At first I didn't "get" Joe; thought he was a bit of a berserker the way he went after Barry. Gradually I got used to the obtuse nature of his posts and, being a bit obtuse myself, came to appreciate him for the way he rolled. His irascible ways were tempered with much aloha and came with the territory of being 79 years old. We should all live so long and become so curmudgeonly. I think of what those eyes saw, a Cuban boy in New York City in the Depression, the Polo Grounds in Play Ball days, the lay of hostile land as a Marine in Korea, and I say to myself, that was an all-American life, a good American has left us.
I regret that I never got to meet Joe in person but was the recipient of occasional e-mails from him. The last one, dated April 5, was pure Joe and read in part:
David, you're one of my favorites . . .
. . . Hang tough, and enjoy your cardoholic illness.
Joe
Thanks for the kind sentiments, Joe. You're going to be missed. May you rest in peace, compadre.
