Video Archive Search

I'm Ken Rosenthal here with Joseph Girardi the Yankees manager. The -- hi I'm wearing today is for the Alzheimer's Association. Joe's dad Jerry suffers from alzheimer's. We'll talk about -- that -- and let's start off show with when you were -- right you're the fourth of five kids what do you remember about Jerry Girardi when you're younger. Just all the time that he had forced to play in the backyard. Taken Meehan is in the car when he would make a sales trips he worked for Brian electric. And we've listened to Jack for Cassel Lou Boudreau on the radio listen to the Cubs games that he'd actually take me into the sales calls and just tell me to behave I did my best. A lot of time spent together you know wrestling wrestling with my Brothers and just have a lot of fun. -- Wrigley Field where we are today this was a special place for your family to me about that while my dad was a huge Cubs fan named brainwashed all his children to be Cubs fans. And we used to come up to the ballpark he'd bring us up five or six years we don't get the boys -- all get the car. He always found a way to get tickets for that day I don't know how we did it but he always found a day and we bring those big goal yellow bats home we -- amount in the rain and by the time. You know the summer and rolled through they'd be about 38 ounces so -- -- -- Babe -- felt like but. He always found time and I love coming to the ballpark when I was a real little boy. Because I used to love the runs and a pizza in the sands and and that was the biggest part of the game for me. -- right now obviously things have changed in recent years. Tell me the first time -- noticed your dad might have a problem. My Brothers who are both doctors that kind of diagnosed it when he was probably about 62 or 63 and I didn't necessarily want to believe that so and in 1998 when we're in San Diego we had won the World Series. My father was in the clubhouse and to my father you know stay here -- get the shower you know he was in the celebration of this when I come out we'll go back to the hotel. My father had left find a restroom and couldn't find his way back. To the locker -- That was the first time I realized that you know what maybe there's some truth to this and he had getting back to the hotel he got on the team bus. But at that time my father didn't have a cellphone which dot com and I was scared to death and he was actually in the restaurant at its hotel shown everyone is 1996 World Series right. Now tomorrow tomorrow morning yet you're going to drive two and a half hours home to Peoria. To go to see your dad. What to expect. Well likes you know you don't expect a lot because he he doesn't talking doesn't open his eyes and down a lot of times I karma on the phone they say moves this Hansel. If I'm talking to him he's moving his hander making any littlest gesture it's it gives me hope that he knows them -- -- many years. And Joseph obviously a lot of people are touched by this disease friends relatives. Is there any advice you can give to folks like yourself dealing with a relative who. Has to deal with this on an everyday basis I think a lot of people go through -- frustration period where they don't. Really understand what's going on and they don't realize that. That people necessarily or in the beginning stages of alzheimer's and they see people forgetting they lose their keys to the loser checkbook. And my advice to you as they don't want to be that way. This is the disease unfortunate they've been stricken with that. And my father took care of me for years you know he he changed my -- proceeded to hole but it's our turn to take care of them it and be there from Hammond. I love my father very much it's very typical to go through. But we need to be there for them like they were there for us Joseph thank you very much.