“You’re not just looking for a house.
You’re looking for a place for your life to happen.”
This extremely poignant catchphrase comes from the real estate giant, Zillow, in their latest television commercials. Call me a softy, but the sentiment definitely works for me.
It really hits home this week as my family and I are in the final stages of moving to a new house. We have been at 283 Forest Drive South for 45 years. So, aside from my four wonderful years at Providence College, and a year spent in the Washington DC area for work (Sports News Network), this has been “My House”. Ready or not however, the moving van arrives Friday to take all our stuff to the new abode. Memories of course cannot be physically packed up and put on a truck, those are kept in the mind and heart. Many of the special memories from here at 283 are sports related, and they will most definitely make the 15 minute drive with me. Here are the highlights:
Even though I have a strong dislike for the Yankees, back in the late 70’s I used to play a game on the front lawn (seen in the picture above), called “Graig Nettles”. You may recall, Nettles was a remarkable defensive third baseman for the Bombers from 1973-83. He was known for making the impossible play possible. Well with that in mind, my mom would roll a baseball either far to my right or my left so that I had to dive headlong to try and get my glove on it. So, I morphed into Graig Nettles pretty much every afternoon when I came home for lunch, and LOVED every minute of it! Just please don’t tell my Sox friends.
Photo: Pinterest
1986 was a big year for me. I graduated from high school, and I watched the New York Football Giants win the Super Bowl in my favorite den. The G-Men were the first of “My Teams”, to win a championship of any kind.
Photo: Pinterest
I had the pleasure of watching my Providence College Friars begin their magical run to the 1987 Final Four at home, and saw them cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden as improbable winners of the 2014 Big East Tournament Championship.
Photos: Yahoo Sports and SI.com
And finally, after enduring years and years of sorrow and accumulating my share of scar tissue as a result, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004! Really, they did. Their ultimate sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic was actually anti-climactic because their division series comeback for the ages against the Yankees was oh so sweet!
My father and I hugged and spilled champagne on the rug in our beloved den. The Curse of the Bambino was dead and the 86 year drought was officially over. And then guess what, they won again in 2007 and 2013. All of a sudden it wasn’t so hard to be a Boston fan in northern New Jersey.
Reminiscing about all of the great events that I experienced here, living at 283, one thing is sure, our new house certainly has its work cut out for it! First I will have to find the right room from which to watch big games. Once that is accomplished, it is really up to my teams in the long run to get it done. I must say though, I am optimistic that great new sports memories in a new house are on the horizon (or at least I hope so).
To close out the final My 2 Sense crafted here at 283, I chose to go with a lyric from the song, Closing Time, by one hit wonder, Semisonic:
“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Thank you from the bottom of my heart 283!
See you next week from 55 Brookside!
