RIP Colt Delverne
 
                                The University of Michigan Football family lost our second little one to DIPG earlier this week when the youngest son of Jeff and Shannon Delverne passed away.  His father was a kicker for legendary U-M football Lloyd Carr; Incredibly most of us did not know what DIPG was until the childhood brain cancer claimed his grandson Chad. Colt Delverne was ten years old and he leaves behind an older brother and two sisters. He was an amazing kid who fought hard versus an awful disease for over a year. His parents and entire family are great, great people. Because of Colt, Chad and so many others are goal is to make DIPG DOA.
                                The death of a child is hard enough—whether it’s due to a sudden accident or long-term illness. The Delvernes faced a bit of both. Colt had another form of cancer almost five years ago and was treated at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children hospital. I visited him frequently and we thought he would have a long productive life. But DIPG showed up. And now Jeff and Shannon don’t have a son. Death is part of the gig but for a guy who was always taught you defend the disadvantaged: kids, females, animals, elderly, and the disabled, burying a ten-year-old is very hard. And I have seen this too much.
                                Part of why I created Beav’s World with Kathy is situations like Colt and Chad. Emma Thompson. Vada Murray. Scott Matzka. Larry Prout, Jr, a.k.a. Bear. Hailey Steward. Peter Frates. I don’t just collect quarterbacks. I collect friends and children with major health issues. They need support and publicity for diseases like DIPG and ALS. (I am getting too familiar with acronym diseases.) Two children lost to DIPG. Two adult friends suffering from ALS. Death and serious illness are never good but both DIPG and ALS rob you off the ability to function—verbally and physically. Chad’s father, Jason, wrote an incredible piece on the anniversary of his son’s death about using cue cards and blinking to communicate in his final days. Scott Matzka uses an incredible electronic computer system to speak for him. Simply put these diseases take away parts of the person. Slowly. Painfully. And the people around them suffer with them.
                                A few months ago, I figured out my next move with Beav’s World heading forward and it involves helping families like the Delvernes, The Thompsons, The Prouts, etc. Bear’s mom, Kathy, is very active on social media and her words, explanation’s hit home with me. Her family spends a lot of time in hospitals, filling out forms. Granted, Bear is in her words “medically complex”. English translation: he has several things to deal with and requires a lot of help, supervision. So, the less time his parents spend filling out forms, and deal with all of the administrative chores, the better for all involved. And the #1 thing a parent or family member can be is an advocate. My goal is creating a service where a family can reach out to us and find help. From any state, city, or town. Fast. Quickly. Effectively.
                                The creation of this will do two major things: find real help for families and help me get effective answers. The powers people think I have been not always real. I can tell TB12 who the Mike Linebacker on the Vikings is, but I cannot find an insurance package for a child with leukemia in Oklahoma. But because of Colt, Chad, Bear, etc., I am going to create an answer center. So, the next time a Colt is sick, his parents can just focus on Colt. That is a hard-enough job and I have seen what the Delvernes and Carrs went thru with a good hospital situation. Rest up in Heaven, Colt. Uncle Beav has this. And like Your Father, I am money from in close. Love you, Buddy. GO BLUE. RIP.                               

Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the 2018 National League Cy Young award Wednesday night, claiming 29 of 30 first place votes. The team won 77 games and was very disappointing, but deGrom was dominant. How dominant? #48 became the first player in major league history with 260 strikeouts, a sub 2.00 ERA (1.70), not walk 50 and allow fewer than ten home runs. Jacob was that good and won only ten games due to a lack of run support. He set two major league records with 24 consecutive quality starts (six innings or more, three earned runs or less) and 29 straight games with three runs or fewer. He joins Tom Seaver (three times), Dwight Gooden, and R.A. Dickey as Mets Cy Young award winners. Only the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves and Red Sox have won more as a franchise.
The Mets have been a pitching dominant franchise forever and it goes back to Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw and Jon Matlack. But this might be the finest season by any Mets pitcher. deGrom’s dominance shows how vital it is that the team upgrade internally and externally and not waste the talented group of arms they have in Queens. The team has two young studs in the outfield (Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo) and infield (Ahmed Rosario, Jeff McNeil) as well as a promising power hitter Peter Alonso coming at first base. Adding some bullpen help as well as upgrading at catcher should be offseason priorities. Having two of three veterans—Todd Frazier, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jay Bruce—contribute would also boast the club. The 2019 Mets could get real good real fast.
Team record or not, deGrom was so good he got the only first place vote in MVP balloting not cast for Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich. The next step is for New York to lock him up long term as he is set to hit free agency after the 2020 season. Jacob is very familiar with the new boss of the Mets—Brodie Van Wagenen. Brodie was his agent, also representing several of his star teammates including fellow ace Noah Syndergaard, Cespedes, and Frazier. A four or five-year deal worth anywhere from $100-$130 million should get an extension done. deGrom would have the long-term security he seeks (two final arbitration years bought out) and The Mets would have an on-and off-field victory a team seeking both needs. Good PR for a team that needs more HR would be a nice Christmas gift for fans in Flushing. #LGM