Sac Fly: The Chemist

Sunday, March 12, 2023

The Chemist

I just finished The Personal Assistant, a novel set in Atlanta. Pretty sure Connie Morris and Catherine Norman read that book. I just started The Chemist, by Stephanie Meyer, an author I’d read before.

Want any bobbleheads? Man I sure don’t need any more, though I’m sure I’ll get more this baseball season. A bud has asked to get him one, so that will be a fun adventure. The Braves have really glutted the market with so many bobbleheads these last two years. Collectors buy season tickets, go to the games and get their bobbles. Then the Braves give all season ticket holders a set of bobbles at the end of the year, so all the collectors are trying to sell all the bobbles at the same time, driving the price down. Not sure how I will ever get rid of the bobbles I have.

With Will headed out of town we can’t get together for early morning golf this week, and the time change with weekend means the sun comes up an hour later. I wasn’t going to play any more weekday golf until April, but now I’ll be making an exception for Will, who says he can play on Monday.

Wednesday morning I got to the course by 6:30 am, and it was light enough to play at 6:45. But my playing partner was 30 minutes late. Then two guys showed up, so we let them go out ahead of us. Didn’t finish until after 8:45. I had to hustle to get on my 9 am call.

1. Tee shots okay. Skidded a 5 iron straight, but I couldn’t find it. Took a drop, then skidded a chip up the hill onto the green. Two putt for "bogey".

2. Flubbed first 6 iron, then got great distance with my mulligan. Not sure why I’m hitting everything left. A pretty good chip, but I rolled off the side of the green. Bad chip good chip Two putt. Double.

3. Six iron felt good, but left again. From the gully I skidded a 5 iron into the bank. The ball popped up onto the green, just as I had “planned”. Two putt for bogey.

4. Skidded two tee shots. Great chip up to the impossibly-sloped temporary green, where me and the vet took turns trying to putt. “Bogey”.

5. Skidded another tee shot. Great chip that rolled off the side of the green. Good chip up to the green. Two putt. Double.

6. Got smart and hit a 5 iron off the tee. It went straight up even with the big oak. Hit a good hybrid up to the fringe. While waiting for the vet I hit another decent hybrid. My putts we’re good. Bogey.

7. Drive off tee sailed right. Should’ve stuck with the 5 iron. I did hit a good 5 iron out of the rough. Then a great hybrid to the fringe. Three putt from well off the green. Double.

8. Hit a good drive. Seven iron to the back fringe. Good chip. Missed the par putt. Bogey.

9. A terrible hole. Sliced two tee shots right, into the woods. Took a drop and skidded the wedge. Then a good chip, but past the green. Bad chip followed by an okay chip. Good lag putt on the sloped green. Call it a snowman.

Lost a ball on the first hole. Found balls on 2, 3, 5, and two on six. Lost two on nine, so I was plus two for the day.

NOMAR GARCIAPARRA [SABR Bio] is the only player to hit two grand slams in a single game at Fenway Park. On 10-May-1999, one in the bottom of the first, and again in the 8th. He also hit a 2-run home run in the 3rd. All 12 of the other major leaguers who have hit two grand slams in one game did it in away games. His first and last names had never graced a major league roster before, giving him Double-Unique status. That distinction lasted for nearly two decades, until Nomar Mazara debuted for the Padres on 10-Apr-2016. Garciaparra was the unanimous 1997 AL ROY and earned some of baseball’s best adjectives.