Jose Fernandez will be laid to rest Thursday, but the mourning will continue for a long time. He was so young, so talented, so full of life.Fernandez risked so much to escape his native Cuba. His first two tries failedand landed him not only back in Cuba, but in prison.Still, he persisted. Not for a long-held dream to play in the major leagues. As a teen in Cuba, Fernandez knew little about baseball in the U.S. He and his mother kept trying to reach the States for something far more important Shawn Kelley Jersey than baseball: freedom.MORE: Maybe thats why Fernandez played the game so joyfully. Sure, its easy to smile when you can throw a fastball 94 mph and follow it up with a devastating slider, but the Bryce Harper Jersey majors are filled with supremely talented athletes, and too many who prefer to scowl.Not Jose Fernandez. On the mound, at the plate, in the batting cage, in the dugout, before games,during games, after games,baseball for him was full of joy, laughter, pa sion and exuberance. His approach didnt make him any le s a competitor. It didnt le sen his desire to win.MORE: He had no use for . He had come from a place with too many rules about what he could say, how he could actand what he could be. Here, in a major league game, he was free.Fernandezs spectacular feats on the field and otherworldly stats made us pay attention, but his smile pulled us in, wrapped us in jubilance, Joaquin Benoit Jersey and made us love him. Thats why his tragic death at age 24 is so painful for us. We mourn the potential he never realized on the mound, but theres a much bigger hole in our hearts where his laugh used to be.MORE: Lets fill that hole by embracing other major leaguers who bring a joyful effervescence to the game. Most of us are familiar Joe Blanton Jersey with Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltres antics, like when he ran into left field to avoid a tag on a rundown:Your browser does not support iframes.Beltre isn'tthe only one. Theres Indians second basemanJason Kipnis, who made Beltre laugh hysterically when he tiptoed away from Beltre's teammateRougned Odor after turning a double play, making light of Odors penchant for aggre sive slides (and his devastating right cro s).Your browser does not support iframes.Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had fun with former teammate Dioner Navarro:Your browser does not support iframes.Theres Rays ace Chris Archer to a teammates walkup song and to interview former teammate and mentor David Price.Theres Giants right fielder Hunter Pences in the outfield. Theres Mookie Betts and . A between the Cardinals'Jose Martinez and Michael Taylor Jersey the Rockies' Carlos Estevez after the national anthem. And Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabreras after his monstrous walkoff home run in extra innings.MORE: Theres a little bit of Jose Fernandez in all of us. The more of Jose we let in, the happier we and baseball will be.Wendy Thurm writes about sports, the busine s of sports, and sports law.