David Shotkoski

In the spring of 1995, the Major League Baseball player's strike that had prematurely ended the 1994 season had not yet been resolved. Team owners were determined to start the season with replacement players if necessary. The spring training camps of that year were filled with a mix of wannabees and usedtobees. At the Atlanta Braves spring training complex in West Palm Beach, two men, still chasing the dream met. Thirty-year old Dave Shotkoski had been a pitcher in the minor leagues for seven years from 1985-1991 without so much as a sniff of the majors. Thirty-five year old Terry Blocker had once been a promising young outfielder in the New York Mets system and had actually played in 100+ games at the major league level before a knee injury derailed his career. Shotkoski had taken a leave of absense from his job as a supervisor at a Coca-Cola bottling plant to continue the pursuit of his dream, Blocker had been a Pentecostal deacon and cable installer before trying his luck as a replacement player. They were just 2 of the 42 players vying for 32 spots on the Braves roster that spring.
On March 24, 1995 Dave Shotkoski was murdered in a robbery while out for an after dinner walk. Like most of the other Braves players, Terry Blocker was stunned. He also felt like he had to do something.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/17/sp...ot-afraid.html