Happy Father's Day

A bit of explanation is probably in order.....

This blog has not been updated in almost a year. Along the way, there were many friends made and several folks who offered well wishes. I probably should have come on here sooner to update and it is amazing how quickly time can get away from you.

Last July, I had a computer crash and had to by a new one. My father, who is the inspiration for this blog, reminded me at the time that "there are more important things in life." It stuck me then, to take his words to heart. I'm glad that I did.

See, my Dad was living with cancer and emphysema. Over 50 years of smoking had taken its toll and in December 2008, he had a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. Fortunately, it did not return. However, effects of chemo and radiation exacerbated the emphysema and his breathing got worse.

He died on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

Something told me last year to take a step back and focus on spending more time with him and my family. I am glad that I did.

Not knowing it at the time, there were alot of good memories along the way. He got to see his third grandchild born last July. He lived to his 70th birthday and got to tease his son when he turned 40. He watched his team, the Steelers, play in the Super Bowl one last time and didn't get mad when his grandson showed up wearing a cheesehead. We had one last Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. We talked about sports, politics, entertainment and life in general. He shared with me things that I had never known about him before. And he died with his family around him the way he would have liked.

So on Father's Day, I return to this blog to begin again. I hope to be more frequent with my posts....life sometimes takes funny turns. If you don't mind, I will occasionally throw in a baseball-themed story or two that don't have much to do with 1980, but everything to do about my Dad.

Happy Father's Day Dad, we do miss you.

All Pro Baseball Stars 1980

Today is my son's last day school. Hard for me to believe, but third grade is now in the books.

Every now and then I drive by my old elementary school (now closed) and am reminded of certain things when I was my children's age. In 1980 when I was collecting these cards, I was my son's age. Now, with my Dad getting older and his health not what it was, many days I feel like the linchpin between the generations. While I do my best to be a good father, I won't ever shake that little voice that tells me to also be a good son.

Baseball has been our common language. It is the first thing that Grandpa and grandson talk about when they see each other. When he was feeling better, the first person to pitch to my son was my Dad.

Now, with my son's final grades in, my Dad and I watched my son play in his little league game tonight (they won). I lost count of how many times we did that over the year, either at a ballpark somewhere or on TV. Sometimes it may even be sitting in the driveway in the old Buick trying to get KDKA to hear Bob Prince or KMOX for Jack Buck.

Inevitably, our conversation turned to when I was nine.

"Do you still have all of those books from when you were his age?"

Indeed, I do Dad.

He was talking about books that I got through the Troll Book Club. For those of you that are unfamiliar, these were a highlight during the school year. Kids would order and just when you forgot about them, they would come in.

Every year, Scholastic Books would print another edition of the "All Pro Baseball Stars" by Bruce Weber. Even though these were already in the school library, it was still special to own your own copy. The first one I ever got was the 1980 edition and we got it on my last day of third grade in 1980. Why we got it in June is questionable, but I didn't care, I was just happy to have it.

Here are the front and back covers:





For a time, I took this book everywhere. In the car. In the backyard. To restaurants when we went out to eat. I devoured everything within its 92 pages. Then I devoured it again.

The book contained their All-Star selections for the AL and NL from the previous seasons (the All-Pro title always bothered me, that was football). Here's a scan:



There was also another section on the top rookies and complete team previews for every major league team:



Finally, there were complete listings of all position players and pitchers. I loved how they refered to players by their complete name, like Lawrence Bowa and Louis Brock.



In time, I would obtain every one of these between 1976 and 1988. I think that was the run of these, but I am not certain. But it's also not the point.

It's about the start of summer. It's about baseball. It's about fathers and sons. And it's about how great things are when all three of them come together.

Happy Father's Day

Today, please allow me to make a non-1980 related blog entry.

As you may have read, this blog has been inspired by my own father, who in 1980 bought me my first pack of cards. This set has special memories for me as they are cardboard reminders of my childhood, the kids I grew up with and most importantly my Dad. In some ways, it is like looking through an old photo album. I am currently sharing them with my son, who is about the same age as I was in 1980, although understandably he is more interested in today's stars.

I am fortunate to still have my Dad with us, although the past six months has been rough for him. In December, he had a cancerous tumor removed from his lung - the byproduct of 50 years of smoking. If any of you out there smoke or have a relative who does, I implore you to do all that you can to get them to quit. It's simply not worth it.

Luckily, at the moment, it appears that the removal surgery was successful and the cancer has not spread to any of his organs. However, this week he will have prostate surgery. He has kept his spirits and humor throughout this entire ordeal and is determined to be as healthy as he can for as long as he can. One of his goals in fact, revolved around baseball as in February he wanted to attend the Tigers-Pirates series in Pittsburgh with me and my son (alas the prostate issue didn't allow him to make the trip). So even in his most trying time, baseball has been a focus.

This is my first Father's Day where I fully realize that he is not going to be around forever. I bought him a subscription to the USA Today since the local papers do not carry all the box scores as they used to, something I have heard my father lament since the start of the season. Today, more than ever, certainly has made me reflect and appreciate.

Part of the mix has been this great game. Through it, and by extension these cards, we don't grow old. We don't get sick. We don't have bills and wonder where the money will come from. For a moment or three, we are the eight year old boys holding our Dad's by the hand and seeing a ball game. And for that moment or three, we feel good. We feel safe. And all is well. Thanks Dad for giving me that gift. Hopefully a few box scores can somehow repay the debt.