Mike Maggi: (By Mark Murdock)

From: Mark Murdock Sent: Wed 4/28/2010 2:32 PM To: MFC Membership Subject: New Member Referral Letter (Mike Maggi)

Bio – Mike Maggi

Candidate for MFC Membership

Mike Maggi has been a good friend of mine for the past three years. I met him through kid sports as his 11 year old, Matthew, and my 11 year old, Mark, have played baseball together for the past 3 seasons. Mike is the manager of the team and he and I have spent lots of time together as “tournament” baseball assures. In fact, I used to think that the best way to “measure” a man was to play 18 holes of golf with him….but now I know that a better way is to watch a man handle a youth sports team and all the challenges that come along with it. Further, I have also coached against Mike in football and basketball over the years and find him to be competitive, yet fair and always good natured. The guy can have a hearty laugh about any situation…which is a very endearing quality in my book. All of us that have coached know that there are times when it is hard to do the right and fair thing. It can be tempting to be self serving either for our own ego or for our child’s benefit…but Mike is one of those guys that always pursue the right thing to do for all, rather than just what is best for him or most convenient for him. He is one of the “good guys” and it is an honor for me to call him a close friend. My respect for Mike is at the very top of the ladder.

Mike grew up outside NYC in a NJ suburb as the child of two schoolteachers. He attended Farleigh Dickenson University and played defensive back on the football team. Gas trading brought him to Houston 15 years ago and he has settled in as a “Houston guy” now. In addition to his 11 year old son Matthew, Mike has another son, Jack, who is nearly 2 and another son on the way for delivery this fall. Mike’s beautiful wife, Erin, is a Houstonian and a graduate of The Kinkaid School and UT.

What attracts me to Mike is his integrity, his sense of humor, his perspective, his wisdom, his patience and his loyalty. He is great with the kids and is one of those guys who say a lot with few words. He is very loyal to his close friends and always does what he says he is going to do. He loves the game of golf and is a member of both Shadow Hawk Golf Club and Spanish Oaks in Austin. He plays to an 8 handicap but tends to play his best on holes 17 and 18 of a match.  Mike and I have played 25+ rounds together over the years and we have played two “top 100’s “together....Riviera and Gozzer Ranch.

I have thought about putting Mike up for membership in the MFC for quite a while…but I have wanted to be patient and make sure that the timing was right. There has never been a doubt for me that he would make a great addition to our group…and that our group would be enriched by his membership. Further, Mike is well known to John Phillips, Peter Vescovo, Matt Blackmon and Andy Turner…and reasonably well known to Don Vrba…..so nearly a third of our group already knows Mike. The “clincher” for me to act happened at the 2010 Quakers and Cowboys dinner just two weeks ago. As luck (and fate, perhaps) would have it, Mike and his dinner party were sitting right outside the Jones Room South while we were having our dinner. I came out to say hello to him….and he said, “what the heck are you guys doing back there?” I told him that I would tell him “the whole story” if he called me the next week. I warned him how long the whole story was…yet he was undeterred. So…we set a time for the week after the Masters and 2+ hours later…he had heard the whole story of Masters Friday, the MFC, the Ozone Club, the Ozone Cup, the Quakers and Cowboys dinner the Ozone/MFC interclub matches…and everything in between. Heck, the guy ought to get something for sitting through that whole story! Seriously, he was really interested in what we are doing and very impressed….and is prejudiced in our favor because of his existing relationship with and affection for Pro, Peter, Blackmon, Andy and me. He really “gets” what is great about our group and appreciates how seriously we take it (while not trying to take ourselves too seriously). I have seen Mike in action at the little league fields, on vacations with our respective families, and on the golf course….and he is brilliant at taking the activity seriously while not taking himself too seriously. I believe that paradox is the magic key to the success of the MFC.

I have no doubt that Mike Maggi will take being a member of the MFC very seriously and he will be a proud and productive member of our group. I also know that he will be creative, energetic and excited to come up with new ways to make us better along the way. In my mind, he is a complete “no brainer” for the MFC. For those of you who know him, you will enjoy getting to know him better. For those of you who do not know him, I look forward to introducing you. We will be better for bringing him into our group….and he will so greatly enjoy this wonderful group of guys.

My Best, MM