Unlike many former players who struggle after their careers end, Bledsoe planned for the transition. He’s involved with an investment company, and he has good financial advisers that have helped him avoid money drains in a sputtering economy.
His biggest venture, though, is in the wine business, where Bledsoe and his childhood friend, Chris Figgins, have partnered to make world-class wines at Doubleback Winery in Prosser.
“When I retired, I knew I needed something to keep me engaged,” Bledsoe says. “My wife and I had a passion for wine when I was playing ball. The more I learned about it, the more interesting it became.
“My little hometown became one of the premier wine regions in the world, and my next-door neighbor is one of the best wine-makers in the world. [Having him there is] like having Peyton Manning or Tom Brady as a quarterback if you’re starting an NFL franchise.”
In the first year of production, Doubleback’s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was named as one of the top-100 wines in the world by Wine Spectator. Asked where that rates with his football accomplishments, Bledsoe said: “I don’t know, but it’s way up there. It’s like making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.”
This year, a bottle of Doubleback Cab costs $89 and is available at doubleback.com.
“To make truly world-class wine, it’s expensive,” Bledsoe said. “We have two to three tons of grapes per acre. With a cheaper wine, you have six to seven tons. You don’t get the same complexity and quality of fruit.”
A few hours after we talked, Bledsoe planned to drive to Walla Walla to meet with Figgins. He’ll sometimes listen to music while he drives, but on longer trips, he’ll kill the time by listening to books on tape. He never tunes into sports-talk stations.
But, he keeps tabs on what’s going on in the NFL and remains a loyal Coug.
“Seriously?! How am I supposed to fly on this?” Bledsoe tweeted in April, showing a photo of a Horizon Air Washington Huskies-themed plane. He said it’s tough living in Bend because he’s surrounded by Ducks and Beavers, but his kids are Cougar fans, so he’s raising them right.
They’re looking forward to going to their summer home in Montana, where more rounds of golf and outdoor activities await in Whitefish.
“We have a ton of fun together,” he said. “It’s an amazing luxury I have, the free time to spend with them.”
Bledsoe tweeted the other day that he can’t believe that one of his kids (Stu) is going to be in high school next year. But then, Bledsoe — now 23 years removed from our first conversation — just turned 40 himself, an age at which you’re not really old but not really young anymore.
Maybe it’s his new career choice, but fortunately, the kid from Walla Walla is aging not like an old quarterback, or a golfer, but like a fine Washington wine.
In addition to Cascade Golfer, Jim Moore also writes for his website, jimmoorethego2guy.com. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo. Jim appears weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on “The Kevin Calabro Show” on 710 ESPN Seattle or 710Sports.com. He has also launched a weekly Northwest Golf Show on the podcast page of 710Sports.com.