Mark Parent arrived in Beaumont, Texas, as a minor leaguer who knew a little bit of Spanish. So, in addition to his catching duties with the Class AA minor-league team, he was given a second, more-difficult task — keep track of Ozzie Guillen.
Then a prized prospect in the San Diego Padres system, Guillen would go on to become an accomplished player and then a manager known just as much for his loose lips as his accomplishments that included his leading the Chicago White Sox to the 2005 World Series title.
In 1983, Parent was put in an apartment right next door to Guillen and helped him with whatever he needed. As Parent, now the Arkansas Travelers manager, recalled before Saturday’s doubleheader with the Tulsa Drillers, the task became most difficult in August of 1983.
That’s when Hurricane Alicia barrelled into southeast Texas from the Gulf of Mexico. It canceled a handful of games in a row for the Golden Gators. At one point, Parent said, the team lost track of Guillen. Nobody knew where he was. So Parent went to the apartment and walked through the front door.
He eventually found Guillen and his wife — in the bathtub, where they had been for much of the three days as the storm passed.
“Somebody told them that was the safest place to be,” Parent said with a laugh. “I was asked to keep an eye on him, but he’s a hard one to keep an eye on.”
Temper, temper
Professional athletes do their best to stay composed, but sometimes they need to let their frustrations out.
Thomas Pieters reached that tipping point Sunday. Rory McIlroy did so Saturday.
During the final round of the British Open, Pieters, 24, struggled mightily on the par-4 11th hole. It took him seven shots to reach the green, and when he finally did, he vented by snapping his club and throwing it into some nearby bushes.
Or as Happy Gilmore would say, he was just testing its durability and then placed it in the woods so it could be with its family.
Pieters wound up posting a 9 on the hole, finishing with a 1-over 72 Sunday that put him 2 over for the tournament and in a tie for 30th.
McIlroy hit a wayward shot on the par-5 16th Saturday then threw his 3-wood from over his head using a tomahawk motion onto the ground, causing the head to snap off the shaft.
“The club head came loose on it earlier on the week,” McIlroy said. “I had to get the head re-glued. So it was probably partly to do with that and partly the throw as well. I’ll get it reshafted tonight. The truck’s here, so I’ll have it reshafted, and all will be well in the morning.”
McIlroy went on to par the hole and finished the tournament tied for fifth after a 4-under 67 in the final round.
Who’s counting?
From Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times:
“Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is about to become a father for the eighth time — at age 72.
“Jagger attributes his virility to clean living and his lucky Antonio Cromartie jersey.”
Ring the bell
Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, after World Wrestling Entertainment suspended wrestler Roman Reigns for 30 days: “Considering you can win a WWE title by hitting a guy from behind with a folding chair, what do you have to do to get suspended?”
Quote of the day
“A 65 in the final round of a major is usually good enough to win.”
American golfer Phil Mickelson, who finished second in the British Open to Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who shot a final-round 63 and set a record for the lowest 72-hole score in a major
tournament.