Yesterday in the middle of all the normal day to day crap, I'm standing in the aisle at the grocery store picking out God-knows-what for dinner. My phone rings and my wife is hysterical, she is telling me that Mike died. I just knew she was wrong, Mike and I had just done one of his side jobs this weekend, so it couldn't be Mike.
Apparently he had been sitting in his easy chair, feet up on the ottoman, watching Fox News (can you say ultra conservative), just as his wife had left him when she went to work. Whatever happened, it was quick, he was found by his son Matt around 1 PM sitting in the same position, not even a hair out of place.
I waved my son over (who is best freinds with Mike's son) and told him to drop the groceries, we have to get going. Walking into the house was like walking into a movie. The older son, who is freinds with my older son, was still at college, finishing up papers in nano tech something or other, it's his thesis and the Mom didnt want to distract him. The younger son who had found him was stunned and secluded in his room. The aunts waved him to go see Matt. I sought out Mary who had been in the kitchen, she was alternating between crushed and pissed off.
He had been a Jet/Giants fan for years and always loved busting my balls because I lived and died by the Bills. He liked to T-bone between his teams to ensure a pleasant day of Sunday football. Whichever team won, that was his team.
Most of you met him last year at the Opener, he had driven up with me last minute and watched his first NFL game live. He had also been sold on the whole WNY experience, wings, Ballet, the Pinto and cheap beer. From that day on, he became a Bills fan.
The following week, he came into the Sunday war room here on Long Island and was wearing a white hard hat (thanks Bob) painted with the Old Style and new style logo. His cheeks were painted red and blue and he proudly wore his Bills tailgate T-shirt with the stupid pom-poms sticking out of the back collar. He came back up for the Kansas City Game and helped me with my chili and sahlens. He was sold on the Bills experience, partly because of the people he met up there (it certainly wasn't the bills play)
I lost a very good freind yesterday, and we all lost a great Bills fan. Thanks Mike