Bumming around town with Bill Bumerton
Bumerton is a retired Navy fighter pilot who had been missing in action for several years while he traversed the globe looking for greener grass. He discovered the grass is only greener here (it’s blue in Kentucky), so he returned to again take charge of his 1954 green Hudson Hornet that had been in storage, refilled his pipe, and is continuing his smokin’ ways. Here is what he recently told us at the Sports Paper.
Holy cow, what is going on? Just found out Bill Geyer, the baseball coach at North Mason has stomach cancer. That was confirmed by NM athletic director Mark Swofford, who is hoping, along with the rest of us Big Dawg that he will conquer this and be ready for baseball season next spring. Prayers might help, don’t you think Big Dawg? … Then I also saw that Curt Fazio, the former catcher for South Kitsap, died of cancer on Sept. 7. Fazio graduated in 1978 and had designs of playing college ball at Linfield or walking on at Oregon State, but a collision at home plate while playing summer ball ended that. Fazio wound up having reconstruction surgery on the left side of his face and was out of action for a year. Last I heard he was playing baseball again in the Westsound National Adult Baseball League, but that was seven years ago. And now he’s gone, and he was just 55. Sad and very tragic. … Which reminds me, how you doing Big Dawg? You have had some physical setbacks while I’ve been away. Can’t you do anything right when I’m not around to keep things on track? You got to get off your butt and keep on moving…. Geez, even those Seachickens can’t do things right when I’m gone. And those Marinaros of yours sure went belly up, didn’t they? You all picked them to get to the World Series this year and now the only way they will get there is if they purchase tickets…. Boy, the world goes to hell when I’m not around. I see even your friend – The Donald – is making news with his bombastic golden throat. … What is going on with the local high school football teams? Can’t anybody here play this game? Just from a quick glance once I got back in town I’m guessing that Olympic is the king of what hill we have for high school football around here. The Trojans seem to be playing well. Then it’s who knows? Sequim and Port Townsend seem to be okay. Maybe after this week you Big Dawg might have a better idea of who is who, although based on past results I would doubt you would. … One more thing before you fork over some gas money for the Hornet, how do you explain a football player who is making over a quarter-million dollars a game refusing to play? What is wrong with Kam Chancellor? I know if somebody pulled that trick on me and refused to work after signing a contract, I’d tell him to take a hike. Go to work for the city of Bremerton shoveling snow or filling potholes, which are plentiful around town. Man, it’s a strange world. Just give me your money to fill up the Hornet so I can get outta here. And give me enough money for a tall latte.
