FanHouse BenCrenshaw

We're two-thirds through the 37th Ryder Cup and the Americans are holding onto a 9-7 lead heading into the Sunday singles matches. The Europeans trailed 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 after Day 1, and 7-5 after the Saturday morning foursomes, and despite cutting into the lead, nobody had the U.S. a) being competitive, and b) two full points up on a European team that won the last two events without much effort.

But this is different -- so far, at least -- and maybe it's because the Americans have rallied around not having Tiger, or perhaps a revitalized Justin Leonard, outta-nowhere performances from Steve Stricker or Hunter Mahan, or clutch ball-striking from Boo Weekley have all been the catalyst. Whatever, captain Paul Azinger has to be ecstatic about the team's predicament, and, if nothing else, the U.S. will be spared a Saturday night Ben Crenshaw "I have a good feeling about this" pep talk.

Now, though, the Americans have to play with the lead, which puts the pressure squarely on their shoulders, a position they are not familiar with in the Ryder Cup.

Just when you thought cuddly U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate couldn't get any more lovable. One of the happiest guys on the planet told WJAR-TV that he's not upset by Johnny Miller's "[Rocco] looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool" comments.

Mediate told WJAR-TV that Miller's comments had been blown out of proportion. "It doesn't bother me at all," he said. "He definitely didn't do it on purpose."

He called Miller "quite a good announcer" because he says what's on his mind. He said the analyst had left him a voicemail and he planned to call him back.

I have no idea if he made the comments on purpose, and although, based on FanHouse reader feedback (which is certainly representative of the country's feelings on the issue), a lot of people don't consider Miller "quite a good announcer," I tend to agree with Mediate. That said, this isn't the first time Miller's been called out for speaking his mind.

From a 2000 interview with Golf Digest's Tom Callahan:

The Masters is all about tradition: the par 3 tournament, the ceremonial tee shot, the green jacket, calling everybody "patron," the Champions Dinner, and of course, institutionalized racism.*

As is custom, the defending champion gets to choose the menu for the Champions Dinner held during Masters week. This year, Zach Johnson was planning to have Ruth Chris Steakhouse serve up some Iowa beef, to honor his roots, and in a nod to his wife, Amelia Island shrimp. Augusta National offered a polite "hell no" on the idea and reminded Johnson that he'd have to use the chefs on staff.

So it was back to the drawing board, and the menu remains a work in progress with only a couple of weeks before his mid-March deadline. Surf and turf is about as concrete as it gets so far.

"We're trying to piece some things together and see how that works out," Johnson said... "I have a feeling it's going to be some Midwest food with some Florida flair."

Sounds good. Just stay away from the chicken and collard greens. It really bums out the segregationists who will be in attendance.

After the jump, 20 years worth of Champions Dinner menus.

* joke

In case you've been on Pluto, the Masters starts this Thursday. And while March 21 is when most people celebrate the beginning of spring, for me it starts when some old timer grills an unsuspecting fan with an errant tee shot forty or so yards from the tee box. Good times.

Anyway, as we get ready for the first major championship of the 2007 season -- and wonder where the time went since Tiger won his first Masters -- here's an interesting piece on Carl Jackson, who will caddie in his 45th Masters Tournament later this week.

At one time -- not too long ago, actually -- the only way African Americans could see Augusta National was while carrying a bag. Lee Elder broke the color barrier for golfers in 1975, which eventually paved the way for a more diverse PGA today (though, to be fair, most of the "diversity" is courtesy of the European and Asian Tours; the PGA is still predominately white).

Jackson, 60, has caddied for Ben Crenshaw 30 times -- including both his Masters victories -- and even though the Club now lets players bring their own caddies to the tournament, Crenshaw's sticking with Jackson as long as he continues to show up on Magnolia Lane every April.

It's a great read, particularly if you like the history of Augusta National, the intersection of race and sports in the South -- especially during the middle of last century -- and how golf, in a sometimes roundabout ways, brings people together. It's like an ABC Afternoon Special, but better.