Arnold & Jose RIP

Things seem to happen in two’s don’t they.

Two figures in the world of sports left us very recently.

Arnold Palmer passed away at 87. He came from humble origins. Learned the game of golf from his father, the groundskeeper and club professional of a golf club in Latrobe Penn.

He’s credited with changing golf’s image from a sport of the rich and elite to that of the common man. He won many tournaments. He was a giant of his sport in his era, and did much to popularize golf around the world. He had legions of fans.

He was still doing television commercials into his eighties.

His life was without scandal, and he lived to a ripe old age. RIP.

 

Jose Fernandez and his mother escaped the hellhole known as Cuba on their fourth try.  He spent time in jail for the failed attempts.

During the last attempt his mother fell out of the boat, he rescued her. He was fifteen at the time. They made it to Mexico.  Then to the U.S.A.  He became a citizen, the correct way.

He loved baseball, he was a pitching prodigy. He was the star of the Miami Marlins. He was a millionaire (and he earned it). He was admired by everyone, especially his fellow Cubans in Miami. He loved life and had a baby on the way. Life was good, then it was gone, for a stupid stunt of riding (or driving) in a boat at a high rate of speed in the middle of the night.  Well, we’ve probably all done stupid things in our youth. Of course we’re still alive to remember them.  He was 24.

Gone too soon, and one can only wonder what might have been.  RIP.