Johnny Oates was a great man, ballplayer, and friend. I still remember when he took me to the clubhouse at Memorial Stadium when he managed the Orioles. That was such a thrill. He then gave me a ball signed by Cal Ripken, Jr. (who I share a birthday with) and a bat signed by Billy Ripken. Talk about a great day! He was a very unselfish man, always there for my family - I remember one night in particular in which he provided my brother, sister, and I with some much needed comfort. Mr. Oates will definitely be missed, but at least he's free from his pain and in a better place now.
4 comments:
Micah, I'm sorry about your loss. Forgive me, I'm not very well versed with the sports world, but I imagine Johnny Oates was an especially kind man, what with the nice description you paint of him. My thoughts are with you...
Thanks. Our families have been friends for over 30 years now. Mrs. Oates is my mom's best friend. I didn't get to see my mom that much over the trip since she was at the hospital comforting her. The weird thing is that it was the chemo that did Mr. Oates in, not the brain tumor. I wish that I could've stayed for the funeral.
Brain tumor? Wow. My dad had one of those five years ago. We lucked out, with it being benign. It wasn't completely smooth sailing from then to now... but after all this time... he's probably 95% back to normal. And that five percent? We didn't want it back, anyway.
It's crazy how an event like that can change your life (and the life of an entire family...)
Mr. Oates was really lucky. When diagnosed, the doctor game him 6 months to live. He ended up living for over three years with the tumor.
I'm glad that your dad is okay.
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