Key West Lou / RYDER CUP

This past weekend was some of the finest golf ever. The Ryder Cup.

The U.S. won big time 19-9. The most wins ever by either side.

The U.S. team an unusual composition. Young. Many in their twenties. Six “rookies.”

The win represents the beginning of a new era. One where the U.S. will dominate.

Today’s players are exceptional. Even on the European team. Much better skills than the likes of earlier greats such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

Several reasons why.

The clubs are better. Toned. All kind of advantages built into them. Makes it easier for today’s players to hit the ball farther and straighter.

Even the balls have been perfected. They fly easier and longer distances. Built to lessen hooks and slices.

The players true athletes. Most work out every day. Few have the physique of Jack Nicklaus for example. They have psychiatrists and psychologists to keep their heads on straight.

Next Ryder Cup Rome in 2 years. If I am in good health, I may go. It has been 35 years since I last visited Rome.

My recollection is I have attended two Ryder Cups. On was in Rochester, N.Y. I cannot recall where the other.

Exciting!

I was doing some legal work for NBC at the time. NBC was covering the event. They took care of all the arrangements for my son and I. Provided bus transportation from the hotel to the course. Free admission to the course. Access all day every day at the corporate tent. Nothing like having access to a corporate tent. Huge. Carpets covering the lawn floor. Living room easy chairs to sit on. Huge TV sets.

Food! Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The best! All kinds of alcohol available.

The corporate tents were free to all corporate guests.

Four days later came time to check out. No hotel bill. NBC had put us on their “guest list.”

What a way to go!

New York’s new governor Kathy Hochul tough!

New York employees who get fired for failing to obtain a “vaccine passport” will not be able to receive unemployment benefits. Her tune simple. Get vaccinated or end up on a bread line. Nothing wrong with her approach. The COVID pandemic must be gotten under control!

Hotel/motel businesses have various occupancies during the year. The business are very competitive. Not as competitive however as it was back in 1955.

On September 27, 1955, Key West motel prices reached a “new high.” Eight motels posted signs offering free rooms to tourists.

Trump never gives up. He turns lemons into lemonade, or at least tries to. He will go to his grave insisting he won Arizona.

The Maricopa audit results were announced last week. No cheating. Audit even revealing Biden won by an additional 300 plus votes.

Trump spoke at a rally in Georgia saturday. He discussed the Arizona audit result. He claimed the result did not embarrass him. In fact, he claimed it showed he won Arizona.

His people cheered him!

Trump went on to claim 57,000 ballots were at issue. Also an additional 17,000 ballots were duplicates.

No truth in his representations. No reference by him to specifics in the audit report to support his statements.

Referring to the audit and Biden, Trump stated, “No way this putz won the election.”

The first time a train carried passengers. An historical event. Referred to at the time as a “train ride on a public highway.”

The event occurred on September 27, 1825 in the northeast part of England. The engine was called “Locomotion Number 1.”

The man who designed the train was George Stephenson. He was in total control. He also was an engineer and acted as a railroad engineer/operator on that day.

The railroad was the Stockton and and Darlington Railway.

The first passenger train ever. All England excited.

The train carried its usual cargo, plus the passengers. Coal and flour the products usually carried. Generally in sacks. Railroad cars were called “wagons” in those days. Thirty six wagons carrying sacks of coal and flour made up a part of the train.

A special passenger coach was constructed for the planned trip. It resembled a “shed” on wheels and was occupied by various dignitaries.

There were additional passengers. Some stood in open coal wagons. Some in the coal wagons enjoyed the “luxury” of temporary wooden benches. Other passengers traveled sitting on top of wagons full of coal.

The trip plan limited its human load to 300 passengers. The train ended up carrying 450-600.

Note again the first time a train was considered a passenger one also.

The train traveled at 8 mph. Stephenson was the engineer driving the train. The train was proceeding down a slope. Stephenson opened the throttle. The speed increased to 15 mph.

The “speed” unnerved one passenger. He fell and his foot was crushed by the following wagon.

So it was.

Enjoy your day!

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