It?s unfortunate that tragedy is often the only thing that puts things into the proper perspective. I like to think that life as a twenty-something male is trying and stressful, but in reality it rarely gets out of hand. As a senior in college my main priorities involve deciding what kind of job I want and where to live post-graduation. In recent months these decisions have been knotting my stomach, and for what? My worse-case scenario involves an extended job search and a couple of months back at home. Of course there?s also my writing here at RealGM, where my recent columns have covered the Stephen Jackson incident at an Indianapolis strip club, the Yankees misfortunes in the postseason, the demise of my fantasy football teams, and little else of worldly importance. That is until I heard the news of Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle?s death. I was driving back to campus after getting my picture taken for the good old Nichols College yearbook, when I heard about a plane crash in New York City. Immediately, my heart started pumping as I envisioned what had taken place five years earlier on September 11, 2001. The worry of terrorism went out the window when I got a call from my girlfriend?s sister, Amy. She had called to report the news of the plane crash, which fits the profile of her Debby Downer news reporting. However, I was shocked to hear that a news story was circulating claiming the plane was registered under the name of Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle. Immediately I asked if she knew whether or not he was on the plane, but she was unsure. After hanging up the phone I chuckled to myself, which I now consider sadistic. I wasn?t chuckling at the loss of lives, and the now eminent possibility that a member of my beloved New York Yankees was on the plane, I was shocked at the luck my teams have enjoyed in recent weeks. I attribute my insensitivity to being in complete shock. Stephen Jackson of my Pacers was involved in the infamous strip club wild west shootout, that has now put him in jeopardy of doing jail time, and now there was more drama in Yankee-land. I turned to my girlfriend and commented on how I should probably put a call into the Philadelphia Eagles front office, telling them not to leave their homes. Things come in threes, so I figured my football team was next? Another phone call increased my anxiety about Lidle?s status on the plane. The caller was my father?s good friend and sports enthusiast, Roy. He had called to tell me the unfortunately news of Lidle?s death. ESPN News had confirmed that he was in fact on board, after his drivers? license was found at the scene of the crash. Wham. Just like that everything fell into perspective. Here, I had been worried about Stephen Jackson?s legal problems and whether or not my fantasy football teams had a shot at making the playoffs. And now a member of the world?s most celebrated franchise was dead. This is a man that I wrote about, just three days ago, when contemplating the Yankee off-season. Amid all the changes I thought needed to be made, I actually hoped that New York would hold onto the thirty-four year old right hander. After becoming almost an afterthought in the acquisition of Bobby Abreu, he was now considered a legitimate option for the Yankees. But the Yankees didn?t just lose an arm, a wife lost her husband and a little boy lost his father. Lidle?s son Christopher is just six years of age, and now he?ll live the rest of his life without a father ? something no human on this earth should have to endure at such a young age. Lidle, who got his pilot?s license just seven months ago, had talked openly and often about the plane and its safety. Jason Giambi, who was a teammate of Lidle in high school as well, had this to say to ESPN, ?Right now, I am really in a state of shock...? Just yesterday it was announced that manager Joe Torre would keep his job, but the aftermath of another first round exit is bound to throw several Yankees out of the Bronx. Lidle may or may not have been one of them, but someone of higher power made that decision late Wednesday afternoon. On behalf of the RealGM family I would like to express my condolences to Lidle?s family and friends, as well as the families of the others who were killed in the crash. It?s a sad day in the world of sports, but one that can ultimately help us all put things in perspective. Andrew can be reached at [email protected]