Friends say goodbye to Grant Baze

Spring NABC Houston TX Daily Bulletins

If there was ever a doubt that Grant Baze left his
mark on the bridge world, it was erased on Friday
night as a huge crowd gathered at the Hilton
Americas to pay tribute to one of the game’s best
and most popular players.

Baze died of cancer Jan. 11 in San Diego.

Friend after friend took the podium to offer
tributes to the late bridge pro, long known as a
dogged competitor, a gentleman at the table and one
of the most ethical players on the tournament scene.
“Grant told me he would rather cut off his arm
than take a score he didn’t deserve,” said longtime
friend and teammate Tipton Golias, “and he meant
it.”

Another old friend, Michael Whitman, started
the program with an announcement: “Grant’s out in
the hall having a smoke . . .” When the laughter died
down, Whitman said, “I started so many meetings
out that way, I thought why not tonight.”

Whitman and others joked about Baze’s
penchant for getting married, and several people,
including men, stood when Whitman requested that
“anyone who was married to Grant, please stand up
and raise your hand.”

Several speakers told of Baze’s devotion to wife
Cyndi, who he was with for 10 years. She was on
hand to accept a scrapbook of memories.

Garey Hayden, who spent a lot of time rooming
with Baze at tournaments, said Baze called Cyndi
every day and began every conversation with,
“Hello, love of my life.”

Whitman said Baze had a list of life principles,
starting with health, happiness, “ace third, queen
fourth. . .,” hard work, belief in God, another bridge
hand, enthusiasm, know thyself and more cards.
Said Whitman, “Grant knew what bridge meant
to him and what he meant to us.”

Chris Compton, emcee for the evening, paid
tribute to Baze for his habit of always dressing in a
coat and tie when he played bridge. “In honor of
Grant,” said Compton, “I’m going to tie my tie.”
Golias told a story about playing bridge with
Baze at a regional in Baton Rouge. At one table,
their side played in three of a minor, which was
scored as plus 110 for them. A few rounds later,
during one of the ubiquitous smoke breaks, Baze
figured out that the contract did not make. He
sought out the opponents and then a director and
had the score changed. It cost them first place in the
event.

In the 1997 Spingold Knockout Teams, Baze
and Golias were partners on the team that eventually
won the event. As the play progressed, Baze started
having back pain. It grew worse and worse despite
his taking pain pills day after day. Although urged
by the team to see a doctor, Baze refused, saying he
would do so after the tournament.

Two days after they won, Baze was diagnosed
with kidney cancer, one of four different bouts he
had with the disease.

With permission from Baze’s widow, Cyndi,
Golias read a letter from Shaleen Baze, one of his
exes. “Grant,” she wrote, “possessed a charisma I
wish I could bottle and distribute to all women.”
Hayden related that besides Cyndi and bridge,
Baze loved history and enjoyed giving history
lessons to anyone who would listen. Hayden
recalled waking up in the wee hours one morning at
a tournament and listening to Baze expound on
history, “starting with 500 BC” and concluding
around sunrise.

Baze, Hayden said, would often watch the
History Channel and Law & Order at the same time.
Hayden said he played on a team with Baze at
his last tournament, in Palm Springs. “He played
great,” said Hayden.

Another frequent Baze partner was Mike
Passell, who told a story about Baze and a client
who were having a rough go at a regional. In the
pairs games, they were averaging about 40% and the
woman had gone down in every contract she had
played. Near the end of the last event, Baze heard
his partner open 1D. He had a strong holding in
diamonds and 18 high-card points, and he decided
that his partner might be able to take seven tricks
with his hand as dummy, so he passed.

Baze’s left-hand opponent balanced with 1S,
and when it came back around to Baze, he chanced
a 2D bid. LHO was right there with 2S. Baze
reluctantly tried 3D at his turn, but after two passes
RHO chimed in with 3S, at which point Baze said,
“You guys are really (getting on my nerves) –
6NT!” It was cold, of course.

Gary Cohler said Baze was the kind of player to
whom bridge came easy, “and he was one of the
class acts of all time.”

Baze was known as perhaps the fastest player
ever, and he rarely sacrificed accuracy despite the
rapid pace of his play.

Fred Gitelman recalled playing with Baze in a
team event. Baze went down in a slam in which a
couple of suits broke badly. After the game, Baze
told Gitelman, “If I had thought about that hand for
three seconds I would have made it.”

Gitelman said he spent a sleepless night trying
to figure out how Baze intended to make the
contract. After finally working it out, he saw Baze
the next day and asked about the line of play Baze
had come up with in seconds. It was the same one
Gitelman had spent hours on. “He was a remarkable
bridge player,” said Gitelman, “and a remarkable
person.”

Bob Hamman said Baze was “one tough cat.
There were few like him and there aren’t going to
be many more.”

Baze was known for his high ethical standards.
Peter Weichsel added, “It’s important to say
how ethical Grant was. He taught a lot of us to do
the right thing.”