I am not sure what attracted me to watch 60 Minutes every Sunday evening but I did and along the way my teenager joined me. I think he found the show fascinating because of one episode on living "off the grid" and learning of a relative who similarly did the same. As a late bloomer to the show, I began to anticipate Andy Rooney's segment and at the time I laughed at the simplexes of his stories yet there was something else about him that I attracted my interest. He was grumpy and old and that only lead to the attraction, maybe somehow he reminded me of my dad who could be grumpy and old. I think it's the allure of an underdog not that Andy Rooney is viewed as one yet he had a quirky sense about him that grabbed my interest. Let's call him every man's protagonist saying things most people wondered but didn't say out loud.
This morning as I learned with the rest of the world he died, Andy Rooney had a way of riling up the viewers for good or bad and I think that was part of his persona that made him one of the greatest television journalists of our times. Sadly, I watched his last episode thinking maybe the old man will bless us with an odd commentary here and there. In Andy Rooney fashion he left when he was ready, no sooner or later. Condolences to his family and friends.
