I suppose I'd always known of him since I originally joined here - a choice I'm so glad we all made - but the memory of when we first hit it off as friends will always remain in my mind. I'd never spent much time in the sports forum, yet that was where it all started. Quite a fitting place to get to know him, when you consider it. It was last year, and somehow I wandered into the fantasy thread for ESPN's salary cap game, Baseball Challenge. He'd made a post regarding Roger Clemens, and he was "whining" (as all fantasy players love to do) about how the bullpen blew the ballgame despite a great outing by Roger. This bothered me as an Astros fan, and it bothered him as someone who'd taken Clemens for the fantasy game and ended up with a bad score. I made a complaint about the loss and asked what it meant for him in the game...I soon found that asking him about sports is guaranteeing a good conversation. He explained the situation in the fantasy game, we talked about Clemens a bit, then he invited me to join in. The rest was history.
His nickname was StatMan, and it was the perfect fit. He could tell you the statistical odds of a player hitting a double in a day game at home with partly cloudy skies...and he'd write you an essay on why it was true. Everyone teased him by calling him a windbag, but I know it was with respect. I was always tickled by how much he could and would write on any one topic, yet it was also something I admired. His lengthy posts were sometimes overwhelming, but always interesting - he mastered the art of both quality and quantity. I often find my writing to be very wordy, and though it isn't of as good substance as Plaw's, I take great pride in knowing that I share the windbag quality with him. I remember how much he enjoyed hearing about the "manual" I wrote when I recruited school friends to join the fantasy game. When I mentioned that people complained I'd written too much, he was actually impressed and asked to read it - which I found so funny yet, at the same time, was also so honored by. With that, I must say that a compliment from him in BBC was the absolute best. For me, his approval was most important, and it made my day when I earned an "'Atta girl, GG" comment.
He would mention passing the "torch" on to me in the game, and with that, I became his protege. The torch reference means so much more to me now. I worry that I've lost my spirit for the game, especially since dropping out this season - I actually believe that his passion was what inspired and maintained my passion. His spirit was contagious...when he was into it, everyone was into it, either through arguing, trash talk, spouting stats, or just enjoying the sport. Just the same, he was the life of that entire forum. He was a sports fan if there ever was one, appreciating every aspect of the role - gambling, memorizing statistics, studying the rules of the game, remembering favorite athletes of the past, dominating (never just participating in) every fantasy game, and so on.
He was a good man in every way possible. He was witty, kind - beneath his so-called "tough" outer shell - and intelligent. He treated everyone with respect, and with that, was given the same in return. Nobody will ever replace him, and we'll always have an empty space here without him, but his spirit will live on forever through all of us. Such a beautiful soul deserves to be free of suffering, so I'm grateful that he has now found his true peace. My prayers go out to his family, especially his girlfriend and son. Also, to those here who were closest to him, please accept my deepest sympathies for the loss of such a dear friend. I miss him so much, and I know it has to be all the more difficult for you. I thank God that I was given the opportunity to enjoy Plaw's friendship in the time that I did.
Plaw, if you're reading this up there in that great diamond in the sky...thank you. For all that you taught me, for being my friend, thank you. I hope we all get to meet up with you someday. I love you.
