He wasn't just a major leaguer. He was a man who started his baseball career as an 18-year old boy with his arm in a sling. It took incredible will and determination to overcome his injury and recover. He not only did that, but he climbed to the top of professional baseball at the same time, which we all know is hard enough to do with a healthy arm. Talk about a leap of faith and guts.
He was very, very special from a baseball talent point of view, but that obviously paled in comparison to the size of his heart.....very big sniff.