This news really made me sad, which is weird, because I obviously didn't know the guy, and didn't often care to read his stuff. That said, it's Spring Training and I've been wandering into the Red Sox section of the Globe to get my daily dose of our beloved drug. Is his column on Steve Pearce his last piece? If so, it was pretty well done. It's a nice write up about a good man and great "role player" from last year, getting to play at least one more season with his favorite team. Pearce is, much like Cafardo was, living the dream that so many of us had (and still have.) Cafardo wasn't on full-blast "down with analytics" but he did score a few points for scouting just in writing this piece - most analytics probably say Pearce should wither up and blow away already in terms of his baseball skills just because he's about to be 36 years old, but Cafardo and others who use their eyes before looking at deep (any) analytics see Pearce as incredibly valuable - a World Series MVP!!! - and cheered when he was resigned by the Sox. And we all cheered, too. We, as fans, like his story, and we like his hustle, his smile, all the intangibles, the way he just looks like a ballplayer. We also like his ability to crush lefties, take a walk, and play multiple positions if necessary. I hope Cafardo is remembered as a writer by this line in his last column: "The Red Sox identified the right guy. Not only because he was a good hitter vs. lefties, but because of what they had learned about him as a person. It was the ultimate analytics-meets-scouting moment."
Anyway, like I said, this news made me sad.