RIP Darryl Stingley

No doubt, Stingley's life post injury probably sucked. Or at least, in the view of those of us who have full use of our bodies, it certainly would seem that way. But he still had a chance to do something with it. Sure, the options were limited, but with death, the options go away completely. Hence, my estimation that this was next-to-worst.

 

may sound sad shottie, but would have to agree for exactly all those reasons listed above....1-2

 

Stephen Hawking chimes in to say that breathing is always better than non-breathing.

 

Just the person I had in mind, Chris.

 

A friend of mine is very good friends with Tatum and has told me several times in their chats that Jack has mentioned the hit still haunts him. He also is not fond of the nickname and he believes that hit and the nickname are the two main reasons he is not in the Hall of Fame. I have met Jack as well several times and he is a very very nice man. Put him together with the original Soul Patrol and it is something you will never forget. Their stories and experiences are endless.

Today is not a good day in the Stingley household, and the same can be said in the Tatum home as well.

 

"Sure, the options were limited."

Wow. How flip do you want to be?

 

You guys always flock to the exception.

 

Would it shock you to know that I can't move my arms or legs? My life on SJ alone is more productive than the average bear.

 

Didn't Madden also call doctors to revive Stingley? I swear I read Madden was visiting Stingley and Stingley started to flatline. Madden was the only person visiting him at the time. If Madden wasn't there, Stingley would have died right there.

 

Difference between Hawking and Stingley is that Hawking gradually went to the chair (not that thatis much better), but Stingley went in a blink. No adjustment, no mental preparation for the inevitable.

 

Nice column

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_5607485

 

Sirs, Madames,

What Madden says in the column above is precisely the gist of They Call Me Assassin.

I pulled it off the shelf this a.m. Tatum pleads guilty, he says, to aggressive play but denies any malice.

"I want to be tough and I work at playing the game hard but within the structure of the rules. Still, though, there are times when I wonder about myself and the structure of NFL football ... the contact of the sport doesn't bother me but I certainly don't want to hospitalize Lynn Swann and I wasn't thinking about killing Riley Odoms ... When the reality of DS's injury hit me with its full impact, I was shattered ... I didn't know if I could ever play football again ..."

Tatum goes on about consulting with drs about DS's condition and about (probably stress-induced) headaches he suffered in the wake of the hit. When Al Davis tells him he is basically a "war head" for hire--nothing less than a designated assassin, Tatum was ready to pack it but needed to pay the bills.

With the title "They Call Me Assassin" many people presume Tatum gloried in the violence and particularly in the DS hit. But the title refers to the public and media (and even the Raiders') perception of him. Tatum hardly comes off as a bastard in his book (though he probably goes a little over-board on the pathos). Too many who judge him by the hit and the book title saw the hit but never read the book.

YHS, etc