I mean, they must be.
I invite you to do the same.
It’s not easy.
In the first story ever told, Cain murdered Abel because Dad (their Creator) liked him better.
Virtually all of your positive male figures in fiction are loners.
And most of them, have no siblings at all.
All your American icons like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne characters.
The same goes for the great antiheroes.
Show me a fictional family with a lot of brothers, and I’ll show a web of dysfunction.
The family inSuccessionis a collection insufferable, conniving narcissists who hate each other even more than their father does.
The only time you’ll find brotherly relationships in TV and movies, they’re not actually related.
Just guys thrust together in pursuit of some noble cause.
Easy Company inBand of Brothers.
The Fellowship of the Ring.
Your Avengers and Justice League.
It would never get past the pitch meeting.
And that ain’t happening, either.
I bring this all up to address the real life struggle my own family is having.
If I can talk in sports metaphors (why stop now?)
One of mine is to talk about it here, which helps process what’s been happening.
But only in the context of bringing up couple of larger truths that I hope makes sense.
And does some good for somebody other than just me.
If you want to drop a couple of roses on the spot, Bruce Wayne-style, go ahead.
I hope that brings you comfort.
But that said, some manners of death deserve special recognition.
Heroic sacrifices, obviously.
Members of the armed forces.
But if there’s a close second to that love, I believe it is this.
There’s more to us than mere flesh, blood, and electrical impulses passing as consciousness.
There are other, greater forces at work on a plane of existence we can barely comprehend.
And they are eternal.
It’s medical science.
Its also known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome.
My brother had dealt with health issues in the past, including heart ailments.
It had been 34 years since his first incident.
And in that time, he survived annual trips up Mt.
But he couldn’t survive this.
The other point I’m hoping to make takes me back to the dynamic between brothers.
And it drove the plot of every third or fourth episode ofThe Three Stooges.
I’ve been doing it nonstop my whole life.
As far as Jack goes, if life is a test, I’ve been copying off his paper.
I mean, we would differ in our opinions once in a while.
But the way mine have been delivered was pure him.
Especially - but by no means limited to - when it came to the Patriots.
The first sporting event I ever went to was a Pats game when I was 13.
1 pick on DT Ken Sims of Texas).
So what can I do to get thrown out too?"
We celebrated the day Bill Parcells was hired.
Jack became an administrator for the Patriots Planet message board.
Also it’s best contributor.
And woe be to anyone who went on their to bully the other posters or personally attack them.
And if he’s not using that power, it would save me a lot of rewinding the DVR.
“I swear I’ve never heard this man’s name before,” I said.
“I had them taking him in the 2nd round,” he replied.
I defy anyone else outside their personnel department to say the same.
That’s when Round 1 was held on Saturday at noon.
“Only the first eight hours,” I said.
And I knew I wanted to do some version of that kind of content.
He gave me the platform to do it.
One of which I emailed to Dave Portnoy as a writing sample.
And the reply came back, “You’re hired.
It doesn’t pay anything.”
Not a minute has gone by since without me being grateful I took the gig anyway.
That’s just the football part of what he gifted me.
I won’t even get into all the other interests that were his before they were mine.
Most of the jokes were over my head.
But it taught methis is what grown men laugh at.
This is how they act around each other.
This is the music they like.
This is how they break each other’s balls, and so on.
And I haven’t watch that movie since … about a month ago.
I can always use a refresher.
And to thank him for all he’s given me.
Sorry I went on so long.
I hope this helps somebody besides me.
I’ll be back with the usual Lowest Common Denominator garbage as soon as I can.
