My Old Man

 Poor unlettered, rich, piggish Patrick Kane, sitting there through the news conference that marked the opening of camp for the Blackhawks.  He couldn’t even read a prepared statement right, unless his subconscious self forced him into making a Freudian slip:  “I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong,” he said, without noticing how the words came out.  You could almost feel sorry for the team brass sitting at the table with him.

As I’ve said before, athletes have always misbehaved, though not all athletes.  I keep thinking of the tons of grief Roger Maris endured for having the gall to challenge Babe Ruth’s home run record but not his oversized personality.  I also keep thinking of my father, who was quiet in the way of Maris when he stood before reporters.  When my dad spoke, his words carried special meaning, if only because he used so few of them so often.  Patrick Kane?  What a mope, my old man would’ve said.