I still recall the first time, I interacted with Tommy, oh about 14 or 15 years ago. Let me just say I thought he was Japanese (sigh). Naccarato could go either way, think about it, not EYETALIAN as Tommy would say. Anyway, Tommy and I had a mutual friend in common, Jim Reilly who is unknown to but a few left on this website. Jim had lived in Southern California and had played golf with Tommy etc and knew him well, unfortunately since Jim moved to Costa Rica, the last time they got together was in Las Vegas for my wedding reception. In fact, I think Tommy drove Jim back to LA after, must have been a good golf discussion.
This interview scratches the veneer of who Tommy is. Outrageous, pugnacious, loquacious, sensitive, thoughtful, sleuth-master supreme, jocular, antagonistic, stubborn, bombastic, hypocritical, vivacious and teddy bear cuddly. They all describe Tommy.
I was fortunate to have submitted a slate of questions for Tommy with this interview. Several did not make the cut.
How many here know of Tommy's involvement with youth golf and Get a Grip in Los Angeles?
How many know of Tommy's huge knowledge of music and his times on the go-go sunset strip during the legendary days of the late 70s, early 80s?
Anyone know that Tommy was responsible for a lot of work done at LAX?
To say any of us know Tommy is a lie. Tommy has so many varied people he knows in a myriad of industry/locales/occupations. Seriously, his phone never stops ringing.
But I will leave this post with my favorite Tommy story.
My family was going thru an extremely stressful time that I will not highlight here that culminated on a certain day. On that day, I was scheduled due to Bill McBride's generosity to play golf with Tommy at the Valley Club. In fact it was 9 years ago next week. The weather was sublime. We got off fine but on there 4th hole our cart stopped like a camel that just wouldn't go any further in the desert. So what did Tommy do? He told me to keep playing without him. And I said no, but he pushed me to go on while he waited. About 5 minutes later surmounting a small hill, I saw this crazy Italian pushing the cart to try and jump start it (Tommy's health was not great then) and I freaked out. But then like a little angel, a tiny elderly man who must have been 90 came out of nowhere. He picked Tommy up and they disappeared. I played 2 more holes and then Tommy reappeared with this genteel octogenarian and they were talking like they were lifelong friends.
And that is Tommy's greatest quality, to talk with him once, is to feel like you are a lifelong friend with him--unless you are Tom Marzolf or Tom Fazio.. Ted Robinson may get a hello!
But that is not the end. Tommy and I played the rest of that day at the Valley Club and we were the only ones out there. When we came to the 15-18th holes, the sun was setting, the light had turned a tawny/auburn and had due to an October sky and the angle of the setting rays, flattened the landscape. What this did was give a unique ocular vantage point, it was like being in a Monet landscape. Truly it inspired the soul, the golfing palette was perfect. Tommy commented on this and described the moment as "The magic hour".. It did much to make me feel better given the family situation I was in, and there was no better company than Tommy at that moment.
Tommy still has some great photos of the Valley Club during this time, I believe they are some of the finest golf pictures ever taken by an amateur. Joanne Dost be damned!.
I will also say that the best steak of my life I enjoyed with Tommy one day after a spirited game at Annandale CC with Mark Sarkisian. The Arroyo Chophouse that night served something the folk in Nebraska would be proud to claim as their own..