Burbank, IL (May 2, 2011) - In today's baseball game against Oak Lawn, the varsity Rams honored their former teammate, Robert Regalado, by wearing his #18 t-shirt. On April 30, 2009, Robert, who played on the sophomore team, passed away from a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
Robert's mother, Laura was in attendance and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
The following was read over the PA before the game:
"As a player, Robert was the ultimate teammate. What he lacked in physical ability, he made up for in determination. He worked hard to become the best player he could be, and while he didn't always make the starting line-up, he never complained, never gave less than a full effort, never lost his enthusiasm for the game, and never quit working. Laura Regalado has that same perseverance. Her mission is to raise awareness of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy or "Athlete's Heart" to help eliminate these preventable deaths. With that in mind, she has put together the 1st Annual Bobbo's Walk for Young Hearts. This is a four mile walk starting and finishing at Reavis. The walk will be held on Sunday, May 8, starting at 8:00 am. Please contact Laura at bobbosfund@gmail.com for more information."
On the field, the Reavis lost to the Spartans 4-1. "Although we hate to lose," said Coach Erickson, "I hope events like Robert Regalado Day and Bobbo's Walk for Young Hearts help keep things in perspective for our players and us coaches. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a high school baseball game and there are so many things in life that are more important and shouldn't be taken for granted."