Just about every time my wife is gone and I am home, I plant myself in front of the television and turn on sports documentaries.  The reason that I do that is because I am fascinated with athletes and their stories.  I absolutely love the back story and the history revolved around everything that is sports.

Tonight was no different.  With my wife gone to work I turned on a documentary that I had recorded more than a year ago from MLB Network.

It was about the life and legacy of Darryl Kile.

The documentary was made a little more than a year ago for the 10 year anniversary of his passing.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Kile, he was a really good starting pitcher who died during the middle of the 2002 season.  He was found dead in his hotel room while the St. Louis Cardinals were on a road trip to play the Chicago Cubs.  The cause of death was a heart attack in his sleep.

The part about the story that stood out to me the most wasn’t about his skills as a pitcher, but about the kind of man he was.  Everyone that they talked to talked about what kind of father and husband that he was.  That’s quite impressive when you consider what kind of talent he had on the mound.

They started using a term that really made me start to think and that was legacy.

I began to wonder what kind of legacy I am leaving and what I want it to be when I am gone.  I don’t think many of us ask that question enough.  We are so worried about the day-to-day details that we don’t focus on the kind of lasting legacy that we are leaving.

It shouldn’t be about money or fame or the size of the house we live in but the amount of lives we can effect in a positive way.  That is truly what matters most.

I hope I can be remembered the way that Darryl Kile was; a great husband, a great father and a man who had a positive influence on people’s lives that will never be forgotten.