I tried something new a few years ago. I had just lost my job at the radio station when my wife and I were talking one day. I decided to say yes to opportunities that came along. Anything that seemed interesting. A new radio offer? “Yes!” Covering a new sport for NB Cable Network? “Sure!” Writing a column for the Standard Times? “Okay!” Joining an internet broadcast of Cape Cod high school football? “I’ll give it a try.”
Most of those decisions led to some new and exciting things.
Some of my friends couldn’t understand why I went all the way down the Cape or to Martha’s Vineyard to cover a football game. It was exciting and the folks in charge seemed to appreciate my work. Even after my stroke they checked in on me and seemed to be happy when I decided to try and get back into the booth.
Just about that time the boss said, “I’m going to have you work with my brother. That way you’ll have someone to share the workload if it’s too much.” I didn’t know Larry’s brother, I had never met him or even talked with him on the phone. I could have gone into the broadcast being apprehensive, but, I decided to say yes to the new adventure.
That’s when I met my friend
That’s when I met Stan Dehann, my friend who passed away last week. Right away I could tell he was a nice guy. We got to know each other while driving down to Yarmouth. Once we got on the air it was like we had been a team for years. There are some match ups that are like that. You don’t try to talk over each other or be the one who has the last word or the punch line. After the game we went for a pizza and talked about the little adjustments we would make the next week. We covered a few games that first year and decided to get together in the off-season for dinner giving me a chance to meet his wife Linda and he had a chance to meet Priscilla. It was nice.
We were a team. We spent Friday nights in Barnstable, Yarmouth or Falmouth. He took care of the equipment while I researched the teams. We loved a snack shack that had the hot dogs ready 30 minutes before kick off and if the press box had an elevator—— it soon became a favorite. And if it had heat? Even better!
Stan was a fan of “Woof Wednesday” and would always ask about Oscar, my beagle. We talked about the radio business, what it was like to have grandchildren (he was a little ahead of me there), and the Red Sox or Patriots. A good friend to hang out with. I wish I had known him longer than five years.
He went quickly which I suppose is a God send. I don’t want to intrude on the family’s privacy but I’ll just say he had a form of cancer and was diagnosed on September 24th and left us October 23rd. I’m glad he didn’t have to suffer long.
I decided to say yes
Again, this all started because I decided to say yes to new opportunities.
Not every decision worked as good as my friendship with Stan. There was a radio opportunity that I at least agreed to look at but that would have required waking up every day at 3 a.m. instead of my old 4:15 a.m. and it meant about a one hour drive every morning, unless there was weather to contend with. Those hours aren’t as easy as they used to be. Well, truth be told, it never really was easy. Maybe some day for that show but not now.
Saying yes to the Standard Times led me to the world of writing and starting up this website which is fun for me.
My advice? Consider saying yes to new opportunities. They may not all end up great but sometimes they can lead to a friendship like I had with Stan.
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