Sunday August 3

Bud's Boys Sunday Dispatch

We have a wrap up of play on those last days of July and a rousing first day of August, followed by a July Review. Also, the 'Old Baseball Curmudgeon' has submitted a short piece at the end of the column.

CYGOTY Update

But first, the Champion Golfer of the Year Tournament dates have been determined. The two-day event will be played on Tuesday September 23 and Wednesday September 24. You must commit to playing both days if you are interested in signing up. 

Tuesday July 29

Floyd is the day's MVP as his first CTP of the season and his Medalist best +6 leads team to 2 victories.

Tom scores 37 points but it is his birdie on #2 that wins the skin for his team's only take from the pot.

Wednesday July 30

The oppressive heat was still hanging over Kimbeland as 13 BB's teed off on Card Day.

Teammates Ron and Floyd had the top two scores on the day. Ron's Medalist best +5 edged Floyd's +4 by one stroke as they easily swept the FBT. Wayne wins today's CTP. His team also comes out on top of the Card Game with Kings and fives.

Thursday July 31

The weather has finally broken free of the miserable heat wave, giving us a chance to play in some most pleasant conditions.

Brian earns Medalist honors with a +6 posting, good enough for his team to take the Front 9 and the Total.

Wayne wins his second straight CTP, setting up a shot on Friday to join the exclusive 'Floyd Club' with 3-in-a-row.

Leroy celebrated a belated birthday today. Some BB's groupies stop by to try to get an autograph or perhaps even touch him.

 

Friday August 1

The first day of August was even nicer as for as temperatures and conditions. The players certainly took advantage as all 6 teams finished on the plus side at day's end.

The day was also one of those extremely rare days when the 5 events were split evenly. Only team #6 failed to take one of the 5 available games. That also means Wayne (traditionally in the last group) did not win his 3rd straight CTP.

Shelly took that honor with her first of 2024.

Don made the most noise with a +10 score with an even par round of 36 points. His effort allowed his team to squeak out a 1-point victory for the Total.

Charlie's birdie on #9 snared the Rabbit for his hunting party.

Jeff's double jump +6 led his team to best score +9 on the Front 9. 

Tom's 37-point effort and Dave's eagle on 16 garnered enough to claim the Back 9. It should be noted that with his 37 points, Tom has scored the most individual points in each of the last 11 days he has played, including a 38 and 2 37-point rounds. Model of consistency indeed (and it's not that the rest of us are that bad).

July Review

We managed 15 days of complete play. Thirty different BB's engaged in 225 rounds, an average of 15 players per day. That's down slightly from June due mostly to the dangerous heat.

Charlie led the multiple CTP winners with 3. Wayne and Glen each had 2.

On the Medal count, Ron had 4 with 2 of them on Thursday when it really counts.

Brian had 2, both on Thursday and very convenient there Brian.

Scott and Floyd also had 2 in July.

We had a slew of double jumpers in July.

Floyd and Scott reached +10.

Ron +8 and Jeff +7.

Several +6's including Floyd and Ron again and 2 from Brian.

Bill F was not one of them unfortunately.

In the important money department, Glen ran away with the cash. His 10-2 record for the month brought home $109 in winnings. Trailing behind were Bill F with $79, KZ $72, Charlie $68, and Norris $66.

That's all the golf news of the day. If you want to read a little baseball from the "Old Curmudgeon', continue scrolling to the bottom.

Fenway Park Visit

Recently visited Boston and made a trip to Fenway. We stayed close enough to the park to walk there in less than 20 minutes. Shelly asked if I was sure how to get there so I answered, "Yes, I am going to follow all those people." The city was packed with Dodger fans, never seen so many Dodgers jerseys and many were walking there as well. 

I myself, have been a Boston fan ever since I was drafted by the Red Sox back in 1965. Most of you probably didn't know that. I could have been a Yankee or a Cub. Maybe a Brave or an Indian. But it was the Red Sox who chose me after Little League tryouts when I was 9 years old. My mom had purchased a 1965 baseball preview issue that spring, so when my manager placed me at 3rd base (even though I couldn't throw the ball to first without bouncing it), I had to see who the Sox 3rd sacker was. The famous Frank Malzone. Yes that Frank Malzone. Though you never heard of him, he actually was on 8 All Star teams in the late 50's and early 60's. So, the Sox were my adopted team.

My brother and I skipped school to watch game 7 of the 1967 World Series played at Fenway. Bob Gibson and the Cardinals made sure our adopted team would come up short.

Back to the present, as we neared the stadium, the atmosphere was incredible.

A light rain had fallen all morning, but as you see in the photo, no umbrellas.

We had chosen seats slightly under the overhang, to stay out of the sun. Works just as well to stay out of the rain.

As we sat through a 30-minute delay, I thought about all the players who had played on the field right in front of me.

Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Ruth and Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx. Williams and DiMaggio, Mickey and Yogi. Connie Mack and Casey Stengel pacing the dugout.

It made me think of the stars I have been lucky enough to see in person.

Frank Robinson and Pete Rose, Mays and McCovey, Aaron and Mathews. Of course, Brock, Gibson, Torre, Ozzie.

We even watched an Old Timers game around 1965. Saw Musial hit one off the wall. Saw Joe DiMaggio glide out to his position in center field. Would love to see a list of the players who were in that Old Timers game, I just can't remember anyone else.

Rodney has shared his memory of seeing Jackie Robinson play in St. Louis around 1949. How lucky were the rest of you baseball fans.

The game started and I realized I could add Ohtani to my list of greats, he is on first base below.

We saw a really good game, not many strikeouts, the players put the ball in play, three balls off the Green Monster in left. A home run by Michael Conforto of the Dodgers to the deepest part of center field to give them the lead. A homer over the monster by Bregman to put the Sox in the lead and the game closed by the Sox new addition in the bullpen, former Cardinal Jordan Hicks.

But in the midst of my memories of the baseball greatness I have witnessed, all the history of Fenway, I have to close with this.

Bottom of the first, TWO OUTS, runner on first is the situation. The Sox left-handed batter reaches out and pokes a high lazy pop up down the left field foul line. There is not a lot of room down the line in Fenway.

The Dodger left fielder runs to the wall, realizes he has over run the ball a little but easily reaches back his glove and the ball falls squarely in his glove, and drops to the ground, a fair ball. Did I mention there were TWO OUTS? The Red Sox runner is standing right in the middle of first and second, waiting to see if the ball is caught. It cost them a run, but fortunately not the game.

All through the stadium, all the little leaguers (at least those from my era would) asked, "Dad, why wasn't he running? For goodness sakes there were 2 out." The Dad muses, "Well Son, he probably played travel ball where he batted 4 or 5 times a week and practiced in a cage instead of playing about 5 to ten games a day on the sandlots like we did. It just isn't ingrained in his baseball DNA. Pity."