Only in Boston

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

I had the privilege of playing three days of tournament golf at The Country Club in Brookline, site of the 1999 Ryder Cup and the 1988 U.S. Open. The course was in rough shape -- the April aeration of the greens had still not healed -- but the physical beauty of the layout and the landscaping was magnificent. Saturday afternoon, well into the grim grind of our afternoon match (we were two back after 11 holes), I hit a solid six-iron approach to the 3rd green and walked around the mound to see the result. I saw the ball front right, but what really caught my eye were the azealas to the left, the pond in back and the late afternoon sun through the trees. If you ever get the chance, play the course. It is a truly special place.

One of the treats of going up to Boston is visiting with my brother-in-law, who was in fine form. He always has the perfect Boston story and here is this spring's edition:

In the town where he lives, which is a suburb south of The Hub, they have a Little League parade every year. All the kids get dressed up in their uniforms and walk down the Main Street. Everyone goes. It's a town event. This year, one of the Little League teams is called the Yankees.

So the parade comes through town and after a while, the Yankees come marching along. These kids are 8 and 9 years old, mind you. And from the sidewalks comes the chant "Yankees Suck," led by a coach of one of the other Little League teams. And soon enough, a number of these people and their children are chanting "Yankees Suck" as 8 and 9 nine year old Little League kids with Yankee jerseys pass by.

There were letters to the editor of the local paper afterward, decrying this behavior. That it could happen at all is astonishing.