“I’m a lifelong diehard Detroit Lions fan. Been that way since I was 6 years old.” Kevin VanDam
“I’m a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, been that way since my father took me to their 1st home game in Buffalo in 1960, I was 8 years old.” db
This THANKSGIVING KVD’s Detroit Lions play my Buffalo Bills.
Buckle up.
It’s Game Day!
Over the years kvd and I have challenged each other to various competitions…I believe that I won all of them…
…except KVD actually did win…
…all of them!
I’m not bitter about that…no not too bitter that he always wins…no never REALLY bitter about him winning…it’s just you know COME ON MAN….
…but wait, I’m an adult, you know, at least most of the time I adult it and act all growed up, I’m calm, but you know, it’s that smile of his, that smile all looking my way when I come up with another scheme to try and beat him at something, smile…smile…smile..
…BUT WAIT, no way, OMG, lookey here what I just came across:
Thanksgiving…THIS THANKSGIVING MY Buffalo BILLS PLAY HIS Detroit LIONS…oH My My My, so you know, I call him…
“Hey db, what’s up.”
“So, this Thanksgiving my Bills play your lions.
”I…know.”
I heard that hesitation in his voice.
“You know what that means.”
“Yep.”
KVD is in Michigan I’m in Connecticut but I can hear that smile of his from here.
“Game On Dude.”
“Yep,” says Kevin VanDam, “Game on.”
Ho boy, here we go again.
It was 1934, Thanksgiving Day and the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears
The Lions lost 19-16, the game was broadcast on radio natiowide,the Lions have played on Thanksgiving every year since with a 37-43-2 record (excluding 1939-1944 World War ll halted the games).
The Bills have played on Thanksgiving 10 times with a 5w 4l 1t record. In 1994 they lost to the Lions 35-21.
During the 1993-93 Season I was working in Pittsburgh at WPXI-TV covering the Steelers and got to do a couple stories with the Bills, both when they played the Steelers in Buffalo and then in the playoff game in Pittsburgh.
Lockeroom interviews with Bruce Smith, Kelly, Tasker and others. It was my first time covering professional sports and when the season ended I started at ESPN and have been covering sports ever since.
The signed football was a Christmas gift from a brother-in-law, the medal is from the “Piece of the Rock,” it was stuck on concrete from the demolition of War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, the Bills 1st home venue and where I first saw them play.
My father took me to my first Buffalo Bills game when I was 8 years old, we rode a bus, had nice seats, my father explained what was going on “Pops Play-by-Play” he called it with great relish. The Bills lost but to a kid it was the best day ever, EVER.
Over the years we went to many games, and in a weird twist of fate, fast forward 20 years, and I take my father to a game, bought the tickets, the snacks, and that hat. The Bills won snapping a decade long losing streak to the Miami Dolphins, the crowd, not us in it, stormed the field and tore the goalposts down, we sat and watched, smiling and laughing, “…and there goes the goalpost down to the fans in jubulation,” dad was doing “Pops Play-by-Play” into an empty cup.
It was the last game we ever attended together.
He passed before we could sit in the stands together again.
That ticket is sacred in this house.
That’s pretty much the typical look I get from KVD when I say, you know, something like, “I think I can beat you at…”
…And then he agrees to whatever it is I said that I thought I could beat him in…and then we go compete…and he beats me at it. This Thanksgiving though…it may be different.
Kevin: “I’m a big fan, lifelong with the Detroit Lions, but growing up I was a huge Roger Staubach fan, to me he just personified the game and the position.” I was too, he only played against the Bills once, 1976, Bills lost 17-10…so it wasn’t like #12 was beating us a lot, if that was the case I may not have even used Kevin’s quote. Just saying.
Both of us are fans of Matt Stafford formerly with the Lions, now with the Rams. “Matt winning the Super Bowl, boy I sure felt good for him, I was happy for him,” I was nodding my head yep too as Kevin was saying this.
Neither of us wanted to pick the score for the Bills/Lions game, frankly whenever I do that the Bills seem to lose, both hope it’s a good game, both hope that their team wins. Leave it at that.
Kevin’s Foundation has had fishing fundraisers with some of the Lion’s players and coaches…
“…Willie Young, Shawn Hill and Calvin Johnson, great guys, all love to fish, just nice people to be around.”
Kevin and I talked some about football, how once you know the folks who play it you get a whole different perspective on the game, and it’s true, after covering the game for many years I don’t start getting over the top freaked out watching the Bills games until the 3rd quarter, I watch to see all the change-ups both teams have done.
Many times the halftime adjustments are good for us, many times not.
If you have a favorite team you know exactly what we mean.
“It was the best Thanksgiving ever…”
…sometimes Kevin answers questions before I actually ask them. “What was the best Thanksgiving ever.”
“We all got together, our family, the Zona family and Mercer and his wife and we rented a suite at the stadium and had thanksgiving there watching the game, it was so dang cool. We got to go down on the sidelines, the boys were younger then and loved it, the food was nice, sure it wasn’t cheap but it was one of those once in a lifetime things but boy it was well worth it.” We are not facetiming this interview but I didn’t need it to know that Kevin was smiling as he told the story.
And that my friends leads us to the TALES OF THANKSGIVING
“It’s about family & friends, you know db every Sunday we all go to my parents house for “Sunday Dinner”..
…most times we have 40 people there, it will drop some to 30, but there is always a crowd of family.”
“Do you do it every Sunday.”
“Yep, I miss it when I’m on the road at a tournament but when home, always there.”
“This Thanksgiving we are heading south to Nashville…”
…family and friends of Sherry live there, going to celbrate it with them and our son Jackson lives and works there, he went to culinary school, cooking is his passion, he aspires to be a head chef, he really is a great cook. He works at E3 Chophouse, Luke Bryan’s place.”
“What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food.”
“Turkey (answered within seconds) I love it Deep Fried, Roasted, smoked all of the above. I have to tell you Jackson made a turkey, used compound butter, his own seasonings, it was the BEST turkey ever, wow, it was so good db.”
“You know db, Sherry is very sentimental, no one works harder on holidays than she does, it’s all about the holiday and family.”
“Do you ever have the whole family over, or get together with everyone.”
“Wow, that would be great but we are so big now, the kids have grown up, some are married, I mean if we invited everyone, jeeze might be a hundred people or more, be fun but it would be A LOT of people.”
For years in our family it’s only been the four of us, sometimes only three when our daughter lived in Texas.
But this Thanksgiving is different, both our children are married and our son Jim & his wife Chelsea are hosting it at their house. It will be the first time for all of us to have Thanksgiving together over there, Chelsea’s parents and her brother and his girlfriend will also be there.
Barb and I are looking forward to it, 48 years ago it was only the two of us, now…
The final question I asked KVD is this:
“Do you have a Thanksgiving wish for the people who read this?”
Silence for a moment, I can see him in my mind, he’s thinking, may lick his lip, or just kind of glance off to the side and then…
“No quarantees in life, cherish the time you have with family, don’t take time for granted.”
And so I put the pen down, interview over, was going to give him some grief about the upcoming game, when…
“What about you db, what’s your wish for them?”
“You know Kevin I’m going to look across that table and see our first Grandson, LJ, that’s never happened before…
…it will be his first Thanksgiving, and I will smile, and kiss his cheek…
…and my soul will simply whisper…
…THANK YOU!”
From the ENTIRE VanDam and Barone family: Happy Thanksgiving from us, to you.
(Go Bills)
db
ps: Go Bills…we’ll see about that…
KVD