Sunday, December 4, 2016

Mulling Some Changes

I haven't written since the end of July.  No shortage of things to write about, I just haven't had the time or the inclination to write.

My heart hasn't been in anything lately.  It might be a sign of age, maybe a sign of being jaded.  My heart just isn't in it.

Athletically, nobody really cares about the officials.  I thought it might be an interesting topic to blog around, but nobody really cares.  I might have to explain what we actually are expected to do.  It would be like stereo instructions: nobody really cares as long as it works.

This blog will change again.  I just have to decide what needs to be done.  Please comment and let me know what you would like me to write about.

-Every athlete owes Arnold Palmer a huge thank you for the money they make now.  Arnold was one of the first to use an agent, and one of the best with the fans.  With Mark McCormick's guidance, he took endorsements to a new level.  Every professional athlete, regardless the sport, owes Arnold a debt of gratitude.

Personally, Arnie was the foil to one of my heroes, Jack Nicklaus.  But I had an Arnie's Army moment.  It was 1993 at the TPC of Michigan.  Arnie was well past his best days, even in the no-cut paradise of the Senior Tour.  Arnie was miles out of the lead, but still playing and hitting some good shots.  On the eighteenth hole, Arnie had hit a good drive, and with a mid iron in his hands took aim at the green.  The smooth move of the club, the blacksmith-like forearms slashing through the ball like Thor's, almost making the earth move.  The ball settled fifteen feed from the hole, a good shot.

As he walked to the green, he had to cross a bridge, which brought him next to the gallery ropes.  He looked in the crowd, nodding and smiling.  I had that moment where it looked like he looked right at me and gave a smile and a wave.  He had no idea who I was.  It crossed my mind that way, and I heard the person next to me, a total stranger, say it, "HE LOOKED RIGHT AT ME AND WAVED."

Truthfully, he didn't.  He had charisma and sure made it feel like he singled you out of the crowd.  I suddenly understood, and gained an even greater respect for Arnold Daniel Palmer.  I wish we had more people like him right now.

-The Chicago Cubs broke their 108 year streak just over a month ago.  If you look back to my post "They Won't Miss My Money", you will find I switched my allegiance to the team of my young childhood, the Cincinnati Reds.

I don't regret the decision.  I am happy for the lifelong Cub fans that were finally satisfied.  I have a Father-in-Law that used to make the trip to Wrigley with his older brothers in the early 50's.  I think of my wife's Grandfather, who passed away in 2003, two months short of his 100th birthday.  He never missed a game from the day he retired.  Look at those dates: he was born the year the Wright Brothers made the first flight.

Feel bad for Cleveland Browns fans: making them a winner, especially with that organization, is going to take a long, long, LONG time.


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