My round with TJ

Missed the game today, but from what I understand, the Angels were undone by the bullpen again. At least this time it was by the guys who are supposed to screw up. 2-4, not a promising start to the road trip.

I missed the game because I was playing in The Guardians' "Swing Fore the Home" charity golf tournament. The Guardians is a charity that raises money for the Jewish Home for the Aging. I was invited to play by LA Times columnist, T.J. Simers, for reasons that really don't need to be rehashed at this point. It's all in the posts below, complete with links to the relevant columns.

The day started with registration and collections of "goody bags", in this case, they consisted of very nice Adidas athletic bags, a couple of pairs of socks, a visor, and $50 to spend at the Nike merchndise booth by the first tee. They had all kinds of shoes and shirts, but I spent the money on a dozen balls and a new glove. I already get much better shoes (Footjoy Classics) at cost from the course at which I used to work. Also along the way, we collected samples of Pravda Vodka, and Corazon Tequila, which is very tasty Tequila. Having never gotten sick on Tequila, I still like to drink it.

Before teeing off, we did a segment on the radio show he does with his daughter, Tracy, on Sunday mornings. She was the reason we were there, and she was a lot of fun to hang out with the night before. Very funny and personable, especially for a domer. The first bachelor (at this point, if you're confused, you really need to go back and read the previous posts and columns) was a Dodgers fan, and he was asked his opinion on the McCourts. TJ got him to do a complete 180 on his answer before he was finished. Bachelor number two fielded a Shaq/Kobe question, and a 'no more beer at $C' question. I took a question on the Angels name change (I don't care, but I don't like Anaheim, so I'm sorta for it), and a question on Moreno, which ended with me complaining about the length of the Cabrera signing, what with all of the middle infield talent in the pipeline. It was pretty casual, and a nerve wracking, yet enjoyable experience.

Simers is almost universally despised by most commenters over at BTF, but I've always liked his stuff. He's just as irreverent and funny in person, and he's very quick. He never misses an opportunity to needle you about something. I ended up riding in the same cart with him all day, so we had a lot of good exchanges. He's very sarcastic, and he loves to make fun of people, so if you're sensitive, you're going to hate him, but if you roll with it, and give back, he's a fun guy to be around. And he seems to appreciate a quick wit, and I got the sense that he respects people with the stones to give as good as they get. One of the things we joked about was the way I mark my golf balls for identification (a common practice among most semi-serious goflers, and all serious golfers). For years, I've marked the space above the logo with a small '26'. He was determined to find out why*, but it took him a good 12-13 holes to get it out of me, and led to some pretty good back and forth as he pressed for an answer, while I dodged and weaved.

We shot 10 under (it was a scramble). That probably had us in the top ten, but not in the money (or Vodka, as it were). I didn't hit the ball as well as I did Friday, but I acquitted myself fairly well. One of the other guys was pretty good, and the other, well, let's just say he wasn't. By far the best aspect of the tournament was the free In-N-Out from the truck they brought on-site. For those that don't know, In-N-Out has some mobile units that go to special events or occasionally schools, where they cook up Double Doubles that taste as good as they do from a regular restaurant. I treated myself to a Double Double and a cheeseburger before I was done. Let's face it, In-N-Out is the real reason I keep coming home to visit. It is the greatest chain fast food burger in existence. There can be no argument over this.

All in all it was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it (despite the fact that Malibu Country Club is nothing to write home about). Met some great people, had a great time, played some golf, got some free stuff. Even saw Shannen Doherty in the pro shop after the tournament, as she was heading out to play (the place is public, but it must have some private memberships). The Guardians put on a first class event, and we were treated very well. All of the people we met in association with the tournament were first rate. And boy oh boy, do they have some money. When I rolled up in a Honda Civic, I think they thought I was the help.

So all in all, great event, great people, didn't get married, but got to come home for a couple of days. And I had another brush with media mediocreness.

*I do it in honor of the greatest European player in the history of the NHL, Peter Stastny.