For Charlie, Johnny and guys like us
I had no idea who Charlie Fisher was until a few months ago, when I was covering Conrad Weiser is a District 3 basketball playoff game.
Fisher was coaching Manheim Central, which was at a considerable size disadvantage but able to compete that night because its players shared the ball so well, moved to get open when they didn’t have it and knocked down shots when they got them.
I was impressed with their offense and how they continued to create open looks. I wanted to talk to the coach, to find out more about him and his program.
I waited outside the visitors locker room after the game, and when the coach emerged I introduced myself. Before I could ask a question he stopped me.
“Guys,” he said, calling over his assistant coaches, “this is Mike Drago. I grew up reading his stories in the paper my whole life.”
I was flattered, and a little embarrassed, but mostly just wanted to get on with the interview. But Charlie, a 2005 Reading High grad, seemed more interested in interviewing me.
He was, as you can imagine, a huge basketball fan and grew up immersed in the Reading High basketball culture. That’s the kind of thing that stays with you for life.
He’s one of a legion of guys who lived and died with every Red Knights game. It’s something you can’t understand or appreciate unless you’re one of those guys — where sports really, really matter, and the game you’re watching at the moment, and the team you’re rooting for, are the most important things in the world.
This website is designed for people like Charlie Fisher, and Johnny Mittl, and me — guys who just can’t get enough of sports. One or two stories a week just don’t cut it; we want to know every detail about every team and every game.
Right now the scope of MikeDragoSports.com is relatively limited. It’s pretty much me covering Berks County high school football and basketball, with some help from writers who have regular jobs but write about sports on the side because they love it.
The business plan was to eventually expand to sports other than football and basketball; that happened sooner than expected when Jason Guarente, who covered Berks soccer for many years for a local newspaper, became available. Now he’s doing the same thing here, giving Berks soccer the kind of rich coverage it deserves and doesn’t get anywhere else.
If things go well, and we continue to get support from subscribers and advertisers, this website will be able to expand and cover even more sports — and put more sportswriters to work doing what they do.
Start-up businesses can be difficult to get off the ground but the first month at MikeDragoSports.com has been amazing. Already we have hundreds of subscribers. All of the major football sponsorships, for things such as the Game of the Week and the various Player of the Week selections, were sold out before the season kicked off. Last week, the Mike Drago Sports Podcast found a sponsor — before the second episode aired.
A few days ago Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a story about my journey, and the website, and the path local independent journalism is taking in the current economic climate.
I mentioned Johnny Mittl earlier. He was a friend of a friend who I met through covering sports. He went to Wilson and was an absolute diehard. When his friend, Snip Esterly (also a Wilson grad) began coaching basketball at Central Catholic Johnny became the Cardinals’ No. 1 fan.
I’d see him at games all the time; when I’d run into him elsewhere all he wanted to do was talk about the Philies or Eagles or local high school sports.
He couldn’t get enough.
Johnny’s not with us any longer; sadly, he was taken far too soon.
When I’m out covering games I sometimes think of him, and how much he would’ve loved seeing guys such as Lonnie Walker IV and Stevie Mitchell, and reading about their exploits.
I think he would have loved this website. I hope you do, too.
