Field of Heroes

Today's post is a little off the normal topic but represents something very close to me.

Baseball

I don't watch baseball like I used to. All through the 80's I was glued to the TV every night watching my Atlanta Braves win for a few years then lose a hundred plus games season after season. If they weren't on TV then we'd have the radio blaring. Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, and Ernie Johnson gave us the play-by-play, becoming as much a part of our family during South Georgia summers as any blood relatives.

The legends of Murphy, Horner, and Chambliss eventually gave way to a new collection of beloved winners. Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddux took the hill. I looked up to those players. I fashioned my pitching style after Gene Garber, learned infield by watching Glenn Hubbard. Steve Avery was the first player in the Bigs younger than me.

I could go on, telling a personal story about more than half of the players in the past thirty years to wear a Braves uniform. The Catch. The Slide. The relief pitcher with a really long name who used to live a few houses down from my Uncle.

There were also the teams I hated. In the early 80's it was the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Philadelphia Phillies took that honor in the 90's.

Mitch ("Walk the bases loaded then strike out the side") Williams, John (my grandmother just called him "That Ugly Guy") Kruk, Lenny ("I can cram more crap in my cheek than you can") Dykstra, and Darren "Dutch" Daulton.

I couldn't stand those guys. Their dirty white uniforms with thin red stripes. Their ugly red hats with a deformed P. I wished every ill will possible on them.

It's funny how time offers perspective. Some childhood heroes are obvious. Those Braves I followed religiously while growing up qualify. Some you don't realize until later in life.

Those guys that gave my Braves the most trouble became players I begrudgingly respected, sometimes even admired. I would like to officially acknowledge Philadelphia Phillies longtime catcher, Darren Daulton's spot on that list.

It was announced earlier this month that Mr. Daulton would have surgery to remove brain tumors. Today, an article on cbssports.com stated he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a "hightly malignant" form of brain cancer.

His tough style molded my baseball life, teaching me lessons which traveled beyond the chalked fields as much as any other glove wearing hero.

I send prayers and well wishers to Mr. Daulton and his family. He is and always has been a hero.

C.L. Blanton