Frank Gifford, Father Dudley & Me

Growing up on 83^rd Street I had two ball players’ photos on display that I cut out of magazines, Frank Gifford and Mickey Mantle. I edged the players’ bodies carefully with a scissor and glued Frank and Mickey onto construction paper and scotch taped them to my bedroom wall.  Mantle died when Mom suctioned him from the wall during one of her vacuuming assaults. Following that tragedy, I removed Frank from his spot at my eye level and stood on my dresser and re-taped him near the ceiling well above my short mother’s reach. Here, for the first time in fifty years, "Frank Gifford on Construction Paper" by Tommy Pryor in 1964. 

Met #16 at a book signing five years ago. Gifford was charming. We shared our Father Benedict Dudley stories. Father Dudley was the pastor of my church, the chaplain for the New York Football Giants, a friend of Frank’s and one of Wellington Mara’s best pals. The photo above is Father Dudley and me after my Confirmation on 82nd Street in 1963.

Knowing Father Dudley, gave me a special connection to the owner of the Giants and my own inside seat with the team, at least in my head. I was Father Dudley’s go-to altar boy at St. Stephen’s. On Giant home game Sundays, he liked flying through Mass so he could hurry up to Yankee Stadium. I was quick and efficient with the altar chores during Mass and hummed through the Latin prayers. Father Dudley’s 21 minute Mass with extra altar wine was a kid’s favorite religious duty. You barely had time to get bored.

Frank had a long belly laugh, when I told him Fr. Dudley threw me off the altar during Mass, when he caught me entertaining my friends in the front pew by making fart noises with the plastic altar card.

Frank told me about living in the Grand Concourse Hotel during the football season and walking down 161th Street to the Stadium's players entrance with a coffee he bought in a deli off Walton Avenue. I told him about hanging out with my father at the hotel's bar waiting for the players to drop in after the game with my heart beating on the outside of my chest. Frank signed my NY Times story, "The Headlock That Won For the Giants," then Borders bookstore staff kicked me out  of the place.

If you enjoy my stories please check out my memoir, "I Hate the Dallas Cowboys - tales of a scrappy New York boyhood." Available atLogos Book Store or online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

The book has 109 Amazon five star reviews out of 109 total reviews posted. We're pitching a perfect game. My old world echoes TV's "The Wonder Years" ~ just add taverns, subways and Checker cabs.

You can also purchase my photography portfolio,"River to River - New York Scenes From a Bicycle" on Amazon.

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August 20th @ 7:30pm I'm telling a few good ones atApryl Miller & Friends Summer Reading Series #9 Feat. Thomas Pryor.  Send Apryl an RSVP to learn the address ~ apryl@aprylmiller.com

Gifford, Pryor, #16 ~ New York Giants Get Healthy

517 East 83rd Street

Growing up on 83^rd Street I had two ball players’ pictures on display that I cut out of magazines, Frank Gifford and Mickey Mantle. I edged the players’ bodies carefully with a scissor and glued Frank and Mickey onto construction paper and scotched tape them to my bedroom wall.  Mantle died when Mom tore him from the wall during one of her vacuuming assaults. Following that tragedy, I removed Frank from his spot at my eye level and stood on the dresser and re-taped him well above my short mother’s reach.

Here, for the first time in 40 years, Frank Gifford on Construction Paper by Tommy Pryor in 1964. 

Frank Gifford by Tommy Pryor created in 1964

Don’t be worried, I plan to reattach his missing right foot. It had a boo-boo and Doc Warren is working on it.

(If you are interested I ripped Frank out of my annual Street & Smith Pro Football Magazine and got Mickey from Sport Magazine.)

I recently met with Frank and he & Allie Sherman gave me permission to wear #16 Sunday, if necessary.  We’re worried about Bradshaw’s foot holding up, so I will be on the sideline under a blue hood rough and ready. 

Tommy & Frank discussing Father Benedict Dudley

Fyi, I’m going to séance tonight to coax Chris Schenkel back from the dead to call the game on Sunday. If I’m successful, and get Schenkel to Candlestick, I have a friend who has a friend that says his cousin knows a way to delay Joe Buck’s arrival.

Frank Gifford at Old Yankee Stadium

Put Me In Coach

I'm going in. Need to get the bad taste of last week out of my mouth and get my team in the playoffs.

I'm wearing my pajamas under my uniform so I'm ready for anything. Frank Gifford told me to take out my old Our Lady of Good Council #16 jersey (we practiced in Central Park's 97th Street dust bowl in 1969) and told Coach Coughlin to put me as flanker in the second quarter after Jacobs and Bradshaw soften up the Packers defense with pounding runs.

My personal trainer, my grandfather, will be on the sidelines making weird faces and smoking his cigar and coughing a lot. At flanker, I'll be a triple threat on the reverse thanks to my wicked left arm and my strong right leg from kicking and throwing pillows around the living room when the Giants do poorly (Dad taught me).

I feel bad for my friends, John Oudens & Michael Goldberg, Green Bay Packers fans, but it's time to recover our senses and play four quarters of football. The Cheese Heads are going down. I plan to pick up extra yards by screaming "Geronimo!" after I catch the ball and straight arm would be tacklers. Gifford will be proud I'm wearing his number.

Despite Deborah's announcement in a Checker cab as we sat on the pull-up seats in front of our fathers, years ago, that there was no Santa Claus, this is what I'm wishing for tonight when I go to sleep, who needs sugar plum fairies.

peace in the valley, nygiants by a touchdown, tommy

Marx Brothers ~ Horse Feathers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A_X1DYvl9k&feature=related

Old NFL Theme music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p30QHbD8018&feature=related

Giants 6-2, Cowboys 1-6

Tomorrow, at the end of the day, the Giants may have a five game lead on the Cowboys at the half way point of the season.

I was brought up not to gloat, all bets are off when it comes to Dallas. The best part of the end of the World Series, was once the Texas Rangers lost all the Dallas newspapers could refocus on the 1-6 Cowboys. Cowboys play the Packers tomorrow and though the Packers have played wishy washy, I'm expecting a strong game, because the Packers hate the Cowboys almost as much as the Giants do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-aKfTK2LiM