This is the toughest article I’ve ever had to write, and I deliver it as best as I can. The tin man once said, “now I know I have a heart because it’s breaking”. My heart is broken as well, and I write this with a broken, sad and heavy heart. Good friend, and LADR senior writer Oscar Martinez passed away from an illness on Tuesday afternoon. I learned of his passing from his brother-in-law, who provided us with the horrible news.
I first met Oscar sometime around 2012 when he began writing part time for Lasorda’s Lair, when I was Co-editing the site with my sister. Oscar and I chatted over email, text and instant messaging during the season, but didn’t meet in person until a couple of years later. It was around that time when I launched LADR. I knew I would need help writing and I reached out to him to see if he wanted to jump over here and write with me. He did so and wrote 532 articles, while also managing the youtube channel and creating the Facebook page for this site.
He did a lot for LADR, but he also did a lot for his friends and family. During the 2016 season LADR was invited to the Dodger’s blogger night event at Dodger Stadium. I asked the Dodger’s PR department if I could have an extra ticket so Oscar could join. Oscar was super excited to be going, and we had a great time. Oscar and I ended up going to two more Dodger blogger luncheons together in 2017, and 2018. I can remember telling Oscar to reach down and touch the Dodger Stadium grass as we walked across the field into the visitor’s clubhouse. You never know when you’ll have a chance to do it again, I told him.
Around 2016, Oscar graciously invited me to his monthly poker games hosted in his backyard. Him and his friends had been playing poker continuously for over 20 years. With my limited experience playing poker, I had no idea what I would be walking into. Oscar was warm and welcoming. He always wanted everyone to have a good time and I definitely did.
I became a regular at the table, playing with the guys for 8 years. The group is called “Last Chip”, in reference to going all in. The games were a blast. The poker nights involved a lot of fine craft beer, cigar smoke, card dealing, and plenty of camaraderie amongst a bunch of really great guys. I looked forward to the games for weeks. The guys had nicknames, Diablo, Punishment, Chando, Hindenburg amongst others. I never once felt out of place, even though these were friends who knew each other for decades. Oscar made sure I had a good time, and the games were always friendly.
But there was so much more to Oscar than just gracious host of awesome poker games. He was a very talented artist who painted pieces inside his garage. He would post pictures of them online, and live streamed his work from his studio. He was also an avid baseball card collector, vinyl record collector, and a huge Rolling Stones fan. Of course his Dodger fandom rivaled my own. Nobody loved the Azul like Oscar did. As for work life, Oscar was a teacher, helping kids for years before recently retiring.
He had a great sense of humor, and could always make me laugh. I appreciate him inviting me into the poker games. I can still hear him asking if he should look at his cards before the dealer announced which game we were playing. Or him yelling “bluffeto!” when someone was clearly bluffing during a big hand. It was a unique and special honor to be able to play with him and his close friends throughout the years. Here’s hoping the games can go on somehow in honor of his memory. I think Oscar would have wanted that.
But more important than all of that, he was a loving husband, and father. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and all of my Last Chip brothers. Thank you for your friendship and everything you’ve done here at this site Oscar. I will miss you every day.
Rest in peace Oscar Martinez. Gone way too soon.
I’m sorry to hear about Oscar, Scott.
You wrote a beautiful tribute. In the end, many years from now, we all will be forgotten, but you captured a glimpse of who he was and preserved it. It keeps his essence alive.
I hope someone writes something like that about me someday.