Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Best Regards
About two years ago, my friend and colleague John Brattain let the THT staff know that he was having some serious health problems. With John’s passing, I re-read the email I sent him in reply, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about John:
One is loathe to write in response to the kinds of things that you’ve been saying lately, because you don’t want to come across as pessimistic, callous, or even selfish. So we keep what we have to say to ourselves, and when the opportunity to say them is gone, we have regrets we can never quite get over. So to hell with it:
I love you, John. I think I speak for all of us here when I say that, and for all of the people who know you in the baseball community. There is probably nobody more universally loved in our community right now than you, and there probably never will be. You are a good man, too good to suffer like you have so far in this life. Your appreciation for all that you have and have had, and your positive attitude towards all your misfortune only entitles you to so much more joy, and we all are hoping that you get it.
I’ve had my own little misfortunes in life, though nothing remotely close to what you’ve gone through, but you are taking this so much better than I ever have—hell, you’re even taking your own misfortunes better than I am. When I see your attitude, I feel personally guilty for feeling as down about myself as I do.
So I’ll close by saying again: I love you. I’m grateful for knowing you, even in the limited way that we all know each other though our computer screens—and I’m grateful that we’ve had this technology in my lifetime, so that I could have the pleasure of knowing you. And I hope to know you for many, many more years.
Best Regards
Larry
I still love you, John, and I always will. Goodbye, my friend. There will never be another John Brattain.
(If John were here, he’d reply “Thank God!”)
Best Regards,
Larry Mahnken
P.S.: When I can get the info, I will post something to help raise money for his family.
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