sad news

So saddened to learn of the passing this morning of a longtime friend, Bill Hetrick. We connected through baseball. One of my first assignments after moving to Jackson in 1984 was covering the Mets for the Daily News. Bill worked in the front office at Smith-Wills Stadium with Mike Feder, Bill Walberg and others. Those were fun times and memories I’ll always hold close. I later worked with Bill for a time at the paper, and we had stayed in touch over the years. He was as big a sports fan as I have ever known, with a jaw-dropping collection of autographed baseballs and other memorabilia. Bill had a big personality and a kind and generous soul. He’ll be missed.