Hmmmm….don’t know where to start with this one…I could get philosophical and ruminate on what it means to be a father but I don’t know if I’m the person to do that since it has always been somewhat uncomfortable to me. The problem is I don’t know why…my kids are the best people I know, certainly better than I ever was.

Do you have clear memories of your father? I only have two; one really bad and one really good…I guess there was just not a lot of interaction between us; how could there be with 9 kids in the family? You can’t fault him for that, but as I get older I can see that we may have been more similar than I remembered until now. When I talked about my memories of Ernie Harwell, one of the clearest ones was of my father sitting in the red and white 55 Ford station wagon with the radio on listening to the Tigers; just trying to find some time to himself….something I find necessary for my mental health. Among the many thoughts that have recently worked their way into my consciousness is the fact that I am now the same age that my father was when he died…did he feel like I do now? It would be nice to be able to ask that question…I hope my kids feel comfortable enough to do what I never had the chance to….