RIP Oscar Taveras

Terrible news. Always hard to hear about somebody dying at such a young age. RIP

 

St. Louis rushed him to the majors but he had more than the hit tool.
He was a hell of a better option than that Grichuk guy they kept giving meaningful ABs to.

 

Yeah but some cars are less forgiving then others. Light back and powerful engine on Camaro make it very susceptible to fishtailing and spin-outs in the hands of a inexperienced driver. Same with the Vette. Jerome had literally just pulled out of
Chevy dealer when he stepped on it and spun out on slick road.

 

Given what I imagine the Dominican roadway system to be, Taveras probably didn't have a chance, either.

 

Wasn't Jerome going about 90 mph?

 

Mariano Rivera has often said that is the one time he has not minded blowing a save.

 

As someone who has been there and can speak from experience without generalizing, to say that a lot of drivers adhere to little or no traffic "laws" is an understatement. I've never been to Puerto Plata, where Taveras is from (and where he died) but there are congested cities where you might have 15 or 20 people on poorly-built motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic at all times, often traveling at ridiculous speeds.

No idea if the accident was his own fault, or a combination of things, but driving in the DR can be an adventure to say the least.

 

Just returned from Puerto Plata last week and can definitely vouch for the general recklessness on the road.

 

Ken Hubbs was from Utah, which a year later was dealt another blow with the death of Wayne Estes, Utah State basketball great who was electrocuted his senior year.

 

Mentioning active athletes who died, and no one brought up Derrick Thomas?
Paralyzed in an offseason car wreck, died a few weeks later when a blood clot shook loose.

 

As active players dying goes, was any bigger than Roberto Clemente?

And one I remember from my teen years was relief pitcher Danny Frisella, who died in a dune buggy accident during the off-season on Jan. 1, 1977.