Post by Greenville Drive on Aug 20, 2012 12:55:14 GMT -5
We all join leagues like this for various reasons; for some it's the love of the game, others it's an inner scout/GM/coach hiding inside, that competitive spirit, and I think we all come here for a break from reality.
Well this past weekend, fantasy met reality for me and some of you. Jon Blackburn, Blackie as most of you know him, died suddenly Friday night after turning 45 earlier in the week. It was some combination of an enlarged heart and trouble with his pancreas that came on very quickly, and shocked most anyone that knew him.
Blackie was not just another owner in a fantasy league I am in. He was my best friend in real life. He was like my brother. We have known each other for 18 years, when he was just as shrewd a negotiator then as he was now, it was just baseball cards then instead of fantasy baseball players.
I don't want to put a negative spin on anything, just wanted you to be aware. I know as well as anyone he could be an ass, but he had a lot going on. Three years ago this month, he had been diagonosed with a non-curable form of lymphoma, and early diabetes shortly after that. He had to take a lot of medications for both and couldn't be the dad to his 7 year old son that he wanted to be. It was a tough stretch for him.
Here is a link to his obituary if you care to read it:
www.westmorelandfuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=199083
Well this past weekend, fantasy met reality for me and some of you. Jon Blackburn, Blackie as most of you know him, died suddenly Friday night after turning 45 earlier in the week. It was some combination of an enlarged heart and trouble with his pancreas that came on very quickly, and shocked most anyone that knew him.
Blackie was not just another owner in a fantasy league I am in. He was my best friend in real life. He was like my brother. We have known each other for 18 years, when he was just as shrewd a negotiator then as he was now, it was just baseball cards then instead of fantasy baseball players.
I don't want to put a negative spin on anything, just wanted you to be aware. I know as well as anyone he could be an ass, but he had a lot going on. Three years ago this month, he had been diagonosed with a non-curable form of lymphoma, and early diabetes shortly after that. He had to take a lot of medications for both and couldn't be the dad to his 7 year old son that he wanted to be. It was a tough stretch for him.
Here is a link to his obituary if you care to read it:
www.westmorelandfuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=199083
