Like It Is

Expectations will only rise for Open champ

Some professional golfers criticized Chambers Bay Golf Course, home of last week's U.S. Open, but for a novice it was fun seeing the world's greatest players face more of a challenge.

Maybe part of it was because it is a public course and those don't always get the high-dollar attention of private courses.

It was especially enjoyable to watch Jordan Spieth charge through the last hole to earn the victory and a spot in golf's history books as just the sixth golfer to ever win the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year, but it seemed unfair that the first question he was asked by a Fox reporter was about winning golf's Grand Slam.

Let the kid enjoy what he just did for a while before you put that 800-pound gorilla on his back.

Heritage Links developed Chambers Bay, and they have built golf courses all over the world.

One of the most outspoken critics was Gary Player, who won the U.S. Open 50 years ago.

Wonder how often Player plays a public course.

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Dick Vitale knocked it out of the park Saturday night as the featured speaker at the third annual Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps awards banquet.

With the energy of a 36-year-old, Vitale -- who is 76 -- started strong and finished even stronger as he touched on a number of very important subjects, including respect for parents, education and teamwork.

The featured speakers at the first two All-Arkansas Preps banquets, NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, were very good, but Vitale was great.

He shared the story of his life and his career, which started as a high school basketball coach (he won two state championships) and included coaching the NBA's Detroit Pistons before he became one of college basketball's top analysts.

In December 1979 he was part of the broadcast team that called the first college basketball game on ESPN, and he's been a larger-than-life player for that network ever since.

Vitale also revealed that he had just received a new contract from ESPN.

He was never more passionate than when he talked about the Dick Vitale Gala, which raises money for juvenile cancer research through the V Foundation.

"Every penny goes to research," he said. "When I found out only 4 percent of all money donated to cancer research went for children's research, I knew I had to do something."

The 10th annual event was held last month in Sarasota, Fla., and honored Lovie Smith, Jimbo Fisher and Jim Boeheim.

That one event raised $2.3 million because of the driving force behind it, Dickie V.

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It happens all over the country this time of year.

Colleges lose great baseball prospects to Major League Baseball and its farm systems.

Mississippi State lost one last week when Gray Fenter of West Memphis received $1 million bonus to sign with the Baltimore Orioles.

Fenter, a right-handed pitcher whose fastball has been timed at 94 mph, just graduated from high school.

The 6-0, 190-pounder was taken in the seventh round and his contract was estimated to be about $178,000, but the Orioles obviously wanted him in their system sooner rather than later.

MSU had six recruits drafted last week, and three opted to play professionally.

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The 17th class of the Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame has been chosen and will be inducted Friday, July 3, at the Sherwood Softball Complex to kick off the annual 4th of July Classic softball tournament.

Rick Stocker, Randy Wilson, Jim Fulks, Conrad Battreal, Shawn Hamilton and Bob McMahan are the men's inductees, and inductees for the women's division are Dara Tyler, Rhonda Bucheroth, Jesse McFarland, Clinton Hill and Milton Piper.

Dinner will be at 5 p.m. and the induction at 6 p.m.

Sports on 06/23/2015

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