A short time ago, Larry informed me that seven time AL batting champion Rod Carew is trying to get on a heart transplant waiting list.

Carew suffered a massive heart attack while golfing back in September less than two weeks before his 70th birthday. Doctors implanted a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) which pumps blood into his heart. Although it is possible Carew could keep the LVAD permanently, he is trying to get healthy enough to be placed on a heart transplant waiting list.

Naturally, all of this reminds of me of what occurred with my Dad just over a year ago. While my Dad didn’t have a heart attack, he was nearing one and he probably wouldn’t have survived it. Fortunately, Mt. Sinai Hospital was in the neighborhood and an emergency triple bypass did the trick. So when Carew’s son, Devon, expresses his apprecation for the medical staff at Scripps La Jolla Hospital, I know of what he speaks.

Above all else, my Dad has a savage determination to live. I believe Carew possesses this same quality. If Carew’s steely resolve and quiet dignity can help him get into the Hall of Fame then I have no doubt it will get him a heart transplant.

In the meantime, let’s all wish Rod Carew the best in a full recovery.

Take a look at Carew collecting his 3,000th hit off Frank Viola in 1985.