Pedro Gomez of ESPN was a beloved figure in baseball whose death from sudden cardiac arrest on Feb. 7, 2021, unleashed an outpouring of emotion. He was 58, a tough reporter, but mostly a warm, smiling presence who brought out the best in people, and also a crucial bridge between Latin players in the game and baseball’s old school. Edited by Steve Kettmann (One Day at Fenway, Baseball Maverick, Juiced with Jose Canseco, Play Hungry with Pete Rose), these 62 personal essays soar far beyond sports to delve into life lessons and blunt reminders that we could all learn from Pedro’s example.
• Pedro will always be remembered as one of the great baseball writers of all time. —Bud Black, manager, Colorado Rockies
• Pedro sought authenticity the way a wild fire burns toward dry fuel. —ESPN Senior Writer Tim Keown
• When you give respect the way Pedro did, you get respect back. —Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa
• Pedro treated everyone with effusive respect, though no one I ever met in baseball could be considered his equal. —Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes
• Pedro stood for ‘Have fun every single day. Whoever you come across, try to find the good in people. And when you find good people, talk to them even more.’ —Max Scherzer, pitcher, Washington Nationals
• Pedro had one of the kindest hearts of anyone I’ve ever come across. —South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin
• Pedro looked at the world and asked what he could do that day to help his best friends. And we were all his best friends. —Former ESPN and MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann
The pride in being Cuban. The focus on people. The high standards as a journalist, a friend and a man.
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Our father, my husband, our colleague, my friend.
Watch some of the beautiful tributes to Pedro that aired soon after his death.
“When I read ‘The Gomez Rules’ aloud to Pedro, it was like I was playing Sinatra,
he was beaming with pleasure and couldn’t stop saying, ‘Oh man.’”
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