I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with John Brattain, who wrote for years for The Hardball Times, his own Ground Rule Trouble and several other sites, and was a long-time and notable member at Baseball Think Factory, but Mr. Brattain passed away yesterday due to complications from heart surgery. He was just 44 years old.

Mr. Brattain was a funny, knowledgeable baseball fan and a guy whose work I read frequently. He was a thoughtful writer, and a damn good one that didn't just cover the usual topics. He was a real gem among those of us in the online baseball community, and a credit to us all. You could always, always point to John Brattain as one of the guys that just made us all look a little bit better.

He was a passionate Expos fan. This year he wrote the Blue Jays chapter of the Hardball Times season preview. I never got to know John personally, though we exchanged emails a couple times years ago when I just wanted to say, "Dude, you write some great stuff," and he was very friendly. I feel honored to have gotten my name into the same book as his just one time.

John is survived by his wife and two teenage daughters. Camden Chat and the entire baseball community sends our best wishes and condolences to them, the rest of John's family, and his friends. May you rest in peace, John, and thank you for all the great work.