Very well said, Batgirl. Btw, thanks for the heads up on html, we need all the help we can get.

Having logged many hours as a flight instructor, I can only imagine what may have happened to cause that tragic accident yesterday. I know what it's like to hop in a plane with a student with whom you like to fly, excited about the adventure the trip will bring and concerned, as always, about the safety of the flight.

The accident, and the reality for these families of having lost a loved one so unexpectedly, is all just so very sad.

Great thoughts BG.

I just heard ESPN radio host Bob Valvano (Jim's brother) speak the other day. He said sports fans should be thankful they can get worked up over a win or loss. He pointed out that some people have so many problems that sports is the last thing they care about.

It puts our anguish over hitting into too many double plays into perspective.

BatGirl, I love the way you write. More, I love your heart.

Oh

"Baseball is not life and death, it is a beautiful, maddening fantasy--one that allows us to escape life and death in order to live and die with every pitch, every swing of the bat."

Exactly why this season meant so much to me - having lost my sister days before the first pitch of season - that statement hits home for me.

My thoughts to both families - I hope they hold memories of their loved ones close to their hearts - those thoughts will keep a smile on their face and their hearts warm.

Thank you -Batgirl

Much love
Wonder Woman

A beautiful tribute, BG.

Thanks, BG. I knew you'd post something. I'm just really broken-hearted by this. I do think it means something that he - and presumably the instructor as well - were both doing something they found profoundly thrilling and satisfying. I suppose that thought makes it very marginally less painful for those of us left behind.

Beautifully stated Batgirl. This post had me reaching for the tissue box and is a perfect example of why this is my favorite blog.

Batgirl, I believe I read that Cory was the only person on board, and the other deceased was in the building he hit.

He (Cory) also said that the kind of plane he had was equipped with a parachute, and you just launched it and the plane would float down to safety. I wonder if his chute failed?

Sad sad deal.

For a while after 9/11, most sports fans said something like "In the future, I'm going to remember we're talking games - entertainment - here, not life & death."

Eventually, we forgot about that - we always do. And then we get reminded.

May God bless the families who have lost loved ones & the friends who lost a friend in this tragedy.

And may He bless all of us. Every one.

BG, like everyone else here, I just want to thank you for your beautiful post. I agree with everything that's been said here. I really enjoyed reading Alex Belth's post. I know how he feels. Even though I never really KNEW Cory Lidle, I feel like I've met him before, which makes his death all the more tragic. Another thing his fatal crash got me thinking about was, "How sad for Yankee fans!" and "What if this was one of the Twins?" I never knew Cory was originally signed with the Twins back in 1990. Those announcers aren't kidding when they say his death has been felt all through baseball-he played for a lot of teams.

Thank you Bat-girl.
RIP Mr. Lidle and Mr. (or Mrs.) flight instructor.

Make that,
RIP Mr. Lidle and Tyler Stanger.
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061012&content_id=1710166&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

http://progressiveboink.com/dugout/archive/jon79.html

a worthy tribute.

I love how they portray thome on that site. He just seems like such a big dumb lovable guy. That was a really good tribute. I almost cried at the end when lidle "smiled"

laurieNY, your niece is on deadspin.com

Heh, I was just going to post that about seeing NYLaurie on Deadspin.

Thank you Batgirl, for your words and the link to Bronx Banter.

I too had a tragedy in my life a few years ago, and Twins baseball was the one thing that helped me to get through it as we realized that there would be no peace or closure. Sometimes acceptance is all you can hope for.

I felt a profound sadness at the news of Cory Lidle's death. Such a tragic loss in such a public manner.

Rest in peace Cory.

The young writer BG is referring to whose plane crashed during her first book tour (I assume) is Amanda Davis. Reading her work is an amazing experience, especially if you are a fan of BG's "close friend." They share the same spark and incisive storytelling.

Amanda once wrote: "You are weaving through your life when a plane falls from the sky. You could not have prepared for this moment, but you approach it as you would any other: You walk slowly through it, trying hard to listen to what the world wants to tell you."

Personally, I'm glad we have BG around to articulate so poignantly what the world is trying to tell us about this. Even if we already felt it.

Okay, thanks. You're sounding more like a (good) mom every day.

My niece is a superstar? Thanks for the heads-up!

thats so sad. when my brother told me about it he said that some pitcher died in a plane crash and i was like how sad. then he came back and told me that it was boof and i almost died! then he said that he was just kidding and i kicked his ass. its still sad though