The Mike Coolbaugh Tragedy

Perhaps you heard about the death of Mike Coolbaugh this summer. He was a minor league baseball first-base coach who was struck in the back of the head by a batted ball and basically died on the field. Sports Illustrated wrote a touching story about Coolbaugh's widow, their two young sons and also how this horrific tragedy had affected the player who had hit the ball. Now, word came Thursday that the Colorado Rockies, whom Mike worked for, voted to give his wife Amanda a full playoff share of whatever bonus monies the team earns in their drive toward the World Series. This Saturday, Coolbaugh's sons, Joseph, 5, and Jacob, 3, will throw out the honorary first pitches before the game against the Phillies in what is sure to be an emotionally gut-renching scene. Good for the Rockies to step up to the plate the way they did.