The Old Coot would like to see old/new sports. A Tioga County Courier Article 10/06/21

 The Old Coot yearns for old sports.

By Merlin Lessler

 If you’ve watched a golf tournament on TV anytime in the last several years, you’ve probably noticed that the game they play is nothing like the one you or I play. I’m not sure what species these players belong to, but it’s definitely not the same one that I do. Not with them swatting a drive 300 yards and more, lofting an approach shot from 170 yards with a nine iron and almost always landing it on the green. Then, dropping in a five-foot put with nonchalance regularity, while many of the rest of us, tremble with fear if we need to hole out a putt of that length for a par, or even a bogie.

 OK, it’s a given, they are good! Both the men and the women. But, I’d like to see them play without a caddy and have to figure out on their own, which club to use, where to aim the shot and how to compensate for the wind. They huddle in consultation so often the game is, in reality, a team sport. I'd like to see them play with a set of clubs like those used in the days of some of golf's greatest: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Slammin Sammy Sneed. The same balls too. Now, that would be an exciting tournament to watch.

 Likewise, the Kentucky Derby would be considerably more interesting if the owners of the horses were in the saddle, not professional jockeys. Baseball could be more fun too, if they used equipment from the 1920’s. They took a shot at it in the “Field of dreams” game this year, but would have been so much better if they used those old mitten-like gloves without a web and balls that aren’t as lively as today’s, which garner a lot more home runs than the ones from the days of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. That just might get this old coot to cough up the “exorbitant” price of a ticket and a hot-dog at a major league game. 

 It wouldn’t hurt to have the NFL football players follow suit and put on gear from the 1940’s. It would be a very different game. A leather-padded helmet would no longer tempt a tackler to lead with his head and “target” a ball carrier. I bet there would be fewer injuries if today’s lethal weapons (Helmets) were removed from the field of play. Less head injuries too. None of these things will happen, but wouldn’t it be nice.