is the list in your mind? Of players ballpark that you think could win this thing? Is it a group of 10? Is it a group of 20?

Well, I wrote down a group of five: Rory Bryson. Justin Thomas Xander Choffle. And Scotty.

Now, Scotty's the only one that's won it. He's won it twice. Yeah. So those four other guys have never won it.

So I add those five names down, and I'll add a few. See, I have my list. This is as wide as I was going to go because I The way I wanted the ballpark was, I would be surprised. It would be a surprise to me if one of these 10 guys didn't win. And I got Scotty, you mentioned Justin Thomas, Rory McElroy, Bryson.

And Xander Shaffley, I also have Morikawa, as I discussed. And I mean, they're just the live guys I can't write off, like Rom and Kepka. Uh and then I have his wild cards who haven't won a major before. Luvig Oberg, and just because he won the Val Spar recently, Victor Hovland. That's my list.

I might even whittle it down from that closer to what you have, but that's my list.

Well, the dark horse is Billy Horschell because Florida just won. The national championship and Billy is a die-hard Florida Gator.

So maybe that'll carry him in the first round. We'll see if he can do it for four rounds. But never underestimate when your school wins a national championship in basketball and then you play that week.

So we'll see. What does that mean for Fred Couples? Yeah, I don't know. Fred's 65 years old, so I think Father Time has. But another neat thing is.

He's in the field somewhere. I got to see where he's teeing. And the thing about Will Zalatoris, he's playing with the oldest guy in the field, Bernard Longer, who's going to shut it down after this is his final one. Saw that. 67.

Noah Kent, who's a 20-year-old from Iowa. He goes to the University of Iowa.

So Will is playing with the oldest and the youngest in the field. And it's awesome. That's fun. That's what I rely on you for for nuggets like that. John Dell.

Have fun in Augusta this week. I hope you bring that hoodie with you because it's probably going to be a little rainy, a little cold at points. And thank you so much for paying the visit. We'll have to do this again maybe next week if something fun happens. Yeah, yeah.

To recap. Like people ask me all the time: what's it like covering Augusta? I say, well, it doesn't suck.

So, I mean, it's good. They ask you what it's like to be on the drive with Josh Graham. It doesn't suck. It's the ultimate sell. That's it.