It has been a horrific week of news for sports in America. On September 25, 2016 the golf legend, Arnold Palmer passed away at the age of 87. On the same day, the prodigy of baseball José Fernández died while being out on his boat at the age of 24.
José Fernández was the heart and soul of the Marlins. He was a young pitcher who always had a smile on his face and was DOMINANT at home, and that's an understatement. In his career he was 29-2 at home with a 1.49 ERA. He struggled on the road, but because of his youth he was learning to adapt with the negative energy of the away crowd. With consistent fastball of 95-97 MPH as well as a demolishing slider, he had a bright future and was a potential CY young winner. It is a tough pill to swallow after seeing his passion for the game and realize that he'll never be on the mound again. He had so much more of his life to live and had a lot more to prove after coming over from Cuba.
In the Marlins first game back against the Mets they honored Fernández with the saddest rendition of "Take me out to the ballgame". All players circled the mound and drew #16 into the dirt, and teammates like Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton took the tragedy the hardest. Even the Mets showed their condolences by hanging up his jersey and hugging every player on the Marlins.
Arnold Palmer was nicknamed "The King", because he wasthe first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s. He won seven major championships, including four master tournaments, one U.S. open and two Open Championships. Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events and asserted his dominance among every golfer. He is also known for the Arnold Palmer "Half and half" drink that consists of iced tea and lemonade and has been a fan favorite for years (it's also 99 cents, yay).
Arnold Palmer's passing will be celebrated for all of the things he accomplished and the long life he lived. José Fernández on the other hand is a little different. He was 24 years old and had a substantial amount of life left: his death was a tragedy and the people of Miami will mourn his loss for years to come.
