Its been a difficult last two weeks.
My father passed away on February 15, 2008. He was seventy-five. We weren't as close as many sons and fathers are. Without going into great detail about our relationship, which was contentious at time, he was able to influence my life, immensely.
My dad grew up on the Dodgers of Brooklyn. He loved Duke Snyder and would describe they way the lefty would swing and how the ball looked when he Snyder hit a home run. Despite loving the Dodgers, and loathing the Yankees as he did, I remember when Mickey Mantle died a decade ago, my father actually cried.
Naturally, after the Dodgers left Brooklyn, he began rooting for the Mets in 1962 and when I came around to following baseball, the Mets, naturally, were my team as well. He took me to my first game on July 28, 1976. The Mets lost to the Pirates 1-0, despite Tom Seaver's heroic performance. But it wasn't the game, it was being with him that I enjoyed most.
I also loved when he would talk to me about the great Knick teams that I just missed out on. He loved basketball, I think, more than any other game. Willis Reed, Dave Debusshure, Bill Bradley and, of course, Walt "Clyde" Frazier. That was truly a time to be a Knick fan. He always told me that a great team, like the Knicks team of the late sixties and early seventies, had to have balanced scoring. When a player scored too many points, he looked down on it because he was weened on teamwork.
Then, of course, was the New York Giants. My father was usually off on Sundays and he would take me for a drive around Brooklyn. We would listen to the Giants' games on the radio. The Giants were bad in the late seventies and he would remind me of the excellent Giants teams of the 1950s and early sixties. It wasn't just the Giants. He admired great Packers teams of the sixties lead by the great Vince Lombardi.
About the Giants, my father told me about Andy Robustelli, Jim Katkavage, Rosie Grier and Frank Gifford. Who could forget Sam Huff?
Truly, though, he had enormous respect for the Packers. The power sweep, Bart Starr, Jim Ringo. He always said, "you knew it was coming, but it was impossible to stop!"
What can one say about one's own father. I wish I had had the wisdom to have said in this article, what I should have said to his face.
Thank you.
Love, your son,
Andrew
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7 months ago
May your father RIP.
from 7 months ago
Thank you.
from 7 months ago
Thank you, Tim for selecting my essay as the article of the day.
from 7 months ago
No problem. I'm only a 16 yr old junior in high school, so I haven't experienced anything like this yet, but I can only hope that I can be as good a son as you are, and as good a father as your father was.
7 months ago
Andrew
nice story....sometimes sports is all a father and son have to in common. With my father and me, that was about all we really could talk to each other about for a long period of time. But that bond kept us relatively close until more recently, when our relationship became based on more than just sports talk.
My son is 22 now. He was never a big sports kid. He is now, and I find sports as an icebreaker when I need to have difficult conversations with him. It does not matter to me that he is a Yankees and Jets fan which directly opposes my being a fan of the Mets and Giants. It is something, and I'm glad for that.
I think he opposes my beliefs in general. I keep asking my wife if she brought the right baby home from the hospital. She reminds me time and again how difficult we were when we were his age. In that case, he IS my son!!!
May your dad rest in peace
JF
from 7 months ago
Thank you again John, for your incredible support. You seem like a great dad.
I think I'll write something on your Mets blog soon enough.
7 months ago
Nice article.
May your father RIP.
7 months ago
Nice Article. May your father rest in peace. He was fortunate to see some of the all time greats during a by gone era in sports. I lost my father in 2001 and like you recall him taking me to games and always stating how important it was give it your all and to play the game the right way.
from 7 months ago
Thank you Jeff, for your kind comments.
7 months ago
Article of the day!
Glad your father got to see the Giants win this year's Super Bowl.
May him R.I.P.
from 7 months ago
Thanks
7 months ago
Andrew, this is a very touching article, and I am glad that you and your father were able to share an appreciation of sports. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and I hope that all goes as well as possible for your family. I wish you the best, and on a personal level I really appreciate an article about the people behind the games - a reminder that we watch for many reasons, and not just the sport itself. I won't go into details, but I will say that I am a loyal Notre Dame fan because of a close family member passing - every game I watch reminds me of him, and I somehow feel that he is still close to me because of it. So again, thank you for sharing your story and your memories of your father. My heart goes out to you and your family.
from 7 months ago
ZZ, Thank you for your sweet comments. Go IRISH!!
Cute baby.
7 months ago
Thank you for your sweet words. Go IRISH!!
Cute baby!!!
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