Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2021 18:16:28 +0000 (UTC)
From: Mike Simmons <illuminati12353@yahoo.com>
Subject: It was always about the bets 213

I woke before the alarm to a great looking Wednesday morning and dressed
for the run. Downstairs Cole was ready and we went outside, met up with
Ray and then JJ and the run was on at a great pace. We finished earlier
than usual so I had an extra 5 minutes. I put coffee on and jumped into
the shower and was joined by Cole. I smiled and Cole said, don't get any
ideas, I have practice and besides that I wanted to ask you to be nice at
the USGA meeting today and please keep me out of things. Cole, no worries
as it is my first meeting and I'm not sure why I am there. I have no
reason to involve you and if it goes down that path, I will react. He
said, thanks and gave me a hug and I left him in the shower. I dressed in
the clothes I had selected last night, grabbed a travel mug of coffee and
left for the office.


At the office there was a quick stop at security to check on the
appointments for the day and they was indeed available. I chatted with
Ruth and was asked if I had a minute? Once inside my office Ruth sat down
and said she had two recommendations for a housekeeper and both were
older women from church. She handed me a brief outline of their
background. I thanked her saying, I'll discuss this with Megan and she
will schedule a meeting. Once Ruth was gone I called the flight school
and scheduled the flight check-ride for tomorrow afternoon. I was
reviewing notes when dad came in and sat down. I smiled and said what's
up? Mike, we need a trust meeting and looking at your online schedule I
scheduled it for Friday afternoon. I laughed and said I noticed it was a
light afternoon and it won't last long. I took care of inviting the
others. I said dad, thanks and that works, but the damn schedule is light
because of you and it will get lighter as after the Executive Directors
meeting there will be no need to meet with Jordan, well till Monday. I
looked at the time, grabbed some papers and said dad, let's get this
started.


In the conference room was Kyle (CEO), Dillon (COO), Jordan (CFO), Riley
(Executive Secretary), Major Jim Messer (PR), Major Jack McBane (Robotic
Director) and Carl McNiff (Security Chief). Dad and I sat down and Riley
started by saying we have an agenda so if you don't mind I'll start.
The first topic was the location of divisions in the new building. After
it was decided that the first floor would be the GE people and that the
NASA people would be on the second floor. That involved furniture
changes. They were the largest number of people. Smaller departments
would be on the third floor. All the Executive offices and the cafeteria
and the workout room would be on the 4th floor. Riley would work deal
with the furniture people and get the necessary permits Including the
occupancy permit.


The next topic was the video game division and it was determined that we
would keep it as is and review in 6 months. Then the budget came up and I
went into details as to where Jordan and I were in the process. Then I
said I wanted each department head to submit their own budget and include
expanded needs and ways to increase business. It was agreed that we would
review those numbers next Wednesday. Finally it was the discussion on new
uniforms for security. The recommendation of the Chief was Grey slacks,
various Navy shirts depending on the weather, was accepted. That
concluded the list and I was glad that there was nothing else as time was
getting tight. I thought it was a good "tight" meeting and that there
were very few issues and I simply let the team make recommendations and
agreed. I laughed when it crossed my mind I was getting like dad, doing
the big things and not even thinking about the details. I wasn't sure I
was happy about that but it would have to do, well for now.


The drive to the club for the meeting was easy as there wasn't much
midday traffic. I was surprised as there were no more cars in the lot
than usual. Inside I found that the meeting was in a private room off the
main dining room. I went in the room and was immediately met by Carol
Semple Thompson and was introduced to the USGA Executive director,
several Executive Committee members and I knew the people from Oakmont in
attendance. I was immediately wondering why I was included as everyone
here was older than my dad. I was asked what I was drinking and I replied
an Arnold Palmer. Just then I heard, DID SOMEONE MENTION MY NAME. I
laughed and got a big hug which seemed to shock a number of people. I was
under dressed as I was the only one present not wearing a USGA blue
blazer and tie. Lunch was a buffet and for me that was a salad and a
slice of ham. I was sitting with the Oakmont Pro, Carol and AP. I looked
at them and asked why am I here? Carol said Mike, you and I have talked
and all we ask is that you be your self, say what you think and don't
wait to be asked. I laughed and said what if these stuffed shirts don't
like it? AP laughed and said well that's the issue and they need a young
successful dude to point that out. Respect the tradition and move
forward. I laughed and said, so I have been set up? The Oakmont Club
President said we have your back and I'm sure you know the boundaries
and how we feel about the bridge and other shit. I finished the salad and
went out and got another Arnold Palmer.


As soon as I returned we were all seated in assigned seats, which I found
amusing. We were handed an agenda and a quick glance and I realized that
there was some concern about the attendance for next years Women's Open.
The meeting was dragging on about technical logistics and who was doing
what and when the topic switched to attendance I was immediately focused.
There were a few ideas thrown around and suddenly I was asked, how do we
attract people your age to attend these events? I took a deep breath and
said, I'm not sure that's possible. There is not a kid my age who could
afford the ticket structure. Besides it isn't that much fun, sure a lot
of us enjoy playing, even if we aren't very good. So basically you would
have to make available individual tickets and lower the cost. What do you
mean it isn't fun? Well the best example would be it's like looking
into an aquarium or a display at the zoo. You enjoy what goes on but
there is no interaction. You are quiet and respectful watch the amazing
talent. You might even wish you could do what they do but you really are
not involved. I was quiet for a second and then added, it isn't like any
other professional sport where you can yell and scream and talk with your
buds, three seats away without offending anyone. There was complete
silence and I said, well you asked.


Then I said since the meeting started I have been thinking about the
attendance problem for the Women's Open. You could offer anyone who
purchased tickets to the women's event the guaranteed opportunity to
purchase tickets to the Men's Open. All you have to do is maintain a
data base and send out offers to purchase, no discounts. This would
eliminate the hassle of a lottery for tickets and you haven't lost
anything. Hell, I know it's not complicated as I know something about
computers and data bases. Run it by legal issue a Press Release and sit
back and collect money. Talk about a quiet room, I just leaned back and
smiled. There was some discussion and Carol looked at me and smiled.


Then I was asked again about young people attending. I replied, let me
ask you something do you really want us? These tournaments are about
funding your organization. You don't really want more people here for
the same or less revenue. You have about 300 people working at the USGA,
you test and regulate equipment, run the handicapped system and countless
other things. People my age are not you customers, we need to grow and
mature to that, well most of us.


With that the topic moved to the Men's Tournament and the first question
was direct and to the point, can you build a bridge to the other side of
the course. I just sat there and the Club President said well that is an
expense we are not ready to accommodate at this time. The reply was
instant and blunt, we will not award another tournament to your Club
until the bridge is built. I politely asked if there was another way and
was told no, there isn't. Carol leans over and whispered, be polite and
let them have it, coming from a member is important. I took a big breath
and said, well as the youngest member here and with as many connections I
have in this community, I am respectfully suggesting that when you
awarded us another Open, we will sign a contract guaranteeing the bridge
will be in place for the event. There was a mini conference and I was
told, that doesn't work for us.


I said, if you don't mind please let me summarize; you don't care about
the long-standing relationship with my Club. The 4 USGA past Presidents,
means nothing. The fact that we have hosted more USGA events than anyone
else, all that means nothing. The fact that we could host any event you
have with a few days notice, means nothing. So you require advanced
control of the course, a bridge to be built, our greens to be slowed down
and trees to be cutdown to accommodate people and about 40,000 sq ft of
turf to build special accommodations and grandstands. All because you
want a bridge? Which we will guarantee to build in any event. Understand
something and I am speaking for my self, I could build the bridge, simply
write a check, but I will not be bullied into it and I don't think
others here will be either.


Then the Club President said we asked Mike to be here and be on our
committee because he is the future of this Region and has a way of
telling it like it is. I assure you that he speaks for the membership of
this Club and while we will work hard to make the two events we have
memorable and a testament to your organization, I wish you well going
forward. With that it was suggested that we take a 15 minute break. I
immediately got up and went onto the patio and was watching people putt.


Almost immediately Jim, the Executive Director came up to me and said
Mike, I guess we are painted in opposite corners? I laughed and said, I
actually offered to build a bridge and was told that was unacceptable.
Ok, so where does that leave us? I laughed and said opposite corners and
it will be what it becomes. I said Jim, I love this place, the traditions
and the course, it means a lot to me and Latrobe and South Hills think I
spend too much time golfing here. So Mike, what's your handicap? I said,
look I play and submit scores and don't pay attention. He laughed and
said, you are scratch golfer. So why did you ask? To see how honest you
are and that answer tells me you are honest and hold personal shit close.
I said Jim run your silly games as I am who you see in front of you.


Back inside the Club President asked, how did that go? I said well we are
locked in opposite corners. Look we can try to get the PGA or do a very
elite tournament or give in or wait it out. The reality is that they are
right about the trees, they should all go, He shook his head and sat
down. The meeting lasted another hour and then Carol, AP and I had a
light dinner. Once we were all seated I looked at the two of them and
asked, why did you put me on this committee? They looked at each other an
I was told they didn't, it was the club membership. We simply said that
you would be perfect. We had a nice relaxing dinner and I drove home and
was considering a workout and realized I needed to study for the
check-ride.


At home I grabbed an iced tea and went straight to my room and hit the
books. First I concentrated on the plane limitations and then engine
performance. I remembered much from a few days ago and as always was
thrilled that my memory was so fucking good. After about an hour and a
half, I went looking for Cole. I found him in his room and he was packing
for an Amateur Tournament in Ohio and he wanted a couple of practice
rounds in. He said that his practice session was only ok and his Pro said
that was because he stopped working. He felt that 2 practice rounds and a
bunch of work at the range would help. He asked about my meeting and I
gave him the Clifton Notes version. He smiled and said, well you know I
want to play in that event. I smiled and said, of course you do. Then he
said don't bother looking for the rents as they ate at the club.


I went downstairs and left a note asking when they were available to
interview a housekeeper and said that there were two candidates if they
were interested. Then I called South Hills CC and was going to leave a
message for Mike the manager. I was surprised when he got on and I told
him about the wine and asked if he could get a read for me on how good it
was? I added that the wine was no cost to the Club. He said sure and that
there was an event there tomorrow and if I dropped it off he would get it
distributed. I assured him I would drop it off first thing tomorrow but
that feedback was important and thanked him. I was surprised as he
didn't ask what this was all about.


It was back to the review of the airplane and it's limits and
capabilities. Quickly board with that and sure I was ready, I grabbed my
headphones and but on some soft classical music to relax. In thinking
about the day I realized that while I believed everything I said at the
meeting, I was set up. I guess there is a price to pay, I love that
course and the Club so fitting in, if I must, is a small price to pay.


I was about to jump into the shower when my phone rang. I laughed when I
saw it was Mary Ann calling me. I answered by saying good evening, this
is Mike, how can I help you? She laughed and said, damn you can be an
ass. Before I could say anything she asked if we could please quit with
the games, as neither of us will win and just hang out, say tomorrow
evening? I laughed and asked, are you asking me out on a date? She
replied, well I guess so and I really want to get to know you. I replied,
well that works for me, what do you have in mind? She laughed and said,
damn do I have to do all the work? I thought for a minute and asked,
should I just get a room and see what happens? Mike, that would be an
expensive way to watch TV as I assure you that's all that would happen.
I laughed and said, that's good to know. Then I said how about hoagies
at Danny's and walk in South Park. She laughed and said, that sounds
like an innocent enough first date. I laughed and said, so me buying
lunch wasn't a date? Then I said, I'll see you tomorrow, your place,
say 5:30? She said that was great and we hung up.


I immediately stripped and jumped into the shower. I just let the hot
water stream over me thinking that Mary Ann was indeed different. She is
chasing after me, I just need to figure out why and what she really knows
about me. I was determined to keep this on the down low, without actually
lying to her. The most extravagant thing I would do would be to take her
up in the single engine plane. This budding relationship is requiring
work. With all kind of shit running around in my head, I simply feel
asleep.


In the morning Cole was skipping the run and apparently so was Ray as he
wasn't around. I was glad to see JJ was running and we did our usual
route. This time however I stopped at his driveway and asked if he was
interested in leaving Saturday, after the team practice, and going to the
lake and returning Monday? JJ asked if I would have free time for him or
will it be all work? I said well we will have Saturday to ourselves. Then
business and lunch on Sunday and most likely Monday morning and fly home
Monday afternoon. Then he asked if he could fly part of the way? I smiled
and said ask your dad and I have a check ride for the twin engine thing
today. If your dad clears you to fly some, I'll bite the bullet and take
the Cessna. With that, I went inside and put some coffee on and took a
shower. Once that was done, I called the office and told Ruth that I was
working from home and would not be available from 10:00 till 1:00. Other
than that I would be available by phone. I changed into new jeans and a
non descriptive polo shirt and dockers. Next, I delivered the wine to the
club and went back home.


I spent the next couple of hours reviewing things for the check ride.  At
9:15 I collected my log book, made sure my license and medical
certificates were there and added my checkbook then drove to the airport.
Once there I checked the plane for the maintain records and other items
and went inside and met my instructor, Vincent. I was glad to see that he
was younger, well not my dad's age. We had a friendly chat and I was
asked to call him Vince. The he started to review my log book and the
medical form and the license. He smiled and said, well there are a number
of thing here that speak very highly of your qualifications and they are
from very impressive people, an astronaut and a more recent jet jock. He
asked a few questions about the plane and it limitations and I answered
them quickly, right out of the book. He laughed and said well I see you
have studied and have an excellent memory, I'll ask more questions
during the flight. He smiled and said, I'm thinking this will go quick
and smooth. I was wondering what was in the damn log book as I never read
it and never look when I enter shit into it.

At the airplane, I started with a very detailed pre-check and left the
fuel to the last item. I was asked, why I checked the fuel and I smiled
and said, not trusting that gage. Inside I was immediately asked, which
is the dominant engine in this aircraft? I replied left and that the
propellers spin in the same direction and that requires an adjustment to
stop a drift right. While I was answering the question I was conducting
the pre engine start. I did this from memory and when finished I grabbed
the written check list and made sure I didn't forget anything. Vince,
chuckled and I asked if we were ready? He said absolutely. I started
engine 2 and was asked why? I said because it is opposite the "air
bridge". Then I started engine 1 and checked the RPM's, oil pressure
and a few other things. I then checked ATIS and got the wind and weather
report and found a moderate crosswind. Vince asked, is that crosswind
within craft capabilities? I said yes. He immediately asked if they were
within my abilities? I said yes, well according to the simulator. Then
for the fun of it I reviewed the procedures. Vince, shook his head and
said let's get going, if you are as good in the air as you are on the
ground, I should just sign off now.


I chose the correct radio frequency for ground control and asked for
permission to taxi. I was immediately given the same runway as usual and
looked for the airport map, which Vince had in his hand. He smiled and
said according to the log you have done this like 40 time, why do you
need the map? Double checking everything isn't impressing me, just get
us there. Once we were in position, I contacted the tower, gave my
location and asked for permission to take off. We were immediately
cleared and I didn't waste any time and as soon as we were off the
ground, I adjusted the rudder for the cross wing and there were no
issues. Following ATC directions I made a left turn and started climbing
to 3,000 feet and retracted the landing gear. I asked where to and he
said, it doesn't matter and as soon as we got to altitude, Vince said
let's see how good you do with one engine and he turned off engine 2. I
immediately adjusted the engine and eliminated windmilling. I then
checked the altitude and was pleased to see that with an adjustment we
had only dropped about 50'. The heading was a totally different issue as
we were being pulled right. I adjusted that with the rudder. Then it was
left to reduce drag by establishing and maintaining a bank toward the
operating engine and proper inclinometer ball placement. With all that
done I grabbed the restart engine checklist. I looked at Vince and said,
this isn't redundant, no mistakes. He smiled and said, I know different
but go ahead. Once the engine was successfully restarted there were a
series of maneuvers. There were stalls, slow speed, sharp turns and bunch
of questions about emergency procedures. After about an hour he asked me
if I knew where we were and I said, well not exactly but we went past
Morgantown about 15 minutes ago and as after all those maneuvers we are
heading due west so I would say near Zainesville. He shook his head and
said, look out the window. When I did I just laughed and said, shit am I
good. As we were approaching Zainesville. With that he said get us back
and avoid Greater Pittsburgh. Unless you want to piss a lot of people
off. I turned around and was heading due East. Finding my way back was
easy enough and I contacted Allegheny Tower and gave distance and checked
ANTIS and discovered that the crosswinds were a little less and asked for
permission to land and entered the pattern as instructed. There was
indeed traffic and we were eventually cleared to land and with the
crosswind, I put it down about a foot from the center line. That totally
pissed me off. Vince's, laughed as he saw I was pissed. Look Mike, that
was most likely the best check ride I have conducted and 1' with that
wind is insignificant. You worry me though as you are too good and might
get careless. Just be aware of that and don't push the fucking limits,
unnecessarily. Let's get the paperwork done so we can both enjoy the
day.


While I was waiting on Vince, my mined turned to football and I was
wondering if I should take some teammates to the Cabin? I knew that JJ
had other ideas and quickly ruled that out. Before I could think that
thru, Vince appeared and sat down and set the papers and my log book on
the table. I asked about his fee and he said $275 so I took out my
checkbook and wrote a check for that amount. He looked and asked, you
have a checking account, I smiled and said yup. Then he asked when I
would be getting my instrument railing? I said well there is football so
before January, unless I get really busy. I said Jets by the spring.
Well, good luck with that and think about asking for me for future
checks, it's fun working with someone who knows what the fuck they are
doing. I laughed and said, absolutely. I looked at the materials briefly
and put everything in the log book, shook hands with Vince and decided to
drive to the office.


On the way I stopped at Wendy's and ordered a single with lettuce,
tomato and cheese, fries and an iced tea. While eating I started to make
a list of people I needed to call and that started with Coach B and Sean.
Then I remembered that I should call the Major. When he answered he said
yes, with limits. I laughed and said, well that wasn't the reason for
the call, I passed my multi engine check ride this morning. In typical
Major Jim fashion I heard, fuck it's about time. I said thanks and I'm
on my way in and I'll discuss the limits with JJ. I finished eating and
started the 20 minute drive to the office and was thinking about Mary Ann
and where that was heading and if I wanted to head anywhere. She was
unlike anyone I had been involved with before. Cute but not a knock out,
smart as a whip and street smart. She pushed me challenged me and kept me
on my toes. The question was could we mold that into a dynamic force? She
lived in an area of the district that was unfamiliar to me and I would
check that out.


At the office, I said hello to Ruth and went looking for dad. He was in
his office and I was immediately waved in. He laughed and asked, did you
move into your office, this isn't working from home, if you are here.
Dad, I haven't worked at all as I passed my multi engine rating test
this morning. I just stopped in to let you know and that I'm going to
workout and then have a date. So I won't be home for dinner. So Mike,
you are good with Megan and I hiring a household? I said sure and if she
enters my room I'm moving out. He said Mike, remember the Foundation
meeting tomorrow at 10:00. I said I got it and was told to get out of
here as he had work to do. at my office, I called Alex and asked him for
a meeting at 8:30 tomorrow to review the sales agreement and financial
needs. The I called Tim and asked for a meeting at 9:15 tomorrow to
discuss the legal ramifications of the Foundation financing the property
for dad's start up. With all that done o drove to school for a much
needed workout.



THANKS FOR READING THE STORY. FOR THE MANY WHO CONTACT ME, I ENJOY

HEARING FROM YOU.



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THANKS


MIKE