Boston Breakers Help Escalator Dad and Escalator Daughter Find a Common Bond

In the summer of 1996, my 'til death do us part became my ex-wife. I hated that piece of my life for so many reasons. For one, I had never really failed at anything before and failing at a marriage was devastating to me. When I took off my wedding band as the door hit her where the good Lord split her, I felt as if I had emblazoned the scarlet letter on my chest at the very same time.

With the loss of the other half of Mr. and Mrs. I also said "see you later, sweetie" to my beautiful daughters, Erika and Julia. They were age seven and five at the time. As they turned and waved to me with one hand, while holding Mom's hand with the other, I knew I'd see them soon, but knew that our relationship was forever altered.

I saw them every Wednesday and every weekend, an arrangement I knew was much better than many Dad's are allowed, but that simply wasn't enough. Each time I'd drop them off, the hurt was a little bit more. We'd drive from Milford, NH to Worcester, MA singing.

Their little angelic voices brought me to tears from Milford to Worcester and back again as the sang "Butterfly Kisses" and P-Diddy's "I'll Be Watching You". Just to make their old man cry a little bit more, they changed Sean John's lyrics to "I'll Be Missing You."

Weekend upon weekend passed and the hurt never went away. I love those two little gals and no one will ever take their place in my heart.

Fast forward five or so years and I've picked up most of my pieces and met "Ms. Right" yet again. Kate had two children, Kaitlyn, age 7, and Dakota, age 3. They welcomed me into their lives, sort of.

Though Mom was happy again, I represented the official end of any hopes that "Dad might come home." It's a crummy world we live in when Mommy's and Daddy's can't figure their stuff out enough to prevent Daddy from going away.

I knew I'd never replace Dad and didn't even try. I listened to advice from anyone who had ever walked a mile in these Hush Puppies and got more and more confused with each theory. "Be their Uncle." "Be their friend." "Just Be." I tried them all and none of them seemed to hold the key of how to get close to the two little squirts who hated me so.

They tried to like me and me them, but we were failing miserably. As Mom and I spent more and more time together, Kaitlyn and DJ, hated me more and more. I sense Kaitlyn had a voodoo doll hiding beneath her pillow and jabbed my eyes like a pin cushion every time I showed up at the door.

Dating turned to marriage and my girlfriend's two little urchins became my step children. I'd tuck them in to bed sometimes, if they let me in their room, but truthfully I longed for them to be Erika and Julia and not Kaitlyn and Dakota.

Kate and I tried everything. Game night. Family time. "Stay away from each other time" and even "really stay away from each other time". We changed our respective names from Step Dad and Step Kids to Escalator Dad and Escalator Kids, as step seemed so ugly and evil.

Dakota seemed to come around eventually, but Kaitlyn was a tough sell. One day it seemed as if we were making progress and the next day her head would spin around and she'd spit green venom in my direction. I knew part of it was the fact that she was a teenage girl and part was just she plain old didn't like me.

And then tonight came.

Sometimes things happen and you can feel the magic. Tonight was magic.

Kaitlyn and I left for the Boston Breakers game around 3:30. We drove through McDonald's Drive Thru and I placed her order correctly for the first time ever. "Two BBQ chicken chipotle snack wraps, crispy, no lettuce, a medium fry and a medium diet coke."

I looked over at Kaitlyn as the clerk hollered $5.14 through the muffled intercom and she smiled at me. Not lovingly, as we won't go there, but liking-ly.

I turned the Radio to Kiss 108, her favorite station and cranked it loud. We had gone on Winchendon to Boston car rides before and if Kaitlyn doesn't have her I-pod and head phones, she's text messaging to the world. I just blast a little Matty Sigel and we drive silently.

Today, however, Kaitlyn turned the music down softer than normal and smiled.

Kaitlyn smiled.

I was taking her to her first Breaker's game and she seemed to genuinely appreciate it. Kaitlyn had played soccer this fall for her high school and I had made a game here and there when I could.

I always hoped she'd thank me after the game, but I don't think she did. Maybe once or twice, but I really sensed it was out of obligation instead of appreciation.

We drove a bit longer, still not really saying anything to each other, like two guys being left in a room together. The silence was uncomfortable to me and I assume to her, but I really couldn't come up with anything to say.

We hit Rte. 2 heading to Boston and Kaitlyn broke the uncomfortable silence. "Thanks for taking me to see the Breakers, Todd. I'm really excited."

I felt a warmth in her voice that matched the warmth in my chest. We had bonded. At long last, I had found something that made Kaitlyn tick. Soccer. Women's Soccer to boot.

I suddenly felt the same as I did the first time I took my son, Corey, to Fenway to see our beloved Sox. Corey is as passionate about the Sox as I am and he and I chat for hours on end about the hometown team.

Taking him to the Fen for the first time was the greatest gift I could ever give the little squirt. Kaitlyn is equally passionate about soccer and I quickly realized that we were experiencing something really special.

I started to talk to Kaitlyn about Kristine Lilly and Kelly Smith and how my job with the Bleacher Report was going to allow me to go to all of the home games. Kaitlyn seemed impressed and asked me if she could take pictures of the team, while I wrote. "Absolutely, girlfriend", I said. "Anything you want."

We got to beautiful Harvard Stadium and Kaitlyn's eyes sprang from her beautiful little face. She's 15 now, going on 18, but had the expression of a wide eyed little girl. I sense she thought the game was going to be in Foxborough, which would have been cool, but playing at The Coliseum was "way cool."

Kaitlyn seemed especially impressed when I was waved by the parking attendant simply by saying, "Hi, I'm Todd Civin. I'm with The Bleacher Report."

"WE don't have to pay, Todd?" she said.

"That's right, WE don't have to pay." I laughed not expecting her to chip in anyhow.

We got to the Will-Call window and picked up our credentials. Mine was for the season and Kaitlyn's a one day pass, so she could take pictures for her Escalator Dad.

She put it around her neck, careful not to mess her hair of course, and glanced down at it as she walked.

As we walked by the security guard on to the field, simply by flashing our "golden ticket" Kaitlyn was flying higher than the Woody Woodpecker Balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"Look at the turf, Todd. And the players. Look how close we are. Look how fast they shoot," she continued, never taking a breath in between sentences.

I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to go to the Press Box and quite unexpectedly she declined. "Let's sit in the stands with everyone else."

We walked into the stands, which were filled with Daddy's and Daughters everywhere we looked. I sense Kaitlyn thought the same thing, though who knows what goes on in the mind of a 15 year-old gal?

We sat at the 50-yard line about half way up the majestic stone seats at Harvard and cheered non stop for ninety plus minutes of play. Kaitlyn pointed out the nuances of the sport that a rook like me has yet to pick up and compared the play of the Breakers team to her Monty Tech team.

"Their passes are crisp and they dribble far less than we do" she taught me. "And the game is about 75 percent faster" she said, using the wildly inaccurate math skills that garnered her a borderline C.

As the final whistle blew and the PA blasted Breakers 2, Sol 1, I screamed to Kaitlyn in my horse little squeal. "We won." Kaitlyn looked at me and nodded as if she didn't even really care about the final tally.

"Yup, we won, Todd. WE won."

We filed out with the rest of the exuberant crowd and I bought Kaitlyn a cute Breakers Blue and white T-shirt. She thanked me several times on the way to the car, in between an endless banter about Marta and Kelly.

She asked me if we can do it again the next game and if she can bring her friend Abbey. I answered in the affirmative and she thanked me yet again.

I expected her to fall asleep in the car like she usually does but she and I chatted for most of the ride home. "I wish I played Spring soccer" she said. "That game was awesome."

We arrived in Winchendon and Kaitlyn bounded up the stairs to show Mom her T-shirt and tell her about the game. Kate looked at me and smiled.

I said good night to my little Escalator Princess as she left the room and hit the hay.

I don't think she'll be singing Butterfly Kisses to me any time soon and definitely not any "I'll Be Msiing You."

Tonight, I'll settle for Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole.....Ole...Ole!

Tom Brady: Like a Kid in a Candy Store with Sweet Offensive Weapons

Tom Brady looked a little bit like a fat kid in a candy store as he took the field for the first time since tearing his ACL last October.

No, Brady hasn't put on weight during his recovery. He just truly looked wide-eyed and on a bit of a sugar high after participating in OTA drills at the Patriots' training camp this week.

In an upcoming story by Sports Illustrated Peter King, Brady described himself "as confident as anyone could be that I'll be ready to play, back to playing normally, when the season starts."

"I've done everything I could to push myself, sometimes too hard. Right now, I'm doing everything. Literally everything. There's nothing I can't do."

That confidence, along with Brady's showing at this week's first full team practice, has his teammates equally "buzzing."

ESPN reporter Wendi Nix reported that Brady's teammates were "re-energized" after watching Brady throw and that Brady himself was "upbeat and confident."

And confident he should be. Brady finds himself with some sweet offensive options as he enters the 2009 campaign.

Brady should feel like Charlie Bucket finding the Golden Ticket after the team added running back Fred Taylor, wide receivers Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, and tight ends Chris Baker and Alex Smith to an offense that scored 410 points (25.6 p/g) last season.

In Taylor, who was signed as a free agent after 11 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots are getting a power runner with breakaway speed to complement their existing stable of rushers.

Coupled with running backs Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk, the Patriots should add to a running attack that compiled nearly 2300 rushing yards a year ago.

Though he won't be expected to shoulder the entire load as he did in his years with the Jaguars, Taylor claims there is still a lot left in his tank.

"I've always said I'll run until the wheels fall off. Drive this car, get rotations, you're going to keep pushing, because if those tires come off you're in trouble. I'm going to keep going forward."

"I want to learn the playbook so I don't have to hesitate," explained Taylor.

"I don't want to feel like a rookie out there. So I listen, I've always been coachable. Whatever I gotta do, I gotta do it. But it starts with learning the playbook."

Familiar Brady targets of Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and tight end Benjamin Watson will be joined by veterans Lewis, Galloway, Smith, and Baker to form an experienced and versatile passing attack.

Under Cassel's regime last season, the team racked up over 3,500 yards via the air after throwing for 4,731 behind Brady in 2007.

In Lewis, the Patriots get a possession type receiver to replace spare part Jabar Gaffney, who signed with the Broncos during the offseason. Lewis had only 19 receptions a year ago, but has a career high of 48 receptions for 561 yards in 2005 when he was Donovan McNabb's third receiver.

He is expected to be an added receiver when Brady goes four or five wide, along with Moss, Welker, Galloway, and perhaps rookie Brandon Tate.

Lewis is also expected to see time on the special teams as he has recorded 41 special teams tackles while playing for the Eagles.

Galloway, who enters his 15th NFL season, provides another deep threat to Brady's arsenal. Though he caught only 13 passes last season in nine games, Galloway is coming off seasons of 57, 62, and 83 receptions in the three years prior.

The 5'11", 197-pound wide receiver has 682 career receptions for 10,710 yards (15.7 avg.) and 77 touchdowns in 185 career games.

Galloway's career average of 15.7 yards per reception ranks him at No. 1 for active NFL players with 300 or more career receptions. Moss ranks second at 15.66 yards per reception.

In addition to Galloway's receiving accomplishments, he has recorded 141 career punt returns for 1,349 yards (9.6 avg) and five touchdowns.

The Patriots also added tight ends Chris Baker and Alex Smith during the offseason, to complement the tandem of Watson and David Thomas. Baker and Smith both caught 21 passes last season for the Jets and Buccaneers, respectively, while Watson and Smith caught 22 and nine balls in 2008.

With all of these sweet offensive weapons, it may be opposing defenses who leave Foxboro writhing in pain this season. Only this time it will be from one big dose from Tom Brady's candy store.

Through the Eyes Of....David McCarty: World Champion Human Being

For those of you who have followed my exploits over the last several months, I hope you've learned this about me.

For one, my family and friends mean more to me than the very breath I breathe.

If I were in a boat with any of my family or friends and some one had to go overboard so that the others can survive, it's me.

Not because I'm a hero, but because my friends and family are.

Second, I love the game more than I love the final score. Wins fade away. The players and the memories are timeless.

Third, I'm angry about steroids, skyrocketing salaries, players who don't give it there all or make use of the God-given talent they have been blessed with. See Rules No. 1 and 2 above if anything seems out of whack here.

So when life circumstances allow me to bump into a fellow human being who seems to be a mirror of these sentiments and beliefs, I get all weak-kneed and fuzzy inside. Not because I had a brush with a star, but because I had a brush with a human that my kids and your kids can still look up to.

So when I had the opportunity to spend some time with former Major League utility man David McCarty, I got (see above)...all weak-kneed and fuzzy inside.

No, I didn't truly meet Dave in the flesh. I cannot tell a lie. But, while living this fantasy we call Sports Writer, I mustered up enough Khutzpah (see Todd's Yiddish Dictionary) to ask Dave to do a cross country interview.

Right in line with his character, he was open and gracious and giving.

The following is the first in a series I will be doing called "Through the Eyes Of....".

In each segment, I will present interviews with or stories about those that I view to be the "Good Guys". It is my personal crusade to present baseball in all it's beauty and splendor instead of hashing and rehashing all that is broken with our National treasure.

So, I present to you, the first in the series..Through the Eyes of ..David McCarty, World Champion Human Being.

TC: How many MLB teams did you play for?

DM: I played for nine different organizations, and was in the major leagues with seven of them.

TC: What was it like playing ball at Stanford?

DM: It was a great experience. I am a strong believer in going to college before turning pro. It gives a young man the chance to get his education paid for while allowing him time to mature as a person and a player.

By signing out of high school players are going to have to hit all the stops on the way up and there is some pretty brutal travel and very little pay in the low minor leagues.

The one exception to this is if a player is such a high-round pick that he will get several million dollars and be financially set for life. Otherwise the money will still be there when a player signs out of college.

TC: If you could have won a WS, an MVP, or gone to an All Star game which would you do?

DM: No brainer—win the World Series. It was incredible.

TC: Tell me who would present you if you got in the HOF?

DM: The guy I just bought the ticket from because that is the only way I’ll get in.

TC: What was your favorite on the road city?

DM: Seattle was always great because you could get up in the morning and just walk around. It is so compact that you can leave the hotel and see so much of it just by walking around. I also liked going to Texas or Houston so I could see family.

TC: Who had the crummiest MLB locker rooms?

DM: The old Cleveland stadium was the worst followed closely by Tiger Stadium and Fenway before the renovations.

TC: What is your favorite on-the-road meal?

DM: I enjoyed having barbecue in Texas and KC.

TC: Who was the greatest coach you played for?

DM: I most enjoyed playing for Tito (Boston's Terry Francona). He does such a great job of deflecting so much of the media heat away from his players. It really makes it easier for guys to relax in the pressure cooker that is Boston.

TC: Should baseball have a salary cap?

DM: Not unless there is a salary floor to go with it. I find it hard to consider when some of the teams receiving revenue sharing money have taken the proceeds and putting it in their pockets rather than spending on talent to put a better product on the field.

TC: What do we do about the spending of the Yankees?

DM: Keep having them spend foolishly. They continue to have the highest payroll in the game, but that hasn’t gotten them a WS title this century.

I think many teams need to do a better job of attracting fans and creating revenue. Step one in that process is putting a decent product on the field and it can be done on a modest budget.

Look at the Twins and the A’s. They continue to develop homegrown players so they can compete without breaking the bank. It takes smarts and effort, but can be done.

Let’s not forget that the Yankees were a joke of an organization when Steinbrenner bought them. All the money in the world doesn’t matter if an organization has poor leadership. The Orioles have spent money for quite some time, but are still in a shambles.

TC: If you were starting your own baseball team, who would be the one player you would have to sign?

DM:Not an easy question. A couple years ago I would have said Pujols. Now there isn’t a no-brainer pick. There are guys like Pedroia or Longoria that you want to see more of a track record out of before making an absolute commitment to having him be THE cornerstone your team is built around.

There are also guys like Teixeira or Howard that could be considered. I can tell you that I wouldn’t build my team around a pitcher, because they can’t affect enough games and there is too big a chance of injury.

TC: What are your favorite baseball movies?

DM: Bull Durham and Major League. I have to throw in Fever Pitch because you can see the back of my jersey in a dugout scene.

TC: Meeting which MLB player was the most amazing?

DM: Meeting and playing against Nolan Ryan was very special for me, because he was a boyhood idol of mine.

TC: Did you ever think you would be held in the position of awe that all boys, young and old hold you in?

DM: I remember what it was like to see or meet a professional athlete when I was a child so I can understand the fascination with seeing professional athletes.

TC: What should be done to clean the egg on baseball's face?

DM: A world-class testing program for steroids and HGH.

TC: If you had to do it all over again, what would change?

DM: I might have tried being a pitcher. I pinch hit against most of the lefty relievers in the game and I can say that there are quite a few that are in the big leagues because they are left handed and breathing.

That is why I tried my hand at pitching with the Sox. I told Tito and Theo that I could do better than a lot of guys who were in the league.

To their credit, they gave me a shot. I’m 6’5" and with little practice was able to hit 89 mph. I could also spot my fastball very well, so I think I could have had a pretty good career as a pitcher.

WRITER'S NOTE: Mccarty appeared in three games as a reliever for the Sox in their World Championship 2004 season. He was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA and had 4 Ks in 3.2 innings of work.

TC: What do you do being retired at under 40 years old?

DM: I knew I would want and need to do something when I retired from baseball so I started talking to people while I was still playing ball about different careers I was considering. I settled on commercial real estate because of the flexible schedule and ability to get into the property-ownership side of the business.

TC: What are you doing now?

DM: I have been working in commercial real estate for Lee & Associates in Oakland for about three years now. We handle office, industrial, and investment deals. If any readers have questions or need help with commercial real estate please feel free to contact me.

TC: Are you involved in any charitable endeavors?

DM: Our son, Reid, has Tourette Syndrome so we support the Tourette Syndrome Association. I have also done a little with the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland.

TC: Is your wife and family glad to have you at home?

DM: I think so. Most days. My wife, Monica, is a successful Scottish historical romance novelist. She has hit both the NY Times and USA Today best seller lists.

WRITER'S NOTE: Her book Highland Scoundrel hit book stores on March 24, 2009 and is doing quite well. It is the story of Duncan Campbell. He possesses all the attributes for a Highland chieftain except for one—legitimacy.

He was forced from the clan for a crime he didn’t commit, and has earned a reputation as the fiercest, most skilled mercenary on the continent. When their attempt to prove Duncan’s innocence uncovers a deadly secret, not only their lost love, but their lives hang in the balance.

My wife, Katie, bought it the day it hit stores and has not put it down.

And so is the life of David McCarty. Some how I think the world of sports would be on more solid footing if there were a few more of him around. It is reassuirng and gratifying to know, however, that when God assembles that "All-Star" team in the sky, David McCarty will be at the end of the bench willing to play first, the outfield or even throw a few innings of shutout ball. TC.