The game of baseball was my first love as a child. I began playing at 5 years old, and when I was 8, Ryne Sandberg became my favorite player when my dad bought me a pack of 1989 Topps baseball cards and inside I found the card pictured below. Less than two weeks ago, I pulled out my sports card collection from a closet, and came across this old favorite. I sent the photo below to my best friend, who I bonded with in 5th grade, largely over our mutual love for baseball and baseball cards. He was a Cal Ripken fan, and Sandberg was my guy, and we often traded accordingly. I knew "Ryno" had been battling prostate cancer for a while, but I guess I did not realize quite how advanced it had become, so I was caught off guard by this news of his passing. I'm becoming increasingly confronted by the reality that I am not a young man anymore, and by the speed with which life seems to be passing me by, and this is yet another harsh reminder. I guess I've reached that age when many extremely familiar faces from your childhood start to pass on, and it really smacks you in the face. RIP, Ryno. You played the game with grit and with class. You will be missed by your fans, including by this 43 year old "kid" in Richmond, VA. 😢