The Daily Wit - Latest Comments in Ricky Peden

Re: Ricky Peden

Ray — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:32:22 -0000

The first annual Ricky Peden golf tournament has come and gone. I think a good time was had by all that was there. For the ones that could not make it this year we look forward to seeing you next year.

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:45:42 -0000

Ray -- what's the Plan B given that Gustav is out there?

Re: Ricky Peden

Ray — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:14:50 -0000

The first annual Ricky Peden tournament is a week away and we still have a few spots left.

Re: Ricky Peden

Ray — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:41:50 -0000

Everyone still has time to go to the driving range and knock the rust off of your swings. The first annual Ricky Peden golf tournament is Sept. 5th. There is also a pre party the night before at the Blow Fly, this is open to everyone, so if golf is not your thing you can still come out and have fun.

Re: Ricky Peden

Sully — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:01:23 -0000

Ricky was great at planning surprises. When my Dad was diagnosed with cancer, Ricky was very understanding and supportive after having just lost his Dad two years before. Well, after fighting for six months, my Dad died just a week before my birthday. I left town for several days for the funeral. When I came back, I really didn't have the energy to do anything special for my birthday and really didn't feel like celebrating. Well, leave it to Ricky... my wife called me to meet her for lunch at Blow Fly, but when I got there, I found a whole group of guys- Ricky, Koner, Jason, Justin and Corey (and perhaps others- my memory sucks) So after surprising me at lunch, I find that Ricky has planned a round of golf and beers for the rest of the afternoon. He had also called my boss to get me the day off. He just would not let me blow off my birthday to wallow in self-pity. It was just what I needed. What a great guy!

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:40:35 -0000

Ricky took me to Jamaica for one of my bachelor parties. The trip itself deserves more time/words than I can type, so I'll limit it to just how bad he and my wife kept it a secret.

I was sitting on the couch one Sunday night when the phone rang. My soon-to-be wife answered it (yes, we lived in sin for 6 months, but we were engaged) and then scurried off to another room. About 5 minutes later, she emerged with her hand over the phone to ask me the so-often-asked question, "Do you still have your passport?"

I gave her the WTF??? look and said I didn't. She then asked the next-so-often-asked question, "Do you know where your birth certificate is?" Again, WTF? and a "no." I then asked why she was asking me these questions. She babbled, consulted Ricky (he's the one who called), and then babbled some more about if I needed to go to another country would I be able to locate my passport or birth certificate. Of course by then I had to know who was on the phone and what was up. Ashley gave me the phone and Ricky came clean. To his credit though, he had already called my boss at the time and secured the days off for me. He also insisted on paying for everything.

So, in spite of the terrible clandestine attempt to secure my travel documents, a good time was had by all.

Re: Ricky Peden

travellinbaen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:10:06 -0000

I'm posting the following which was emailed to me today by "Ed." It addresses the golf tourney and other things:

As you can see from that blog, Ricky stories are many and much beloved. I met Ricky through soccer and socially through a high school frat. In soccer Ricky and Doug Stovall were universally disliked by non-GP players. Ricky's arrogance and hair, Stovall being short and whiney but good. I also dated a Gulfport girl for about 6-7 months in high school and she was friends with Jana Long, his high school sweetheart, as well as other GP girls. (Me DT and SM were collectively the Ocean Springs Guys). In college one time, I went down to Milsaps with Epting and Hilbun to pick up a friend of theirs at the dorm. The plan was to hit Hal and Mals etc. The friend had to go out the dorm window for some reason...who pops out behind her? Ricky. Got to the place we were staying at 6am after the obligatory stop at the Subway Lounge...complete with gigantic brown bag o beer purchased from the "home" next door. I have a memory of him buying the individually sold cigs at the convenience stores we stopped in for refreshments and putting them in the give a penny take a penny cup. Free smokes.

I also believe it was Ricky that started the summer craze in high school of partying on top of the Edgewater Mall. Somehow he found a way onto the top and my memory wants to say on at least two occasions we had upwards of 20 people on top of Gayfers drinking brew. He also had the habit of grabbing the mic at Krystals (Courthouse and Pass) and calling out orders while the cashier was away. So, about 2 am there would countless unclaimed burgers, fries and drinks sitting on the counter. I also think I saw Ricky mouth all the words to Change to Eden's tune 99...I have no idea why that is in the registry, but it is. It seemed Ricky always showed up at Nicholnoffs sweating...a frequent reply was "running from security". In retrospect, it was good he played soccer, he needed the endurance. Is all this true or is it just legend? Probably a little of both...the Peden Paradox...it works on so many levels.

Regarding the DT call out - Later in life Golf entered the picture - Ricky was working in the WorkersComp plan or Health Care plan field so he started attending the Municipal League golf tourneys, well, once we saw each other at these things the clients got kicked to the curb and we hooked up to create a formidable duo. It was like Laurel and Hardy on the golf course, each able to keep up with the others ridiculous antics and dry deadpanning. The city officials from the likes of Fulton, Weir, and Osyka that got dealt the Edwards/Peden hand had no idea what kind of day they had gotten themselves into. One year the tourney was at Sunkist CC in Biloxi and the girl driving the courtesy beverage cart pulls up with one or two holes to go. Ricky busts out a collapsible cooler from his golf bag and puts about 26 beers in it. Says nothing. Girl with a big OMG face says nothing. Country Mayor says Daaaaaaaaaayuuuuuuuuuuuuummm.

We finish the round. Sit at the bar talking til it closes. Ricky says "good thing I got those beers". We sit at the pool til way too late talking about all kinds of stuff. He especially wanted to enter his parade float in the OS or Goula parade. We never got the chance to do it. Much like your pal Bradford, Ricky wore long pants to golf, and probably for the same reason.

The pictures from those tournaments were priceless. We made faces in the background. So the giant bellied City Clerk from Conehatta would just be holding his pose after hitting a drive down the middle, but the pic would reveal Ricky and I down in the corner pointing sideways our faces displaying that his ball had caused a car wreck or broke a window. Ricky pulled out old soccer trophies from his golf bag for others to hold. I can't stop laughing about some of the comments and he's like "just hold them and smile please". (His legacy to me that I carry on to this very day - Cutcliffe holding my HS MVP Track Trophy was awesome) Unfortunately, I lost pretty much all memorabilia about my life prior to 2005, including my children's early years. Very regrettable.

In 2005 the municipal convention was scheduled to be in July but cancelled due to Dennis and moved to August (and cancelled due to Katrina). I don't think I knew about Ricky's passing until sometime after the Hurricane having missed our annual date at the Golf tourney. Frankly, my memory from summer of 05 to summer of 06 is severely impaired. Stoic as I my seem, the year of Katrina has forever impacted me. Ricky being a part of the loss heaped on a year of incredible misery and pain. As you well know, when traveling for work you would sometimes make stops to or from the place of destination in order to kill that gray hour that dictates driving back to work or going straight home, and when work would take me over Gulfport way, Ricky and I would meet for drinks at Oranatangs, Firedog? or some such place. (he was drinking Vodka and Red Bull at the time and the first time I saw his new drink of choice I couldn't decide how I felt about Ricky on Red Bull...I wonder if anybody else pondered this?). A very simple pleasure, to be sure, as Ricky was not one to turn down an opportunity for catching up on things with friends...of which had an untold multitude. I was thankful I had so much business in Bay St. Louis.

Re: Ricky Peden

DT — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:09:48 -0000

Hello all and thanks for setting up this board. I was friends with Ricky 20+ years ago in high school/college and didn't see him much after we went to different schools, but did keep up with some of his antics thru mutual friends.

my first encounter with Ricky was during a high school soccer game. it was a big game as I played for Ocean Springs and Ricky Gulfport. Both were undefeated. This was for the top seed in the South MS tournament (there was no state high school tourney back in the 80's). The game was tight and we were throwing as much junk at each other as we could get away with. during the second half, i was airborne defending a corner kick and this long haired cat clad in orange and blue punched me square in the nuts. I of course retaliated by throwing punches while trying to catch my breath and the ref went nuts and threw the red card down on me. now, i had played soccer on the coast my whole life and knew most of the gulfport players but not this INXS wannabe. all I knew was that i didn't like him.

I asked the Gulfport people I knew who he was and they told me his name was Ricky Peden and he was a good guy. I wasn't sold.

After the season was over, I was at Nicholnoffs (or maybe Two Timers nickel beer night, it's kind of hazy) as usual with a mix of Gulfport and OS friends (mainly Steve M., who I travelled the 20 miles down the beach with every weekend) and up walks the nut puncher. he extends his hand and says "no hard feelings." I was puzzled. how could this guy who was so wild on the field be so up front about burying the axe? My first thought was that it was a trap. but he persisted and we wound up drinking all night and went to the fabled Waffle House of which you speak after the bars closed. before school was out, we hung out a lot and also on breaks in college.

i regret not keeping in touch with him later on but I moved to California after school and then DC and didn't get home much. My memories are strong though and he was a great guy.

maybe we can get John E. from OS to tell the story of the time he and Ricky played in the Ole Miss golf tourney with the football and basketball coaches in attendance. great story.

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:27:06 -0000

Jeff -- No intrusion at all. I'm sure that if it wasn't Ricky who caught his pants on fire then he was the one who set someone else's pants on fire. It was probably the latter b/c Ricky's pants never seemed to stay on him very long.

Re: Ricky Peden

J.L. Riffe — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:04:37 -0000

Ok, after rummaging back thru nearly 30 year old memories, it might not have been Ricky who set his cargo pocket on fire, but a cat by the name of Phillip whose last name escapes me at the moment.

Too many years, beers and concussions makes the memory not quite as sharp as it once was. However, if it wasn't Ricky then he was there because that particular memory is strongly associated with him.

At any rate, sorry for the intrusion and I am certainly pained at the news that Ricky is gone.

/Regards,
Jeff

Re: Ricky Peden

J.L. Riffe — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:23:36 -0000

I'll pass one on about about Ricky.
This one was from when we were kids but it is the main thing that sticks out in my memory.... sadly I never knew Ricky in adulthood....
I wasn't there for the actuall event but Ricky gained quite a bit of fame for setting his pocket on fire when it happened to be full of fireworks. I guess this was around 5th or 6th grade

By reading what has been posted here, sounds like he grew up to be quite a character.... much in keeping of what I remember of him from back in our youth.

And a note to Ashley: hey girl, long time no see. I hope life has been excellent for you since the days back at 'The Flags'.

/Regards,

Jeff

Re: Ricky Peden

Sully — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:44:55 -0000

My favorite picture of Ricky was the one that Russ had blown up for Ricky's funeral. The story behind it is worth telling, so here goes. Our wedding was family style at Grasslawn, followed by big reception with all of our friends outside. For those of you who were there, I don't need to remind you how hammered I got. This was in part, thanks to Ricky who kept handing me a fresh scotch every time I turned around. So during the reception, C-ray wants to do a few poses with me and Melinda inside Grasslawn. Being silly drunk, I struck a pose at the mantle with my jacket slung over my shoulder. Ricky saw this and thought it was funny, so he started mocking me to C-ray, who snapped that photo. It was really a great picture of Ricky. We then continued drinking (with Winston the bartender pouring stout scotches) until it was time Melinda and I to depart the reception. So my blushing bride (actually she was just really angry) took my drink from me, and upon insistence from my Dad, got behind the wheel to drive us away. Yes, my wife had to drive b/c I was too wasted. So Ricky, seeing that she has taken my drink and I wasn't even driving, recognized the inherent travesty in such a sight, and sprinted over to the bar to get me another. My second favorite picture of Ricky is him standing in the background with that *grin* watching me climb in the get-a-way car to leave the reception with cupped the scotch behind my back! Of course, I don't think I ever told him that the second we got in the car, she smacked the scotch out of my hand and all over the interior! What a way to start a marriage!

If I can find that picture and figure out how to post it I will do so. Russ, if you still have my copy of the "Ricky pose" I would love to have it back!

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:35:44 -0000

I talked to CRay and he lost all of his pictures in the storm. Very sad about that because I know he had hundredes of Ricky..... B, can you make a photo page complete with instructions on how to post them on this site? I know I have some somewhere that others would like to see as do other friends.

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:29:38 -0000

Thanks Jessica. I knew there was something funny about boxers and a lawn mower, just couldn't remember. I suspect that you have more stories that anyone so keep them comming.

Re: Ricky Peden

BK — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:15:24 -0000

I have read 'On the Road' by Kerouac as I am sure many of you have, and I have to say it doesn't come close to the adventures we all have had with Ricky.

Back to the beer olympics in Baja. Ricky and I were on a 4 man 1 girl team in a 3 day contest that involved drinking in every event. The girl on our team was really irking Ricky because although she could drink for 20 hours straight, she couldn't guzzle a drop, and this event necessitated speed drinking to be competitive. Well into day 2 we were in very last place (due to the inability to guzzle beer by the girl) in an event that required that you guzzle a beer, run an obstacle course inside the beach bar area, jump on a donky and ride it down the beach around a tire and back, run the course again, guzzle beer #2...then tag your team mate who began guzzling his first beer.

Ricky was batting clean up for our team, and followed slow drinking girl. Ricky slammed his beer and took off like Batman through the course to the donky. This was the point where everything slowed down for most people. No one could get the donkys to move any faster than an incredibly slow walk...and usually not in the right direction. When Ricky got on his donky though it was pure comedy. He jumped on that thing and got into some racing jocky, low profile, aerodynamic position (before the donky even moved, in fact it looked like it was yawning) and then I seriously don't know what he did to that donky (and I don't want to imagine) but that donky took off like Seabiscuit. The donky, with Ricky in full on donky jocky riding position, ran at full throttle (right past all the other teams who were wandering around in the sand in circles) down the beach and around the tire, coming out of the turn sideways so fast that the donkys butt nearly passed his head. Honestly it was an amazing site to see. Ricky parked the Tiajuana Seabiscuit, jumped off, ran back, and guzzled his last beer for the team win.

On our way back to California Ricky had a couple more up his sleeve (this by the way was one of the only times I got really grumpy with him). The wait at the border crossing was about 1 1/2 hours, so Ricky decided to get out of my truck cab and lay down in the bed under a blanket. We weren't moving much at all so it seemed fine. As I finally aproached the border check the Border Patrol Agent walked over to my truck to do a quick visual inspection. I hadn't thought about Ricky much for the previous hour until that moment. Just as the Border Patrol Agent began to lift the corner of the blanket Ricky set up and yelled 'BOO' and then giggled like a fool. He had fully entertained himself at my expense. The Agent was pissed and shouted 'Secondary', which means I got sent to a secondary inspection area that could take another several hours. This was where I started to get grumpy at Ricky...and he was happy as a clam, as if this was a fun place to be. We were broke, hung over, and tired but he was still going strong. When the secondary inspection team came over after about an hour Ricky said "Where would you say that the best place to smuggle drugs across the border would be? In the tires?"
This is when I was really wondering why he just couldn't be quiet once in a while. That team began dismantling everthing from my truck that they could. As I recall it took about another 3 hours for everything to be ripped out of my truck, every crannie inspected, and then put back together. Somehow Ricky managed to stay quiet long enough to avoid us getting a body cavity search, and I think he enjoyed it all. I gave him the silent treatment the rest of the way home.

I love that guy and I miss his mischief.

Re: Ricky Peden

Jessica — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:34:59 -0000

There are a lot of 2nd street stories that put a smile on my face and the lawn mower - boxer story is definitely one of those..

I am not proud to say but it was a late night and in a drunkened stupor Ricky and I get into this enormous fight... Before I know it,Ricky takes off to Goodheart's house in nothing but his boxers. As he is slowly making his way down 2nd street - a man and woman coming running out of their house waving flashlights and pistols and screaming
"get down on the ground , we caught you." The lady then says, " you, you stole our lawn mower and you are going to jail.." Ricky lying their face down on the ground, in only his boxers, screams back(scared to death with this gun pointed at him) " please, please call the cops! You caught me, I'm the boxer bandit!!!" Of course the husband and wife team don't think that Ricky is funny at all, they are just happy they caught the jackass that stole their lawn mower. They actually held Ricky down on the ground with the gun pointed on him until the cops arrive...

Then the cops get there and Ricky(in his boxers) is trying to explain to them that he and his crazy girlfriend got into a fight and he is trying to make his way to his house to stay out of trouble. After a while the cops finally transport Ricky back to his house to verify his girlfriend story...

I see the cop car lights drive up ( not 1 but 2 cars) and I can not believe that the jackass actually called the cops on me.... Okay maybe it was fight and all but call the cops?? At any rate, the cops knock on the door and I open it to Ricky standing there surrounded by cops in nothing but his boxer and that look on his face. Before the cops could ever say a word Ricky and I both bust out laughing. Of course we clear everything up and the cops leave and Ricky gets to tell him about the complete adventure.... Thus he dubbed him self " the boxer bandit" !!!

I love these stories but I miss hearing him tell me.... God, I miss him!!!

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:45:54 -0000

Thanks for clearing that up...I have faint recall of a story about Ricky running around second street in boxers and something about a lawn mower??? Can anyone help on this one?

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Sat, 31 May 2008 10:09:16 -0000

As told to us by Ricky -- and I know there's a girlfriend out there that at least saw part of this -- Ricky and said girlfriend were having dinner when a homeless looking man knocked on their door. Ricky opened the door and saw this redneck, drunkard, crankhead of a man complaining about his broken-down van on the curb. He said he had a flat tire.

So, Ricky began helping the man fix the flat tire not knowing that one of the neighbors had called the cops b/c the guy had either already bugged one of the neighbors or done something to cause a ruckus (who knows).

This high-as-a-kite guy was walking around to the side of the van, saw the cops pull up, and, thinking that he was only talking to himself, not very quietly said, "Holy shit!" Realizing he did say that out loud, he then tried to shift gears to normal, sober, nice guy and he basically screamed at the cops in a cheery voice, "HELLO!"

It's hard to put in writing the change in voice and character displayed by this man who knew he was about to go to jail, but my best attempt is this. Druggie dude sees cops and says loud enough for everyone to hear, "Holy shit!.........HELLO!!!!!!"

And then he went to jail. My moral of the story is never say, "hello" to cops. It just pisses them off.

So, for months after that whenever there was any combination of Ricky, Travellinbaen and/or me around, one of us would eventually, usually for no particular reason, shout out, "Holy shit. HELLO!" And then we'd laugh our asses off b/c that's what life's for.

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Sat, 31 May 2008 08:34:09 -0000

........that day with the thong????? Good heavens boy!!!
You must be more specific. That day could be one of (m)any.
...now don't leave us hanging with the "holy shit...HELLO" and the "Meth-head's flat tire"....... Please continue!

Re: Ricky Peden

travellinbaen — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:34:03 -0000

I have been enjoying this thread for awhile, and waiting for someone to bring up one of my personal favorite stories, but since it hasn't come up, I feel compelled.

Let me digress for a minute by saying I also haven't posted because I didn't get the time with Ricky most of you did and therefore feel a little less worthy to claim closeness to him. I also feel a bit cheated. But I had enough to know he had the biggest and sincerest heart of anyone I've yet come across. And I'll always remember how we became friends: I was close friends with Brian, met Ricky, and by virtue of my friendship with Brian, Ricky just looked me in the eye, gave me a slightly uncomfortably close face to face hug, and told me he loved me. Truth is, I was quite put off by this and didn't really think much of him until we'd hung out another dozen or so times and I realized the goofy sob meant it. I got a few more of those hugs through the years, but I lost the discomfort.

I'm ... proud? to say I was out there that day with the thong. But it was around that time, maybe the same weekend that Ricky was telling the "Holy shit...HELLO" story. For once he was not the star of the show, merely a supporting actor, but his re-telling of the meth-head's flat tire and subsequent police run-in outside his house is an all time classic.

And one more while I'm at it. Back to that first time we met-he came up to Oxford to hang out with Brian and we all went out to some redneck joint out in the county. An awesome rockin metal hair cover band was belting out the Crue and AC DC, Guns and Roses, etc. For some reason, there was a moment of relative quiet between songs when I hear "SKIIINARRRD--PLAY SOME SKINNNNNNARRRRRRRD". The locals were pretty sure they were being mocked, but apparantly, the invocation of that sacred name led them to determine that it was entirely possible, even logical, the goofy small one was serious, and once again our hero and his posse escaped an ugly scene unscathed.

Re: Ricky Peden

Jessica — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:20:43 -0000

I have not been on in a while but I would love to help out with anything that I can in regards to the golf tournament and party. It would be great to get together!!

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:40:14 -0000

(1) I maintain such a happy site that those smiley faces just pop up all the time automatically, or
(2) I'm sponsored by Wal-Mart, or
(3) I rigged the site to do that to piss people off.

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:03:46 -0000

That is 2008. I guess an 8 followed by a ) results in a smileycon or whatever those things are.
8)

Re: Ricky Peden

Russ — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:58:13 -0000

Set your clock for September 5 (2008) golf tourney. That is a Friday.

Re: Ricky Peden

supercynic — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:22:56 -0000

True, but it would have backfired at Yack's wedding not mine, so either way I was getting a laugh.

By the way, that wedding/reception was during the day so everyone was tanked by 7pm. For reasons that escape me at the moment, I had spare clothes but no spare shoes to change into -- only my patent leather tux shoes. Ricky wouldn't let up about going out, so I insisted that if I were going out, he also had to wear his tux shoes. Of course, he didn't think twice. So, we both hit the bars in jeans (which we tight-rolled just to add to the effect) and patent leather tux shoes. I can't believe I didn't hook up that night.