The fires of a good competition never quite burn out. Not that I remember every win or loss— I don’t. What I do recall though…what still simmers, is the spirit of battles fought.
When Hal and I were young it was “sock basketball.” We’d play in his bedroom, (by today’s standards, the size of a closet). Two socks rolled in a ball—we’d hold it in one hand, feign dribbling, still guard each other…then shoot into a wastebasket. Sounds primitive, but at a time when few had hoops in their driveways, we were not only ahead of our time, but could compete through winter. Endlessly I’d beg him to play and he’d comply, until that is, in HIS fervor to win, airborne with a jumpshot, HIS skull met an overhead fixture.
It was no different in Wieder’s garage. On a half-court more often than not shortened by his dad’s van, we’d go head-to-head with fervor. Time and again Wied dribbled—butt to the hoop–pushing his way in. “Charging!” I’d call and he’d glare “No.” (All those games…I never got one call)! Alan’s passion, though, was exceeded perhaps by his knowledge of high school hoops. Doing the play-by-play of his own shots, he’d pretend to be Phil Argento or Billy Hahn, reigning prep stars. Me? Alan said I was Ledgemont, (a school that at the time had lost some thirty games in a row).
I don’t think I ever beat Wieder. So be it. As with my brother, we left nothing in the locker room.
Which leads to last weekend’s golf tourney in Chicago….
A family affair, the inaugural field (by agreement) was limited to Jason and me. (While Stacy, openly rooting the other way, made it three, her status was at best, vague. Let’s say it was somewhere between amateur status at the Masters or, even better, an unregistered student auditing a college class).
The stakes, be assured, were no lighter than the bragging rights of years ago. Indeed, in some ways they were greater. THIS competition, after all, was generational.
Did he really think loss of hair meant loss of fire? That gamesmanship has a shelf life?
Had he not seen, even once, “The Natural?”
This would be, I sensed, a classic duel between Thrower and Pitcher, an epic struggle between the strength of youth and the wisdom of experience. I was not disappointed.
Jason brought tuning and talent from weekly rounds on the golf course. (The last links I hit were bacon). It mattered not. Out then in, we were never more than two stokes apart. Indeed, eighteen holes of regulation left us knotted–a dead heat.
Sweat pouring from son-in-law’s brow, he recalled prior agreement:
“Three hole playoff!” Bohrer announced, heading to the first hole. A coin was flipped.
“Call it in the air,” I urged, and he did…getting it right.
“OK,” I continued, “You go first.”
“Wait a minute,” he said, “Why do I go first?”
“ ‘Cause you got it right.”
One pregnant pause later, I went to school on his shot.
We bogeyed the nineteenth hole—both of us. Retrieving my ball, it occurred to me: it was time.
“Draw?” I asked, arm outstretched.
“Draw,” he concluded, clasping.
“We’ll do it again next year,” said I.
“Every year,” he added.
We walked off the green just like they do on television—not as champ and caddy, but as two champions.
It’s a funny thing: competition. When you put it all out there, some times the results don’t matter. That’s how it was in Hal’s bedroom…how it was in Wieder’s garage…and clearly, how it was in Chicago last weekend.
..…
Buygeneric drugs…
……
Buywithout prescription…
.…
Buynow it…
..…
Buyno prescription…
..…
Buyit now…
..…
Buygeneric meds…
..…
Buygeneric pills…
.…
Buydrugs without prescription…
..…
Buynow it…
.…
Buynow it…
……
Buyno prescription…
.…
Buyit now…
……
Buyit now…
……
Buynow…
……
Buynow it…
……
Buyit now…
……
Buygeneric drugs…
..…
Buywithout prescription…
.…
Buygeneric drugs…
.…
Buygeneric drugs…
.…
Buygeneric drugs…
.…
Buyno prescription…
.…
Buygeneric drugs…
.…
Buynow it…
.…
Buygeneric pills…
.…
Buynow it…
.…
Buyno prescription…
.…
Buygeneric meds…
.…
Buygeneric drugs…
.…
Buygeneric meds…
..…
Buygeneric drugs krg…
..…
Buynow it vhx…
.…
Buygeneric drugs zfk…
..…
Buygeneric pills zdg…
..…
Buynow it tly…
……
Buynow it zdg…
.…
Buygeneric drugs itj…
..…
Buynow it cey…
..…
Buydrugs without prescription faj…
..…
Buyit now irl…
……
Buywithout prescription ccw…
.…
Buygeneric drugs axm…
..…
Buyno prescription gdt…
……
Buyit now knc…
.…
Buydrugs without prescription xab…
.…
Buyit now ojb…
……
Buydrugs without prescription jlg…
.…
Buygeneric drugs ouw…
.…
Buygeneric drugs hwi…
..…
Buyno prescription jui…
.…
Buygeneric pills oir…
..…
Buyno prescription jwi…
.…
Buynow it lmg…
..< …
Buydrugs without prescription hak…
..< …
Buyno prescription lka…
……
Buyit now sge…
……
Buydrugs without prescription ttp…
..…
Buygeneric drugs…
……
Buygeneric meds…
.…
Buydrugs without prescription…
..…
Buygeneric pills…
..…
Buygeneric drugs…
..…
Buyit now…
.…
Buyno prescription…
.…
Buydrugs without prescription…
mike divorce cancer tiffany…
Buy_generic pills…
alberta alcohol and drug abuse commission…
Buy_generic meds…
boulder valley asthma and allergy clinic…
Buy_no prescription…
recipes for gastric bypass patients…
Buy_now…
citalopram length of use…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
weight gain stories feeders…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
accutane birth defects…
Buy_it now…
menstrual patterns in menopause…
Buy_no prescription…
dependent disorder anxiety…
Buy_generic pills…
red wine and lipitor…
Buy_no prescription…
follistim increase estradiol levels…
Buy_generic drugs…
herbal flee collars for dogs…
Buy_generic pills…
statistics on pregnancy in high school…
Buy_generic meds…
effexor xr 75…
Buy_generic pills…
genital erection…
Buy_now it…
low fat diets history…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
hives rash from coming off prednisone…
Buy_generic drugs…
high calorie diet for babies…
Buy_generic drugs…
cures for fingernail fungi…
Buy_generic meds…
bacterial staphylococcus aureus meningitis symptoms…
Buy_without prescription…
what is metoprolol succinate used for…
Buy_it now…
st joseph aspirin coupon…
Buy_generic pills…
zocor and ms…
Buy_it now…
adderall then tylenol pm…
Buy_generic drugs…
abdominal pain lutenizing hormone…
Buy_generic drugs…
ic tramadol hcl 50 mg…
Buy_generic meds…
asthmatic inhaller mask for children…
Buy_it now…
hot dog hospital diet substitutions…
Buy_generic drugs…
hot spots or cancer…
Buy_without prescription…
allergic reaction to topical miconazole…
Buy_generic meds…
twin pregnancy obstetrician specialist dallas…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
glucophage powered by vbulletin version 2.2.1…
Buy_generic pills…
shampoo for people with dog allergies…
Buy_now…
menopause thyroid cancer…
Buy_without prescription…
medical nebulizer…
Buy_generic meds…
boniva and bone thinning and breaks…
Buy_now it…
free fast diet tips…
Buy_generic meds…
drug citalopram side effects…
Buy_generic drugs…
air purifiers for allergies…
Buy_generic meds…
……
Buywithout prescription…