Philadelphia Phillies, (CNN) – He spoke as would any proud grandfather, telling stories about how his little girl dress, how she would care for her brother and how she can tip a baseball bat. “It would be the first major league gal,” Dallas Green. He knows, as he was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies when they won the World Series in 1980.
“This little girl woke up many people and we just miss the hell out of it.” Green said outside the site Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Fla., Wednesday. The grand-son, he speaks with such pride is about Christina Green, who was killed in Tucson, Arizona last month with five other people while attending a political event. She was 9 years old.
“She embodied what is good about children, she wanted to be a little girl,” said Green.
Green, now senior adviser for the Phillies, has struggled at times when speaking of Christina, who called Princess.
Since the day he started as a right-handed Philadelphia Phillies in 1960, Dallas Green has always maintained a tough guy image.
Standing 6-5 and 200 pounds, Green became the Phillies manager, then general manager of the Chicago Cubs. He is overcome difficult moments, but nothing could prepare him for what he would suffer on January 8 when his 9-year granddaughter Christina Taylor Green was one of 19 shot and six people were killed during a neighborhood meeting in Tucson Gabrielle Giffords Congressman ‘constituents.
“This little girl woke up many people. We just miss her camp, said Green; speaking publicly for the first time Wednesday at the headquarters Phillies spring training. “I’m supposed to be a sucker difficult, but I’m not very difficult when it comes to that.”
The Phillies got out of their way to ensure that Green could keep his sunglasses. Knowing that there might be tears, they moved outside the scrum. But Green, 76, wearing a mock turtleneck, green windbreaker and tasseled loafers kept his composure throughout most of 20 minutes.
He said he was his son (a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers) John, daughter-son and grandson right Roxanna, Dallas, who felt the weight of tragedy.
He expressed a hint of anger and frustration, not directly to the alleged abuser Loughner Jared Lee, but the system that allows weapons like the Glock 19 that were used in the Tucson fire to fall into the wrong hands.
“I do not know anything (good) can really come of it,” Green said. “We just talked about life in the United States and how important it is that is still the best country to live in
(CP) – Dallas Green could not hold back his tears behind his manager dark sunglasses. The metal mount no-nonsense who led the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series title in 1980 choked a few times, as talked about the shooting death of his grand-daughter of nine years.
“You know, I’m supposed to be a sucker hard,” Green said Wednesday, “but I’m not fussy when it comes to that.”
Standing behind a field of practice for small Phillies’ spring training complex, Green spoke to reporters for nearly 20 minutes. He thanked everyone for their support, apologized for not returning phone calls and reflected on the memory of the little girl he called his “princess.”
Christina Taylor Green was among six people killed in a shootout on Jan. 8 in Tucson, Arizona, outside a supermarket, where a neighbor had taken her Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to meet, which was seriously injured.
“She embodied what is good about children, and that is good to grow in the U.S.,” said Green. “She wanted desperately to be a little girl who loved doing what she did. Clearly her interest in politics and go to this function, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, hit a large number of people hard.
“May God bless the lady who took her? It took three balls and tried to protect Christina. Unable to do so. But it was just a wonderful person for the family and Christina. I will never forget. I know she’s going through her own hell, but it should not. Christina does not want and want to be a part of that. They were friends as much as a friend could be in collaboration with the age difference. We extend our best obviously, always. ”
Green, a senior adviser to Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., lost 478 games in eight years managing Philadelphia, New York Yankees and New York Mets. Nothing could compare to the loss.
“It was a wonderful little girl,” said Green. “We will miss him desperately.”
Born hours after the tragedy on September 11, 2001, Christina Taylor was a budding politician. She had just been elected student council as a third grader’s elementary school. His level of maturity showed in how she cared for her brother 11 years, Dallas has a form of autism.
“It was a very special young lady, probably older than her age,” said Green. “She and her brother were very close. Christina was the mother as much as Roxanna was a little Dallas. It makes he got on the right bus, made sure he got to karate classes on time. ”
Christina was athletic, of course. Baseball was in her genes. His grandfather started in the majors before becoming a manager. His father, John Green, is a scout for the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Christina was the only daughter of her team of Little League Baseball.
“Christina was the star of her team, if you talk to him about it,” Green said. “She said she was the daughter of the first major league. It is nine years. She was very good. I saw her swing the bat a few times. John said she is not a bad little player for nine years. ”
Green has never considered skipping spring training. Baseball is a welcome distraction and is a little therapeutic while he, his wife, Sylvia, and the rest of the family to cope with this tragedy.
“Dallas has a strong personality. It’s a strong man. I’m sure it’s really difficult for him,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “I think staying busy and staying focused and things like that, it certainly helps. It’s something that occupies your time. But the time will certainly need help. But I’m sure it’s something that never forgets. ”
Jared Loughner is accused in federal court in the shooting. Green hopes that the senseless murder of awareness on the issue of gun control.
“You hope that there would be some understanding that there are madmen in this world and I guess the only thing I can not pass through my mind, although I am a fighter and I like to and I take my arms, I’m not a Glock or anything or a magazine with 33 bullets in it, “said Green.” It makes no sense for me be able to sell this stuff. I guess I never thought until this happened and what reason is there to have this kind of firearms other than killing people.
“I do not understand that.”
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Auburn Trees Poisoned, Auburn University has shown that less than 24 hours after confirmation of the poisoning of two trees on the historic campus of the school, police arrested a man and charged him in connection with the poisoning. At a news conference Thursday morning, representatives of the College, said Harvey Almorn Updyke, 62, of Dadeville, AL was arrested and charged with criminal mischief in connection with the poisoning of trees in Auburn History Corner Toomer is. Updyke lasts and 50,000 bonds.
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