And he never questioned any decision of any of my coaches. When I played for the Wilkes-Barre Junior Barons and later through junior high and high school, dad never missed a practice or a game. Dad did not even the appearance of any possible impropriety or favoritism shown his son,ĭad was always there for me though. My dad co-founded Plymouth Little League in 1950 and served as president/commissioner every year fore 30-plus years - except for the four years I played in the league. That’s why visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame was so special. Win or lose, it was always time well spent with my dad. There was nothing better that sitting in dad’s living room watching a Yankee game from start to finish. Dad loved to watch these players, but he loved more to watch me enjoy the games and the players. We also made many trips to Yankee Stadium and Connie Mack Stadium to see many games and many stars of the diamond. It was the most amazing throw I have ever seen.ĭad said, this is why he brought me to Pittsburgh - to see these great players. We witnessed Clemente chase down a ball in the right field corner of Forbes Field, turn around and through the runner out at third base.
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Dad even drove us to Pittsburgh for a weekend series between the Pirates and Giants - Mays, McCovey, Clemente. We went to so many Major League games to see all those great players. Most were of New York Yankees, but he also paid homage to Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Harmon Killebrew, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, and several others - even Ted Williams.ĭad was a baseball fan, through and through. We walked through the entire museum, stopping at all the displays that dad cherished.
But when we arrived, I knew he was thrilled to be there. Dad never expected to go there on this Saturday. One is about the time I picked him up on a Saturday and drive him to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. So at the risk of being repetitious, I want to tell a few vignettes about my dad. They are not here physically, but they will always be with me in my heart. That’s why I celebrate today and every birthday of my mom and dad and all those Mothers Days and Fathers Days and holidays. But I believe that I made it through those uncertain times and landed safely on the other side because of my parents. Together, they taught me just about everything I needed to know to prepare me for the real world.Īnd despite all that preparation and all their advice and the examples they both set, I struggled to get anywhere. I have missed him every single day since.
My dad died in 1995, just a week short of his 73rd birthday. Everybody I have ever spoken to about him tells me the same thing - that he was a gentleman, that he was fun, that he loved his family and community and that nobody ever said a bad word about him. I wish I had known my dad back then, in those years before I came along. He returned home, got himself a car, a job and a wife and led an exemplary life serving his family, friends, country and community. That guy - that American hero - never gave up his entire life. There is just something extremely special about a guy who went off to war, ran onto a beach on D Day, stepped on a land mine and ended up in a MASH unit minus his right leg. So today, on what would have been his 99th birthday, I will celebrate my dad and all he did for me and all who knew him. WILKES-BARRE - We all love our parents and we all regard them as the best there ever was. visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1990 and stopped to check out the display about his beloved New York Yankees.
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