I had a tough day today, my friends. On Sunday night the weekend of the wild-card playoff games, I got a call from Joey. His father Joe passed away. He was only 45-years old.
I met Joe at a sports bar in 1995, the Rams' first year in St. Louis. There was an 18-year difference between us. I was 42 at the time and Joe was a mere babe in the woods, only 24 years of age. But we would go wild and crazy watching our Rams together. A couple of years later my mom who had DirecTV at her Townhouse in Woodland Hills, CA and she agreed to let Joe and I pitch in for the cost of Sunday Ticket--only 40 bucks apiece at the time. Then when my Condo's Homeowners Assoc. permitted satellites up on the roof, I got Sunday Ticket and Joe and I and and Joey who was born in 2000 and Joe's wife Sara and our dads would watch all the games together. My dad had been a Ram fan since--are you ready--since 1949. He bought season tickets in 1951. I was born in 1953 and started going to the games in 1965 (was exclusively a Dodger and baseball fan until then). Of course we kept the season seats until the Rams departed for the Midwest. My dad and Joe were over-the -top Ram fans and we had great fun together watching the games. We were there for our run to the Super Bowl in 1999-2000 and two years later as well.
Another story for another day but Joe met Laurie Shaw, John Shaw's wife, at an In-N-Out Burger in the Valley and they struck up a close friendship. She invited Joe and me to the NFL Championship game in 2002 against the Eagles and a four years ago we also sat in John's suite when the Rams played the Raiders at Oakland.
In the 2000 seat, she gave us 40-yard-line seats at San Francisco and we drove the Niner fans crazy.
Joe and I watched about 80% of Ram games together. Joe contracted Cirrhosis of the LIver (Lived life on the Wild Side--and after a couple years of suffering, he collapsed at home with his son by his side. Joey called 911 but the paramedics couldn't revive him.
Today was the memorial service at his church and my wife Marsha and I attended. Laurie Shaw was also there as well as about 50 others. The casket was open and I had to see Joe one more time. He lay there wearing his Ram cap and Ram Jacket I touched him, put my hand over my heart and told him I loved him. Never saw a dead body before; it was almost as if he was made of clay. I gave his dad a Ram towel and asked that he place it in the coffin.
Aside: Two days after Joe's death came the official announcement that the Rams are moving back to Los Angeles. As Laurie told me: "Brutal."
Love you forever, Joe--and if there is a Paradise--I 'll see you when I get there where you me and my dad can watch Ram games forever.
Steve R
I met Joe at a sports bar in 1995, the Rams' first year in St. Louis. There was an 18-year difference between us. I was 42 at the time and Joe was a mere babe in the woods, only 24 years of age. But we would go wild and crazy watching our Rams together. A couple of years later my mom who had DirecTV at her Townhouse in Woodland Hills, CA and she agreed to let Joe and I pitch in for the cost of Sunday Ticket--only 40 bucks apiece at the time. Then when my Condo's Homeowners Assoc. permitted satellites up on the roof, I got Sunday Ticket and Joe and I and and Joey who was born in 2000 and Joe's wife Sara and our dads would watch all the games together. My dad had been a Ram fan since--are you ready--since 1949. He bought season tickets in 1951. I was born in 1953 and started going to the games in 1965 (was exclusively a Dodger and baseball fan until then). Of course we kept the season seats until the Rams departed for the Midwest. My dad and Joe were over-the -top Ram fans and we had great fun together watching the games. We were there for our run to the Super Bowl in 1999-2000 and two years later as well.
Another story for another day but Joe met Laurie Shaw, John Shaw's wife, at an In-N-Out Burger in the Valley and they struck up a close friendship. She invited Joe and me to the NFL Championship game in 2002 against the Eagles and a four years ago we also sat in John's suite when the Rams played the Raiders at Oakland.
In the 2000 seat, she gave us 40-yard-line seats at San Francisco and we drove the Niner fans crazy.
Joe and I watched about 80% of Ram games together. Joe contracted Cirrhosis of the LIver (Lived life on the Wild Side--and after a couple years of suffering, he collapsed at home with his son by his side. Joey called 911 but the paramedics couldn't revive him.
Today was the memorial service at his church and my wife Marsha and I attended. Laurie Shaw was also there as well as about 50 others. The casket was open and I had to see Joe one more time. He lay there wearing his Ram cap and Ram Jacket I touched him, put my hand over my heart and told him I loved him. Never saw a dead body before; it was almost as if he was made of clay. I gave his dad a Ram towel and asked that he place it in the coffin.
Aside: Two days after Joe's death came the official announcement that the Rams are moving back to Los Angeles. As Laurie told me: "Brutal."
Love you forever, Joe--and if there is a Paradise--I 'll see you when I get there where you me and my dad can watch Ram games forever.
Steve R
