I went to my first Baseball Game in 1964. My father took me to Shea Stadium to see the Mets play the Giants. I don't remember much about the game, but I remember being with my Dad and the overwhelming sight of the green grass and the enormity of Shea.
We went to many games together over the following 10 years. We had a little ritual each year. When the schedule was published in the newspaper each Spring, I would cut it out and circle 4 games. In those days, there were only a few places you could buy advance tickets other than at the stadium. One place that sold tickets was at Macy's in the Walt Whitman mall in Huntington. It was in the top floor by the furniture department. I always picked at least one game against the Giants. They were my father's favorite team until they moved to San Francisco in 1958. Plus they had my favorite non Met, Willie Mays.
I looked forward to those games like they were Christmas morning. The drive to Shea was always filled with anticipation but my heart would always start to pound as soon as we passed the Unisphere at the World's Fair grounds along the Grand Central Parkway and Shea Stadium came into view! It was like no other feeling in the world!
Shea Stadium was an amazing sight to behold! It was tall and light grey with blue and orange panels suspended from cables that were invisible from a distance. They seemed to be floating in mid air. Inside, there was always an intense feeling of excitement, even though we pretty much knew the Mets would probably lose. It didn't matter! There were many fathers and sons who were there for the sheer joy of the game. The green grass enveloped by a colorful grandstand was a treat for the eye! The field level seats were yellow, the loge was an orange ring, the mezzanine was blue, and the huge upper deck was green. The aromas were piercing! The air was filled with the smells of hot dogs, peanuts, beer, and cigars. If I concentrate hard enough, I can still conjure up the sensory experience.
Upon entering the gates, we would always buy a scorecard. They were 25 cents and came with a little blue pencil. My Dad taught me how to keep score. He taught me the nuances of the game. He loved pitching duels and great defense. Every time someone would hit a long fly ball, he would tell me to watch the outfielders to tell whether they had it or not.
1969 was the year of miracles. I was 10 and suddenly The Mets were a contending team! Every game we went to that year, the Mets won! In June we were at Shea when a pitching duel between Mets rookie Gary Gentry and Giants ace Juan Marichal went into extra innings. Tommie Agee hit a line drive homerun in the bottom of the 10th to give The Mets a 1-0 victory. That was the first time I felt Shea Stadium MOVE! The whole place shook! It was like an earthquake was happening in Flushing! We all know what followed. The Mets destroyed the Cubs with the help of a little black cat, They swept the Braves in the NLCS, and defeated the mighty Orioles in the series. Shea Stadium shook many times that year.
As the years went by, my father and I went to fewer games together. I became a teenager and after 1973, the Mets became losers again. When they traded Tom Seaver in 1977, I had lost interest. In the subsequent years, I got married and started my own family. A friend invited me to a game in 1984. The resurgent Mets with new ownership and great young ballplayers were contending again. I saw Dwight Gooden out duel Rick Sutcliffe in an amazing 1 hit performance. Shea Stadium was rocking again just like 1969!
In 1985, I took my son Dave to his first baseball game at Shea Stadium. I watched his excitement as though I was looking at myself through my father's eyes. In 1986, I took my daughter Jessica to her first game at Shea. Dave, Jessica, my wife Magge, and I were preparing to go. The Mets and Dwight Gooden were facing The Dodgers and their ace Fernando Valenzuela. Shea was sold out! Magge was afraid that Jessica (age 6) might be scared by the huge crowd. Magge told Jess to stay close to us and if you get lost, go to a policeman. When she asked Jessica "what will you do if you get lost?" Jessica said "I'll go home with Mookie Wilson!" We laugh about that story to this day!
I have taken all 5 of my children to their first baseball game at Shea Stadium. To us, it is the field of dreams. We went for the last time a few weeks ago. The Mets won that day. I tried to take it all in and savor it for all time. In my mind are the sights, smells, sounds, colors, and the memories. The planes taking off from La Guardia, the little blue pencils, running down the ramps, telling my kids to stop running down the ramps, Tom Terrific's dirt stained right knee, Keith Hernandez stretching in the outfield, Mike Piazza's mighty blasts, The magic, Jane Jarvis on her Thomas organ, Kiner's Korner, the mexican hat dance, the Curly Shuffle, Doc, Dar-ryl, Gil, Casey, Yogi, Davey, The Koos, Buddy, Tug, Rusty, Maz, The Kid, Wally, Fonsie, Reyes, Endy, Santana, Murph, Mookie, AND... The chants of "Lets Go Mets" that were never provoked by a message board but instead by a crowd lead by cherubic voices.
In a few weeks Shea will be dust. Tonight I shed a tear at the passing of another old friend. I have been to many other ballparks. To me, The only one that has real magic is Shea Stadium!
Remember to watch the outfielders!
RIP Shea Stadium 1964-2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Suspend This, Senator!
The economy is crashing so the great John McCain has suspended his campaign to "save the country" by going to Washington and bail out the BAIL OUT!!! Plus, he bailed out on his appearence on Letterman, but showed up for Katie Couric! Now he is possibly bailing out on his promise to debate Senator Obama on Friday Night!
First... He is not the president! He is running for president. He is a Senator that has proclaimed publicly, his poor understanding of the economy! All he can do is screw up whatever solution the Congress (now working together!!!) will come up with.
Even if he knows the solution (like he knows how to find Osama Bin Laden), WHY hasn't he put his running mate in charge of the campaign instead of SUSPENDING it?????
What will he do as president when he is unable to multitask? SUSPEND the COUNTRY???
His VP is apparently unable to take over an election campaign! How can we expect her to take charge of the country when another inevitable crisis occurs???
Bad choices, bad decisions, bad running mate, and old ideas, create a hopeless future. Am I the only one who can see an old man acting like a child and a young man acting presidential? Senator Obama did not "suspend his campaign" although he also went to Washington. Senator Biden is helping in Washington and is still vigorously campaigning! Where is Sarah Palin???
Here is a link to Letterman's reaction to Senator McCain's last minute cancellation. This is priceless!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E
The truth is that John McCain was a "war hero". He bombed and paved the way for others to bomb an innocent populace in Viet Nam. VIET NAM??!!!!! Does anyone remember the travesty of that undeclared, unjust, and illegal war??? His father was a conspiritor in starting and escalating that "police action" (it was never a declared war) that took the lives of 60,000 American soldiers and brutaly wounded another 500,000 Americans! Not to mention the millions who died in South East Asia as a direct result of our "conflict". We are still suffering the consequences of one of the lowest points in American history.
Some people doubt my patriotism because I actually know the history of our beloved country. Well, like it or not boys and girls, The good old US of A has been the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes toward humanity.
People like lists, so read this one!
1. SLAVERY
The majority of our founding fathers either owned slaves or profited from the slave trade. They formed a new country based on the premise that "all men are created equal" except if you are black, Indian, or a woman! This was followed by a bloody civil war and an era that still exists that included segregation, lynchings, murder, and blatant terrorism.
2. GENOCIDE
In our westward expansion, we nearly destroyed an entire race of human beings. The estimates range up to 2 MILLION killed. We were the first ones to use use chemical weapons in the 1800s by circulating blankets infested with smallpox on people with no immunity.
3. SEXISM
It was 130 years after the ratification of the constitution before women (52% of the population) had the right to vote!
4. NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION
America is still the only country to use nuclear weapons on other human beings. We started the arms race and the cold war. Our threat is what caused and still causes other nations to construct these weapons. They do it not because they hate us, but because they fear us.
5. TERRORISM
Near the end of World War II in Europe, the war was all but won. Berlin was about be overrun. Hitler was contemplating suicide. They were out of supplies and retreating fast. So what did we do? We FIREBOMBED Dresden. This was an old city with absolutely no military significance. With Berlin in ruins, we sent every bomb imaginable to this peaceful city and killed over 40,000 civilians. There were more people killed in Dresden than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.
DIS-HONARABLE MENTION
Child labor, pollution, global warming, exploitation of immigrants, torture, executions, assasinations, depressions, recessions, Nixon, intolerance to gays, imperialism, war for oil, Viet Nam, Korea, The Spanish American War, IRAQ, G. W. Bush, communist witch hunts, Blue laws, censorship, unionbusters, glass ceilings, disco, drug traffic, american idol, commercialism, anti semitism, Watergate, the KKK, white supremism, street crime, school shootings, Wall Street.
I'm sure you think I hate America. Well I don't. That is because, I believe that the true greatness is yet to come. Now can be the turning point to the promise of true freedom. I am hopeful that real change will occur, even if the stock market collapses, and possibly because the stock market collapses. Tear it all down and begin again might be the way to go.
-DD
First... He is not the president! He is running for president. He is a Senator that has proclaimed publicly, his poor understanding of the economy! All he can do is screw up whatever solution the Congress (now working together!!!) will come up with.
Even if he knows the solution (like he knows how to find Osama Bin Laden), WHY hasn't he put his running mate in charge of the campaign instead of SUSPENDING it?????
What will he do as president when he is unable to multitask? SUSPEND the COUNTRY???
His VP is apparently unable to take over an election campaign! How can we expect her to take charge of the country when another inevitable crisis occurs???
Bad choices, bad decisions, bad running mate, and old ideas, create a hopeless future. Am I the only one who can see an old man acting like a child and a young man acting presidential? Senator Obama did not "suspend his campaign" although he also went to Washington. Senator Biden is helping in Washington and is still vigorously campaigning! Where is Sarah Palin???
Here is a link to Letterman's reaction to Senator McCain's last minute cancellation. This is priceless!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E
The truth is that John McCain was a "war hero". He bombed and paved the way for others to bomb an innocent populace in Viet Nam. VIET NAM??!!!!! Does anyone remember the travesty of that undeclared, unjust, and illegal war??? His father was a conspiritor in starting and escalating that "police action" (it was never a declared war) that took the lives of 60,000 American soldiers and brutaly wounded another 500,000 Americans! Not to mention the millions who died in South East Asia as a direct result of our "conflict". We are still suffering the consequences of one of the lowest points in American history.
Some people doubt my patriotism because I actually know the history of our beloved country. Well, like it or not boys and girls, The good old US of A has been the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes toward humanity.
People like lists, so read this one!
1. SLAVERY
The majority of our founding fathers either owned slaves or profited from the slave trade. They formed a new country based on the premise that "all men are created equal" except if you are black, Indian, or a woman! This was followed by a bloody civil war and an era that still exists that included segregation, lynchings, murder, and blatant terrorism.
2. GENOCIDE
In our westward expansion, we nearly destroyed an entire race of human beings. The estimates range up to 2 MILLION killed. We were the first ones to use use chemical weapons in the 1800s by circulating blankets infested with smallpox on people with no immunity.
3. SEXISM
It was 130 years after the ratification of the constitution before women (52% of the population) had the right to vote!
4. NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION
America is still the only country to use nuclear weapons on other human beings. We started the arms race and the cold war. Our threat is what caused and still causes other nations to construct these weapons. They do it not because they hate us, but because they fear us.
5. TERRORISM
Near the end of World War II in Europe, the war was all but won. Berlin was about be overrun. Hitler was contemplating suicide. They were out of supplies and retreating fast. So what did we do? We FIREBOMBED Dresden. This was an old city with absolutely no military significance. With Berlin in ruins, we sent every bomb imaginable to this peaceful city and killed over 40,000 civilians. There were more people killed in Dresden than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.
DIS-HONARABLE MENTION
Child labor, pollution, global warming, exploitation of immigrants, torture, executions, assasinations, depressions, recessions, Nixon, intolerance to gays, imperialism, war for oil, Viet Nam, Korea, The Spanish American War, IRAQ, G. W. Bush, communist witch hunts, Blue laws, censorship, unionbusters, glass ceilings, disco, drug traffic, american idol, commercialism, anti semitism, Watergate, the KKK, white supremism, street crime, school shootings, Wall Street.
I'm sure you think I hate America. Well I don't. That is because, I believe that the true greatness is yet to come. Now can be the turning point to the promise of true freedom. I am hopeful that real change will occur, even if the stock market collapses, and possibly because the stock market collapses. Tear it all down and begin again might be the way to go.
-DD
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Long Island Music Scene
There was a time on Long Island when the local live music scene was vibrant and a breeding ground for some of the most successful, talented, and groundbreaking musicians of the past 40 years or more! In the 1960s, 70s, and into the early 80s, there were literaly thousands of venues to hear live local music! Long Island had the largest concentrated percentage of "baby boomers" than any other region in the country. Everywhere, in every town, on nearly every street, there was a bar, tavern, restaurant, cafe, that presented live music! You could go into nearly every town and walk from bar to cafe, etc, and hear different performers on any given night! In fact, the various places would hold audition nights on a weekly basis and award paying gigs on the spot! The bars were packed 7 nights a week and the music was everywhere!
The knock against the LI Music scene was that it was the land of cover bands. It was, and still remains to be on a much smaller scale. The many great musicians who came from LI got their stage legs and first experiences as cover artists, playing nightly all over The Island. You all know them: Billy Joel, The Ramones, Pat Benetar, Simon and Garfunkel, The Stray Cats, Lou Reed, Harry Chapin, Vanilla Fudge, Twisted Sister, Eddie Money, Zebra, Chuck D, Mariah Carey,The Good Rats, Debbie Gibson, Busta Rhymes, and many more. They all had to go to the city or elsewhere to get famous.
So, what happened? Where did the music go? Where are the places I cherished in my youth?
Sadly, the taverns, and the music are all but gone. We got older, got married, had kids, and stopped going out. They changed the drinking age from 18 to 19 and then to 21. You can thank Ronnie Reagan and his religious friends for that. They held back federal highway funds from any state that didn't comply.
D.J.s contributed as well. The boomers stopped going out and were replaced by the Gen Xrs who were raised on Sesame Street and other lame, soft TV to the point where they couldn't tell live music from TV jingles! (I Wish I Was an Oscar Meyer Wiener)! Your wish came true!
I have 2 sad stories about those days (about 1983) when I put my guitar down indefinitely. I started playing out live in 1976 and played at a bunch of local venues several times a week for about 5 years. These were paying gigs! In those days, I made anywhere from $45 to $150 per night as a solo performer!! That was fine cash back then! Remember, the baby boomers packed the bars every night! The first time I was turned down at an audition was 1982. The owner suggested I should get a drum machine. The second was shortly after when McHebe's Depot (a little college bar in Hempstead) where I had a regular gig for years suddenly dismantled the stage and installed a DJ booth! Times had changed. I put my guitar away.
Sometime, between then and now, a new phenominon has occured on Long Island, bringing out both old and new performers. It is the Open Mic Night. Some of the few remaining local taverns open up on weekdays and give the stage to independant local musicians for a chance to play live and recreate the glory days of the Long Island music scene! I host the longest running and (IMHO) best Open Mic Night on LI!!!! This is at a little tavern called Bartini Bar. We will continue to keep the spirit alive, rock the night away, and as my Irish Dad used to say "Talk a Little Treason"!!!!
Rock and Roll will never die!!!
www.bartinibar.com
www.davedrewrocks.com
The knock against the LI Music scene was that it was the land of cover bands. It was, and still remains to be on a much smaller scale. The many great musicians who came from LI got their stage legs and first experiences as cover artists, playing nightly all over The Island. You all know them: Billy Joel, The Ramones, Pat Benetar, Simon and Garfunkel, The Stray Cats, Lou Reed, Harry Chapin, Vanilla Fudge, Twisted Sister, Eddie Money, Zebra, Chuck D, Mariah Carey,The Good Rats, Debbie Gibson, Busta Rhymes, and many more. They all had to go to the city or elsewhere to get famous.
So, what happened? Where did the music go? Where are the places I cherished in my youth?
Sadly, the taverns, and the music are all but gone. We got older, got married, had kids, and stopped going out. They changed the drinking age from 18 to 19 and then to 21. You can thank Ronnie Reagan and his religious friends for that. They held back federal highway funds from any state that didn't comply.
D.J.s contributed as well. The boomers stopped going out and were replaced by the Gen Xrs who were raised on Sesame Street and other lame, soft TV to the point where they couldn't tell live music from TV jingles! (I Wish I Was an Oscar Meyer Wiener)! Your wish came true!
I have 2 sad stories about those days (about 1983) when I put my guitar down indefinitely. I started playing out live in 1976 and played at a bunch of local venues several times a week for about 5 years. These were paying gigs! In those days, I made anywhere from $45 to $150 per night as a solo performer!! That was fine cash back then! Remember, the baby boomers packed the bars every night! The first time I was turned down at an audition was 1982. The owner suggested I should get a drum machine. The second was shortly after when McHebe's Depot (a little college bar in Hempstead) where I had a regular gig for years suddenly dismantled the stage and installed a DJ booth! Times had changed. I put my guitar away.
Sometime, between then and now, a new phenominon has occured on Long Island, bringing out both old and new performers. It is the Open Mic Night. Some of the few remaining local taverns open up on weekdays and give the stage to independant local musicians for a chance to play live and recreate the glory days of the Long Island music scene! I host the longest running and (IMHO) best Open Mic Night on LI!!!! This is at a little tavern called Bartini Bar. We will continue to keep the spirit alive, rock the night away, and as my Irish Dad used to say "Talk a Little Treason"!!!!
Rock and Roll will never die!!!
www.bartinibar.com
www.davedrewrocks.com
Monday, September 22, 2008
Change is Coming!!!
What exactly is change? Well it's certainly not more of the same. It is definitely not an old republican and his clueless partner spouting "change" as though they invented it.
Change, my friends, is a way to make our little green planet safer, healthier, and without fear.
The liars (you know who they are) don't really care about change, they care for themselves and their sickeningly, obsenely, rich cronies. They are about to bail out the Wall Street criminals who gave out loans, sold them to small banks, and are crashing because they over extended themselves to the point of no return. Now Bush, McCain, and the rest are going to hand them 700 BILLION dollars of OUR money because they were inept and greedy beyond comprehension.
Hey! Believe the liars! Country first!!! Except if you happen to work for a living, Or have 2 incomes to pay your 2 mortgages. Country first! People Last!
These are the same Liars who said they would find Osama Bin Laden after 9/11/01 and proceeded to profit from our fears and patriotism. This country was united in a way I have never seen. Instead of rallying the country and the WORLD to make a better place, we were used and exploited by an administration with John McCain in step to make themselves a whole lot richer. Does this make you angry? Apparently, it doesn't for most Americans. Most of you are quite satisfied with watching "Dancing with The Stars" on your new HDTV.
Change is essential. Change is vital. Change is needed now. Crawl out of your little boxes on November 4 and vote for Obama. Don't get fooled again!
Change, my friends, is a way to make our little green planet safer, healthier, and without fear.
The liars (you know who they are) don't really care about change, they care for themselves and their sickeningly, obsenely, rich cronies. They are about to bail out the Wall Street criminals who gave out loans, sold them to small banks, and are crashing because they over extended themselves to the point of no return. Now Bush, McCain, and the rest are going to hand them 700 BILLION dollars of OUR money because they were inept and greedy beyond comprehension.
Hey! Believe the liars! Country first!!! Except if you happen to work for a living, Or have 2 incomes to pay your 2 mortgages. Country first! People Last!
These are the same Liars who said they would find Osama Bin Laden after 9/11/01 and proceeded to profit from our fears and patriotism. This country was united in a way I have never seen. Instead of rallying the country and the WORLD to make a better place, we were used and exploited by an administration with John McCain in step to make themselves a whole lot richer. Does this make you angry? Apparently, it doesn't for most Americans. Most of you are quite satisfied with watching "Dancing with The Stars" on your new HDTV.
Change is essential. Change is vital. Change is needed now. Crawl out of your little boxes on November 4 and vote for Obama. Don't get fooled again!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Make That a Bud Luddite!
My daughter Jessica has outed me as a closet Luddite and my friend Robin has defined it for those who are unfamiliar with the term. Although it's been years since I destroyed any looms, I still harbor a disdain and probably a little fear of new technology. I got my first cell phone last year and I still can't figure out how to text. I'm trying to update my way of thinking and as Jess pointed out, I've still only advanced as far as 1998. It may be because we were a lot more innocent then. We were at peace. The country was prospering. I just started a new career, and the biggest problem in the news was whether or not Bill Clinton got his joint waxed! Oh the good old days!!! As I try to advance from the bloodiest century in human history to this brave new world, I offer this small piece of advise. Guard your looms carefully because.... I'm Back!!!!
September 20 is my fathers birthday. He would have been 89! He died July 30, 2007 and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I did the eulogy at his wake and rather than do the religious or somber thing, I wrote an essay that I read for the assembly. Here is most of it.
David Patrick Drew
Sept 20 1919 – July 30 2007
This is not really a speech or a eulogy. Its an essay about My Dad
My Dad was the youngest of 13 children in a traditional Irish Catholic family. His favorite sibling was his sister Julia. His least favorite was his brother Jerry. He said he was mean to him. 8 of his brothers and sisters died of various childhood diseases or accidents. The most notable being Jerry who died on Christmas eve after falling while jumping on his parents bed. Although terribly tragic at the time, this incident became a valuable teaching tool for my 5 kids (DON’T JUMP ON THE BED OR YOU’LL END UP LIKE GREAT UNCLE JERRY)
My Dad was always a baseball fan. His favorite team was the NY Giants. He used to tell me about his favorite players like Bill Terry (the last National League player to hit 400), Mel Ott (who hit 511 home runs on the traditional training regimen of beer, cigars, and hot dogs) and his favorite of all, pitcher Carl Hubbell. My Dad was there at the 1934 all star game at the Polo Grounds when Hubbell struck out 5 future Hall of famers in succession (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, Cronin). My Dad hated the Yankees but he still idolized Babe Ruth. One of his favorite stories was about the time his father called him one summer day in 1929 and said borrow a nickel from your mother, take the subway and meet me at the players entrance to Yankee Stadium. When he got there he asked a ticket vendor where the player’s entrance was. The vendor quipped “they’re signing them young these days”. He always laughed when he told that part.
My Dad’s father knew a guy who arranged them to meet the Yankees. He got a baseball autographed by the entire team (Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri , Dickey, Ruffing etc). When he first told me this story I excitedly said “Where’s the ball??”
In those days the kids rarely had a real baseball to play with so he took it down to the field and he and his friends played with it until the cover wore off! That was my Dad.
Much later I asked him who the guy was that got them in to meet the Yankees. It was the megaphone guy. He was the dude who announced the lineups before they had a PA system. I said ”how did your father know him?” He said his dad met him in some bar. That was my Grandfather, and that was my Dad too.
My Dad was a great ballplayer. He played for a semi pro team in the late 1930s and was scouted by several Major League teams. At the end of the 1939 season at the age of 19, he was invited to spring training the following year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He put his dream on hold for a year because that fall, he was drafted into the army. We were still at peace and the service was for only 1 year but shortly after, with the winds of war blowing, President Roosevelt extended the service to 2 years. My Dad said that 1940 was the only year he ever voted for a Republican (Wendell Wilkie). In December 1941, with less than a month to go in the army, WWII began and the president declared that all servicemen would be in for the duration of the war. He was discharged after 6 years in the army. He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was part of the allied force at the battle of Anzio Beach, his dream of playing pro ball was over.
When I was a kid, when we would have a catch, My Dad would take the glove off his left hand, put it on his right and throw lefty. He had a wicked curve ball lefty and he could hit better lefty than righty.
He was not naturally ambidextrous. He told me that when he was about 16, he broke his right wrist. A serious injury meant he would lose his spot on the team so he spent that winter teaching himself to throw and hit left handed. Amazing!
That was my Dad.
My Dad was a construction worker but for a time in the late 1960s he was a real estate salesman, selling new homes on weekends. He saved the money he earned (he never said he made money, that would be illegal) and took my Mom and me on a month long trip to Europe. That was my Dad.
My Dad was a social guy. He was a happy person and he was well liked by all. His friends called him Davey. When we visited relatives or attended some event, he would always find an excuse to leave for a while and visit some local tavern. He usually took me with him. No matter where we went, everybody knew him! It was uncanny. From Manhattan to Rockaway to Elmhurst to Westbury to Port Jeff to Riverhead to Babylon, everybody knew him! It was amazing! EVEN in Europe, within minutes, everyone was shaking his hand as if he was their long lost brother! That was my Dad.
My Dad loved Abbott and Costello, Bing Crosby, Harry Truman, and Jack Kennedy. His favorite movies were The Sound of Music and Going My Way. His favorite song was Saloon. He loved Track Meets, especially the Millrose Games. He liked fishing, horseracing, gambling, and shooting pool. (He was good). He liked cigars, meat and potatoes, butter pecan ice cream, egg fu young, and wintergreen life savers.
He liked beer. A lot. That was my Dad.
(At that point, I walked over to his casket, grabbed out a beer I had planted there earlier, cracked it open and took a swig!) I continued:
When I was 19, Magge (my girlfriend at the time) and I discovered we were going to have a baby. We were very nervous when the time came to tell my parents. When we told them, my Dad winked at Magge and said “so, you killed the rabbit”. He then reached across the table, shook my hand and said “congratulations, I didn’t think you had it in you”. He gave Magge a hug and said “welcome to the family”! That was definitely my Dad.
That was 30 years and 5 kids ago.
My Dad had a tradition that on Christmas Eve, he would burn a candle for his brother Jerry who died on Christmas Eve so many years ago. That tradition has continued with my family and hopefully with my children’s families. 3 years ago we added a second candle for my Mom. This year and every year it will be 3.
Good Night Sweet Prince.
Happy Birthday Dad.
September 20 is my fathers birthday. He would have been 89! He died July 30, 2007 and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I did the eulogy at his wake and rather than do the religious or somber thing, I wrote an essay that I read for the assembly. Here is most of it.
David Patrick Drew
Sept 20 1919 – July 30 2007
This is not really a speech or a eulogy. Its an essay about My Dad
My Dad was the youngest of 13 children in a traditional Irish Catholic family. His favorite sibling was his sister Julia. His least favorite was his brother Jerry. He said he was mean to him. 8 of his brothers and sisters died of various childhood diseases or accidents. The most notable being Jerry who died on Christmas eve after falling while jumping on his parents bed. Although terribly tragic at the time, this incident became a valuable teaching tool for my 5 kids (DON’T JUMP ON THE BED OR YOU’LL END UP LIKE GREAT UNCLE JERRY)
My Dad was always a baseball fan. His favorite team was the NY Giants. He used to tell me about his favorite players like Bill Terry (the last National League player to hit 400), Mel Ott (who hit 511 home runs on the traditional training regimen of beer, cigars, and hot dogs) and his favorite of all, pitcher Carl Hubbell. My Dad was there at the 1934 all star game at the Polo Grounds when Hubbell struck out 5 future Hall of famers in succession (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, Cronin). My Dad hated the Yankees but he still idolized Babe Ruth. One of his favorite stories was about the time his father called him one summer day in 1929 and said borrow a nickel from your mother, take the subway and meet me at the players entrance to Yankee Stadium. When he got there he asked a ticket vendor where the player’s entrance was. The vendor quipped “they’re signing them young these days”. He always laughed when he told that part.
My Dad’s father knew a guy who arranged them to meet the Yankees. He got a baseball autographed by the entire team (Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri , Dickey, Ruffing etc). When he first told me this story I excitedly said “Where’s the ball??”
In those days the kids rarely had a real baseball to play with so he took it down to the field and he and his friends played with it until the cover wore off! That was my Dad.
Much later I asked him who the guy was that got them in to meet the Yankees. It was the megaphone guy. He was the dude who announced the lineups before they had a PA system. I said ”how did your father know him?” He said his dad met him in some bar. That was my Grandfather, and that was my Dad too.
My Dad was a great ballplayer. He played for a semi pro team in the late 1930s and was scouted by several Major League teams. At the end of the 1939 season at the age of 19, he was invited to spring training the following year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He put his dream on hold for a year because that fall, he was drafted into the army. We were still at peace and the service was for only 1 year but shortly after, with the winds of war blowing, President Roosevelt extended the service to 2 years. My Dad said that 1940 was the only year he ever voted for a Republican (Wendell Wilkie). In December 1941, with less than a month to go in the army, WWII began and the president declared that all servicemen would be in for the duration of the war. He was discharged after 6 years in the army. He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was part of the allied force at the battle of Anzio Beach, his dream of playing pro ball was over.
When I was a kid, when we would have a catch, My Dad would take the glove off his left hand, put it on his right and throw lefty. He had a wicked curve ball lefty and he could hit better lefty than righty.
He was not naturally ambidextrous. He told me that when he was about 16, he broke his right wrist. A serious injury meant he would lose his spot on the team so he spent that winter teaching himself to throw and hit left handed. Amazing!
That was my Dad.
My Dad was a construction worker but for a time in the late 1960s he was a real estate salesman, selling new homes on weekends. He saved the money he earned (he never said he made money, that would be illegal) and took my Mom and me on a month long trip to Europe. That was my Dad.
My Dad was a social guy. He was a happy person and he was well liked by all. His friends called him Davey. When we visited relatives or attended some event, he would always find an excuse to leave for a while and visit some local tavern. He usually took me with him. No matter where we went, everybody knew him! It was uncanny. From Manhattan to Rockaway to Elmhurst to Westbury to Port Jeff to Riverhead to Babylon, everybody knew him! It was amazing! EVEN in Europe, within minutes, everyone was shaking his hand as if he was their long lost brother! That was my Dad.
My Dad loved Abbott and Costello, Bing Crosby, Harry Truman, and Jack Kennedy. His favorite movies were The Sound of Music and Going My Way. His favorite song was Saloon. He loved Track Meets, especially the Millrose Games. He liked fishing, horseracing, gambling, and shooting pool. (He was good). He liked cigars, meat and potatoes, butter pecan ice cream, egg fu young, and wintergreen life savers.
He liked beer. A lot. That was my Dad.
(At that point, I walked over to his casket, grabbed out a beer I had planted there earlier, cracked it open and took a swig!) I continued:
When I was 19, Magge (my girlfriend at the time) and I discovered we were going to have a baby. We were very nervous when the time came to tell my parents. When we told them, my Dad winked at Magge and said “so, you killed the rabbit”. He then reached across the table, shook my hand and said “congratulations, I didn’t think you had it in you”. He gave Magge a hug and said “welcome to the family”! That was definitely my Dad.
That was 30 years and 5 kids ago.
My Dad had a tradition that on Christmas Eve, he would burn a candle for his brother Jerry who died on Christmas Eve so many years ago. That tradition has continued with my family and hopefully with my children’s families. 3 years ago we added a second candle for my Mom. This year and every year it will be 3.
Good Night Sweet Prince.
Happy Birthday Dad.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!!!
Hey All! Welcome to my BLOG! My children, especially my daughter Jessica, thought it would be nice for me to have a place to rant. She created this blog so I can let it out and stop bothering her!
What exactly is a blog? Is it an anagram for something? Does anyone read blogs? Can anybody read? When did I turn into Andy Rooney?
I have a website
http://www.davedrewrocks.com/
and an e-mail list that goes out to about 200 people (mostly stoner musicians) who never respond anyway! However, blogs are something everyone apparantly needs so I am thankful to Jessica. This should cover the next 5 years of birthday and Christmas gifts so Jess, you can forget about that new wallet.
Anyway, welcome to my blog. I guess I'll be playing with this thing for a while, just like I played with the motorific speedway I got for Christmas when I was 7. That fucker broke after one week!
In the days, weeks, and months to come, I will be spouting about music, sports, politics, religion, my insane family, and pretty much anything else that comes to mind. I will also answer your posts with my clever although somewhat inane comments.
Thus begins my new journey into cyberspace! Our 3 year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no blogger has gone before!!!!
Dave
What exactly is a blog? Is it an anagram for something? Does anyone read blogs? Can anybody read? When did I turn into Andy Rooney?
I have a website
http://www.davedrewrocks.com/
and an e-mail list that goes out to about 200 people (mostly stoner musicians) who never respond anyway! However, blogs are something everyone apparantly needs so I am thankful to Jessica. This should cover the next 5 years of birthday and Christmas gifts so Jess, you can forget about that new wallet.
Anyway, welcome to my blog. I guess I'll be playing with this thing for a while, just like I played with the motorific speedway I got for Christmas when I was 7. That fucker broke after one week!
In the days, weeks, and months to come, I will be spouting about music, sports, politics, religion, my insane family, and pretty much anything else that comes to mind. I will also answer your posts with my clever although somewhat inane comments.
Thus begins my new journey into cyberspace! Our 3 year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no blogger has gone before!!!!
Dave
My Dad's new Blog
Hello blogosphere! Welcome to the official Blog for Dave Drew, music and politics. I am his beautiful daughter Jessica and because I am such a wonderful person I created this blog for him because he is a self proclaimed "Luddite." Honestly, I don't even know what that means, I had to look it up on wikipedia.
In case you can't already tell I am quite sarcastic and I get that from my Mom. So subscribe to read straight forward weldings of political insight and updates from the Long Island music scene authored by Dave Drew ... my Dad. :-)
In case you can't already tell I am quite sarcastic and I get that from my Mom. So subscribe to read straight forward weldings of political insight and updates from the Long Island music scene authored by Dave Drew ... my Dad. :-)
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