Yesterday during a meeting someone brought up Jose Fernandez, Donnie Everett, and Nick Adenhart. They were PG All Americans and young guys we got to know very well. Sadly they are no longer with us.
So from there we started thinking about all the players that have been to PG events that have left us at such a young age. As we went over the way they all died, we realized something we all knew anyway. That there are things so much more important than baseball. I think of the parents, family and friends left behind. The extremely bright futures that we will never see. I think of my own kids and how lucky we are. And I wonder why people, including myself, place so much importance on certain things that seem so trivial in comparison.
Yes many have left us, close to fifty young men just from PG events. We don't forget them. It is a stark reminder! We started to go over the way these kids left us. Nearly tied were car accidents and disease/cancer as the biggest reason. There were suicides, falling off a balcony, drowning, drunk driving, boating accident, drug overdose, guns, etc.
I know it's not a fun subject to discuss. But sometimes I think parents tend to forget just how fortunate they are to have healthy kids that can play baseball. Sometimes we get caught up in being dominated by the game and our son or daughters accomplishments or performances. We forget just how lucky we are and how unimportant some other things really are. Of course many of you already understand all of this, but those of you that are like I used to be, should reconsider your priorities. Your favorite player needs to be much more than your favorite player.
