November 17, 2003

On T.V.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hut!

Chris Leak took the ball from the center and handed it off to DeShawn Wynn. The back followed blockers, broke two tackles and pushed into the south end zone at Williams Brice Stadium for the Gators’ third quarter touchdown.

He ran right at me. The touchdown put the Gators up 24-16.

Bzzz… bzzz… bzzz…

“Hi, Pop.”

There’re only two reasons anyone calls when you’re in the middle of shooting a football game.

“I’m kind of in the middle of shooting a game here.” Crowd noise confirmed that fact as the Gators kicked off, me shooting the play one-handed.

He was just going to leave me a message, he’d said. After Wynn’s 30-foot scamper into the end zone, and his teammates celebrating in front of me, I dropped my short lens and the dad saw his son plain as day on national television. He most likely ran it back a couple of times on the Tivo™.

Well, that’s my dad. He does those kinds of things.

Back in high school those kinds of parental pride moments have a propensity to cause embarrassment. Friends might tap you on the shoulder and point, “Isn’t that your dad?”

I never had the so-called embarrassment problem. Didn’t matter what I did, there he was watching when it was some kind of public performance. Played in bands all through high school, music louder than a Concord take-off, and there he was watching. Most people miss their kids doing things like that. My dad never missed a gig.

So there he was, watching another one of my gigs, through the television this time, hoping to catch a glimpse of me doing my job.

“What did I look like?”

I was working, he told me.

“Did I have a camera up to my face or not?”

Yes, I was relieved by his telling me. Then I put it down after the Gators took their celebration away from the corner and he got a glimpse of his kid.

I just hope they cut away before I pumped my right fist in celebration of the score.

- Rich