I WENT OVER TO CHARIHO HIGH SCHOOL TO WATCH THE STATE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS AT 2 PM. MY 2 KIDS GO TO CHARIHO BUT I FOUND MY LOYALTY LYING WITH CENTRAL, MY FORMER SCHOOL. I SAW MR HANSON, HE IS RETIRED AS A TEACHER BUT STILL THE HEAD COACH OF THE BASEBALL TEAM. I WANDERED OVER TO CENTRALS DUG OUT AND HE WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE ME. I GAVE HIM A BIG HUG. I CALLED HIM MR. HANSON BUT REMINDED HIM I SAY THAT WITH RESPECT FOR YOU. MR HANSON HAD A BIG IMPACT ON MY LIFE AS A HIGH SCHOOL TEENAGER. HE WAS MY BASEBALL AND WRESTLING COACH. WRESTLING IS PROBABLY THE MOST SATISFYING SPORT I HAVE EVER HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN. MR HANSON IS 70 YRS OLD BUT I REMEMBER HIM AS A STOUT BULL OF A MAN. HE WAS LIMPING BADLY AND I ASKED WHAT IS UP , ACHES AND PAINS ?. HE SAID I HAVE REAL BAD ARTHRITIS IN MY KNEES AND ANKLES. HE STILL LOOKED THE SAME FROM YEARS GONE BY. I REMINDED HIM I HAD BEEN OUT OF SCHOOL FOR 32 YRS. HE SAID, OH MY GOD, DO NOT REMIND ME. CENTRAL PULLED OUT WITH A VICTORY 4 TO 2 DEFEATING CHARIHO AT HOME. IT IS DOUBLE ELIMINATION IN THE STATE TOURNEY BOTH CENTRAL AND CHARIHO HAVE 1 LOSS. THEY HAVE TO PLAY AGAIN TOMORROW AT CENTRAL. THE LOSER GOES HOME, SEASON OVER. THE WINNER MOVES ON IN THE STATE TOURNEY. MR GEMMA AND MR HANSON WERE OUR BASEBALL COACHES BACK IN 1980. WE MADE THE STATE FINAL BY BEATING UNDEFEATED SMITHFIELD WHO WAS UNDEFEATED 16 AND 0. WE LOST TO TIVERTON 2 TO 1. WE HAD 5 HITS IN THAT GAME AND THEY HAD 2. WE ENDED UP 13 AND 4. MR HANSON WAS ALSO OUR WRESTLING COACH MY SENIOR YEAR AND WE WON THE SUBURBAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. WE HAD A GREAT TEAM. RAYMOND ROY, THE BENFORD BROTHERS, MIKE MURRAY, PAUL LEPORE AND JEFF HAMRICK TO NAME A FEW. MR. HANSON MADE A LOT OF IMPACT ON YOUNG MENS LIFE THROUGH THE YEARS. WHETHER IT BE TEACHER OR COACH. GLORY DAYS.......
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:59:33 +0000
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