Oscar Taveras died too young, and I hate it.
That is how I feel at the moment. Is it fair to subjectively think that? I don’t know. There is a lot that I don’t know regarding life, death and grieving. What I do know is that everyone does it differently. I did not know Oscar Taveras beyond what I have read about and have seen of him on television. That is how majority have in the few years that the baseball spotlight shined on him.
I never had the fortune of meeting him or interacting with him as a fan, but his death Sunday has had a profound impact on me. How can a stranger do so? There are countless ways, but the reason the death of Oscar Taveras has left me feeling empty is simple: we are twenty-something’s.
The loss of life is the worst. I will never say one death is greater or lesser than another. That is unfair and wrong. Oscar Taveras’ death hurts because we are of the same generation. It hurts to hear of the loss of a person growing up the same time as myself. I clearly am not a professional ballplayer and will never be, but we are both young adults. Knowing that Taveras won’t experience some of the basic joys that I have been fortunate to is something I have a hard time comprehending and processing.
I admittedly have had a hard time handling death in my life. It is different for everyone. It took years for me to fully accept the loss of a grandparent at age 15, my first encounter with the death of a loved one. A few months ago I lost a friend to cancer. He was as kind a person as you’d ever meet, took care of others like family and had wisdom beyond his years. 26 years young, gone.
You know that anyone can pass at any moment, but experiencing a peer’s death is something you can never prepare for. My friend took advantage of his time, but he deserved so much more. The same can be said for everyone that dies, including Oscar Taveras.
The loss of Oscar Taveras will be felt by so many. The loss of his girlfriend will also be felt and attached to Taveras’ death. She deserves the same recognition and celebration of her life that Taveras has earned.
No matter the cause, it is heartbreaking that Oscar Taveras died so young. It is equally heartbreaking that he passed away as a boy living out a boy’s dream.
Jeff is a production assistant @120Sports and contributor to hockey, football, and baseball for The Sports Bank. Follow him on Twitter @skcih_ffej.