A Thousand Goodbyes

July 30, 2001
The death of a father, a hero or a mentor (or someone who is all three) has long been a catalyst for men to contemplate the meaning of life. Men who revel in sports are not often considered the best equipped for such contemplation, but books from Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) and David James Duncan (The Brothers K) among others, show us that jocks can think, cry and pray—and some can even write. Huber, award-winning commentator for Turner Sports, joins this first-string team as he reflects in this volume on the last months of his father's life. Huber tells his own story, his father's story and a thousand other stories along the way; there are tales of hope and inspiration, of overcoming overwhelming odds, of tragedy and of triumph. He doesn't lecture or drone on about what he's learned, but teaches inductively. ("Dad worried in his later years, as almost everyone does these days, about developing Alzheimer's, the insidious disease that burrows into the brain and scrambles all the wiring into chaos. 'Don't worry, pal,' I teased him, 'you'll never know you have it. It's us who have to worry.'") The stories are crisp, the chapters short, the insights hinted at. Not without flaws, the book sometimes feels disjointed and betrays hints of thin sentimentality and self-absorption. But Huber is a good soul and tells a good story—and, especially for those dealing with loss, these stories are important to tell.