My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Ferrandino family. This is an immense loss to so many, and it is very difficult to comprehend and to come to terms with. Since his accident I have spoken with so many people about the tragic situation, a lot who knew Dino well, but others who only knew him peripherally or not at all. Reflecting on how to best describe Dino there was a definite theme in my thoughts – full of life, charismatic, lively, energetic, larger than life.  Looking at some of the wonderful pictures his family and friends have shared in various forums you can see his indomitable spirit and how expressive and funny and welcoming a friend, father, brother, son, uncle, cousin, teammate or co-worker he was. It is very hard to be writing this and using the past tense, because Dino was one of the most “alive” people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Any time Dino was there you knew it would be more fun and at some point you would be laughing hard and seeing his huge grin and the twinkle in his eye.

While people have shared many stories while we hoped and prayed for his recovery, I have been thinking about what I could share with his family. I have a lot to draw from, having played against him in college and then, more enjoyably, having played with him on Men’s league teams for more than 25 years (unbelievably!). All the time spent on the field together was great, but getting to know him well and the time spent together at weddings, birthday parties, holiday parties, tournaments or just for a night out was even better. On several occasions over the years when our team played out of town games in national cup play we would ride together. Two such trips stand out clearly in my memory. The first was up to the Philly area for a national semi-final. Usually I drove, even if it was in his car, but this time he did the driving. I remember because he didn’t have the radio on, and I certainly would have turned it on were I driving. We left after work, and it must have taken us well over 4 hours to get to Philly. Dino kept me entertained and laughing the whole ride, and I can guarantee he did the vast majority of the talking. I didn’t miss the music at all, and anyway there was no pause in the conversation long enough for me to ask him to turn it on. While the laughter would always have been welcomed, it was especially the case for me at that time as my mother had recently passed away.

The second memorable ride was much more recently on the way back from a disappointing loss in a frustrating game where one of our teammates experienced a major injury that we were concerned about. Both of us were tired, sore and cramping up on the way home, but that did not seem to negatively impact Dino. For the over 2 hour ride home he was simultaneously following along and bidding on some online basketball card auctions on his phone, talking to Nico about said auctions, providing me with context and running commentary on the auctions (most of which was lost on me), talking about the game, talking about our families and singing songs that came on the radio (I’m driving so music on this time). The 2 plus hours went by in a flash and the frustrations of the game and the soreness etc. had faded. That was the kind of positive impact Dino had on others, and I was yet again amazed, but not surprised, by his energy level and enthusiasm.

I wish there was something that anyone could say or do to ease the pain his family and friends are feeling and to address the huge hole this creates in their lives. I pray for his family to be able to process the loss and eventually find peace, especially Shaila and Nico who deserved so much more time with him. May we all cherish and remember all the funny stories, great games, and happy memories of an exceptional person. It is fitting that the last time I had the pleasure of being his teammate in an important cup match he accounted for all three goals we scored – with a goal, assist and being taken down in the box for a PK. I will remember him as an amazing soccer player, but an even more amazing person and friend.

Love,

Mike Botta and family