Opioids took his son but not his baseball memory

When opioids take your son's life, all you have are the memories. John from Lumberton called in last week to share a memory of taking his son to a baseball game at Doubleday field at Cooperstown where he got a foul ball at a non-professional Old Timers Game. His father was so proud of his son who was disappointed that it wasn't anybody famous to which Dad said, "What are you talking about? This is Doubleday Field here, this is where it all began, it's a real special ball." John still remembers the smile that came to his face and how he beamed because he had that ball. His voice cracked as he told me the story (video above).

That ball is now one of three that John has left as he lost his youngest son 2 years ago at the age of 23 to an opioid overdose. That ball is so special to John that all I can think of is that soliloquy from James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams how he says how baseball has marked the passage of time. The ball now belongs to the boy's 5 year old son. Another casualty in the war on opioids.

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