WHY FATHER'S DAY IS SPECIAL TO ME

This is a picture of my father as a kid in Bellmore Long Island. He’s just a kid that’s about to embark on a life he never knew he would have, but he went for it, fought for what he wanted in life, worked hard and in the end, I’d say he did pretty good.

Look, It’s not every day that a son can really sit down and write about just how special a father is to them. In fact, it’s pretty difficult when you think about it. Because you can have a ton of memories and good times, but to put them on paper…well, it ain’t easy.

My dad’s been involved in virtually every aspect of my life. Life lessons were big in my house growing up and if you didn’t get it and follow the rules, most likely you were out on your ass…at least that’s what he wanted you to think. It worked... I fell for it.

It goes like this, my dad thinks he’s Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, a tough guy, but he’s a pretty kind and level headed guy. He worked hard for what he wanted in life, provided and instilled the values I express on this blog every day. That's things like kindness and rules in my life. He taught to be generous when you can, don’t lie, be honest, have good sportsmanship, never take the easy road, fight for what you believe in and always be there for your family. But there’s another side… respect. Respect your elders, respect your peers, respect others and if there is disrespect toward you or your family, well, you have a choice to make. You can make sure they aren’t disrespectful again and you let them know, or you take the high road and walk away. 9 times out of 10, my dad took the high road. For me, I make sure these disrespectful people understand that it’s not so nice to be disrespectful….to anyone. That trait must have skipped a generation and went straight from my grandfather to me, but that’s another story for another time.

Since I was little kid, my dad’s coached my little league games, coached my soccer games and if he couldn’t coach, he’d be there anyway. I remember being at my track meets in High School ready to run my 200 and I couldn’t find him anywhere, but as I crossed the finish line, I’d see his fist pump in the corner of my eye. Now as I coach my own kids, just to see the smile on their faces knowing that my dad and father-in-law are in the stands rooting them on reminds me of my own childhood...it’s comforting.

We shared plenty of great moments watching sports together, plenty of great Yankee games and there’s no doubt watching Rudy together is a sloppy mess of us balling our eyes out. We both like to laugh and sure, between he, my brother and I, we try to see who’s funnier. It’s hilarious actually. But between the 3 of us, the emotions are the same, the traits are the same and I’m thankful for that.

Look, I wanted to be honest with you today. My mom and dad are pretty great, probably the greatest force in my life and if they weren’t there, I wouldn’t be doing this and you’d never be reading Bleeding Yankee Blue at all. Instead I’d probably be getting into trouble somewhere, not driven, not excited about anything, not crazy about my family. But I am… and it’s all because of them.

Dad, Happy Father’s Day. I shoot for the stars every day. Not because I think I can succeed, because I know I can and that’s all because of you. Thank you.

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