Good

            
             Not too long ago was I once with my father. Not too long ago was I having a baseball catch or watching the Giants with my father. It has only been one year and half since a part of me has left this world. My father and I had many great and wonderful experiences with the time we had during those seventeen years. But the modern plague called cancer cut our time here on earth together very short. Sadly some of the greatest memories I have with my father were one's while he was sick with cancer. My father was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of my junior football season. He was my biggest fan and he lived, breathed and slept football. While undergoing intense chemotherapy and having very little energy to do much with, my father still came to every single football game. Each game you could hear his voice bellow across the field, " Come on Patch, make a play out there!" And at the end of every game I would receive a hug and a kiss from Dad and he would let me know how proud of me he was and how great of a game I played even if I really didn't play all that well. My father was like that. He was proud of anything I did and told everyone about me and spoke with pride. Every time I sit and think about that I can still feel his burly hugs and hear his deep powerful voice as if it still echoes through my heart. .
             Probably the greatest thing that could have happened with my father's limited time on Earth did happen in the spring of 2000. Our baseball team was on the road to winning its first county title in 40 years. It was the playoffs and I was a relief pitcher who was used sparingly throughout the year. The situation was Oceanside versus Long Beach in the county semi-final. Long Beach took the lead 4-0 in the first inning and our coach needed another pitcher but had noone else available but me. I was extremely nervous but at the same time I was confident. I had to win this for the team. I had to perform for my father because I knew he had very little time left.