Hard to believe the always-friendly Damian Nash is gone

BY RANDY GARDNER

Sometimes it is so surreal when you hear something that happened you almost have to stop and pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming. Sometimes it is because something great has happened, but too often it is because something bad has just happened.

That was the case on Saturday evening as the network news started with the lead story of the death of Damian Nash. It was hard to believe it when they said that he died at home after his charity basketball game at Riverview, where he lead the Riverview Rams to a state championship.

It’s so weird to watch a guy grow up, as we covered his football career at Riverview, then watch him make it to Mizzou and then move onto the NFL, where he played for the Titans and most recently with the Broncos. Damien was always a good interview.

To everyone it seemed like a dream come true for a young athlete and to see it all end like this is a tragedy.

As of now, we don’t know the exact cause of death but it really doesn’t matter, as one of our hometown grown athletes is gone. As I look around the NFL, there are several standouts here from the North County area that we have covered and highlighted through the years, Christian Morton and Brandon Williams, just to name a few.

It’s great to see someone do something great with their life like Damian but it’s also horrific to see that life taken away. As I always say, live life to its fullest everyday and take nothing for granted because it can all be taken away from us in an instant.

Looking at the St. Louis Rams and what they need for next season, it doesn’t include Adam Timmerman. The long time Rams Offensive Lineman was released this week breaking up almost all of what was left of that Super Bowl winning team.

Someone else who was released was Linebacker Dexter Coakley. I was a little surprised by both decisions even though the Rams are heading towards the youth movement to build this team. I am really anxious to see what the future holds for Scott Linehan and this team as they continue to rebuild.

NASCAR OFF TO A GREAT START
I know there are a lot of NASCAR fans out there and you are all loving it as the first two races of the season have been good ones including one of the best Daytona 500 finishes that we’ve seen in a while.

It’s really crazy though to see certain drivers with new teams and new colors. This includes Mark Martin who lost by a half a car length to Kevin Harvick, a guy who lost his ride last year. He’s doing pretty well for starting with a new team winning both the Busch race and the Nextel Cup race.

I still think Mark was the sentimental favorite in the 500 and if he would have had another 100 feet he would have won. Either way, it was a lot of fun and I look forward to a great year of racing. Keep and eye out for the 500 pole sitter, David Gilliland, he is a driver that will be definitely in the chase for the Cup at the end.
.

Leave a Reply