U.S. Men”s Amateur Golf Quiz: 1) What entertainer”s son was
the U.S. Am champion in 1981? 2) Who won back-to-back
title”s in 1982 and 1983? Answers below.
How to Steal a Freighter
Jack Hitt had an article in the Sunday Times magazine which
was rather fascinating.if you”re into pirate stuff, that is. The
area of the South China Sea, between Malaysia, Vietnam, and
China, has seen a huge rise in acts of piracy.from 48 in 1989 to
285 in 1999. And thus far in 2000, it”s up another 40%. Writes
Hitt: “Ships today are transiting through a global geography of
poverty, envy and desperation. Often these vessels are carrying
on board a king”s ransom of commodities – jet fuel, alkali and
aluminum ingots – all easily black-marketed into quick money.”
Most of the piracy is of the “mugging-at-sea” variety. The
pirates zip up in a speedboat, point a rocket launcher at the hull
and demand money. [By scooting up the wake of the ship, they
evade radar until the last second.]
But what really caught my eye in the piece was how even the
poorest of fishermen are participating in this burgeoning trade.
So herewith is Hitt”s description of how even you, with limited
experience, can capture a freighter.
“Two sets of pirates get in two sampans and stretch a rope across
a sea lane in the dark. When a big cargo vessel finally comes
through, it catches the rope at the bow and neatly pulls the two
boats right alongside. The pirates then heave up grappling irons,
climb aboard and, in the quiet of night, clean the boat of
everything portable. When they are finished, they just drop
down to the boats and untie one of the lines. The sampans are
immediately left in the ship”s wake, and then they row back
home, where a can of paint might fetch the equivalent of a
week”s pay.” As Hitt concluded, heck, it beats fishing!
Caddies
Bedal Saget of the New York Times recently had a piece on golf
caddies, the history of which goes back to the 18th century when
the few players who could afford the game used “servants” to
carry their clubs. Caddies were an unsavory lot back then, the
most famous of which was one Willie (Trap Door) Johnson.
Trap Door pretended that one leg was shorter than the other as he
wore a special boot with a hollow sole to hide golf balls (the
expensive feathery types I wrote about in this space, 7/21).
Johnson would then sell them back.
But today”s caddies are a different breed. Saget profiled Andy
Portilla, the regular for tour pro Len Mattiace.
Ever wonder what”s in the typical pro”s bag? 9 balls, 100 tees, 4
pairs of gloves, toilet paper, baggies, power bars, bottled water,
combs, watches, money clip, wallet, cell phone, Band-
aids.among other things. Not too different from what you may
have. I imagine quite a few of them have Palm Pilots now, to
check on their investments.
For a caddy, a million-dollar player (tour earnings) is worth a
six-figure income. And as to the myth that tour caddies are great
golfers in their own right, Portilla says that only about ten right
now are excellent…the rest are just average players. Many don”t
play at all.
The average caddy makes $650 a week; but if the player makes
the cut, the caddy can make up to another 10% of the winnings.
Out of this, the caddy is responsible for their own expenses,
including hotel, food and transportation between tournaments.
Portilla, like many of his compatriots, has slept in parking lots
and gas station bathrooms (I”d sleep in the car) to save money. If
his pro misses the cut, he sometimes earns extra money spotting
for television crews and relaying club selection and yardage to
the on-air announcers.
And then, there is Steve Williams, Tiger Woods caddy. Early in
”99, Woods dumped Fluff Cowan when Tiger lost confidence in
him. Williams is a 36-year-old New Zealand native who had
previously worked for Ray Floyd (11 years) and Greg Norman.
Tiger”s guru, Butch Harmon, asked Floyd for permission to hire
Williams because, “He knows when to be aggressive and when
not to be.” Williams is now like a big brother to Tiger. Says
Woods, “We genuinely like being around each other.”
As for his own golf, Williams only plays about 10 rounds a year,
preferring auto racing when he is back home in New Zealand.
And, as many of you have read, Steve never talks to the news
media about his life, or his boss. Tiger”s girlfriend, Joanna
Jagoda, also doesn”t grant interviews. Says Tiger, “If they want
to do interviews, fine, but it”s up to them.” You all know the real
truth, they”d be fired.
Financially, Steve Williams will earn about $1 million this year.
But he is truly the exception. For the vast majority, it”s a lousy
career. [Other source: Dave Anderson / New York Times]
Patrick Ewing
As of this writing, the on-again, off-again trade talks continue to
swirl around the long-time Knicks center. While I have turned
my true allegiance over to the New Jersey Nets after following
the Knicks for some 30 years, I can”t hide the fact I have never
been a Patrick fan. No, I still yearn for the days of Walt “Clyde”
Frazier.now there was a clutch performer…and just a classic
New Yorker. So this week the New York Times Harvey Araton
had the following comment in comparing the careers of Frazier
and Ewing, the former having been traded from New York to
Cleveland at the end of his career.
“If Walt Frazier couldn”t finish his career in New York, please
spare me any whining or wheezing about Ewing possibly moving
on after 15 fruitful yet also frustrating seasons. On judgment day
in the court of great players, Frazier is remembered as everything
Ewing is not. He was an improvisational genius, a showman
who connected with the crowd. And when his team found itself
in a seventh game, the championship riding on one 1970 spring
night against Wilt and the Lakers, Frazier responded with the
game of his adult life.” Frazier and Earl the Pearl, those were
the days.
Baltusrol
If you catch any of the U.S. Amateur over the weekend, you may
be curious to know how difficult it has become to get into
Baltusrol Golf Club. While there are quite a few clubs that may
be more expensive to join, Baltusrol still requires a hefty $50,000
initial fee. Of course, these days, that”s just a drop in the bucket
for many. However, the wait is supposedly now 10 years which,
according to Golf Digest, is the second longest in the country,
next to the 40-year wait at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
[Source: Star-Ledger]
Baseball Tidbit
This week, in a 7-6 Colorado victory over Atlanta, Rockies
catcher Brent Mayne became the first position player to win a
major-league game in 32 years. With the Rockies out of
relievers, Mayne was brought in to pitch the 12th inning. He
allowed a two-out hit and walk before retiring Chipper Jones on
a check swing grounder. In the bottom of the inning, the Rockies
pulled the game out, making Mayne a winner.
The last position player to gain a victory was Rocky Colavito,
who in 1968 pitched 2 and two-thirds innings of shutout ball for
the Yankees in a game against Detroit. [Atlanta manager Bobby
Cox played third base for the Yankees when Colavito earned the
win.]
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/28/61: #1 “Wooden Heart” (Joe
Dowell.?) #2 “Tossin” And Turnin”” (Bobby Lewis…12
weeks in the Top Ten…tells you something about the times)
#3 “Michael” (The Highwaymen…hal-le-luuu-jah)
U.S. Men”s Amateur Quiz Answers: 1) Nathaniel Crosby
2) Jay Sigel
Next Bar Chat, Monday…Little Big Horn.
