“As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction,” says an old Irish blessing. As whimsical (or painful) as that sounds, it begs the question: What exactly ...

LOS ANGELES — The conversations that Jeff Banister was forced to have with his family were difficult. He’d been waiting for a call that started to seem like it would never come. All he wanted to do ...

During the long days and longer nights in the hospital, when he closed his eyes, Jeff Banister saw diamonds and baseballs. This June afternoon at Dodger Stadium, with the sun shining over the San ...