Harry Longshanks
bow-chicka-bow-wow
- Jul 20, 2008
- 718
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With the summer days waning, I decided to take a mental health day and play some weekday golf.
I toddled down to a local muni as a single and was paired with two older gentlemen and a younger guy.
The younger guy hit his 5-wood about 250 yards and his driver was well over 300 yards (but somewhat erratic). We got to talking and I asked him where he worked, and he said he just got back from a job in Arlington, TX. I mentioned that I knew the area well, and I asked him who he worked for. He responded "the Rangers". He had mentioned his name before, but it didn't really register, as it was a common sounding name. I stood slackjawed and dumbfounded (an all too common facial expression for me) for a moment and said, "Are you on the team?" He said "yes, I was a pitcher until I blew out my shoulder." It then dawned on me that he was Michael Wagner, a middle relief pitcher for the Rangers. He had a few good years in the majors, but injured his shoulder. He went to camp this year, but the post-surgery shoulder wasn't the same.
Anyway, SUPER nice guy and whip smart. He went to Vanderbilt in the off season and got his undergrad degree and in a few weeks he is heading off to grad school:
But it gets better. We started talking golf, and he said he was trying to tune up his game because he had a good friend on tour who he was going to play some golf with after the PGA Championship. I said, "oh, the PGA Tour. Who is it."
So, despite massive underdog status, I'm going to root for Brandt Snedeker at the PGA.
Then there was the Senior Citizen. This guy hit every single fairway, belted his driver straight down the middle around 180 yards. No big deal, right? Try 81 years old. And a backswing that never got past 10 o'clock. I hope I can do that when I'm 81.
I hacked it up big time and man was it hot out. But it was still a brilliant day.
I toddled down to a local muni as a single and was paired with two older gentlemen and a younger guy.
The younger guy hit his 5-wood about 250 yards and his driver was well over 300 yards (but somewhat erratic). We got to talking and I asked him where he worked, and he said he just got back from a job in Arlington, TX. I mentioned that I knew the area well, and I asked him who he worked for. He responded "the Rangers". He had mentioned his name before, but it didn't really register, as it was a common sounding name. I stood slackjawed and dumbfounded (an all too common facial expression for me) for a moment and said, "Are you on the team?" He said "yes, I was a pitcher until I blew out my shoulder." It then dawned on me that he was Michael Wagner, a middle relief pitcher for the Rangers. He had a few good years in the majors, but injured his shoulder. He went to camp this year, but the post-surgery shoulder wasn't the same.
Anyway, SUPER nice guy and whip smart. He went to Vanderbilt in the off season and got his undergrad degree and in a few weeks he is heading off to grad school:
Me: Oh, that's great. Where?
Him: Harvard.
Me: Of course.
Major league pitcher, Vandy, and Harvard. Damn. Makes my resume look like my mom took a wooden spoon to my head as an infant before the skull had fully hardened.Him: Harvard.
Me: Of course.
But it gets better. We started talking golf, and he said he was trying to tune up his game because he had a good friend on tour who he was going to play some golf with after the PGA Championship. I said, "oh, the PGA Tour. Who is it."
Him: "Yeah, PGA. He actually won rookie of the year last y...
Me: "Your good friend is Brandt Snedeker?"
Him: "Yeah. He went to Vandy too. He's a GREAT guy. So much fun to be around."
Me: "Of course."
My internal monologue in the voice of Nelson from the Simpsons: "Hah-Hah"
Anyway, helluva nice guy. And modest as they come. I basically had to drag all of this stuff out of him. Me: "Your good friend is Brandt Snedeker?"
Him: "Yeah. He went to Vandy too. He's a GREAT guy. So much fun to be around."
Me: "Of course."
My internal monologue in the voice of Nelson from the Simpsons: "Hah-Hah"
So, despite massive underdog status, I'm going to root for Brandt Snedeker at the PGA.
Then there was the Senior Citizen. This guy hit every single fairway, belted his driver straight down the middle around 180 yards. No big deal, right? Try 81 years old. And a backswing that never got past 10 o'clock. I hope I can do that when I'm 81.
I hacked it up big time and man was it hot out. But it was still a brilliant day.