Buhner Dot Com Est. 2000, which is like 1947 in Internet years.

Tragedy in Winter Haven – 10 Years Later

I honestly can't believe it's been 10 years already. Ten years ago today, Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed in a boating accident in Winter Haven, Florida, on an off day for the players at Spring Training. Olin was a 27 year old submarine-style closer for the Indians, who was coming off a very good season for them. Crews had come over from the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent who was invited to camp. The two of them, along with Bobby Ojeda, were in a boat that slammed into an unlit dock, killing Olin and Crews, and nearly killing Ojeda.

It was near the end of my freshman year at Hofstra, and I was writing for the Hofstra Chronicle then. I was covering men's lacrosse, but we had these "Viewpoint" things; little editorials that the sports department members could write about whatever they had a strong feeling about. The Indians/Winter Haven incident was one of two I did that year, and probably the one I was most passionate about. It's probably crap (I'll have to search around to see if I can find the article around my mom's house), but if I can find it, I'll post it on here. For now, check out Jayson Stark's reflection at ESPN.com.