Football:
A Memoir
by
Bernard Mendillo
published
by Bernard Mendillo, 2011
ebook ISBN: 978-1-61397-681-4
Most
of us have something we look forward to when the work week is done.
Some hobby that captures our attention, takes us out of the everyday
grind and provides entertainment and activity and just plain fun.
For Bernie Mendillo, that was football.
Some
sports fans are watchers. They appreciate the game from afar,
rooting for their teams, of course, but still somewhat removed from
the hard hits, the cold weather and the field dynamics. While
Bernie and family were big fans, right there in front of the TV for
the big games of their football heroes, they weren't just couch
potatoes. The need to play was visceral.
They
were so into football that they created their own league,
the CHFL -
Cheming Hill Football League, where they played year after year,
trying as best they could (although from time to time, depending on
who was available and the weather, it was a bit more of a 'jungle
ball' experience) to emulate the greats in their favorite team, the
New York Giants. Touch football and the NFL vary greatly in their
rules, pay scales, and fan base, but the piece the CHFL kept pace
with was the value of "heart" as in "playing your
heart out" every game.
The
CHFL played every Sunday, for 20 years, rain or shine, with the
mantra "we plays in all weathers" where "all weathers"
included ice, snow, thunderstorms; you name it, they played in it.
A Stoughton MA newspaper dubbed them "The Boys of Winter"
but by and large, they labored on in anonymity, playing the game they
loved from 10-12 then going home to watch their team of choice.
If
you're a football fan, have played in high school or college, or just
follow the game closely (understand the rules, terminology, etc.) you
will appreciate this book. If you're a student of the game, you'll
especially appreciate the sections where Mendillo plays sports
announcer (calling the game as it would have been done on TV) for
games back as far back as 1958, letting the reader "see"
the games as they unfolded. If you're someone, or know someone, with
a "man cave" full of football memorabilia, tapes from
previous games, stubs from games you traveled to see, then you will
be familiar with some of this brand of fandom. If you play touch
football all the time, it will be just like home.
Those
who don't like football are likely to get lost in the jargon a bit,
but still respond to the sense of teamwork and community, and,
through Mendillo's obsession, understand a bit more about why some
folks are so hooked on football.
Most
importantly, this book is a kind of reverse "coming of age"
story. After 20 years of playing, Mendillo sees that the body is no
longer able to run as fast, jump as high, or change directions so
quickly anymore. "Football" is the documentation of his
recognition that he's no longer able to play the game he loves
without hurting his team, and at it's core, he is explaining the
reasons why it's so stunningly difficult to step away.
His
life in football is rich in details, melding the mundane every week
activities on back lots and playgrounds with the great plays by
professionals in front of cheering crowds, the game history, the
faithful fan of the Giants syndrome, and, in fact, everything
football rolled into one decision he really hates to have to make.
It's a bit of a eulogy to the death of Mendillo's participation, the
inexorable passage of time that closes the gate to the football
field, forcing Mendillo to go on with his life after having lost a
loved one.
This
particular rite of passage is one many baby boomers are experiencing,
so there will be much sympathizing with the feelings by readers, but
one caveat needs to be added. If you are a football fan of anyone
other than the Giants, be ready to substitute your favorite team's
name in a number of places, or you'll be grinding your teeth as the
many, many, references to the wonderful Giants recur.. It's how he
feels, and that's fine -- it's his life he's documenting, after all.
I
think Mendillo does an excellent job putting us into the action,
whether it's describing plays back from the earlier days of the game,
describing the joys and pains of playing in the snow, or presenting
the cast of characters that came and went in the CHFL, we, the
readers, can see it in the mind's eye, and that's good writing. In
addition to penning a number of memoirs, Mendillo is also a
novelist, and a playwright, with at least 14 plays to his credit.
He's on Facebook (Bernard Mendillo) and at www.mendillo.net
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