Thursday, Bloody Thursday

I went to the annual Bloody Mary bash this holiday morning.  7 AM to be precise. I was the 6th attendee to sign in.
[Funny Aside:  Coach X thought he would be clever and sign in first.  He had to work at 5 AM, so would miss all the festivities.  He drove by at 4 AM, before work, just to sign in.  On his way out, his tire blew out. He had to call his wife to come get him, so he could get into work.  Well done, x!]
This party has been going on for over 30 years.  My friend (also my classmate and teammate) took the party over from his dad.  This party started before we were playing for Duxbury.  Last year, I saw a friend and teammate that I had not seen in many years.  A fixture of my childhood growing up, we had lost contact after college.  We saw each other here and there.  Last year we spent at least an hour catching up.  Little did I know, it would be the last time I ever saw him.  He died 4 months later.  This year, attending meant that much more to me.  Two of my friends lost their fathers a month ago.  Fathers that were part of the core Dad's the attended all our games growing up.  They followed the play of the game like bloodhounds.  One even coached us as youth players.  It was important for me to see these guys.  Last year proved, you just never know.  I explained this to my boys.  I hope they make connections like this.  I hope they are part of a team, like I was.  These gatherings prove that it was more than football.