Last night here in Austin my wife had the AC on to high So I didn't want to put on a sweatshirt since all of them had a hoodie attached. I had just come home from YMCA volleyball practice and my granddaughter who is in 8th grade and a head taller then everybody is learning to spike and block at the net.And in the fall will go out for her HS team anyway I went into the closet and put on a sweater since the AC is on automatic and looked in my closet and grabbed a sweater . It was a championship sweater from my HS basketball teams back in 1988 It had my school logo with a net and basket emblem . Think I have worn it 3 times in my life. As I put in on I thought back about how I got that sweater and the crazy Vinny J .
So lets go back to 1988. My HS basketball team won our conference,then sections then won our Regional vs he Long Island Champions and won the 1st game in the Final 4 at Glen Falls NY. Then lost the championship state finals to a team from Roschester NY .. Vinny was a 6'1 fd that could jump out of the gym Back in the day everyone would say " he had ups" Not sure of the term they use today..
About 3 months later I am in the Gym teaching talking to another PE teacher about a conversation I had with my Superintendent the day before about the school will not buy due to budget problems Varsity Championship Jackets for my team but buy a less expensive sweater. I was Ok with that. but unbeknownst to me was Vinny listening in to my conversation . Vinny had asked for a pass to the bathroom I gave him one. About 10 minutes later I hear on the radio " security to the Administrators wing " I ask the hall monitors what is going on. He tells me a student has entered the Superintendents office and threatened him I ask who was the student , They said one of your players Vinny J. State Police and local police have been called but they are going to handle it in house. Vinny will be suspended for 5 days. I'm thinking Uh oh I gave him a pass
Vinny J
Epilogue..sorry this is long and boring
As I was leaving my supe's office and had my back to him he said " Box find out what those jackets cost maybe we can find some money in the budget. " Vinny got his suspension reduced to 3 days out of school . I got new championship jackets and with the extra money from the Varsity Club they bought sweaters The sweater I wore last night .. My supe was fired a year or two later for other things. I left my school after 27 years and became Principal of another school I got a call from one of Vinnys sisters a few years later that he was killed in Brooklyn in a shooting . I just put my head down and cried. He was Number 33 and he had " ups"
I also remember at our awards banquet at the end of the year when we give out the trophies and jackets I asked Vinny to please just go up and receive your trophy jacket and sweater with some class. But I was asking to much from him He was convinced the only reason why we were getting those jackets was because of his outburst So when his named was called he had the "bop " and "swagger " as he left his table and walked up to the podium The crowd roared with applause because in his mind he did 3 days of OUt of school suspension for those jackets . And thinking back today he was probably right. Last night I was looking at that team picture with Vinny's pose and thought it just took me one walk to my walk in closet to remember a story so long ago. What a waste of a life. And when I look at that picture there are 2 other players that are dead,one doing life and a NYC police officer and 2 NYC firemen . of that team only 2 players I'm still in touch with.
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