In my life I have been lucky enough to not have to deal with death a lot.  I mean my family is still in tact, and I have had a few minor friends pass one when I was younger.  But today, Bobby Murcer passed away from complications of a combination of a brain tumor, and cancer.  This may not mean a lot to some people, but it hits me pretty hard.

You see, I am a die hard Yankee fan.  I always have been, and I always will be.  But that isn't really it either.  

You see, Bobby Murcer grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  I myself lived in Oklahoma (twelve years in OKC) for 32 of the 37 years of my life.  I have lived in Queens, NY the last five.  So you always feel good about people that do well from where you come from, especially since Oklahoma is not exactly "known" for much at times.  

He came up to the Yankees when I was kid and replaced (and even played with) another Oklahoman by the name of Mickey Mantle.  You may have heard of him as well.  But my memories as a kid was of watching my favorite Yankees such as: Bucky Dent, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Craig Nettles,  and a host of others.  These were great memories of my childhood and how important sports became to me.  They shaped my life in a very profound way, and I am still a huge sports fan to this day.

So, here I am taking a moment to appreicate how special of a man Bobby Murcer was.  In his sixty-two years of life he accomplished so many things both in and out of baseball.  He was really into charities and helped other former baseball players by being a part of an organization that helped them if things were tough for them financially.  Too many people only care about themsleves, and he played baseball in a day where they did not make $$$ like they do now.  He was a tough man and a competetor and I will always remember that.

My thoughts go out to his friends and family.