Meeting Sandy Koufax
Posted on March 21, 2008 - Filed Under Baseball, Events, Life, Sports, Tacoma
I played both baseball and soccer as a kid and loved them both. I was probably a better soccer player than baseball player.
I was the starting pitcher for most of the baseball teams I played with. I lived and died on three pitches, a good sinking fastball, change up and a funny slow curve that people had a tough time hitting. Pitching was awesome because you were in control of your teams destiny that day. Have a bad day on the mound? Your team was sure to follow. Being a natural control freak this was the perfect position for me.
I stopped playing baseball in my teens because I lost interest and had hurt my knees playing soccer. It was finally too painful to really play any sports. Maybe I used the injury as an excuse to stop.
My late teens found me in an interesting situation when Sandy Koufax came to Tacoma for a wedding in 1987.
My mother had a friend named Linda who was dating a professional golfer named Ken Still. Ken was a local guy who made good, and played on the seniors tour. Ken was well connected and a great guy to be around. He was funny, had an incredible memory and lots of energy. Really a decent man and I enjoyed being around him.
When the seniors tour was in town it was always a blast because Ken would let us come up to the course and hang out with him while he golfed. I got to meet guys like Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Peter Thompson.
Ken and Linda decided to marry in the early 90’s, I don’t remember the specific year but momma Lepore would know. Momma Lepore was Linda’s maid of honor, and Sandy Koufax was Ken’s best man. Seriously amazing.
The wedding was in Tacoma and the reception at the Lakewood Country Club. I was pretty much in awe that Sandy Koufax was in town, let alone a few feet away from my mother during the ceremony. During the reception I finally got my chance to meet him.
I was standing around off to the side most of the time just taking it all in and honestly feeling like I didn’t belong. Knowing that I was Momma Lepore’s son, Sandy came up to me to say hello. I damn near wet my pants. He asked about me, what I liked and general polite small talk.
Sandy was very cool. Laid back, very kind and not “up in the air” like I would have expected. I watched as people came up to meet him, asking to shake his left hand (he was a lefty) and acting kind of lame around him. He handled it all like a pro. The guy was just plain cool and unassuming. I deeply wanted to ask him for an autograph but knew that would be a lame thing to do in that situation, plus I should be thankful that I had just met the guy and he was kind enough to spend some time getting to know me.
What happened later is a matter that I’ll ave to leave for Momma Lepore to explain. It is my understanding that Mr. Koufax was somewhat interested in continuing communication with Momma Lepore after he left town. My mother… wasn’t interested. I’ll let her explain that part in the comments if she is brave enough.
The basic story is that he was interested, she was not, and I just missed out on having Koufax date my mother with me dreaming that he could have eventually been my step-dad if my mother had cooperated. :)
I’ll post some funny stories about Ken and the professional golfers later, they include trips to Vegas and a drunk Peter Thompson telling me I should come to Australia and could hang out at his house on the coast.
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Regarding Sandy - he was way cool and I don’t think he was interested in me but we did exchange a couple of pieces of mail and I still have those notes so you actually do have his autograph - just in personal mail. Sandy is the consumate gentleman and your description of the scene at the wedding reception was correct. Men flocked to him to shake his left hand. When I drove him back to his hotel after the wedding reception I asked him if it bothered him that people did that and he said, “No.” He explained that it comes with being a public figure and it is part of your job to respond graciously - after all it is those people who made you famous in the first place and it is the least you can do to accommodate them in return. And you are right about Ken - he was hilarious, he has a photographic memory and no one can best him when it comes to sports statistics. He is also one of the best golf instructors out there and I believe he is still associated with the Fircrest Golf Club.