Growing up with Sports – It was a way of life!

Catholic Schools Night at Maimonides Park

Like father, like son! My Dad loved sports – in particular, basketball and baseball. His life was defined by his love for his family and his love for playing, coaching, refereeing, umpiring, and teaching me and my brothers – a love for the game! It was instilled in us in various ways: Dad (Lou) and his brother (Pete) were excellent athletes, and they were blessed to be able to play as young people on various teams and made many friends – connected with sports – both on and off the field/court. When Dad refereed or umpired a game, I tagged along with him, and my admiration grew for the sporting world!

My two oldest brothers did not really develop athletic interests. Charlie was gifted with mechanical and industrial skills – like electricity, plumbing, and woodworking. He taught “cabinet making” and could build and/or fix anything. He built everything from a boat to an outdoor furniture set that lasted for more than 25 years. Louis was the intellectual member of the family – one of the smartest people I knew; a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree seemed to come his way easily and naturally, but he was probably too absorbed in his studies to have time for anything else. He did learn to play the piano quite well!

For myself – the third of five sons in my family – I began to love sports – especially baseball at the age of 10. As I often say, “I fell in love with baseball because I had my tonsils removed.” The week I had to stay home after a tonsillectomy was the week in October 1955 when the Dodgers and Yankees played in the World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers were my first childhood heroes. I played basketball, softball, and stickball, but I did not excel in any one of them.

However, my two youngest brothers, Tom and Richie, were the most like my Dad in their understanding and their grasp of the world of sports. Tom was a dedicated organizer and coach for a summer softball league in both local “boys clubs” and in the local parish! He took the game seriously and he knew the game of softball/baseball better than most people knew it. I remember him entrusting me with the task of managing “his team” when he had to go out of town for a few days. Luckily, they won the game for me. I dread thinking about what he would have done/said if they had lost. Tom became a die-hard New York Mets fan. He and Richie started a baseball card business, a hobby that they turned into some modest profit. Richie continues to dabble, even today in the hobby.

Richie was the most sports-minded of all of us. He attributes his initiation into the world of sports to my Dad taking him and Tom to their first baseball game in April 1958 in Yankee Stadium! From then on, he, like Dad, was and still is a truly loyal and devoted Yankee fan. He excelled in sports always enjoying a chance to play baseball, softball, basketball, and even touch football. He loved teaching others, coaching others, and passing on his knowledge to young people. He still watches every Yankee baseball game on TV as well as every St. John’s University (his alma mater) basketball game. He also developed an interest in “fantasy football/baseball leagues” and knows more about sports than any person I know. One of his greatest accomplishments was to visit all 30 baseball stadiums in the USA and Canada. He also wrote a book entitled “Who’s in the Hall?” referring to the Baseball Hall of Fame. His love for sports – even today – would make my Dad very proud of him!