That was the actual headline in the Star Tribune’s sports section, though it wasn’t used in the online version.
“I knew I was on the bubble, but I pulled out of the B.C. Open the week before my son was born and the John Deere Classic the day after he was born. I thought I was giving up my shot at playing at Hazeltine [PGA Championship]. But I didn’t care. I wanted to be with my son and my wife [Ann].” – professional golfer Tim Herron
It’s cool that the paper and the sportswriter, Mark Craig, made a big deal out of this. Fatherhood is definitely in these days.
Twenty-six years ago today, my first son was born. Yeah, I was there for the event. I was up for it, though I really didn’t have a choice, as my wife more than once let her expectations be known. “You were in the room when we placed the order. You can be there for the delivery.”
I drove our old ’67 Chevy van up to the hospital entrance on the day of discharge. A nurse rolled my wife and newborn son out the door in a wheelchair, right up to the sidedoor of the van. A hospital orderly trailed them, lugging suitcases, flowers, gifts, and a shitload of freebie promo stuff. They opened the door of the van and ta-da! There was my baby, taking up all the space: a used, 1965 Honda CB450 motorcycle. My wife was, uh, a little surprised.
We ended up in therapy within a couple months but it took a return trip 15 years later before I really figured out what was going on in my dumbfuck brain about motorcycles and my marriage.