On the QT

Tuesday, March 28, 2006


THE BOY

Some called him E-Bay for his penchant of ordering golf clubs for an improved game. Hack called him The Little Fellow, although I'm not sure why. McClure and I simply called him The Boy.

He should have been teeing it up on a Florida or perhaps Arizona golf course today. Or maybe at his favorite course, Green Hills Country Club. Oh, the weather wouldn't have stopped him this time of year. Actually, on most times of the year. He was the last person to hit a golf ball in the last century at Green Hills. I saw it. I was with him. In six inches of snow. He and McClure and I on New Year's Eve. Although Mike's tee shot farther than ours, nobody enjoyed it more than The Boy.

He might have been playing with his wife today, but I doubt it. It would probably have been too cold. It could have been Rip who would want to know what logo he was displaying on his sweater, sleeveless most likely. It might have been Virgil who would have told an old familiar tale that he had heard a hundred times. But The Boy would laugh. Again. As he had done so many times before over so many others stories. He would have added a few, too, perhaps with some embellishment. It might have been Donnie. Such a nice man, but then The Boy had a way to draw nice guys around him. Rex and Ben would have sat today out. But they, too, enjoyed his company. As did Larry, Carl, Cort, and other Men's League partners. And of course, me.

We played a lot of golf together. But never enough. Never too much. I looked forward to his coming out to Arizona so we could play some more expensive courses. He loved to have a good time and play some of the really nice ones. The Boy loved to play in Hawaii. With Carol. He felt so good when she hit a great shot. He loved the Disney courses and Sawgrass where he teed it up on the driving range with Vijay.

He loved life. He loved good food, family, good friends, laughter, and a ton of other things including good music. He kept in touch with former high school buds and was as loyal a friend as a person could have. He was sincere when he asked how someone's kids were, as he often did.

Today is The Boy's birthday. He would be 60 now. Somehow though that's not right. For some people 60 might be old, yet not for him. But if Stan Musial is The Man, then Sam Hicks is and will always be The Boy. Even though we can't enjoy our golf game quite so much since he's not around. We still love you, man.

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