Nice to hear compliment about father

Jimmy Abraham confirmed for me on Friday what I already knew. “Your dad is a good man,” Abraham said.

While attending visitation prior to the memorial service for Dr. Hank Flick on Friday, I had the opportunity to catch up with friends Jimmy and Patti Abraham. Along with Dr. Flick, the Abrahams influenced me the most in my academic life at Mississippi State.

The Abrahams are some of the nicest people in Starkville. I appreciate everything they have done for me and the kind words they had for me and my father, Billy Smith, on Friday.

It's good to hear someone say something positive about a member of your family.

My father has been a member of this community for most of his life and he's developed many relationships over the years. He got to know Jimmy Abraham recently while working for one of the local banks.

Jimmy enjoyed the visits with my father and they would talk about different things, including sports.

My dad was pretty much the first sports fan I was introduced to. Even though I was not athletic growing up and really didn't care for sports that much, if you can believe that, I knew the reputation my dad had athletically.

My dad played football at Sturgis High School in Oktibbeha County and had a chance to move onto the next level at East Mississippi Junior College before deciding to remain in Oktibbeha County and start a family.

He could shoot the basketball pretty well too.

I remember having a basketball goal in the front yard while growing up.

There were many times our family would go out and shoot a little hoops. I wasn't very good at it. My pitiful attempts often bounced off the rim and into the ditch behind the goal. I guess I just needed practice.

My dad, however, was very good. There weren't many times that his shots didn't find the bottom of the net. I remember thinking, “Does this guy ever miss?”

Even though I did not inherit my dad's athletic ability, I eventually saw the light and became a sports fan.

The year was 1980.

My dad always watched sports on television and I was pretty much aware of it, but it was the 1980 World Series that really caught my eye.

I remember Pete Rose's headfirst slides for the Philadelphia Phillies and George Brett's sweet swings for the Kansas City Royals. The way they played the game of baseball impressed me.

One thing led to another and I became hooked. My interest went from baseball to football and basketball. The rest is history.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today as the sports editor of The Starkville Daily News if it had not been for my father.

He showed me what the love of sports and hard work was all about.

Jimmy Abraham is right. My father is a good man. My love and thanks go out to him. I hope he has a Happy Father's Day.

Danny P. Smith is the sports editor and columnist for The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SDN or its staff.