Sad news ...getting older sucks

I am a lifelong fan of the New York Mets.  I am also a huge fan of a local, independent baseball team, the Long Island Ducks.

And what do those two teams have in common?

Buddy Harrelson.

Harrelson played shortstop for the 1969 Mets, had an infamous brawl with Pete Rose... 

He later coached, and then managed the Mets.

He is a part-owner of the Ducks.  In the past he coached or managed the team, but more recently his role has been a sort of good will ambassador, greeting and posing with the fans.  We see him every time we go to a game.

Yesterday I read some sad news.  A sports writer for the New York Post wrote about a recent interview of Buddy, in which Buddy revealed that he has Alzheimer’s. He got the diagnosis two years ago.    And today in the New York Daily News, there was another column, confirming the news.  Newsday  has a story as well.

They wrote that Buddy still talks to Tom Seaver often — Tom Terrific also suffers from memory issues due to. Lyme  Disease.

But it seems he remains upbeat and positive, and plans to visit the ballpark as often as he can.  He’s also making the rounds of Alzheimer’s support groups, encouraging those who are similarly afflicted to make the most of their lives.

My father suffered from Parkinson’s-related dementia, and my mother also has a form of dementia, so I know how difficult life can be with such a condition, and I feel for Buddy and his family.

The idols of my youth are growing older and leaving us.