Sad Reminders

 

Tom Bisanzo died this week.

I send my condolences to his wife, Sue, and their children Mark, Catherine, Gigi, and Chris.

I got to know him a little from covering his kids in football and other Greenwich activities. He was one of those people who was Greenwich. No, I don't mean the dollar signs stereotype. I mean the down-to-Earth people; the townies who truly define this place.

To get his approval meant you were in a good position. I was proud to earn that.

Mr. Bisanzo ran Bruce Park Sports, which was a cornerstone of Greenwich sports. It reminded me of Tom Kat, a sports store in Mahopac that was the center of our world when I was a kid. So it was -- and is -- with Bruce Park Sports.

Becoming the Greenwich football broadcaster in 2000 was a daunting task. The Greenwich broadcaster on WGCH was often a position held by Greenwich people, such as the great Mark Yusko, whose shadow I very much worked in initially.

"You're at least as good as Mark," I used to hear.

Now, I've called Greenwich football and other sports between WGCH, HAN, Robcasting, and Local Live for 24 seasons.

But any broadcaster -- especially the hometown one -- needs to earn the trust of the listeners. I go through this every year with the turnover of players and families so it starts all over again.

Like other places, here in Greenwich, there are the forever fans who will still tune in and give you the seal of approval.

Tom Bisanzo was one of those people.

We, unfortunately, get the memo occasionally that the sand keeps running through the hourglass. Of course, the news isn't always bad. I'm still in touch with many former players who are now married and/or parents and coaches. Tim Smallwood -- who I covered in basketball and football and whose father I worked with -- messaged me to see if I had an old hoops game.

I did. Jan, 2000. Greenwich at St. Joseph. I remember that broadcast clearly.

He loves playing these broadcasts for his own kids.

He has kids. It just means time flies.

But these are the relationships that a broadcaster is supposed to build and cultivate. It's why you proceed with caution when going into a broadcast site. Acting entitled will earn a reputation.

It's why you know you represent a media outlet and, sometimes, a town. I'm fortunate in that I not only cover Greenwich but a lot of other places.

Today, it was Fairfield, as I called Fairfield National/Westport at Unity Park and drove down to Greenwich to watch some American Legion baseball with Shawn Sailer.

So, unless the place really is my home away from home, I treat it like I'm a visitor.

Unity Park in Trumbull and Kiwanis Park in Fairfield are places where I'm a visitor but still treated well. I don't act like I own the place. 

In Greenwich, Tom Bisanzo and fans like him allowed me to feel more comfortable.

It was a way of saying, "He's OK. He's one of us."

That mattered.

We should all strive for that.