The Bile Wells to the Throat

 The Bile Wells to the Throat  





      Watching golf on TV may not be terribly exciting for those who have never been gripped by the fever but sometimes it is very entertaining. My parents spent some of their fondest hours together sitting in front of the tube commenting on their favorites. They took it serious and even had some cross words over my Dad speaking out of turn producing a jinx on Gary Player or another of my Mom's faves. The thing that separates golf from other televised sports is the quiet elegance of the commentary and the polite behavior of crowds. Recently that has changed and my opinion of the new expression is that it is horseshit. As a matter of fact there is even an expression about the way a golf crowd claps with appreciative gentleness. There is also the fact that golfers look like us. That is until they hit the ball off the tee or drop a long putt. To this day when I see golf on TV I do not really want to sit down and watch it but I have a warm memory of my Mom and Dad focused on Arnie or Billy Casper or the elegant Doug Sanders. This brings me to a memory of Greg at this time of the year since he adored the majesty of the Masters and would drink up the theme "Augusta" as they would play it in promos many weeks before the event. Greg would stay up and watch highlights while dreaming of the day when he might play at the Augusta National Golf Club. Yet, this story is about a one of a kind announcer, the incomparable Peter Aliss who was actually called "the voice of golf." In the respectable days of whispered remarks Alliss knew the game, knew the players, had been a pro-golfer and spoke with the Queen's English. When you heard the man's hushed words you walked bit more softly and concentrated on the shot at hand. Greg loved to repeat a couple of gems from the bag of Allis. When a tournament was in the balance he described the reaction of a leader who had an approach putt roll far down the green instead of lagging up close "the bile wells to the throat." The other favorite described the pained look on Jack Nicklaus' face after he  misdirected a crucial shot on a golf course he himself had designed as "a somewhat chastened architect."




"The game lends itself to fantasies about our abilities.” -Peter Alliss




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paul Knowlton's White Lotus

Image
 Paul Knowlton's White Lotus \      It is ironic that this post is titled something that means nothing to the protagonist. Paul, Zeke, "the Prince," "Senor Suerte" or the Snail (I never called him that.) My old pal just created a memorable vacation on the island of Oahu where the mean old world was a far off nightmare and the closest thing to stress was choosing which kind of massage you would request. Paul was the second friend in my life and we grew up about a block away from each other. We were Catholic boys and loved sports that created a bond lasting seventy years. This connection continued from grammar school to High School, to Community College to University. We were roomates from 1968 to 1972 and our families had a solid respect for one another. Paul grew up in a family of nine kids at a tract house in South Gate when the common man lived the American dream. Then again with 11 mouths to feed the American dream can only stretch so far. It is a cliche but ...
Read more

alright mother

Image
  alright mother- “You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.” —Carol Ann Duffy  Greg was always delighted by a story told by his mother in law about a "sortie" dinner party attended by a Doctor "Putty" Putnam who had been forced to attend an opera by his wife. When asked by a clueless guest if he enjoyed the opera, his response was  "fuck you!" When I was visiting Bear Cove and sitting next to the matriarch Greg goaded her into telling the tale. But a rum n' coke had loosened "Minnie's" tongue and when she got to Putty's answer she blurted a rather hard FUCK YOU!  Roy, hearing his bride curse thusly said across the table "Alright mother!"
Read more

Athletic Club Flower shop

Image
  Athletic Club Flower shop      This phrase is actually the telephone greeting at Greg's uncle Johnny Tassano's flower shop at 808 W. 8th street near Flower street in downtown L.A. Greg loved the place and culled many a story and line from his experiences at a place he worked and visited fondly. Even when he wasn't employed he drove around with cousin Kent (Kevin Smith) and they had a ball observing the absurdities of modern living in the Southland. The phone was answered by different employees and each had a unique turn of "Athletic Club...flowershopppp" There was owner John Tassano, right-hand man Ronald P. Lord, "Speed," a delivery man, and Carmen who cut flowers and told odd anecdotes such as the origin of pizza. I believe Greg and Kevin could go on for weeks about the people they met on their deliveries as they set forth across the city of the angels to spread floral joy. This might include places to eat, fascinating neighborhoods, cemeteries, lone...
Read more