HERO
Photo courtesy of AP
My childhood hero retired from major championship golf today. I've been following Jack William Nicklaus for 35 years now. I've admired his skills, his presence, his personality, and his sportsmanship. I remember sneaking under the ropes and grabbing his tee after he'd walked off. Man, I thought that was the greatest.
I have one other up-close Jack moment. My friend and I were in the PGA National parking lot and he said to me, "look at that guy over there." Sure enough it was Jack. He rode by us and we told him to play well. But as we looked up at the sky, it was pitch black and about to pour. I told my friend, "don't fear, it won't rain on Jack's parade." Somehow, it didn't rain. The clouds moved on and the sun came out just for Jack.
Jack old friend, I'm going to miss you. Golf just won't be the same without you. Best of luck, Golden Bear.
posted by Plantation at
6:40 PM
4 Comments:
A tip of the hat to our friend Jack...
By
Anonymous, at 7:10 PM, July 15, 2005
Of course, you know I'm gonna piss on this. Of course. To me Jack was just another priviledged white man playing in country clubs which encouraged segregation. There's a scene in Bronx Tale in which Chaz Palminteri's character--the Big Boss--asks the kid who his hero is. The kid says: Mickey Mantle. Big Boss says: Mickey Mantle? Why? What's he ever done for you or your family? How has he ever helped you out?
That's my stand on sports legends and pop/TV/Film stars.
There's also a scene in The Aviator in which Katharine Hepburn breaks the relationship w/Howard Hughes. She starts getting a bit cheeky with him (as only Katharine would) and Hughes explodes at her: "And what are you? You're a movie star, Kate. A movie star. What have you ever really done?"
Brilliant.
Anyway, sorry to piss on YOUR parade, but...I'm sure you wouldn't expect any less.
P.S. Happy B-day to your son. He looks lovely.
By
(S)wine, at 8:11 PM, July 15, 2005
Hard to explain, LX. Normally I'd agree with you. But Jack reminds me of good memories with my father who once told me I needed to be better sport and to watch how Jack acted after losing. Jack hasn't necessarily 'given' me or my family anything, but he *has* given me a thousands of hours of entertainment and joy watching him. I'm an idiot anyway, but I cried with joy at the end of the '86 Masters. I guess that, too, is hard for you to fathom.
By
Plantation, at 9:16 PM, July 15, 2005
No. I can identify with watching sports and feeling happy for certain teams/individuals. I just never felt the need to really invest emotionally when the Greats retired. But I can see where you're going with the memories of your father. I suppose I should always look at all sides of the situation--nothing is black and white. Let's just say, however, that I am ecstatic for having a Tiger Woods or a Michelle Wie in the mix now; even though they're few and far between. The Good Ol' Boy Network is starting to slowly break down. And that's nice.
By
(S)wine, at 6:44 AM, July 16, 2005
Post a Comment
<< Home