December 2025: Big Randy AMA

“Need some updates on how the big guy is prepping for fatherhood!” –Brock M.

Congrats, Brock, you’ve asked a short question that I think I could literally write 10k words on. But I won’t. 

The idea of fatherhood still feels rather esoteric to me, even as my wife and I approach our early February due date. I’ve spent lots of time being both super excited for all I think (and know) fatherhood will bring, and lots of time being anxious about all I think (and know) fatherhood will bring. I truly don’t think there’s a world where I feel prepared and ready for it, so all I can do is try my best to approach it with wonder and openness.

Outside of my own mind and thoughts, I’m trying to feel as prepared as possible, but that can be rather daunting sometimes, too. Do we have all the practical things we’ll need? Do we have pediatricians, future day-care options, and a 529 savings account? Have we written thank-you notes for baby shower presents? Have we signed up for and attended the pre-birth classes for new parents at the hospital? These are all things I am fighting to stay on top of day by day, and truth be told, I think I’m doing an okay job! I’ve joked that I could use an assistant to help with the planning and logistics!

Anyway, thank you for checking in. Keep me in mind in the coming weeks, it’s gonna be a mental roller coaster for your boy.

“Randy, how has moving to a seasonal/winter-oriented place changed your relationship with the game? Do you relish having a prolonged off-season?” –Ben S.

I do relish a prolonged off-season, Ben. The off-season makes me miss golf in the winter, makes me excited to play it again when the weather gets nice. And honestly, it’s a return to how I grew up with golf in Ohio–I’d put the clubs away in the fall and pick ‘em up sometime after the Masters. I’m not the type who wants to do any sport year-round.

“I would love to know the best and worst parts of being a tall guy?” –Bryan D.

Let’s start with the worst parts. A decade ago, I would’ve told you it’s the constant need for people to remind you how tall you are. The quips, the looks, the jokes you’ve heard a million times. But as I’ve gotten older, the less this stuff bothers me. And conversely, I actually appreciate when people (usually little old ladies) want to tell me about their tall grandson or nephew or whatever. It’s a nice way to find a connection with a stranger. No, the worst part now is that nothing in our society is really built with tall people in mind. And by this I mean the seats, tables, beds, chairs, sinks, mirrors, doorframes, etc. This is in buildings, cars, planes, trains, or anything. I think I’ve learned to be comfortable while being uncomfortable. Also, it’s really, really, really hard to shop for clothes, especially in person.

My basic assumption is that no store will have a good size for me. Being lanky in addition to tall, I need the length of XL and the fit of Large. More and more companies are rolling out ‘Tall’ sizes, thank god, but for most of my life it’s been bleak. Also, I’m not sure being as tall as I am is great for golf, especially because I’m not using my long levers to achieve more distance. It’s just a lot of space for something to go wrong in my swing. There’s probably more that frustrates me, but this is top of mind.

Now, on the other side, there are definite perks. I can not have a view of something. Concerts, theaters, games, whatever–I can always get a view. My height helped me in basketball, too, which I always appreciated. I also think there’s a sort of unspoken brotherhood amongst tall people, which is great. I can change lightbulbs, get things off the top shelf, and generally just reach things other people struggle with. But yeah, otherwise I don’t know of many inherent perks necessarily, though I’m certain I’m probably not thinking of a few things.

All this said, I can’t imagine being anything other than myself and my height, so I don’t want this to sound like I constantly regret it or anything. That’s only when I fly 😉 

“Are the Packers the NFC team of destiny this year? Everyone is on the Rams but we’re one Matthew Stafford sack from him out for the year. Love, Darnold can take a hit and I like Seahawks/Packers in the NFC championship.” –Jules P. 

I’m pretty high on the Packers, too, though the Parsons injury is a real shame. It’s hard to ignore the Rams right now, but perhaps they have ‘peaked’ too early? Hard to imagine them having another gear, and we’ll see if they can sustain this level for another month and a half. Of course, the Eagles have a good enough roster to win the NFC, too. I don’t trust Darnold, I don’t trust the Niners, and I don’t like whoever comes out of the NFC South. So, yeah, let’s go with Packers versus Eagles in the NFC Championship, with Jordan Love making just enough plays to win.

“If you were GM of the Reds what would you do? Also I’m a Yankees fan so feel free to do a tight five about Hal Steinbrenner crying poor.” –Andrew V. 

The only thing I’ll say about Hal and the Yankees is I think it’s posturing ahead of the labor strife coming our way after 2026, unfortunately. I don’t believe any baseball team is actually cash poor. And if a club is, release your financials and prove it to us. But none of them are cash poor.  As Reds GM, I’d probably keep doing what the current regime has professed–put the emphasis on drafting and development. I’d also be pleading with ownership to give me more budget to fill in free agents around the nucleus, but I think the only shot a relatively light-spending club like Cincy has is to be really, really good at identifying amateur talent, developing said talent, and then knowing who to try to extend and who (and, crucially, when) to cash out talent that they aren’t going to extend. Build as many 85-90 win teams as possible, get in the tournament, and hope it breaks your way once or twice. I don’t see any other way to consistently compete if a team isn’t willing to spend in free agency. 

“Wood or plastic tees? Follow-Up: Different tees for driver versus other clubs? Follow-Up-Follow-Up: How many do you start with in your pocket and how many make it to the end of the round?” –James H. 

James, I greatly prefer wood tees. And no, I don’t think we need different tees for the Driver versus other clubs. I think I’d back an initiative to shrink the size of Driver heads, though. Finally, I start with about a half dozen tees in my pocket for a round. And if you get the tees from our shop (made by Stinger Tees), I think you’ll find you do not need to go back to your bag at all during a round, and you’ll likely have at least a few remaining to put back into your bag. Stinger tees are fabulous.