Funeral for Oscar Taveras Costs Journalists Personal Belongings

In the midst of one of the most exciting World Series in a long time, tragedy struck the St. Louis Cardinals. Having been eliminated by the San Francisco Giants on their way to a world championship, many Cardinals players had returned home to visit family. Rookie outfielder Oscar Taveras was no different as he returned to the Dominican Republic.

It is well known at this point that the trip would be Taveras' last. The young man and his 18-year-old girlfriend lost their lives in an automobile accident. The news impacted the Cardinals and baseball as a whole. 

That's why veteran St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold was sent to the Dominican Republic to cover the funeral. He and photographer Chris Lee went to the Caribbean nation to report on the passing of a young man who was idolized there. 

Goold's Twitter feed was flooded with accounts of the funeral. He shared photos of the crowds, the young people in attendance, thoughts from Cardinals players and links to his work. As fans have come to expect, Goold was professional, personable and provided a connection to the moment. He did what all journalists aspire to do: he made readers feel like they were there, while continuing to keep the focus on the story and not himself.

"

With @pdchris, reporting from DR as Crowds mourn 'El Fenomeno' #Taveras. An emotionally wrenching scene. #cardinals http://t.co/EIgQcRKRnI

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) October 30, 2014"

For most journalists, keeping the focus on the story is easy. The journalist is never, and should never be, the story. Many journalists will tell you that they have failed in their job if people are talking about them. For Goold and Lee, that was not quite so easy this week.

According to Dan Ceasar of STLtoday.com, the website for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Goold and Lee arrived very late and had to go straight to the funeral. When they returned to their car, they found their belongings missing. Someone had broken into their rental car and taken everything the reporter and photographer had brought with them.

Ceasar goes on to share the outpouring of support that the community showed to Goold and Lee. It took a while, but they found a place to do their work. Goold continued to do what he does best, he helped the fans connect with the moment in a way that seems easy for the writer. 

The remarkable thing was that Goold never mentioned the incident. There are no tweets, Facebook posts or comments from Goold about the misfortune. In fact, you have to read Ceasar's article to find any of Goold's comments on the situation. Even those are more about the support of the local community than they are about the theft itself. Goold gives readers the true reason why he has held his tongue when he shares his thoughts with Ceasar:

"

We were there to cover a funeral; I don’t want to lose sight of the tragedy that brought us there. Us losing our stuff—it’s just stuff. Somebody lost their life. That’s what’s important.

"

A young man and woman lost their lives. A team and a nation grieve for that loss. In the midst of it all, some journalists lost some belongings, some replaceable, some not so much. In the end, Goold proved that a journalist keeps the focus on the story.

He also proved that he is wise enough to recognize the importance of the moment in front of him.

Bill Ivie is the founder of i70baseball.
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