Massachusetts Man Wins Lottery And Pulls Off The Triple Crown Of Life

Cj Gunther. Shutterstock Images.

A Massachusetts man won $1 million off a scratch-off ticket he bought three days after giving his two-week retirement notice, according to the state lottery.

Paul Bashaw, 65, formerly a truck driver, had a lucky strike from a $20 scratch-off ticket he bought last month at J&J Variety, a convenience store in West Boylston, about 55 miles west of Boston.

“I told my wife there were three things in life I never thought I’d see happen: the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, getting a hole in one − that happened five years ago − and hitting the lottery,” Bashaw said, according to lottery officials. “Now I’ve hit all three."

That's a life well lived. I love that covers so many gamuts of being a guy too. If he's 65, he likely started rooting for the Pats in the late 60's. He went through decades of the team being one of the biggest laughingstock's off the NFL and then become the preeminent NFL superpower. That's got to be the most rewarding fan experience. You can't have the sweet without the sour.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY. Getty Images.

Then he gets to hit a hole in one five years ago. I'm awful at golf but it's the sport I'd most like to be at least decent at. I love being outside and around fresh green grass. I love that Great Paul (that's my nickname for this guy) was able to achieve the best thing an amateur golfer can do. I'd even rather hit a hole in one than bowl a perfect game. It's the ultimate bragging rights accomplishment for regular guys.

Finally, he pulls off the hardest leg of the triple crown last: winning a $1 million in the lottery. I don't play the lottery and I always silently scoff at people at the store who take forever picking "their" numbers. Yet, I'm a hypocrite because I also think winning the lottery is incredible. In my mind, I almost have it as some sort of accomplishment. 

The coolest thing of all of this is the timing. He won the lottery two weeks before he retired. He took the one-lump payout of $650,000 so now he gets to enter retirement with a great cushion for vacations or a new car or Pats season tickets. There's always taxes but even so, he's getting around $350,000 the very day he retires. That's pretty awesome.

He has it all figured out. It's easy to say that he's lucky but he also went through being a fan of Hugh Millen as the QB for the Patriots, years and years of lousy golf games and countless losing lottery tickets. He earned the Triple Crown Of Life. Enjoy retirement Great Paul.