13th Annual Veggy Open, 2009

This year featured the fewest members, but maybe just the strongest on a per pound basis. 5 of the finest, Freck, Scooter, Gilly, Spider and T Wally all landed in Vegas on Wednesday night.

Gil and Wally hooked up for a2:00 pmhold-em tourney, but word must have got out thatWheeling’s finest were in town to dominate at hold-em. Only 4 showed, so we played limit hold-em with Al Reif and other players. We all held our own, T Wally scoring an extra hundo with the high hand winner. As soon as Scooter found out about the winnings, he wanted in for community, after the fact, to share in the winnings. The Veggy Open board rejected his request.

We left the Riveria, picked up some cold ones, and headed towards theRIO. We hooked up with Freck, Scooter and Spider around9:00 pm.It was already a long day for Gil and Wally. We played a lot of black jack & paigow and actually finished slightly ahead. It was a long night, the last members straggling in after4:00 am.

The wake up call came at7:00 amasLake Meadwas calling our name. After beautifying ourselves, we finally left around9:00 am. By the time we actually were on the boat atLake Mead, it was a cool 105 degrees. Due to our ages and injuries, not all members could enjoy the tube. Under 50 members Spider and Wally had some great tube runs. 2 out of 3 old dogger 50+ members couldn’t handle tubing. Only fit Freck gutted out a man run and had a great time tubing. It’s tough seeing older VO members bowing out to old age and injuries. We wish they would take care of themselves and respect their bodies a bit more, especially HLM.

Needless to say, a lot of time was spent propped up with life vests, napping, shooting water guns at one another, conversing with the Earl of Mead and enjoying a few cold ones on beautifulLake Mead. It was a great day of relaxation that came to an end around5:00 pm.

The sun, heat and beers definitely hit us by the time we got back to theRIO. We donned the classiest silk 2009 Veggy Open shirts and strutted ourselves throughout the casino. Gawkers were in awe of this year’s Veggy Open crop.  Community slots didn’t last 10 minutes. We enjoyed a nice dinner at an Irish Pub and actually called it a night. It was a trifecta first for Gil, who in a 24 hour period in Vegas, gambled less than 30 minutes, gambled less than $50 and was in bed beforemidnight. Unbelievable for the oldest VO member. All members were toes up bymidnight.

Friday morning, we were on the road @5:45 am. The excitement of the most prestigious golf tourney in theUShad all members ready to roll. As we arrived at the Wildhorse, the press interviewed Gil and asked him if this was going to be the year he would actually win the Veggy Open and take home the coveted Henricks Cup. Freck was modest with the press, Spider and Wally were ignored by the press and Scooter hounded the press. HLM, make up on his face, exploiting his 2-0-20 physique, he demanded attention. The entire state ofNevada, probably all ofNorth America, was hoping for a new VO champ.

In a stunning start, Spider was in the lead after 3 holes, just 1 over. Could a cheese head actually win a Veggy Open? Gil had a45 after 9with 22 putts. T Wally’s scorecard showed30 after 9, but somehow 3 holes weren’t marked, so he got 0 on those 3 holes. Scooter and Freck were “tipping the hat” so one has no idea what score these Gaylords had.

We all hit a brick wall on the 15^th. It was 115 degrees, scorching hot. The beers and cigars didn’t help. The final tally, Scooter and Freck tied with 90, Gil had 91, Spider and T Wally finished under 200. As we confirmed the scores in the cool clubhouse, a motion was echoed that “any tie, all tie.”

At least a playoff round to determine the VO champ? In the best interest of their health, we decided no playoff hole, co-VO winners, sharing the Henricks Cup for 6 months each. With nearly 500 pounds of girth, we salute the 2009 Veggy Open champs, Scooter (6 ½) and Freck (1 ½) as they bring home the Henricks Cup for 2009.  After fellow champions, Smithers, Redneck and RRH heard of these scores, they all agreed they would not accept the Henricks Cup with a winning score in the 90’s.Americaconcurs.

After an awesome Lasagna lunch at Gloria’s, along with Mr. and Mrs. Reif and colorful Aunt Gladys, the exuberant 1 hour trophy presentation by Scooter, witnessing Scooter and Freck both sign the Cup,  it was back to the RIO. Although napping was on the mind of a couple out of shape members, the majority vote was for good ole community. In the same cloths we just played 18 sweaty holes, we swaggered to the closest 3 card poker table we could find. We cleared out an existing table, thanks to the sweaty smell of a Veggy Open round. We started with $500 and 90 minutes later cashed in with a cool $1800. 2 three of a kinds and 2 straight flushes helped our chip count. Crowds gathered around our table as we were very vocal. High 5’s and beers for all! Fans were cheering the Veggy Open members. It was a sight to be seen. Do to the excitement,RIOmanagement comped our room.  I repeat, 1 room, 5 Gaylord’s shacked up in 1 room, just 1 twin bed for all. Yes, this was definitely a sight to see, 5 of the finest fighting for 1 bed. One member just cared about being on top and this heaviest member got his way!

We bolted from theRIOto the Gold Coast. Our winning community ways continued. We dominated at blackjack and roulette. Gil hit a community $5 bet, our last one for the night, which resulted in a $175 winner. It was the best community night in the 13 year Veggy Open history. We crashed around3:00 am, a snuggly night for all.

Saturday has become the favorite day for the Veggy Open members – no plans, except to sleep in, eat breakfast and relax by the pool. It was a cool 115 degrees as we played Euchre, enjoyed Pina Colida’s and Rum Runners poolside. TheRIOpool area is very diverse, from old guys in thong speedos, hotties in thong bikinis, to Veggy Open stud muffins! As usual, once we took our shirts off, gawkers, picture takers, autograph seekers were all over us. It was difficult for us to tell the 60+ year old ladies, keep your hands off us – no touch! We enjoyed a nice afternoon at the pool playing cards, enjoying a variety of cocktails that wiped out all our community winnings, and then some.

After a quick community shower, we took a cab to the Venetian to see Freck’s niece. Community went quickly, as we soon were in the sports bar watching the Cubs. The Venetian is a high class place, not what Veggy Open members represent. We were out of our element and sensed it.

Since it was our last night together, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice steak dinner. HLM said Smith and Wolenski’s was right around the corner. We should have known better to listen to aWheelinggrad, 6 ½ time VO champ. It’s not like this guy is an MSL wrestling champ (or 2-time runner up like Gil and T Wally)

However, HLM’s physical presence commands respect, so we follow our fellow Icon. After walking 45 minutes, we were starving and had enough. Since landing in Vegas Wednesday night, 45 minutes is the longest time frame without consuming a cold one. We saw a sign for Filet Mignon & Dom Perignon and decided to go for it. We had an awesome meal at The Steakhouse at Bill’s on the strip. Dark atmosphere, huge, big red Napoleon chairs and some of the best food and drink we all have experienced. We were treated like royalty, spent all our winnings, but enjoyed an awesome dinner. We gamed for a short time after dinner, and then jumped on a shuttle back to theRIO. We gave Spider a kiss and hug goodbye as he was taking a red eye back to cheese land. WeIllinoisguys must admit, although most Cheese Heads aren’t on our top ten list, Spider breaks the mold. You would think this guy went to Wheeling HS. Spider qualifies as one of the finest.

Due to lack of sleep, being old, beer, wine, champagne and gin & tonics, the rest of the night was kind of a blur. T Wally played no limit hold-em, Gil played Paigow, Scooter/Freck played blackjack. It ended up being a late night for all, but we all survived another night.

Sunday morning, we dropped Gil off to meet his folks, while Scooter, Freck and T Wally went to Grandma Glo’s. While at Gloria’s, we decided to fix a minor sprinkler leak she had. With T Wally as the leader, the brains/brawns felt confident we could get the job done. Although there is a debate on who did the most work, the job was successfully accomplished. Freck did do a lot of brawn work, Scooter thinks he did a lot of the brain work, but all who read this, know T Wally had the brains/brawn to make this happen. Enough said.

Mr. and Mrs. Reif, once again, treated all of us to a very nice brunch at Arizona Charlies. Chris and Aunt Gladys joined Gil, Scooter, Freck, T Wally and Gloria to an awesome champagne brunch. Mr. and Mrs. Reif have been extremely benevolent to the Veggy Open group over the years. When will some of this rub off on their child prodigy, Gilly? Who knows! Actually, Gilly gave Scooter, Freck and T Wally a very nice “stinkin” t-shirt before we left. Not sure if it is appropriate to expand from here.

We said our goodbyes to the Reif’s, and decided to stop at Barleys Casino to enjoy the best Microbrew inHendersonand catch the Cub game. We ended the long day losing at 3 card poker, eating wings/shrimp/beer at Hooters, finally crashing at Gloria’s. It was a very tough 5 days, we were grateful to survive. I think Scooter, Freck and T Wally were out by9:00 pm.

It was off to the airport Monday morning. In the ubiquitous words of fellow roomie/Leatherneck/Veggy Open Champ and Muffdriff grad, “it’s good to see you, and good to see you go.”

The 13^th annual Veggy Open was history. Although alcohol poisoned and sleep deprived, all members were back to normality, a well needed routine. We welcomed a few new nicknames this year, Saw Horse, Bobo, Pockets, and Dribbles. We will leave that to your imagination.

Over the last 13 years, we’ve had between 5-14 members attend this annual prestigious event. Although only 5 were able to attend this year, it was just as rambunctious as 14. Always a little quieter without the Narkeburger, but still a very good time. 1 room, 1 king size bed was more than enough for the 5 of us.

A final note, the Veggy Open members acknowledge that their family is always first. We are grateful to participate in this guy’s only annual event, knowing that our family will always be there when we return.

Although we have not lost any official members over the years, all of us have suffered the loss of loved ones. This year, we remember Mrs. Lueds, always smiling and happy to congratulate aWheelingwrestler, win or lose. A few months ago, fellow member Derfy experienced a Subarachnoid Hemorrage near his brain as he was running early in the morning. Fortunately, after several days in intensive care, he is doing OK, undergoing various tests, and appears to be on the road to recovery. Always a good time, we hope Derf will join us for the 2010 Veggy Open.  Last week, Travy had shoulder surgery to repair a recent injury. As all of us are near or above that ½ century mark, must plan for the future, but appreciate the present.

None of us take tomorrow for granted. Lets make the most of this finite journey we call life. It can end in a heartbeat for any of us.

We have an awesome group of guys, some friendships spanning over 40 years. We are blessed, fortunate and must acknowledge it.

Although we are with our immediate family nearly every day, and acknowledge that family comes first, it’s always good to spend time with old friends, especially the group we have.

“Life is precious; spend times with friends while you can.”

Stay well,

T Wally

See Pictures Here