December 7th 1978 -1984
I have told this story before but every Dec7th I think about it. Let me set the stage. I am the varsity basketball coach at my HS. The JV team is practicing before my varsity team gets the gym.M. Tibbons our star JV player goes in the hallway to get a drink of water. The jv has the gym for the next 10 minutes. My players are all sitting in the bleachers waiting for there practice to end. I am in the hallway talking to Ya- shoe our school custodian. Yasho speaks with a broken polish accent even though he has been in America since the age of 3. He is a US Navy veteran and has tattoos all over his arms They are the Navy tattoos with the naked mermaid etc. He see's Michael at the water fountain and says to him" sonny do you know what today is" Micheals looks up at him and says " no".Then Yashoo tells him today is Dec 7th,the day the japs "surprised us and kick the hell out of us" Micheal looked up at him and said " and when we get them on our court we will do the same". Yashoo looked at me in dismay and couldn't figure out what Michael said " I told Yashoo he thinks its a basketball team that beat my varsity a few weeks back. Yashoo looked at me and said " what the hell are you teaching these kids in school and proceeded to walk away from the gym cursing under his breath with the mop and his bucket.
Every Dec 7th I think of Michael and Yashoo . Yashoo passed away a few years ago and although Micheal at the time was only 14 or 15 was killed in NYC in a drug deal a few years later. Micheal had a twin brother Timmy a lefty who was a deadeye shooter Timmy has friended me on facebook and I still keep in touch Tim works for the NYC sanitation for years .. Not sure of the year Yashoo and Micheal had that conversation in the hallway so I just estimated the years. On a real note Dec 7th is a day of respect and somewhat of a day of remembrance. Peace ..
I have told this story before but every Dec7th I think about it. Let me set the stage. I am the varsity basketball coach at my HS. The JV team is practicing before my varsity team gets the gym.M. Tibbons our star JV player goes in the hallway to get a drink of water. The jv has the gym for the next 10 minutes. My players are all sitting in the bleachers waiting for there practice to end. I am in the hallway talking to Ya- shoe our school custodian. Yasho speaks with a broken polish accent even though he has been in America since the age of 3. He is a US Navy veteran and has tattoos all over his arms They are the Navy tattoos with the naked mermaid etc. He see's Michael at the water fountain and says to him" sonny do you know what today is" Micheals looks up at him and says " no".Then Yashoo tells him today is Dec 7th,the day the japs "surprised us and kick the hell out of us" Micheal looked up at him and said " and when we get them on our court we will do the same". Yashoo looked at me in dismay and couldn't figure out what Michael said " I told Yashoo he thinks its a basketball team that beat my varsity a few weeks back. Yashoo looked at me and said " what the hell are you teaching these kids in school and proceeded to walk away from the gym cursing under his breath with the mop and his bucket.
Every Dec 7th I think of Michael and Yashoo . Yashoo passed away a few years ago and although Micheal at the time was only 14 or 15 was killed in NYC in a drug deal a few years later. Micheal had a twin brother Timmy a lefty who was a deadeye shooter Timmy has friended me on facebook and I still keep in touch Tim works for the NYC sanitation for years .. Not sure of the year Yashoo and Micheal had that conversation in the hallway so I just estimated the years. On a real note Dec 7th is a day of respect and somewhat of a day of remembrance. Peace ..
