Mario Smugevicius

I miss my Uncle Mario.
I miss having him around to talk to about Argentina.
I miss having him around to talk to about how Manu Ginobili wiped the floor with those nasty Detroit Pistons last night... I know he would have taken great pride... And he really liked the NBA...He was one of those Argentines that really became enraptured with the game because of Michael Jordan...A man in his 70s who I doubt ever set foot in a bastketball court and yet he loved the game... I can't imagine entirely how he would have felt to have seen Ginobili taking control of the deciding game in the NBA finals this year but I feel cheated knowing he got cheated of seeing that...
I miss having him around to talk to about the latest boneheaded actions by the Argentine government..
I think one of the things in my life that makes me the happiest is that during the time I spent in Argentina between May 2001 and his stroke in July 2002 we got to spend some real good time together..i remember all the great tango orchestra shows we went to with Director Carlitos Garcia...or even that one time we saw Amelita Baltar...i especially remember our regular Sunday lunches - sometimes I admit I wanted to stay at home and nurse a hangover but i the end I was always glad to meet him at Soraya or some all you can eat place on the Avenida Cabildo (with those great pancakes we used to crow about)...We would spend our lunches discussing the impending or realized collapse of the Argentine economy or talking about the Argentine national soccer team.....
I suppose if we were having lunch this Sunday we would be talking about Manu Ginobili...
Te extrano Mario.