The running of the Kentucky Derby has always gotten my attention – long before I even had the opportunity to experience the “Run for the Roses” live and in living color. I will watch the 149th running of the Derby this Saturday via NBC with mixed emotions.

AUGUSTA – Scottie Scheffler represents a lot of what most of us like. He is a champion who has manners, taste, and fire in the belly. He likes to win because he is a competitor, but one who underscores class and goodwill. He is a good neighbor type, who would lend a helping hand.

One of my pastimes is reminiscing, which seems to be gathering steam as I count my birthdays. The time for reflection most often comes about at the start of baseball season.

AUGUSTA – Arriving here yesterday, there was that reconnecting with a place that is so magnificent that no one could imagine a one and done affiliation with this 365-acre sprawl of hallowed ground.

BLYTHE - Dating back to colonial times, this rural community of 744 hardworking folks has been anchored amid farming and agribusiness interests along with hunting and fishing pursuits.

With balmy temperatures about to gain traction, there will be cool mornings trending toward warm conditions, which will allow for more time outdoors –shirt sleeves after daybreak and a sweater on the porch as sundown envelopes us late afternoon.

Spring is the time of the year for many sports to peak. Someday, and I feel sooner than later, UGA basketball coach Mike White will have us excited about his team making the playoffs. He will get us into March Madness.

Erk Russell had rare and extraordinary leadership skills. Across the Southeast and beyond, hundreds of football players would quickly attest to that.

Halls of Fame are often distinguished more by who they keep out than by who they induct. When getting long in the tooth, Carnesville native Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler, named the most valuable player in the American League in 1943, was deeply saddened by the fact he had not been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Big-league teams are already playing games at training camps in Florida and Arizona. Players essentially report one day and play a game the next.