In remembrance of Lefty, 10 years later.

Amid all the bad news that has overwhelmed us this week, it's time for a sad remembrance. Today marks the 10th anniversary of my losing one of my best friends.

Lefty was a nut, plain and simple, but I always felt he was part of me. I used to have a ball with him. Granted, he wasn't a leader. He never took the point; just liked to hang around, usually with his twin brother. But if you could get him going, he'd bring the juice. You could always count on Lefty at closing time.

Sure, sometimes I caught him drooping. As we both got older, he often needed more sack time after work. But he was always willing. He had his quirky moments, but that's what made him unique. His favorite band was Wang Chung and he would laugh and laugh and laugh when he heard the Mounds/Almond Joy theme ("Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't …"). But he was first and foremost a baller, and that's how he always wanted to be remembered.

Then came the tragic accident in the Solara ... nobody knew how hurt he was at the time because he soldiered on, but eventually we knew something was terribly wrong. He might get testy when I'd chide him for singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" to himself, but little did I know that he already knew what fate awaited him.

I'm sometimes up, and I'm sometimes down
Comin' for to carry me home
But I know my soul is heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home. 

We went to the hospital on St. Patrick's Day, 2010, and then he was gone.

Even in death, Lefty seemed larger than life.

I'll never forget you, Lefty. Your brother and I still hang out, but it just isn't the same without you.