RMJ 166 July 31

THURSDAY, JULY 31 ● Off-day in Houston

Ryan and I met Jim Heine and his two sons, Ryan and Randy, at 10 a.m. for golf. “My” Ryan has played enough to have half an idea on the etiquette of the game, and how to keep things moving. “His” Ryan had played once or twice. Randy was making his debut.

Luckily, there weren’t many people on the course. You have to love golf to play midday this time of the year in Houston.

I loved being with Ryan; the golf was something else again: Hit the ball. Move forward ten yards. Hit again. Go wading in the water for the ball. Hit again. And again and again. I bet they hit 400 shots between them.

Jim and I weren’t at our best, either. Our primary concern was that the kids wouldn’t wander in front of someone who was hitting the ball, which they did several times anyway. They also got pretty far afield with the golf cart several times, and then ran to their ball to hit a few shots, leaving the cart 100 yards behind in the rough.  

The highlight for me was lunch. The kids couldn’t stop laughing, talking about some of the shots they hit, and about farting. I worried that they were getting frustrated because they weren’t playing well, but that did not seem to be the case.

Jim had to go to work, and the boys begged to keep playing. I said that I would play with them and take them home.

It was like herding house cats.

But we made it through 18 holes, just as the sky opened up in a thundering rainstorm. On the way home, Ryan tuned in to the sports-talk radio station.

“I want to see if the Cardinals got McGwire,” he said. I have to admit, the same thing had crossed my mind a few times. Seems the Reds had traded John Smiley, the Mariners had traded José Cruz Jr., and the Giants had traded five minor-league prospects for Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez, and Danny Darwin. That one could bite us — we still have four more games in San Francisco. It was only 4:00, and the trading deadline is midnight. I guess we will keep a vigil, although there isn’t much we can do about it.

 

Judy took Ryan to his baseball practice, and I got some writing in before Julia came by to pick me up.

She really looked great: healthy and smiling, with more positive energy than I remember since her preadolescent years. The poor thing matured early, and she started running with an unruly, older crowd. She finally seems ready to settle into a reasonable lifestyle.

She showed me her new apartment, and the mountain bike she got with her birthday money. She told me about her efforts to find a used car for the price she can get for the truck. Very organized, forward-thinking, practical. All my fears were being allayed.

At one point, I wondered if she would ever be able to make a plan, and follow it through. Looks like she might be able to do it. Hallelujah!

We met Judy and Ryan for dinner at Vincent’s, where Julia’s boyfriend Chris works. The food was great, and both kids behaved well and added life to the conversation. Ryan even ate some calamari. He is really growing up fast.

 

On the way home, we heard the news: the Cardinals had, indeed, traded for McGwire.

Our task is clear now. We have to keep winning to hold them off. With their pitching and the added power of McGwire, they are going to be a tough team to beat the rest of the year.