I was all set to post the consummate UNC BOG column; dispelling all the misconceptions about that august assemblage. I will post that very soon….. But – Holy Cow….. Young Webb Simpson done struck a mighty blow for all good boys that (1) can hit a one-iron and (2) unashamedly Love The Baby Jesus. HUZZA – HUZZA – HUZZA !!!!!
Some folks don’t like golf, baseball and/or brussel sprouts…. (or The Baby Jesus.) I am not one of “those folks”. I had three choices last night – US Open – NBA Finals – CWS. I chose US Open and taped Glades and Longmire.
Brussel sprouts??? Yeah. Blondie came across a recipe for roasted brussel sprouts involving EVOO and seasoning salt that we love. I had my Fathers Day choice of “whats for dinner” and chose her roasted brussel sprouts and parsnips while watching The US Open.
Watching golf with Blondie is a hoot. She understands the raw essentials of the sport enough to know when to emote. Her knowledge level however stops well short of anything Johnny Miller says. Johnny’s in-depth swing analysis “at 647,000 frames/second” no doubt are spell-binding to someone somewhere but not in our “great room”. If a putt come “within the leather” but fails to fall, Blondie emotes and despairs with the agonizing putter.
If a 30-footer burns the lip of the cup but fails to fall she screechs loud enough to wake the cat in the next room.
Blondie doesn’t like Tiger but her level of “don’t like” stops well short of “really doesn’t like”. She prefers to pull for “nice looking young men who might want to meet Kid”. El Tigre might be many things but he comes up well short of that category. Webb Simpson is ineligible too for “he’s taken” reasons. She (Blondie) still hopes Cardinal hero – David Freese – will come in to Kid’s toy store to escape rain one day.
OK, our reason for being Big Time Webb Simpson fans = Webb graduated two years ahead of Kid at Raleigh’s Needham Broughton High School. He was Class of ’04 to Kid’s ’06. She thinks she recalls him from some FCA meetings she attended but she’s not sure. Two years is a wide chasm in high school.
I first encountered Webb several years ago when he was a PGA Tour rookie. He spoke at an FCA Mens Breakfast I attend. He was impressive then. He spoke at that same function last month except it was a luncheon and he was by then, and REALLY is now, a bonafide PGA Tour Superstar.
I’ve heard a number of Christian athletes give their testimonies. When one does so at an assemblage of any size, he (or she) has been thoroughly vetted. He is not simply putting on the goody-two-shoes “God-squader” act to pick-up holy honeys. One has to know a LOT more of King Jimmy’s verses than John 3:16 or “Jesus wept”.
Webb Simpson KNOWS more relevant scripture than 90% of 3rd-year seminary students. Knows it….. and Lives It! If The Rapture comes at the top of Webb’s backswing, he’ll be in Heaven before the club hits the ground.
An Aside: when I hear a lay person quoting multiple scripture without notes, I often wonder if its like a baseball play-by-play guy telling you that that last 90mph pitch was a “two-seamer”. Say it with conviction and no one will question you. …… Johnny Miller is that way in immediately diagnosing why a 315-yard drive ended up in the primary rough (the po-anna?) rather than three feet to the right in the fairway. It has something to do with “the heel being ahead of the toe after impact”.
Anyhow….. Webb Simpson is one incredibly impressive young man regardless of his ability to hit a golf ball 240 yards into a 5’ circle 7 out of 8 times…… with millions of people watching. Webb is every bit “Archie Manning son” impressive. It doesn’t get any more impressive than that in sports. Too bad Archie didn’t have any sons go into politics. We could certainly use Peyton, Eli or Webb-types in politics for sure.
How impressive is Webb Simpson? Webb is soooo impressive that The Dos Equis Man screamed “Yessss!” when Webb finessed that chip on 18.
My pal Joe Giglio at The N&O tweeted last night – Is Webb Simpson the one sports figure in North Carolina that no one “hates because _____”? He’s from Raleigh, went to Wake Forest and now lives in Charlotte. I think Joe is right. I hope so.
Webb is the 3rd Deacon to win a US Open…. BUT it is the 4th US Open won BY a Deacon….. Curtis Strange won Two! Surely you know the 3rd Deacon to win one ??
I noted a few weeks ago that our SMSA metro area is abundant in “impressive young men who have ascended the national stage”. I would put Webb Simpson, Josh Hamilton and Scotty McCreery up against any other metro-area trio in America right now in a Local Good Boys Make Good contest. Webb mighta been off some radars until last night. He is now THE most famous young man named Webb on the planet….. who has “won a major”.
There will be a lot written about Webb Simpson now. Not as much as will be written about “Tiger’s collapse” but such is the nature of “news” reporting in 2012. He will be on the cover of all the golf magazines et al. His Wake Forest connection to Arnie will be explored and maybe even his unabashed love for the Baby Jesus although that stuff tends to make most reporters kinda queasy. Why is that?
Webb is not the only PGA Tour Christian by any means. In fact, the “other major” winner, this year – Bubba Watson – loves The Baby Jesus too. But Webb Simpson is THE ONLY PGA Tour guy with one unique credit.
Webb’s home course is Raleigh’s Carolina Country Club. At the far end of CCC’s driving range is a gianormous mansion. If Webb hits a driver on the “driving range” he routinely puts balls into the backyard of said gianormous mansion. Said mansion is owned by…… drumroll please …… none other than BOTBob Winston. Yes, THAT BOTBob. CCC’s driving range was there long before BOTBob built his gianormous mansion but BOTBob threatened to sue CCC unless they stopped members (aka Webb) from bombing his backyard. That litigation created some bad blood in the ‘hood as you might imagine.
So boys and girls, we prove once again that ANYYTHING that happens anywhere is some how related to – “The Great Unpleasantness”. But you probably already knew that.
Another Aside: On the subject of BOTs and BOG….. BOTBob’s co-conspirator and fellow ButcherBuddy – BOGPaul (Fulton) FAILED in his attempt to become Chairman of the UNC BOG. Peter Hans whupped Paul 21-10 in last Tuesday’s election. Yet another Win for The Good Guys!
As noted above – we will provide a full “alls-you-ever-thought-you-knew-but-were-mistaken” re: The UNC BOG on Thursday. Unless Webb Simpson or another “good guy” does something especially good that we must talk about.
