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Continued from page 25 I‘m relying on my fading memory but 1 think Nelson, a great player in his era, won 11 in a row and I believe that was over a 12â€" or 13â€"week stretch of time. Back in the old days you played your tournament, jumped in a car and usually drove a day or two to get to the next event. L could be wrong, but I believe Nelson played 11 consecutive events. Tiger wins five in a row â€" on his calendar â€" but it‘s stretched over four or five months. And I‘m thinking the only car Tiger ever sees is the courtesy transportation at the tournaâ€" ment. He flies everywhere and there‘s simply no way you can compare the grind of the old days to how the successful pros of today look after travelling. All things being equal, I do believe the number of outstanding competitors on the tour today is much greater than it was in the 1940s and 1950s. Probably in Byron‘s time there were a couple of dozen with serious chances of winning. Every time Tiger tees it up, there‘s probâ€" ably more than 100 who have the skills and determination to win. And then there‘s the equipment aspect. Woodenâ€"headed drivers are long gone and every year now some golf company introduces the next great drivâ€" er, fairway club, set of irons, and a variâ€" ety of wedges and putters that will turn a hack like me into the best senior citizen player on my street corner. Factor in the improvement in golf balls and it‘s no wonder people are hitting the ball Wilfrid _ Laurier _ University announced its athletes of the year for the past year.. The President‘s Award is awarded to the school‘s most outstanding male and female athletic performances over the past year. This year‘s recipients are Anthony Maggiacomo and Lauren Barch, a thirdâ€"year forward and psyâ€" chology major, was named the OUA‘s most valuable player in women‘s hockâ€" ey as well as a firstâ€"team OUA allâ€"star and second team CIS allâ€"Canadian. Barch led the team in points with 31, including a teamâ€"high 15 goals in the regular season. Maggiacomo wins the male award this season for his performance as part of the football team. The fifthâ€"year kineâ€" siology and physical education student was named Ontario‘s top standup defensive player as well as a firstâ€"team OUA allâ€"star and second team CIS allâ€" Canadian. He led the team in tackles this season, setting a new regular seaâ€" son record of 60.5 (49 solo, 23 assisted). keswes «s WLU names top athletes Mercedes Benz Dealer Authorized Specializing in BMW POR AC Hard to pick against Tiger in his hunt for the Grand Slam Meticulous Restoration Original Paint Finishes Unsurpassed Collision Repair 15 Centennial Dr. Kitchener 519â€"578â€"2052 â€" FINE AUTOMOBILE BODY AND PAINT Mhkhikth JAGUAR ASK YOUR BANK TO REDUCE THE PROFIT T MAKES ON YOUR MORTGAGE Just as you can‘t compare apples and oranges, especially if you‘re baking a pie, it‘s difficult to compare what happened in the past with what happens nowadays. farther than ever. So much for the ol‘ Geek‘s regular rant. Now, let‘s focus on the Masters itself, which hits the tube this afternoon with the first tele vision of the traditional parâ€"three tournaâ€" ment on Augusta National‘s famed little course. 1 still have trouble with some of the hype about the event, based on the weakest â€" as in smallest â€" field in any major and how you qualify. 1 also think the Georgiaâ€"based event could have set good racial milestones years ago by inviting some talented black players THEN ASK LIBRO THE SAME QUESTION Libro wants to show you how to reduce the cost of paying for your home â€" even if it means reducing the profit we make on your mortgage. All you have to do is spend a few minutes with a Libro Coach at the branch nearest you. Thousands of dollars in savings â€" for a few minutes of time. Now that‘s liberated banking! ce oue ues ieA io tefetn n o it theet ton tom nc n on en mmes nrturner, instead of waiting for Lee Elder to qualify under their guidelines since the Masters does operate mostly outside the official framework of the PGA. And, can anybody tell me, does Augusta National have more than the one black member that was invited to join a few years back when there was a groundswell of protest against racially segregated clubs that were on the PGA schedule? I‘m betting no. However, when it comes to television, there‘s no better sporting event. l love what the Masters does to limit the number of comâ€" mercial timeouts to just a few minutes an hour. I understand how the business world works as it relates to sporting events and commercials are important but the Masters WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, April 9, 2008 « 29 I don‘t mind watching the commercials when [ know I won‘t be flogged with nine straight for five minut »s in a row, every 10 minutes. is easily the best golf event on the tube all And here‘s the last part of this column. Want a hot pick to win this year? Try Tiger first, and then K. J. Choi? Hey, has the ol‘ Geek every steered you wrong before? Bill (Skip) Johns retired from fullâ€"time sportswriting in 2002 but hasn‘t given up having an opinion on a lot of different sports and events. He can be reached at skipschips@golden.net.