“If” is the biggest word in the English Language. If the Miami Marlins had not switched Jose Fernandez’s start from Sunday to Monday, the young man might have been home resting before his start. Instead he had extra time to enjoy himself that late Saturday night, leading up to this terrible accident. And what of his 3 teammates who declined the offer to go with him, their families would be mourning their collective passing also.
A friend of one of the victims said he warned him against the post-midnight trip, and Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna said he and at least two other teammates turned down invitations to go and tried to discourage Fernandez from going out. American Social Bar & Kitchen spokeswoman Dana Rhoden said in an email that Fernandez was there before the accident. The statement did not say whether Fernandez had been drinking or what time he left.
3 Lives cut short by nothing more than bad judgement and bad timing. It happens everyday to fellow citizens in one fashion or another. Jose was no different then any other person involved in an accident, it is just that as a personality, we see everyday, they become friends, almost family, and with a tragedy as this we collectively grieve. A decision gone wrong, with only the family and friends to think, What If?