BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON -- About 15 minutes have passed. Chi Chi Rodriguez has satisfied the masses, signing autographs and continuing his friendly banter with fans.
As he drives off in his golf cart, he smiles and shouts: "I'm running for mayor."
"We'll elect you, Chi Chi," a few yell back.
Such is the relationship between the crowd and one of the most popular players on the Senior PGA Tour.
Rodriguez played Thursday in the Johnny Bench - Fifth Third Bank Pro-Am, and his group of five had the largest following of the day.
And the fans who watched got a show. They saw Rodriguez dance after good shots and simulate sword fights with his club. He interacted with the crowd at every opportunity, often joking at his own expense. When his round was over Thursday, Rodriguez told Hall of Fame baseball player Carl Yastrzemski, who was one of the amateurs in his group: "You ought to come back to baseball, you're still strong." "I'll come back if you'll pinch run for me," Yaz responded. Chi Chi grinned. "I was so fast, one time I hit a ground ball to second base and got a double."
Everyone laughed.
"Look at them," Rodriguez said later. "The American people work very hard. They save their money to come to a tournament. They come to watch us play, and especially in the pro-am, they come to have a good time with you.
"Nothing is better in life than to see another human being with a nice smile on their face."
Said Yastrzemski: "I enjoyed playing with Chi Chi. It was worth the trip from Boston. He just gives (the fans) his utmost attention. He's not putting on a show or anything, he really enjoys it."
Rodriguez, who turns 63 next month, has won 22 Senior PGA Tour events and eight PGA Tour tournaments in his 38-year career. His last title came in 1993, but his popularity has never wavered.
Last year, Arnold Palmer was the biggest draw at the Kroger Senior Classic, and he talked at length about the responsibility he felt toward the fans and the sport.
Rodriguez, who tees off at 11:20 a.m. today in the Kroger, feels the same way.
"I have my off days like everybody else, but I try to stay as happy as I can," the Puerto Rico native said. "It takes much less energy to be happy than to be unhappy.
"I've been very popular because I've been a little guy who struck it big. I mean, in the eyes of not only the American people, but the people throughout the world. I'm their champion because I'm a little guy. Here I am competing against guys like George Archer (who is 6-foot-6). I'm 5-foot-7. And I'm competing against a guy like Dick Hendrickson (6-7, 270). And (fans) like that."
A few months ago, Rodriguez was not having much fun. He was playing poorly and had lost some of his enthusiasm.
He called his doctor in Germany, and said he wasn't feeling well. The doctor summoned Rodriguez for a physical.
While in Germany, Rodriguez was injected with lamb cells.
"Let me tell you, it works," he said. "When you get older, the natural process of your body is that the cells die. In Germany, what they do, the same cells that die out of you, they take out of a lamb, and they shoot you with them. There are a lot of movie stars that go over there, but they don't want people to know.
"Today is six weeks. Today is when I really become very strong. . . If you're 60, you feel like you're 40, which I do right now."
Perhaps it's no coincidence Rodriguez last week had his best outing in more than a year. He was 13-under at the Comfort Classic in Indianapolis and finished tied for fifth place.
"The cells are starting to take over," he said. "I was driving the ball extremely long, probably 30 to 40 yards longer than I have been driving it all year. I might start going (to Germany) every year."
