Vida Blue.
@dsmoke34 Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family
Larry Mahan, 79, on May 7.
Last Thursday, my father in law passed away at age 85. In 2016 he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Thanks to modern medicine he had seven more years to live the life he loved. He got to see two great grandchildren born.
He left Alabama at 16 and went with his older brother to work in the car plants in Ohio so they could send money home for his younger sisters to stay in school. He took his GED so he could get a job working in the coal mines (above ground strip mining). He did so well the local Jr. College offered him a scholarship. He turned down the scholarship because he had a wife and child to support and the coal mine paid well. He worked in the mines for 30 years and then retired to enjoy his time working on his collection of cars.
He only had a 9th grade education but both of his children have advanced degrees. His five grandchildren include one who is a deputy sheriff, one who works in the car industry, a nurse, a veterinarian, and a 1st year law student.
He loved to learn and was a patient teacher. He taught me about IRAs and how to change the oil in my cars among other things. He was a good man.
Sorry for your loss, Steve. He sounds like a great man.
So sorry to hear that. What a life he led.
Damn.
If you are in pain, please say something.
If you think someone is in pain, reach out to them because they may not say something.
Rita Lee has died. She was a hugely popular Brazilian singer and had a career that spanned nearly sixty years. She came to my attention as one of the original members of Os Mutantes who were (and still are as they’re still active) a miracle of a band. I cannot recommend their first three records strongly enough to anyone who likes the Beatles or Latin music or ideally both. They recorded their first record when they were teenagers, which is absolutely incredible to me in part because I think it holds up as well as Sgt. Pepper’s. Also, they were working in what was then a military dictatorship, and as I understand it, military dictatorships do not tend to foster exceptional creativity as a general rule.
Anyway, their first three records were reissued along the way and should be reasonably easy to get a hold of.
Holy shit. I wondered about his death after I read a comment from one of his friends.
Former Louisville basketball coach Denny Crum, 86
Denny Crum, who coached Louisville to 2 NCAA titles, dies (yahoo.com)
Hell of a coach. Phi Slama Jama vs the Doctors of Dunk in the '83 semi-final was probably the best basketball game the Cougars ever played.
Fantastic game. Guy Lewis must have lost his mind v. NC State.
That game will always be too soon for me.
Joe Kapp, 85.
I first read your post as Ruta Lee had died. Ruta was a B-actress at best but was a friend of the father of one of my Little League teammates about 60 years ago and came to one of our games. I caught a ride to the game with them and she was wearing a mink or some fur stole to the game in South Texas in the summertime. She was very nice though.
Yep. For being a great coach and recruiter, he puckered in what should have been his finest hour.
Perhaps you didn’t understand me.
TOO SOON!!
He had been accused of not being much of a X’s and 0’s coach. They said he just recruited great athletes and rolled the ball on the court and told 'em to score more points than the other team. He decided I’ll show them I can coach, I’m gonna be like Dean Smith, we’ll go 4 corners and sit on a lead that we easily built. I know I lost my mind that day.
That was like telling the 1927 Yankees to play small ball. I think he was a fine Xs and Os coach, it wasn’t a black mark that he recruited such great players too. But he’ll always be remembered for having two of the best teams in NCAA history and not winning it all. He was pre-2022 Dusty Baker.
