CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ On a bright November afternoon, Rick Weaver sits at a high-top table at Hickory Tavern in Gastonia, with a scrapbook.
It's full of photos of his son, Fredrick. Around Weaver and the leather-bound scrapbook is a pile of Carolina Panthers jerseys, hats and various memorabilia once belonging to Fredrick, a huge fan of the team. Many items are autographed.
The scrapbook, created by Weaver and his wife, Ruth, documents every step of Fredrick's life _ from throwing baseballs and footballs to playing on the beach to bending over his schoolwork in his room, on top of his black-and-blue Carolina Panthers bedspread.
It was through the Panthers that Weaver's bond with his son grew. Because Fredrick suffered from such bad asthma, he couldn't play football. He tried for a short time to be a kicker, but accidentally broke his father's finger while they practiced.
But when they channeled their passion for the sport into the Panthers, they went all in.
Fredrick proved an attentive, inquisitive student of the game. The two would often call in to local radio stations with questions _ and Fredrick's were so good, at age 10, that he'd often win contests for home-game tickets.
They attended every game they could, and Weaver's favorite memory is when he and Fredrick watched the Panthers beat Dallas in a playoff game on the way to a Super Bowl berth in 2004.
Those times together, father and child, are irreplaceable. The bonds, the memories, built around a favorite sports team and favorite players and mementos, can be the foundation for a lifetime of memories.
Sometimes, life is too short.
