Comments on: Finding a way to live: a few thoughts on grandma’s, happiness, baseball, gambling, drinking, smoking, kitchen’s, friends, children, parents, love, life and death.

By: Derik

Derik — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:41:20 +0000

Jeff = weiner/naked

Bryan - Coach

Nice episode and the write up about baseball and death. It’s fucking brilliant.

By: Clay

Clay — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:32:12 +0000

Jeff-Naked Bryant-Coach

You guys should go two hours every week. An hour dedicated to the twins and then just a bonus hour dealing with current events. Very enjoyable to listen to.

By: Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:16:20 +0000

kiddy porn Bobby Knight

By: Bryant

Bryant — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:37:23 +0000

Haha, great story Big Yank! I knew why you were a Yankee fan but I was always curious why Joe got into them. Makes sense! Wow, I’m just realizing how much pressure is on Jeff now!

Jeff, I think you should hustle over to the Dakota tonight and seduce some women to have your baby. Just get it over with so we can CONFIRM that you’ll carry on the Twins legacy with your kid.

/kind of serious

By: BIG YANK

BIG YANK — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:29:50 +0000

I had Joe in the car at the very tender age of 13 or so and I said “You know Joe, I carried on my grandpa’s and your grandpa’s tradition of being Yankee fans and I am the last Poduska in the line. However, if you are willing to accept and carry on the tradition I am willing, as a member of the Yankee family, to allow you to join and carry on the family tradition. He didn’t say a word. I than said that if he wanted to do so I would take him to the sporting goods story and buy him his first official Yankee cap. All he said was, “let’s go!” Now, he his newborn son, Jackson, is also decked out in Yankee gear and will carry on the family tradition of Yankee fans. I know Jeff wishes he had been selected but being a Twins fans also I like the fact he is a Twins follower!

By: Dad

Dad — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:50:38 +0000

Jeff, I am sure grandma and grandpa are very proud of you and the way you can write something like this and bring out the emotions so well that some 48 year old man sits in tears after reading it. I know I am. It seems like heaven for you is writing.

The most endearing thing to me about Big D was that she accepted me for who I was. Most guys don’t get that with mother-in-laws. She and God both know I am deeply flawed and yet they both love me.

Oddly enough I was thinking about baseball today even before I read this. I was thinking about it in the context of how does a guy like Joe Mauer perform at that level every single day of a season that runs from April to October. He is involved in every pitch and goes months on end without an error, hits nearly 400 and makes it look so easy. Remember how we talked about that at the Pirates game? He makes it look so easy.

I was thinking about it because I have been so off my track at my job ever since this thing with Big D started to happen back in May and I just can’t seem to get on the right track. Just glad I don’t have 40,000 fans watching me do my job each day!

I love that we all have baseball to share. Win or lose, Dome or outdoors, I love going to those games and sharing that time with you. I often wish Joe lived here so we could all go together. I am not sure if this letter is some subtle hint that we need tickets for Target Field or what?

I was pacing the basement last night in the 9th when Nathan came on. I figured you might be too. I was sure the TV guys were putting the hex on us by giving all the glowing Nathan vs Royals stats. I was standing behind the sofa when he got the first out, so I had to stand there the rest of the inning as part of my “cosmic plan for how to send Nathan good vibes all the way” to Kansas City.

Love you!
Dad

By: Bryant

Bryant — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:58:08 +0000

You know what’s amazing, if you would have nudged Jeff towards the Yankee’s I’m sure it would’ve worked. You BARELY had to work with Joe and look at him, rocking the Yankee’s cap at all times.

Imagine taking 13 year old Jeff to Yankee Stadium. Jesus, he would’ve showed up at the Cathedral of Sports and watched a team that won 114 games and swept the Padres for the World Series. He would’ve been hooked.

Well I for one want to thank you for letting little Jeffery discover the Twins. Worked out well for him and I!

By: Collin

Collin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:30:28 +0000

Jeff - Naked; Bryant - Coach.

Great Episode.

By: BIG YANK

BIG YANK — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:30:01 +0000

Jeff,
You captured who my mom and your grandma was. You have made me thing that maybe baseball does tie in with death and her. You see, she was like that pitcher or hitter who didn’t succeed all the time but when they did they knocked it out of the park or pitched that one time career game. When that young fan watched them do it he will always remember that moment and the “failed” moments are forgotten. Same with mom. Death causes us to remember those great moments with her because she was special. When Mickey Mantle died I can still remember walking by the television that morning and the ESPN announcer saying, “Mickey Mantle is dead.” I remember it like it was yesterday. My hero….dead. I cried and I remember all the great things that he did. I didn’t remember all the times he struck out. I didn’t remember the drinking and what a terrible dad he was. I remembered “the Mick! #7″. Death led to great memories and sadness. You do the same with your grandma. You remember what a great grandma she was and what she taught you with her life. She taught me to live my life to the fullest as she did. Do it with gusto. She taught me to love unconditionally your children and grandchildren. UNCONDITIONALLY! The greatest love of all! Jeff, I should have taken your little hand and said, “Yes, he is in heaven with all those great Yankees and Jeff you need to become a Yankee fan just like your grandpa so you too can be happy like Joe and I will be as lifelong Yankee fans.” But, instead, I let you go on and become a Twins fan. I am laughing now as I write this. You see, grandma could have cared less if you were a Yankee fan or a Twins fan BUT she did care that you so so loved her with your whole heart and soul and she felt that love everytime you were with her in those last days. I felt it when I watched you cuddle next to her and put your cheek next to her cheek with a soft and gentle kindness I will never forget. I was so proud of the man you had become. Now, take the lessons she taught you and learn from them. That is what she would have wanted you to spend your time thinking about. She would not have wanted you to think about death. She would have wanted “no tears” as she told me in our last visit. Celebrate her life. Get back to pacing in a close Twins game as your grandpa would have done and did with Notre Dame. Keep going to games with your dad. In some ways baseball is life. It goes on forever. Sometimes it’s boring. Sometimes it’s fun and one thing is for sure….you don’t know how it is going to end! I love ya and appreciate your words about my mother. She loved you and you loved her. That is all that matters.