Yellowdog

[Captain Cold Nose]

Sadly, here is some information about longtime Braves Moderator yellowdog.

Posted per request of Atlanta Braves Freak, from a letter to Sean.

Dear webmaster,

Per his instructions, I am typing this message on behalf of my father, John Stricklin, who is known at this message board by the username, Yellowdog. Several weeks ago he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor which was unoperatable. Since then his condition has deteriorated much faster than we thought it would. He has been in severe pain and heavily medicated. On one of has last "good" days and before he was moved to a hospice center, he instructed me on how to contact you through this site. He asked that I explain to you why he has disappeared from this site and why he will not be returning. He also wanted me to ask that you to be so kind as to pass this information on to a member by the name of "Baseball guru." He also wanted to say to you how much he has enjoyed this site and wishes you and all your members the best of luck.

I apologize for not getting to you this sooner, but as you can probably imagine, our lives have been turned upside down by this. But I'm trying to fullfill as many of his last wishes as possible, and this was one of them. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, Johanna Stricklin



Please keep our good friend in your thoughts and prayers.

[MetsFan11368]

I read this e-mail on another board and it totally crushed me. I am at a complete loss of words.

[Knick9]

:ughh :(

He will be missed, especially for BBF Braves fans.

:( + :waving (without smile)

[Baseball Guy Rob]

Keep fighting Yellowdog!!!

[Perseas]

God... :( I don 't know what to say... He was probably the most well mannered, frinedly and polite poster in this forum. As for the human being.. My prayers are with him and his family and friends... I am really crushed... Sadly it's all the good people in this world that are hit by things like this...

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

yellowdog has been a devoted and insightful baseball fan and he will surely be missed by this poster.:( and others also

[ATL22]

Man, that's just rough. What can you say. Yellowdog, it's not been the same without you around here. My prayers are with you and your family.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

Awefull.

When you read things like this, you realize that there are things in live much more important than baseball.

I wish Yellowdog and his family all the strength they need for the times to come. I really hope that the doctors can reduce his pain to a minimum.

:(

[atlbravesfan]

I was wondering what happened to him, he was always on here. Missed his comments. Sad to hear the news. All our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[shlevine42]

Two years ago, Yellowdog posted a public greeting wishing me a happy birthday.

I thanked him in a PM, and he answered me with this:

You know, Steve, I enjoy the Brooklyn Dodger forum more than any other one here at BBF. I actually spend more time there than I do in my own forum. I wish I had more to contribute, but the Dodgers time in Brooklyn preceded my baseball memories by about a year. So while I don't have any actual recollection of them and I have never been an L.A. Dodger fan (though I did love Sandy Koufax) I have always had a fascination with the whole Brooklyn Dodger mystique and the special relationship that existed between that team and their fans.

But all my knowledge of those great days comes from what I read in books and been told by people that actually experienced it. And I've never found a greater source of information, insight and things you just won't learn anywhere else than in the Brooklyn forum. I want to thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and memories with those of us who weren't fortunate enough to ever experience anything like that, or even remember those times.

I have great admiration for all the Brooklyn fans here like you, DODGER DEB, jaykay and ALL. I only wish our fans were half as passionate about the Braves as you guys are about the team that was unjustly stolen from you nearly a half century ago.

Sincerely, John

In light of the sad news about his illness, I wanted to share his personal note as a tribute to his civility and decency.

I wish I'd known him better. And longer.

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

amen to that:ughh Great Post:(

[donzblock]

Yellowdog: such a decent human being and such a gentleman. He is polite, knowledgeable, interesting, and always very humble. His team wins every year, and yet Yellowdog is happy simply because he has been lucky enough to see one world's championship. Such a feeling is only too understandable, but Yellowdog deserves much more. Most of us have only met Yellowdog in print, but his written words clearly reveal what a wonderful person he is. "Yellowdog" is probably a name an author would give to a villain, but all of us here who have corresponded with him know that he is a true hero. This illness is devastating and terribly, terribly sad. It would be wonderful and right if this malignancy would simply disappear.

[Baseball Guru]

John is a person that I have "met" online that I have the highest respect for. I met him at this site and I really took to him and his knowledge of baseball. We became friends and he even helped me moderate the trivia forum at my site.

I sent his daughter an email a few weeks ago and would like to share with you all her response to me:

Dear James,

Thank you for your letter. It has been touching that so many people from
the baseball-fever site have taken time to express their concern. I have a
totally new appreciation for internet chat forums which, prior to this, I
never held in very high regard. But the members at this forum seem to be a
real genuine group of very good people. I understand now why he enjoyed it
so much.

Without going into a lot of detail and technical jargon, my dad's conditon
is not good. Last summer, he began having headaches that got progressively
worse. He has always been in perfect health and took excellent care of
himself, therefore never went to the doctor. He told me many times that the
three people in this world he didn't trust were doctors, lawyers and
preachers. So he was reluctant to go in this instance. When it finally got
so bad that he had to go, basically, it was too late.

He has been resting comfortably but the prognosis is not good. In fact, he
has already hung on longer than we expected. He has been heavily medicated and shows little or no emotion. But it appears to me that he has attempted to smile when I've read him the all letters, including yours, from the baseball-fever people.

Thank you again for you concern. Although he failed to contact you
personally, I'm sure that the reason he asked me to mention you to the
baseball-fever webmaster was so he could contact you on his behalf. And
please know that even if he hasn't been able to comprehend all the messages
he has recieved, that I have personally taken a lot of comfort in all the
kind words that so people have had to say about him.

Sincerely,
Hanna


Isn't it amazing that the game of baseball can bring so many people together and along with the internet can bring so many new friends? Just the fact that he asked his daughter to contact us (people he only knows because of baseball and message boards) during this whole ordeal is just amazing and incredibly touching.

Again, even if he isn't comprehending all of our messages, we actually are n our own little way, giving comfort to his daughter. I truely feel blessed to have been able to "meet" such a great guy like John as well as many other members at this site and other sites i have been to over the years. It really is, an amazing world we live in:)

[otis89]

I really don't know what to say. It's such a shame we're losing some of our best members.

[RBi]

Otis, I second that, Yellowdog was a role model to us all here.

He will be missed my thoughts go out to his entire family, at such a hard time in their lives.

[ndistops]

From what I've seen and heard, Yellowdog was held in just as high regard by posters in this forum as Diana was by us in the Cubs forum.

I feel very sad for all of Yellow's friends and family who have had to go through this, as well as all the BBF posters who knew Yellow more than I. I never got the chance to speak with him but I'm sure he was just what I've come to expect from posters on this forum: Knowledgeable, insightful, funny and 100 percent devoted to his baseball squad.

It's very unfortunate that good people seem to be the ones stricken like this. Kind of ruins one's faith in karma. But hopefully it is as painless as possible for Yellowdog and may his memory live on here on BBF. I'm glad Yellow, at the least, got to see a World Series title for his beloved Bravos in his lifetime.

Good-bye to another great poster...we'll miss you YD. :ughh

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

You know when I was new to this site ,he was so kind into welcoming me here. I've read many of his posts and the man was like a guy you'd just like to hang around with and watch a baseball game.:)

Keep hanging in there Yellow, miracles do happen:(

[mojorisin71]

Yellowdog was one of the first people to greet me here at BBF when I first joined a little over two years ago, and he was very helpful and knowledgeable with his baseball stuff. I wasn't all that close to him, but we could always could count on him to provide valuable baseball insight.

We'll miss him a lot here at BBF.

[Perseas]

I cannot forget, and I think everyone in the Braves forum remembers, the trademark greetings of yellowdog to newcomers and outsiders... he would always start his post like: " Hello <user>, and thanks for coming by this forum and posting...". This was his trademark and shows why he will always be held in a high position in our hearts and minds... I remember his personal wishes (via PM) over my birthdays and what a happy tone his PM had when he wished me for my wedding.... :( . I hope his pain is eased as much as possible and I would like to give my sincerest prayers to him and his family...

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

I'll always remember his greetings he made the new member feel like he was welcomed here.

[grizzly451]

That is so true...one thing I always expected when reading a new person's first post was seeing a response from Yellowdog welcoming them to the forum and thanking them for posting. He even did that for me. I definitely didn't know him well, even from his posts, but he sure seemed like a good guy. I wish the best to him and his family.

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

Does anybody have an update on Mr. Stricklin (aka. Yellowdog)?

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Keep fighting man and don't let go!

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

Happy Holidays,Yellowdog,you are being missed terribly.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

I don't know how to say this, because I know you might be in big pain right now. But nevertheless I hope you will have a nice birthday Yellowdog.

I am not religious, but I hope that somehow a miracle will happen, so you can join us and your family again.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Merry Christmas Yellowdog or Happy Kwanzaa or have a good Hanukah.
Anyway, I hope God gives your life back to you so you can start enjoying baseball again


And Remember, Never, ever give up!:clapping

[Mattingly]

Sadly, I've never known John as well as others have been fortunate enough to, but I'm certainly happy that we were able to "meet" him here online, and that he shared the gift of his personality with us.

I wish him only the best, and that he can carry on much longer, even if it is without us. May he feel no pain, and good health for many years to come. :)

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

We haven't forgot about you John ,hope you're feeling better.

[Baseball Guru]

I wrote John's daughter the other day an email letter her know about the link that we set up for her father at addictsports wishing him a happy birthday. Unfortunately the response i recieved from her was sad news.. :(

Here is her a portion of her email:

Dear James,

It was so very thoughtful of you to remember my dad on his birthday with
your thread. And thank you for the link. I didn't not realize there was
similar site of which he was also a member. Please express my gratitude to
all the members there who so kindly responded.

I regret to inform you that he passed away not long after our last
correspondence. It was only a matter of time and I feel that, at least, he
is no longer suffering, although I miss him greatly. Neither my mom, my
sister nor I were ever baseball fans. But he loved it passionately and I'm
glad he had you and all his friends (at both baseball fever and the addicts
forums) to share that passion for the last few years of his life. I have
lurked at the baseball fever site, going back and reading so many of the
things he wrote there. Some of them make me laugh and cry at the same time.
While reading his thread about the axing the tomahawk chop, for example, I
could almost here is voice. That was so typical of something he would say.
And now that I know about the addicts site, I look forward to going back and
reading his posts there as well.


I am so sad now, I don't even know what to say:(

I just thought some of you would want to know:(

Rest in peace my good friend!

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

This is indeed sad news.:( I always valued his posts and insights.
Good Night Friend:(

[skar]

You were the first to welcome me to this site, and a true inspiration! Your knowledge and passion for the game we love will always be remembered, as will your good wishes on our birthdays, we never really knew each other but the fact you took that time on the forum to remember will always stand of my measure of you as a true gentleman!

May you sleep peacefully, and God watch over you and your family.

Robin

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

Damn! He is the second person that passed away in about half a year. One of the driving forces of this forum.

Words fail to express my feelings about this.

I am glad for him that he is not suffering anymore, but that doesn't take away the grief and the pain his family is feeling right now. I send my deepest condolences to them and wish them all the strength for the time to come.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

I agree what yankeesrule said: Words cannot express my feelings.

I'm for once speecheless. Yellowdog is gone.
One day we will all see him and we will all see each other.
Rest in peace:(

[VTSoxFan]

I don't remember when John first contacted me, but I do know that he was rooting for the Red Sox in the '03 ALCS, and he was the first to contact me after they'd lost that terrible game, telling me that they did their best, and there's always next year, and he was also one of the first to offer congrats when they won in '04, because he knew how very much it meant to me. He told me as recently as on my birthday this past summer that he hoped he'd live long enough to see his Braves and my Sox in the World Series. I didn't know at the time that he was ill, but he must have known, of course. It breaks my heart to think of those last words I received from him.

As I was driving home today, I heard a song by Jack Johnson, titled "If I Could" which is about the death of a friend. My eyes filled with tears when the following lines were sung:

Words are kind
They helped ease the mind
I'll miss my old friend
And though you gotta go
We'll keep a piece of your soul
One goes out
One comes in

Peace to thy gentle shade, John. I'll miss my old friend. :(

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

It's ironic I make my 1900th post in this thread, because when I first came here Yellowdog was the one to greet me on post #1. He was like a father to me here at BBF, he taught me lots of things I didn't know about baseball. Thank You, Yellowdog.

R.I.P. Yellowdog

[Knick9]

Farewell, Yellowdog. :( Hats off to you!

[shlevine42]

And when he shall die,
take him and cut him out in little stars.
And he shall make the face of heaven so fine
that all the world will be love with night,
and pay no worship to the garish sun.

Rome and Juliet
Act III, Scene 2

[Knick9]

Just like Wilk said, this is Yellowdog's final post, from the Hollandsworth thread:

It's going to be interesting to see what type of roster move they make to clear a spot for him. Rosters can expand Thursday, but I'm wondering who will be sent out for today and tommorow?

It will also be interesting to see how this will effect the post season roster, assuming the Braves make it. I can't see them carrying 4 outfielders. And since you would think Andruw and Francouer are safe, could kelly Johnson and Ryan Langerhans be watching the playoffs this year?

May his name be, in thought, retired throughout BBF.

[whatswailing]

Wow, can't believe this happened in the time I was gone. He will be missed on these boards greatly. My condolences to his family, we all can only imagine what you are all going through. R.I.P Yellowdog.

[Perseas]

I hadn't logged in for a long time and it is only on the outskirts of Christmas that I find out about this... In a way I am relived that he is no longer suffering... I've had a close one in this condition and I know how it's like...

As we say over here: "May the soil that engulfs you be soft, John." I am sure you will have your rightful place in heaven... Maybe you'll be able to watch a game or two up there too... we will never forget you... And we will always cherish your words over here. :waving :( :gt

[metsfan28]

hang in there yellowdog

[metsfan28]

rip yellowdog

[cklennon]

Wow, so sad to hear about this, I wish I had logged in sooner to see his prognosis before he passed. I never got to know him very well or personally (even via this board) but he was always struck me as a kindhearted person with lots of insight and a genuine desire to engage others in passionate discussion.

He will be missed.

RIP

[donzblock]

Yellowdog's passing leaves a terrible emptiness on this board. We all miss his lively interest in baseball, his sense of fair play, and his decency. He is irreplaceable.

[Mattingly]

To the one, the only yellowdog. An excellent Braves fan and a wonderful human being. :o :(

R-I-P :(

[PopTop]

...the wit of Bob Uecker, excerpts from Catcher in the Wry he co-authored with Mickey Herskowitz.


I was the first hometown boy to sign with and play for the Milwaukee Braves. Technically, I wasn't born in Milwaukee. My folks were on an oleo run to Chicago, and my mother was due any day. On Highway 41, just out of town, she got the pains. My old man swung the car off the exit ramp and she dropped me in a mangerlike area. There were three wise men standing under an exit light: one had oleo, one carried butter, the third was a baseball scout.

Weeks later my mother took me off milk and fed me beef jerky to toughen me for the Cinderella story that was to follow.


Not even Avis has gotten more mileage out of being Number 2 than Ed McMahon.

I don't think the man ever lived who hated to lose more than Bob Gibson. He was a quick learner who, if you gave him a week, could beat you at your own game.

However, the first time he ever let himself get talked into a celebrity golf tournament, he shot a score of 115. It was his own fault. He counted all his strokes.

As a big-leaguer, I had appeared in 86 games, with 41 hits in 186 times at bat for an average of .220. I had scored 16 runs and driven in 14, with five doubles and two homers, all in less than three seasons.

Jeez, no wonder I had my own fan club.

As the president of my own fan club would later observe: "There were a great many people who thought that the Cards made a great mistake, trading two ballplayers for one Uecker. As the season wore on, Uecker proved that they were indeed correct. He fielded like a slow, wounded turtle behind the plate. He ran like a batting cage with a flat tire, and he hit like he didn't know what the word meant...He seemed to be a loser like the Cards hadn't seen since the days of Dal Maxvill. He became the scapegoat. People began to blame things on Uecker. And Uecker deserved every bit of it."

(Uecker goes on to write) At this point, you might conclude that the fans were not yet soldily behind me.

We were not far into the 1967 season when I knew my days with the Phillies were numbered. I went to the plate one night as a pinch hitter, and when I looked to the third base coach for a sign, he turned his back on me.

[Solair Wright]

One year later after he passed away, and I'm still saddened by this thread. Losing a former Super Moderator to cancer is just painful. May the blessings help your family.

[Chipper]

I never knew him, because I just joined. I just pray he was saved, and is now enjoying heaven!

[Baseball Guru]

Today is YD's birthday! He would have been 57.. He left us way too early!

I hope you are playing some baseball in heaven:)

Truly one of the great gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of meeting through these baseball boards...

[DODGER DEB]

John was such a kind and wonderful human being; key word, human.

It's hard to believe that one year has passed since we received the news that saddened all of us.

I so enjoyed our many discussions, and his passion for his Braves.

I truly miss his voice here on BBF.

c.

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

John was such a kind and wonderful human being; key word, human.

It's hard to believe that one year has passed since we received the news that saddened all of us.

I so enjoyed our many discussions, and his passion for his Braves.

I truly miss his voice here on BBF.

c.
Eloquently stated. John was a great person here at BBF, we still miss him to this day.

R.I.P.

[2Chance]

I got online on his birthday, and got a lump in my throat upon seeing his name there. I still miss Yellowdog too, and he would be thrilled to see how far Greg Maddux has progressed. ( ;) He and I had some discussions about Maddux.)

Since John's passing, I still keep my avatar as a tribute to him.
He was a fine gentleman.