Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>>> AND FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE
TELL THIS STORY?
MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY SATURDAY
NIGHT.
OUR NUMBER ONE STORY ON THE
COUNTDOWN.
THIS REMEMBER BRANS IS NOT GOING
TO BE A MEDICAL STORY, ALTHOUGH
SHE WAS THE FOREMOST AUTHORITY
ON HER OWN HEALTH.
NOR IS IT GOING TO CONSIST OF ME
TELLING YOU SHE WAS THE
PROVERBIAL SAINT, ALTHOUGH I CAN
HEAR HER SAYING, GO AHEAD.
I'M NOT GOING TO DISAGREE WITH
YOU.
IT IS NOT A FULL BIOGRAPHY.
SHE WAS A GIFTED PRESCHOOL
TEACHER AND LEGENDARY AUTHORITY
ON OPERA.
SOMEWHERE SHE IS GOING TO BE
DISAPPOINTED I DID NOT GET HER
FAVORITE SINGER TO SING AT THE
MEMORIAL SERVICE.
SHE WAS FAMOUS UNTIL THE DAY SHE
DIED.
MY MOTHER WAS ONE OF THE
BEST-KNOWN BASEBALL FANS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
SHE ATTENDED GAPES OF THE NEW
YORK YANKEES AND SHE WATCHED OR
LISTENED TO EVERY ONE SHE DIDN'T
GO TO UP UNTIL LAST MONTH.
MY GUESS IS SHE WENT TO AT LEAST
1500 OF THEM, MOST OF THEM IN
THAT SEAT WHERE THE FOX CAMERAS
CAPTURED HER LATE IN THE SEASON
OF 2000.
JERRY MANUAL CAME OVER TO ME ON
A FIELD IN LAKELAND FLORIDA
BEFORE AN EXHIBITION GAME AND
ASKED ME HOW SHE WAS.
HE WAS THE FIFTH OR SIXTH ACTIVE
BASEBALL FIGURE TO HAVE DONE SO
THIS YEAR ALONE.
THEY HAVE AVERAGED AT LEAST ONE
OR TWO A MONTH FOR NEARLY A
DECADE NOW.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, NOT SIX
HOURS BEFORE MOM DIED, A NEW
YORK YANKEES EXECUTIVE MADE
REFERENCE TO THAT, WHICH HAD
MADE MOM FAMOUS IN THE
BALLPARKS, AND TRUST ME, MOM
LOVED BEING FAMOUS IN THE
BALLPARKS.
EVEN IF IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN
ATTAINED THIS WAY ON JUNE 17th,
2000.
>> AND THESE ARE THE PROBLEMS
THAT HAVE BECOME WELL DOCUMENTED
OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, THROWING
IT INTO THE STANDS AND
IRONICALLY ENOUGH, THE BALL HIT
KEITH OLBERMANN'S MOTHER RIGHT
BETWEEN THE EYES.
SHE WAS ALL RIGHT.
THE GLASSES WERE BROKEN.
>> FOUR DAYS AFTER HER BIRTHDAY,
MOM HAD FOUND HERSELF IN THE
MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE GREAT
MELTDOWNS IN SPORTS HISTORY.
A SUDDEN AND GROWING INABILITY
OF CHUCK *** BLOCK OF THE
YANKEES TO MAKE ANY KIND OF
THROW EASY OR HARD TO FIRST
BASE.
CHUCK WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF
LOSING HIS BELOVED FATHER AT
THAT TIME.
ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT I GOT WHAT
THAT MEANT TO HIM THEN, I DIDN'T
REALLY UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL
UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON AS I WROTE
THIS, AND I STRUGGLED TO FIND
THE RIGHT KEYS, LET ALONE THE
RIGHT WORDS.
MOM WAS ON ONE OR BOTH OF THE
COVERS OF THE "NEW YORK POST"
AND THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS AND
NEW YORK NEWS DAY.
SHE WAS SOMEWHERE IN EVERY
NEWSPAPER IN AMERICA AND ALL
THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS THE
HOST OF THE BASEBALL GAME OF THE
WEEK FOR FOX.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, I MANAGED TO
GET AN INTERVIEW WITH HER FOR
THE PREGAME SHOW, AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW.
ALTHOUGH DON'T THINK I DIDN'T
HAVE TO WORK FOR IT.
>> JOINING US NOW FOR HER FIRST
INTERVIEW, MY MOM.
ARE YOU OKAY?
>> I'M PRETTY GOOD.
A LITTLE BRUISED, BUT OKAY.
>> MOM, YOU'VE BEEN GOING TO
GAMES SINCE -- SO LONG THAT YOU
MET BABE RUTH WHEN YOU WERE A
TODDLER.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN NEAR A FOUL
BALL OR THROWN BALL BEFORE?
>> NOT THAT CLOSE.
NO.
NOT REALLY.
NO.
>> AND THIS WAS CLOSE ENOUGH?
>> TOO CLOSE.
>> A LOT OF THE PITCHERS ARE
SAYING THIS YEAR THAT THE
HITTERS ARE DOING BETTER BECAUSE
THE BALL IS HARDER THAN IT HAS
BEEN IN THE PAST.
WOULD YOU AGREE THAT IT'S HARDER
THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST?
>> IT'S THE HARDEST ONE I'VE
EVER BEEN HIT WITH.
>> YOU WENT BACK TO YANKEE
STADIUM THE NEXT DAY.
WHY?
>> TO SEE THE GAME.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY WORRY ABOUT
CHUCK EITHER AS A YANKEE FAN OR
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY?
>> NOT REALLY.
I SYMPATHIZE WITH HIM.
>> WHY DO YOU SYMPATHIZE WITH
HIM?
>> BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE AWKWARD
AT TIMES TOO.
>> BUT YOU'RE NOT PLAYING SECOND
BASE WITH THE YANKEES, ARE YOU?
>> NOT YET.
>> HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY
ALL THE NEWSPAPER ATTENTION?
>> A LITTLE BIT, BUT I WANT TO
KNOW WHY THEY KEEP MENTIONING
YOU.
>> UH, OKAY.
WHAT MATTERS MOST, OBVIOUSLY,
MOM, IS YOU'RE ALL RIGHT.
BUT I'VE GOT TO ASK YOU IN
CLOSING, IT'S NO SECRET THAT I
COLLECT MEMORABILIA, NO SECRET
TO YOU.
YOU CLEANED MOST OF IT UP.
BUT I CAN HAVE THE BALL?
>> YOU CAN HAVE IT WHEN I
AUCTION IT OFF TO EVERYONE ELSE.
>> $4 MILLION.
THANK YOU, SIR.
>> MY MOTHER, EVERYBODY.
>> GREAT THANKS TO MY OLD BOSS
FOR HIS KINDNESS IN LETTING US
RUN THAT TONIGHT.
>>> MOM GOT ON TV AGAIN, WE EVEN
TALKED ABOUT HER DURING THE
WORLD SERIES BROADCAST THAT
FALL, DURING WHICH BEGAN THIS
RITUAL THAT CONTINUES TO THIS
DAY.
PLATERS.
PLAYERS WHO WERE AT THE GAME.
PLAYERS WHO ONLY HEARD ABOUT THE
GAME.
PLAYERS ASKED ME ABOUT MY MOM.
SINCE THE DAY IT HAPPENED, I'VE
BEEN TOLD CHUCK *** BLOCK HAS
BEEN MOTHER IDENTIFIED BY IT.
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK.
YOU MADE HER FAMOUS.
SHE LOVED IT.
SHE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAPPIER
IF THEY LET HER PINCH-HIT FOR
YOU.
MY DAT LIKES THE GAME ENOUGH,
BUT THE YANKEES TRADED HIS
FAVORITE PLAYER AWAY, AND HE'S
STILL MAD AT HIM.
THIS HAPPENED IN 194.
IT WAS MOM WHO INTRODUCED ME TO
THE GAME.
WHEN WE WENT NEARLY EVERY DAY,
IT WAS SHE WHO TRUNDLED ME AND
MY SISTER TO THE BALLPARK.
IT IS BECAUSE OF HER I LOVED THE
SPORT AND SITTING NEXT TO HER
THAT I BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THAT
I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ANY DAMN
GOOD PLAYING IT AND IF I WANTED
IN, MAYBE I'D BETTER TRY TALKING
ABOUT IT.
THUS WAS BORN A CAREER, THE
RESULTS OF WHICH YOU SEE NOW.
AT LEAST HALF OF THE HAM COMES
FROM HER.
SHE WAS AN ASPIRING BALLERINA,
AND WHEN I KEEP TALKING AND
TALKING AND TALKING FOR GOOD OR
FOR ILL, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL
HER.
WHAT I DON'T HAVE PICTURES OF
ARE THE THOUSANDS OF HOURS SHE
SPENT DRIVING ME TO AND FROM
SCHOOL TO WORK ON THE SCHOOL
NEWSPAPER OR ANNOUNCE THE HOCKEY
GAME.
SHE WAS, TO ADAPT A PHRASE, A
MEDIA MOM.
IT WAS THE PROVERBIAL SUDDEN
ILLNESS IN THE BEST OF SENSES.
.
SHE HAD NO APPARENT SYSTEMS
UNTIL TWO WEEKS AGO, SHE WAS NOT
SEVERELY AFFLICTED UNTIL TEN
DAYS AGO.
SHE NEVER AWAKENED, THUS NEVER
HAD TO HEAR, NOR DID ANY OF US
HAVE TO SAY, YOU HAVE TERMINAL
CANCER.
I'M NOT GOING TO END WITH HARANG
ABOUT HOW YOU NEED TO GO SEE
YOUR DOCTOR, BECAUSE NOT FEELING
SO BAD DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NOT
SICK, THOUGH YOU SHOULD KEEP
THAT IN MIND.
BUT KNOWING THOSE OF YOU WHO
WATCH THIS SHOW, I'M ALWAYS
OVERWHELMED BY YOUR SUPPORT AND
HOW PERSONALLY YOU TAKE ALL
THIS.
IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED, MAKE A
DONATION TO SUSAN G. KOMEN
BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION OR ST.
JUDE'S HOSPITAL.
HAD HE IS SURVIVED BY HER
HUSBAND, MY DAD, MY SISTER JEN
AND HER HUSBAND AND THEIR TWO
KIDS, JACOB AND EVE, MOM'S
GRANDCHILDREN.
BY JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY IN
BASEBALL AND BY ME.