When I was living away from home at school and my father had no idea how to relate to me, he would try to shift the conversation to baseball every time I called. Not having a TV, I didn’t keep up with baseball much until he started doing that. But I started checking scores and stories enough that I’d have something to say when he inevitably brought it up.

We’ve gotten a bit better at connecting over other things since, but he gave me a reason to check up on baseball despite the dismal performance of the Reds at the time.

He’s an old-fashioned, conservative, manly man who has a John Wayne view of the world. A card-carrying rightwing nutter. (Except for the Christian stuff. He’s an atheist born and bred.)

He used to be prone to making homophobic comments. Among them, that the only real sport was football (and not the foot fairy kind). Baseball was for limp-wristed pansies. His idol is Vince Lombardi, who would give his players hell for showing any sign of weakness (even if they were seriously injured).

Then my sister came out of the closet. She was afraid she’d be disowned, but Dad instead apologized for all the anti-gay comments he’d made all the years when were growing up. He’s still a rightwing nutter, but he’s no longer a homophobic rightwing nutter.

I guess I’m making him sound a bit harsh. He wasn’t, really. He’s a very intelligent man, and has a sharp sense of humor. People who don’t know him often get offended at his jokes, but he doesn’t mean anything by it usually, and he loves it if you give it back to him.

When we lived in Raleigh, I’d have to go to bed before Monday Night Football was over. If my team lost, he’d write the score on piece of paper and tape it on the wall of my bedroom so I’d see it as soon as I woke up. If I didn’t see the score when I woke up, I’d know the Cowboys won. :-)

“Look at that! Reds traded Parker for Mattingly!” Reds fandom aside I think we’re pretty similar guys, and I’m grateful for it.

Only thing I have been taught by my dad- through actions and not words is the fact that I could never hurt anyone I love. Loyalty and trust are two of the most important things in the world, and I’d never be able to betray those two qualities after knowing what it does to the people you cast aside.

he has suceed (he has held down a job as a parole officer for 30 years though, so I guess he is kind of responsible). He once saw Mike DeWine and shouted “You’re a sawed off little cock sucker aren’t you?” He sometimes goes to City Council meetings to shout at city council members.

He is from the West Side of Cincinnati, and a reds fan, although he is old school, although he read Moneyball while we were in Europe. He wants 4 man rotations, and bullpens made up of has beens, future stars, and never beens.

But I like him, and he is a good man-child, and he has always supported me.

Being born in Indiana, I had my choice between the Cubs or the Reds (AL would be pretty unthinkable). He made sure that there was no way I was going to root for a loser, no matter how lovable, so I will always thank him for that.

Direct all complaints his way.

 My Father was a tough bastard, quite the prick actually.

He grew up on a farm in western central Ohio. Got married in Sept. of 1929, in Oct. thestock market crashed and the great depression descended upon America.He and my mom moved in with his parents where we cut corn for a dollar a day. Mom canned tomatoes to sell for a nickle a jar.

He joined the Army Air corp in 1941 (after Pearl Harbor) at age 32 and taught hand to hand combat training to new recruits. He got the job because his drill sergeant (during basic training)was a sadistic bastard who kept picking on a scrawny 17 year old Jewish recruit from New Jersey..Dad figured that this DI was a prejudiced coward. After a rather brutal interaction where the DI berated the young recruit and physical abused him, Dad had seen enough. He quietly asked the Sarg "Why don’t you pick on some one your own size Sarg…(Dad was 5’8’ and about 155lbs, but deceptively strong from years on the farm) the DI was about 6’ 1’, 185…needles to say the DI turned his attention to my father and in the ensuing ‘training event’ it took about 4 guys to the old man off the DI after he’d kicked the living shit out of him. Dad was then assigned to quarters.

Next day he was called into the Captain’s office and was surprised to find a 1 star General there as well. The General asked why Dad had done what he did the previous day and Dad replied that the DI had gone beyond what he thought were the appropriate bounds of proper Army Air Corp training behavior and that he thought that guy was a coward and antisemitic as well (Dad was a small town Lutheran, who’d never met a Roman Catholic let alone a Jew) . The General asked him if would have challenged the DI if the recruit had been Italian, or Irish, or Roman Catholic…. Dad responded tha he was only attempting to to the right thing and only cared that the recruit was a member of his unit, yes he would have done it and would do it again cause it had to be done by someone.

The general turned to the captain and said" How is it that this man beat the hell out of your hand to hand combat instructor?" Before he could answer he turned my father and told him" You broke rank rules and I don’t like that at all, but I know the guy you took on and I think he’s a sadistic bastard…so you’ve got a choice" Either go to the brig for 10 days or take a promotion to Master Sgt. and take this guy’s job" dad chose the latter.
 who had been in my Father’s platoon, when I asked my Father about he just walked away and iced me. My mother later confirmed the story.

I think I would know Nora’s fart anywhere. I think I could pick hers out in a roomful of farting women.

About his wife, Nora; James Joyce

by Madville on Jun 20, 2009 1:17 PM EDT reply reply actions actions 0 recs