Today was the one day on the baseball calendar that I was looking forward to more than any other; Bernie Isman, the 100-year-old baseball dynamo that makes Bud
Kerr look like a kid, was well enough to attend the game last night.

Working with his wife Isabel and the West Vancouver Care Home, we were
able to get him out for a game, his doctor clearing him for such an
excursion. Working for the team or not, I was determined to take him to a game, if
only in repayment for all he’s given me over the years.

For people who don’t know, I started driving Bernie to games back
in 2001 during a bus strike. Prior to that, he’d been attending ball games in this town for a loooong time, and even at the age of 93, in order to get to The Nat, he
would take the bus across town and then cab from downtown to the
stadium.

Every day.

But when that became impossible due to the usual
Vancouver labour shenanigans, the Booster Club asked me to help him out. Since
he lived two blocks from my condo, why not?

Well, up until 2005, I learned more about life in that car than I had lived. How often do you get access to a man that has been:

- a college hockey player in 1928
- a WW II vet (RCAF)
- a lawyer (40 years) and Provincial Court judge (10 years)
- a big band musician

Every day was a new story, some little insight into the life he’s
led, and it made me appreciate that even if your dreams don’t come true, you
can do a lot with what you’ve got.

Sure, there were times that driving him around cut into after-game
festivities, but that’s what altruism entails. Most times, I’d drop him
off at home and then hightail it back over town. Sometimes, though,
he’d offer to go to the bar with us.

One favourite beer hawker
memory was the time in 2004 when we went to the Fairview Pub after a
game, a favourite watering hole because of the employment within of my
brother-in-law, thus negating whatever cover existed. Bernie bought us a
round and, near deaf as he is, proceeded to tell us stories of bars
like that which he’d visited in the 50’s. That would have been cool enough, but
about 20 minutes in, he asked us if we could go because "this band is
terrible." If a 97 year-old man says a band is terrible, they’ve got to
be bad; it must do wonders for the ego when the old guy gets up and
walks out on your set, followed by 5 much younger men (and Dave Rowan).

Now that Daddy is back in the employ of his beloved Canadians (even if not as a hawker), it
became much easier to arrange for Bernie’s visit today. I can’t say enough
about the nice job Lori Bonang and Delany Dunn did in helping set it up. They made
sure we were able to get in, and they even made sure that Bernie was
recognized between innings.

Special thanks also go out to team co-owner Jeff Mooney,
who let us sit in his seats, recognizing that it’s not easy for a 100-year-old man to maneuver his way around the nosebleeds. Also appreciated
were the many people who came by to say hi and shake hands, be they
long-time C’s fans or people who just happened to be in the section.

A
final note of appreciation goes out to everybody within earshot,
because I had to ‘broadcast’ the game for Bernie so he could follow
along; 100 year-old eyes can’t follow things as closely as they once
did.

From the moment we got to the park, people went out of their way
to make Bernie and Isabel feel special, as evidenced by the smile on
his face the whole night. [It had been there from the moment he woke up
this morning - "Oh,", I got when I arrived to pick him up, "You're the
young man taking our boy to the baseball game." Apparently, he'd been
wearing his Canadians jacket all day.]

Lori came by with a ball, Delany
came by with some kind words, and there was no shortage of volunteers
ready to use their staff discount to help Isabel buy Bernie a blanket.
(THIS is the family I work with at Nat Bailey, and why this summer’s
‘issues’ nearly killed me.)

We stuck it out until the C’s half of the 6th, but then we had to
go - the temperature drop was beginning, and we all thought it best to
get back before it got too cold. On the way, we heard Rob Fai call the
dramatic conclusion on TEAM1040; I heard Bernie say "good" when Robbie called the
victory. A good conclusion to a great outing.

Thank you, C’s staff. Isabel wanted me to express their heartfelt
thanks at how warmly they both were treated, and how special the day was for Bernie.