I had long heard of Vic Power's fielding prowess, but I had never seen him interviewed and really gotten a sense of his personality until I finally got around to watching last summer's Viva Baseball documentary, focusing on the history of Latin players, on Sunday. It was a compelling program (and surprisingly poignant considering it aired on the decidedly unpoignant Spike TV), and Power's exuberance was one of the best parts.

And just like that, two days later, he is gone. Gone too soon, for me, in more ways than one.

I've been following the chat thread on Power, born Victor Felipe Pellot Pove, at Baseball Think Factory, and learning more about his status as a cult hero. In fact, Eric Enders there recommends a book, Cult Baseball Players, that I have not been aware of, saying that it "contains an interview with Power in the back of the book that is the best ballplayer interview I've ever read, period."

Bruce Markusen adds:

We do know that Power has left a pretty strong legacy in several different ways:

Regardless of whether you prefer talking about baseball history or current-day events, the passing of Power is both significant and sad.