Lucas: A True Tar Heel

By Adam Lucas

When he received the text last Monday, Michael Busch had an immediate sense of foreboding. "Call me," it read, and some part of him knew.

Busch's Cubs were in Chicago, where they had a game with the Padres. When he finished the game, he called Kim Anton in Omaha. That's when she told him that JR Anton, her son, had died.

A fixture in the Carolina baseball program since 2006, JR had become close friends with two decades of Tar Heel players. That included Busch, a standout on the 2018 College World Series team and eventual first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers. On multiple occasions, JR stayed with Busch during his regular visits to Chapel Hill to watch his beloved Diamond Heels.

The Anton family continued to follow all their Carolina favorites as the players continued on their professional baseball journeys. They'd watched with joy as Busch secured the starting first base job for the Cubs, and as earlier this year he swatted a home run in five consecutive games, tying a franchise record.

"We are so proud of what you're accomplished," Kim told Busch. "We are so happy for you. I just want to ask you one favor: keep hitting those home runs for JR."



Carolina baseball was extremely fortunate to begin its series of regular Omaha appearances in 2006, when the spectacle of the College World Series still had healthy amounts of the small-town charm that made the event unique. The games were still played at Rosenblatt Stadium, across from Kong Burger and Zesto and Stadium View Sports Cards.

Omaha locals took tremendous pride in being hosts for the team, ensuring the eight participating squads were treated like baseball royalty. Practices sometimes took place at local high schools.

It was one of those practices that introduced JR Anton to the Tar Heels for the very first time. He was 13 years old, a sports-loving teenager who suffered from Hunter Syndrome. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of it; there are perhaps 800 children in the United States who have it. It primarily occurs in boys, and it can cause abnormalities in the skeleton, heart and respiratory system.

The Anton family had a natural affinity for the University of North Carolina. They'd been to Chapel Hill to participate in a study and receive treatment, and they'd cheered for the Tar Heel basketball team in 2005 when the Final Four was in St. Louis, a place JR visited every week for infusion treatment.

So it made sense: Carolina was coming to Omaha, and the Antons would of course be cheering for the Tar Heels.

JR went to a Carolina practice at Millard West High School. He started chatting with administrators Larry Gallo and Dr. Beth Miller, and before he knew it, he was sitting in the Carolina dugout, high-fiving the players. This was the atmosphere of the CWS in 2006, and of a Carolina program directed by Mike Fox that was trying to enjoy every possible moment of what they thought might be a once in a lifetime opportunity (no one knew at that time that the Tar Heels were on the first of four straight trips and five in six years).

"JR was such a likable and positive person to have around our program," says Chad Flack, one of the stars of those early CWS teams. "Every day was a great day in his eyes, and I think that positive energy rubbed off on all of us."

When Carolina went back to Omaha in 2007, JR was there. And again in 2008. And 2009. Even as the core of players began to change, as Josh Horton gave way to Dustin Ackley and Andrew Miller relinquished the mound to Alex White, JR remained a loyal Tar Heel. Fox and his coaching staff ensured the players knew JR was to be treated as a member of the team.

The Antons lived in Omaha, the home base for the spectacle of the College World Series, but they only attended the games when Carolina was participating. They were Tar Heels.

In 2011, JR visited Chapel Hill for a medical procedure. Naturally, he found time to visit Boshamer Stadium, where he hung out with players like pitcher Benton Moss. The next central figure was outfielder Skye Bolt. JR wanted to visit Chapel Hill in 2013, but he didn't have a place to stay.

"He can stay with me," Bolt said, a college student and Division I athlete willing to sacrifice some of his free time to give someone else a memorable experience. And so a Tar Heel tradition was born, with a series of Carolina players hosting JR on his annual Chapel Hill pilgrimages.

One of those hosts was Busch. "Everything JR wore was Carolina blue or Carolina baseball-related," Busch says. "He was this intense fan who also had an interesting personality, because he was so funny and never took himself too seriously. He loved being around the team, and we felt like he was one of the guys."

During those week-long visits, JR essentially was one of the guys. He'd go out to eat with players in Chapel Hill, spend the night with them, come and go from Boshamer Stadium on their schedule. It was impossible to be a Carolina baseball player and not know JR Anton.

"He was easy to hang out with," says Vance Honeycutt. "He was always smiling, and his love for UNC Baseball and all the guys was impossible to miss. We were always excited to see him and spend that week with him each year."

It all seemed so natural. But it didn't go unnoticed by the Anton family. Before the connection began with the Tar Heels, JR had contact with a more local college program. But that group never embraced him.

There, he felt like an outsider. At Carolina, he was at home. JR frequently mentioned his desire to move to Chapel Hill. The walls in his bedroom at home were completely covered in Tar Heel items—baseballs and hats and helmets and batting gloves and photos with his favorite players.

"We have more Carolina stuff in his bedroom than in the entire Boshamer Stadium," Kim Anton says with a smile. "There's no doubt in my mind his heart and soul was in Chapel Hill."

It always felt very easy. Which mattered, because most of JR's life was not easy. The medical appointments never stopped. The occasional stares when he was out in Omaha. The constant necessity to explain that he was afflicted with a condition that impacts fewer than 1 in 100,000 people.

But in Chapel Hill, he was just a Tar Heel.

"As a parent, you know your son isn't normal," says Kim Anton. "But Carolina always welcomed JR as normal. And I've tried to tell all the players and coaches and everyone we've met that they have no idea what that did for JR and what that did for my family. They will never fully understand how much of an impact they had."

"JR was so special to our team and to me," says head coach Scott Forbes. "He brought so much joy to our guys, and I enjoyed every second I was lucky enough to be around him. His visits were extra special because he knew he was part of our team. Little did JR know that he was the one leaving the bigger impact on our players."

Because Hunter syndrome is so rare, there is no typical treatment approach or a standard progression of the disease. JR had just visited his cardiologist on April 22 and received a relatively clean report, with no changes from his prior visit.

Last weekend, he spent time with his other passion, working in the yard. He went to bed as normal on the night of May 5.

But on May 6, he didn't wake up. His father found him in his room, dead at the age of 31, surrounded by the memories of nearly 20 years as a Tar Heel.

JR Anton with UNC baseball team members at Rammys

JR Anton with UNC baseball team members at Rammys

The group texts populated by Carolina baseball players buzzed with JR stories for most of the day on May 6 and 7. That night, Busch's Cubs hosted the Padres. Storms were all around Wrigley Field, lightning was popping in the distance, and a very unfortunate delay seemed possible as the game remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth. Rain began to fall.

Busch was Chicago's leadoff batter. The very first pitch was a 94 mile per hour fastball up in the strike zone, and Busch immediately uncoiled on it. The ball left his bat at 108 miles per hour and landed 427 feet away in the Wrigley Field bleachers for a walk-off home run. The lights at the best baseball park in the world flashed. Fans stood in the rain and sang "Go Cubs Go." The Cubs took the 3-2 win, keeping them near the top of the division race.

The stoic rookie barely cracked a smile as he rounded the bases. The rest of the Cubs dashed onto the field, dumping water on Busch and pulling his jersey.

"All of it happened so fast," Busch says. "Finally, things started to calm down, and I got a text in our group chat from all my college teammates. They mentioned JR right away. It was really cool to be able to do that, and I had a strong sense of him being able to see it and enjoy it, because baseball and hitting home runs meant so much to him."

In Omaha, Kim Anton watched the video of the home run the next morning. She saw Busch try to suppress that smile, the one she has always said reminds her of JR's. Tears streamed down her face.

"It was the most amazing thing," she said, "and so heartwarming."

She sent Busch a text thanking him for the moment and reminding him that JR was watching.

"I know," came Busch's reply. "And I know he had something to do with it."

Players Mentioned

Vance Honeycutt

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