Friday, February 12, 2010

Breaking 80

Richard Nixon was possibly our least athletic president. About the only exercise he ever got was playing golf, which he took up during his stint as vice-president, reputedly as a way to spend more time with his boss, Dwight Eisenhower. Nixon's swing was awkward and his golf clothes never fit well. He never shot under 100 as vice-president, but was dogged in his efforts to improve. He played quite a bit during his first term as president, less in his second, and more after his forced retirement.

Nixon wasn't a particularly fastidious follower of the rules, but he worked hard and steadily improved. One day in 1978 he shot a 79, at a course in San Clemente he described as "relatively easy." He had always considered a score of 80 to be a sort of "personal Everest." Knowing that he could not hope to improve on that score, and probably never match it, he never picked up a golf club again.

Picture from here

I may have watched my last professional football game.

6 comments:

  1. I did not know that about Nixon. Don't think the Saints could do it again?

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  2. Interesting and kinda sad about Nixon...cool pic!

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  3. knowing when to walk away? a gift.

    and my respect for Mr. Nixon may have increased by an angstrom or two.

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  4. I suspect you're right if you stay in LA, which I hope you don't...you don't want to wait another 40 yrs to say WHO DAT now, do you?? Nixon should have done us all a favor and stuck to golf rather than politics. When are you posting about NASA experience?

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  5. You think it's all downhill from here? I'm going to believe the Saints are just getting started! Of course, I still believe in the Tooth Fairy.

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  6. Assuming that our owner does not sell off all of his good players next year, as he has done before, I think the Saints have a good chance to be back in the Super Bowl soon. But it will never be like this year. And I have a million things I want to do in my life. I could use the Sunday afternoons.

    Daisyfae, we will see if I make it. I have been watching football on Sunday literally as far back as I can remember. And it's hard to attend a Super Bowl party without watching the game.

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