Summary

A professional football player, Chris Wormley of the Pittsburgh Steelers, visited the author's 101-year-old grandmother, Bernice Fryer, in the hospital, leading to an unexpected and humorous exchange about sports fandom.

Abstract

The author recounts a memorable encounter between their grandmother, Bernice Fryer, and NFL player Chris Wormley. Despite her recent hip surgery and advanced age, Bernice's vibrant personality shines through as she confesses her preference for baseball over football and even offers her autograph to the surprised athlete. The visit, intended to uplift patients, takes an amusing turn when Bernice, a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, mistakenly believes Chris plays baseball and expresses her indifference to the Steelers. The incident underscores Bernice's sprightly character and her disinterest in celebrity status, contrasting with her family's amusement and the athlete's good-natured response.

Opinions

The author's grandmother, Bernice, is perceived as youthful, spirited, and resilient, defying typical expectations of someone over 100 years old.
Bernice's work ethic and active lifestyle are admired, as evidenced by her past as a riveter during WW2 and her continued independence and activity.
The author's mother is portrayed as somewhat starstruck by Chris Wormley's appearance, emphasizing his attractiveness and the surreal nature of the encounter.
Chris Wormley is depicted as a good sport, taking Bernice's unexpected responses in stride and maintaining a positive attitude throughout the visit.
The author reflects on the contrast between Bernice's straightforward demeanor and lack of interest in football fame, and the celebrity culture often associated with professional athletes.
The author hints at a fondness for baseball, shared by their grandparents, which seems to be a cherished family sentiment, especially concerning the Cleveland Indians.
The author muses on the idea that true fame, in Bernice's eyes, is achieved through significant accomplishments like winning the World Series, rather than through individual athletic achievements.

Pro Athlete Shocked By My Grandma

What Happened When a Pittsburgh Steeler Visited Her Hospital Room.

My grandmother is 101 years young.

As a kid, I made the mistake of calling her old. She said the exact words for every birthday in the last thirty years with a light Oklahoma drawl.

Grandma : “Mark, Do you think I’m old? That’s not old. 100 is old!”

She would reference Willard Scott or Al Roker interviewing 100-year-olds before giving the weather report. Now when I remind her of the age-defying quotes, she chuckles and smiles at me. For as long as I can remember, she seemed frozen in time, unaffected by the pitfalls of aging. Her depression-era work ethic never seemed to run out of energy. She riveted steel in an aircraft factory during WW2. Every thanksgiving, she bakes pumpkin, pecan, and lemon meringue pies, even if it’s only my mom and brother sharing the meal that year. She still lives in her own home, and my mom can barely keep up with her pace of activity.

Rosie the Riveter. Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

A few weeks ago, she fell and broke her hip.

One of grandma’s medications made her dizzy, and she fell awkwardly in the living room. Not wanting to be a burden, she refused to go to the hospital until both of her adult children convinced her she needed an ambulance. Hip surgery and rehab are complicated at any age but are especially challenging after a century. At the time of this writing, she remains in the rehab wing of the hospital. It was a pretty dreary experience until her surprise visitor.

Someone wants to meet you.

A flurry of hospital employees, reporters, cameras, and PR reps came into grandma’s recovery room. Our family signed the release forms, and a friendly man in a well-tailored suit entered the room. It was Chris Wormley of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chris is a defensive lineman in NFL. Suppose you don’t know much about professional football. In that case, a defensive tackle is a very large man, who pushes other very large men (offensive linemen) out of the way, to tackle the very large man (quarterback) holding the football.

When my mom told the story, she kept inserting this tidbit into the narrative.*

“Chris has a great smile. He is a very, very good-looking man.”

After a local speaking event, Chris wanted to make some memories for Steelers fans who needed some encouragement. He visited three other patients in the recovery wing and saved the best for last.

There is just one problem.

My grandma doesn’t like football. My grandpa was a die-hard fan of Penn State, but he passed away when I was still in college. He taught psychology at PSU for 35 years and saw every game. Some of my fondest childhood memories were the two of us tailgating in State College, PA, surrounded by 100,000 of the Nittany Lion faithful. However, neither one ever watched a single game of professional football.

How long have you been a fan?

She still had the post-surgery grogginess when the conversation began. And Chris’s PR team did not know about her indifference to NFL football when they organized the visit. Chris started the visit by introducing himself and asking my grandma a softball toss question about her Steelers’ fanhood.

Chris: “How long have you been a Steelers fan?

Grandma: “I don’t like the Steelers. I like the Cleveland Indians!”

Chris: (clearly surprised), “Uhhh. Maam, the Cleveland Indians are a baseball team. And I think they are called the Guardians now. (hesitates). If you aren’t a fan, would you actually want my autograph?”

Mom: (panicking while staring into Chris’s dreamy eyes). “Yes, she would love it!”

Chris Wormley’s Autograph. Photo by Linda Fryer. Photo edited by Author in Canva Pro.

She’s not done yet.

Chris hands her the headshot with his signature. And then grandma said something even more unexpected.

Grandma: “Thank you. Now would you like my autograph?”

Chris: “Huh?”

Grandma: “Would you like my autograph?”

Chris handed her another headshot, and she meticulously took several minutes to sign “Bernice Fryer” next to his face. My mom was mortified. Chris took it all in stride with a broad smile on his very, very handsome face.

I wonder what Chris was thinking at that moment. Was this a waste of time, or is it refreshing to have someone ignore your fame and fortune?

That night the local news channel did a heartwarming segment about Chris visiting the other patients at the hospital. Grandma’s ridiculousness did not make it on air.

Maybe Chris should have played baseball.

My grandparents attended Game 1 of the World Series in 1948. They were there for history as the scrappy team from Cleveland beat the Boston Braves in six games to win the Series. Even though the Indians/Guardians have not won a championship since then, the experience made grandma and grandpa fans for life. Every summer night, grandma sleeps with the sounds of baseball playing on a tiny little clock radio in her bedroom. After a tough Cleveland loss, she would call me and say with disbelief,

Grandma: “The Indians lost last night, Mark. Why did you let them lose?”

Mark: “I don’t play for Cleveland, Grandma!”

Chris had a great attitude throughout the visit, although it drastically differed from what he expected. My grandma is not senile, just passionate. She speaks her mind and doesn’t get impressed with rich or influential people. And unfortunately for Chris Wormley and the Pittsburgh Steelers, you aren’t famous until you win the World Series.

Footnotes:

*My mother will be embarrassed, but not surprised, that I portrayed her as an awestruck pre-teen making googly eyes at a handsome man. She expects such nonsense from her son. 😎

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