Father’s Day is, in essence, the reason why this website, exists.

And because of that, I can’t let Father’s Day and the flavor of all the good things that happened everywhere in this country on Sunday as the dads got their annual due, at least a little bit, slip away into the distance as we now steam toward the Fourth of July, without giving it, and him, my late dad, his due, at least a little bit.

Like a lot of sons, and daughters, I feel like I had the best dad in the history of dads. He was just a little bit older than the players on those first Browns teams nearly 80 years ago. So he could identify with them, and the players on the Indians teams who were about his same age.

He grew up in a little town along the Ohio River that is evenly split — both geographically and fandom wise  between the Cleveland teams and the Pittsburgh teams. He always rooted for the Cleveland teams, and as such, as I grew up, and with the fact I admired him and wanted to be like him, and saw him as my hero, I rooted for those teams, too. And I still do, obviously.

It eventually morphed into a sportswriting job covering the Browns, and one of his other loves, the Ohio State Buckeyes football and basketball teams. He never lived to see any of that, because he died way too early. But I know somewhere he’s looking down on it all and smiling, not because it made him happy, but because he knows it made me happy and that’s the job of a father, to steer his children in the right direction in terms of their careers and who they are as people.

That journey led to this website, and for that I am grateful, again not because it makes me happy, but because I’m still rooting for all the teams that he rooted for, only I can get closer to them than he ever did. And that is a blessing.

Thanks, Dad!! I love you! Tell Mom I said hi, and that I love her, too!

Steve King