Sunday, July 19, 2015

All Stars, Fast Cars, and The Open Championship

Among the much loved monotony of baseball's daily grind, a myriad of outdoor activities, and family reunions, there just isn't much to interest a sports fan who likes big events.  That's why I love this week in the summer season.  Baseball's All Star Game, any race with hot tempers, and the oldest of Golf's Major Championships grabs the headline and gives me something to watch for a change.

-The All Star Game was pretty well played, and had some innovation in the activities around it.  The Home Run Derby featured something I thought I would never see: a buzzer beating home run.  Baseball's pastoral pace just doesn't lend itself to such things.

The game itself cemented Mike Trout as the best player in the game right now.  He does it all, and makes it look easy.  He has the additional likeable trait of being good with the fans and playing with great enthusiasm.  Yes, I am an Angels fan, but I would like Mike Trout even if he played for the Yankees.  Okay, maybe I stretched that one a little, but the point is made: as long as he is clean, he deserves to be the face of Major League Baseball.  He shows what the game really is and what it should be.

-I truly enjoyed the Iowa Corn 300 last night.  IndyCar racing has a superior show to NASCAR, but doesn't have the fan base.  Ryan Hunter-Reay won, finally have a bright night in a horribly frustrating season for the 2014 Indianapolis 500 Champion.  His car kept getting better after the sun went down, and he finally got a couple of good breaks.

Most interesting was the post race dust up between Ed Carpenter and rookie Sage Karam.  Karam drove the wheels off his car to keep it out of the fence and finish third, his first podium finish.  Carpenter wasn't too thrilled with how Karam did it, coming within inches of crashing both cars and let him know in no uncertain terms after the race.

Carpenter sounded a little scared in his rant, Karam a little unapologetic.  Karam has had a couple of run ins earlier with other veterans this season, and that can come back to haunt him.  I hope not.  The talent is undeniable, and on the whole, he handles himself well for the teenager he is.  He will be the face of American Open Wheel Racing, and judging by last night, it will be very soon.

-As a golfer, I always wanted to compete in The Open Championship.  Playing in England or Scotland appealed to me because it was similar to the course I grew up on.  Garrett Country Club in the late 70's and early 80's had no fairway watering system, just the greens.  In dry times, it looked like an Open Championship course: dry, browned out in areas, but greens in fantastic shape.  It was different golf than what we saw in America: shots that land short and run into the green, punch shots, clever fades and draws.  A shot from 150 yards out in the fairway might have six different options, you didn't just pull a club and blast away.

St. Andrews looked like American golf today.  Dan Jenkins, a long time writer with strong wit, wrote that any Goat Hills American could have scored at St. Andrews today.

If the weather is accurate, that will not be the case tomorrow.  The forecast calls for scattered rain and winds in the 15-25 mph range during the afternoon and early evening.  With the wind in her hair, The Old Course has eaten the lunch of a lot better players than me.  It can happen tomorrow.

I would like to see one of two things happen, neither highly likely.  One, I would like to see Jordan Spieth win his third consecutive major, then go to Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI, and win the PGA Championship, completing the Grand Slam..  For an encore, he would part Lake Michigan and walk on top it to Chicago.

Failing that, I would like to see Irish amateur golfer Paul Dunne become the first amateur to be crowned Champion Golfer of the Year since Bobby Jones in 1930.  He would tearfully plead to remain an amateur for life, honoring Jones, and go on to win a dozen majors, and start another major championship in Ireland on a course he commisions.  In true Irish fashion, players would have to wend their away around a superb layout while taking a shot of Bushmills on every tee.  It would be a return of golf to its roots.

Yeah, neither one is that likely.  Spieth is a serious competitor, so is Louis Oosthuizen, the winner the last time the Open Championship was played at The Old Course.  Dustin Johnson survived his bad day and is still three shots back.  My dark horse pick is Zach Johnson, a steady player used to the vagaries of weather as only Iowa can dish it out.

It could be the best Open Championship to watch ever.  I will go to work, but it could split my attention 2 for 1.  I probably have enough personalities to go around, so it should be okay.

So...am I off base?

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Can't Wait to See

I want to tell you about my friend.  The name Hunter is an adaption of the last name Hunt, and has the meaning of one who hunts or seeks.  It's an appropriate name for my friend.  He hunts and seeks with passion.

He is 14 years old, and like me, loves baseball.  He more than loves baseball, it is his passion.  He talks about it with intelligence and knowledge.  He sees things before they happen on the field.  He is a Coach's kid, so he understands the game pretty well, too.  Batted cleanup on his Junior All Star team, was their number 1A pitcher.  He is a pretty good teammate in the dugout, too.

Even at his tender age, he has inspired one adult, a teacher and leader, to do something he hates to do because this young man needed to be honored.  One coach he faced in All Stars would love to have him on his team, and his team is playing for the District Championship tomorrow night.

Sounds like homage to an exceptional athlete or a future Major Leaguer?  You are only right on both accounts.

It starts with mom and dad, Nicole and Matt.  I didn't know them then, but I imagine they were excited to welcome their first child, Hunter, into ther home.  They received the news that their first born had sustained a stroke in utero.  It would be difficult to assess what damage had been done until the child arrived.  Sometimes, the damage is quite extensive.  I know.  I've seen it in my work at the hospital.

Physically, his left hand has limited mobility, and he wears a brace on his left ankle.  He can still run, it just isn't lightning fast.  God had a plan, and Nicole and Matt moved with it.  Hunter has been raised to believe he can do things, he will have to hunt for a way sometimes.

So it was with baseball.  The limited mobility of the left hand means a glove doesn't fit on it.  Hunter catches and throws with is right hand.  Like other one handed players, like Jim Abbott and Pete Gray, Hunter transfers the ball with his left arm back to his right hand.  It happens pretty quickly most of the time, and it is quite impressive to watch.  Hunter can hit, too.  Home runs aren't his style, yet, but contact is important.  After all, we're talking about the most difficult athletic feat out there: hitting a baseball.

It's enough to talk about what I've talked about so far, but he is a positive teammate, too.  Mom and dad have done a great job instilling this in him.  He is respectful, and looks adults in the eye.   I've worked with him around the Little League, and it is a wonder to watch him do zip ties one handed.  Old guys like me just can't keep up sometimes.

Two years ago, I wrote a piece about Andy Bailey, who had coached my son and made a difference in his experience (Andy: Teacher and Leader).  Andy got to coach Hunter while he was in minors, and was so impressed with him.  Andy was so impressed that he faced a deep fear: public speaking.  Andy had to make a speech to present the Tilford Award, Cleveland Little League's award for an ideal Little Leaguer.  I've never seen Andy shake so much as he steadied his voice and I've seen some pretty tight situations with Andy on the field.  He belived in Hunter so much, he put aside his own comfort to honor him.

As coaches, we always say we'd like to have that player from the other team.  We mean it, but we still love the kids on our team.  It's a sign of respect when we say it. It's for real.  To have a coach say that about Hunter is more real than ever.

Homage to an exceptional athlete?  Exceptional doesn't mean you hit home runs and are everybody's All-American.  It means you do things others of equal ability can not do.  Not many have equal ability to Hunter.  He does extraordinary things with it.

A future Major Leaguer?  The numbers say most likely not.  But major league people are hard to come by, and Hunter will definitely qualify.  Not sure what he will do or who he will inspire, but I can't wait to see what it is.

-Side note-As a golfer, I was taught by my father. I have mentioned playing at the Division I level and being a club professional.  However, these days I play once a year, with my family in an outing we call "The Dad Koehl Hole-in-Three Open."  Thirty years ago today, the Hole in three happened.  First ball out of bounds on the 210 yard par 3 second hole at Garrett Country Club, next shot in the hole.
 

Resistance Bands is a Free Blogger Template