Baseball and my Dad

This entry is dedicated to Nicholas J. Graziose - my Dad

On May 22 it will be 7 years since my Dad passed.  I'd like to tell you about him and, of course baseball.  Dad, was a Dodger fan - both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.  He knew a lot about the players of the 40's, 50's and 60s.   Oh, and just so you know - Nobody could hold a candle to Sandy Koufax, and Duke Snider was the most underrated player on the planet.  Just thought you'd like to know.

I remember watching games on TV and Dad would stroll in and sit down.

"Who's this pitching?"

"Nolan Ryan Dad"

"Oh yeah, he's wild.  No where near the control Koufax had"

Thanks, Red Barber

When my Mom and Dad moved to Florida, Dad acquired an affinity for the (then) Devil Rays.  Not sure why. I guess he wanted a local team to follow.  He followed that sad team religiously.  I bring this up because to this day I wish he could have seen the current Rays.  I know he would have loved this team and their manager Joe Maddon.  They are the type of team Dad loved to watch.

As most of  you know, a father and son's relationship is not always silky smooth (no!).  That held true for Dad and me. If things got a little rocky between us baseball came to the rescue.  After a tiff of some sort, in which he was right 99.9% of the time (and you thought there wouldn't be any stats in this entry), I would be watching the game and probably in a pissy mood.  Dad would come in, sit down a watch for a few minutes.  then we'd talk about the game.  We'd admire the performances, critique the managerial decisions and even make fun of the broadcasters. Then ...

"Oh who's pitching?"

"That's Steve Carlton Dad.  Wicked slider"

"yeah he looks good"

a few innings later - "Koufax had a better curve" .... here we go....

Rest In Peace Dad. I miss you.

Thanks for reading,

-Tom