Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte died today in separate car crashes

There is no easy or delicate way to say this: days like today suck a lot.

In recent years, we have lost former and current players such as Oscar Taveras, Jose Fernandez, Darryl Kile, Nick Adenhart, Tommy Hanson, and many others who I cannot recall right now. In times like these, we are reminded not only by the good times and the bad that we all shared with them as they were on the field, but by the sad reminder that this life is far too short and wondering what could have been for these men who helped us love the game of baseball.

I wish I could say that today was merely a day of reflection on that, but sadly baseball lost two of its own today.

Andy Marte was once one of baseball’s top prospects as a Brave before being dealt in the trade that brought Edgar Renteria to the Braves. Yordano Ventura was a flamethrower for the Kansas City Royals and pitched in two World Series.

I could talk about these two men as players, but I think this moment is better served in reminding folks about them as human beings. Andy Marte has been widely called one of the nicest guys in the game of baseball. Based on the response to his passing, his former teammates, managers, and reporters that covered him admired him for his kindness.

Ventura was certainly a polarizing figure at times, but he was quick to honor those who passed away and did so prominently. After pitching the game of his life in the World Series in 2014, he dedicated it to Oscar Taveras who was a close friend of his at the time of his passing. When Jose Fernandez died tragically last year, he honored Jose with writing his name and number on his cap.

I wish I had something more profound or informative to say. We don’t know many of the details of the car crashes that took these young men’s lives too soon other than they were separate incidents. We send our deepest condolences to their friends, families, and fans during this awful times.

To our readers, please be safe during this football playoff weekend, in particular in the Atlanta area as the weather has been less than ideal. Hold your loved ones a little closer today and let us all hope that tomorrow is a better day.