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Page 26 the valley star June 28, 2012 ROB’SPACE by Rob Phraner phrantrain@gmail.com Live like you were dyin’ I’ll never forget watching Tug Mc- Graw hold high the Philadelphia Enquirer newspaper as he rode in the victory parade. It said “You Rob Phraner Gotta Believe!” a phrase McGraw coined that seemed to push the Phillies to victory over the Kansas City Royals in the 1980 World Series. The parade slowly rode through the chilly streets of Philly with McGraw as the centerpiece next to Mike Schmidt. He was a tremendous relief pitcher and team comedian, cheerleader and competitor. McGraw became a baseball announcer after his playing career was over. Everything was going well for him until he had a sudden change in health. He began to have severe headaches in 2003 and by the time the brain tumor was discovered, Tug, all of 59 years old, was told by doctors he had three weeks to live. Three weeks. He lived nine months, pouring his time into his family, into a legacy dedicated to curing brain cancer, and even to reconciling a hidden part of his past he had buried safely away for years. McGraw had a wife and kids, but he also had another son from a previous relationship when he was very young, a son he ignored all of his life. The boys’ mother was Elizabeth D’Agostino. She didn't tell her son about his famous father, in part because she Services Include: • Grouted Tile Floor Cleaning and Whitening Starting at .75 cents a sq. ft. • Wood Floor Cleaning and Polishing Starting at .50 cents a sq. ft. wanted to move past that particular part of her life, too. But young Timmy found his birth certificate, and made the most shocking discovery of his life. Timmy’s favorite baseball player, the World Series hero Tug McGraw, was also his father! Tim changed his name from Tim Trimble to Tim McGraw. Tim found Tug when he was an older teenager, but there was nothing there. Tim had his own dreams and didn’t have time to dwell in the past. There were no warm feelings, no immediate connection, and no real future. After that first meeting, they drifted apart. But once more, as an adult, Tim reached out to Tug again. And the second time, the attraction took. A bond formed. Father and son, as strange as it must have seemed to them, became close. 26792 McLemore Circle Harvest, AL 35749 (located off East Limestone Road) 256-348-1355 • Area Rug Cleaning, specializing in oriental and braided rugs (all rugs cleaned off site, Pick-up and delivery available) Rugs may also be dropped off Most Rugs .60 cents a sq. ft. • Home & Business Carpet Cleaning - Call for Free Estimate COUPON COUPON All area rug cleaning In Home Carpet Cleaning $40.00 Minimum 4 Rooms and hall $109.00 Expires 7-1-12 Expires 7-1-12 $ 10 off And then when news came that time was running out, they became closer still. In the end, Tug McGraw even died at Tim McGraw's Nashville home. In 2004 Tim's song, "Live Like You Were Dying," stayed on top of the charts for 10 weeks, breaking a record that had stood for 30 years, and was named the top country song of the year by Billboard magazine. It was the story of a man who got the news that he was dying - a man made a decision of how he would live with the time he had left. Some of the lyrics read: He said "I was finally the husband, that most the time I wasn’t. An' I became a friend a friend would like to have. And all of a sudden goin' fishin’, wasn’t such an imposition, and I went three times that year I lost my Dad. Well, I finally read the Good Book, and I took a good long hard look, at what I'd do if I could do it all again,” and then: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing, I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu. And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dyin'." At the end of the day, at the end of a life, relationships are the most important thing a man has. Especially with his kids, and particularly a father with his sons. We should live like we are dyin’. Every Father’s Day, I remember January 10, 2009. It was a Saturday night and the Pittsburg Steelers were playing in an AFC playoff game. I was sitting there and the thought came to me to call my dad. I almost didn’t; the kids were running around and I was distracted, and getting a little tired. But I called and we had a good talk, probably over twenty minutes. He mentioned an article he read in the sports section of the paper and said he would send it to me. We hung up, and I didn’t realize that would be the last time I would ever talk to him. The next morning, as I was getting ready for church, my dad went outside and was shoveling a fresh layer of snow from his sidewalk in the Pocono, Pennsylvania mountains. At age 70, without warning, he died instantly of a massive heart attack, right by his front door. I miss him. I also miss the grandfather I barely got to know. He died in the house I grew up in, suddenly and tragically, when I was a little boy. We never know our time. But for those reading this, your time has not yet come. You can tell your kids you love them, read them a story from the Bible to them, go out to lunch with them, or a movie, or possibly, reconcile with them, like Tim and Tug McGraw. Live like you were dyin’.
June 28, 2012 the valley star Page 27 Sizzlin’ Summer Sale 550 Braid Paracord 40+ Colors to choose from $ 7.99 Paracord Bracelet Clips For making your own bracelets 10/$ 3.50 Gun Holsters & Magazine Pouches Good Selection 550 Braid Paracord Bracelets Many colors and combinations $ 4.99 Wireless Backup Camera $ 8.99 7, 8 and 9 inch $ 79.95 Bradford White Water Heaters 50 Gallon $ 280 Man Cave Plaques & Clocks Starting at $ 8.49 Inverters Whistler Inspection Camera WIC-2517C 400 Watt - $39.95 1200 Watt - $89.95 2000 Watt - $179.95 3000 Watt - $249.95 $ 125 Smith & Wesson Hearing Protetion Solar Pael Array 45 Watt Complete with converter box and lights Car Fan 12 Volt $ 12.99 Kool Seal $49.96 Steele Generators 1200 watt in camo case - $299.95 2000 watt - $275.00 3250 watt - $399.00 6000 watt - $650.00 7500 watt (electric start) - $750.00 10,000 wat (electric start) - $1,000 Griddle $299.99 Winchester Gun Cleaner $ 9.95 $ 17.49 Game Scale 0-440 lbs. $ 19.95 Engine Hoist (Cherry Picker) $ 199.95 $ 250 Winch 9500 $ 299.95 Industrial Warehouse Fan 42” $250.00 36” $200.00 Gun Cleaning KIts $ 19.95- $29.95 Engine Stand $ 56.88 14535 US Hwy 72 • Athens • 256-232-6695 HOURS: 9am-5pm Mon-Sat. CLOSED SUNDAY *ALL PICTURES ARE REPRESENTATIONS ONLY, ACTUAL ITEMS IN STOCK MAY VARY Limited quantities, more specials throughout the store J and G Variety would like to thank you for supporting your local small businesses! For more information email: info@jandgvariety.com
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