David Halberstam, 1934-2007

Readings

The New Yorker's Ben McGrath on Manny Ramirez.

Dave Anderson on Jackie Robinson. [TimesSelect req'd.] Also, excellent essay by Gerald Early, in TIME, about Robinson's legacy, and why there are so few African-American baseball players.


Lincoln Journal Star article about mother abandoning her daughter on the highway. Why? The girl apparently didn't perform up to snuff in her soccer game. [Via Deadspin.]

Chicagoist worried about the possible impact of the Olympics on the Windy City.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1922-2007

(Letter from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.)

The Masters: "Like being tortured by a beautiful woman"

As the Wall Street Journal described it today, "For a golfer, Masters weekend is Christmas morning, so long-awaited you can hardly believe it's finally here." But it was an odd day at the tournament: the azaleas being zapped by cold weather, the putts coming up 10 feet short, and the lack of quality, or even exciting, shots. There were the old standbys--the hushed tones of Jim Nantz, scenes from "historic" Butler Cabin, the "patrons" clapping politely, and all the rest of the hokey decorum that I really love. The Masters always brings out the best in the players but Saturday's play lacked any thrills; it was essentially men grinding away, trying not to let Augusta destroy them. Everyone seemed cold and stunned. The best description of the day came from the loquacious CBS analyst David Feherty who said: "Such a beautiful, beautiful view and really a dream of a place to play golf and on a day like this--[Laughing to himself]--It's just like being tortured by a beautiful woman."