I was on the train heading toward the Oakland Coliseum on assignment when a man in a striped red and white shirt sat next to me. His smile was enormous and he wore an A's lanyard.
The man with the infectious smile who I had met that day's name was Jimmy Graff. He passed away suddenly on Christmas morning at the age of 49. He served hot dogs to A's and Giants fans for over 30 years, but he was so much more than that.
We had small talk on the short ride to the A's game about the team and I reminded myself to make sure I watched him in action.