Willy and his Dad.

He passed about 5 years ago at the age of 91 or was it 92.  Willy seems to forget the times and the dates but Willy does not forget his dad.    It was a sports talk show that Willy was listening to yesterday where they were talking about sports memories with their dads.  Well, this brought up the memory as follows:

Willy's dad did not spend a lot of time when Willy was growing up playing games, sports or much else with his kids.  The reason was that there were 8 kids and dad was busy trying to farm and ranch and keep food on the table.  We did not have a lot of frills but we had food and love. 

In his later years Willy's dad was raising a nephew of Willy's.  Dad had retired from the farming and had moved from the farm to town.  Willy's dad had, surprisingly to Willy, became the nephew's little league coach.  It amazed Willy how involved Dad was in the sport and in the coaching.  Willy's dad had almost become a fanatic.

Well, Willy had graduated college and had come home to work for a while in a friends office there in the Panhandle of Texas.  For convenience sake Willy was going to live with Mom and Dad for a while until Willy moved on to his next occupation.   Well, Willy had umpired occasionally and was roped in to umpiring for the little league where Dad was coaching. - Mistake.

A few games into the season and Dad became aggressively animated at a call that Willy had made at home plate.  Willy politely and reverently asked dad to go to the dugout or get thrown out of the game.  Next inning comes up and Dad again gets frustrated at a brilliant call that Willy made at home plate.  Willy again asks Dad to go to the dugout and he vehemently refuses.  Willy with some dramatic animation in front of the crowd ejects good ole Dad from the game.

The game ends and Willy goes home - Mom and Dad's home - to get some refreshment and a good home cooked meal that Mom provides every evening.  When Willy walked into the kitchen it was obvious tat there was a plate for Dad and a plate for Mom but absent was a plate for Willy.  Willy politely inquires about the obvious absence of his eating utensils.  Mom replies with only the fire that she could have "you totally embarrassed your Dad at the ballpark"  she stated.  "You may never eat in this house again"

Willy went to the local Dairy Queen for a meal that night with the expectation that after a little cooling off the plate would return.  It did not return for a couple of days and only after Willy completed an eloquent apology to Dad.

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

10-4 Willy