Monday, July 20, 2009

"That's One Small Step for Man . . ."

Well, I had my heart ripped out again yesterday. After Tom Watson birdied 17 and took a one-shot lead and then hit a perfect drive on 18, my eyes were already tearing up as I considered what an incredible moment I was watching. And then, before you could blink an eye -- it seemed that the dream was over.

Something in me is wanting to say, "Oh, well. Maybe next time." But that is not reality. When is the last time a 59 year old led a major championship into the 72nd hole? My guess is never.
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For those of you over about 45, do you remember where you were 40 years ago today? I was 12 years old, living in Austin, Texas. I had stayed up late to watch the 1st step on the moon. The next morning, I played in a junior golf tournament.

In my growing up years, astronauts, along with athletes, were our heroes. I used to could name every Mercury, Gemini and Apollo crew. It was exciting times, as we Americans tried to beat the Russians in the space race. And on this day, 40 years ago, we won. As the Viet Nam War dragged one, this was something we could be proud of.

So, should we send a manned mission to Mars? I don't know. It seems like there are more pressing needs we have as a country. But if the decision was made -- I'd be watching.

1 comment:

Josh Ross said...

I was sad to see Watson lose. It would have been (and I guess it still is) a great story.