Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It's Tough to Say Goodbye


This year has been tough one for celebrities. It seems as is if they have been dropping like flies. I wanted to take a minute and celebrate not only a fine baseball player, but an even better human being. Bobby Murcer was hailed as the next Mickey Mantle. A power hitting outfielder from Oklahoma. That is quite a tough role to live up to, but like everything else that came Bobby's way, he took it in stride.

While he never lived up to the billing that others gave him, he gave us plenty to cheer about. He was a seven time all-star, he had 1,862 hits, 1043 RBI's, 285 doubles and 252 home runs. Quite an excellent career by any one's standards. Will he ever be a Hall of Famer as a baseball player, no. Will he be a Hall of Famer as a human being, absolutely yes. I remember watching Yankee baseball games and Bobby was in the booth. You could tell that he was in a place of comfort and the role he played as announcer fit him like a well oiled glove. He always found the positives in a negative situation, and no matter what the outcome of the game was, I still remember feeling good about myself.

That character trait served Bobby well in the last year of his life. He was going through chemotherapy, and showed up in the booth one day. He spoke like it was just another day at the yard.

Bobby, thanks for sharing your life stories both good and bad with us. Thanks for letting us see the good in all people. Yet again I am jealous of God, because he always know when it's time for him to have a front row seat to one of the best ever.

Rest in Peace Bobby, this year's All Star Game would have made you proud. I hope you enjoyed your front row seats in heaven.

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