Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Nobody Deserves To Have A Job With As Many Perks As Mine Does. But I Do. And I'll Viciously Murder Anybody Who Tries to Take It!!!

You know, I urged Andy to stick with the game of golf.

When he took lessons back in 2008, he gave up summarily after 5-6 sessions with John LeSage at Falls Road GC. What a shame.

And while I understand the deep frustrations the game delivers on a regular basis, I think Andy had the requisite minimum of athletic ability to be a serviceable weekend public course "hacker" who could shoot somewhere around 100 from the appropriate tees.

If he had done so, then ANDY could have been right there with me at TPC Potomac, playing in our foursome with 2003 US Open Champion, 2010 FedEx Cup Champion, 7-time Ryder Cupper and 16-time PGA Tour winner Jim Furyk.

But alas, no.

So here I was with Jim, enjoying a round-of-a-lifetime, talking golf, sports and everything else on a TOUR caliber course with one of the most down-to-earth golf superstars you'll ever meet.

Andy showed up for the radio show, and the buffet.

Sigh.



PS: Yes, I shot 77 with Mr. Furyk on Monday. Legit. No mulligans. No gimmes. No free kick-outs, drops, or do-overs. Made many, many, many lengthy putts. At least 5 over 12 feet, and only missed once inside of 5 feet. It was awesome, I won't lie. Key to the round, however, was how utterly relaxed Jim made me feel, and our two radio winners. I don't think I actually considered what I was shooting until it was over. I was so busy talking to Jim, enjoying the course, when he added up the back nine numbers I said: "Whoa! Really???"

A few notes on the day.

Jim was a consummate pro when it came to the little things. For example, Jim proposed a friendly radio match on the first tee. Then he made sure to write out our scorecard, very neatly, with every hole where I would get strokes clearly marked. He was a +6 and I was an 8 handicap, so I was getting a massive 14 shots.


I also was playing from the 6550 tees, he all the way back, at 7130. He made sure to write down scores every hole, and never once had to ask me my score. He was paying attention. Then, when the "match" was over (6&5) he made sure to congratulate me, and note the score clearly on the card. This was very cool. Because he knows, and you can bet, that scorecard with his signature, is going straight to the framer, and right up on the wall.


I am sure, I am not the first overly handicapped amateur to "beat" Jim in such a match. But he made me feel like it was a "real" match. Even though he didn't line up a single putt, and shot even par 70 having not seen the new design since he last played Avenel at the old Kemper Open almost 10 years ago.



The folks from Diageo who set up the outing as his sponsor of Johnnie Walker, were beyond gracious to me and everyone else. We even got a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, with our names etched on the bottle. While I like scotch, I am not an aficionado, so the high end bottle was perhaps more than I needed.

But you can bet your sweet ass, I am going to sip that scotch over rocks and savor the warm glow of my miracle 77 for many days to come.

PPS: Yes, I need to re-commit to another hard core round of P90x. Looks like my "cruise control" regimen of 3-days a week, has, ahem... gotten a little loose. Damn pictures! Why don't you look as good as my mirror!

11 comments:

  1. Your P.S was on spot. As with many times when I listen to your show, you say stuff exactly as i think them. As I'm reading this and looking at the pictures, I'm thinking.....I think he needs to get back on his program. He's looking a little pudgy.

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  2. 1st off nice shoes Redskin boy. And secondly you really lucked up with Furyk, while most PGA tour pros are friendly enough Furyk actually looks you in the eyes and seems generally interested in what you have to say, and I guarentee you 5 or 10 years from now if you see him he will remember playing with you that's just the kind of dude he is. He's always impressed me that way.

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  3. Packer shoes would have looked much better. Thanks for the expose on Furyk, he seems like he'd be a good guy and thanks to you Czabe we all know it.
    Keith Riese
    Monroe,WI.

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  4. I know you play up the snobby No. Virginia guy schtick for the radio, but you have become just a blowhard with no substance. I'm a middle class white guy and I don't find your self-centeredness funny. Confidence not ego, man. Take that from the great Vince Vaughn. You are the spoiled kid growing up with the $500 bmx bike. I once thought you had likable guy qualities. Go camp out at Augusta next year with the boys. You're a clone, Steve.
    Frank B. originally from Suitland,MD

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  5. FrankB = most jealous man on the planet today.

    Seriously, where do you see Czabe gloating over this? Half the article was about how awesome a guy Furyk was.

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  6. mrredskin,

    You're out of your mind. I'm happy being a fan of sports. How could I be jealous of a guy that I see a dime a dozen everyday at the mall or in the car on the highway. You used the word gloating. Czaben is a self-rightous, old dude with outdated values and opinions. And who the heck cares about riding around in a golf cart with Jim Furyk. It's like fricken show and tell boys and girls!

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  7. So why do you listen to his show or visit his site if he pisses you off so much?

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  8. Dear FrankB,

    Thanks for the venom. Sorry you feel that way. My dad was a government employee, my mom a school teacher. I went to public schools, mowed lawns and delivered papers growing up.

    There's no "Czaban's" in broadcasting to help me out (damn, if only I were an Albert, Buck, or Carey!) and I began my radio career making $12,500 a year in Santa Barbara in 1991.

    The nerve of me to work hard and pursue my career goals. The nerve.

    Best,
    Steve

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  9. Steve - Great response to FrankB. What a d-bag.

    However, that response does not entirely nullify your shoes, which are beyond ridiculous. Why not wear footwear made entirely of human feces, which is pretty much what our Redskins are right now.

    I understand you now work for the man, and those kicks were probably given to you gratis. Still, they're butt ugly and they remind people of the obnoxious failure who owns the franchise and constantly rips his team's own fans off by selling exactly this type of junk. They have to go.

    Also, the shot of you with your bottle of JW Blue? Creepiest. Look. Ever.

    Have a great week off. 77 with a pro is one to remember. Congrats. Look forward to your return, because the guy replacing you this week totally sucks.

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  10. Must be Frank B's time of the month...Czabe's post showed a genuine giddiness about the whole situation. Anyone who plays golf understands the sublime feeling of a round in the zone. To do it at the hacker's "highest level" is once in a lifetime. Enjoy it, Czabe.

    PS AJOC you made me laugh with the comment about Czabe's replacement, I feel the same way...Good lord, can't we do better than Chris Russell? I can't imagine a bigger drop off from Czabe to Russell, unless maybe John Thompson were to fill in.

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