Father's Day

My father wasn't the best role model or someone you would brag to your friends about, but he did the fatherliest thing a father could do and that was spending time with his kid.

A lot of my childhood memories come from spending time with him.

Whether that was playing backyard baseball, football and basketball or playing a football game on a Sega system we would rent from the video store or watching NY Giants football together. I would also go to his work and take tours and get home from school and go watch him play softball. We also spent a lot of time enjoying the sport card hobby we had together with sorting, looking up values in Beckett and planning our next pickups.

Moments were being made every minute we were together.

I ended up following in his footsteps for the music he enjoyed, the teams he rooted on, the talk-to-anyone jokingly personality and some of how I collect cards. I took on what I considered were the good traits from him.

Even though I took on some of his card collecting traits, I also began my own collecting journey as well. Despite being a big time NY fan, he never actually collected any of the New York teams or players, but I do.

One of those players is soon-to-be Hall Of Famer, Eli Manning. These are my latest additions from a multiple websites,

(20/20 eBay 1/1!)

(my first Shockey/Eli dual relic)

 

The final card which features Super Bowl 42 with the Eli escape and Tyree helmet catch, is another connection between my father and myself. It marks the first time we got to watch and celebrate a Giants Super Bowl win together and what a way to do so.

Even though our lives are busier now, that Super Bowl was actually the last game we watched together, he still finds a way to spend time with me with daily phone call or Facebook messenger check-ins. Most conversations start and end with cards, but there are discussions of life as well.

Happy Father's Day dad. I don't think you will see this, but if you happen to be looking up cards and do, I hope you enjoy this.

Also, Happy Father's Day to the rest of the fathers, stepdads and fatherly figures out there. Have a great day and take some time out for yourself today. But, also remember why you are being celebrated today and celebrate with them as well.