THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Bonding with mom can happen anywhere, anytime

Back in 1970, when many folks still watched sports on black-and-white televisions, I was sitting in the living room of our house in Salem, Ore., as an 11-year-old, watching the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. 

My mom was also nearby, in the living room. She worked hard all week, and Saturday was the day to keep the house clean. 

On TV, just before the race started, they were announcing all the horses that were running in the Derby. 

One of them caught her ear. 

Dust Commander. 

“That’s me! I’m the dust commander!” Mom said, proudly holding up a can of Pledge in one hand, and a dust rag in the other. 

And so my mom and I then cheered as Dust Commander won the Kentucky Derby. 

Of course he did — for my mom, and for all the other moms out there working in the house on a Saturday afternoon, after working hard all week for their families. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: That may or may not have been how it all went down on that first Saturday of May in 1970. 

After all, it was 56 years ago, and only one of us is around to vouch for it. But that is the gist of what happened. 

Mom, after working hard all week and then working just as hard at home on Saturdays, still took an interest in the sports I was watching on TV — even while dusting the furniture, vacuuming, cleaning, etc.  

(EDITOR’S NOTE 2: One day a few years later, dad brought home a color TV, which weighed just about as much as a car does these days.

The black-and-white TV was relocated to the basement, where it was used mostly to play a game called Pong that my brother Jim brought with him one year for the holidays.

Anyway ...

YOU LIKELY have a similar bonding memory with your mom through sports — something only you and her can share, which makes it even more special.

It could be on the actual playing field, or in the backyard — or in the living room on a Saturday afternoon, during a horse race. 

Email me at [email protected] or [email protected] with your story of bonding with your mom through sports. 

Attach (as a .jpeg) a photo of you and your mom to the email, and I plan to share your stories with our readers next Sunday. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.