Why Joe Presko faces his biggest mound challenge yet

Standing 5'9" and 165 pounds in his prime, Joe Presko could have easily blended in with the great St. Louis Cardinals fans that filled Sportsman's Park; however, Presko was far from ordinary. He stood tall on the mound alongside his Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals teammates Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, and Enos Slaughter in the 1950s while he went toe-to-toe against the star-studded lineups of the National League in his era. Throughout his six major league seasons with the Cardinals and Detroit Tigers, "Baby Joe" went 25-37 in 128 appearances.

During a recent trip to my local baseball card shop, the owner just received a small box of vintage 1952 Topps baseball cards. I waited until the guy next to me was done looking at them, and shortly after I started my search, Presko's iconic 1952 card jumped to the forefront. A few dollars later, his card became the first from that landmark set to enter my collection. The next day, I sent it off to Presko with the hopes of his signature and a possible interview.

Joe Presko Signed 1952 Topps Card / Author's Collection

A week later, Presko returned the card boldly signed with a note that exemplifies the connection that the men of this generation made with their fans. At 89, Presko made time to sign the card despite taking chemotherapy treatments to battle an opponent more fortuitous than the likes of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Duke Snider.

His desire to continue to reach out to his fans while battling cancer, speaks loudly to the close bond those who played during his era feel with the fans who keep their memory alive.

Note From Presko to the Author / Author's Collection

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Gary Carter's teammates come together in support of The Kid

Gary Carter might be facing his toughest opponent yet; however, he can continue to battle strongly knowing he has the full support of his teammates. The Hall of Fame catcher is suffering from inoperable brain cancer and was in the forefront of two of his teammates thoughts Friday evening.

Carter's World Champion 1986 New York Mets teammates Rick Aguilera and Doug Sisk were at Citi Field Friday night for a series of events sponsored by the New York Mets Alumni Association presented by Citi. It was very clear that throughout the evening, their thoughts were with their beloved catcher.

The 49-year-old Aguilera works as a high school baseball coach at Santa Fe Christian in San Diego. He has been in contact with Carter recently in a show of solidarity for his cancer stricken battery-mate.

"We've texted each other and I let him know that my family is praying for him,"Aguilera said. "We're hoping that he understands and feels his teammates support and the fans support. I'm sure it means a lot to him."

The 53-year-old Sisk, works for the Mets as a part-time scout in the Seattle area where he currently resides. He wanted to share the same encouragement with Carter that his catcher give him on the mound.

"Gary was a great teammate, always positive about everything. I never heard a bad word out of his mouth, except for a food spread in Pittsburgh once," Sisk said. "He'd catch a night game then a day game; he was just a workhorse. When I had my bad times, he would try to pump me up and try to help out every way, hopefully we can all do that for him now."

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Ernie Harwell keeps on after cancer diagnosis

ESPN.com's Elizabeth Merrill wrote an excellent article on Ernie Harwell's busy life and the special people around him that keep him going after being diagnosed with inoperable cancer at the age of 91. Harwell is a standout in the baseball community; one who has given so much of his life to the sport and helping others. I selfishly hope that he continues to elude the grasp of cancer so he can reach many more while he is still with us.

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