Are You Kidding Me?: The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle With Tiger Woods at the US Open (38 page)

As the week went on, the ovations grew louder with each made putt.
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So near yet so far… Rocco understood how much every miss meant in the playoff.
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“We were two friends playing golf—and trying to kill each other.”
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Rocco sits down by number 18 to sign his card while Tiger checks his. They were still tied after 90 holes of golf.
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Rocco: “This calls for a hug.” Tiger: “Great fight.”
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Tiger with the trophy, Rocco with the medal (in his pocket). “I didn’t even want to look at the trophy. It wasn’t mine.”
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W
HEN
R
OCCO
M
EDIATE AND I
agreed to do this book together, the last thing he said to me after all the details were worked out was, “Hey, we’re going
to have a blast.”

I would like to think, in spite of the emotional roller coaster he was on during the second half of 2008, that Rocco had a
blast doing the book. I know I did.

The people close to Rocco all went out of their way to make me comfortable and to help me understand what makes him tick —
a special challenge, since I think he would admit there are times when he isn’t exactly sure what makes him tick.

That list includes Cindi Hilfman, Tony and Donna Mediate, and Linda Mediate, who could not have been more gracious under very
trying circumstances. Many others were extremely helpful, including Dave Lucas, Arnie Cutrell, Jim Ferree, Rick Smith, Jimmy
Ballard, Charlie Matlock, Jim Carter, Curtis Strange, Raymond Floyd, Davis Love III, Paul Azinger, Lee and Bev Janzen, Tom
Watson, Arnold Palmer, Doc Giffin, and Matt Achatz. Thanks also to the folks at the USGA: David Fay, Mike Davis, and the ever-patient
Dave Fanucchi, and to Tim Finchem, Marty Caffey, Dave Lancer, Guy Shiepers, and Denise Taylor — the MVP — at the PGA Tour.

The real star of this book — other than Rocco — was Frank Zoracki, who did everything but write it and no doubt would have
given it a shot if asked. Getting to know Frank was for me one of the joys of the project.

Special thanks this time around go to Michael Pietsch, my publisher at Little, Brown, and Esther Newberg, my agent, for being
willing to jump into a project that came up quite suddenly and caught them both by surprise. Thanks also to their staffs:
Vanessa Kehren, Eve Rabinovits, Heather Fain, Heather Rizzo, Marlena Bittner, Katherine Molina, and Holly Wilkinson (emeritus)
at Little, Brown, and Kari Stuart and Liz Farrell at ICM.

Then there are the usual suspects: Keith and Barbie Drum, Jackson Diehl and Jean Halperin, Ed and Lois Brennan, David and
Linda Maraniss, Lexie Verdon and Steve Barr, Jill and Holland Mickle, Shelley Crist, Bill and Jane Brill, Terry and Patti
Hanson, Bob and Anne DeStefano, Mary Carillo, Bud Collins and Anita Klaussen, Doug and Beth Doughty, David Teel, Beth (Shumway)
Brown, Beth Sherry-Downes, Erine Laissen, Bob Socci, Pete Van Poppel, Omar Nelson, Frank DaVinney, Chet Gladchuk, Eric Ruden,
Scott Strasemeier, Billy Stone, Mike Werteen, Chris Day, Chris Knocke, Andrew Thompson, Phil Hoffmann, Joe Speed, Jack Hecker,
Dick Hall, Steve (Moose) Stirling, Jim and Tiffany Cantelupe, Derek and Christina Klein, Anthony and Kristen Noto, Pete Teeley,
Bob Zurfluh, Vivian Thompson, Phil Hocberg, Al Hunt, Bob Novak, Wayne Zell, Mike and David Sanders, Bob Whitmore, Tony Kornheiser,
Mike Wilbon, Mark Maske, Ken Denlinger, Matt Rennie, Jon DeNunzio, Kathy Orton, Camille Powell, Dan Steinberg ( cheap-shot
artist that he is), Chris Ryan, Harry Kanterian, Jim Brady, Jim Rome, Travis Rodgers, Jason Stewart, Mike Purkey, Bob Edwards,
Tom and Jane Goldman, Bruce Auster, Jim Wildman, Mike Gastineau, Mary Bromley, Kenny and Christina Lewis, Dick (Hoops) and
Joanie (Mrs. Hoops) Weiss, Jim O’Connell, Bob Ryan, Frank Hannigan, Mary Lopuszynski, Jerry Tarde, Mike O’Malley, Larry Dorman,
Jeff D’Alessio, Marsha Edwards, Jay and Natalie Edwards, Len and Gwyn Edwards-Dieterle, Chris Edwards and John Cutcher, Aunt
Joan, Andy North, Neil Oxman, Bill Leahey, Dennis Satyshur, Steve Bisciotti, Kevin Byrne, Dick Cass, Mike Muehr, Bob Low,
Joe Durant, John Cook, Brian Henninger, and Paul Goydos, who provided the second-best golf story of 2008.

Thanks as always to Mark Russell, Laura Russell, and Alex Russell (my favorite Republican family); Steve Rintoul, Jon Brendle,
and the immortal Slugger White.

Basketball people: Gary Williams, Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Barnes, Mike Brey, Jeff Jones, Billy Lange, Karl Hobbs,
Phil Martelli, Fran Dunphy, Jim Calhoun — whose appearance at the 2008 Bruce Edwards golf outing was nothing short of heroic
— Jim Boeheim, Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, Thad Matta, Tom Brennan, Tommy Amaker, Dave Odom, Jim Larranaga, Mack McCarthy,
Jim Crews, Pat Flannery, Emmette Davis, Ralph Willard, David Stern, and Tim Frank. Frank Sullivan should still be coaching.
Thanks one more time to the ortho-pods who keep me running, Eddie McDevitt, Bob Arciero, Gus Mazzocca, and Dean Taylor, and
to my personal trainer (he’d deny it vehemently), Tim Kelly.

Not to mention, except I always like to mention them, Howard Garfinkel and Tom Konchalski — the Damon Runyon and Abe Lincoln
of hoops.

Swimmers, as I attempt yet another comeback: Jeff Roddin, Jason Crist, Clay F. Britt, Wally Dicks, Mike Fell, Mark Pugliese,
Erik (Dr. Post) Osborne, John Craig, Doug Chestnut, Peter Ward, Penny Bates, Carole Kammel, Magot Pettijohn, Tom Denes, A.
J. Block, Danny Pick, Paul Doremus, Bob Hansen, and Mary Dowling.

The China Doll–Shanghai Village Gang: Aubre Jones, Rob Ades, Jack Kvancz, Joe McKeown (in absentia), Stanley Copeland, Reid
Collins, Arnie Heft, Bob Campbell, Pete Dowling, Chris (the last Republican) Wallace, Herman (duck for everyone!) Greenberg,
Joe Greenberg, Harry Huang, George Solomon, Ric McPherson, Geoff Kaplan, and Murray Lieberman. Red, Zang, and Hymie are always
there.

The Rio Gang: Tate Armstrong, Mark Alarie, Clay (LB) Buckley, and Terri Chili.

The Feinstein Advisory Board: Drummer, Frank Mastrandrea, Wes Seeley, Dave Kindred, and Bill Brill, who thinks that Duke football
revival is going to happen any minute now.

Last — not even close to least: Danny, Brigid, Bobby, and Jennifer, Margaret and David, Marcia, Ethan and Ben, Matthew and
Brian, and the world’s most patient human, Chris.

It can’t possibly take this many people to get a book written and to keep me up and running. Except it does, and I continue
to understand how fortunate I am.

JOHN FEINSTEIN is the bestselling author of
Living on the Black,
Tales from Q School, Last Dance, Next Man Up, Let Me Tell You a Story
(with Red Auerbach),
Caddy for Life, Open, The Punch, The Last Amateurs, The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled, A Civil War, A Season on the Brink, Play
Ball, Hard Courts,
and three sports mystery novels for young readers. He writes for the
Washington Post,
Washingtonpost.com
, and
Golf Digest,
and is a regular commentator on National Public Radio’s
Morning Edition.