There has been some push-back on why we are paying so much attention to the tragic death of Kobe and his daughter Gigi and not paying attention to the many individuals who die tragically and "out of order" in everyday life. People think the attention to Kobe is undeserved. Here are some reasons so many are touched: 1) We may not have known Kobe but he has been in our home for decades (on television); 2) He started playing as a teenager and we marveled at but questioned his lack of a collegiate education -- so we wanted to "see" if he made it; 3) He was a rare talent who worked harder than anyone else, despite his abilities -- first to the gym, more reps than most; 4) He had commitment and passion for his sport and winning was his goal and he kept his eyes on the prize; 5) He was NOT a saint in many ways and had enough problems to sink most athletes (physically and with assault charges and marital woes) but he persevered; he apologized; he reconstituted his life; he built back his reputation from the sewer; 6) He cared about kids, his own and others; 7) He was a once in a generation talent, rarely seen and rarely encountered; and 8) He was a model for kids -- sort of like Be Like Mike (whose personal life was hardly in order and gambling etc.). How's that for starters? …see more