Impersonal me: Texting with Tim Hegarty

• By Mercer Baggs
• Jun 21, 2011 10:25 AM ET

Unless you live in a cabin and write manifestos, you’ve pretty much embraced modern technology. I remember in college, way back in the early ‘90s, I “wrote” papers on a typewriter that was electric, which made it pretty fancy. I did research using microfilm.

Then Al Gore invented the Internet and changed everyone’s lives.

The greatest gift that modern technology has given me – aside from my current job – is the avoidance of human contact. I don’t have to see or even talk to someone to communicate with them.

I have no use for Facebook and use Twitter only as a news source, but text messaging … that’s a blessed invention. I can keep in touch with friends and family, when otherwise I wouldn’t be in contact at all.

Sure, it’s impersonal; yes, I’m a lousy friend. But it’s really everyone else’s fault for liking me in the first place.

Tim Hegarty is a great example. He’s a friend of mine, the brother of one of my best friends. But were it not for text messaging – and The Minors series – our interactions would be annual at best.

So it is with a nod to modern technology that we offer up this text message-only edition of The Minors (My text are italicized; Tim’s are not):

June 16, 2011 (Eastern times)

11:34 a.m.: Yo. Was thinking for this month we would do an all-text message feature. We could just exchange messages all week during the Open and that will be the story.

8:54 p.m.: Sounds awesome

8:55 p.m.: Watch the opening round today?

8:56 p.m.: Of course. Pretty good play out of rory. Great bounceback. Shows tons of guts

8:57 p.m.: What have you been up to recently?

8:58 p.m.: Playing sh***y golf …. Trying to change ballflight from draw to a fade is causing problems

8:59 p.m.: Going to stick with it? Big time of the year for you to change a key part of your swing.

9:02 p.m.: Absolutely …. Have to … I’ll get it … I’m gonna freaking grind every night these next two weeks to make that ball fall right each shot … Draws turn into hooks for me which I cannot afford

9:04 p.m.: Gotcha. Any time something pops into your mind over the next three days, shoot me a text – thoughts, comments, whatever. I’ll be in touch, too.

9:04 p.m.: I dig … Keep up the awesome work

June 17, 2011

12:50 p.m.: Rory is 13 under now.

12:51 p.m.: Pretty ridiculous … His golf swing looks absolutely perfect

12:51 p.m.: Lowest ever for a us open right??

12:54 p.m.: Yep. And, of course, he just knocked one in the water.

12:55 p.m.: Yeah saw that … The shot phil just hit was incredible … F’d up game this is … To hit such a superb shot that ends up in the drink

1:39 p.m.: How is practice going?

2:10 p.m.: I’ll be done at 6:30 … Let you know how it was then …

June 18, 2011

4:12 p.m.: So … how is practice going?

4:26 p.m.: Awesome …. Operation left to right is fantastic

4:29 p.m.: Rock on. No more sh***y golf. Practicing or watching the Open now?

4:30 p.m.: On the course … Hitting only fades …. Dvr’d golf

4:36 p.m.: Cool. I won’t tell you anything about the golf. It’s going to be hard for you to win the Masters next year hitting only fades.

June 19, 2011

7:17 a.m.: Happy fathers day Mercer

9:06 a.m.: Thanks, Tim!

1:34 p.m.: What would you do between Rd. 3 finish and Rd. 4 start if you had an eight-shot lead?

6:08 p.m.: Try to hang with friends and family ….

6:09 p.m.: I’d tell everyone who was congratulating me on already winning to shut it, then go practice 3-irons because that’s all I’d hit off the tee.

8:51 p.m.: So, what did you think of the tournament?

11:16 p.m.: I think we got to witness sports greatness …. And that golf always proves to be the champion … What stuck out the most (besides the stellar golf) was the fun Rory seemed to have

11:30 p.m.: You having more fun playing?

11:46 p.m.: Hmmmm … Not really … I haven’t been because golf has had a lot of anxiety attached to it …Internal pressure to do well because I feel I’ve worked hard. I am however on that mission along with operation left to right to put fun and gratitude back into every swing