It started with the thought of growing our football the league (Catholic Youth Organization Flag Football League - CFFL) and creating a faster game, more action and more fun for our kids.....we're talking about the decision to move to NFL style Flag Football. But, there is a story behind the story. In April of this year the famous Replay Game was held at Lafayette College between the original 1993 Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ high school football teams. Thanks to Gatorade, the game was made possible. Part of the PR hype was that Peyton and Eli Manning were going to be the honorary coaches for the event.About 2 weeks before the game, I was conducting our St. Anne CYO meeting and one of our other board members asked me if I knew about the Replay Game coming up in two weeks. At that point....it just hit me. The CFFL was investigating making a move to NFL Flag Football and we were going to have the Manning brothers here in our town in two weeks. I mean, two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks were going to be within 3 miles of us at the same time our league was moving to the NFL format. So, why not get the Manning’s in on the deal and help hype our league...right?
The very next day, I called the NFL and told the story to Samantha Rapoport, the NFL Youth Football coordinator. She was fantastic and really willing to help us out. The idea gained a tremendous amount of interest from the NFL Youth Football Office. They put me in touch with both the Giants and the Colts to see if we could pull off a small amount of time with the Manning’s for a picture with a bunch of our league's kids. So, on the eve of the Replay Game, there I sat....like the prison guard awaiting a call from the Governor issuing a stay of execution for the condemned inmate. Waiting...waiting...waiting for the call from the NFL, the Giants, the Colts...somebody, anybody that would tell me that we would be lighting up a bunch of our kid's faces the next day as they meet Peyton and Eli in support of our league. Well, it was a gallant effort, but Gatorade, who controlled Peyton's and Eli's calendars on the day of the Replay Game, could not afford to alter their calendars for us. The Manning’s were booked every minute of the day.
Feeling the agony of defeat, I received an email that night from Peter John-Baptiste, the PR Director for the NY Giants. He genuinely felt bad as he knew the time I put in over the past 2 weeks to make a 5 minute venture occur that would have been a great PR picture for all...the Manning’s, the NFL the Giants and Colts, and most of all, for our league. Peter asked "is there anything we can do?" Well, you don't have to pitch me a meatball more than once before I hit that puppy out of the park. I emailed him and said "Sure, can we talk tomorrow?"
The next Morning right on time, my home phone rang - it was Peter. He asked what the NY Giants could do for our league. Well, of course I asked for something very small and simple....60 tickets to a Giant game to take a bunch of the league kids. As you could imagine he said he could not do that, but it was a nice try. And then, he came out with something that I will never forget (especially because I am a lifelong Giants fan). Peter’ asked if we wanted to participate in a Giants' training camp session where we could come up and maybe meet with Eli. Of course my comment was, "You would do that?" Peter then indicated that we had been through enough and he would make it happen, but I had to call him in June. So, for the next month and a half I informed the other league representatives and stated that if we could pull it off, would they be interested in making a trek to Albany NY sometime in July? All indicated that it would be a great thing to do.
Well, I called in June....then mid June and then received messages to contact him later, then July. The thought was coming over me that maybe I had been duped or was the victim of a real nice guy that just couldn't keep his word. Then, on August 12th I received confirmation that if we could make it up to Albany on August 15th, Peter could get us into the training camp and we would meet "a Giant." There wasn't much advanced notice for this 3 and a half hour trip (one way) form the Lehigh Valley to Albany, NY, but I knew I was going. I reached out to all the parish coordinators and some were on vacation and others had commitments, but were all excited that the Giants might actually keep their word. Well, in that most of the other league representatives are Eagles fans, they probably didn’t even believe this and could not see making the trip for a guarantee of nothing. Still, they supported the opportunity and really wished they could be there.
I then reached out to my fellow St. Anne coaches, and two of our coaches and their families joined me and my kids for a run to up-state NY on Saturday, August 15th. What was the result? You be the judge. Upon completing practice, not just "a Giant" visited with us, but #10, Eli Manning spent about 20 minutes with our entire group! The best part was our little group spent this 20 minutes (felt like 3 minutes) while about 2,000 fans awaited Eli to come up the walk way to the locker rooms. Eli, while filling his image as a big kid, was a perfect gentleman and a professional. He talked to all the kids and signed autographs. He let us get plenty of pictures as well. It was a time that I know I will never forget and the kids that were with us won't forget anytime soon as well.
So, while Eli Manning represented himself, his team and his league with perfection and showed us all what real class is, there was a class exhibited that made it all happen. A Giant class from a guy I never knew before and who didn't know me from Adam. Peter John-Baptiste is a Giant among men. He gained nothing personally or professionally for letting a small group from Bethlehem, PA come up to visit the training camp and spending some time with Eli. He didn’t parlay the situation into anything he could benefit from. And, when I asked him if there was anything we could do for him, he smiled and turned to me and said, "You are the people doing the work for all these kids. It's our pleasure to do this for you for all you do for the kids in your league." Wow....I almost lost it.
I often ask myself is all the hours of volunteer work worth it? I mean, I could be spending the hours, days and weeks...now years, of time doing something else. And, you know if you participate in the volunteer game, there are few thanks or rewards as you always have to deal with the good, bad and the ugly. But, when you get that "thank you" or letter from a parent, or card form a player, it makes it all worth it. Having Peter look me in the eye and say what he said, made all the time spent setting up fields, pumping up footballs, doing schedules, getting officials, buying uniforms, raising money and on and one, all worth it.
I am glad I met Eli Manning and I'm sure everyone in our party was too. But, I am extremely thankful for meeting Peter John-Baptiste. In his actions and a few short, soft words, put much of what I do in my spare time, in perfect perspective. It was a Giant day....a Giant win....all as one man made things happen exhibiting Giant class!
Thank you Peter, and thank you to all the volunteers of our league and CYO throughout the Diocese. It is your work and spirit that makes the smiles happen, winning spirit be realized, and Christian values become part of our kids through our athletic programs. My own little motto is that every moment a child spends in organized sports, is a minute they are kept from the counter-culture elements of today's world. Our CYO sports are the foundation of that principle. And, a giant foundation it is!
Tom Villani – CFFL League Director
