HARRIS COUNTY - HSA INSIDER
A weekly look at all things Houston sports from the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority: Stacy Lewis has a great story to tell
Patti Smith
Apr 6, 2018, 6:50 am
Stacy Lewis was honored at Augusta. Courtesy photo
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Stacy Lewis shook her head as she watched her acceptance notes disappear from her phone.
She was shifting hands as she prepared to pose for a picture with a cast bronze statue of Ben Hogan – her trophy for winning the 2018 Hogan Award -- and, before she could step to the microphone, she was in reboot-mode.
No sweat.
A minute later, the former No. 1 female player in the world delivered the line of the night at the annual the Golf Writers Association of America Awards dinner in Augusta, Ga.
“Just so you know,’’ she grinned, “a golfer has reached No. 1 in the world and won major championships already with a back fusion.’’
Point taken. Writers have been so swept up with Tiger Woods’ latest comeback – this from spinal fusion – they forgot about Lewis, who had back fusion in the summer of 2003.
Diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, the Houstonian wore a back brace for years, but, when she was 18, the curvature was still there and she underwent surgery. She redshirted her first year at Arkansas.
By 2014, she had won two majors, had been Rolex Player of the Year twice, had two Vare Trophies (lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour) and earned the LPGA’s 2014 money title. In 2016, she finished just off the medal stand at the Rio Olympics, tying for fourth.
Lewis was sidelined with an oblique strain earlier this year, but returned to competition at last week’s ANA Inspiration, the women’s first major of the year. She finished tied for 55th, then she flew to Augusta where she accepted her award Wednesday night and she and her family spent a few days watching the first men’s major of the season.
Lewis has won the writers’ Player of the Year award twice and may soon be in line as a nominee for another award – this one for giving back, something Lewis does constantly.
A week after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston last fall, Lewis won the Portland Cambia Classic. She celebrated snapping a 39-month winless drought by donating her $195,000 winner’s check to Hurricane Harvey relief. Her sponsor KMPG matched that and Marathon Petroleum donated $1 million.
She invited Mackenzie McRee, a 14-year-old junior player from Arizona who has scoliosis who competed at the Drive, Chip & Putt Finals Sunday, to sit with her at the awards dinner.
“I just thought it would be a cool experience for her to come here, meet some players and enjoy this,’’ she said. “… For me, it’s all about just being there for those kids and letting them know they’re not alone in (scoiosis).’’
Lewis made sure to introduce McRee to world No. 2 Justin Thomas, who was at the dinner to accept the writers’ 2017 Player of the Year award, and spend about five minutes with him.
Lewis, who is the subject of an upcoming ESPN 30-for-30, admitted the years she wore the back brace were some of the most uncomfortable times ever, but, the brace and the surgery were, eventually, blessings in disguise.
“I learned that if I put in the effort and the time, I could reach my goals and even surpass them,’’ she said a few years ago. “You never know how high you'll be able to go if you don't let the condition define your limits.’’
She opens up about her journey to make sure McRee and others with the same condition know they’re not alone. And, after years of not wanting to talk about the journey, she is proud to share the story.
The normal way to do the surgery Lewis underwent was to go in from the back, but her surgeon, Houston orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gary Brock, chose to go in from the side.
He had won a raffle ticket for a free golf lesson before the surgery and, after the lesson, he called Lewis’ parents – Dale and Carol Lewis – to tell them he needed to perform the surgery from the side so she could have better rotation and flexibility.
“I was talking to (Brock) the other day and it turns out I’ve been a case study,’’ she said. “They’re convinced if they had done the surgery another way, I wouldn’t have been the golfer I am today.
“It’s amazing how little things in life move you in the right direction.”
As she wrapped up her note-less speech, she paused to thank her parents and her voice began to shake.
“Mom always said ‘You’re going to have a great story to tell one day,‘’ Lewis said. “And mom was right.’’
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.