Great article on Angels prospect Zac Kristofak overcoming tragedy

[jsnpritchett]

I hadn't heard about his family tragedy until this article. Can't even imagine having to go through that, especially so young. 

It's definitely worth reading the whole article, but here are some excerpts:

"When Kristofak got up to speak in front of his teammates, there were no nerves. His heart did not pound. His mind did not race. The words tumbled out.

It was Dec. 22, 2012, a cold afternoon in the Atlanta suburbs. Kristofak, then 15, was coming back from baseball practice with his friend. They pulled up to his home to find a large police presence encircling the house.

At first, Kristofak thought there was a fire. But he quickly realized there were no fire trucks on the scene. He jumped out of the car and raced to a police officer, who asked him about his parents.

Just a few hours earlier, Kristofak’s mom, Donna Nations Kristofak, had taken him to baseball practice.

He returned to find his mother’s black Honda Odyssey near her garage, and blood on the ground where EMTs had attempted lifesaving CPR.

It was too late. Zac’s mother, he would later learn, had been murdered by his father."

...

"Making the majors someday is about more than fulfilling his own dream. It’s about changing the narrative of his family’s name.

“I’ll get to write my own story,” Kristofak said this summer, sitting on a restaurant patio overlooking his apartment complex in Alabama. “I think that what I want to do, more than anything in life, is rewrite the Kristofak name.”

...

"When Kristofak finished sharing his story with his teammates earlier this season, Dashwood, one of Kristofak’s closest friends on the team, approached him. He was the emotional one, telling Kristofak that sharing his story that way revealed his character.

“He gained an unbelievable amount of respect — on top of the respect everybody already has for him,” said Angels prospect Kenyon Yovan, Kristofak’s Double-A roommate. “Everyone is always there for him.”

Kristofak wants to be an open book. He believes his story might help people get through their own painful moments.

“I think he understands his purpose a little better than most of us,” said Boyer. “I think Zac truly wants to help people that are hurting.

“His scars are what make him incredible.”

 

[Chuck]

Wow. What a story, thank you for sharing @jsnpritchett.

Pulling extra hard for this kid.

[jsnpritchett]

 

[Jay]

Sam Blum is a pretty good writer.

[Taylor]

Insane and sad. Something like this could totally traumatize a kid for life. Glad to see he's gotten help and is still pursuing his dreams.

[ADHB]

Blum takes things a little too personal at times when it comes to the major league club, but there's no doubt he's a good writer, and I appreciate the fact that he goes out of his way to find stories like this, as opposed to most beat writers who simply all write the same stories based on the information that's made available to them by the team.

[yamsi12]

But can he overcome the tragedy of being drafted by the Angels though?

[ELEVEN]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

Sam Blum is a pretty good writer.

I much prefer his so called negativity to the company man press that teams tend to employ.

[ELEVEN]

1 hour ago, yamsi12 said:

But can he overcome the tragedy of being drafted by the Angels though?

Whoop there it is!

[UndertheHalo]

Even tho I really do try to empathize with people its obviously hard to really understand the hardship and suffering that some people have to endure.  It’s abstract.  Something like this is obviously easier to understand.  It’s the kind of thing that slaps you in the face.  That said, what a great example of how good writing can make even the most obvious kind of misfortune absolutely searing.  Hats off to Zac on his achievements, despite everything.  And thanks to Sam for bringing us this story.  Not a guy I’ll forget about.  Great stuff.    

Edited September 14, 2023 by UndertheHalo

[BTH]

5 hours ago, ADHB said:

I appreciate the fact that he goes out of his way to find stories like this, as opposed to most beat writers who simply all write the same stories based on the information that's made available to them by the team.

Well, most beat writer’s jobs are focused on covering the major league club and their games.

The Athletic was created with the idea that the writers wouldn’t have to write 2 articles per day, for 162 games. Rather, they could work on longer, feature stories that are bigger picture.

But regardless, this was a great piece and I’m definitely rooting for Zac to make the majors.

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, BTH said:

The Athletic was created with the idea that the writers wouldn’t have to write 2 articles per day, for 162 games. Rather, they could work on longer, feature stories that are bigger picture.

Exactly. This is why you all should subscribe to the Athletic and the OCR. They are two different types of coverage. Even on the days when Sam and I are both at the same game, we are doing two different jobs. 

[ADHB]

1 hour ago, BTH said:

Well, most beat writer’s jobs are focused on covering the major league club and their games.

The Athletic was created with the idea that the writers wouldn’t have to write 2 articles per day, for 162 games. Rather, they could work on longer, feature stories that are bigger picture.

But regardless, this was a great piece and I’m definitely rooting for Zack to make the majors.

For sure. And in that sense, this doesn’t really fall under the responsibility of a typical beat writer.

I guess this story wasn’t a great example for my comment, but in general I mean that it’s nice to have features like this (and a lot do focus on the major league club or a player/staff member). And also not saying that Angel beat writers are like this at all. They’re mostly great. But for other teams I follow, you’ll see 4 beat writers (including ones from The Athletic) all write the exact same story on the exact same day, because they all got the same interview from the same player the team made available that day, and none were seeking out their own story.

In any case, this was a great story. And I always appreciate things that go beyond just basic coverage, similar to Jeff Fletcher’s in depth series about the minor league system.

[ELEVEN]

22 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Exactly. This is why you all should subscribe to the Athletic and the OCR. They are two different types of coverage. Even on the days when Sam and I are both at the same game, we are doing two different jobs. 

I appreciate both of you for the jobs you're doing. 

The 2 of you keep me informed year round in a way I can trust ro be honest and informative