Three Sad And Bittersweet Sports Endings

It was a sad end for three sports heroes yesterday. First, Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez tragically died in a boating accident early Sunday morning. Fernandez’ story is truly remarkable, as he and his family made three attempts to flee Cuba before finally arriving here in the United States in 2008. He was drafted by the Marlins in 2011 and made his debut in the major leagues in 2013. In that rookie year, he was named to the All-Star team and came in third in the balloting for the Cy Young award as the league’s best pitcher. Injuries sidelined him for most of the 2014 and 2015 season, but this year he was back in form, winning 16 games with a 2.86 ERA. In what sadly turned out to be his final game, he struck out 12 batters in a 1-0 win. But it was Fernandez’ enthusiasm and joy for the game that was most striking.  With his incredible talent and positive personality, Fernandez could have been the face of the Marlins for the foreseeable future. Tragically, that will not happen.

Vin Scully, the voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for the last 67 years, called his final home game on Sunday afternoon. And the Dodgers made sure he went out in style. Corey Seager hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and then Charlie Culberson hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. The walk-off homer also clinched the National League West for Dodgers and they became the first team in history to win that division four consecutive years. Scully’s laconic, almost subdued, style, his depth of knowledge, and his objectivity made him a fan favorite and a treasure.

Then, yesterday evening, it was announced that Arnold Palmer had died. Palmer’s influence on golf was similar to Billie Jean King’s influence on women’s tennis, although with far less cultural significance. Palmer dominated the golf world just as television was coming of age and his fiery competitiveness alongside his off-course humility made him a fan favorite and “Arnie’s Army” pronounced him “the King”. Beyond his golfing prowess, Palmer was simply a good guy as well as a shrewd businessman. Even as he was dominating the tour, he was incredibly popular among the other players and he led the demand for changes at the PGA that essentially created the PGA Tour as we know it today. The massive prize money that players play for today can be attributed to Palmer’s selfless insistence that all the players benefit from the tour, not just the winners. And he single-handedly created the Champions Tour where players over 50 can still play competitive golf for serious prize money. A legend and a great man who transcended his sport.