marcel krauthammer died of cancer several years ago. he was 59. charles writes this about his older brother. quote, he taught me most everything i ever learned about every sport i ever played. he taught me how to throw a football, hit a back hand, grip a 9 iron, field a grounder, dock a sailboat in the tailing wind and how we played. it was paradise. tell me about that. >> it was a childhood. we were inseparable. he was four years older, which is why this was a priceless gift. he insisted i be included so i got used to being around the big boys and taking the slings and arrows and that's how you get toughened up. my parents were from europe. he was american. my brother. born in brazil but that's a long story. but american. and he made me an american. >> that long story short. krauthammer's mother, thea, from belgium. his father from a real estate developer from what's now a province of ukraine. both jews who left world war ii europe. they met in havana, moved to rio and eventually new york city where charles was born in 1950. when he was 5, the fa

marcel krauthammer died of cancer seven years ago. he was 59. charles wrote, he taught me most everything i ever learned about every sport i played. how to throw a football, grip a 9 iron, hit a backhand, field a grounder, dock a sailboat in a tailing wind. and how we played. it was paradise. tell me about that. >> my brother and i were inseparable. he was four years older which is why this is a priceless gift. he always insisted i was included. so i got used to being around the big boys, taking slings and arrows. that's how you get toughened up. my parents were from europe. he was american, my brother. born in brazil. that's a long story. but american. he made me an american. >> reporter: that long story, short. krauthammer's mother thea is from belgium. his father was a real estate developer from what is now a province of ukraine. both jews who left world war ii europe. they met in havana, moved to rio and eventually new york city where charles was born in 1950. when he was 5 the krauthammers moved to montreal. they spent summers at the family

. >> inspired by uncles who were doctors, marcell krauthammer went to medical school. it was assumed charles would follow. but as a 19-year-old senior at mcgill, the internationally renowned canadian university, he was bitten by a different bug. political journalism. >> i was intrigued. the editorship was controlled by the student council. i had been elected to the student council. and the paper was becoming unreadable. it was run by marxists, maoists. it looked like it came out of the soviet union. you just couldn't read it. so we went to the editor and realized, well, what do we do now. we have to find an editor. so they looked around and decided it's going to be me. i said, wait, i've never worked on a paper. a detail. >> a poly sci economics major he loved thinking and writing about all things political. he applied to medical school to please his family and got accepted to harvard. but he got into oxford as well. to study political theory. would krauthammer choose a life of science or a life of letters. the brilliant graduate had enviable options, but he hadn't fig

the column is reprinted in charles krauthammer's book, things that matter.auth it's in the personal section. just a few pages after the piece about his brother, marceli was thinking about thisab column. this is not. really about you. but then your last line, the catastrophe that awaits everyonh from a single false move, wrong turn, fatal encounter, every life has such a moment. what distinguishes us is whethes and how we ever come back. >> that's why the rick ankiel story resonated so much with me. i mean, i had my fatal fa encounter, as did rick ankiel. there is an element of that in everybody's story. their low point. do you want it enough and areth you lucky enough? that's part of it. >> while his injury has kept him off the playing fields and courts, he's pursued anotherds a competitive outlet. chess. which lights you up more? baseball or chess when you're in the game? >> there is no comparison. it's chess.ss? >> you still play chess?comp >> no. i gave it up. it's an addiction. >> completely. >> it's a poison. ii mean, you reach a point when you're on the internet, middle of the night and you're playing speed chess, you realize you're in a motel

krauthammer's book "things that matter." it's in the personal section just a few pages after the piece about his brother marcel. piece. this is not about you but the last line. the catastrophe that awaits everyone from a single false move, wrong turn, fatal encounter, every life has such a moment. what distinguishes us is whether and how we ever come become. >> that's why the rick ankiel story resonates with me so much. there's an element of that in everybody's story. there are low points. do you want it enough? are you lucky enough? that's a part of it, too. >> while his injury has kept him off the playing fields and courts, he's pursued another competitive outlet. chess. >> which lights you up more, baseball or chess when you're in the game? >> there's no comparison. it's chess. >> did you still play? >> no. i gave it up. it's an addiction. >> completely. >> it's a poison. i mean, it's -- you know, you reach a point on the internet, you know, middle of the night an playing speech s and you realize in a motel and drinking aqua velva. >> your book was supposed to be a collection of essays on things other than p