The Offer I Couldn't Refuse

Sonny looks on with disgust. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults.

I have a friend that I call The Godfather.

It happened because I was set to broadcast a game involving his family. He hadn't met me and I was concerned that if his team lost I'd be "sleepin' wit duh fishes."

But, it turned out they won and, whether that mattered or not, he became a fan.

He wrote something today and was interested in my reading it, so he sent it to me.

Now, he doesn't know I'm writing this tonight, and I won't share what he wrote, but it was just a nice message about life.

I work my whole life, I don't apologize, to take care of my family.

It could easily be his version of a  "Luckiest Man" speech, a la Lou Gehrig.

Like anyone, he acknowledged how things aren't exactly splendid, but then he took the time to count his many blessings.

He has his health. He has his work. He has his beloved family.

A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

We've survived so much, he surmised and he's seen a few things. Korea, the Red Scare, JFK, Vietnam, Nixon, Cold War, right on through to the Gulf War, Sep 11, and so on.

So, sure, he's lucky. In many ways, aren't we all?

There's no doubt there's fear and frustration at this time.

But, sometimes, we just need to see the forest for the trees.

One day, I'm hoping to call upon him to do a service for me.

And live to tell about it.

I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. I mean, we're not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker thinks...