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Where did Michael Jordan rank among college-basketball greats?
If the 1998 Yankees faced off against the 1986 Mets, who would have won?
None of it mattered.
But it also didnt matter that it didnt matter.
But aside from all that, what makes his voice so reassuring is his unusually gentle way with callers.
Better to miss these games, he recently told his listeners, than to miss you.
A Manhattan doorman expressed ambivalence about having to go to work.
Johns Riverside Hospitalin Yonkers.
Take your time, Somers told him.
I know youre speaking from the heart.
One after the other, they let him know how grateful they were for his warm and steady presence.
These lectures inevitably strayed into political territory, which wasnt actually all that unusual for the Fan.
What kind of talk is that?
Obviously we just heard from someone who doesnt have as a No.
1 priority a human being or humanity.
Somers likes to compare the FAN to a gathering place in a close-knit New York neighborhood.
Were the stoop, he told me.
Were the lamppost on the corner.
Were the stool next to you at your favorite bar.
Steven, one recent caller began, I want to thank you very much.
Youve provided a lot of solace for me.
I lost my best friend, my father, 82 years old, to the coronavirus.
Two weeks ago, the caller said, he was fine.
And then he wasnt.
He goes to the hospital.
I speak to him on Tuesday night, tell him how much I love him.
His oxygen levels are going down, and he passes away in his sleep Wednesday morning.
And the hard part about this whole thing, he added, I cant even hug my sister.
I cant hug a rabbi.
His voice began to crack.
The only person I can hold onto is my wife.
Collecting himself, the caller went on to talk about his fathers love of the New York Rangers.
Somers let him speak at length, and then he offered some words of wisdom.
Listen to me closely, he said.
He waited a beat, making sure that he had the callers full attention.
When I hear you speak, he continued, I hear him.
He is in your blood.
Anything less than that he wouldnt be happy.
Oh, Steve, said the caller.
I lost my mother in 94, Somers told him.
I didnt think I would ever smile again.
I didnt think I would laugh again.
But six months later, on June 14, 1994, something miraculous happened.
It was the New York Rangers, he said.
That was the day they won it all.
Listen to me closely here, said Somers.
On that day, he said, I realized I could be happy.
God, I love you, the caller said.
My wife doesnt want to hug me at all, Somers joked.
Take a shower is all she says to me!
Listen, said Somers, call me again soon and let me know how things are going.
In his self-deprecating way, he pointed out that he needs these conversations as much as his listeners do.
I could use the help, he said.
He might have been speaking for all of us.
