A PRICELESS COLLECTABLE
A week or so ago, I wrote a story about a wonderful guy I went to high school with at Asbury Park High School. Moon was the manager of our football team and was responsible for caring for our needs. One of his duties was to bring a bucket of water to us during timeouts and practice sessions when we were so needy of drink during those hot and dusty days on the field of battle.
Most people would find this task somewhat unimportant, but to me, it was of major significance on those miserable heated days. I always equate the fraternal aspects of our team by stating we were all brothers because we drank out of the same water bucket, and Moon always delivered at the precise time.
I was discussing my story about Moon with a friend when I mentioned that I would love to have that bucket as a memoir of days gone by. These were the best days of my life. The period where I developed some of my strongest relationships and friendships. We shared that magic elixir from what we considered the fountain of life.
It occurred to me that not only did we drink from that bucket, but I never considered the hundreds of guys who drank from it before and after us. Some went on to be great college and professional football players and athletes. One being Frank Budd who became the FASTEST MAN IN THE WORLD. Others lived life and many became prominent in their fields. Some even ended up incarcerated.
When I consider the names of so many, I realize the value of the bucket to those who have kept the faith through all the years. To think of all the warriors some alive and some dead that shared our experience. Our brotherhood was so much greater and more meaningful to me than ever before. We were an elite force — all Blue Bishops, the FOOTBALL MEN of Asbury Park High School.
