Hirschbecks mourn loss of another son with ALD

Photo

Michael Hirschbeck

Staff report

POLAND

Michael Hirschbeck’s bag was packed and ready to go.

But then the rain came, and the baseball game he was headed to got canceled.

He told his father to leave the bag in the car so it would be there for him when he left for the first Cleveland Indians game of the series at Progressive Field, against the San Diego Padres.

“He never missed a game in Pittsburgh or Cleveland,” said John Hirschbeck, Michael’s father and an American League umpire from Poland.

But Michael died before he could leave for the ballfield Tuesday — his bag still waiting for him.

“We really just love him so much,” John said.

Michael, 27, died a little more than two decades after his older brother, John, died at age 8. Both suffered from the rare genetic disease that affects males, adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). It attacks the brain and central nervous system.

Michael received a bone-marrow transplant as part of a treatment when he was 5, according to Vindicator archives.

Both were treasured parts of the Poland community, and both will be missed for years to come, friends said.

But now, they will be together, their father said.

A memorial plaque was dedicated to John from the Class of 2003 and sits outside of Dobbins Elementary School.

Like his brother, Michael left an unforgettable impact and smile on the members of his community.

Through tears, Marlene Booher, a third-grade teacher at Dobbins, remembered the little boy whose eyes crinkled when the big smile came upon his face.

“He was always upbeat and he always had a positive attitude, and he was a hard worker,” Booher said. “I just feel what a loss this is for his family and for the community.”

Gary Mrozek, chief executive officer of Hometown Pharmacy Solutions, also feels that loss. He is a family friend of the Hirschbecks’, and his children grew up with them.

Mrozek described Michael as “just someone who enjoyed life.”

“He will be missed,” Mrozek said. “He had a great way about him and his attitude. He was just a good young man.”

Michael Allegretto, who owns Lariccia’s Italian Marketplace in Boardman, said Michael and his dad came into the store often for sandwiches, and Michael would hug everyone.

“The strongest thing I would get from their relationship was they were so proud of each other,” Allegretto said. “John would take him to as many ballgames as he could. He loved the Indians and would sit on their bench in the dugout. The ballplayers loved him.

“He’s going to be terribly missed throughout the baseball world.”

Allegretto visited the Hirschbecks on Tuesday afternoon and came away with one thought: “This just doesn’t seem fair.”

“He was just a lovable little boy from when we first met him to now as a young man,” he said. “Our hearts are broken over this.”

John Mang, the secretary/treasurer of the Youngstown Metro Umpire Association, has known John Hirschbeck for decades. Several years ago, Hirschbeck was refereeing a junior varsity basketball game at Girard, and Mang (who was waiting to work the varsity game) recalled seeing Hirschbeck’s children in the stands, “sitting there like soldiers.”

“I have five children and if I brought them to a game, it was complete chaos,” Mang said. “But they just sat their so polite and so disciplined. John ran a pretty good ship there at home, for being so far away [umpiring games].”

Youngstown State baseball coach Steve Gillispie offered his condolences after the Penguins’ doubleheader against Kent State on Tuesday in Niles.

“Just in the short time that John was in town for our breakfast, that was my first opportunity to meet him, and you will not find a more first-class individual. It’s just tragic. He became a friend of our program in a short time and our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. I’m sure it’ll be a real difficult season for him, so we’ll be thinking about him for the long haul.”

Some good-natured razzing by Indians catcher Sandy Alomar in May 2000 led to Michael Hirschbeck’s first batboy stint for the Indians at Jacobs Field.

Then 13, Michael was in Minneapolis earlier in the week for medical tests at the University of Minnesota.

While there, Twins manager Tom Kelly invited him to be the batboy for the Twins in a game against the Tribe.

Michael said Alomar noticed what he was doing and teased him.

“Sandy Alomar was giving me a lot of flack, calling me a traitor,” Michael said at the time.

Alomar said he would arrange for Michael to be the Tribe’s batboy the next time his father had a Jacobs Field assignment.

A Cleveland assignment gave the boy a chance to show his Tribe loyalty. Also attending the Indians’ 7-6 win were Michael’s mother, Denise, and sisters Erin and Megan.

During past spring trainings, young Michael had been a batboy for the Twins and Rangers in Florida games his father has worked.

Contributors: Staff writers Kalea Hall, Joe Scalzo and Tom Williams