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For Mr S and Pete
August 30, 2008
Yeah, it's long, not that much baseball reference, but it came out this way. DR if you must, I'll live!
Some friends come and go, others hang around a while, through thick and thin. They end up being true friends. My buddy Pete is just that. We met in '77 through of all things, the CB radio! Yup, Big Joe and Warrior. Over the years we've both stepped up big time for each other and always will, unconditionally.
We'd show up at the high school in leather jackets in his '73 Camaro with Hush Thrush exhaust, Keystone Classic rims, BF Goodrich raised white letter tires and Aerosmith cranked on a tricked out sound system. That was as cool as it could get back in 1980. Every time I watch Dazed and Confused, the HS parking lot reminds me of then. We've been to Keg parties galore, toga parties, seen my first concert with him in 78-Aerosmith at Boston Garden, I was 14, almost 15. We've seen more concerts, Sox games, and Pats games than we can remember at this point.
Mr. S was strict with him, a great guy, but an Italian Ward Cleaver, if you will. NO BS TOLERATED! Needless to say, we ended up getting in some trouble, my fault of course, and he was banned from hanging around with me. It cut down on us hanging out for a while, but if the sh*&t hit the fan, we'd have been there for each other. I never held it against Mr. S one bit. I understood I was a rebel without a clue then. I drank in life like an alcoholic on his last beer back then, and made no excuses for it. Heck, I still try to, but with a bit more care these days, older and wiser, ya know. I went to every party, chased plenty of girls, hitch-hiked everywhere, did whatever I pleased and drove my parents nuts! Made it up to them since and still wouldn't change a thing. My life was like those old high school flix. Even had the conversion van with the shag carpet, fridge, TV, and of course, the bed in the back.
A lot has changed since then, I'm still fairly nuts and still a big kid, but it's definitely different now. Pete has been married and thank God divorced. I, came REAL close once, even had the table seating matches printed, however, I have remained elusive to capture.
So much for the background, but it illustrates how far we go back. We've managed to have some fun with Mr S. in later life. We saw Drew Bledsoe fail in his first game against the Pats with the Bills, in Buffalo. We also saw Roger Clemens 300th win foiled by our Sox at the stadium about to be blown up, with my Dad too. If there is such a thing as male bonding, I think we did.
The point is Mr S was a great guy and a great father. We got to know each other better as I became older. I further realized that this was an amazing guy. A Korean War Vet, a great patriarch, mentor to many, and I honestly don't know anyone who impacted more lives. Glad I was one.
Mr S left us on the 20th after a valiant battle with Alzheimer's, which always wins. Glad something else beat it to the punch. He knew so many people that he was called the mayor. I bet he knew more people in this town than the real mayor, who showed up at the Wake to pay his respects. The Wake started at 4 this past Monday and the line was out the door til a few minutes before it ended at 8:00 PM. Even some of his friends from elementary school, with whom he had remained friends, were there. The stories were abound about how Mr S had helped, guided, or otherwise touched people's lives. It was quite a tribute.
I'll always remember driving him to his physical therapy when Pete Jr had to work. Cranking Johnny Cash while he whistled along in the Park Ave Ultra I bought from, you guessed it-Mr S. By then he had been since diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was proceeding bravely down that AWFUL road. At least he had moved to a great place that could handle the unique needs of somebody with that disease. I got to go there with Pete Jr and bring Dean Martin Roasts to watch together and have some laughs. Even with his mental abilities and memory starting to lose the war, the older stuff like the roasts, were fairly easy to remember. Alzheimer's robs you backwards. More recent things get stolen and the thief progresses chronologically in reverse. Ultimately, the timing of his passing was a blessing. He was just rounding the bend to the last, worst stretch of that God Awful disease. I'm glad he was spared that last indignity. In the end, he stayed clear for a lot longer than anybody thought he could. He even beat lung cancer shortly after his diagnosis. The guy was as tough as he was lovable Through it all, Pete Jr visited with him as much as he could. He went above and beyond for his Dad, like I will for mine someday, and he'll be there to back me up, I'm sure.
Now the dust settles and I am making sure Pete gets some necessary distractions. He took the picture of me licking the '07 WS trophy Thursday night. We have a keg party/cookout tomorrow with a band including the drummer of the metal band MACE I managed in the mid-late '80s plus lots of friends we've had since then. And Monday night? Another Sox game-Loge Box near first base. Thanks for the tix little sister! (Sassy on this site.)
He'll get through the loss of his Dad, like he got through the loss of his Mom, and like then, I'll be there. There are many blogs here about people's heroes. This was one about two of mine.
To all of my friends here, thanks for reading this, I know it's long and if you got this far, thanks. Cherish life, family, and friends. Hug your Mom and Dad if you are lucky enough to still have them like I do. And remember, like Benny Hill said, “Live every day like it was your last. Someday you'll be right!
The picture is of Mr. S, his friend from Buffalo, and Pete Jr. It's Toronto, in front of our hotel on the weekend of our Pats trip. To Mr S! You are missed and we hope you are in a better place! Ciao!
-~Joe Sox~ RSM
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