Sun-Sentinel link

 

BERARDINO: Marlins aid and comfort.? Players see misery, respond in kindness.

 

HOUSTON -- The boy's name is Nicolas Uribe. He is 2 years old and far from home.

 

Early Monday afternoon, Nicolas was sleeping peacefully in a stroller as his mother and grandmother ate a modest lunch off paper plates at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

 

Into the sprawling exhibit hall walked a large contingent of Marlins players, coaches and staff making a goodwill visit to those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A woman's voice came over the public-address system to explain their presence.

 

Team owner Jeffrey Loria made the rounds with fistfuls of tickets for the first two games of this week's all-important series against the hometown Astros. The Marlins gave out 1,600 free tickets in all.

 

Loria's employees worked the room handing out hundreds of Marlins caps and T-shirts and toys. Tons of toys. An entire truckload of donated items made the trip from South Florida.

 

Just now Paul Lo Duca walked by clutching a small stuffed bear. Spotting Nicolas in his stroller, the Marlins' catcher reached down and tucked the bear under one of the sleeping child's arms.

 

.......

 

"The faces," Loria said softly. "God, the faces."

 

A few yards away Louisiana product Juan Pierre sat at a table with the Reeder brothers. Jacob is 7, Listritus 8. Pierre handed them a pair of toy fighter jets. He autographed the jets, then spent a few minutes with the boys marveling at their intricacies.

 

......

 

Jeff Conine handed a teddy bear to a New Orleans woman named Rochelle Hart. She hasn't seen her mother in weeks, isn't sure if her extended family is dead or alive, but she was smiling now.

 

Until Monday she had never heard of Conine. Would she name the bear? "Yes," she said. "After him."

 

Mike Lowell was there. Andre Dawson. Guillermo Mota. Damion Easley.

 

Todd Jones sat at a table with a family of four and just listened. Then he gave that family his home address and phone number and told them to call for help once they got settled.

 

"It helped me put a face with a story," said Jones, an Alabama resident. "When you're seeing it on TV, it feels like you're not a part of it. The parents, you could see the agony on their faces."

 

.....

 

Watching it all with a mixture of sadness and amazement was Loria, who spoke fondly of these "very kind, very gentle people."

 

He had seen his team go into Yankee Stadium and win a World Series. He had seen his team go into Wrigley Field and complete an improbable comeback.

 

But never had he been prouder to be called Marlins owner than Monday.

 

read the whole article, very touching.

Nice Article.. I think we have a few new Marlins fans

I really got goosebumps reading that. Nice to see how many character guys there are on this team, from the owner on down. :notworthy

Here's a quote that really sums it up:

 

Watching it all with a mixture of sadness and amazement was Loria, who spoke fondly of these "very kind, very gentle people."

 

He had seen his team go into Yankee Stadium and win a World Series. He had seen his team go into Wrigley Field and complete an improbable comeback.

 

But never had he been prouder to be called Marlins owner than Monday.

Wow. Very touching. I literally have tears in my eyes as I type.

Though sometimes I disagree with him, I've always thought Berardino's a good writer.

Though sometimes I disagree with him, I've always thought Berardino's a good writer.

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Never thought he was a bad writer, just a guy with an agenda; so I guess you could say, good writer, bad guy.

No doubt this is a heartwrenching situation. But this is a story that wrote itself. Very easy. Most college newspaper writers could have done a better job. Berardino actually did as bad a writing job as could have been done with this story. But that's typical. I think he has a good opinion, he can express himself well verbally, but his writing skills are lacking big time..