Just what in the name of Kenneth Corn is going on here?
We had six Democratic candidates running for the house seat.
Yes! That should be good for a little fighting, slapping and old-fashioned mud slinging!
Right? Uh, not really.
Matt Webb, James Lockhart, Jake Leming, Traci Barnes, Jarrod Ridenour and David Hogan were on their best behavior during the campaign, for the most part.
The only controversy, if you would even consider it to be controversy, was the challenge filed by Webb and Leming over Barnes’ residency filing. It was decided that Barnes could file using her address at the hotel.
That should have got some blood boiling and name calling going, eh? If it did, I never heard it.
But surely as the primary election neared all that nicey nicey stuff would go away, right? Drats, no. All the candidates acted like grown up, respectable citizens, sort of like the kind of person you would want to represent our area in the House.
You probably know by now that Webb got the most votes in the primary with Lockhart second. Those two will be in the runoff election on Aug. 24. Mano-o-mano, head-to-head! At last, the mud would start slinging!
Yeah, right. Here is what Webb said about his opponent: “James ran a really good race. He worked really hard. He and his family did a good job and James is a good candidate.”
Huh? A candidate praising his opponent?
Well…good for him, and the other candidates.
It was also a surprise for Lockhart.
“Yeah, it was really pretty neat,” he said. “When I decided to run I thought I’d need to have really thick skin. But it was really clean for the most part. It was very humbling.”
Hmm, perhaps candidates for larger elections could learn a lesson from our locals. It is not necessary to use name calling and mud slinging tactics in elections. State your qualifications and why you are the better candidate without resorting to saying your opponent is not worth a puddle of tobacco spit and lower than a worm.
Think that would happen in a race involving congressional candidates, governor or president? Not hardly. But it would be good to hear, say, President Obama describing Jeb Bush as a “good, hard-working candidate” like Webb said about Lockhart.
Wouldn’t it? I think so.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My favorite weather guy comes to Poteau
On Monday evening, a friend told my wife that Garrett Lewis was coming to Poteau.
I must admit, Lewis is by far my favorite weather forecaster. He is accurate and you can tell he cares about his job and the people of the Channel 5 viewing area.
Each year, Lewis makes a tour of the area on his bicycle. That was his reason for coming to Poteau. I thought it would be a good photo op and decided to be at the Chamber office when he arrived.
Whoa, I thought when I got to the office, there must be some kind of meeting going on. The parking lot was packed and several people were milling about inside.
No meeting. The people were there for Garrett. I talked to Karen Wages for a minute and listened as the crowd discussed where Garrett was and how soon he would arrive.
I went outside with my trusty camera to get a shot of Garrett. Several others soon joined me. We waited, and waited some more. Yes, more people showed up. Finally, we had a Garrett sighting!
And then, we saw Garrett turn down Dewey Avenue, a block north of the Chamber office. You could almost feel the worry! Garrett went the wrong way. He was preceded by the green Camaro courtesy of Hug Chevrolet in Van Buren, outfitted like a Nascar car.
The anticipation grew. Where was Garrett? Did he know where he was going? Our chamber manager went down the block looking for him.
More people gathered. You could cut the suspense with a butter knife. Alas, another Garrett sighting! The channel 5 news crew arrived to film Garrett’s arrival. I strategically moved behind the camera, but still had a good spot to take a picture of Garrett.
The semi-old Craigman has been on television before and the old tale of television adding a few pounds is not accurate in my case. It adds much more than a few pounds. Plus I was afraid the sun shining off the old dome might blind the people watching on television if we did have a shot of me.
Finally, Garrett and his entourage turned back on Broadway and came toward the chamber office. People started clapping. Honest. I snapped a few photographs and in this one, Garrett was smiling and waving at…ME!
Unfortunately I cut his arm off in the picture. Drats. Garrett pedaled into the back parking lot and got off his bike. The crowd did not rush him, but they did approach quickly to shake his hand and Garrett smiled, shook hands, hugged a few (eek, he had to have some sweat going, I thought). Several in the crowd told Garrett he was their favorite weather guy and welcomed him to Poteau.
They popped the trunk on the Camaro and were kind enough to hand out t-shirts. Garrett was about like you would expect. He seemed to be having as good of a time as the people did who came to see him.
I had to get back to work. But last night, I watched the 6 p.m. news to see how it turned out. My wife and I about had our first fight as I wanted to watch the news but she kept flipping over to King of Queens.
Finally, it was weather time and she switched off Doug and Carrie. Garrett did the weather and then they got to the story on Garrett’s trip to Poteau. It started with him at the Choctaw Travel Plaza.
He drove down Broadway and talked to the camera person, pointing out Cavanal.
Finally, they got Garrett turning into the chamber office. I thought all was safe when suddenly, the camera panned and ugh, Craig was on the television. At least the back of Craig. Double ugh. I looked like a bald whale. Luckily, the Craig sighting was brief. And I thought I had lost weight!
They showed Garrett visiting and signing t-shirts. Hmm, I didn’t think of that. I could have had a shirt signed by Garrett. It may seem a little odd, but I doubt most of those shirts won’t be washed very often.
They closed off with Garrett talking to the camera and the Garrett fans standing behind him, saying something I could not make out.
I must admit, Lewis is by far my favorite weather forecaster. He is accurate and you can tell he cares about his job and the people of the Channel 5 viewing area.
Each year, Lewis makes a tour of the area on his bicycle. That was his reason for coming to Poteau. I thought it would be a good photo op and decided to be at the Chamber office when he arrived.
Whoa, I thought when I got to the office, there must be some kind of meeting going on. The parking lot was packed and several people were milling about inside.
No meeting. The people were there for Garrett. I talked to Karen Wages for a minute and listened as the crowd discussed where Garrett was and how soon he would arrive.
I went outside with my trusty camera to get a shot of Garrett. Several others soon joined me. We waited, and waited some more. Yes, more people showed up. Finally, we had a Garrett sighting!
And then, we saw Garrett turn down Dewey Avenue, a block north of the Chamber office. You could almost feel the worry! Garrett went the wrong way. He was preceded by the green Camaro courtesy of Hug Chevrolet in Van Buren, outfitted like a Nascar car.
The anticipation grew. Where was Garrett? Did he know where he was going? Our chamber manager went down the block looking for him.
More people gathered. You could cut the suspense with a butter knife. Alas, another Garrett sighting! The channel 5 news crew arrived to film Garrett’s arrival. I strategically moved behind the camera, but still had a good spot to take a picture of Garrett.The semi-old Craigman has been on television before and the old tale of television adding a few pounds is not accurate in my case. It adds much more than a few pounds. Plus I was afraid the sun shining off the old dome might blind the people watching on television if we did have a shot of me.
Finally, Garrett and his entourage turned back on Broadway and came toward the chamber office. People started clapping. Honest. I snapped a few photographs and in this one, Garrett was smiling and waving at…ME!
Unfortunately I cut his arm off in the picture. Drats. Garrett pedaled into the back parking lot and got off his bike. The crowd did not rush him, but they did approach quickly to shake his hand and Garrett smiled, shook hands, hugged a few (eek, he had to have some sweat going, I thought). Several in the crowd told Garrett he was their favorite weather guy and welcomed him to Poteau.
They popped the trunk on the Camaro and were kind enough to hand out t-shirts. Garrett was about like you would expect. He seemed to be having as good of a time as the people did who came to see him.
I had to get back to work. But last night, I watched the 6 p.m. news to see how it turned out. My wife and I about had our first fight as I wanted to watch the news but she kept flipping over to King of Queens.
Finally, it was weather time and she switched off Doug and Carrie. Garrett did the weather and then they got to the story on Garrett’s trip to Poteau. It started with him at the Choctaw Travel Plaza.
He drove down Broadway and talked to the camera person, pointing out Cavanal.
Finally, they got Garrett turning into the chamber office. I thought all was safe when suddenly, the camera panned and ugh, Craig was on the television. At least the back of Craig. Double ugh. I looked like a bald whale. Luckily, the Craig sighting was brief. And I thought I had lost weight!
They showed Garrett visiting and signing t-shirts. Hmm, I didn’t think of that. I could have had a shirt signed by Garrett. It may seem a little odd, but I doubt most of those shirts won’t be washed very often.
They closed off with Garrett talking to the camera and the Garrett fans standing behind him, saying something I could not make out.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
July 1
Today is July 1. It should be like any other day.
But it isn’t.
July 1 is one of those days I will always remember. Some dates are remembered for birthdates of spouses and children, along with anniversaries.
July 1 is different, though. Because we lost my father on this date two years ago. I try not to focus on it, or let it bother me, but it weighs heavily on me, bringing back all those memories of my father.
He had such a big influence in my life for 45 years and there has been a hole for the last two years.
My earliest memories feature him. I remember we were out at Wister Lake and he would pick me up and act like he was going to toss me in the lake. We still have that picture somewhere. I have a big smile on my face.
I also remember so much more. He taught me how to throw a football, play catch with a baseball and shoot a basketball. He also taught me pretty much everything I know about photography.
He and my mother also tried to teach me the difference between right and wrong. My parents were rather strict on me when I was a youth. Other kids could do so much more. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t come and go as I please or stay out as long as I wanted.
I do now and I am thankful. What kind of person would I have been if I did not have that support?
I regret that I never thanked him or told him how much he meant to me. I always planned on saying these things and much more, but never got around to it. Hopefully he knew. We butted heads many times. I figure he was right and I was wrong about 99.9 percent of the time.
I try not to dwell on my last memory of him, or the last few weeks when he was so sick and weak. But even then he would ask how I was doing, more concerned with his wife and sons than he was about the cancer eating up his body.
Instead, I try to remember him standing on the sidelines during a football game with his camera out and ready. Or going outside at halftime of a football game to play catch. Or shooting baskets and the old-fashioned way he shot with one hand. And calling me up during football games when something good, or bad, happened. It is hard now to watch an OU game. He loved the Sooners almost as much as he loved his family.
I remember how meticulous he was about his projects. He would spend more time reading and planning than he did doing the project, while I would just wing whatever I was trying to put together.
I also remember how perfect his garden was, back during his gardening phase. All the rows were perfect. Over the last few years, he enjoyed reading and I remember him sitting on the back porch with a book in his hands, wearing his old overalls with the glasses leaning down on his nose.
And I remember how much he cared for his dogs, lastly Buck, who we lost last week. Buck was never the same without my father, and I don’t know that I will be either.
He was always so proud of Heavener and could not understand why others did not feel this way. My father was a private person, but he gave so much, more than I could ever hope to do.
I will try to think of other things today and not dwell on what happened two years ago. But I don’t know if that will work.
But it isn’t.
July 1 is one of those days I will always remember. Some dates are remembered for birthdates of spouses and children, along with anniversaries.
July 1 is different, though. Because we lost my father on this date two years ago. I try not to focus on it, or let it bother me, but it weighs heavily on me, bringing back all those memories of my father.
He had such a big influence in my life for 45 years and there has been a hole for the last two years.
My earliest memories feature him. I remember we were out at Wister Lake and he would pick me up and act like he was going to toss me in the lake. We still have that picture somewhere. I have a big smile on my face.
I also remember so much more. He taught me how to throw a football, play catch with a baseball and shoot a basketball. He also taught me pretty much everything I know about photography.
He and my mother also tried to teach me the difference between right and wrong. My parents were rather strict on me when I was a youth. Other kids could do so much more. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t come and go as I please or stay out as long as I wanted.
I do now and I am thankful. What kind of person would I have been if I did not have that support?
I regret that I never thanked him or told him how much he meant to me. I always planned on saying these things and much more, but never got around to it. Hopefully he knew. We butted heads many times. I figure he was right and I was wrong about 99.9 percent of the time.
I try not to dwell on my last memory of him, or the last few weeks when he was so sick and weak. But even then he would ask how I was doing, more concerned with his wife and sons than he was about the cancer eating up his body.
Instead, I try to remember him standing on the sidelines during a football game with his camera out and ready. Or going outside at halftime of a football game to play catch. Or shooting baskets and the old-fashioned way he shot with one hand. And calling me up during football games when something good, or bad, happened. It is hard now to watch an OU game. He loved the Sooners almost as much as he loved his family.
I remember how meticulous he was about his projects. He would spend more time reading and planning than he did doing the project, while I would just wing whatever I was trying to put together.
I also remember how perfect his garden was, back during his gardening phase. All the rows were perfect. Over the last few years, he enjoyed reading and I remember him sitting on the back porch with a book in his hands, wearing his old overalls with the glasses leaning down on his nose.
And I remember how much he cared for his dogs, lastly Buck, who we lost last week. Buck was never the same without my father, and I don’t know that I will be either.
He was always so proud of Heavener and could not understand why others did not feel this way. My father was a private person, but he gave so much, more than I could ever hope to do.
I will try to think of other things today and not dwell on what happened two years ago. But I don’t know if that will work.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
New site favors the right
One of the first things I was taught in journalism class was the media should be fair and balanced.
Yes, I know, that doesn’t happen in real life. See Fox News, for instance. But a news organization should strive to present both sides of the story in a fair and balanced way.
Yesterday, a friend asked if I had seen The LeFlore County Guardian. No, I had not. So I decided to check it out.
The Guardian is a new web site which proclaims: in the defense of constitutional liberty, common sense and civic virtue.
That sounded great. I explored the site for a few minutes. First off, anything that promotes LeFlore County and its citizens, or helps make the county better is welcome.
As I checked out the site, there were a few things that troubled me. It looked like the site was more to promote Republicans than a true news site.
In one of the articles, it implies that the Poteau Daily News & Sun leans way to the left in support of Democrats. I am not affiliated with or a supporter of the PDN&S. I also do not agree with that statement. I have never seen the paper criticize one political party or openly support one over the other.
The Guardian does have the usual blame Obama and his cronies for all the bad stuff. The Guardian can state that all it wants. Free Speech still exists. But if the Guardian wants to be a true news organization, the stories should be balanced. If they want to state their opinions, it should be under commentary.
I hope the Guardian does well. Like I mentioned earlier, anything that is good for the county is great. Hopefully you will check out the site and share it.
And no, I am not trying to criticize the Guardian. My political views do not lean to the left or the right although I tend to vote with the Republicans more than Democrats.
In the end, I support the person who I believe can do the job the best, it does not matter which political party the person represents. If I had my way, there would not be political parties. A person would run for office and not have to do what his party told him to do. He (or she) could do what is best for everybody, not a select group.
Yes, I know, that doesn’t happen in real life. See Fox News, for instance. But a news organization should strive to present both sides of the story in a fair and balanced way.
Yesterday, a friend asked if I had seen The LeFlore County Guardian. No, I had not. So I decided to check it out.
The Guardian is a new web site which proclaims: in the defense of constitutional liberty, common sense and civic virtue.
That sounded great. I explored the site for a few minutes. First off, anything that promotes LeFlore County and its citizens, or helps make the county better is welcome.
As I checked out the site, there were a few things that troubled me. It looked like the site was more to promote Republicans than a true news site.
In one of the articles, it implies that the Poteau Daily News & Sun leans way to the left in support of Democrats. I am not affiliated with or a supporter of the PDN&S. I also do not agree with that statement. I have never seen the paper criticize one political party or openly support one over the other.
The Guardian does have the usual blame Obama and his cronies for all the bad stuff. The Guardian can state that all it wants. Free Speech still exists. But if the Guardian wants to be a true news organization, the stories should be balanced. If they want to state their opinions, it should be under commentary.
I hope the Guardian does well. Like I mentioned earlier, anything that is good for the county is great. Hopefully you will check out the site and share it.
And no, I am not trying to criticize the Guardian. My political views do not lean to the left or the right although I tend to vote with the Republicans more than Democrats.
In the end, I support the person who I believe can do the job the best, it does not matter which political party the person represents. If I had my way, there would not be political parties. A person would run for office and not have to do what his party told him to do. He (or she) could do what is best for everybody, not a select group.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A visit to Craig's mailbox!
We haven’t done it in a while, so let’s visit Craig’s mailbox!
Yeah! First on the list this morning is Remove mold from my home! Just what I want to think about at 6:30 this fine morning.
Coming in a distant second: Asian singles! I must admit that I did not read the contents of this fine email to find out just why I would want Asian singles. A few thoughts did come to mind, but…no.
A few Facebook notifications! Uh, great. If I get another message about how somebody has made my crops on Farmville look pretty, I am dropping the game. No, I don’t have the time and motivation to worry about my fake craps, er, crops on Farmville.
Hey, here’s one I really need! Bare lifts bras! Wow! Sorry, no moobs for the Craigman and if I did, I would go for the natural look, not the uplifting turn a B into a D look.
Great Massage schools! Uh, great! I got a massage message. Say that one fast a time or two. Or don’t.
A one-day discount on Viagra! As if!
Breast implants! I don’t know many dudes are interested in having this done for themselves, but…
How to put Dr. in front of my name! I don’t need training for that. Dr. Craigman! See? Easy enough, not necessarily true though.
Check out hot pics of local singles! All I have to do is look outside and see plenty of hot people. Jeez, it has been well over 100 degrees. Not sure about the marital status and being this hot, don’t really care.
Get rid of those zits! No thanks, Proactiv! Hey, Ania has sent multiple requests for me to see hot singles! Sorry, not gonna happen. See response above!
Geez, yet another: Do I need larger breasts? Let me check, no.
Enough! I say! If somebody wanted to actually get me to open one of these junkzoids, tell me how to make millions of dollars every year from the comfort of my home working on a computer. Hmm, maybe I could figure out a program that would ban stupid email messages. That should be worth some serious G.
Yeah! First on the list this morning is Remove mold from my home! Just what I want to think about at 6:30 this fine morning.
Coming in a distant second: Asian singles! I must admit that I did not read the contents of this fine email to find out just why I would want Asian singles. A few thoughts did come to mind, but…no.
A few Facebook notifications! Uh, great. If I get another message about how somebody has made my crops on Farmville look pretty, I am dropping the game. No, I don’t have the time and motivation to worry about my fake craps, er, crops on Farmville.
Hey, here’s one I really need! Bare lifts bras! Wow! Sorry, no moobs for the Craigman and if I did, I would go for the natural look, not the uplifting turn a B into a D look.
Great Massage schools! Uh, great! I got a massage message. Say that one fast a time or two. Or don’t.
A one-day discount on Viagra! As if!
Breast implants! I don’t know many dudes are interested in having this done for themselves, but…
How to put Dr. in front of my name! I don’t need training for that. Dr. Craigman! See? Easy enough, not necessarily true though.
Check out hot pics of local singles! All I have to do is look outside and see plenty of hot people. Jeez, it has been well over 100 degrees. Not sure about the marital status and being this hot, don’t really care.
Get rid of those zits! No thanks, Proactiv! Hey, Ania has sent multiple requests for me to see hot singles! Sorry, not gonna happen. See response above!
Geez, yet another: Do I need larger breasts? Let me check, no.
Enough! I say! If somebody wanted to actually get me to open one of these junkzoids, tell me how to make millions of dollars every year from the comfort of my home working on a computer. Hmm, maybe I could figure out a program that would ban stupid email messages. That should be worth some serious G.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Good things happening around county
The economy is still not all that great in the good old USA and here in LeFlore County, but there are positive things happening.
In Heavener, a new Subway has opened on Hwy. 59 north, just next to Mazzio’s. Also, a new car wash is open next to KP’s. Poteau’s new Holiday Inn-Express has also opened just next to the byway and across from the Choctaw Travel Plaza and EOMC has a new childbirth center which opened last week.
The new Almost Italy restaurant next to the courthouse is Poteau is also close to opening.
Dirt work is also underway at Poteau’s new civic center. The old track at Poteau’s football field is also being replaced. Currently most of the business buildings are full, at least in Poteau, nothing like the endless supply of empty buildings in other locations.
There are also new houses being built around the county, another sign that people are feeling better about the economy.
You also see a lot of new small businesses in the area. This is good, of course, for job growth, but also to increase the tax base and anything that keeps the money spent in county instead of Fort Smith or other locations helps all of us.
All the communities and schools have had to tighten their belts because of the lost revenue. That means lost jobs and programs, but we are still much better off than other parts of the country.
Is this the end of the recession? Probably not, but it is a good movement. People always say LeFlore County is a little behind the rest of the country. The recession hit here a little later than in other parts of the county and the recovery is hopefully here.
It has been tough the last couple of years and we are not out of the bad times, yet, but it is good to see good things happening and hopefully that will continue.
If you know of other good things happening in your community, please pass the information along.
In Heavener, a new Subway has opened on Hwy. 59 north, just next to Mazzio’s. Also, a new car wash is open next to KP’s. Poteau’s new Holiday Inn-Express has also opened just next to the byway and across from the Choctaw Travel Plaza and EOMC has a new childbirth center which opened last week.
The new Almost Italy restaurant next to the courthouse is Poteau is also close to opening.
Dirt work is also underway at Poteau’s new civic center. The old track at Poteau’s football field is also being replaced. Currently most of the business buildings are full, at least in Poteau, nothing like the endless supply of empty buildings in other locations.
There are also new houses being built around the county, another sign that people are feeling better about the economy.
You also see a lot of new small businesses in the area. This is good, of course, for job growth, but also to increase the tax base and anything that keeps the money spent in county instead of Fort Smith or other locations helps all of us.
All the communities and schools have had to tighten their belts because of the lost revenue. That means lost jobs and programs, but we are still much better off than other parts of the country.
Is this the end of the recession? Probably not, but it is a good movement. People always say LeFlore County is a little behind the rest of the country. The recession hit here a little later than in other parts of the county and the recovery is hopefully here.
It has been tough the last couple of years and we are not out of the bad times, yet, but it is good to see good things happening and hopefully that will continue.
If you know of other good things happening in your community, please pass the information along.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Local publisher survives attack by golf ball
First off, I am sorry that the blog of Craig has been vacant recently. As many of you might know and a few might care, your Journal publisher is currently publishing the Journal along with the new e-zine, along with working a full time job at a local business.
So time has been a little tight and my blog has suffered. But with a little extra time on this SWELTERING Sunday morning (that was a little inside joke, but not funny enough to share), the blog returns, brought on in part by a frightening moment at the Fort Smith Classic on Saturday.
Edgar “Andy” (aka Coach Perdue) Perdue, Lyle Whitworth and I went to watch the action Saturday at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith.
Before getting into the frightening incident, I would like to point out again it was hot. Fortunately, there were refreshments available at several locations on the course, at least until the funds ran dry because the above-mentioned refreshments were a little on the pricey side.
Like many of our fellow spectators, we wanted to watch John Daly play a little golf. He made his appearance shortly before his tee time wearing a red shirt, multi-colored pants that if I was buried in would force me to come back and haunt my relatives over, and puffing on a cig.
We watched him play the first couple of holes and eventually made our way to a shaded area beside the sixth-hole.
Lyle was bravely walking the course (he is much younger, of course), while Andy and I sat and watched a few groups play through the par-5 hole. We noticed that most of the golfers went to the right side, which was smart since if you missed the green where we were sitting, the ball would roll down a slight incline and wind up in some dangerous territory.
Finally, Daly’s group made it to our hole. He hit a monster drive and his second shot came to our side of the green, missed the green, hit a mound just a few yards away, bounced a couple of times and came rolling toward me.
Argh, I thought, I am going to get hit by Daly’s ball (golf ball, actually)! Not really, but it sounded good. I was frozen as I wondered what to do! I slid my leg over just a bit and his golf ball hit me on the shin and landed under my chair.
Hmm, what shall I do, I actually thought. I had seen pro golfers reward fans with moolah before after their golf ball hit them. That would help pay for some of the overpriced refreshments! I stood up and limped around for a second to the amusement of the crowd surrounding me, not that it actually hit.
I am sure they were worried about my condition as the golf ball was traveling at turtle-speed when it ran into my shin. Actually, I think they were hoping Daly would reward me for getting hit by the ball and I would share my new riches by buying them overpriced refreshments. As if.
Andy moved his chair away and I looked to make sure the golf ball was not touching my chair and would move. It was clear so I moved my chair back as Daly and his caddy approached.
I looked forward to Daly asking if anybody had gotten hit while pulling out his wallet. But no! He pulled out a club as his caddy asked everybody to scoot back (including me!) Wait, I wanted to say, I got hit by his ball!
Instead, Daly chipped on to the green and ran the sucker clear to the other side. I looked for any kind of bruise or indention on my leg, but only saw sweaty leg hairs.
They walked away! I looked around to see if there was a television camera which might have recorded the scary event and would broadcast it on the news. But again, no. My noble act of bravery went unrecorded. I didn’t get cruddola. We moved on, only with my memory, and sweat accruing in places which are not comfortable. I was glad to repeat the story to whoever was willing to listen, however.
We watched for a couple of hours more, mainly in the shade and finally called it a day.
So time has been a little tight and my blog has suffered. But with a little extra time on this SWELTERING Sunday morning (that was a little inside joke, but not funny enough to share), the blog returns, brought on in part by a frightening moment at the Fort Smith Classic on Saturday.
Edgar “Andy” (aka Coach Perdue) Perdue, Lyle Whitworth and I went to watch the action Saturday at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith.
Before getting into the frightening incident, I would like to point out again it was hot. Fortunately, there were refreshments available at several locations on the course, at least until the funds ran dry because the above-mentioned refreshments were a little on the pricey side.
Like many of our fellow spectators, we wanted to watch John Daly play a little golf. He made his appearance shortly before his tee time wearing a red shirt, multi-colored pants that if I was buried in would force me to come back and haunt my relatives over, and puffing on a cig.
We watched him play the first couple of holes and eventually made our way to a shaded area beside the sixth-hole.
Lyle was bravely walking the course (he is much younger, of course), while Andy and I sat and watched a few groups play through the par-5 hole. We noticed that most of the golfers went to the right side, which was smart since if you missed the green where we were sitting, the ball would roll down a slight incline and wind up in some dangerous territory.
Finally, Daly’s group made it to our hole. He hit a monster drive and his second shot came to our side of the green, missed the green, hit a mound just a few yards away, bounced a couple of times and came rolling toward me.
Argh, I thought, I am going to get hit by Daly’s ball (golf ball, actually)! Not really, but it sounded good. I was frozen as I wondered what to do! I slid my leg over just a bit and his golf ball hit me on the shin and landed under my chair.
Hmm, what shall I do, I actually thought. I had seen pro golfers reward fans with moolah before after their golf ball hit them. That would help pay for some of the overpriced refreshments! I stood up and limped around for a second to the amusement of the crowd surrounding me, not that it actually hit.
I am sure they were worried about my condition as the golf ball was traveling at turtle-speed when it ran into my shin. Actually, I think they were hoping Daly would reward me for getting hit by the ball and I would share my new riches by buying them overpriced refreshments. As if.
Andy moved his chair away and I looked to make sure the golf ball was not touching my chair and would move. It was clear so I moved my chair back as Daly and his caddy approached.
I looked forward to Daly asking if anybody had gotten hit while pulling out his wallet. But no! He pulled out a club as his caddy asked everybody to scoot back (including me!) Wait, I wanted to say, I got hit by his ball!
Instead, Daly chipped on to the green and ran the sucker clear to the other side. I looked for any kind of bruise or indention on my leg, but only saw sweaty leg hairs.
They walked away! I looked around to see if there was a television camera which might have recorded the scary event and would broadcast it on the news. But again, no. My noble act of bravery went unrecorded. I didn’t get cruddola. We moved on, only with my memory, and sweat accruing in places which are not comfortable. I was glad to repeat the story to whoever was willing to listen, however.
We watched for a couple of hours more, mainly in the shade and finally called it a day.
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