RIP Rod Beck

Damn. RIP, shooter.

I'm not sure much would surprise me when we learn what happened. Larger than life character in so many ways. I just hope it was quick and relatively pain-free.

 

The Shooter found dead

Rod Beck always seemed like a guy who would be fun to talk about baseball with over a cold beer. For anyone who covered the man who was found dead Saturday, was that the case? Was he as good a quote as some say?

 

38 is way too young to die. RIP.

 

For those copy editing the story tonight ... I resisted the urge to use 'Shooter' in the headline, in case we're dealing with a gun-related suicide. With so few specifics, I stayed straight-forward and went with: "Rod Beck found dead in Arizona home"

I'm open to suggestions, though, of course. What's everyone else think?

 

The long hair was more memorable than the mustache.

 

Mark Gonzales of the Trib wrote their obit on him. Three-quarters of the way through was this truly odd passage for an obit, whether you're featurizing it or not:

 

(Not sure if your shop capitalizes its headlines...)

Man found dead in Arizona
subhed: Phoenix police investigate after body discovered in ex-pitcher's home

You can't be too careful.

 

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but do we really need a 900-word AP obit on Beck? Are there five papers in the country that will run all that on a largely forgetton reliever?

 

RIP Rod Beck...I loved him when he pitched for the Sox, right around the time I was really getting into sports.

 

I'd bet most papers will run something. The guy was a pretty big name for a while, and certainly a memorable character with his fu and his mullet. Plus, he was 38.

 

My paper is running about 10 inches on it, but I just found the length of the AP story a bit over the top.

 

The summer that Shooter was here in Des Moines with his Winnebago parked behind the right field wall (they have built bleachers there a la Wrigley last year) was the highlight for Iowa Cubs fans at Sec Taylor.  At the end of every game, Shooter would walk back to the RV in his uniform and the fans would be standing there with a couple of six-packs waiting for him.  He would start shooting the shit with the fans and everyone was having a hell of great time with him.  It wasn't the same when the Padres picked him up. 

Good times and we're going to miss him.