R.I.P. Penrod

Today one of my old buddies will be laid to rest. As most of you probably know, Penrod Eades passed away this week. While Penrod was not a close friend of mine, he was a guy who I played ball with quite frequently in the mid to late 90's, back when we could all play a little. Even though I know he had his share of issues, the Penrod that I knew was a fun loving guy who always had a smile on his face. In the gym, you would never know anything was wrong with the guy. He was always picking on somebody and trying to make others laugh. I'll never forget the time he brought his buddy from Murray to play in the dust bowl with us. The guys name was Mike Hunt. That's not a lie. Anyway, Mr. Hunt was suppose to be the player to put us over the hump to actually challenge the Nasty Boys and Sudden Impact for the dust bowl title. All Mr. Hunt accomplished was pissing off Bullock because he took his starting job. I think if we had laid Bullock down that day we could have grilled burgers on his chest he was so hot. This Hunt fella wouldn't have started over Kendall Smith. He was not good.



I had the opportunity to talk to Penrod just a month or so ago when I saw him in a yard down the road from our house. Apparently he was dating one of my neighbors. I was driving along, half paying attention when I noticed a big Penrod smile and his waving arms trying to get my attention, screaming "J Rod, J Rod". That's what he and Bethel always called me for some reason. We talked for just a few minutes because I was sitting in the car on the road. He seemed so happy and full of life, just like always, and I would have never suspected he was hurting inside. I only wish that he could have stayed in this area to live, maybe somebody could have been that friend he needed and he might still be with us today. As I said before, he had his issues, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't like him. He had a way of making every conversation fun, he had that contagious smile, and he had that distinctive laugh that his friends and family will always remember. We're gonna miss ya Pen.