Late To The Party

Shank slaps together a few belated Father's Day stories:

I’m a tad late to the Father’s Day celebrations and commemorations, but after Alex Cora’s heartfelt dugout moment talking about his late father Sunday (Nick Cafardo captured it beautifully in his column), I wanted to cite a few of the dads who’ve impacted sports figures in our region through the years.

■ Next time you’re watching Steve Burton deliver Red Sox highlights on Channel 4, keep this story in mind.

Steve is the proud dad of four Division 1 college varsity athletes. He’s also one of five siblings, including three brothers who played football at Northwestern. Steve played at Northwestern, but his path to the Big Ten was unconventional. Steve’s dad, the late Ron Burton Sr., was an original Patriot running back in 1960 and dedicated his post-football days to helping underprivileged youngsters from the inner city.