The backyard baseball games, well with a wiffle ball covered in duct tape. That ball could move though with a metal bat! The football games where he was all time QB and I would play against my friends. We were always on target because he knew my routes. The basketball games where he used to whoop me, then I practiced, practiced and practiced and started to whoop him on my three point shots. I still rub those games in his face.
Then came the video games of Madden, where he did actually beat me once. I thought I was going to break my TV. Also the Sunday afternoons we spent watching NY Giants games.
To top that all off, you mix in some card collecting and I have memories for life. However, not is all positive as I make it sound. There were some moments and still are, as I am sure we all have, but I am one to stay positive so we will keep it that way.
My father got me hooked on card collecting in 1994 end of 1993 area. So this technically marks my 25th year of collecting and it all started because of him. That one day I reflect on here often in my memories. You know, that day we randomly bought a few packs of 1994-1995 Topps Hockey cards, sat in the car in the grocery store parking lot opening them that led to two life long collectors.
Two collectors that still collect today but not technically together anymore.
After I had moved out, my father sold off his half of the collection and went more than 10 years without collecting before I was finally able to bring him back. My collecting has never changed but since his return it has for him. He focuses more on flipping now instead of collecting. Though he does do some collecting to, mainly Hall Of Famer rookie cards and Mickey Mantle vintage, so I consider him a collector as it strictly isn't just flipping.
Even though we collect in two different worlds and don't collect together, we still spend hours on the weekends discussing it and occasionally pull off a trade.
We just did one actually just in time for Father's Day. On my end, I sent him some rookie card help which he ended up flipping but that's okay. I was pretty happy with my return.
And like I said, we were big Giants fans and he is the reason I am one. However, I collect the Giants and he doesn't, even though he still is a huge fan, so I get the benefits of that.
He sent along some older 80's cards I didn't have. My Giants collection is weak in terms of older than 80's, the late 90's and the early 2000's. I have a ton of gaps there.
He also brought my passion for baseball at that point as well when I began collecting Ken Griffey Jr and followed all of those crazy late 90's home run chases with McGwire, Sosa and Griffey. If only I had known then it was all a sham because of steroids. But, I enjoyed it before I found out now.
Thanks dad for all of the memories. Thanks for helping me become the man, collector and sports fan I am today. I look forward to our usual Sunday conversation today about cards and probably the Yankees trade yesterday. Happy Father's Day if you ever can figure out how to stumble upon my blog (he still struggles with the internet)
I hope all of the father's out there, including those who may not be blood related or technically a father but a father figure, have a great Father's Day and go make your own memories with your kids. They will never forget it, just like I won't.
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