FSL1 Daytona Tortugas

Birds of Prey Give Results

Published on May 6, 2003 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Daytona Tortugas News Release


Today officials from The Birds of Prey in Maitland called to let us know that the necropsy results are in on Ozzy. He died of an infection caused by an abscess on his liver which had burst spreading poison throughout his system. We were told that Ozzy's life was in danger and that there's no way of knowing how long he would have lived naturally, but he was essentially terminally ill. They also said that the injury to his head didn't cause the death, but that the abscess burst most likely from the fall from his perch above the right field wall.

We have collected almost $5000 in the fundraiser and we'll get the final count tallied and let you know how it is distributed. Dr Neves from the Animal Clinic of Edgewater will distribute 100% of the funds raised to area animal clinics and animal rehab hospitals. We will also share the names of those organizations when we receive them.

If there's a positive end to this story, I've personally learned that's there's numerous organizations in the area that rely on our financial assistance to lend Mother Nature an occasional helping hand. If there comes a time in your future that you're able to donate, please consider one of these organizations.

I've also learned that life cannot be taken for granted, even with our animal friends on City Island. For those who have visited the ballpark the last couple weeks, you cannot help but look in amazement at the new Osprey as it is constantly on wing returning with fish for the family. If you do get a few free minutes, come on out to The Jack; we'll let you cut through the office to sit down and watch the show!

Amid the hate mail and death threats, there were also some really interesting stories from people across the globe.

One man wrote about his personal situation of throwing a stone while fishing as a kid and killing a blackbird overlooking the pond. He said he sat down and cried as a 12-year old boy, ashamed, and then as an adult taught his children to respect animals, but it took that incident to shape his kids' future. He has almost forgotten about the blackbird until this incident opened old wounds.

A man from the DC area sent a check to bid on a pair of season tickets in our auction. He wanted to remain anonymous, and I'll respect that although I know the gentleman well, but I want to thank him for being the classy guy that he is and understanding what a nightmare the past two weeks have been for us. He then donated the season tickets he won to those people who work at the area animal clinics.

Baseball fan for life Howard Siegel from New York, and many others, donated, even though their connection to this story was purely through the news. Having that personal touch meant a lot from baseball fans across the globe.

And how about Joe Ballard? Who, you might ask? Joe Ballard from Texas bid $100 on an autographed bat. He didn't have to, his son-in-law is Daytona Cubs 1B Micah Hoffpauir and Micah could've gotten him one for free, but Joe wanted to help the cause.

The Chicago Cubs, caught up in the media frenzy, supported our fundraiser as did Daytona Cubs Andy Rayburn who matched donations dollar-for-dollar.

One of the most touching stories came from the Korean Baptist Church just across the bridge on Silver Beach Ave. The minister of this church, Reverend Ahn, delivered donations from his congregation and from the Korean Business Association in Daytona Beach. I know what you're thinking, but don't jump the gun...let me tell you the rest of the story. Reverend Ahn's church has supported the Korean players that have played for the Cubs including Hee Seop Choi and Yoon-Min Kweon. Before you accuse the church of 'damage control' because Jae-Kuk Ryu was Korean, understand that Reverend Ahn's son, Josh, was one of our bat-boys the last couple years and members of his congregation are in our ballpark on a regular basis. Reverend Ahn wanted to bring his youth group to our fundraiser on Ozzy & Harriet Night but pulled me aside to say that he thought it might turn into an anti-Korean night. They were torn over whether they should attend or not, knowing that the Chicago Cubs would donate a dollar per person in attendance and their appearance would raise more money for the fundraiser, but after the death threats we received they decided to drop off almost $1000 in donations and not attend the game. I wanted to tell him that it would be all right, but I didn't believe deep in my soul that it would be...I accepted his donation on behalf of the Cubs, but it was a very troubling moment for me, personally.

Sean Kernan with the News-Journal saw it affecting us every day. So did Mike Manning at DAYTONA USA, Rob Gillespie from Coke, and more than a couple other business leaders. They called with words of support and let us know to hang in there.

Last but not least we would like to thank the players and coaches on our team for the things they do behind the scenes. In the past couple years these guys have been inside your kids' schools, warning them about the dangers of drugs, teaching math, mentoring, assisting in non-profit organizational fundraising, conducting baseball clinics, and doing an fantastic job in the community. These guys don't ask for thanks or a pat on the back, but do it because they want to leave their mark on the game of baseball in a positive light. When I overheard one player in the clubhouse wondering if they would be welcomed back into the community after this incident, I hung my head in shame and hoped that they wouldn't lose faith in society because of the public backlash. This was a tough situation for our players, coaches, and staff. For those who vented via email, letters, and phone calls, we understood your pain. You were justified to be upset, but it affected all of us.

The healing has begun and we're moving into the future with a better sense of our friends that make Jackie Robinson Ballpark home. We feel that a few Cubs should be able to peacefully co-exist with the squirrels, osprey, ducks, manatees, and other wildlife here on the island.

We won't ever look at that nest again without thinking about Ozzy, that much is sure. We'd like to think that on one casual Monday in April Mother Nature left her mark on all of us.

Thank you for your understanding. Thank you for your support.

The Daytona Cubs Staff

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Florida State League Stories from May 6, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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