Notes, Quotes, and a Thought or Two.....
This past Sunday was Father’s Day and there have been some good events around that.
The first was the U.S. Open, played at Oakmont Country Club. Oakmont remade their course and made it even harder than it was before. It showed with the scores this past week. A relative unknown, J.J. Spaun was the only player who finished under par and made a long putt on the 18th hole to secure the win.
While there was a lot of drama around his win, Spaun might have one of the best back stories that I have heard in a long time. Apparently, on Saturday night/Sunday morning, Spaun shared with the media that he had to go to CVS during the middle of night because his young daughter had a stomach bug and been vomiting the night before.
If you have ever had a kid with the stomach bug, it’s not a fun night. And just imagine with the pressure of the U.S. Open and winning your first major, what Spaun was thinking. Then he shot a 5-over-par 40 on the front side before settling down and rallying for the win.
I tip my hat to Spaun. It might be one of the best stories of the summer.
CWS no-hitter
Then on Monday, after I got in from cutting grass, I tuned into the College World Series. I was working on a seminary class while the game was on in the background.
I wasn’t really paying that close attention but kept on noticing that Arkansas starter Joe Wood was bringing some serious heat.
Then I realized that Wood had a perfect game going into the eighth inning. He hit a batter there to break up the perfect game but finished the ninth inning and threw only the third no-hitter in College World Series history.
I don’t care who you pull for, you have to pull for a guy like Wood to finish off a performance like that. In the end, they showed his dad in the stand. He was obviously excited. It’s the excitement that only a father who has sacrificed for their kid to play ball can really understand.
And in the post-game interview, Wood made sure he thanked his parents and his high school coaches for everything they had done for him. That’s good stuff right there.
In the movie Moneyball, actor Brad Pitt said in the movie “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” It’s performances like that make you understand that quote.
A little closer to home
I called Union football coach Jordan Wren on Monday about a schedule story. While he was a good spot and talked about his football schedule, he did confess to me that he was a little disappointed.
“I thought you were calling me to do a story about the 8-under girls who won the Dizzy Dean state championship.”
While I wasn’t calling for a story, you could tell that the old football coach was excited about his little girl. I don’t blame him.
What a better way to spend a Father’s Day weekend than to see your little girl win a state championship.
So Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there. While you might not have had the kind of weekend that these folks had, I hope your weekend was special.
And if nobody told you this weekend, thank you for all the unseen things that you do for your kids.
Robbie Robertson is sports editor for The Newton County Appeal. You can email him at sports@newtoncountyappeal.com
