I was hoping you'd read this thread.Originally Posted by RedlegJake
I was hoping you'd read this thread.
"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton
Hope you pass those stories on to the folks that matter in your life. Your father will live on through the stories.
Wheels, hope the best for you and your family.
Go Reds!
School's out. What did you expect?
I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier, Wheels. It's threads like these that keep me coming back to this place.
I had to share this with a few friends. Sometimes I think us young people take our parents for granted. Sometimes I find myself not returning Dad's calls because I don't want to give up those 30 minutes--too caught up with living in the moment. I'm really glad I called him tonight. Whenever our conversation stalls we turn to baseball as a common ground.
I hope the best for you and look forward to discussing more Reds baseball with you in the future!
Thanks for the post Wheels, it's kind of timely for me. I lost both my parents within 2 months a little over 6 years ago now. For a time I found myself cherishing every moment with my kids...you know, really being present in the moment and paying attention. This winter I seem to have been getting caught up in the massively important goings on at work and even thinking about those things while I'm with the family. Your post is my reminder that I told myself I'd stop doing that.
My big baseball connection was with my grandpa who spent his life driving a truck for Richter concrete and using his alternative curse words (he had a 'clean' alternative for just about any curse you could think of) to fuss about what Bristol or Sparky was doing at any given moment. His constant companion was a little pocket transistor radio with a single earpiece attached and he was always listening to the Reds game. People would see him on the street and ask what the score was, or he'd randomly yell out, "Goldernit Pete! What are you thinking?" or sometimes just a little encouraging, "You can do it boys!" I always imagined people would think he was half crazy but that seemed to be normal behavior for his generation. He was always baseball crazy...he showed up at every knothole game for me and my brothers and half of our practices...he played on a softball team until he couldn't, and even then he became their manager. He had season tickets at Crosley, and then later at Riverfront, and my brothers and I got to take turns going to games with him. I saw half a dozen playoff games with him and a couple World Series games and we made so many memories I could darn near write a book. His generation didn't know how to talk about their feelings, but they knew how to be present. He was a constant presence in my life until he passed away in the 90's and I buried a ball with him that he had 'Robbie' sign for me back in '65. He taught me many, many things by his living example but whenever he verbalized a life lesson, ("Sometimes you don't win, but you can learn a lot from a loss.") it was always related to baseball. Anyway, I think I'll go tell my kids a story about their great grandfather now and I want to thank you for bringing me back to reality. When the girls ask who "Wheels" is that we're praying for tonight, I'll tell them he's a big Reds fan like their Daddy and their Great Grandpa.
God bless you brother.
Last edited by WebScorpion; 05-05-2012 at 04:13 AM.
"This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." -- Terence Mann
Wheels, I was just discussing you and your Dad with Mrs. Tommyjohn25, who is a Dr. She has a thought and maybe you can bring it up to your oncologist. If he is truly confused about what the legions are, perhaps they are parasites? She said that in some cases, if one finds themselves with parasites for whatever reason, they will oftentimes run a cycle in the brain and can present themselves on a MRI or CT scan as several anomalies.
Just a thought. Hope all is well.
Benzinger backing and calling! And the 1990 world championship series belongs to the Cincinnati Reds!
Just a little story. What wheels said can apply to most of us. My Dad took me to my first game at Crosley Field in 1961. We did it each year until 1973 when he had his first heart attack in April of that year. We had a trip planned that summer, but another attack in May made us miss our first season in 12 years. During that time, we sat by the radio together and listened to the games. He was better in 1975 and we resumed our trips to Cincy for the next 4 years. In 1981' we had plans to take the Amtrack to a game in late September. We ordered the tickets one day before he died. I cherish the memories of those 16 years of going to games.
My father never knew his grandson, born in 1986, but I continued that tradition with him. I hope that he will take me to games when I become a PITA, because the memories he will have will last forever, just like mine have. Baseball and the Reds have been a large part of my family, and I hope he follows suit when he has children.
Prayers your way...
Last edited by WVRedsFan; 05-05-2012 at 11:41 PM.
www.ris-news.com
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
Wow... More great stories from people I've grown to love from this site.
I can't tell you how much it means. We share so many experiences' and so many people have offered up words of encouragement and ideas about what it could be.... I'm genuinely shocked and a little choked up about it. I really can't thank you all enough.
My Dad and I visited the oncologist today, and he told us that all of the scan and blood tests showed absolutely nothing. He's still as confused as he was last week, but he stopped short of saying it wasn't cancer. Needless to say I'm bouyed by the news. Nothing is certain, but he seemed confident that they could reach the spots on his brain for a biopsy. He also acknowledged that most people wouldn't still be alive if this were a metastatic cancer left untreated. Yeah. I'm pretty stoked. Whatever it is, if it isn't cancer we can deal with it. I told him today that I'd buy him a kick butt Evil Kneavel style cane. Who cares? As long as he's alive and being offensive.
I'd also like to convey my gratitude to the Reds organization. A somewhat prolific poster here (who will be forever nameless! Don't ask.) offered us tickets to any game in a location that will be easy for my pop to traverse. I told him about this, and it's the closest I've ever seen him come to crying.
Sigh... We really are rooting for a class ball club... Almost as classy as th e folks in the ORG.
We really should feel good about ourselves and the tea we root for. They DEFINITELY reflect our values. We really are family.
"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton
Good news. I know it will still be scary, but this is good news.
My father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a couple of years ago. They called the family in and gave him pretty much no chance. He's still around, and they can find no cancer. He'll always be stage 4 and realizes nothing is certain, but with no evident cancer, he's been able to get on with his life, even to travel and ride his Harley again (even if it is a trike now).
With it looking like your father's problem likely wasn't cancer, I can imagine the relief. Good to hear this.
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
Great news, Wheels! Also whoever the nameless poster on here is, good on ya!
Benzinger backing and calling! And the 1990 world championship series belongs to the Cincinnati Reds!
Great news. Take your father to a game and cherish the time you have with him. I can't take my Dad to a game anymore. And I'd like to sit in the ball park he never saw and hear what he'd say about it. I can only wonder what he'd say about our manager. He would probably fire him like he did Hutch, Sisler, and Sparky among others. I miss him terribly.
www.ris-news.com
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
Great news wheels! I got around to this thread a little late but I echo the sentiments already sent your way. We're all pulling for you guys!
Thanks everyone.
It's been a very long and stressful day. Beer has never tasted this good.
"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton
I'm extremely happy for you and your dad, wheels.
Do the doctors have any ideas about what the next step is? Have they suggested a cardiogram? If not, you should ask about it.
"I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful
Sounds like good news Wheels! I'm glad to hear it.
Reds Fan Since 1971
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