Is it Arc or Arch? There's a 3-point line, and there's the famous Arc de Triomphe

It's a common mistake, especially among sports writers and broadcasters. When a basketball player takes a shot from behind the three-point line drawn on the court, without fail someone -- the writer in a post game story or in a Tweet during the game or the radio or television announcer handling the respective broadcast -- will use "arch" instead of "arc" when describing from where the shot was taken.

In a recent report of the NC State University's men's basketball team win over North Carolina, the writer for The News & Observer penned a story -- "Fearless" freshman Shakeel Moore starts to shine at the perfect time for NC State -- about freshman Shakeel Moore and his fast start against the Tar Heels. He wrote, "His first two baskets were from behind the arch."

Not so. They were from behind the "arc" which, by definition, is "any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line." It's a two-dimensional line drawn on the court which rewards the player and the team with three points if the shot from there goes in. Shooting from behind the "arc" is somewhat easy. It's easy to aim and shoot, though accurate tossing is required for the reward.

Arc de Triomphe in Paris

On the other hand, shooting from behind an "arch" can be a bit difficult, one would imagine. An arch, by definition, is a curved masonry construction for spanning an opening such as an archway from room to room in a house, or, as we may know the most famous arch, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Not all arches are that large. Your house, as described in the definition, could have such a structure. So shooting from behind the "arch" would be difficult at best.

There are two other types of "arches" with which you should be familiar. There's the arch in your foot which, I guess, could be slightly ahead of the ball when it is released toward the basket and, therefore, the shot came from behind the arch. 

Arch Miller shoots from beyond
the three-point arc

And there is Arch Miller, current basketball coach for the Indiana Hoosiers and a diminutive (5'10" tall) basketball player at NC State, 1998-2002 where he ended his playing career with a 42.9 percent accuracy from the three-point arc, hitting 218 of his three-pointers.

If Miller had been guarding Moore (6'1"), Moore's three-point attempts could have been from behind the "arch." It's unlikely Miller could have blocked Moore's shot. But, Arch wasn't there. So, instead of Moore's first two baskets coming from behind the "arch," the three-pointers were from behind the "arc," that two-dimensional line drawn on the court.

If you have an itch to eat out, Scratch!

A reader of Jim's COVIDiary recently suggested our day trips have a common theme: Beer! Not a bad observation, but not completely true. We enjoy a good beer, and breweries are usually fun places to visit, even during the coronavirus pandemic. We look for breweries when planning an outing, but our day trips are to get to a destination and return home and to experience something other than the interior walls of our home. Too many people are staying home these days when a drive through the country can be enlightening and enjoyable. Including a beer stop is simply a plus.

Our most recent outing took us to downtown Apex, not very far from home, to a restaurant that's at the very least on it's third leg as a restaurant. Originally it had a country cooking menu, a theme that didn't work out even in country-cooking Apex, the highest point above sea-level on the Seaboard Airline railroad. We ate there a couple of times before it closed. What kept us from returning was the limited ... uh ... beer list. Oh well. After that, it was a Mexican establishment, more upscale, we think, though we never visited it. It might have been something else before or after that. Hard to remember when a restaurant changes its stripes so often in a short time period. This eatery is on North Salem Street, the main drag through Apex, sort of, but its actually at the rear of the Tobacco Mule Exchange building.

Our trip was for a Saturday lunch at Scratch Kitchen and Taproom. We decided to try it for the first part of the name, "Scratch Kitchen," though the last part, "Taproom," helped seal the deal, to take our chances. We were pleasantly pleased with the service, the food, and, of course, the beer. We parked in a lot at the rear of the building, which fronts North Salem Street and backs on Temple Street. Take either Templeton Street or Saunders Street, which run perpendicular to North Salem, to get there. This is better than trying to park on Salem Street.

Several well-spaced tables are set up outside in a courtyard. To social distance, we wanted an outside table, so we arrived about eleven o'clock that morning. We were directed to a table but after a few minutes we changed tables because the first was on a severe slope. I felt as if I was falling forward while sitting. The second table was relatively flat. After moving, we noticed the first table was being cleaned, though we had been at it for a mere minute or two. We were impressed with the protocol to combat the spread of COVID-19. About the only issue we had at Scratch was the abundance of flies which kept us busy, shooing them from our food and beverage. Since we pretty good at shooing, the flies didn't get a chance to eat much.

Prior to going to Scratch, on another day trip, we went to Vicious Fishes Apex, a few miles south of the Apex Historical District, so we opted for the Vicious Fishes Here be Dragons IPA for our "do-you-know-what-you-would-like-to-drink" selection, a question which usually comes either without a list of available libations or just seconds after being seated with a drinks list. This time our waitperson gave us ample time to decide. Good choice of beer, by the way, except the drinks are served in Mason jars which didn't change the good flavor; we're just not fans of drinks served in Mason jars except, maybe, for the water. But, the jars didn't stop us from enjoying the beer.

The menu has several "that looks good" items, you know, those delicious descriptions on the menu but which you've never set sight on. But they look good! Take a look at the entire Scratch Kitchen and Taproom menu. Here are the descriptions of our selections; both were sandwiches:

CRISPY CHICKEN: Waffle-battered fried chicken with spicy maple syrup aioli, candied bacon and house pimento cheese with Scratch made pickles. Served on a Stick Boy bun. (Review: Excellent choice! The bun was undersized; there were two sizable pieces of fried chicken breast. The add-ons gave it an overall great taste. It's a winner to be duplicated on a future visit even if just to see if indeed the tasty and filling sandwich can be duplicated.)

N.C. BAHN MI: House smoked pulled-pork, traditional Vietnamese picked vegetables, cucumber, fresh cilantro, kimchi aioli. Served on a toasted Hoagie bun. (Review: Be sure to read past the title when ordering. We didn't so we were expecting the Bahn Mi made with fried pork belly. Once we took a bite, we were sold. The pulled pork was tasty and tender. The add-ons were especially good, but best of all we gave credit to our son who always tells us, "the bread makes the sandwich." In this case, that was the truest of statements. The bun was toasted, just enough. The inside was soft, just enough. The flavor of the sandwich was perfect, just enough. Hopefully this will be duplicated as well.)

This outing was not a day long event; we didn't drive very far; we didn't explore areas of North Carolina or one of the adjoining states; we didn't go outside Wake County. What we did was enjoy an excellent meal and had an enjoyable time not far from our backdoor. It was another outing that was well worth the time and the expense. 

Virus may rein in college football excess? Are you kidding? Temporarily, maybe!

In reference to a recent editorial column—Virus may rein in college football excess—written by The News & Observer Associate Editor Ned Barnett, me thinks Mr. Barnett is just a bit too optimistic. 

Football is the major force for operation of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its 15 college members and is the primary reason the ACC Board of Directors, made up of the 15 presidents and chancellors, have thus far caved to proceeding with the 2020 season, the spread of COVID-19 be damned!

Football is the self-standing economic engine for athletics departments at N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which, as state-supported universities, are supposed to be self-sufficient when it comes to finances. Massive revenue from the television contract with ESPN is on the line when discussing whether to play or not.

There is despair in losing dollars from ticket sales because of policies of maximum size of crowd gatherings. But, the real money is with television income and sponsorships from football which finances those athletics departments, their on-going operations as well as debt and debt service. Without television revenue, one can image that loans—after initial investment from boosters—for facility expansion might go into default.

As much as anyone, I enjoy watching college sports, especially football, but I think athletics, especially at the Power 5 conference level—Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12, Southeastern and ACC—is too big, a force that is the university’s tail wagging the dog more than ever. The fight against the ever expanding athletics divisions of colleges and universities goes back more than 50 years.

Don’t focus on the number of athletes who get educated through participation in intercollegiate athletics. I used to think having their schooling paid for was enough compensation for their service to the school. Not anymore. These young men and women deserve a lot more. The COVID-19 pandemic may just be the proverbial straw that breaks the bank. It gives the student-athletes leverage to ask for income for risking their lives.

In normal times, such as in 2019, there is plenty of money to go around, and there is a lot of waste in the name of administering college sports. When you look at the excess at the administrative level, you’ll find what needs to be reined in. N.C. State Wolfpack athletics has 28 employees with “athletics director” in their titles. Boo Corrigan is the Athletics Director,  but, according to the website gopack.com, there are 27 others with “athletics director” added to their titles of deputy, associate, senior associate, and assistant, and for what? There are only 21 sports to care for at N.C. State.

The Wolfpack football staff has 40 employees under that department, according to the staff list. Men’s basketball has 16.The head football and basketball coaches are the two highest paid employees on the N.C. State campus. If money is power, football coach Dave Doeren and men's basketball coach Kevin Keatts have it hook, line, and sinker.

Staff excess is not a formula for success. The Wolfpack’s last two ACC football titles were in 1973 and 1979 with football staffs of less than half of today’s staff. The 1974- and 1983-men’s basketball teams won national titles with fewer than half of today’s staff. There were no more than three “athletics directors” during those years. Not only do salaries of these coaches, especially the head coaches, need to be reined in, something COVID might instigate, but maybe the entire scope of how athletics operates and at what expense needs to be cut, reined in, simplified.

Athletics is not the only bloated area at N.C. State University which, according to the website NCSU.edu and its on-line staff directory, has 122 employees with “dean” in their titles; 62 “chancellors”; and 53 “provosts”. And, least you think I’m picking on my alma mater (NCSU ’77), at UNC-CH the goheels.com website shows 60 names on the football staff and 18 for men’s basketball. And the number of titles with chancellor, deans and provosts at UNC-CH is just as bulky as at N.C. State. These are big institutions but why such top-heavy staff?

The size of college athletics is an issue: football coaches, athletics directors, chancellors, and presidents want to save athletics departments by playing football during this pandemic crisis. Chancellors and Presidents want to open campuses for financial reasons more so than for education, especially to keep deans, chancellors and provosts employed and to pay for its own debt service—education and safety for the students be damned.

Both college athletics and colleges in general, especially on the administrative sides, need some serious cost-cutting, making do at the highest level while meeting its charge with less. If the salaried staff needs to put in a few additional work hours, so be it.

Mr. Barnett, The N&O writer, thinks COVID-19 might rein in college football but he misses the bigger trees in the forest of intercollegiate athletics and the universities.

What’s more likely to happen is a coalition of colleges, those Power-5 leagues with the television money in hand, sets an agenda that includes no more than a dozen varsity teams, six for men and six for women, sending the other sports and athletes to the club sports level, putting the financial burden on the universities, not athletics departments, if those teams are retained at all.

Even with those changes big time athletics eventually will continue, maybe on a smaller scale at first, but with big-time football leading the way to ungoverned growth. If the current structures of college athletics, especially departments top-heavy with administrators and their surrounding kingdoms, remain, COVID-19 will not rein in college football. It may slow it a bit, downsize it a little, but years from now the call to rein in college football excess will be heard again.

Local Day Trip: Raleigh, Apex breweries

Selfie! What did you expect?!

Our plan was to drive northwest about two hours from Cary to Mount Airy, legendary North Carolina town of the Andy Griffith Show. After visiting a couple of "Mayberry" breweries for the first time, one for beer only and the other for beer and lunch, we would head to Elkin for another brewery. That was the plan.

Interstate and four-lane highways there and lesser know highways to return home would be the travel routes this time. But we nixed that idea. It was Sunday, and we didn't want to be in the fast lane for just over four hours. We would save it for another day.

Another option was an hour drive southwest to the Pinehurst Brewery, an enjoyable beer and pizza location we visited before the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside seating is available, just as at the other three breweries. Pinehurst is a unique village but we weren't up for that either.

Making plans these days is not a chore but not fun either. Spur of the moment stuff is not always possible. Doing the same thing every day is downright depressing, though that may be too strong of a word for us. Let's say we've become "down in the dumps," probably no different than millions of others who are adhering to methods to keep from getting infected by what I'm now calling the "Trump Flu" and for good unmentionable reasons.

So, not wanting to go very far but go somewhere, we packed a lunch and drove 15 minutes to Trophy Brewing on Maywood Ave. in Raleigh, near the State Farmers Market just off of Interstate-40. We knew there would be well-spaced outside seating and good beer.

Ham, cheddar, tomato , Duke's mayo
on cinnamin raison bread with
Mr. Cheesesteak Garlic Parm Fries

Nancy constructed one of my favorite sandwiches: Ham, cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, and Duke's mayo on cinnamon raisin bread. That's right, cinnamon raisin bread! Delicious! Don't knock it until you've tried it. Guy Fieri would love the sandwich, describing its sweetness of the bread to complement the the acidity of the tomatoes and the texture of the ham and cheese, and so on and so forth.We also had potato chips, grapes, and pickles. However, when we arrived the Mr. Cheesesteak food truck was there, front and center. Nancy suggested the Garlic Parm Fries, as a substitute for the potato chips.

During 90 minutes at Trophy, we met a guy who quickly offered he is a beer connoisseur. "I have a certificate," he boasted, saying he dislikes IPAs. "Weak and too hoppy," he said. What? IPAs should be hoppy. Weak? How about 7.5% AVB for my first choice, "Best In Class" New England IPA, served in a 12 ounce plastic cup instead of 16 ounces because of its ABV. This guy went on and on, describing his beer tastes, saying every "beer" he doesn't like is not beer. Hah! Connoisseur? Consuming Beer Snob, maybe. Expert? Sure thing, pal. And if you don't believe me just ask him.

There was also a patron sitting around the corner from us, singing off-key to music coming through his earphones. It was Celtic music, we discovered. Now, come to think about it, isn't all Celtic music off-key? Fortunately, Celtic guy finished his beer and sing-along while beer expert finished his beer at nearly the same time, about 70 minutes into our day trip to Trophy. We were sandwiched in between the two: beer lecturer to our right, and wannabe off-key serenader to our left. They soon departed, giving us 20 minutes of good beer and food without uninvited noise.

Look for the sign on old U.S. 1 south of Apex

The day was not over. We drove about 20 minutes southwest, through Apex to Vicious Fishes, a brewery taproom which is an extension of Vicious Fishes Taproom and Kitchen in Fuquay-Varina. This location is on Old U.S. 1 just past NC Toll Road 540 and is also home for Piranha Joe Coffee. The coffee shop opens at 7:00 a.m. and has a wide selection of coffee offerings. I'm not sure what was in the building previously. Maybe an old garage or country store of some sort.

Vicious Fishes Taproom 
backyard courtyard in Apex

When we arrived, the parking lot appeared full. We wouldn't stay if the inside was over-loaded which it wasn't. We were pleasantly surprised to find a courtyard of picnic tables out back, offering plenty of room to social distance yet sit at the same table with unknowns. The beer was good. There was a wine offering. The staff was wearing masks; the seating inside was well spaced. It was well-worth the drive through Apex.

Just as we've been to Trophy several times before Sunday, we'll return to Vicious Fishes some day soon, maybe for morning coffee or for an afternoon beer or glass of wine. It'll be a good follow-up to this local day trip which was excellent by our important and must-have-a-good-time standards: Tasty beer, nice drive, delicious food, and interesting folks.

Visiting Saxapahaw and The Eddy Pub

Have you ever been to Saxapahaw, the tiny former mill town on the Haw River and once home to a big name in North Carolina politics?

We've been there several times, stopping occasionally, and passing through, for no reason, other times. Saturday we made a planned visit, one of our day trips during the coronavirus pandemic. We went to have lunch at The Eddy Pub, one of two eateries in an old cotton mill. In deference to COVID-19, the Eddy is taking reservations to assure there's no over-crowding.

The Eddy has a pub atmosphere. Duh! The view from the deck overlooking the Haw River is nice, but no shade on a hot day. We ate inside with air conditioning and never set foot on the deck. The beer list, which includes the excellent  Surfin Buddha IPA draft, is short but with something for every one. And, the fries are tasty. However, the Grilled Farm Burger on a Brioche bun with NC Mango chutney, mayo, lettuce, NC hoop cheddar and dijon lacked a lot of taste. The meat needed more seasoning; the other elements offer no specific or earth-shattering flavors. The Veggie Burger with the same condiments as the Grilled Farm Burger was completely tasteless and was just a pile of mushed up vegetables formed into a patty.

Saxapahaw is in southeastern Alamance County, a few miles west of N.C. highway 54 between Carrboro and Graham and a few miles east of N.C. 87 between Pittsboro and Graham. From Cary, we drove through Chapel Hill, down famous and infamous Franklin Street where we saw many face-mask-less students returning to campus for the 2020 fall semester at UNC-CH. Don't be surprised if the spread of COVID-19 spikes in Chapel Hill. We drove through Carrboro and 10 miles later made a left turn on Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road to Saxahapaw.

The unincorporated area of fewer than 1,800 people seemed to be on the verge of buzzing as we arrived just short of noon. The parking area near the General Store, the other place in Saxapahaw serving hot food, seemed nearly full and customers were waiting outside for their orders to be filled.

The Eddy Pub deck

We were headed for the Eddy, hoping to find a table on the deck. We didn't have a reservation and were told the earliest deck seating would be at 3:30 p.m. Turns out being inside was a lot better due to the heat; we sat at a corner table to safely distance ourselves from other patrons. The wait-staff and servers were wearing masks, prompt and accommodating. The Farm Burger was $14; the Veggie Burger $12, over priced for the quality. The IPA pints were $6.5 each, what we expected and worth it.

After picking through our meal, a visit to the General Store was suggested but once we approached and peeked inside we nixed the idea. Too many people too close together. So we took the 60-second tour of the area, noting the condo units and apartments overlooking the Haw River and thinking we located the home of the late B. Everett Jordan, a United States Senator representing North Carolina, 1958-1973. On April 19, 1958, Jordan was appointed to the seat to replace Senator W. Kerr Scott who had died. Later that year, Jordan won an election to complete the last two years of Scott's term, and Jordan was re-elected in 1960 and 1966. In the 1972 Democratic primary, Senator Jordan was defeated by Congressman Nick Galifianakis who lost in the general election to Jesse Helms who served until 2003 when he did not seek re-election. And that's your civics lesson for the day.

We headed west, crossing over the Haw River, eventually finding N.C. 87 south and driving through downtown Pittsboro on the way home, making one important stop along the way. Our route was U.S. highway 64 east which dissects Jordan Lake, named for the Senator. Jordan Lake was created by the Army Corps of Engineers by damming the Haw River in eastern Chatham County. Amazing how all of this comes together, sort of.

Marshall's Produce in Wilsonville

Soon thereafter, about a mile past the Wilsonville crossroads on the east side of the lake, we stopped at Marshall's Produce, basically a tomato stand where you'll find the best tomatoes ever and in about eight different varieties, all for $2.50 a pound including the Cherokee Purple and German Johnson. Also there are Tasty Lee, Carolina Gold, Pink Lady, Better Boy, Big Red and others. We also bought okra and cucumbers.  Other produce is available.

It was another good day trip, all in all. We'll know better next time about ordering at The Eddy Pub, or we'll try the General Store, if it's not crowded.

$10 Hamburgers and The Bullhole

A recent two-hour drive from Cary, N.C., to Salisbury, N.C.'s Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery for lunch was well worth it, especially since Wednesday is $10 burger day, the price for a substantial and tasty hamburger and a side of homemade tater tots (with a hint of onion) or the true-to-their-word hand-cut potato wedges, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Appropriately, that was a mouthful!

This excursion was one of our day trips, taking back roads to see country side we've never seen and to visit interesting cross-roads, even if just to wave to no one in particular as we pass through. 

For those not in the know, Salisbury, home of Catawba and Livingstone colleges and Cheerwine, is one of several expanding municipalities along Interestate-85 and about an hour northeast of uptown Charlotte. We decided to take U.S. Highway 64 from Cary, around Pittsboro, through Siler City and Asheboro to I-85 South near Lexington. To beat the lunch crowd, if any, we drove the quickest route, I-85 to Salisbury.

Finding Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery for the unknowing, even with Google Maps offering route instructions, is a bit difficult. The entrance is not on the street side of the address. It's on the backside of the building. We arrived about 11:15 that morning, pleasantly surprised at the COVID-19 required table layout and the entire staff wearing face masks. Overall, we give the brewery/eatery a positive grade for following protocol.

Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery

The beer list included two IPAs: my choice of Hazy IPA, "a Juice Bomb and true Hazy IPA with a substantial, defined citrus finish" and which only comes in a 10-ounce Tulip glass because of its 7% AVB; Nancy's choice of Buffalohead IPA (American Session IPA), a "Medium Body, Citrus IPA with Bold Hop Flavor," just 5.5% ABV which came in a 16-ounce pint glass. We bought a pint glass with the brewery logo to add to our home collection. Both IPAs were very good and recommended for those who follow our lead and go there for lunch, dinner or just a beer.

Lunch had to be hamburgers. Nancy had the Bacon Cheddar Hamburger with lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions (instead of raw onion), cheddar cheese and bacon along with tater tots made from scratch in the kitchen. The onion flavor hint comes from onion salt in the potato mixture. I chose the Caramelized burger with lettuce, tomato, Bleu cheese and caramelized onions and the hand cut potato wedges which were more like french fries but a little meatier. We both requested medium rare burgers, wanting pink runny middles, and the kitchen obliged us for the most part. The edges were a bit over done; the middle was juicy pink. Overall the burgers were tasty-excellent, though could have been cooked a minute or two less.

This day-trip was not planned just for lunch in Salisbury. The main attraction was a visit to the Bullhole at RiverPark at Colleemee Falls on the south side of the South Yadkin River which serves as the border for Davie and Rowan counties. From Salisbury, we drove west on U.S. Highway 70 for a few miles and turned north on N.C. highway 801. We were about to cross the South Yadkin River when we realized we missed the turn to the park. After backtracking about half a mile, we found our way to the park entrance only to be informed by a sign the park is closed. I discovered the Bullhole in an article published recently in Our State magazine which also ran a story about Bullhole in 2010. 

1,000,000 square foot Cooleemee Cotton Mill

As it turns out the park has a Woodleaf, N.C. address but is associated more with Cooleemee, an old textile village that today has a mixture of well-to-do homes and those of poverty appearance. Cooleemee not exactly a major attraction, but it has a proud history. There's a plan to renovate the Cooleemee Cotton Mill on the North Yadkin River.

There was a quicker route home but with time on our hands, we took alternate directions back to Cary. For instance, we drove U.S. Highway 601 from Colleemee to Salisbury, entering the town on West Innes Street, taking us through Catawba College. Several students were checking into dorms. Many of the students, we noticed, were not wearing face masks. 

After weaving through Salisbury, we eventually found Bingle Ferry Road and headed east, crossing and saying goodbye to Interstate-85. We went through Craven, across portions of High Rock Lake which was formed by the damn for the Tuckertown Hydroelectric Power Plant, and into the unincorporated area of High Rock. Later we discovered there are some neat walking trails near the damn. We'll do that next time, if there's a next time.

We drove through Healing Springs and Denton, eventually arriving at familiar N.C. Highway 49, once a major route from Raleigh to Charlotte by way of Asheboro. Prior to turning onto U.S. Highway 64 in Asheboro to return to Cary, we drove into the Tot Hill Farm Golf Club area where there's a spectacular Mike Strantz designed golf course.

We were home by 4:00 p.m. after a 9:00 a.m. start. All in all, it was a good day. $10 hamburgers with lots of trimmings and good sides; driving to places unseen by our eyes; taking time away from the strain and stress of the coronavirus. Best of all, seven hours sitting beside my wife, enjoying the day.

To play or not to play football this fall, that's the ACC's pending question

Will there be ACC football this year?

According to Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford, we should know in the next few days, or at least by the end of July, if the ACC will conduct a full football season in 2020 with conference and non-conference games, if the ACC will have a football season without non-conference opposition, or, if the ACC will cancel football and all intercollegiate sports this fall.

The decision by the ACC Board of Directors, made up of the Presidents and Chancellors of the 15 league members, will be for financial or health reasons or both. The league is weighing health against money. Usually, money wins.

A schedule that includes non-conference games makes no financial sense. When tickets sales are high, when fans fill the stadiums, when concession stands have long lines, and when payment to non-conference opponents, especially those not from Power 5 leagues, is reasonable, playing non-conference games is an easy solution, a financial windfall.

With little revenue from the fans, with the spread of coronavirus not under control, allowing fans in the stadiums is a health risk no one should take. Keep the money in house. Do not play non-conference teams.

Current 2020 ACC football composite schedule

Which brings up the elephant not in the football conference but in the room. Notre Dame is a member of the ACC, but it is a football independent, though there are six ACC teams on the Fighting Irish schedule this fall. Swofford previously has said Notre Dame will be part of the solution because financially for the six teams, it is the right thing to do.

Notre Dame’s schedule now is short three games as Big Ten opponent Wisconsin and PAC-12 members Stanford and Southern Cal have been eliminated because those conferences have decided on a conference-only schedule. By including Notre Dame, the ACC could fill the voids.

A conference-only decision is an opportunity to bring—maybe force—Notre Dame into ACC football fulltime. Join or lose six games against ACC teams, a demand that would create a rift in the ACC-ND relationship.

Currently, the Irish are scheduled to play Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest, three from each ACC division. To get to eight games, assign ND to the Atlantic Division, cancel the N.C. State-Boston College game, add them to Notre Dame’s schedule, to give all three-ND, NCSU, BC—eight conference games.

The league can complete a 12-game league schedule in several ways including, in some cases, playing two games against the same team, especially if it helps with travel expenses. For instance:

N.C. State could play Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest twice. Each are on the Wolfpack’s schedule once. Duke could play N.C. State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest twice each, all on Duke’s schedule once. That gives Duke and N.C. State three additional games, 11 total. Finding one more each should be easy. North Carolina and Wake Forest could schedule two games. They are not scheduled to meet this fall. Along with second games with N.C. State and Duke, UNC and Wake Forest would have 12 games.

The two major factors in creating and playing a conference only schedule are money and power. If there is no football this fall, there is no big paycheck for the ACC from ESPN, money that some ACC schools have already spent, betting on big paychecks to come. The "big paycheck" is approximately $26 million per ACC member. No one, not even the smartest ACC Athletics Director, considered a pandemic would alter finances.

Power is about the future of college athletics. The coronavirus has created a path for the Power 5 conferences—ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 (which says it will follow the ACC’s lead), PAC-12, and Southeastern—along with Notre Dame to either withdraw from the NCAA or create a super division in the NCAA with its own rules and regulations instead of abiding by the archaic structure of the NCAA. Surely, the commissioners of the Power 5 have already considered and talked about it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a college football fan and would love to see college football this fall, but, all this said, my bet is on the third option, no ACC football, no ACC sports this fall. It may run over into winter and spring of 2021, at least until there is a vaccine for coronavirus.

Leaders of colleges/universities in the ACC and all over the country are concerned with their institutions' overall financial status and how to make up for losses this past spring and projected losses this fall. The 15 Presidents and Chancellors of the ACC are smarter than those who think no football this fall will be too costly. It may be more costly to play football in 2020.

Not having college football will be disappointing but players, coaches, and fans will get over it. Not having college football means a huge financial hit for athletics departments. But there is a bigger picture, a potentially costlier health issue that reaches far beyond stadiums. It's time to cancel the 2020 season and move on.

HELP WANTED: Need foxes and coyotes to wid yard of wascawwy wabbits

Rabbits are eating our flora

Where are foxes and coyotes when you need them? We do, sooner than later, before the rabbits destroy our green plants. Backyard hostas are quickly disappearing. Liriope in the front yard is under attack. Queen Anne's Lace was eaten in less than eight hours of planting. Jalapeño seedlings had a tough time developing to fruit bearing plants, though now recovering but slowly.

Damn rabbits! Those fury, four-legged hoppers have invaded our yard in a well developed area of Cary. No matter where, rabbits like to graze on good quality grass and young plants, usually for long periods of time (until we run them away), mainly at dawn and dusk, according to the Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. With all due respect to the RSPCA, these rabbits are trespassing and causing damage to our yard so watch out! Fortunately for the rabbits, I'm not fast enough to catch them. Cruelty would be a misdemeanor in relation to my course of action.

Deer roam our neighborhood and enjoy the roses

We also have deer in our neighborhood. From our bedroom window we saw four deer chowing down on our neighbor's front yard rose bushes, not 10 feet from the street. After a while these beautiful animals, with full stomachs, strolled through the cul-de-sac and disappeared behind someone else's home.

Elmer Fudd

Except for a major undertaking of capturing the rabbits and relocating them, which would not eliminate the rabbits, we must depend on nature to dispose of, as Elmer Fudd would say, the "wascawwy wabbits." He would also exclaim: "Kill the Wabbits! Kill the Wabbits!" According to the Joy of Animals, rabbits are prey animals with a wide range of predators such as snakes, eagles, hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, and raccoons. FYI: Mamma rabbits stay away from their new borns to distract the snakes, eagles, hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes so the babies will grow up to reproduce and send more off-spring into our yard to eat the hostas and liriope.

Eagle eyes its prey
before swooping
for rabbit lunch

A few weeks ago, a baby rabbit was hopping along in our front yard when an eagle, perched on our sidewalk lantern, took flight, swooped down, grabbed the small rabbit by the neck, and flew away to enjoy dinner. It was a majestic, beautiful thing!

Foxes prey on rabbits and other small livestock such as guinea pigs and chickens and will also eat various fruits but not garden veggies, according to the Humane Society; Coyotes enjoy (eat) rabbits, rodents, deer, insects, livestock and poultry as well as berries and watermelons, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

So we think our best solution to naturally rid us of the rabbits is with foxes and coyotes. Anyone have one or two to lend? To quote Elmer Fudd, "Shhh. Be vewy vewy quite. I'm hunting wabbits."

A ride in the country: Cary to Danville

Have you ever been to Milton, North Carolina? How about Semora, Concord (not that Concord; the other one), or Olive Hill? Have you driven through Caldwell, Hurdle Mills, Prospect Hill, or Hightowers. How about Gatewood? Until recently, we may have, but we didn't take notice.

These are small towns/crossroads in North Carolina's Orange, Person and Caswell counties, places my wife, Nancy, and I recently passed through, in a blink of an eye, as we took a drive Sunday from Cary to Danville, Virginia, and back, all within a matter of hours. It was a road trip of desperate need.

The coronavirus asks us for ways to pass the time without going crazy. There's golf and grocery shopping and golf and reading and binge watching anything that looks interesting but may not be. There's power walks and golf and being creative in the kitchen and golf and writing. And house chores and yard work. All things we did before COVID-19; all that seem a little boring today. So road trips to places we've never frequented or may have but don't recall have become important.

So, Sunday morning, Nancy completed her daily power walk; I washed two cars and vacuumed the house carpet. While enjoying a light lunch instead of watching the 10 a.m. service of Cary's First United Methodist Church, instead of waiting for the 11 a.m. Sunday School ZOOM class to begin, Nancy made a declaration: "Let's get out of here. Let's go for a drive. Somewhere we haven't been, north of here?" It was not a request to do something different than what's become usual; it was a demand performance.

With the most recent N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles road map, we decided to drive to Danville, not to do anything special there but to make the drive special. Four-lane U.S. highways, N.C. toll roads and Interstate-85 got to Guess Road on the north side of Durham. No need to waste good driving time with local traffic to Guess Road which is also N.C. Highway 157.

We drove from Durham County into Orange County and through Caldwell. We drove the speed limit or slower, discovering the surroundings, impressive homes to some run-down dwellings. In the middle of somewhere, what do those in the mansions do for a living nearby; in the same place, how do those in the worn our structures live? We crossed into Person County and drove through Hurdle Mills and into deserted uptown historic Roxboro where nothing was open. We circled the town square, finding monuments for natives killed in the Civil War, the World Wars and the Korean War.

We traveled northwest on N.C. Highway 57 out of Roxboro, passing through Concord on one side of the Hyco Lake and through Semora on the other side. In each of those towns and crossroads there was no place to stop to look around, to discover. Entering Milton, a town just a few yards short of the North Carolina-Virginia border, I thought, "This looks interesting." But, we didn't stop. Maybe, one day, if we're ever through there again, we'll pull over for the five minute tour.

Pavilion at 2 Witches Winery & Brewing, Danville VA

When we travel like this, the subject of craft breweries is on tap. So, an internet search offered Danville's 2 Witches Winery & Brewing on Trade Street on the north side of the Dan River, and Ballad Brewing in a renovated tobacco auction house on Craghead Street in the historical part of Danville.

Interior of Ballad Brewing, Danville VA

At 2 Witches, there is a pavilion for live music and plenty of places to sit outside, even in the heat, and enjoy a craft beer. We chose an IPA which was just "okay" but not spectacular. Our memory of 2 Witches will include bad music and lots of people not wearing masks but hugging each other. We found a seat on the porch away from everyone, drank our beer and headed to Ballad which happened to be on our way home. It would be easy to say no one was at Ballad because, really, there was literally so one else there except for two bartenders. Ballard has an expansive main room, the tobacco auction house. The Balladeer IPI was tasty.

The trip home was through familiar territory, southbound on N.C. 86 to Hillsborough with a stop at a Bojangles for a large order of french fries. Using Interstate 40, N.C. 751 and U.S. 64 we made our way home with a stop at Nancy's mother's home in Chapel Hill to say hello and water her flowers and plants.

In all it was about a 5-6 hour road trip. Was it good for us? Absolutely. We recommend roadside sightseeing, especially at slower speeds with no specific timetable, destination or route. We're planning another, destination to be decided.

Opinion Content May Be Trimmed. Duh?!

Disclaimer on the editorial page
of The News & Observer (Raleigh NC)

On April 19, in my blog, Actions and Reactions II, I wrote about editing (actually butchering) of op-ed opinion columns in The News & Observer. 
The story, All The News That's Fit or All The News That Fits (click the title to read), addresses how The N&O, deliberately and recklessly reduces the work of well-known and insightful columnists to basic lip-service in the name of making sure the column fits the available space in the print edition (and therefore the e-edition) of the newspaper.

For several weeks and possibly months, the newspaper's publishers, executive editors, managing editors, and editorial staff said the reason for short-changing its readership with cutting meaningful and crucial parts of the columns was to make the story fit on the editorial page, usually the story across the bottom of the page.

Those newspaper officials claim to make some attempts at keeping the overall gist of the op-ed material while at other times the column ran in its original state until space ran out. That's when the exacto knife was used to end the story, never in mid-sentence but it might as well have been, sometimes leaving white space at the end.

Sometimes, after reading the newspaper, I researched the author and the subject and seek out the original story, scanning the two versions side-by-side to examine the differences and to digest the entire opinion. When complaining to the various staff, they all blamed it on the page make-up production department, saying they have no control over the edits. After a few complaints, the responses began, "As explained to you previously..." Not much to do after that but laugh. In many cases, the conclusion (punchline) of the column was cut, leaving the reader dangling.

McClatchy (The N&O owner) is a media company in bankruptcy. The N&O has reduced its Monday, Tuesday and Thursday papers to 16 pages, much of it filled with the coronavirus and COVID-19 and obituaries. The Wednesday and Friday/Saturday combo are 20 pages; and its Sunday newspaper is maybe 24-28 pages. Each day, there's a reduction of the good work of respected journalists to rubble, all in the name of what, just filling space.

Running a few additional letters to the opinion forum would be more interesting. The newspaper could possibly save a few bucks by unsubscribing to syndicated editorial sources which would be better than to dish-off its pension obligations as it's trying to do in its bankruptcy proceedings. It has decided to reduce its content to its customers.

And, at the same time, McClatchy newspapers (and newspapers every where) are pleading for additional financial support through national efforts for donations. Ask for money; cut content. Maybe that's the slogan McClatchy needs to embrace.

Not sure when it happened, but in the last few weeks, The N&O included a disclaimer to its editorial page: Opinion content from syndicated sources may be trimmed from the original length to fit available space. Did I cause that? I like to think I contributed to it being added.

Cutting to fit available space is one thing; reducing content that changes the writers opinion is another. Every time a column is cut to fit the space, the opinion of the writer is altered. It's doubtful the editors in the page layout room discuss the changes before cutting to fit the space.

The staff of The N&O takes no credit for the butcher job on syndicated sources on the opinion pages. At the very least by understanding what's been cut (looking for the same column printed by other sources) we are told the used outside opinions simply fit the space instead of it being fit to print in its entirety.

Curb your dogs: Please, no more urinating and defecating in any yard

It's not a new problem or issue to solve. Ever since there have been dogs, there have been dogs that urinate and defecate on lawns, shrubs, and flowers belonging to someone other than the dog owners, and at the urging of those owners walking their dogs with the primary purpose of voiding those little and large darlings' bowels and kidneys. It must stop! (Dogs do have kidneys, don't they?)

With the coronavirus keeping us home more than not, we notice these things much more. Some dog owners have a specific time of day to walk their pets; others pick weird times of day, probably to avoid homeowners from watching the crime of nature take place, especially on their property, ruining grass and flower growth and without one damn apology.

We recently acquired a sign of a dog with one of its hind legs lifted. Obviously, the dog is male and peeing. Across the body of the dog it says "No!" in hope the dog-walkers will keep those precious and precarious animals from making a stop at our mailbox to do their thing. We prefer not to confront the owner, just let them see the message and hopefully heed it and take steps, such as jerking the leash, to prevent the culprit from relieving itself on our flowers, grass and shrubs.

A few months ago, we noticed a neighbor placed several "Please curb your dog" signs along its yard frontage. Then we saw a next door neighbor add a "No!" image of a dog squatting to drop its excrement, fancy word for "stuff," in his yard. After watching two or three neighbors walking their dogs but not doing the neighborly thing by holding back Rover or Mutt, keeping the dog pee from hitting our property, we opted for the sign with the dog with leg lifted, hoping the humans will get the message.

I want a sign that says, "If your dog craps or pees on our yard, please leave your address so we can return the favor." My wife vetoed that idea.

I'm not sure what's happened in the yard of another concerned neighbor, one who also walks dogs and who recently added interesting yard art along their curb. It's of a little man, a squatting gnome, taking a dump. Next to it is a small sign that says "No!" Makes me wonder if there's someone walking a dog or if a dog is walking someone.

In the golf ZONE: two-under par 70!

A few days ago, I was in the zone, the golfer zone, hitting shots that were hard for me to explain, making putts that were difficult to read much less hit with a magical stroke on aerated greens, and missing putts that if made could of pushed me to shooting my age, darn it! 

My week of golf was interesting, exciting and frustrating, and probably boring to many, but this diary--Jim's COVIDiary--is about me. So there. First a short look back.

Since early April, I've played 20 rounds, doing my handicap duty and posting every stroke immediately after the round. The World Handicap System (WHS) updates handicaps daily, and it can be fun to see how each round figures into my WHS Index, sending it up or down. 

The first three months were brutal to my index. Starting with a 6.8, it was over 10 on April 1. Scores of 79 and 75 brought it down to to just over 9.0 and it stayed nearby through June 2 with 14 scores from 80 to 89. Having a high index is good for the game, not my game but the mythical $6.00 game we play three days a week.

Then came last week which started with an 80 on Monday and book-ended with another 80 on Friday. After that Monday round my WHS index was at 8.9. Sandwiched in between the two 80s was Wednesday, that magical day, that day in the zone, one that golfers can appreciate.

I shot a 2-under par 70. I was in the zone, hitting 8 of 13 par-4 and par-5 fairways, climbing onto 16 of 18 greens in regulation, getting up and down for par on the two greens I missed, three putting just once for my only bogey and having three birdies including concluding each nine with birds on the 9th and 18 holes. I had 32 putts total. 

As far as shooting my age--I turned 68 on May 26--I needed to birdie the three closing holes which, as I stood on the 16th tee, seemed improbable. With three holes to play, I was one under par. 

On the 16th, a 341 yard, par 4, I missed an uphill putt of 8-feet for birdie, and then left my birdie attempt on the par 3, 17th hole inches short. I played the 18th hole with an unusual confidence, striping a drive on the 425 yard, par 4 to within 150 yards of the front pin, With no hesitation, I pulled my eight iron, sending the ball on a dead straight course at the pin. It landed and stopped about 10 feet from the hole. No break; the putt went it. Two nines of 35 with closing birdies on each. Total of 70 strokes!

This round was from the Wolfpack tees, a layout of 6032 yards, a course rating of 68.8, and a slope of 123. I believe it is my best-ever round at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University.  

It was a great day for me, one I'll remember for a long time. And, that WHS index? Well, since the system uses just eight of my last 20 rounds, it dipped considerably, from 8.9 to 7.1. So I must compete with fewer strokes. That's the bad news. 

The good news: I'm capable of going low on occasion, AND, the next two scores to drop off are a 79 and a 75 from early April. Unless I match those scores, which is a goal, my handicap rises and I get an additional stroke or two, good for competing in the mythical $6.00 game we play.

Happy Birthday: 90 holes at The Cradle!

I wore my birthday hat for 90 holes at The Cradle,
Pinehurst Country Club's short course

What started out as a different way to celebrate my 68th birthday (May 26) turned into a golf marathon, of sorts, and a fund-raiser for a very worthy cause.

The thought of playing 68 holes of golf this birthday was a re-creation of playing 58 holes on my birthday 10 years ago, but different. In 2010, it was a lark developed when I arrived at the recently opened Lonnie Poole Golf Course on the N.C. State University campus. The golf pro and the general manager gave me the okay so I grabbed a golf cart headed to the first tee and many hours later, playing by myself and with and through various others, completed the 58 holes, three 18 hole rounds plus four additional holes.

View of the Pinehurst Country Club
with the 2nd hole of The Cradle
in the foreground

Three weeks before this year's birthday, with the coronavirus firmly in my thoughts, the idea of playing 68 holes popped up. This time, after conversations with several golfing friends, I decided to play the Pinehurst Country Club's short course, The Cradle, a nine hole loop carved out of the first holes of Pinehurst's Nos. 3 and 5 courses which were used as the warm-up/practice range for three U.S. Open golf tournaments.

At the same time, while contemplating playing at The Cradle, a layout I had heard much about but had never played, I decided my effort would also be used as a fund-raiser for the Feed The Pack Food Pantry at N.C. State University, a cause to which a breakfast group of retired Methodist men has contributed about $400 over two years. With as few as three attendees and no more than a dozen every other week, we asked for $1.00 donations for the Food Pantry, small donations yielding big results.

Watching from The Cradle's 9th tee
as an 8-some putts out on the 9th hole.
It's all about having fun at The Cradle!

Combining the two ideas - golf and charity - I sent emails to friends and family to ask for donations based on playing 68 holes on May 26. The staff at Pinehurst gave me the go ahead. More than 30 responses and pledges followed with some making set contributions, others offering a dollar or two per hole played, and others a combination of both plus additional money for birdies made. One pledger challenged me to meet a total strokes goal and, if I did, he would double his pledge. Three of the pledgers offered to join me. Two did, one for all 68 holes and then some.

Knowing I was on a mission of sorts, Pinehurst allowed me to skirt the first starting time of the day, by a few minutes. I carried four wedges of different lofts (46, 50, 54 and 58) and my putter in my carry bag along with water bottles and snacks. The 9-hole course measures only 789 yards; no carts allowed, just walking with some interesting elevation changes.

John McCallie of Durham was with me on those 68 holes plus four more to complete the last 9-hole loop. My brother Brooks, who lives in nearby Aberdeen, made it for two and a half loops. What I thought would require golf all day didn't. The starter informed others playing The Cradle of my quest, suggesting they let me pass through. After 72 holes, I felt the urge to play more, so I played another 18 holes, completing 90 holes in about five and a half hours.

I could have played more. It was more fun than it was tiring, playing at a fast pace, hitting tee shots from artificial turf mats, meeting many of other friendly golfers along the way, all encouraging me to meet my goal and wishing me a happy birthday. (My hat gave me away!) I would do this again, for fun and for worthy causes.

As a golfer, I found playing The Cradle better practice for my short game than working out on the practice tee at my home course, Lonnie Poole. At The Cradle, there were up-hill blind shots and down-hill long shots. There were short pitch and roll plays that included hitting the right side of greens to get to the pin on the left side and hitting beyond the flag to use a backstop and allow the ball to flow back towards the hole. A few facts:

• Par for 9 holes is 27; for 90 holes (10 times around) is 270. I scored 276, six over par with nine birdies (holes 1, 2, 3 [twice], 4, 6, 7 [twice], and 9), 15 bogeys, and 66 pars.
• My nine hole scores were: 30, 25, 28, 29, 28, 26, 28, 26, 28, 28.
• I never used the 46 degree wedge and never chipped from off the greens, always putting, even with tall elevation changes.
• Longest hole at The Cradle: #4, 127 yards; shortest: #5, 56 yards.
• The greens are Champion Bermuda grass, easy to read but tough to roll with or against the grain.
• The Health app on my iPhone says I walked 20,476 steps (8.2 miles) and climbed 17 floors, elevation changes of 10' each.
• For more facts about and a look at the layout, go to The Cradle.

Best fact of all: More than $2,500 was raised for the Feed The Pack Food Pantry at N.C. State University. If you feel the urge to make a donation, here's the link: Donate. To keep up with donations, please enter my name in the honoree line. And thanks to all who contributed to the success of the day ... my 68th birthday!