I have this friend
Opinion by Tim Shirer
In 1975 I met this friend. I only saw them on television most of the time, a couple of times a week. Occasionally, I would see them on TV on Monday night that was a big deal, because my friend was not all that good at what they did at the time I met them. But for some reason what they did was something I fell in love with as soon as I could understand the thing they did. I even tried to do it in my backyard or at times with other friends at some parks growing up in Wickliffe.

Five or six times a summer my dad would take my brother Tom and I sometimes my sister Sue to see my friend at their big old house by Lake Erie. Their house was not the best house, in fact it was in bad shape. But the greedy landlord would not make repairs, but it was their house, so it was special to them and since they were my friend it was special to me.




















When I went to see my friend, I would see other people at their house who loved my friend and loved this thing they did at their house.

In 1994 after my friend and I had been friends for 19 years through a lot of tough times, some good times, but a lot of tough times they moved to a new house a little way up the street from Lake Erie it was on the corner of two streets. Their new house was beautiful, and I was so happy they lived their now. We went to see them even more often even though the trip cost a little more money.

Since they moved to their new house the love, I had for my friend never faded, in fact it got stronger. For some reason when they moved to their new house things got much better for them and they did much better at their job, which made me and all their other friends very, very happy. It has been 28 years since they moved to their new house and three of the years at that new house were so much fun and I am so glad I shared the years with them. I would not trade those years or any of the past 46 years I have shared with my friend for anything.

But recently my friend decided to change their last name. At first, I was not understanding why, but as time passed, I was okay with it because they would still be my friend even though they changed their name. But unbelievably some people who were friends with them say they will not be friends with them anymore simply because they changed their name. That’s hard for me to understand, why is a name that important?

My friend’s name is the Cleveland Guardians. They used to be named the Cleveland Indians, but now they have a new name. But one thing that stays the same is me and a lot of people will still be their friend. I don’t just give up on a 46-year relationship because they changed their name, they are still the same friend they always have been. We struggle together and we have great times together. Some of these same people had a friend that moved away with out giving them any notice to become friends with someone else. They returned a few years later and these people became friend with them again. My friend never left me in 46 years, they just changed their name, not a big deal to me. When March 31, 2022, comes and I can see my friend again at their amazing house, I will love them just as much as I did when they had their old name simply because they are my friend and that is what friends do.
tshirer@lakecountysentinel.com or Follow Tim on Twitter @TBBucsTim or SportsSentinel
​POSTED 11/19/2021 20:22
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