Ron Drogo, (spnited), RIP

Sam: I'd guess the Yankees-Mets games will be hard tickets to come by. Possibly the Phillies too, if they're as good as advertised. The Dodgers probably aren't as big a draw, but the June dates might be a hangup for people with late high school seasons.

That didn't help at all.

I'm good with any of them, FWIW.

 

I never had the chance to know Ron in real life, but I got to know him through this site. He and I had many exchanges through PM, whether it be about baseball, life or whatever. He was always willing to chat, and always willing to lend a listening ear (even though the only place we "talked" was on here).

I didn't know that Ron = spnited. I saw all the "RIP Ron" posts on facebook, but I didn't know it was him. And then I saw a thread on the other forum.

Holy shit, this sucks.

 

Meat, it did help. I was thinking the same things.

I had guessed the Yankees tickets could be a tough get, but wanted to throw out the dates which coincide with the intended outing calendar. Understanding that it's usually in July - as you mentioned, the weekend against the Phillies could conflict with a lot of prep writers' beats - I just wanted to offer three of the best options out there.

I am guessing the Phillies weekend will work best on the basis that the other two weekends have ticket availability and time-of-season issues, but that's not my decision.

 

Back from the wake. Small place but pretty well filled. I don't do this kind of thing well, so I did not stay very long. Paid my respects to Ron, talked with one current and several former colleagues, got in my car and cried a bit.

Ron's current colleagues say there is not much information about what happened, whether it was a heart attack or stroke, they don't know. He drove a coworker home Saturday night and said he had back pain. He told his landlord Sunday he was not feeling well and took a nap from which he apparently never woke. The landlord went up a little while later to check on him, and that's how they found him.

I suppose if you have to go, that's about the best any one of us can hope for, but it's still shattering for the rest of us.

 

That actually does make me feel a little bit better. I hope he went with no pain, as I'd hate to contemplate anything else.

 

Frank, thanks for the wake update. I'm sorry I couldn't make it but Drogs was definitely in my prayers.

 

Spnited shared some advice with me years back when I was making a career move. Didn't know who he really was, just that he seemed to have a great knowledge. I wish I had known he was that close (geographically). I probably could have learned sopmething from him just meeting him face-to-face.
61 is way too young.

 

I discussed what had happened to Ron with someone who knows much more about medicine than I. The guess was sudden cardiac arrest.

To echo Frank_Ridgeway, not an awful way to go if one must, but the shock and sudden nature of something like this is difficult for those who care for him.

 

I'd like to add just one thing. I feel sure Drogo would have smiled a semi-embarrassed smile if he read all these tributes. But he really would have loved them. The real shame is he can't know what people truly felt about him, isn't it?

Let this be a lesson to us all. Be nice to everyone. And get tested for heart problems. Please. We can't take any more of these shocks.

Castellano

 

Add me to the long list of those who are shocked and saddened. Was away from the board for a few days and am stunned to see this.

Only knew Ron as spnited, but even though we never met, I appreciated his knowledge and passion for the newspaper business as he expressed it on SportsJournalists.com.

No words can truly console friends or family in a time like this. But one thing about the newspaper business is our work will outlive us and, hopefully, help someone understand our short time on Earth in the future.

Rest in peace, Ron Drogo.

 

Can't tell you how much this has terrorized me. JR and Ron were one week apart in age and were kindred spirits as smokers, etc. Why do men have such a hard time taking basic care of themselves?

 

holy crap. i skipped this thread until now when i saw the screename added. i never met the man so my only contact was on SportsJournalists.com but he will certainly be missed here. thought this quote from one of you fit his SportsJournalists.com persona perfectly.

rip to one of SportsJournalists.com's best.