Rod Beck Dead at 38

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that former reliever Rod Beck was found dead at his home in his Phoenix home at the age of 38.

As a young kid, I loved watching this guy on Sportscenter every morning when he was with San Francisco--the crazy hair, the intimidating stare, the way his arm dangled and swung like a pendulum before every pitch, hypnotizing the batter. I was psyched when the Sox signed him. He was one of my favorite guys to watch, and it was a blast to sit in the bleachers at Fenway and look down while he warmed up in the pen, heavily trudging around the mound and then exploding like a bull with each pitch.

His exploits in Iowa in 2003 are well known, but I'm going to link this article anyway.

Baseball needs more guys like Beck, now more than ever, I'm convinced. He was a one of a kind.