How many friends does a person really have in their life. It's funny because growing up you seem to have a number of friends, especially if you're a boy growing up in suburban central NJ in the 60's - 70's. It seemed every part of your town had it's own  "gangs" sometimes violent, most times not.  In that group we'd section off into 2-3 guys that would pal around with each other most days and then get together and play sports, goof around or just hang out thinking and talking about girls, sports heros/teams or just seeing how much we each could eat at the local sub shop. I had 2 special friendships, now long since gone, while growing up. The first one was discovered when I was 6 yrs old, only 42 yrs ago, hahaha.

My friend's name was John Nogrady and we were as they would say today "tight" until about the 9th grade. John was an extermely gifted athlete playing pop warner Football ( I couldn't I was over the weight limit) and the first "Natural" I ever saw that played baseball. He was an OK basketball player, above average and I saw him win more than 1 game playing CYO games at the local church.

I have to thank John for being a good friend to me, he was the one who got me really interested in baseball at age 11 so much so that I joined little league that year playing for the Minor Tigers. John was a superstar playing in that year for the Minor then Major Dodgers at only turning 11 yrs old in July. He was one of the top pitchers in the league as well as the best hitter bar none. He would hit HR's over our 150-175 ft (no aluminum bats in those days) fences with ease. I was in awe of him as were most people who watched him hit. While at the ballpark he would always be in his zone out of it he was a bit shy around strangers as was I and that's were I think we connected the most. As the years pasted and we went onto HS our friendship drifted apart. We played on our 0-4-2 9th grade football team, John was the star RB me I played both ways on the line - 5'10" 210 lbs was not real fat but was above average in those days. It was my first year ever playing organized football so lets be real I wasn't that good. Next we played together on our 10th grade football team which won our district (no trophy just the knowledge of it) by then I was just a 1/2 yr starter (games 3-7), on defensive line with a sack or two, caused a few fumbles and scored a 20 yr touchdown on a fumble return. We played like 9 games losing just 1 on a Saturday afternoon to terrible a S. Plainfield team 18-6. We just thought we would roll them as we did most of the other teams that year and I was absolutely blasted with 2 and 3 men teamed blocks and let more than one RB past me.  It only goes to show you that anyone that executes can be successful. John was injuried in a game against our cross town rivials Perth Amboy which we won 18-0 the week before so he did not play.  It's hard for me to believe how much I can remember, or at least I think I do, lol.( I wouldn't have been able to tell these stories 4-5 months ago). In any event those were the only teams we played on together for a full season. We play on some BB All Star teams and I even made a 14-15 year old tournament team that John played on when he wasn't playing in the legion leagues or beyond. As we went HS we drifted further and further apart John made closer friends with some of the outstanding athletes he played with, each were "good" guys and more like him. Oh I became an above average BB player by the time I was about 15, I lead the league in triples just because I could hit the long ball and was a slow runner and was near the top of the league HR's too with probably 4-5 in those days we only played like 12-14 games a season and although I made the 9th grade team I didn't play much and only got 1 hit that year. i was good but not good enough. By the time the 10th grade was over John and I rarely spoke, although we lived just a block from each other and we could walk through the back of our properties to get to each others lots we just went our own directions with new found friends. John of course played through HS and then as I remember got a scholarship to attend Wagner College in New York were as I only heard and never was able to verify that a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates saw him play and he signed to their minor league system. He played a while and then while playing outfield injuried his shoulder which ended his career. I did run into him in 1979 before my first marriage, after at least 3 maybe 4 yrs of not seeing him and he said that he was driving an 18 wheeler for IBM picking up and delivering through out the Northeast US. I never got a chance to thank him for being my friend, helping me to love sports and those that are our heros. John Nogrady was my first Sports Hero but most of all he was my friend, my childhood memories the good ones include our friendship which I do miss at times. Prehaps one day I'll try and  find him again, more than likely not because I'm not sure I want to spoil those memories I have of those glorious times of the past. Ages 6-15.

Well my 2nd childhood friendship was to a guy named Paul Rusek a little blond headed kid who lived about 4 houses (3 duplexs and a single family house) from me. I met Paul when I was about 10 or so. His family owned their duplex and rented out one of them through out the years to different people. Paul was a year younger than myself and our real connection was sports especially the love of Hockey we had. In the fall and winters we would  play in my backyard at first a funny type of hockey game that my older brother Jack introduced us to. My brother was about 17 at the time and he built 2 big outdoor goals, 4' x 6' and we played with at first anything from golf clubs to home made hockey sticks. Our lot was a long narrow lot so it was perfect for it most times we would play like 2 on 2 sometimes just 2 on 1 - Paul & I against jack. This game is were my real love for playing goalie came about it was fun running end to end and the score really didn't matter. We used these nets for several years taking them to "street/parking lot" locations and playing street hockey until one day the wood which was weather to say the least was no longer worth repairing. Paul and I played in hockey league, mostly of street hockey nature for many yrs. We played unorganized ice hockey on ponds and on rinks a lot and would have played in 9th grade had the team not disbanded that yr due to lack of funds.

well as the yrs went on Paul and I got into the things young people do accept that I did the drinking and Paul experimented with things a little bit harder. I got married, moved around the country and paul was slowly getting his life back in order. I last spoke to him about 5-6 yrs ago he was married and doing well and we were able to talk about the old times a bit but it's never the same after you drift apart. I think friendships like what I had with John and Paul were meant for just moments of ones lifetime. They help you to grow and see life as it is or can be. It helps you to build character and always tugs at your heart. As I reflect on life since my illness surfaced I realize that God put these friendships in my life in order to help me survive. Life is hard but a life without some positive memories that we can look upon and build on as we get older it soon becomes impossible to make it through. Thank you John Nogrady and Paul Rusek for being there when I needed you the most. I'll not forget all that you both did for me.