Jose Fernandez

As the city of Miami continues to mourn the passing of Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, the local sports teams continue to honor him and his legacy. Last night, the Miami Heat honored the late pitcher by wearing his number during warm-ups and observing a moment of silence.

Last night in Miami was another somber reminder about what the impact of sports means to some people. Fernandez was a jovial and kind person that impacted everyone that he came into contact with and it has made for a tough recovery for those that knew him.

It has even deeply effected Erik Spoelstra, the Heat head coach, who spoke with Fox Sports Florida:

“It was a devastating blow to all of us in South Florida, and our hearts go out to his family and everybody at the Marlins, it’s just so tragic for a player so young. We also want to acknowledge the other two gentlemen who were on that boat, as well, and their families.”

In attendance was Dee Gordon, a Marlins player and close friend of Fernandez who is still having a tough time processing it all. When he found out that the Heat were going to honor him, he made arrangements to be at the game.

“He was the heart and soul of Miami. … It’s just still weird that he’s gone,” Gordon said. “That’s just the part we’re trying to get over, but I think it’s going to be tough.”

These type of moments, while small, can impact and help out those trying to recover from such a tragedy. It is one of the saddest developments of 2016 and we can only hope that his family and friends find peace.

[Fox Sports Florida]

About Sam Blazer

Sam is a self proclaimed chess prodigy. He once placed seventh in the state of Ohio in Chess when he was in kindergarten. He will rarely if ever mention though that only eight people were entered in this tournament. Contact him at sblaze17@gmail.com