Sports Legends who have Passed

I was a big Met fan in the mid 80's. Gary was awesome. Still remember game 6 and 7 as if it was yesturday.

 

"The Kid" was to the Mets and Expos what Kirby Puckett was to the Minnesota Twins. They both loved the game and that love was infectious. How sad that both died way too soon. RIP, Gary Carter.

 

I am always saddened when I hear of a "death too young", but to be honest I stopped following MLB when the first player's strike happened. The only names of any players from that point on which I remember are those who make the news by being "less than honorable" on or off the field.

The players whom I recall (dating myself here) are guys like Boog Powel, "Duke" Schnider, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantel, Roy Campenella, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford. As much as I respected Reggie Jackson as a player, I always wondered at his "chase the buck" ethic, and I suspect that was the beginning of my loss of respect for the players, owners, and the whole system.

 

I remember watching the Twins play the Orioles on TV and being puzzled as to why the Oriole's fans were booing their own player. I eventually figured out they were yelling, "BOOG!!".

 

Piermario Morosini dies on pitch, Serie A called off - ESPN Soccernet

He was only 25. :mourn:

 

I saw that as well, and while I am not a fan of the sport, and have no idea who he was; it is always a tragedy when a young athlete passes. Especially while doing what he loves.

 

R.I.P. Piermario. Somehow during the last two-three years I think we have had more of these incidents than before...

 

I met Smokin' Joe a few years back at an auto show outside of Philly. I shook his hand, and it was beyond sad. Apparently he had horrendous arthritis in his hands and I thought I would get the strongest handshake ever, but he didn't even apply any pressure. Please do not think I am making fun of the man or deriding or pitying him, I do not mean it that way in the least, as I will always fondly remember him in his prime though, when he was truly one of the baddest men on the planet and I will always have the utmost respect for him. We all get old, that is what I meant by my sadness at meeting him so many years after his prime.

 

I had a similiar experience to dash, meeting Frazier at a function, fine gentleman, but you would never have guessed he was the former champ.

 

The number of suicide (this one is not yet verified), among NFL players is up to three just in recent times.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- Junior Seau's apparent suicide stunned an entire city and saddened former teammates who recalled the former NFL star's ferocious tackles and habit of calling everybody around him "Buddy."

Goto:

News from The Associated Press

 

Not a real surprise. fame, pressure . Once you tasted power and glory it hard to get back to normal life. It could be compared to lottery winners, who often spend everything they have and end up depressed if not worse.

 

That was some real sad news. He was a force to be reckoned with and a great personality. Shocking. RIP, Junior Seau.

 

What is seemingly happening here, in these suicides is that the repeated head-trauma (read concussions) lead to depression and irrational actions after years of accumulation. Sort of cumulative effects. Junior had taken fine care of his finances, was a major force in local children's projects, and never in any danger (of going broke) from outside pressures. This might very well be the cumulative effects of brain damage over the years of "train wreck" impacts. Junior was more "famous" off the field than on post-career, in constant demand for speaking engagements, and never appeared depressed in public. Didn't drink, didn't do drugs.

Both he Dave Duerson (sp?) shot themselves in the chest, not the head. Duerson specifically did it that was so his brain could be autopsied to try and find if his depression was the result of multiple concussions. It couldn't be treated with drugs BTW.

 

I guess the same is with ice hocley stars. Many end their career almost empty handed as they have used all their money to living big spending life, and the times they go to play black jack or other poker games they play thousands of dollars in one night only. No wonder after the career is over they don´t have usually another career to follow, and the money they made won´t last long to keep the same standard of living, not forgetting the fame, friends etc. That is a problem.

 

And what about the recent wave of Soccer players who collapse live during a game and die from a heart attack?

 

The Seau family has just released the brain of Jr. for autopsy to discover if he too was suffereing CTE, like Duerson. This article was written before that report on the release of Jr. Seau’s brain to neurological study.

The condition that claimed Duerson and the others — and may have claimed Seau — is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Diagnosed only microscopically after slicing and staining cerebral tissue, CTE is an accumulation of sludge-like tau proteins, which, in a healthy brain, are one of the key structural components of nerve tissue. When the head sustains a blow, however, nerve fibers can be wrenched and torn, releasing tau.
“The brain tries to repair this, but it never quite can,” said neurologist Julian Bailes…

Goto:

Junior Seau’s Death Raises Familiar and Agonizing Questions | Healthland | TIME.com

 

This was sad news to hear. He was one of the greats of the game. It was particularly difficult to see the video of his mother after she learned of his death. It was nothing short of heart wrenching.

 

This was shocking to hear of to say the least. Seau was one of the last players I would have thought would do this. There is an even more shocking twist to the story I saw earlier in the week where his death brings to eight, the total of chargers players from the Superbowl 29 team to die. Rest in Peace Junior!
Junior Seau becomes eighth player from Super Bowl XXIX Chargers team to die - NFL - Sporting News

 

I don't think constant impact has any bearing.

Australian, New Zealand, English, Irish, South African, and a whole lot of other players play the game of Rugby, (both league and union).

They wear no protective equipment at all, (with the possible exception of a mouthguard), have bigger impacts than most NFL players will ever experience, and we have no suicidal players.

People get depressed, sometimes for little or no reason. Boxers get hit about the head constantly. There are no studies that I'm aware of that link this treatment of the cerebral dome to anything related to depressive suicide.

NFL is such a melodramatic sport anyway. Maybe some of this rubs off on the personalities of the participants. Some people need to have constant drama in their lives. Thats just the way it is.

Rest in peace.