[personal profile] grayhawkfh
In certain respects, I'm the weird one in my immediate family.

Oh hush already

I'm not the sports fanatic that my dad or brothers are. Yes, I enjoy sports quite a bit, but not to the extent that they do. They can give you the current standings of most teams; I'd have to look it up. They could give you a fair idea of who is starting on a given night; I'd have to look it up. The only thing I can come close to matching them on is football.

But even I had my sports heroes growing up.

The death of Harry Kalas yesterday has hit me harder than I thought it would. I think that is due in large part to the fact that, whether or not I realized it at the time, he was an integral part of the soundtrack of my summers and of my youth. And now that part of my childhood, of my summers, of my life is gone. Like so many others, I remember that day in April 1987 when Mike Schmidt hit his 500th Home Run, and I remember the call. Hearing it so many times over the last 24 hours or so has been simultaneously heart-warming and heart-wrenching.

And so, on my commute back and forth to work yesterday and today, I found myself realizing not just how much he meant, but also saddened that I will never be able to thank him. Between his death and the recent death of Dave Arneson, I find myself in the position of wanting to have the chance to meet certain people for no other reason than to thank them for their influence on my life.

I'm still trying to collect my thoughts on Dave; I'll cover that in another post. Right now, I want to talk about 3 people from the world of sports who have made a lasting impression on me. I may never get to meet them. They'll probably never read this. But, if I at least get this out, write it down, commit electrons to cyber-space - I'll at least have done something.

Mike Schmidt: For this 10 year old kid from South Jersey, he was THE MAN when it came to baseball. Yes, I knew the names of many of the other players. Pete Rose, Tug McGraw, and others. But for some reason, it was Mike Schmidt who held my attention. He was why I was happy to go to Phillies games - to see him play. To hopefully see him clobber another home run. When the game was on TV, I paid more attention when he came to bat. Of any baseball player, Mike Schmidt was who I wanted to be; the Mike I wanted to be like. He was the reason for this non-baseball watchin' person to watch baseball; to want to PLAY baseball.

So thank you, sir. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for inspiring the dreams of a 10 year old boy. For the thrills that went through me whenever you hit another homer. Thank you for all of that and so much more.


Ron Jaworski: The "Polish Rifle". Eagles quarterback who took them to the SuperBowl in 1980. Football is my first love in sports, and my love and passion for the Philadelphia Eagles is unflagging. He was a presence on the field. Someone you knew you wanted to be. And he had that "ski" at the end of his name! A fellow Polack! Proof positive that polacks could make it in the NFL! Never went to a game where he played; watched him on TV. Marveled at his ability, at his arm strength, at him. It was a sad day for me when he left the team.

So thank you, sir. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for inspiring a young man to try out for football, even though he wasn't very good at it. For the excitement I experienced when you played. Thank you for all of that and so much more.


Merrill Reese: The long time voice of the Eagles. So many people I know will gladly turn down the sound on their TV and turn up the radio during an Eagles game just to hear him call the game. And I'm among them. I gladly pay the money for NFL Field Pass every season so I can hear him call the games. He is an unabashed fan of the Eagles, and seems willing to let you know when they don't seem to be playing up to expectations. I can remember a few years ago when I drove up to NJ with [livejournal.com profile] stoooooooo for the annual Fantasy Football draft. The Eagles were playing a preseason game that night - the first thing we did was to tune in WYSP so we could listen to Merrill call the game (and hear what inanities Mike Quick might come up with).


So thank you, sir. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for giving me a taste of "home" - with your Philly references. For the excitement and enthusiasm you bring to your broadcast. For sharing your enthusiasm for the Eagles. Thank you for all of that and so much more.

Remember: You woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning. By definition, that makes this a good day.

Peas. Out.

Date: 2009-04-16 08:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dr-zrfq.livejournal.com
My favorite of the late-70s Phillies was Tug -- probably because I was a Mets fan while growing up outside NYC and Tug was a big part of their improbable 1973 World Series run, and part of why I switched my National League allegiance to the Phils was because they had Tug.

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