St. Louis Cardinals’ Mike Matheny Mourns Oscar Taveras
By Ed Carroll
The sudden death of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras at age 22 has rocked MLB and the Cardinals organization especially, and manager Mike Matheny issued a statement today on Taveras.
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Oscar Taveras’s sudden and tragic death last night shocked the baseball world, and it was understandable that some weren’t quite ready to comment on the passing of such a young life, not to mention an exceptionally-talented young player. This morning, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was able to collect his thoughts in a statement published on the team’s site.
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It’s an unenviable position for Matheny to be in, one there was no way to expect or prepare for such a tragedy. His statement was touching, and his words covered the range of emotions many in MLB felt: utter shock, confusion, sadness, and pain.
“It felt like a bad dream that could not be real, and when reality kicked in, my words didn’t even seem to make sense,” Matheny wrote. “To say this is a horrible loss of a life ended too soon would be an understatement. To talk about the potential of his abilities seemed to be untimely. All I wanted to do was get the guys together and be with our baseball family. I know the hurt that comes along with buying into the brotherhood of a baseball team. That hurt is just as powerful as the joys that come with this life. Not to say it is even close to the depth of pain his true family is going through, but the pain itself is just as real. The ache is deep because the relationships were deep, and forged through time and trials.”
Matheny thanked the fans and all of the baseball community for remembering Taveras and for their support and condolences, before closing with what must have been hard words to write, because they’re hard to read:
“In my opinion, the word “love” is the most misused, and misunderstood word in the English language,” Matheny wrote. “It is not popular for men to use this word, and even less popular for athletes. But, there is not a more accurate word for how a group of men share a deep and genuine concern for each other. We loved Oscar, and he loved us. That is what a team does, that is what a family does. You will be missed, Oscar.”
The entire Fansided network offers its condolences to Taveras’s family, his girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo’s family, and the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Rest in peace, Oscar.
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