DORAL, Fla. — Michael Strahan was in his own summer groove Thursday morning.
He might not come out of it for a while.
Strahan, a retiree from the New York Giants in the wake of their Super Bowl victory, was one of Alonzo Mourning's celebrity guests in Zo's Summer Groove golf outing. Strahan was striking tee shots into a light breeze on the 17th hole of the Gold Course at Doral, and taking on all comers on the 165-yard par-3 in challenges for an autographed football or jersey.
"Just easy 7-irons," said Strahan, who admitted to once carrying a very respectable 10-handicap at his home course in New Jersey.
Strahan is a personable sort who likes to talk. He's articulate and opinionated, and he'll be terrific as an NFL analyst on the Fox studio show this season as long as the suits allow him to be glib.
"I'm looking forward to it," Strahan said. "It'll be good for me to verbalize instead of sitting at home screaming about why somebody did what he did."
Verbalize?
Oh, the man can verbalize.
In fact, Strahan ought to start an advice column given his comments on three subjects that came up in conversation when he wasn't greeting groups of golfers and posing for pictures with them. Here are his answers.
Dear Mr. S:
My employers don't understand me. I've given them 11 really good years — some of them great — and just want to relax a while before the actual heavy lifting needs to be done. I'll be ready when the time comes. The problem is there's a new set of bosses in town, and they've turned the whole thing into a confrontation. What should I do?
— Jason in Miami
Dear Jason:
You can't worry about who's in charge, because it doesn't matter. What matters is the job. I didn't show up until five days before our first game last year, and everything turned out just fine. I was working out harder on my own than I would have been with the team, because there was no way I was going to come back and have anybody be able to say, "See, he didn't take care of himself." The best thing to do is keep your focus, and be ready to go from the very first play when you do come back.
Dear Mr. S:
I just retired, but already have changed my mind and want to return. I loved my profession. I even cried when I made the announcement that I was quitting. I was very popular and more than a little capable for 16 years in one place, but the people who could hire me back don't seem inclined to do so. I don't want to relocate, and am hurt by the rejection. What would you do?
— Brett in Green Bay
Dear Brett:
You have to be convinced you truly want to give up something when it means so much to you. You have to know it in your heart when you're all alone with your thoughts. I was smiling when I quit. I was happy. There are still days when I ask myself if I did the right thing, but that's natural. I know there will be times when I miss doing what I did for 15 years, but I know for sure that I'm ready for whatever comes next in life. You've got to be sure or you shouldn't make such a big decision in the first place.
Dear Mr. S:
I'm going through a very messy and very public divorce. It's all over the newspapers and television and radio and the Internet, and other people are being dragged into the picture. Any advice?
— Alex in The Bronx
Dear Alex:
The same kind of thing happened to me. It's going to be the same story day after day after day. The headlines might change, but one story is not going to be much different from another. It won't stop until some other story comes along that grabs everyone's attention. That's the nature of being famous. The thing to concentrate on is that the people who care about you the most — your friends and family — are going to stick by you. If some of them don't, they don't, and you can't worry about that, either, when it's all said and done.
Perplexed in Florida.
Crushed in Wisconsin.
Annoyed in New York.
Answers from Mr. S for all.
Greg Stoda writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: gstoda AT pbpost.com.