1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Tuesday “Special People-We Salute”
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“Mourning the Passing of Special People”
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John McCain has left us after a lifetime of patriotism.
He knew me, I met him just a couple of times, but as a long time observer of his life and accomplishments, I came away so impressed.
Who he was, what he did, what he did stood for.
I spent 7-years working in Phoenix when we crossed paths. He was a huge Suns-NBA fan, then became a lifetime Diamondbacks supporter, and liked Coyotes hockey.
I could never convince him to become an Arizona State Sun Devil fan-and give up support of his Arizona Wildcats, and he could never do the same to me.
I followed his every move, his philosophies, his political fights, his winds and losses, and his never-ending support of the victims of ‘our war’, in Viet Nam.
We know his life story, the maverick of a pilot, the pioneer politician, and the statesman he became late in life.
I will say this.
No one man I have ever known personally, has faced life and death, with the courage he exhibited, from Viet Nam, to Washington, to his final days in Arizona.
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Ron Newman has left us too, after an illustrious career coaching futbol, in a country mad with love of the other game of football.
He was a free spirit, and an intellect all in one. He could wisecrack with you, and dress you down if he heard or read something he did to agree with.
In a country that has come to love Team USA and World Cup soccer, he was here selling the sport decades before it became fashionable to chant USA-USA.
He was a student of the game, and became the catalyst for the growth and style of the indoor game. Stevie Zungul, Brian Quinn, Julie Vee became superstars based on his knowledge of how to run the indoor game.
An Englishman who came to America and fell in love with life and his job in the US.
A special guy, who came to San Diego at a special time.
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Hockey teams are opening their training camps, but hockey has not forgotten what happened last spring.
No not the Washington Caps winning the Stanley Cup, but the tragedy that affected all in Saskatchewan, the horrid bus crash taking the lives of 16-members of the Humboldt Broncos on their way to a playoff game.
The hockey tradition of each player having a day with the Stanley Cup is really special. And so the Capitals Chandler Stevenson did something special in his home province.
He took the Cup home to Saskatoon, and drove it to the tiny farming community of Humboldt, where he put it on display for all hockey fans to come and see.
It’s part of the healing of that fractured community, aided by 31M raised by the NHL for the victims and families. The Cup, in that arena, as Humboldt opened its training camp with 78-players on hand, hoping to replace, but never forget those lost in the crash.
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In the sports media, you cross paths with leaders from all backgrounds. What we experienced in the last 48-hours was emotionally moving. Really good people, who did really good things. They will be missed.
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