Vottomatic RIP

[RichRed]

Very sad news. My heart goes out to the Vottomatic family.

[Tommyjohn25]

Wow. Rest In Peace.

[SirFelixCat]

RIP and thoughts and prayers to his friends and family

48 is too young.

[Jamz]

Terrible. It really puts into perspective how quick life can change and not to take things for granted. Hope things are better on the other side.

[miamiredskin]

As mentioned, classic username.

Kudos and RIP.

[Reds Fanatic]

Really sad news. RIP

[indy_dave00]

Rest in Peace Vottomatic - 48 is far to young

[TheBigLebowski]

This makes me sick to my stomach. I genuinely liked him. RIP, sir.

[New York Red]

Geez, one of my old buddies from Sundeck and one of my favorite posters on ORG. I was wondering why he wasn't posting anymore. Very sad news.

[AmarilloRed]

Very sad news.Best wishes to his family.

[Trajinous]

Bummer to lose a great member from the Redszone family. Best wishes to his family. Sad news.

[RedEye]

Gosh, I noticed he wasn't around and it wasn't like him not to be coming up with all sorts of ideas related to the Reds. He loved to challenge ideas and come up with new ones. He loved sports and its intricacies. He rode the rollercoaster. He was as passionate as anyone about them. Very sorry to hear he's not here anymore. May he rest in peace.

One of the strangest thing about social media and the internet, I find, is posthumous stuff like this -- when you can go back and read what someone wrote before "getting the call," so to speak. It can also be kinda cool, like when someone's Facebook page becomes like a shrine for their mourning friends to reflect on. This is the first time for me that a person whom I "know" from a message board has passed away. Part of life, I suppose, and of the way life is now a days. Still, not quite sure how to process it at the moment. I feel sad, but I wonder exactly how to be so. I know no models for this type of loss.

[mdccclxix]

One of the strangest thing about social media and the internet, I find, is posthumous stuff like this -- when you can go back and read what someone wrote before "getting the call," so to speak. It can also be kinda cool, like when someone's Facebook page becomes like a shrine for their mourning friends to reflect on. This is the first time for me that a person whom I "know" from a message board has passed away. Part of life, I suppose, and of the way life is now a days. Still, not quite sure how to process it at the moment. I feel sad, but I wonder exactly how to be so. I know no models for this type of loss.

It's no small wonder the changes social media are bringing the human experience. There is a tension to saying goodbye to a person we only know as 'Vottomatic', but we can only do our best knowing that there are real people involved.

[Dom Heffner]

These always hit you right in the gut in two ways. We feel terrible for him and his family, and we also can't help but think of our own mortality.

You can never say this enough- cram your life full, today, of things that make you happy. This is not practice or dress rehearsal for another life, this is the one and only one you get, at least in this version, and it can be gone in a flash by one of a million causes.

RIP Vottomatic. You will be missed.

[RedTeamGo!]

One of the strangest thing about social media and the internet, I find, is posthumous stuff like this -- when you can go back and read what someone wrote before "getting the call," so to speak. It can also be kinda cool, like when someone's Facebook page becomes like a shrine for their mourning friends to reflect on. This is the first time for me that a person whom I "know" from a message board has passed away. Part of life, I suppose, and of the way life is now a days. Still, not quite sure how to process it at the moment. I feel sad, but I wonder exactly how to be so. I know no models for this type of loss.

I had an interesting experience on another message board with a member passing away.

I frequent www.motownsports.com and there was a poster named Estrepe1 that posted very often. He was a student at Virginia Tech and was in the classroom a young man walked into and shot up a few years back. He was killed and his sibling kept the board posted on the developments. It was a very strange day, when someone first created a thread about the shooting someone said "I hope estrepe wasn't in that classroom" and he ended up being one of those that were killed. Curtis Granderson found out about what happened and made a tribute to him and even was interviewed by ESPN because of how how much it impacted him as a player/person and what he did in reaction to the event.