Reflections on an era from a legend in my life

This was a very sad and quite nostalgic day for a very special man in my life. That special person is my dad or Pop as I affectionately call him. He is also know as "Big Daddy" by my sister and I. It is a special name for a special Dad. Big Daddy was given this moniker by my sister first, as he is the person in our lives that would literally do anything for us; anywhere, anytime, anyhow! In fact, if you are in need, that is when "Big Daddy" really gets to leap into action; kinda like a super hero. I think that we both grew up thinking he was a super hero. Growing up makes a dad's super hero status normalize into mere mortal status, but for me that is much better than looking at your dad as a super hero. For me, I get to see the real man on a daily basis, as we are business partners as well as father and daughter. We have been running our business together for almost 15 years and we have gone though every scenario you can imagine. Through good and bad, our relationship has only deepened, because through open communication we have never let anything come between us. In fact, it is a huge source of pride for me that when we leave the office each day, no matter how heated or tough things were (and in the real estate business it can get really tough) we have always left it in the office and our personal life is left unscathed.

There is also something VERY important in my dad's life and it is so important that it only comes second to his family. That something is the New York Yankees. My Dad is a New Yorker, born and bred and actually lived in the Bronx, a mere stone's throw away from the House that Ruth built. Many of his most cherished childhood memories were spent in Yankee Stadium and from his childhood, through his adulthood, through my childhood, and through my adulthood; the love he has had for his Yankees has never wavered. He has always been very superstitious about his team, so he actually felt that he impacted the outcomes of games based on items of clothing that he wore, statements he made and stances he would take. Hey, who am I to scoff, he may have been right! All I know is that you had better tread lightly when a game was in progress, lest you be the reason that the Yankees lost.

Suffice it to say, Big Daddy has been to some amazing games through the years and even has been privileged to score coveted World Series seats up in NYC in recent years. This was due to our company status in the Century 21 Organization which was a MLB sponsor for years. He even took Justin with him a few years back and was there in the days after September 11th. That was quite moving indeed.

Well, today is the last day that holy site to true Yankee's fans will hear the crack of the bat or roar of the crowd. The Bronx Bombers will now be housed in their new digs. I asked my pop to write down his reflections on this bittersweet occasion, as I would love to blog them for posterity for him. That would be my way of letting my dad know that what is important to him is important to me....but most of all he is very important to me...I love you Dad and this one is for you!

(Note: Big Daddy's reflections will be completed tomorrow, so tune in for some great memories from a great guy, my pop, Harry.)