tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74794442009-10-14T01:41:30.884-04:00Ruminations and observations from a scattered mindPatrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.comBlogger958125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-22140229076639028572009-08-11T09:12:00.001-04:002009-08-11T11:03:32.037-04:00

I 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-67294203431428745522009-06-18T00:01:00.005-04:002009-06-18T00:08:15.737-04:00

The 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-47062641837833473002009-04-09T05:22:00.000-04:002009-04-09T06:55:36.879-04:00

Masters 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-90230756427755405192009-03-09T20:33:00.002-04:002009-03-09T20:45:26.470-04:00

The 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-84876827281145321492009-02-22T14:12:00.006-05:002009-03-07T12:21:57.440-05:00

I 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-74018696442105168282009-01-14T10:22:00.004-05:002009-01-15T09:39:14.710-05:00

Durham 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.

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-46951706557522915022008-12-23T11:10:00.001-05:002008-12-23T11:16:22.092-05:00

My favorite version of my favorite Christmas song

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-87051797961707731572008-12-03T11:30:00.003-05:002008-12-03T11:38:35.036-05:00

You 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 a

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-34277350618070572792008-11-22T10:23:00.003-05:002008-11-22T10:36:28.606-05:00

Sports 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-57099558431883729682008-11-04T00:25:00.001-05:002008-11-04T00:25:52.591-05:00

Four 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-83896857318885300682008-10-30T13:10:00.003-04:002008-10-30T13:25:25.735-04:00

Orson 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.Related

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-58154886744801061412008-10-25T19:18:00.002-04:002008-10-25T19:29:20.205-04:00

Well that explains a hell of a lot.

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19430450033627267822008-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:002008-10-22T07:00:00.910-04:00

While 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19647875130959871832008-10-20T10:50:00.005-04:002008-10-20T10:54:25.862-04:00

"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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-83790046047129509872008-10-19T17:59:00.004-04:002008-10-21T12:52:39.761-04:00

Now 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 about

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-71682168342646384012008-09-17T17:18:00.002-04:002008-09-17T17:21:08.545-04:00

This 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.

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-19282327506209485492008-07-03T11:20:00.004-04:002008-07-03T11:31:43.579-04:00

I kept this quiet for awhile, but it is now time for the Big Announcement.'

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-77038014098093836662008-06-11T20:22:00.005-04:002008-06-12T12:22:48.583-04:00

The 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:

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-35493955767794424572008-04-21T19:47:00.009-04:002008-04-21T20:47:47.169-04:00

Throughout 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-81137782238031525762008-04-10T08:44:00.005-04:002008-04-10T09:28:34.280-04:00

The 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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-8736797143064089102008-03-12T20:13:00.002-04:002008-03-12T20:17:15.570-04:00

Isn't it about time to rename this place the Socially Significant if Frequently Off-Key Hall of Fame?

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-51325306879077879352008-02-28T00:56:00.012-05:002008-02-28T01:16:57.762-05:00

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

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-69961216366895619782008-02-24T18:28:00.002-05:002008-02-24T18:45:44.863-05:00

I will keep one eye on the OSCARS tonight. If nothing else, host John Stewart should be entertaining.For the fourth year in a row, I will list my predictions for the major awards. I have made a nice bit of change through the year with wagers on the OSCARS, but this year I have no money at stake.Supporting Actress: Through the years, this has been the one category that has consistently been hard

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-63318182275373497882008-01-08T15:07:00.000-05:002008-01-08T15:19:13.248-05:00

Baseball has not had much to celebrate lately, but the just-released Hall of Fame vote holds some good news.Good News: Goose Gossage InBetter News: Mark McGwire Strikes Out AgainThe fact McGwire did not pick up a single vote from last year is encouraging.

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479444.post-6054144186845898392007-12-14T11:56:00.001-05:002007-12-14T12:11:56.510-05:00

George Mitchell finally issued his No Shit Report on steroids use in baseball. I was once an avid fan of the game, but work stoppages and all involved in the game turning a blind eye to cheating killed any attraction the game once held for me.Previously

Patrick Eakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379957248861844077noreply@blogger.com0