Like Father Like Son

Posted by Bill Scherer Oct 1, 2008

Last Saturday's Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA was only 40 minutes from my house, which is better than a three and one-half hour drive from Las Vegas, to be sure. Especially at midnight, after a long day.

Unfortunately, I was also stricken with bronchitis and would rather have watched the fight on TV with Vicks Vapor Rub slathered an inch thick on my chest. But I went anyway. The writers sitting around me may have wished I hadn't. I hacked phlegm from the opening bell of the first fight to the completion of the post-fight presser held next to the ring, nine fights and eight hours later.

Too sick and exhausted to sit out in the chill night of the open air tennis facility and finish my fight report, I packed up my laptop, headed home and fell fast asleep.

Rising early the next morning, I finished my article and submitted it while pouring the last drops of cold coffee down my gullet. Peering over the top of my cup, I saw a spiral bound notebook open to what looked like one of my fight notes. I picked it up and immediately recognized the writing, but it wasn't mine, it belonged to my eldest son, who is ten-years-old today.

Written just as I would have, it had the fighter's names above the top margin and the rounds numbered on the left margin with a space in between for notes. He's been watching.

Among his entries:

"Both fighters using power punches."

"Head butt!"

"Great round of boxing!"

"Mosley wins by KO at 2:59 of round twelve!"

That's lump in your throat stuff, right there. Will he grow up to become a writer? I don't know and it doesn't really matter. What matters is that all the evidence points to him growing up to be my son.