One of the great things about being a fan — of anything, I suppose, but for this it’s about sports — is the community of people that band together to cheer or curse, laugh or cry, when their team (or athlete) does the improbable or the inane.
Before Al Gore invented the Internet, people used to find that community at games or by happenstance — walking down the street seeing some other knucklehead with a jersey or cap of the team you love. These days, we can find community on the inter webs, on message boards and online forums.
A handful of years ago I stumbled into Dodger Thoughts, which for a northern California locked fan of the Dodgers was an oasis of goodness. The people there were friendly. They were knowledgable. They challenged each other in good ways. It was great. Then Jon, the fearless leader, got a gig working for the Dodgers, running their blog. It’s great, too, but there isn’t a community there yet.
So, I looked around until I finally found True Blue LA. It’s a lively bunch. Opinionated. TBLA has an impressive list of characters. I’ve jumped in here or there, but watching the banter is like sitting on the other side of the bar on Cheers. You can see and hear everything going on, but you don’t get any camera time.
One of the characters that I’ve been reading is this cat Zach from Boise. Now, it being the Internet and all, I’m not sure if his name is really Zach and if he’s really from Boise. Kidding. Zach’s had a deal in his bio line about organ donors. I figured he might have had a family member that was helped through organ donation or he himself got a donation. I mean, though it runs contrary to the name, in real life I’m not a dummy.
Turns out Zach is on the list to get a donation and the dude needs a hand. You can read about it by clicking here.
I’m about to send him $25 via PayPal. Why? Because we’re in a community … And while we met because we’re both fans of the Dodgers, I’m actually donating because this is a human being in need of some help that I just happen to be able to offer. I wish him the best. Odds are I’ll never meet him, but we’re on this planet together and we’re pulling for a Blue October together, and from what I’ve read about him from others, it sounds like he’d do the same for me.
If you can, please head over to his GoFundMe Campaign by clicking here or send him something at titans2589@yahoo.com
Thanks for reading.
This was just posted in a game thread over on TBLA and below is my response.
The amount of “anonymous” people who have pitched in has been overwhelming. By anonymous I mean people who, from their notes on PayPal or GoFundMe, lurk on here, are friends / family of friends, or people I have only said a few words to before. From those people about 1/5th of the current money raised has come from. On top of that there are others organizing an online auction for some really top notch wildlife photographs (A friend of mine saw my post on FB a few weeks back and she came up with this idea. She has spread it around a bunch of African wildlife groups she is admin of.). These photographs are being donated by professional photographers and professional guides (In Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, and India) whom most likely have no clue who I am.
There is also a very nice person on this site who has offered a really cool package of a weekend trip for two (This is in California). It comes with either guided bird watching or guided general wildlife / scenery. (I’ve slacked on responding to this person due to being sick for the last week and a half, so I don’t have all the details.)
Anyways, this post wasn’t about trying to raise money. It is to point out how gracious people can be towards someone they barely know or don’t know at all (The weekend trip is from someone I did get the pleasure of meeting). It is to point out how many nice and caring people there are out there.
I thank you not only for your donation, not only for helping spread the word, but because people like yourself have truly shown me how good people can be.
Thank you.
~ Zach
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