Keith Hernandez Fighting Off Tears While Talking About Rusty Staub Has Me In A Puddle On Opening Day
Damn that was tough. Watching Keith Hernandez cry is like watching your cool, partying uncle cry. You don’t know what to say or do but you just want to give him a hug, tell him everything will be okay, and hope he doesn’t call you a pussy for doing it. Like I blogged about earlier this morning, it truly sucks that Rusty had to pass away on a day known for rebirth and new hope. But like Keith said, he’s in a better place and no longer in pain. The Mets are statistically the best Opening Day team in baseball and I hope they can keep that good juju rolling today in memory of Le Grand Orange.
I also had to mention that story Keith slipped in about how Rusty is the person that convinced Keith to live in the city when he came to the Mets. That tidbit can go on Rusty’s impressive resume alongside everything else. Six-time MLB All-Star. Raised over $100 million for the families of fallen police and fire fighters. Served more than 9 million meals to the homeless. Beloved by millions. Owner of maybe the greatest nickname of all-time. And the person that unleashed a young Keith Hernandez on New York City in the 80s. In a weird way, Rusty Staub was responsible for that fling Keith Hernandez had with Elaine Benes. Dude changed millions of lives for the better. Rest easy, Big Orange.