Originally Posted by
Ravine_82
Well...this is going to be awkward and a little strange, but I have to say that it's really eye-opening and comforting to see all these kind words about my father. He told me about his online presence, and I always thought that he was probably overstating his popularity and infamy. I'm glad to see that he was not. A few years ago, I gave brief consideration to joining the forums that he frequented, but honestly, I felt as if he could be himself with you guys and I didn't want to ruin that. He didn't really censor himself around me, but I was worried that he wouldn't be as comfortable here if I was around. This was his thing. Besides, who wants to hang out with their super lame father anyway? :cool:
I wanted to join the forum[[s) just to see a side of him that I never really saw, and to also tell you guys about a side of him that he may have never told you. It's been pretty cool meeting the handful of you that I've met the past few days, and I can't overstate how much you guys have helped ease my burden over the course of the past couple weeks. When I first found out he was ill, I figured I'd have to shoulder this burden alone, but you guys have really stepped up and been there when BOTH OF US needed you the most. I truly appreciate that.
From what I've read, my father is really admired for his writing ability. He's truly masterful with the language, but I'm sure a few of you have read his lengthy diatribes only to go, "He wrote ALL THAT to say that one simple thought?" Can you imagine what it was like having to sit through him verbalize those things?!?! There were times when I would see him walk up to me and go, "Michael..." and I knew I was in for a long discussion about the Tigers from which I would not be able to escape. "It took you 2 hours to tell me how great Al Kaline was?"
Speaking of baseball, I've seen my father cry twice. Once was when I was about 8 years old. My mom was late picking me up from school, and I lived on the same street as my school - only a few miles down. So I figured, "Eh... I can walk from here." This was of course before cell phones [[speaking of which, I'm 32 years old by the way) so when my mom finally arrived, no one knew where I was or had any way of contacting me. I could have been lost, kidnapped, etc. My parents were frantic, but my mom drove down the street toward home and found me only a couple of blocks away. When she got me home, they both hugged me and cried while I stood there thinking, "What's the big deal? I was just walking home."
The other time was when I met Al Kaline, took a picture with him, and showed my dad.
You guys know my father's internet persona, which I can assure you is IDENTICAL to his real life persona. Let me tell you about who he was a father. My father raised me to be a gentleman. He taught me to open doors for women, say please/thank you, and just conduct myself like a good man. He was FAR from a neat freak, but he was also kind of germ-a-phobe. He NEVER let me touch the inside of a bathroom door. He told me to open the door with the paper towel I used to dry my hands. He never let me touch the lever on the toilet. I was always to flush the toilet with my foot [[again, this was before the automatic ones). He taught me to read and write by reading to me every night as a child. To this day, I still feel as if I wouldn't be anywhere near the writer that I am if it were not for those bedtime stories. Most importantly, he taught me BY EXAMPLE to instill all of these traits in MY son. So not only will his name live on, but who he was a man and a father will live on, and he can always be proud of that.
I look forward to getting to meet some more of you. I welcome all of you to the hospital. There are no visiting hours, so you can come whenever you're free. You just have to come through the emergency entrance if you come after 9. I'll be staying overnight tonight. Again, I'd like to thank you all for showing so much support for my father, as well as introducing me to a side of him I've never seen. I appreciate the hell outta you guys, goddammit.
