I was on "The Reds" which Kurt was on. Baseball, not even hot-stove just local stuff, played behind the courts and on the diamonds of Parkview mid. Some may remember it; little-league, in a sense, Fairview style.
There was a time in which our entire team was lined up against the fence. We were kids- but reputations of "toughness" is everything to boys of that age. We had a good team, but there was a team from west of 220 that scared the crap outta everybody. Billy Hahn with his 75 mph fastball. HANS Larsen, there, sizing us up. Jeff Koehler, John maybe even; walking past each of us, sizing us up.
And chuckling.
We were under friggin' SIEGE man. The toughest guys in the town were picking us apart before we even knew this was a scheduled event.
Frankly, I was scared stiff; one of those "Scott Farkas" moments, for certain. And each of us waited to be sized up by these "Barbarians" from west of 220 as they walked past- chirping out their various coments about how we looked, looked AWAY, even SMELLED from time to time; and we were frozen.
Frozen.
...Except for Kurt. Kurt was on our team. And as each of those "foreign and creepy" roughians walked past each of us, Kurt was there behind them, nearly mocking them, and sticking up for each and every one of us.
THAT was when I met the Kurt Larsen I would befriend and always have respect for. In fact; remember to this day.
Amidst these foreign and scary giants- there was Kurt, doing what he did countless times throughout that entire season, breathing pride back into not only how we played- but how we walked.
This ones for you Kurt. Know I'll always know you not for what seemed "unbelievable courage"- but for what was truly CARE, camaraderie... and leadership.
There's lots I miss about you Kurt, but as easy as it is to say that- I'll simply never forget that spark that put them all in their place, as the rest of us shrunk.
Your friend and eternally willing teammate, Christopher
.jpg)
Christopher Zitzman
I was on "The Reds" which Kurt was on. Baseball, not even hot-stove just local stuff, played behind the courts and on the diamonds of Parkview mid. Some may remember it; little-league, in a sense, Fairview style.There was a time in which our entire team was lined up against the fence. We were kids- but reputations of "toughness" is everything to boys of that age. We had a good team, but there was a team from west of 220 that scared the crap outta everybody. Billy Hahn with his 75 mph fastball. HANS Larsen, there, sizing us up. Jeff Koehler, John maybe even; walking past each of us, sizing us up.
And chuckling.
We were under friggin' SIEGE man. The toughest guys in the town were picking us apart before we even knew this was a scheduled event.
Frankly, I was scared stiff; one of those "Scott Farkas" moments, for certain. And each of us waited to be sized up by these "Barbarians" from west of 220 as they walked past- chirping out their various coments about how we looked, looked AWAY, even SMELLED from time to time; and we were frozen.
Frozen.
...Except for Kurt. Kurt was on our team. And as each of those "foreign and creepy" roughians walked past each of us, Kurt was there behind them, nearly mocking them, and sticking up for each and every one of us.
THAT was when I met the Kurt Larsen I would befriend and always have respect for. In fact; remember to this day.
Amidst these foreign and scary giants- there was Kurt, doing what he did countless times throughout that entire season, breathing pride back into not only how we played- but how we walked.
This ones for you Kurt. Know I'll always know you not for what seemed "unbelievable courage"- but for what was truly CARE, camaraderie... and leadership.
There's lots I miss about you Kurt, but as easy as it is to say that- I'll simply never forget that spark that put them all in their place, as the rest of us shrunk.
Your friend and eternally willing teammate,
Christopher