TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Monday, January 05, 2004

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Tug McGraw passed today - here is an article penned by James Floto last year:

Many years ago, a young boy named Tim Washington happened on a box in his house that contained his birth certificate, which he had never seen before. The document said young Mr. Washington's father's name was Frank McGraw, a man baseball fans know as former Mets and Phillies reliever Tug McGraw.

"Mom!" we picture young Tim hollering as he ran after his mother, birth certificate in hand. "What does this mean?"

What it meant was that a younger Mrs. Washington, before she was married, had an affair with McGraw when he was a minor leaguer playing for a team in Georgia, where she was then living. Although the pitcher didn't want anything to do with raising the boy, he did send money. At the time he discovered who he was, Tim, a big baseball fan, had photos of four baseball players on his wall, one of whom was Tug McGraw.

When Tim, then about age 10, got over the shock of learning that the man who had been raising him was actually his stepfather, he pressured his mom to allow him to get in touch with Tug. Tim did meet his genetic father, but the relationship didn't progress any further until Tim was about 21. In the ensuing years, Tim had not only been a successful high school athlete, demonstrating his father's genes, but also had become a hotshot Country and Western singer.

After Tim became of age, Tug started hanging out with his "freeway baby". They became good friends. They have gone to ballgames together, and Tug has come and seen Tim, now a giant in the C&W genre, perform. As to their relationship, Tim says that he feels like the father and that his goofy, practical joking Pop is more like the kid

posted by David 1:17 PM