Gifts of Christmases past resonate in an abundant life

When it comes to gifts at Christmas, this was a dandy.

When I was a kid, my parents bought me an electric football game. Plug it in and watch the field vibrate and the players move all over it. It was pretty wild.

I think it was Colts versus Packers. For a minute there, Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr were in my living room.

When I reflect on Christmas Days past, I think about a call I got from my cousin Sam Tournillon.

“Hey bucket head (bucket for short), you want to go to the Super Bowl?”

Here’s a 12-year-old kid being asked if he wanted to see the Kansas City Chiefs play the Minnesota Vikings at Tulane Stadium in Super Bowl IV.

How cool was that? It was a phone call and a moment that had a profound impact on a young person’s life.

My uncle Ray Grey gave me the gift of the St. Louis Cardinals. On a sultry summer evening, we went to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the Cincinnati Reds at the old Busch Stadium on East Grand Avenue.

That was the night I had a chance to watch something very special. I watched Lou Brock play baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals and Lou Brock would be in my life forever.

Buddy Diliberto gave me my first job in television, as an intern at the local ABC affiliate. He also gave me a treasure trove of stories.

One Saturday morning, as I was getting ready for work, I got a call from my colleague Ro Brown, who told me he was getting on a plane later that night for New York. On the way to catch the Saints’ charter flight, Buddy Diliberto had run a red light on Airline Highway and gotten into a pretty nasty accident.

Buddy had a legitimate excuse. He had a portable TV plugged into a cigarette lighter and was watching a big college football game as he drove. I wonder what the policeman who wrote that accident report had to say?

Once we found out Buddy was OK, Ro and I laughed hysterically. Few people could make us laugh like Buddy could, on a continuing basis.

On Christmas, I think about my wife Robin. She has been in my corner from Day 1. She is always there, always with an incredible amount of support. When a person believes in you that much, it gives you a belief that you can do just about anything.

What a gift.

Speaking of gifts, as I work here late at night, she’s relaxing, ordering gifts on her iPad.  I guess I will keep working.

I hope this Christmas that you experienced the joy of giving. My father taught me that a long time ago: Always, always give back. You never know when you can change a life.

Writing this column for the last 16 years has changed me. My editor, Pete Finney Jr., approached me after Buddy’s death in 2005 about taking over.

What a gift, and what a tough act to follow.

So many of you over the years have reached out to me to tell me you read this space, and how much you like it. I can’t thank you enough.

Robin and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO: ed@nextstar.tv.