"Pond Hockey at the Leonard Nimoy theater at Symphony Space in NYC next Friday, Nov 14. The film is a documentary examination of outdoor puck. You can check the trailer here:
Hello NY and everywhere else, I'm Bird and if you're in NY you might want to go and see this movie. I would love to go but it's a long drive from Florida. The outdoor game is where I first developed my love for this sport. I'd give anything to be able to play on a pond again....or anywhere for that matter. Check out the website, check out the movie. It's hockey the way it should be.
----}- Bird
Hello New York and everywhere else, I'm Bird and you're in the Birdcage at Hockeybird.com. You know from time to time I use this space to talk about things that have little to do with the New York Rangers. This will be one of those times.
About four months ago I took up the game of golf. I had resisted the temptation to play for years. My dad had played in his day and was pretty good. Based on my baseball swing and the hockey background I figured I'd be OK too. I also knew that my personality lent itself to the addiction that is the sport of golf. Many had told me this enough times to bolster my own thoughts on the topic. But it seemed inevitable. You see, when I moved to So. Florida I found a place that's located ON a golf course. It was really just a matter of time before I picked up a club......and four months ago, it happened.
I fell in love immediately. The challenge of the game is very different than the other sports I was used to. My physical limitations due to years of hockey are not such that I can't do this. It's true, I really have no chance of playing ice hockey again.......this golf thing is something I can do. Down here, all the courses provide carts so I'm not walking great distances on my broken down knees and ankles. Sure, I'm sore afterwords but it's not like the last two years of my playing days where I couldn't walk the day after a game.
I admit that I'm addicted. From the moment of my first tee off I knew it. Something felt right about it. Don't get me wrong, I was horrible the first few rounds as can be seen over at Leaderboard.com. The Hockeyrodent got me and my buddies an account there and every round is recorded for all to see. I managed to get in a ton of rounds when I was unemployed for a little bit. As I learned more I improved a bit. Again, Tiger Woods has no worries about me moving in on his turf....I still suck. But I have improved enough to pop two birdies and lower my scores to a less embarrassing handicap.
The first Bird was a par three. I had played that hole several times before and never really had a decent drive. This time I landed on the green within twelve feet of the flag. Unlike other attempts which either ended up way short or way long this one went where I was aiming. Imagine that. I had been working on my putting so while it was a long one for me....it was possible. You should have seen my face when the ball found the bottom of the cup. Damn that felt good.
This past Saturday I grabbed a buddy and off we went to hit balls. I hadn't played in three weeks due to the recent moving of my family and the start of my new job. Terry hadn't been out in a while either. But it was a beautiful morning and it was time. We were paired up with a deuce of older guys who had just finished the back nine and were playing the front to complete their round. Nice guys who had obviously been playing for years.
My tee shot for the first hole looked to indicate a really long day. It flat out sucked. But being out playing was better than staying home ('nuff said) and I was determined to enjoy myself. I hit a few decent shots before we came to the first par five. What I needed to do was to string together few few good shots. I hit the driver pretty well, a little to the right but it did line me up for a good look at a second shot. The second shot went where I wanted it to. Trust me, I was as surprised as anyone else. However, at sixty yards out and me not having any real command of a short game you can imagine my surprise when I landed three feet from the flag and it stayed.
I've missed my fair share of short puts in my short golf career......but I wasn't going to miss this one. I took my time and then dropped it. I'm still a bit giddy about it. My oldest is getting sick of my song (I made a birdie) that I seem to break out into at all hours of the day. It's true, my back nine was a horror show but I'm still so tickled about the bird.
The sports of hockey and golf have always been sort of connected in my mind. Whether it was the jokes about playoff losses or the fact that many NHLers have become scratch players.....there's a connection. I can't wait to play again. I know I'll never face another shot from an NHL player......but maybe, just maybe I'll get good enough at this wacky sport of golf and get to play a former NHLer. There are always a lot of retired NHLers down here playing the links. You never know.....
It's possible that I'll never get any better than I am now....which isn't very good. But I can't tell you how happy I am to have found something I can do that gives me some of the same feelings I got while being between the pipes. I even watch it on TV now, something I'd never done before. Oh....and did I mention?
I Made A Birdie!
----}- Bird
