Sandy Koufax - Lifetime HeroI've been away for a long time. Playing too much golf and working too many days (at a golf course, of course) for a retiree. The few days I have had off have been spent on yard maintenance and trying to keep the wife happy.
The highlight of my summer was getting to meet and briefly talk to my boyhood baseball idol - Sandy Koufax. Sandy visited the TPC River Highlands golf club this year to play in the Travelers Championship[Celebrity Pro-Am. My responsibility again this year was working in the players & celebrities locker room, taking care of their personal needs. That's where I was able to meet him.
We talked briefly about my being an old Brooklyn Dodger fan. I had become a Dodger fan because all of my childhood friends were New York Yankee fans and I just loved to 'rag' them about Joe DiMaggio, Phil (Holy Cow!) Rizzuto and all the other Yankees who I loved to hate.
But anyway, Koufax showed up for the tournament and I can attest that at age seventy-two he still looked like he could throw 96 mph fastball. Fortunately, his tee time in the Pro-Am was near lunch time so I was able to break for lunch in time to see him on the first tee. Needless to say he was the most popular celebrity in the tournament. The first tee crowd numbered in the thousands. To the pleasure of many Sandy took time on the first tee to sign many, many autographs for the fans.
To this day he remains an extraordinary gentlemen and my hero for life.
