"Now is the time for all good men to come to." - Walt Kelly

In honor of the Tour de France which starts two weeks from today.

I didn't go visit Ilsa today. The arrangement is that I call Pat before heading out there and today I got his voice mail. When I called a week ago he said they were installing new AC units but I should definitely call this week. Neither of us remembered at the time that today was Father's Day, and he may have been out with is adult kids and grandkids. Which is why you get bike pictures instead of car pictures tonight.

I miss Payne Stewart. He was just turning into an extremely likable golfer when he was killed in that freak plan incident. And today, on Father's Day, I remember the best U.S. Open match ever. On the last hole, in the last pairing, Stewart beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke to win the Open, after Phil had led for most of the match. Payne, knickers, tam and all, was elated and Phil crushed, the more so because his game collapsed as that final round progressed. After sinking the winning putt Payne went over to a dejected Phil, took Phil's head in his hands and said to him, "It's OK, you're going to be a father!" See, Phil and his wife Amy were expecting their first child any day. 

 Four months later Payne Stewart, a father himself, was dead. He had a reputation for being something of a jerk and a partyer who didn't care about anyone but himself. So why the turnaround? Why, at the last tournament of that year in October did most of the field wear knickers in honor of Payne ? He had been asked what accounted for such a change in his personality and behavior. He told people that in what turned out to be the last year of his life he'd discovered a peace and meaning that only comes through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That's why you can see the WWJD bracelet he started wearing shortly before he held that U.S. Open trophy.

The 100+ PGA tour players who attended his memorial service heard his good friend and fellow believer Paul Azinger tell them about Payne's faith and their own need for something more than golf in life. So maybe Payne made a bigger impact in death than in life. But I miss his grin... and his knickers and tam.