Prospectus has de-premiumised all of Pappas' articles on the site for those interested.

This is very sad news.

Since this is serving as a sort of public memorial, I'll repost what I just wrote for my own site:

I only met Doug in person twice, both times at Pizza Feeds organized by Baseball Prospectus, the website where he did some of his best writing. We'd spoken on the phone and via e-mail many times, though, usually when I had a question about some piece of baseball business esoterica, and knew that Doug would surely be the one to know the answer. He was a brilliant writer and analyst, a bitingly funny critic of baseball owner buffoonery, and a genuinely kind soul. To say he will be missed is an understatement; Doug Pappas was irreplaceable.

I want to say more, but the words won't come. My heartfelt condolences to Doug's mom, and to all who were fortunate enough to know him.

I can't add much, beyond echoing the sentiments of everyone else who's read Doug's work and chimed in here. This is awful news.

I sort of feel the way I did when Paul Wellstone died (not wanting to introduce politics here); a uniquely bold voice on issues of the day suddenly taken from us. Very, very sad.

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
-- Samuel Johnson

The comments in this thread prove how much Doug aided so many - just for the sake of helping.

Let's honor his life by learning from him. If more people can be like him, the world will be a better place.

Jay Jaffe has a fine tribute to Doug at his site .

Very sad.

I know there are some people with ESPN contacts here. I think a story about Doug Pappas would make a fantatic "Outside the Lines" piece. Please float the idea to Bob Lee. Also, a headline on ESPN.com's MLB page would be nice.

We miss you Doug.

Baseball writing has lost one of its great voices.

Speaking as a person who loves the outdoors, I only hope that Doug Pappas died happy, surrounded in the wilderness of Texas by the magnificence of God's creation. He was far too young, but there are few better ways to leave this earth.

I spoke to his mother about 9 hours ago. She says that he went out in the desert without water and without a hat.

This makes sad news sadder, in that this was in all likelihood a very preventable tragedy.

I adore the desert, and go hiking at least once a year in Arizona. I'll be frank and admit that I'm usually kind of hit-and-miss on the be-prepared, bring-water-and-sunscreen-and-hat routine, even though it's been drilled into me for years; sometimes I do it, sometimes I'm just spontaneous and take off an a trail that looks intriguing.

But I hope I won't forget this lesson. The desert is deceptively serene, and is in fact pitless and dangerous. Distances are often far greater than they seem, and inclines, because they're long and gradual, are often far steeper than they appear. The cost of underestimating the desert was, in this case, horribly severe.

How incredibly sad. My condolences to his loved ones.

I saw this thread yesterday, but I assumed it was one of his columns on the economic side of baseball. I planned to read it this weekend, but I didn't plan on hearing about this. Terrible news.

This makes sad news sadder, in that this was in all likelihood a very preventable tragedy.

Agreed. Though I drank enough liquids, I once had the symptoms of heat prostration because I didn't wear a hat on a hot day a few years back. I felt like crap for a few hours (nausea and a headache), plus I couldn't sweat (which is not the norm for me). Since then, I always wear a hat if I'm outside for a long time.

My condolences to his family.

It was, like anything by Steve Treder, John Murphy, Repoz and a few others, something I stopped in my tracks and made sure to read.

Without false humility, I don't belong in that company, but I'm honored nevertheless. Back at you, Benji.

John Brattain:

Nice tribute.

I wonder how many Primates (posters and readers) have passed away without us knowing. May they all rest in peace.

Terrible to contemplate, but realistic to envision.

But I hope I won't forget this lesson. The desert is deceptively serene, and is in fact pitless and dangerous. Distances are often far greater than they seem, and inclines, because they're long and gradual, are often far steeper than they appear. The cost of underestimating the desert was, in this case, horribly severe.

I don't like the desert. It looks dead to me. When I live out west for 3 years, I couldn't stand it and couldn't wait to move back east. I won't live in a place where trees don't spontaneously grow anymore.

One of the things I enjoyed (last year?) was starting a celebrity postathon that utilized Doug's last name here at Primer (Irene Pappas, Pappas Don't Preach, Pappas Loves Mambo) after one of his great articles. He seemed to get a big kick out of it. I'm glad.

In post #100,which refers to actual verses in the bible with some of the original persons names changed.> but in the verse where it says that Doug was in the bosom of the Father Abraham.
It's ironic that a great lawyer and a great man of earlier times was also a lawyer who was quite like Doug, as you can see by the many individuals who are grieving today even though they may never have met the man himself and are letting their feelinds be known.This man of earlier times who was a lawyer was named Abraham. Abraham Lincoln.Mike Colbern

Not entirely sure what to say here except that there are few people in the Sabermetrics world that have had as big an effect on me and the way I look at the sport of Baseball as Doug Pappas. I was first introduced to him over on rec.sport.baseball and he has been a consistently lucid and intelligent voice on the subject of Baseball ever since.

I didn't know him very well perosnally (something I now regret), but nevertheless his influence on me will remain.

My condoloences go out to all of his family and friends. All of the baseball world has suffered an enormous loss. He will be sorely, sorely missed.

Voros McCracken

Doug was one of the best - rest in peace.

This is a shocking catastrophe. I found Doug's work invaluable.

This week I was keeping tabs on his site to see if he posted anything about the Expos, since the owners were supposed to be talking about it. I noticed he was on vacation, and took the time to catch up with some of the articles I hadn't had time to read in the past.

He was one of the best writers.

I was out of town all week and missed this horrible news when it first broke. How terribly unfortunate. I began my writing to fill in the very few gaps in what Doug was putting out regarding the legalilies and strategies in the baseball collective bargaining arena. We corresponded somewhat regularly and when contacted by the mainstream media I always referred them to him, as the breath of his knowledge far surpassed my own. There will be gaping holes in the business of baseball community, the SABR community, and the on-line community. He will be missed by many who already knew of his work and many more who never will.

Terrible. Just terrible.

Shocking and tragic. My condolences go out to Doug's family and friends.

Speaking of Lincoln, I am reminded of this line from the Gettysburg Address:

It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on.

The best way to honor Doug's memory is to take up the cause from where he has left us, and strive to spread the unromanticized truth about the business of baseball as he did.

Tres suck.

Well, I was kind of looking for a kick in the pants to reconsider my career and investigate law school. I think this might be it.

For that and so much more, my thanks to Doug for the fruits of his achievement. It's real goddam shame he checked out early.

Let's look at the bright side of this all-too-short life: 43 years of Doug Pappas are worth more than 143 years of Alan H. Selig.

I too, have never met or corresponded with him, but feel like I've lost something in my life that means something to me.

The inspiration and intellectual stimulation his articles have given me, those few minutes of bliss each day, will never be reproduced, and for that, I am truly sad.

Bryan

I clicked on Doug's blog for the first time ever, and the headline for what is the final entry gave me a good laugh. I thought I'd share:

" New Sports Trend: The Team Doctors Now Pay the Team"

This is the saddest news I've heard in some time. My daily visits to his business of baseball weblog are now no more. I hope he is now in a better place, whatever he believed that to be.

His April Fool's day joke (transforming his site into a shrine to Selig for the day) was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Goodbye Doug Pappas.

I never e-mailed or talked with Doug myself, but through his articles I feel as though I've lost a friend. Rest in peace, Doug.

This is awful news. Not to slight anyone else, but I always thought that Doug was one of the most accessible, easy to follow and understandable writers out there when it came to the complexities of baseball law and economics. Although I first came across him back in the days of r.s.bb., it was all too brief. I am now *very* happy that I decided to attend the SABR convention in Denver last summer. I greatly enjoyed the few hours that I spent meeting Doug and chatting with him and others. He was nothing but kind, sociable, and (of course) insightful.

I will greatly miss him and his work, and it is my hope that someone out there can help do what they can to pick up the torch he left behind and continue his fine work in showing the truths about baseball (ugly as they may be), and in exposing those truths in a manner easily accessible to everyone. As a fellow SABRite, I'll also miss his invaluable contributions to the Business of Baseball committee and to all things SABR.

We'll miss you, Doug.

I learned of Doug's passing during a brief visit to the site this morning, and the news stayed with me throughout the day. Like most posters above, I knew him only through his work. Yet he wrote with such skill and passion that it's difficult to think of another voice in baseball that I would miss more. I hope it will be of some comfort to Doug's mother to know how widely his talents were appreciated.

Just seeing this post ...

Nothing to add that dozens haven't said better already. Condolences to his friends and family. He will be missed.

King Kaufman eloquently remembers Doug and encourages those unfamiliar with his work to become familiar with it. You may have to watch an ad to read the column.

I posted my thoughts on Doug's passing in the original Lounge when the terrible news was given to us by Shredder. I'll add only that I spent five days in the Big Bend desert, and it's a place with terrible beauty to it.

I never met Doug, but I loved his writing. It feels like I've just lost a friend. Rest in Peace.

I’ve only just heard the terrible news and would like to add my thoughts. I never knew or corresponded with Doug, but from his accessible writing, his clear-sighted perception and his infallible “b.s. detector“ about the business and economics of baseball, he has done more than any other writer to help me understand the game. I feel a heavy loss and devastating blow — and I didn’t even know him. My condolences to all his family and friends.

I am/was Doug's first cousin, and I want you all to know how much your kind comments and thoughts mean. Doug was many things, as these posts note.

Through SABR, I've known Doug for many years.
It's amazing how many different facets of Doug
the kind people posting to this list have brought
out. He was all those things and more. He provided
a great deal of pro-bono legal advice to SABR
over the years. He was always cheerful, fast and
accurate in his responses.

At a recent SABR convention, Doug took great
delight in telling me about the time that
Bud-lite called him and proceeded for a solid
hour to lecture him on why he was wrong about
baseball economics.

It's very telling that Doug took absolutely no
offense; in fact he found it hilarious.

Bon Voyage buddy. You were taken from us far too
soon.