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Being a good friend is probably the worst paying job. Not that anyone should treat it as such, especially because a lot of times a friendship can be very gratifying and even rewarding. Sharing the good times, being there for the bad; it is all worth it in the end. Unfortunately, bagging on your friends also happens in the process, which is sometimes intentional and other times, not. My best friend, who was best man at my wedding, has taken some abuse from me. The worst time was back during our senior year at high school, on one of the biggest “cut” days in school history.
We are very sports oriented in our hometown. Growing up in the Capital Region of New York State, you have to do whatever it takes to shake that “upstate hillbilly” stigmatism assigned by the downstate folk. It’s hard playing cousin to the largest, most well known city in the world. So whenever we get a chance to make a name for ourselves, we relish in the glory as much as possible. This particular year, it was college basketball. Siena College, a division one school, had made their way into the second largest tournament for the sport: The NIT. We typically do not get some of the big name sports teams up in our area, especially since the Yankees pulled their double A franchise a few years before. Siena had made it into the big dance once back in the late eighties, so it was still a thrill for our town whenever luck turned their way. As if it couldn’t get any better, the first round of the tournament would be held in our decent-sized arena in the center of downtown Albany. With this tournament came a very prestigious opponent in the form of Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech, under the tutelage of Bobby Cremins, one of the most respected coaches in college sports at the time, was the opponent. They rolled into town on a weekday to play an afternoon game against Siena to open the tournament. Of course, everyone wanted to be there to witness this great event, even if it meant our team would take a beating of a lifetime. It was a chance to see a big time college, along with a few of the other teams scheduled to be there. Unfortunately, it was during a school day, so a lot of the students were pissed. A few of us got together and decided we were going to go. We ordered tickets a few days before, and planned on bringing a false doctor’s note to slip out early. Little did we know, roughly 115 other students were doing the same exact thing. As unhappy as school was with nearly half the student population cutting class, it was understood and forgiven. We met up with our one friend who had access to his own car, Bill. Little did we know it was not going to be his day.
We jumped into Bill’s car and took off. The traffic was horrendous, mostly because of the game day atmosphere, but also because people did actually work in the state’s downtown metro area. I held on to the tickets, one for each of us. There were four in total, and Bill circled the area five times to get a parking spot. He eventually got frustrated, and dropped us off at the door, on the condition we wait to enter the arena. With the tickets securely in my jacket pocket, we bailed as he took off to dump the car somewhere. We stood in the midst of the largest crowd ever to attend an event here in Albany. After ten minutes of waiting without the ability to see if he was coming, we relocated at the top of the building to get a better look. There was no sign of Bill, and the game was going to start any minute. The nervous excitement took over a few moments later, and we figured he would just come in when he got a spot and we would see him then. After all, it would be foolish to miss the game standing ten feet in front of the entrance.
We got to our seats about five minutes before tip off. We were stuck way up in the nosebleeds, but nobody cared. It was awesome just being there. The crowd was rocking, everyone was having a good time, and the first half came to a close with Siena on top. It was about then when we realized Bill was still not there. Of course, this was before cell phones, so there was no contact once inside except from a payphone down in the underground ticket booth. I went out in the hallway during halftime, and noticed that I still held my best friend’s ticket in my pocket. The guy I was closest to throughout all of high school, the one who made sure we got to the game by having his car that day, had no chance of even getting in to see the game since I unknowingly forgot to hand over his ticket upon exiting his vehicle. My stomach dropped, and I felt like the worst friend ever.
It was hard to enjoy the rest of the game, but I managed to pull through just fine. The rest of my friends didn’t even realize Bill never got in until we went to leave without a ride. Oddly enough, he didn’t stick around to chauffer us home. Siena defeated the great Georgia Tech, and then went on to beat Tulane, ending the Albany, NY sector of the tournament. The final rounds were at Madison Square Garden, where their string of victory ended abruptly by Villanova. I think it bothers him to this day that we pretty much ditched him at that big game. I can’t say I blame him, but I try to make it up to him every now and then by reminding him of it, just to rub it in. Hey, what are friends for?
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