Before we kept track of New York Rangers roster moves, No Movement Clauses, hometown discounts, and failed drug tests, back before those things even existed, sports taught children about teamwork, hustle, discipline, winning (and losing) gracefully, and dealing with adversity. It taught us about life.
And sometimes death.
I was only 11 years old when I heard that former Mets reliever Danny Frisella had died in a dune buggy accident. It was one of the first times I had to deal with that kind of tragedy. I can remember staring at his 1974 baseball card, trying to come to grips with such a bizarre concept.