Ross Chastain, Claude Harmon unloved, Deion's diction, and how to kill a fish | HEY WILLIE!

HEY, WILLIE!

And yet again Ross Chastain was left out of your top-10 NASCAR driver rankings. He’s ninth in the current points standings and Chris Buescher is 16th yet you have Buescher in your top 10.

What gives? Broadcasters, you guys, and even Rick Hendrick bash Ross for his driving. You have to admit, this season has been pretty boring.  No one is doing anything to make the races exciting, riveting or worth watching.

Still a fan of yours.

ROSS FAN

NASCAR ON TV Is there a NASCAR race today? A NASCAR TV schedule for this weekend at Dover

HEY FAN!

I wish I could share with you the formula used to create that top-10 list for our NASCAR page each week — the data and analytics involved with such a task.

If only there was such a formula, I would. This past week’s top 10 was largely based on the most recent results, generally recent results, and overall season performance thus far.

Next week’s top 10 will be based on overall season performance, generally recent results, and most recent results. Throw out the plate-race results, mix in an ounce of personal opinion, and there you have it.

If not for junk science, I'd have no science at all.

Both Buescher and Ross the Boss have been pretty mediocre for a month of Sundays now, but Buescher has one more top-10 finish and his best has been a wee bit better than Chastain’s. The analytics skew favorably toward wee.

HEY, WILLIE!

I notice people catch a fish and then leave it on the beach or dock to suffocate. 

Do the fishing experts know a more humane way to treat fish that you're going to keep?

WAYNE

HEY, WAYNE!

My fishing friends will appreciate the irony of someone asking me what to do with quality fish after a catch.

But from what I’m told, yes, there’s a more humane way to deal with a harvested fish. Generally, it involves either a knife or a club.

Sorry you asked?

HEY, WILLIE!

A noteworthy omission from your article (April 9) on 90 years of the Masters is the 1948 Masters winner, Claude Harmon. To this day he is the only Masters winner who was not a full-time tour player. 

By the way, Bobby Jones awarded Claude a green jacket in the trophy presentation even though the official jacket ceremony began the following year. 

Claude Harmon’s singular and lasting accomplishment was worthy of mention.

JOHN IN JUPITER

HEY, JUPITER JOHNNY!

And just like that, Claude just got his mention.

I blew through 45% of the annual research budget on that article, yet still managed to leave out something that caught the eye of the Claude Harmon Fan Club. I’m marking this down as a reminder for the 100th-anniversary version of the revised article.

HEY, WILLIE!

I realize you did not write or interview for the article about Deion Sanders, but it’s difficult to read commentary from such highly paid, well known coaches in college football that slaughter the English language. 

If Coach Prime wants young athletes to embody his spirit, skills and drive, he also needs to require pride of professional presentation from himself, his staff and his players.

JERRY

HEY, JERRY!

The assorted slang, abbreviations and overall textspeak have quickly gone from our cell phones to the spoken language.

We have a new generation of folks who think night is nite, though is tho, "how you doing?" is sup, and "Wow!" is omg. But I’m here for it and uniquely qualified to handle it. Remember, I've spent a lot of time in NASCAR garages, where subjects and verbs agree as often as Lincoln and Douglas.

Things have progressed so much over the years, I can’t remember the last time someone was flustrated because his Lucky Strike/Wrangler Jeans Chevrolet blowed up.

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deion Sanders dissed, a Masters oversight and keeping fish humanely