The Cycle of Life

On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 I woke up with a text from my brother Ralph that said my dad had been taken to the hospital. At first it didn't seem too alarming as my brother said it was just a bad case of the flu. At this point, I was thinking that they would keep him for a few days, run some tests and then we'd all be back to our normal lives. 

Unfortunately, I was wrong and my dad suffered a life threatening stroke. After I talked to my brothers and found out he was stable, I felt a small relief but I was scared to death being 500 miles from home. 

I flew home the next day and it was the weirdest feeling landing in Pittsburgh to see my family, and not being excited. Getting to the hospital I was greeted by my mom, Nunny (my grandma) and two brothers. It was nice to see them, and be with them in this tragic time, but it's something I wish never happened. 

Going back to see my dad was the hardest thing I have ever done in all my twenty years. To see the man who has been a super hero to me, laying there scared and confused was heart breaking. 

For those of you who don't know my dad, suffered a life threatening stroke. Walking down the halls of the hospital I was prepared to see him connected to all the tubes and machines. SO when I walked in, that part wasn't the hard part. But when my dad opened his eyes and I saw the fear and confusion in his eyes, my heart was shattered into a million pieces. Fighting back tears, so that he knew everything would be okay, I grabbed his hand telling him everything would be okay and we'd get through this. Motionless, I could see the pain and pure fear in his eyes, but it wasn't until my brother asked him something that made me lose it. My brother asked my dad to do something so simple, something that we took for granted. My oldest brother Ralph had asked my dad to squeeze my hand, and when there was no movement or reaction in any way, I broke down. Here I am standing at the side of my dad's bed looking down at him with no movement, and to think about all the things we have been through over the past twenty years, I couldn't fathom the fact that he couldn't squeeze my hand. 

This was especially hard on my brothers and I because to us, my dad was the definition of tough, and especially so on us. He was so hard on us when it came to sports, he pushed us harder than you can think and expected perfection out of us each game. From getting kicked out of dugouts, to having to ride home with my mom, to telling me I should quit because I'm that bad, it was never easy to please him. But with that being said, it something I am most thankful for looking back, because if it wasn't for my dad being so hard on us, we would have never worked as hard as we did and wouldn't become the men we are today. 

Although he was hard on us in sports, there is not a more respectful, loving and caring man. The opportunities and things he has done for me, my brothers and my mom throughout our lives cannot be matched. 

Being 500 miles away from home during this trying time has been tough, but the love and support I have received has been awesome. I have dedicated this time to my studies so that I can give my dad something to be proud about when I return home this summer. 

He has continued to improve each week, and is now beginning to walk with the help of his therapists. He is still in an intensive rehab but is hoping to return home in May. The prayers we have received from people across the country has been remarkable and have certainly been noticed in his healing process. We ask for continued prayers for his memory to come back and peace in his heart as he is becoming more aware. He has a hard time each day, being told about this tragedy and gets saddened, but with support and prayers I am confident he'll be back to normal one day, looking back at this as simply a big bump in the road. 

Beating the Odds

Bruce (#7) and Gino (#66) Gradkowski

after their two teams met during the 2012 

regular season.

It all starts as a young boy and continues all the way in to adult hood. But there comes a time in every mans life, when the realization settles in that he won't become a professional athlete. We grow up playing every sport, dreaming to make it to the pros and be just like our favorite players. Through the eyes of an optimistic toddler, it seems so possible and easy, we think if they can do it then so can I. Unfortunately, just about all of us have that dream come to an end. Professional athletes are rare for people to see and be around, whether its them going to your high school, living in your area, or playing in conference. For most people in America, their relationship with a professional athlete is through a television, during game time of their favorite team. However, there are some people that are fortunate and get to be a part of a professional athletes life. These people are so lucky, not because they know someone famous and not because they know someone with a lot of money, but because they get to witness something so rare, they get to witness the journey of a professional athlete. The talent and athleticism are God given to most, but a lot of the time, that's not enough to make it. When God gives you a talent, he is giving you an opportunity and he is giving you a choice..most people aren't willing to sacrifice the time and dedication, and hard work that it takes to use your talents. They are simply choosing to not use the ability God has given them. In anything you do in life, whether it's sports or something else, talent can only take you so far and in order to be the best and rise above everyone else, you must work harder than them.

I consider myself lucky to have the family I do and experience the things that I do especially in relation to athletics. The memories and moments we've shared as a family watching these two participate at the highest level is indescribable.

The most recent was my trip to New Orleans for SUper Bowl XLVII in which my cousin Gino played in. Serving as a back up linemen, he was a starter on special teams. The experience was a dream, I was living the high-life for a week, and then to see Gino bring home his first Super Bowl ring was an awesome feeling. It made me think back to when I was on the sideline as the ball boy for when he and my cousin Carmen won the WPIAL Championship at Heinz Field in 2004.

To experience the things I have because of these guys can't be matched, but more so than all the fame and success, they haven't changed a thing about them. They are still the same exact people they've always been. To have these two guys so close to me and also have them serve as role models, has been a blessing. They have taught me that no matter how rich or famous you become, the only thing that can make you truly happy is the loved one's in your life. I will always cherish the memories they have blessed my family an I with but more importantly I will never forget the lessons they have taught me throughout the years.

Tiger Woods: "Winning Takes Care of Everything"

           

          Arguably the largest sex scandal in professional sports happened in 2009 involving the greatest golfer to ever live, Tiger Woods. Woods was a heroic sports icon to everyone before 2009 and was one of the few class act role models in professional sports. Tiger Woods was so appealing to fans not only for his win count, but for the way he won. Woods was a man amongst boys who is the greatest golfer to ever live. The magical moments we have gotten from Tiger Woods are countless. To watch him as a young adult put on that red Nike shirt for the Sunday round, you knew it was never over until the final put. From the time he was just a young boy, Woods was in the spotlight, and handled it oddly ‘perfectly.’ That was until one afternoon in 2009, when news stations began to report Tiger Woods was omitted into the hospital for getting beaten up with his own driver.

Tiger got punished and beaten pretty badly. Evidence came out and we began to connect the dots until it eventually came out that Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife. For those of you who don’t know, Elin Nordegren, who is now Tigers ex-wife, is a beautiful model. Tiger Woods slept with a plethora of women and although he publically apologized and promised to change, he didn’t but instead stayed selfish. Nike recently released a Tiger Woods ad stating, “Winning Takes Care of Everything” and its obvious Tiger cleared this statement before it was published. This just shows how Tiger’s sincere apologies and promises to change was all a bunch of BS. Nike is also at fault for this, but they don’t care because they will benefit from this ad.

            People in our society either love or hate this ad, and the same goes for Tiger Woods. He went from being one of the most famous, well-liked professional athletes of all time into a liar, cheater and embarrassment. Just about every female in the world hates Tiger Woods for what he did, but there are still many men out there who root for Tiger just as faithfully as they did before the 2009 incident. It seems that men realize that the sex scandal doesn’t affect their lives in any way, so they’ll look past that and simply judge Tiger Woods based on his golf game. I regretfully admit that I am a big Tiger Woods fan, always have been and always will be. My reason to back this up is simple. Even before all of this unraveled and reached the media, I was a huge Tiger fan and the sex scandal hasn’t changed my opinion in any way. The reason being is because prior to 2009 I like Tiger Woods as a golfer and only a golfer. I didn’t like Tiger because he was a well-kept together man of class. Not once did I ever root for Tiger to hit a big time putt just because he’s a loyal husband. I was a fan of Tiger the golfer, and nothing more. The only time I ever watched him was when he was playing in tournaments from Thursday to Sunday. There was never a time when I sat in front of the television and watched Tiger starring in a reality TV series.

            I’m not saying what Tiger Woods did in 2009 was right but I’m personally saying I am a fan of him as a golfer and I don’t care what he does outside the course, unless it personally affects me. In terms of the ad that Nike put out, I don’t believe it is all that wrong. Because this happened four years ago and like everyone else should, Tiger moved on. Without the family life, Tiger’s main and only focus now is golf. The ad is simply for all the haters, not the haters who say that he’s a cheater, but the ones that said he couldn’t bounce back from that scandal. Woods receives just as much if not more criticism than any athlete in the world. People want to see him fail, they want him to suffer in misery and the only way Tiger can shut them up is by winning.    

Every single golfer as well as athletes in the world play their respective sports, to win. They’re miserable when they lose and ecstatic when they win. The competitive nature of our society is remarkable and exciting. The same goes for Tiger Woods, he wants to win every time he steps on the course and like we’ve all experienced, when we win all of our other problems don’t seem as bad anymore.

Women in Sports

      In our society today we see marketing and advertising everywhere. In order to be successful you have to be able to get people to believe in you or your company. Not long after the WNBA was introduced, Sheryl Swoopes was drafted and immediately became the face of the WNBA in which they used her to promote the league. Not long after she signed her contract with Nike, it was announced she would miss a chunk of the season on maternity leave. Swoopes thought her Nike endorsement was in jeopardy, but the WNBA embraced this situation instead. They began to use her as advertisement, even on the front page of sports magazines. Swoopes returned back to action over a month into the season and went on to have a great career, winning three MVP awards and two additional Olympic gold medals. However, in 2005 she addressed the media releasing a statement admitting to being lesbian.

            Although, it was a surprise to many, Swoopes didn’t receive the hatred or criticism that we would see if a male athlete released the same statement. The reason I believe that a male would be tormented more than Swoopes is because I believe it all has to do with how society views athletes differently based on gender. Male athletes are viewed as tough, strong and athletic players who are tough and fearless. People would look at them thinking they cant be tough if they were gay. On the other hand, females are seen to be more consistent, fundamentally sound players who aren’t idolized for their strong physique or toughness. If a man comes out and says he’s gay, well then it ruins his whole image of being a “man” in his sport. The reason society thinks that is because of another stereotype on the way they view gays. Society believes that all gay men are skinny, weak and girly. Therefore, a male athlete would get tormented if he were gay because everyone would automatically view him as a stereotypical gat, even if it were Ray Lewis. That’s just how our naïve and cruel society works, thinks and acts.

            Like I mentioned above, society views athletes, both male and female as if they should play a certain way. If you look online you will see a numerous amount of articles and videos on people criticizing Brittney Griner, for the lone reason of, “she plays like a dude.” People cancel out her accomplishments and fame by arguing the fact that she doesn’t play like a typical girl should. In men’s sports, you get crushed and booed if you don’t play tough and physical. Then you’re viewed as ‘soft’ or a ‘sissy.’ And if you didn’t play tough or fearless, a coach would not tolerate it and force you too be tough, as we all saw in all the leaked footage of Mike Rice physically hitting players. All of these opinions are coming from people who watch the game and don’t play it. Yes, I know it seems cruel and naïve, but they are entitled to their own opinion because without them, sports would not exist.

The only way they can overcome all the hatred and criticism is to block it out, continue to play their way and succeed. There is nothing that will drive a hater crazier than for them to see someone or some team they hate win. For instance, Brittney Griner blocked out all the bad publicity and played the way she always has. Although many people hated it, they grew to respect her because she kept her mouth shut and dominated day in and day out. There will come a time when people realize their stupidity and look back on how special she really was as a player. Because last time I checked, in sports the objective is to be great and you conquer that by your own unique style of play.

            Although it’s not to the extent of racism, there are very many similarities between the two issues. Back in the day people would automatically think African Americans couldn’t play sports or do anything for that matter. White’s didn’t know, but they didn’t give them a chance to prove themselves and they just viewed someone for what society thought. Today in sports, we do the same thing to a certain extent. Even though it might be true that it’s less competitive, there is never women’s sports covered on any sports channels and if it is, it’s a big game where they have no choice. That’s because we believe women can’t do what men can do, just like we thought blacks cant do what whites do. But there will come a day, similar to the day Jackie Robinson had his first major league game, where a women will stand up and take on a man. Even though she might not win, she will be a symbolic figure for women by showing her courage on behalf of women’s sports. Then people look at this thinking; wow maybe women can be tough too.

            On this day, men’s sports are far superior in the eyes of society and media just like in the early 1900’s when whites were far superior to blacks. Jackie Robinson had the courage to break the color barrier and change the lives of African American’s forever, who’s going to break the gender barrier and make a change for women?

The Magic of March

There comes a time of year when all sports fans across the country await. That time is now, when Spring is upon us we know one thing, it's March Madness time. College basketball's NCAA tournament is sure to give fans one thing, excitement. For fans, this tournament is so entertaining because it involves last second finishes, unbelievable plays, and the best of all, upsets. There's nothing better than watching a low seeded mid major beat one of the nations premier programs. Although these top seeded programs are better teams, there is a certain magic to March Madness where any team can win on any given day. At the beginning of every season, every Division 1 basketball program throughout America have making the NCAA tournament one of their goals. Because they know, regardless your ranking, record or even the size of your school anything can happen in March.

Another element of March Madness which gains the fans attention is filling out your own personal bracket. All over the internet you can print out the bracket of the 68 team field and fill it out, picking what team you think will win for every game over the tournament. Submitting their brackets into a poll with a fee forces fans to follow every single game closely. The further in the tournament your picks go the more points you get. Your goal is to pick the most amount of games right, the points for picking the right team goes up each time they advance. The most amount of points is given to the people who pick the National Champion correctly. Why this attracts fans attention is because they put money into a poll which means they can win a large cash prize for winning the poll. Therefore, they are highly interested in games that regularly mean nothing to them. But there comes a game in the tournament when fans forget about their bracket and root for the Cinderella team to go far.

Every year we will be filled with magical March moments and we will continue to get involved in all of these tournament games as if we are there at the arena. This is something sports fans wait for all year and it is a common enjoyment for any fans regardless who your team is.


PICTURED: The 2013 tournament had a Cinderella story yet again. The Florida Gulf Coast University basketball team was the first ever 15th seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

There's Nothing Thicker Than Blood

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania into an Italian family of thirty-three, all on my dads side of the family, and not to mention we all live within a few blocks of each other. At the helm is my grandmother and she is the one who has paved the way for all seventeen of her grandchildren, teaching us the true meaning of family and how they are the only people who will always have your back. Known to us as Nunny, she has been the glue to our family and other than our parents, she has been the most influential person in teaching us to always chase our dream. I speak for all nine of us boys when I say it seemed like she never missed a game.

Growing up, our lives revolved around football. All of the boys picture above went onto play college football, except one of us, me. Following in my fathers foot steps, I made the decision to pursue college baseball. My Nunny grew up watching my dad play and she was my biggest supporter when I went away from the pack and chose baseball. She attended pretty much every baseball game I could ever remember and her support along with my families helped shape me into the person I am today.

We're not your ordinary family, like I said we live within a few blocks of each other and that made us more like siblings. Seeing all of my cousins everyday, sharing every eventful thing with them, they're more to me than just cousins and aunts and uncles. My family is my everything. At the end of the day, you always know your family will be there for you. Friends come and go, but family, well your stuck with them forever, whether you like it or not. Lucky for me though, I couldn't live without my family.

We have our fair share of excitement as my cousins Bruce has been a quarterback in the NFL for eight seasons and we gather around grandmas television and almost bring the house down. My other cousin Gino, just finished his rookie season after winning a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans. 

We're not just a big, dull italian family. Everything with us is fun, loud and full of energy. My parents always told me, never get too attached to a girl until they meet the family and experience how "crazy" we are. Because if they can't handle it well then they aren't the right one because its non stop chaos and I wouldn't rather have it any other way.

If it wasn't for my family, well, there's no telling where I'd be today. They helped shape me into the man I am today and always kept me on track for a successful future. This is especially true about my parents. I could have not wished for any better parents and I am so thankful that God blessed with me the ones he did. For my brothers and I we had anything imaginable growing up, whether it was an item such as Xbox, support in whatever we did or even just the love and comfort a kid needs. My parents paved the way for my brothers and me to not only be successful but also taught us to treat others with respect and kindness while acting with class.

There's a quote that is often used around my house, "blood is thicker than water" and that is always said to remind us that no matter what is going, no matter how good or how bad it is we will always have our family and for that I am so unbelievable grateful.

More Than a Fan But Less Than a Player

     I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a family that breaths, sleeps and dreams football. With that being said, all my life I have been a die heart Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I have attended well over fifty home Steeler games which included two AFC Championships. Watching every game since I can remember and going to as many as I can, it seemed as if I would be a Steeler fan for the rest of my life. However, something changed that and it was certainly for the better. It wasn't expected but it turned out to be the best thing that could have possibly happened.
    
On April 28, 2012 my cousin Gino Gradkowski was selected 98th overall in the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Considering we were all Steeler fans it was tough to swallow knowing we'd have to wear purple while rooting for out Division rival. That feeling lasted lasted for a split second and once we came to realization that our cousin Gino had just been drafted, we were all immediately Ravens fans. In our family we are all raised like siblings and are closer than anyone could even imagine and that's why that day was special for so many of us. Even though it was our second time experiencing an NFL draft day, as Gino's big brother Bruce was selected in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2006, we were just as excited as the first time. On that day, there wasn't a person in attendance who could have ever imagined how amazing Gino's rookie year would be.
    
It has been twelve years since the Ravens have been crowned Super Bowl champions, but destiny was on their side when 17 year veteran and future Hall of Famer, Ray Lewis announced this would be his final season. A little over a month after his announcement, the Baltimore Ravens hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 2000.

Super Bowl XLVII was hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana and this one was particularly special for me. Not only did I get to watch my cousin run out of the tunnel on Super Sunday, but I was lucky enough to be in New Orleans for the whole weekend. The experience was like none other before, I was basically living the dream for five days.

It wasn't your ordinary Super Bowl trip; we were able to experience much more than any spectator. Arriving in New Orleans on Thursday my expectations were high, but I never could have imagined experiencing the things I did. Thursday night I went to the Welcome Party for players and their families. I was able to meet Ed Reed, Torrey Smith, Ray Rice, Joe Flacco, and even Coach Harbaugh.

Being surrounded by all these professional athletes was unreal and it was a dream come true to meet some of the people I did. Looking back at that night, now knowing they won the Super Bowl it was unbelievable that I was “hanging out” with World Champions.

The rest of my guy cousins got there on Friday. We met up with them on Bourbon Street for lunch and then later that night was once again remarkable.

We met at Gino’s hotel, which was a five star hotel, and ate at the famous oyster restaurant connected to the hotel. Not only was the dinner excellent, but it tasted even better since it was free.

As I’m sitting at the table, I look to my right and see Keyshawn Johnson, former Dallas Cowboy wide receiver and current ESPN broadcaster. Also that night I saw Mike Ditka, Phil Simms, Hines Ward, Chris Burman and Marvin Lewis. Surrounded in celebrities I wanted to go crazy like a little kid on Christmas, but I was able to remain calm and “cool.”

Saturday morning was yet again special. We woke up early and outside our hotel was a charter bus that took all the players families down to the Super Dome for the Ravens final practice. It was so awesome walking through the tunnel and coming out to see the empty dome. To think that it would be filled with 70 thousand people the next day for the biggest event in sports, well, it gave me chills.

They practiced earlier that morning so when the families got there they could just hang around and talk with us. They were all in their jerseys and having a great time being surrounded by their families and just taking in the moment.

I got to meet Ray Lewis, Jacoby Jones and Ray Rice and Coach Harbaugh again. As this winded down, we said bye to Gino and then began walking to the Hyatt hotel where we got to eat in the VIP room because my uncle knew a sales executive that worked for LG.

Saturday night was less eventful as I ate with a couple of my cousins, my dad, my Uncle Bruce and my Aunt Debbie at a local Bar and Grill.

After dinner was exciting as me and my cousin Timmy walked down to Bourbon Street to meet up with the older cousins. On a Saturday night Bourbon Street was crowded and wild. It was like nothing I've ever seen before and I can’t put into words how crazy that atmosphere is.

The big day was here, we woke up on Super Sunday and headed down to the players families luncheon. Full of gator meat and oysters, it was your typical New Orleans meal. After the meal we all went back and got ready as game time was almost there.

There were too many cousins for all of us to have tickets so we decided that none of us would go. Joe Flacco, Matt Birk whose the starting center and my cousin Gino all have the same agent so he rented out a restaurant for all of their families.

Free appetizers kept coming out and a buffet dinner at halftime. Around 100 family and friends of those players were there and it was absolutely nuts.

When the Ravens started off strong by scoring a touchdown on their first possession, I thought the place was going to collapse. Continuous cheering and screaming throughout the whole night created a game-like atmosphere.

As the clock hit zero it went even crazier and the restaurant literally was shaking. High fives and hugs being exchanged with everyone, it was an amazing feeling.

After the game, Gino got there and gave all of us the biggest hug ever. To think that my cousin, the same guy I watched pay since I can remember, was a Super Bowl champion.

All of my family unable to hold back the tears because they were so proud of him and all the work he put in to accomplish the ultimate goal on the biggest stage in football.

Not long after that Joe Flacco, Super Bowl XLVII MVP, comes walking into the restaurant. It was surreal partying with three guys that had just won Super Bowl, one in which was the MVP.

This was the best experience of my life and I made memories that I will cherish forever. I couldn't be more proud of my cousin Gino who is, always has been, and always will be one of the biggest role models in my life.