nycfan's dad was a great guy. I have to share a story that exemplifies his wit and spirit. It also shows why, as cto says, so many of us got to know and love him.
At a BET game in The Garden nycfan's dad and I had bought cheap seats and moved down to courtside thanks to his expert technique. There were two empty seats next to us and I asked a friend to join us. My friend is an absolute college hoops junkie and knew all of the teams in the old Big East better than the team's own fans. After several missed free throws by our boys in orange, nycfan's dad said, with a completely straight face:
"It is unusual for Syracuse to miss so many free throws. They are usually a good free throw shooting team."
The tone of the delivery was completely deadpan and without a hint of scarcasm.
The look on my hoop savvy friend's face was somewhere between quizzical and terrified at such a ridiculous statement. While nycfan's dad remained stone faced, I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the situational hilarity. Only after I gave up the gag did nycfan's dad offer up a wry smile and a chuckle. At that point my friend also had a good laugh as his expression turned to relief.
Although this happened a decade ago and it was the only time they met, my friend still occasionally asks about nycfan's dad. That was the type of positive impression nycfan's dad left in the world.
He will be missed by many.