Happy Father's Day

To a Dad who, from an early age, tried to instill in me a love of sports.

To a Dad who tried (but failed... ha ha Dad) to get me to root for his team by dressing me in Minnesota Vikings clothes as a baby, only to see me pick not only a division rival (as well as skip over the hometown team), but to pick both teams' archrival. (And be rewarded with 2 Super Bowls and counting in my lifetime).

To a Dad who got me active in sports from a young age, playing Park District soccer and being a coach for my first 2 seasons, while being a supportive parent at games for years afterward.

To a Dad who loved playing basketball, football, or whiffleball in the driveway or the yard with a young, energetic me and tried to teach me love for the game.

To a Dad who got me to and from countless basketball practices in junior high and high school, and made it to games watching me evolve from a kid version of Brian Scalabrine, to a destitute homeless man's Moses Malone, back to Brian Scalabrine (2009 Boston version), to a poor man's Omer Asik, back to Brian Scalabrine again after I nearly walked away from a game I loved. And it's largely thanks to him that I came back to basketball.

To a Dad who took me to the Metrodome in the early 90's to see Kirby Puckett and the Twins play, only to have me want to leave near the end of the game. To a Dad who since then has taken me to Wrigley Field countless times and added in fun road trips, including several treks to Milwaukee, a few more to Minnesota, and long road trips to Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati as well as St. Louis and Kansas City. To a Dad who taught me the art of scorekeeping, something I've continued to do at nearly every Major League game I've been to, occasionally amazing some older fans that a young kid was continuing a dying art.

To a Dad who supported me wearing holy colors in an unholy land and living to tell the tale.

To a Dad who made an effort to listen to games I called when my playing career ended and I got involved at WONC, then later on at WROK and at iHigh.com for a Christmas tournament. To a Dad who also takes time to read my work on here and offer occasional advice and criticism, as well as flat out enjoying the occasional story I tell.

But most importantly, to a Dad who, together with my wonderful Mom tried their hardest to raise me and my brother and guide us along the straight and narrow, and who, after all life has thrown at him, does everything he can to continue to raise us and be a shining example of what a man, husband, and father should aspire to be.

I hope in a few years, when I'm married and have kids of my own, I can be in the same ballpark of the kind of father he has been to me.

Happy Father's Day, Dad, and to all dads out there.