Good Guys
When I first graduated college I got a job for a real estate management company in downtown Boston. The company was an amazing place for a 24 year old kid who didn’t know a damned thing to work. The best part of the job was the wonderful people I worked with. It was a group of people who went out of their way to really teach some of us younger folks how to conduct ourselves as professional.
One person who really stood out was our Senior VP named David. David was older than I by about 30 years and knew about 1000 times as much as I did about life. He never treated me as anything other than a colleague though. He was kind, generous, patient and fun and yes, a Red Sox fan.
A diehard fan throughout his life David had lost his wife when his kids were in elementary school. Becoming “a single father before it was fashionable” David took his two sons to Spring Training every year. It was a bonding experience that meant a lot to both father and sons.
Sadly, David was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in February of 2000. The line about him as a single father is from his beautiful funeral service and has stuck with me for many years.
In his honor several of us got together to create a charitable foundation in his name. Starting with 2001 each year the Foundation has sent a terminally ill pediatric cancer patient to Ft. Myers to attend Spring Training with his/her family.
As part of this the Boston Red Sox have been absolutely phenomenal. They have been gracious with their time and have always made players available to spend time with the kids. I received my annual newsletter this past week and it had pictures of last year’s Spring Training visit.
Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Jon Lester, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard and Johnny Pesky all took time from their day to talk to the young lady the Foundation sent down.
In years past Nomar Garciaparra, Dustin Hermanson, Kevin Shea, Trot Nixon, Carl Beane, Tommy Harper, Coco Crisp, Gabe Kapler, Terry Francona, Mike Lowell, Tony Graffanino, and Mark Loretta are just some of the Red Sox’ personnel who have given generously of their time.
On Wednesday morning some spoiled, over-aged children, desperate hangers-on and attention-grabbing Senators will go out of their way to cover their asses and get their pictures on TV in front of a media thirsty not for the truth but for joy at the expense of others.
Like every walk of life, most people associated with Major League Baseball are decent people. Look at the names above and you will see a list of people who took time from their day to bring joy to children whose biggest dream was to see their next birthday.
If the steroid hearings disgust you as much as they disgust me do what I plan on doing; ignore them. Don’t read about them, don’t watch them, spend time with your family, with friends, with a good book, with whatever it is that makes you happy.
Remember that just because a few people get a lot of attention for doing bad, most people do good. For every Roger Clemens there are Jon Lester, Mike Lowell, Mark Loretta, Tony Graffanino and Gabe Kapler. The good people in this world far outnumber the bad people and nothing that happens on Wednesday will change that truth.
***************************************************************
I’ve chosen not to list the Foundation by name. I didn’t ask permission in advance and didn’t want to step on toes. If you want to do some good though I would encourage you to donate to the Jimmy Fund.
One person who really stood out was our Senior VP named David. David was older than I by about 30 years and knew about 1000 times as much as I did about life. He never treated me as anything other than a colleague though. He was kind, generous, patient and fun and yes, a Red Sox fan.
A diehard fan throughout his life David had lost his wife when his kids were in elementary school. Becoming “a single father before it was fashionable” David took his two sons to Spring Training every year. It was a bonding experience that meant a lot to both father and sons.
Sadly, David was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in February of 2000. The line about him as a single father is from his beautiful funeral service and has stuck with me for many years.
In his honor several of us got together to create a charitable foundation in his name. Starting with 2001 each year the Foundation has sent a terminally ill pediatric cancer patient to Ft. Myers to attend Spring Training with his/her family.
As part of this the Boston Red Sox have been absolutely phenomenal. They have been gracious with their time and have always made players available to spend time with the kids. I received my annual newsletter this past week and it had pictures of last year’s Spring Training visit.
Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Jon Lester, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard and Johnny Pesky all took time from their day to talk to the young lady the Foundation sent down.
In years past Nomar Garciaparra, Dustin Hermanson, Kevin Shea, Trot Nixon, Carl Beane, Tommy Harper, Coco Crisp, Gabe Kapler, Terry Francona, Mike Lowell, Tony Graffanino, and Mark Loretta are just some of the Red Sox’ personnel who have given generously of their time.
On Wednesday morning some spoiled, over-aged children, desperate hangers-on and attention-grabbing Senators will go out of their way to cover their asses and get their pictures on TV in front of a media thirsty not for the truth but for joy at the expense of others.
Like every walk of life, most people associated with Major League Baseball are decent people. Look at the names above and you will see a list of people who took time from their day to bring joy to children whose biggest dream was to see their next birthday.
If the steroid hearings disgust you as much as they disgust me do what I plan on doing; ignore them. Don’t read about them, don’t watch them, spend time with your family, with friends, with a good book, with whatever it is that makes you happy.
Remember that just because a few people get a lot of attention for doing bad, most people do good. For every Roger Clemens there are Jon Lester, Mike Lowell, Mark Loretta, Tony Graffanino and Gabe Kapler. The good people in this world far outnumber the bad people and nothing that happens on Wednesday will change that truth.
***************************************************************
I’ve chosen not to list the Foundation by name. I didn’t ask permission in advance and didn’t want to step on toes. If you want to do some good though I would encourage you to donate to the Jimmy Fund.
2 Comments:
At 10:38 AM,
Anonymous said…
The steroid hearings don't disgust me the way they do you, but this was still an excellent shot of perspective. Thanks.
Might want to ask around the Foundation about maybe setting up a paypal account. They might not mind an extra $100 or whatever your loyal readers might feel compelled to offer.
At 1:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
it's fairly easy to find the foundation via a google search and the information provided. what a phenomenal way to establish a legacy for someone. it's also impressive that the kids who benefit from the foundation document their trip through an annual newsletter. nice....
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