CHAPTER 1

"Retirement" and "I'll be Ace".

Following the New York Giants stunning 17 – 14 victory over the previouslyunbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl LMII, Home Box Officedecided not to renew the contract with NFL Films for the production of"Inside the NFL" ending a partnership of 31 years since 1977. The losswas worth a sum of five and a half million dollars to Films, a substantialamount that more than covered operating expenses for the company eachyear. It was no secret that NFL Films would have to scramble to fill that nowfinancial void and with no immediate prospects in the future, changes wouldhave to be made.

I decided to stop in on NFL Films' President Steve Sabol to speak with himand hear what his take was on what would be a major financial problem.Steve always the optimist: "Ace the news ruined my breakfast but not mylunch". With that said I decided to help in the only way I thought I could byoffering to take a pay cut. Steve assured me it would not come to that. He wasright - it didn't.

My departure was bittersweet: As mentioned earlier, a generous severance payhelped the transition and saying goodbye to my peers was genuine and sincere.Many were more than just acquaintances.

March 21st, Friday 6:00 P.M.: as I left the 200,000 square foot stateof the art's facility at One NFL Plaza in Mt. Laurel, N.J., I thought backto my childhood and the game of football:

I was born August 7, 1953 in Providence, Rhode Island: the six pound elevenounce boy to Caroline and Joseph "Joe Cash" Cacchiotti. My older sisterPaula was ecstatic when mom brought her new brother home: "Paula, lookat your new baby brother Joey", my mom glowed. "He's nice". "Can I go outand play"? Life on 85 Hudson Street was simple and for me without wanting.My biggest concern was the monumental decision whether or not to spend mylast 10 cents on a Drake's Ring Ding or Devil Dog. With milk thedog was better but in later years the Ring Ding was a good side dish forSmirnoff Vodka. Friends were many and sports minded. Whether we shoveledand removed the snow from some court to play basketball during the winter,wrapped adhesive tape the size of a quarter in diameters for stick ball in thespring and summer or turning our street into a "roped off" crime scene to playtouch football in the fall, we all found a way to compete. The competition attimes was downright nasty. Trades of one player for another were executedmany times without the prime subject(s) being notified. Although I resided onHudson Street, the majority of "athletes" came from one street south: WoodStreet possessed some of the more established players. The Rinaldi brothers wereas talented as any family. Each was unique and yet different as was his likingfor certain baseball players. David the youngest was a southpaw who hadgood hands and was a big Sandy Koufax fan. Kevin could run like the windand loved Rocky Colavito. Dan the middle child of Fred and Gloria was themost competitive and Willie Mays could do no wrong. Mays was my favoriteplayer also and maybe the reason why Danny and I would become the best offriends. Dennis did everything well and would always argue with brothers'Kevin, Danny and oldest Ken on whether Colavito, Mays, and Hank Aaroncould equal the play of Mickey Mantle. Ken as mentioned revered Aaron andhad a great arm. Rounding up the other "athletes" was Biagio Michellettihis younger brother Joey, Kenny Campagnone, Bob Dinafrio whose fatherironically would pass away on the same date as my father on December 27th,2001, and Jeff Alexander also a left hander, who could only "go" to thatside. Later, we would refer to him as the southpaw John Havilcek; the BostonCeltics' Hall of Fame player. On the west side of Wood Street was MikeRuggierio, Joe Capuano, Vinnie Escoli, brothers' Steve and Sal Loporchio,and Mark Del Deo. Mark although a good all around player had a D.N.A.makeup more of that of the opposite sex. He would later in life have a sexchange. I have not seen Sarah since. As for me; I was the best football player onthe west side. I could run faster than the speed of a sun dial (no, actually I wasfast) and would catch anything and everything that was thrown in my direction.However, we were no match for the east side. They would regularly beat up onus. Finally, a "trade" was made for me and I became a teammate of the eastsquad. In return the west received a "player to be named later". Both groupshave yet to name that player. Prior to that trade, it was on Saturdays that theeast side with regularity had their way with us. The Loporchios lived nextdoor to the Cacchiottis on 89 Hudson Street. Joe Capuano lived nearby onMesser Street. The four of us would meet in the driveway of Sal and Steve'shouse planning some type of strategic maneuvers to combat the east side. Wealso read a comic book titled; "Challengers of the Unknown". Themain characters numbered four and survived a plane crash that was piloted byWorld War II flying ace Kyle Morgan, who was nicknamed appropriately;"Ace". The other three heroes were wrestling champion; Leslie "Rocky" Davis,deep sea skin diving researcher; Mathew "Red" Ryan and mountain climberand scientist; Walter Mark "Prof" Haley. By walking away from the crash,the four now believed to be "living on borrowed time". Now it is a well knownconclusion that whenever anyone walks away from a plane crash he or shemust fight evil for the good of mankind. The four did just that until the originalseries ended in 1971. In October of 1962 my three friends and I were readingepisode 14; "Captives of the Alien Beasts" when we decided to adoptthe nicknames of the four. Since I was nine years old and the eldest of the four,I said "I'll be Ace" the leader of the group. Sal Loporchio wanted to be knownas "Rocky" and Joe Capuano as "Red". That left Sal's younger brother Steveto now own the nickname of Professor Haley or "Prof" for short. However, weall thought the pronunciation sounded like proof. Joe Capuano would become asuccess in real estate, Sal Loporchio is one of the top ophthalmologists in RhodeIsland and Steve "Proof" Loporchio did some work in Hollywood and nowresides in his home state; the lead singer in the music group; "Steve Anthonyand the Persuasions". I continue to refer to Steve as "Proof" after all theseyears and make it a point to see him whenever I return home and whereverhe is performing requesting a certain song; "Hey Proof," Play that "FunkyMusic" by the group "Wild Cherry" and his response; "Is that youAce"? Yeah, for 48 years, it still is.

CHAPTER 2

"What's the line"?

Although physically very active in the game of football, I never really knewmuch about the National Football League or for that matter what was to be thefourth season of the American Football League. Saturday night; August 2ndwas a big day for me: I would be ten years old in five days and to celebrate hada "sleep over" at Rocky and "Proof's" house who now resided at 28 WoodStreet. It was also the very first time I would see a "Professional" Footballgame: The College All – Star game was played between the defending NFLChampions and a group of all star collegians who finished their careers theprevious year. It was the 30th anniversary of the game that began in 1934 whensports editor of the Chicago Tribune; Arch Ward arranged a game betweenthe NFL Champions' Chicago Bears who had defeated the New York Giants23 – 21 six months earlier in the NFL Title Game to play against the CollegeAll Stars. Although no one knew at the time but this anniversary game in 1963would be the last time the College All Stars would defeat the NFL Champions:Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers who had lost only once during the 1962season were upset by head coach Otto Graham's All Stars 17 – 16. The lastgame; between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the College All Stars ended on July23rd, 1976. Torrential rains and a serious threat of lightning called an end at1:22 remaining in the third quarter -- and an end to the traditional series.

Now introduced to "Professional" Football, I could not wait to see my favoriteteams on television again. However, at the time my favorites were the GreenBay Packers and the College All Stars! The Columbia Broadcasting Systemtelevised the NFL and the American Broadcasting Company the AFL.WPRO in Providence, Rhode Island was the television home to New YorkGiants' Football and Sundays became my favorite day of the week except forFridays when school would let out in early afternoon. Actually, Saturday wasmy favorite day but the first day of the week came in a close second (or third).

Teams in the NFL would play five exhibition games before the regular seasonschedule and in 1970, the first year of the merger between the two leagues, thenumber increased to six. However, the word exhibition did not sit well withthe owners and those "exhibitions" in later years changed to pre season games.However, in 1963 teams would play their starters for almost four quarters andfans would really get their "monies worth". Today; four games are the norm andthere is talk that the league may drop that number to two if the NFL adopts an18 game regular season. On September 2nd, Monday night, just twenty six daysnorth or is south of my tenth birthday, the Giants traveled to Green Bay for theirfourth exhibition game against the Packers. Once again, I had a sleep over atNorma and Sal's; the parents of my comic book character friends. It was a greatnight: pizza, cold cut sandwiches, Coca Cola, and Pro Football. The Giantswho had won the last two Eastern Divisions only to lose to the Packers in theChampionship Games possessed some all – stars of their own. QuarterbackYelberton Abraham Tittle or Y.A. as he was called had set an NFL record formost touchdowns in a regular season with thirty three in 1962. Incredibly, sevencame in one game against the Washington Redskins and another six in the lastgame against the Dallas Cowboys. Tittle's favorite target was Del Shofner, asix foot three 185 pound speedster from Baylor University. The Giants possesseda good backfield with Phil King and Alex Webster. 36 years later, I with KyleRote, Roosevelt Brown, Ordell Braase, Jim Mutscheller, Art Donovan, GinoMarchetti, John Unitas, and Webster were part of the entertainment aboard theNorway, the largest ship in the Norwegian Cruise line. I asked Alex why he wascalled "Big Red". "Because my hair was red, Ace"! It took me over three and ahalf decades to "figure" that out!

That Giants' team of 1963 would have six players inducted to Canton,Ohio in later years: Tittle, flanker Frank Gifford, offensive lineman Brown,defensive end Andy Robustelli, middle linebacker Sam Huff and former 49ers'Hugh the "King" McElhenny, who was a teammate of Tittle for nine seasonsat San Francisco.

The Green Bay Packers, who would win five NFL Championships in sevenseasons and the first two Super Bowls, did not lack in talent: QuarterbackBart Starr, running backs; Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, cornerback HerbAdderley, safety Willie Wood, defensive linemen; Willie Davis, HenryJordan, offensive center Jim Ringo, offensive lineman Forrest Gregg and headcoach Vince Lombardi would also be inducted into the Pro Football Hall ofFame. It was Jordan who was quoted; "Lombardi treats us all the same":"Like dogs"!

The Packers defeated the Giants 24 – 17 on that early autumn summer'snight, just as I finished my fifth piece of pizza. Now that may not seem liketoo many pieces for a growing boy but you have to take in consideration that thetwo cold cut "sangweeches" and the full liter of Coke might have filled me up.The next day, I walked home which was a full block and a half to 85 HudsonStreet from the Loporchios when my father asked if I had a good time. I didbut was a "little down" because the Giants had lost the night before. Withthat said my father replied; "Son it doesn't matter because the Giants coveredthe line". "What does it mean", "what's the line"? By the time my mom setdown the macaroni, meat balls, Italian sweet sausage, pork, and braciolla,(pronounced bra-zhall) we were ready to have Sunday dinner when I asked mydad again; "What's the line"?

My dad was always "showing me off" to his friends; urging me to name allthe capitals of the fifty states or in chronological order of all 35 presidents atthe time. I would debate the number by explaining that although there havebeen 35 individual presidencies the number of men that have served as our"Commander in Chief" is one less. Grover Cleveland served two individualterms at numbers 22 and 24 with Benjamin Harrison interrupting the"streak".

The last hurrah for the New York Giants came in that season of 1963. Itwould not be until 1981 that the team would reach post season play again. Inthat season of 1963, New York had to "fight off" the Cleveland Browns witharguably the greatest runner ever; Jim Brown, the St' Louis Cardinals withthe aerial attack of quarterback Charlie Johnson and receivers' Ulmo ShannonJr. "Sonny" Randle and Bobby Joe Conrad, who led the NFL in receptionsthat year with 73 and the Pittsburgh Steelers who possessed the hard runningof John Henry Johnson and the very aggressive defense led by Ernie Stautner.Late in that 1963 season one of the few sports' magazines did a feature on thesoon to be retired 38 year old veteran. A huge close up of number 70 became myvery first portrait I ever drew having acquired the same artistic gene qualitiesof my dad. It would not be the last: Twenty nine years later; I drew a portraitof Ed Sabol and gave it to his son Steve to give to his dad. One year followed,when I discovered the picture tucked and hidden away: Steve informed me hisdad didn't like the way I drew his teeth. That framed portrait now hangsdownstairs in my sports bar next to the Steelers' legendary defensive lineman.Going into week fourteen the Giants had won 10 games and lost only three,while both the Browns and Cardinals were at 9 and 4. However, the Steelershad the best chance of winning the Eastern Division: Earlier they had shutoutthe Giants 31 – 0 when Tittle did not play because of an injury he sufferedagainst the Baltimore Colts in week one. Pittsburgh at 7 wins 3 losses andthree ties could win the division with a win over New York because of having abetter record by percentage. In front of 63, 240 at Yankee Stadium, the Giantsjumped out to a 16 – 0 lead on Tittle's 34th and 35th touchdown passes toShofner and Joe Morrison respectively. However, the Steelers' defense stiffenedand Pittsburgh trailed by just six late in the third quarter, when the Giantsfaced a "3rd and long" deep in their own territory. Tittle dropped back to passand threw over the middle to Gifford. The USC graduate extended his righthand a made the grab. The "Velcro" catch enabled the Giants to keep thedrive alive and when Tittle connected with Morrison for his 36th touchdownpass of the season, New York had wrapped up the Eastern Division. The 33 – 17victory enabled the team to win their third straight Division Title and onceagain would play for the NFL Championship: This time at the Chicago Bears'home field; Wrigley Field.