Birthdays and Wrestling

Birthdays and Wrestling

Today is my older brother’s birthday.  He is a retired Federal Judge living in Atlanta.  Tomorrow is my Birthday, I am a retired brokerage clerk, living in Jersey.

 

OK, that’s the birthdays, what does that have to do with wrestling?

My brother for many years was also my tormentor.  In his defense, I was a pain in the ass.  The only time I have ever been knocked out was when Chris got some boxing gloves for his birthday.  I was five.  We had a pretend boxing match and he “Accidently” hit me with a left hook.  I was accidently out for the count of ten.

My brother won every argument because he was smarter (future lawyer…surprise) and every fight because he was four years older and stronger.

I received my first and only accidental loogie slurp in the mouth (every brother combination ever, knows what this is) from Chris.

I will say that though I was a pain in my brothers ass, and he did torment me a bit, I was his pain in the ass.  Older kids in the neighborhood were well advised not to mess with Chris Hagy’s little brother…so there was that.

What does any of this have to do with wrestling?

My brother left for college when I was 15.

On Christmas, Chris returned from College, and I told him I was competing for the HS wrestling team.  Chris had wrestled some in school.  He immediately challenged me to a match.  It was probably not a good idea to accept the challenge while we were in the living room.

 

At this point I was at last bigger and stronger than my tormentor.  We started in the traditional wrestling down position.  I quickly had him on his back.  Then he was up, on his back again, and up, and so on and so on until we had to stop due to a broken lamp, and also due to the traditional Mom yell “Jim, Joe, Chris; what are you up to?” (Mom never got her sons names in the right order.  She just called all three to be safe. The last name called was somehow always the one she meant to call.)

Chris had simply willed himself not to be beaten by his little brother.  The match was a draw based on no pin, I was ahead 21 to 4 when it was called.

Chris never talked about this match, but from that day on he went from tormentor to friend and protector.

Today Chris is 78.  I outweigh him by about 45 pounds.  He has a touch of a shaky thing going on.  I know I am stronger, I know I am faster, I also know I could still not pin him.  

He would find a way to kick my ass.

Anyway, Happy Birthday brother, I still love ya!