Oscar Taveras

-
Most of the world probably doesn't know who Oscar Taveras is.

Baseball fans do.

Tavares was the next big star coming down the pike. He was the St. Louis Cardinals best prospect since Albert Pujols. At 22 years old, he was going to dominate for about the next 15 years.

He died on Sunday in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. His girlfriend also died in the crash.

My son Sam was seated beside me as we read the news on Twitter just as Game 6 of the World Series was set to start.

"Oh man," Sam said. "That's awful."

And I instantly thought back to the days of my youth when the Yankee Captain Thurman Munson was killed in an airplane crash. Thurman had been on two championship teams and was one of my favorite players.

I remember crying when my Mom told me. I also remember that she drove from our house to my little league baseball practice to break the news.

How was it even possible?

Sam seemed to be wondering the same sort of thing as we read about the accident.

"I hope he wasn't drinking," I said.

"What difference does it make?" Sam responded. "He's still gone."

Which was true, of course.

Moments later my wife saw the report of the accident during the World Series game.

"How awful," she said...saying almost the same thing as Sam, but for distinctly different reasons.

"I'm so afraid of the kids in the car. I dread the fact that they are driving around without me as the driver."

It is sort of easy to forget that Tavares was just a kid.

Born in 1992.

A big strong kid with the world at his ready.

A little while ago I saw a photo of Thurman Munson's son.

A whole bunch of tragedy came swimming into my brain.

How awful.

The twitter feed was filled with the following:

We send our thoughts and prayers to the Tavares family.

I suppose that is the best we can do in such a horrible situation.

"Man, I feel so bad," Sam said.

What else can you say?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more