Last night, thanks to the enthusiasm to the sport of soccer, a dedicated talented individual, David, organized an evening to watch the TFC take on the LA Galaxy live at the Rogers Center. While  Torontonians rarely seem to have anything meaningful to cheer about, the atmosphere was electric. I had the pleasure to invite my Father to this live event as he has become a huge fan in his early retirement. When I was a  young boy I played for the school teams through until high school, always enjoying, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” My father hardly came to see the games I competed in mainly because he was working or he knew that by the end of the match I would end up with some aliment. Eventually he would find me in a local hospital. Time flies, so what a better way to spend some quality time with the man who claimed I was the result of the best ‘five’ seconds of pleasure he ever had. Unfortunately aging creeps up on all of us without even noticing, the days when my dad could pick me up by the throat with one hand are gone. Neither he nor I are spring chickens anymore, as this was most evident at the game, as I went back uptown to pick him up. For the first time I saw him with a walking cane, as he requires knee replacement surgery this upcoming month. It was difficult to see him in  this state as I felt his pain while we walked up and down flights of stairs to get to our seats. When we arrived the game started and the fans in our section, remained standing. All of a sudden, I hear my dad screaming, “Sit Down, Sit Down! I can’t see! My knees are killing me!” The screaming got louder as the crowd showed their contempt for David Beckham, the celebrity. All of a sudden, my father reaches over and pokes a young potential hooligan in the back with his cane. “Hey! Tell the idiots in front of you to sit down, my knees are killing me! I can’t see! Words were exchanged and I prepared for potential action. Cooler heads prevailed, my dad was moved to the aisle seat and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. I am still afraid of my father, he’s nuts!

Sincerely-Philip Magnoli, my friends call me Don Filippo

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