Sunday, May 24, 2009 | Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"
SP Those who served

 

Matt Campbell/AFP/Getty Images
Baseball great Ted Williams

It was unequivocally San Diego-like weather last week as I stared down another flop shot, one that would require a Mickelson-esque touch to avoid plopping like a fried egg in the deep, soft sand of the front bunker, or bouncing severely on the concrete-like greens or possibly into the backside rough. Now, I'm not a duffer, but neither do I have the time or the funds (or the talent) required to properly improve my golf game to the point that such a shot wouldn’t be daunting. And yet, even as my East Lake Golf Club scorecard reflected one above-par score after another, it was hard not to think of how easy I've got it.

In this world of 6 billion-plus, with so much pain and suffering and disease and death, how lucky do we have it here in Atlanta, in the United States of America? But we’re guilty, too, guilty of taking it all for granted, most importantly our freedom. You think Michael Vick's outlook on freedom has changed in the last two years? Have you seen the new Tyson documentary and heard his thoughts on the subject?

I don't ever want to take freedom for granted, or forget what Memorial Day stands for. And not just on Memorial Day, but every day. As I write this, it’s the 40th day of the soon-to-be-completed Easter Season. To Christians, it’s Ascension Day, when Jesus appeared before his disciples, instructed them to go make disciples of all the nations, and then was taken up before their eyes into heaven. Pretty important stuff if you're a believer, but maybe because it doesn't fall on a Sunday, and maybe because there's no presents or candy involved, Ascension Day doesn't get much due.

Some veterans feel Memorial Day doesn't get its due, either. What it is, is a time to recognize the sacrifices of America's fallen, from the Revolutionary War to the present, with a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. EST. What it's becoming is merely a three-day party weekend at the lake or the beach.

So many have fought for our freedom, and so many have given their lives for it. The list of athletes who served in World War I and II is vast. Baseball greats Ty Cobb, Christy Matthewson and Grover Cleveland Alexander all served in WWI. Boxing heavyweight champ Gene Tunney served in the Marines in WWI and the Navy during WWII.

The greatest lefty ever, Warren Spahn, was at the Battle of the Bulge, and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra was part of the invasion at Omaha Beach. One year after Bob Feller, one of the game’s most dominant pitchers, threw a no-hitter, he became the first major leaguer to volunteer for combat duty after Pearl Harbor. Ted Williams, whom many consider the greatest hitter to ever swing a bat, gave five of his prime years to military service. He served as a flight instructor for the Marines in WWII; then, at age 33, married and with child, he was called out of inactive reserve to fight in Korea, where he flew 37 active missions, taking hits on more than one occasion.

Rocky Bleier was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968; later, while serving his country in Vietnam, he was hit with grenade shrapnel and rifle fire in his right leg. He went on to become a standout fullback on the Steelers' world championship teams in the ’70s. Chad Hennings, who won an Outland Trophy and three Super Bowls rings, flew 45 missions over Iraq.

And then of course there’s Pat Tillman, only one of so, so many who tragically never made it back home. And the numbers grow. When this month began, more than 4,200 Americans had lost their lives in Iraq. And there will be more before the U.S. completely withdraws all combat troops from the country next year, and more in Afghanistan, as well.

And so, on a magnificent spring afternoon, in a splendid American city on a national treasure of a golf course, I can stand over a most difficult shot and genuinely count my boundless blessings, beginning first by saying thanks to all the men and women who have served so bravely. Words can never express my sincere gratitude.

Happy times ... and I chilly-dipped it into the beach. SP

 

Sportopia “Oh No You Didn't!” of the Week: Mark Sanchez posing for GQ

But of course he did. The New York Jets' first-round pick and supposed savior’s pictorial in the June issue features him prancing around shirtless with a beautiful model (Hilary Rhoda), who after the photo shoot became the quarterback's girlfriend. Sure, Tom Brady has a supermodel wife (Gisele Bundchen) and has posed for some racy magazine photos recently, but, um, he's won three Super Bowls! Give the publicity-hungry/savvy Sanchez credit for getting all he can, while he can, because for every Peyton Manning in the NFL, there are many more Ryan Leafs. If he doesn't prove himself early, New York has more than enough material to make Sanchez’s life less than a day at the beach. Meanwhile, somewhere, Matthew Stafford is watching film, studying the playbook and getting in shape.